16. Telling the Good News does not give me any reason for bragging. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. And how terrible it will be for me if I do not tell the Good News.
17. If I preach because it is my own choice, I have a reward. But if I preach and it is not my choice to do so, I am only doing the duty that was given to me.
18. So what reward do I get? This is my reward: that when I tell the Good News I can offer it freely. I do not use my full rights in my work of preaching the Good News.
19. I am free and belong to no one. But I make myself a slave to all people to win as many as I can.
20. To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. I myself am not ruled by the law. But to those who are ruled by the law I became like a person who is ruled by the law. I did this to win those who are ruled by the law.
21. To those who are without the law I became like a person who is without the law. I did this to win those people who are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ruled by Christ’s law.)
22. To those who are weak, I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible.
23. I do all this because of the Good News and so I can share in its blessings.
24. You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win!
25. All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed.