☰ 1 Corinthians 9
9
The ‘rights’ of an apostle
1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?* Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you, because you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who are judging me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, just as the rest of the apostles and the Lord's brothers† and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to forego working? 7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink‡ of its milk? 8 I am not saying these things as a mere man, am I? Does not the Law also say the same? 9 For it stands written in the Law of Moses: “You shall not muzzle an ox that is threshing.”§ Is it really about the oxen that God is concerned,* 10 or does He surely say it for our sakes? Yes, it was written for us, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope.
To live from the Gospel
11 Since we planted spiritual things in you, is it a big deal if we reap material things from you? 12 If others have a share in this right from you, do not we even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but we put up with everything so as not to cause any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who minister the sacred things eat from the temple, and those who serve at the altar have a share in the altar? 14 So also the Lord has instructed those who proclaim the Gospel to live from the Gospel.†
To forego a right
15 Now I have not used any of these rights, nor have I written these things that it should be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void 16 —I cannot boast because I preach the Gospel, because I am compelled to do so; indeed, woe is me if I do not preach it! 17 (If I do this of my own volition, I have a reward; but if otherwise, I have been entrusted with a commission.) 18 So what is my reward? That when I evangelize I may present the Gospel of Christ‡ without charge, so as not to use my rights in the Gospel.§
All things to all men
19 Though being free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, in order that I might win the more: 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those under law as under law, that I might win those under law; 21 to those without law as without law (not being without law toward God but under law toward Christ), that I might win those without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now I do this for the sake of the Gospel, so as to become its partner.*
Even an apostle can be rejected
24 Do you not know that in a stadium race all the runners run, but one gets the prize? Run like that, so that you may win. 25 All athletic competitors exercise general self-control—they do it in order to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26 So that is how I ‘run’, with a definite goal; that is how I fight, with well-aimed blows. 27 Yes, I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, having preached to others, I myself should be rejected.†
* 9:1 One of the requirements for a replacement for Judas Iscariot was to have seen the risen Christ (Acts 1:22). Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “Christ”, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. † 9:5 This refers to the sons that Mary had with Joseph after Jesus was born. ‘Cephas’ was another name for Peter. ‡ 9:7 Actually the Text says ‘eat’, but milk is a liquid; unless it be that Paul is thinking of cheese, that is derived from milk. § 9:9 See Deuteronomy 25:4. * 9:9 Obviously human beings are more important to God than are the animals, but God is telling us to treat the animals with some consideration. † 9:14 When was that? When Jesus sent out the twelve and later the seventy, He told them not to take money but to depend on the hospitality of those to whom they ministered. Later on, however, He reversed that instruction, but “to live” refers to basic needs, not luxury. ‡ 9:18 Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “of Christ”, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. § 9:18 If you only do something because you are compelled, because you can't get out of it, you get no credit for it. Paul preaches the Gospel because he has to, he is compelled, so gets no credit. But Paul wants some credit, some reward! So how can he get it? Not by preaching, since that is obligatory—by preaching without charge! Paul has the right to charge but foregoes it so as to get some credit/reward. Evidently this was rather important to him (verse 15)—I confess that I don't understand why he said it would be better to die. * 9:23 If you are a partner, you get a share of the profits; evidently Paul's share was being deposited in the Bank of Heaven. † 9:27 This is a strong term. If Paul was concerned, we had better be too! Note that this has to do with disciplining the body.
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