1 Corinthians: Chapter 9 (verses 1–17)

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1–2).

Paul began this chapter by using rhetorical questions of whether he was free and whether he was an apostle. Apostles were the main leaders of the church; they, along with prophets, were the foundation of the church, and certain rights, authority, and responsibilities came with the office.

Paul also challenged the Corinthians by asking whether it was true that he had seen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3–8). In so doing, he was stating that no one should question whether he was an apostle. He went on to remind the Corinthians that they had come to Christ due to his work in the Lord. The Corinthian church was the fruit of Paul’s ministry (Acts 18:1–11). While those who may have been unfamiliar with Paul might have had grounds to doubt, the Corinthians knew the truth because they themselves were the seal, or proof, of Paul’s apostleship.

Paul’s rhetorical questions in this chapter indicate that those Corinthians who opposed him might have challenged his apostleship. The power of the Holy Spirit was so strong in Paul’s preaching that the Corinthians should have respected his apostleship. Elsewhere Paul called the Corinthian believers his letter of recommendation (2 Corinthians 3:2). Their conversion should have been sufficient to satisfy the Corinthians regarding his apostolic authority in this regard.

This is my defense to those who would examine me (1 Corinthians 9:3).

Paul then proceeds to defend himself from the people who sat in judgment with another series of questions. From what he’d discussed in the previous chapter (1 Corinthians 8), and will return to in chapter 10, it would seem that some people were asserting their right to eat whatever they pleased, including meat sacrificed to idols in temples. They were displeased with Paul’s teaching that they should refrain from doing so out of concern for the spiritual well-being of a person of weaker conscience who would be stumbled by this practice (1 Corinthians 8:8–9). Those who judged Paul knew that he understood the practice was theologically justifiable, and a freedom that every Christian technically had. To them it must have seemed that Paul had contradicted this teaching when he insisted that stronger Christians should not eat for the sake of weaker Christians (1 Corinthians 8:10–13).

To defend himself, Paul drew on the practices of his life. His position regarding eating meat sacrificed to idols wasn’t a sign of weakness. It was in alignment with the basic Christian principles that guided his life.

Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? (1 Corinthians 9:4–6)

Paul introduced his defense through a number of questions and statements. First, he asked questions about himself and Barnabas, who was an early Christian disciple and a missionary companion of Paul.

1. Did he and Barnabas have the right to food and drink as they ministered? Yes, they did.

2. Did he and Barnabas have the right to have believing wives with them like other apostles did? Yes, they did.

3. Were he and Barnabas the only apostles not worthy of pay for their work? No.

Later in this chapter, Paul explains how he forfeited some of the rights that were available to him. Apparently, those who sat in judgment of Paul thought his refusal to take advantage of these rights proved he lacked these rights. They must have reasoned that he did not exercise these advantages because he was not truly an apostle. To counter this thinking, Paul affirmed his apostolic rights. Though he supported himself by making tents, he had a right to be fed and compensated for his ministry by the Corinthians. Even though he remained single for the sake of those to whom he ministered, he had the right to be married.

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? (1 Corinthians 9:7)

Paul led up to the question of why he and Barnabas didn’t accept what they had rights to have. Before he got to that point, he built his case even more strongly by appealing to the example of other church leaders and to common daily life.

1. Does any soldier serve at his own expense? No.

2. Do farmers eat their own produce? Yes.

3. Do shepherds drink milk from their flocks? Yes.

Paul used everyday examples to make the point that people have a right to make a living from their work. By pointing to the way things commonly are, he makes the case that he, too, has rights.

Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop (1 Corinthians 9:8–10).

Paul asks a serious question: Were these expectations just from a human point of view, or did God confirm them as well? Paul showed that these rights were granted by God, and the Scripture he cited made this point. He contended that Old Testament law undergirded his moral right to receive a livelihood from his ministry. To support his argument, Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 25:4: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” In biblical times, oxen or horses dragged a weighted board across the grain by walking around and around a central post. At other times, the animals simply walked on the grain with their feet. The Old Testament law didn’t allow farmers to muzzle the animals which were treading the grain.

Paul applied the Old Testament Law to the present situation, insisting that God was concerned about more than oxen—His concern was for human beings. While the Law pertained to oxen treading on grain, a deeper moral principle undergirded this law: When the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, the expectation is that they will share in the harvest.

If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:11–12).

Since Paul had sowed spiritual seed in Corinth, he had the right to reap reasonable pay for his work. He pointed out that the Corinthians benefited from his ministry, and for this reason, he had an even greater right to support than the other church leaders whom the Corinthians apparently supported. Paul had every right to be paid, but he did not use this right. Rather, he put up with a variety of troubles rather than do anything that would hurt the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13–14).

In one last effort to show the correctness of his right to be paid, Paul stated how the Jewish priests and Levites got their food from the temple and shared what was offered on the altar. He felt that in the same way, the Lord commanded that those who preach should receive their living from the gospel. This may also be a reference to Jesus’ instructions to the apostles in Luke: And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house (Luke 10:7).

However, Paul goes on to clarify:

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting (1 Corinthians 9:15).

Paul’s argument made a strong case that he should be paid for his ministry. Common fairness supported him. Most importantly, biblical law itself taught this view. There was no reason why Paul should not be compensated for his work.

Though Paul could demand financial support from those he served, he refused to insist on his rights. He forfeited his right to make a living from his ministry, but he also countered any misunderstanding of his motivations. He didn’t defend his rights so that the Corinthians would begin to pay him, but rather to defend his apostleship. He didn’t want anyone to not receive the gospel because they thought he was preaching for the sake of finances. He wanted to keep on “boasting” about the good news of God’s grace in Jesus.

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:16–17).

Paul wanted to continue preaching without receiving compensation from the Corinthians. He stated that he was compelled to preach. In other words, that he had no choice, because God had called him to give the message, and he had to fulfill that command or he would fall under God’s judgment.

Paul frequently spoke of himself and other Christians as being motivated to serve by a desire for heavenly reward and praise. He didn’t want to lose the eternal rewards he would receive for preaching willingly and eagerly and without pay. If he begrudged his preaching or received compensation for his work, he believed he would be doing nothing more than simply discharging the trust committed to him. To raise his preaching above the level of mere obedience, Paul voluntarily gave up his right to financial payment.

(To be continued.)

---

Note
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.