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Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 says that when he was with Jews he acts more like them, and when he was around greeks he acted as if he was a Greek. The texts begs the question how should we interpret Paul’s actions in the chapter, and what motivation might we attribute to this very peculiar activity.

Some might ask was Paul simply going with the flow? Was he just giving into peer pressure? Furthermore, Did he leave an example of conformity for Christians after him.

The answer to this question is no. Paul writes that he was aware of his change and lets the reader know that he wasn’t simply acting uncritically. Instead he writes that he was very intentional about how he interacted with other people, many times avoid certain things, and often acting out of a different motivation, than that of those around him.
The more interesting question is: Was Paul faking it? Was he some sort of religious con-man, changing his persona on command to best ensnare his audience? More subtly, some might ask was Paul authentic with people around him?
This questions is particularly interesting when we consider the implications on the Church today, Our society takes authenticity very seriously. Recently this idea of inventing ones personality to win someone over was the recurring joke in an episode NBC’s “30 Rock”. In the show Liz (one of the main characters) opens the mail of her neighbor and copies his interests in order to win his affection. Throughout the episode Liz is chastised for her conniving, and in the end is told by her neighbor that he wished she would had been herself.

I would suggest that Paul is leaving a positive pattern, but that he is not sacrificing authenticity for the sake of accessibility.

So the answer to “how is Paul being Paul if he is constantly changing the way he acts?” lies in how Paul Identifies himself.
Paul says in the letter to the Galatians “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ” Unfortunately, the radical nature of this statement has been diluted. What Paul is saying here is that his identity is directly taken from Christ, where he was once Paul the Hebrew of Hebrews he is now Paul the follower of Christ. Paul is saying here that the things that once defined who he was, have now been superseded. The ideals, preferences and values he once held as primary, have now become subject to the will of Christ, and this is what allows him to act different around different people. Not as con-man or a trickster but as someone who identity had moved beyond tribalism, race or anything else which naturally separates people from each other.

A Change in our Point of Reference
If Paul sees himself as primarily connected to God, than he can appreciate and value all people in a God-like way. He can move past defining himself by his race and upbringing. He can appreciate different food, and music. He can attend events that the Old Paul might have grimaced at, because he can see the image of God in all people.

Are you still defined by your race or culture or upbringing? Rejecting or Resting on any of these ideas still means that they define who you are and who you are not.
Only when we are connected to God can we move past race, culture, and upbringing, to embrace the beauty of all people, because our point of reference is no longer some other group of which we are not a part. If our reference point is God, we can cross those lines of division. We can explore and enjoy many different things.

If our Reference point is God:
we can appreciate the strength and struggle of both, Hip Hop and Blue Grass.
we can see the beauty of Abstract impressionism and Baroque Landscapes.
we can get over ourselves and love and appreciate all kinds of people.