First Letter to the Corinthians -- Chapter 9
Having finished addressing the subject of food sacrificed to idols Paul continues on to defend his Christian freedom and ministry as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He is not doing this for selfish reasons but thru this defense he has a much higher goal of teaching in mind. “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me” (1 Corinthians 9:1-3). In these opening words Paul references how he was called to be the Apostle of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. On that road he saw Jesus Christ with his own two eyes and was irrevocably appointed and called by Him to proclaim the gospel to the gentiles. Even if some ignorant groups disputed his authority as an Apostle, Paul urged the Corinthians to see that of all people they should recognize him as such. Wasn’t it his work and proclamation of God’s Word that brought about their conversion? Was not their church proof of God’s work buried within his commission to preach the gospel?
Continuing on Paul discusses the rights he has as a Christian: “Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?” (1 Corinthians 9:4-7). As a fellow Christian, just like the rest of us, Paul asks: Don’t I have the right and freedom to eat and drink whatever I please, just like you? Don’t I have the right and freedom to take a wife if I choose to do so, just like you? Don’t I also have the right and freedom to receive daily support for the toils of my work, just like you? Or am I somehow exempt from being supported in my ministry and thereby forced to work multiple side jobs just to squeeze by? Paul has the exact same rights and freedoms as all Christians and he wants the Corinthians to see this. He hammers home his point by using the Scriptures: “Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:8-14). Paul wants us to see that the Scriptures were not written for the sake of oxen or anything else, but that they were all written for us. Paul implores us to therefore realize that those who preach the gospel have the right to be supported by those to whom they proclaim God’s Word (for all men have the right to receive their daily bread from their labors). It is inappropriate for congregations to “muzzle” those who proclaim God’s Word by refusing to support them with material necessities; they should instead actively support them so that they may be provided for in this life and enabled to proclaim God’s Word fulltime and without any “side jobs.” Thru bringing this up Paul wishes to show the church at Corinth that it is their duty to help those in the future who would come to them with the gospel. However this is not Paul’s main point or lesson.
Continuing on to the heart of the matter, he points out that he has deliberately forsaken his rights so as not to be a burden or hindrance upon the message he is proclaiming. “But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it” (1 Corinthians 9:15-18). Paul doesn’t want the support of the Corinthians; Paul wants them to see the authority of Jesus Christ by whom he speaks. Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to see “Paul”; he wants them to see Jesus Christ and the message of the cross that he has willingly given everything up for. Paul does not preach because he wants to or because he can make money or even a comfortable living by doing so; no, Paul preaches the gospel because the grace of God compels him, he has no choice. “The word of Yahweh has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:8-9). It is this that Paul wants the Corinthians to see. He wants them to stop listening to false teachers and preachers and to adhere to the full council of God that he brought them. He wants them to see the gospel that he is unequivocally passionate about, the gospel for which he would die a thousand painful deaths. He would do anything to make this message of the cross known: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). All Paul cares about is Jesus Christ and His gospel. For the sake of Jesus Christ Paul is willing to forsake all things. He is willing to give up all rights and freedoms so that the message of the cross may be proclaimed. It is this example that Paul is trying to illustrate to us. He is not ultimately talking about preachers getting material support, he is ultimately talking about discipleship and how we should be willing to give up all things for the sake of Christ. He wants us to see the message of Jesus Christ which is of unparalleled importance and significance, the Message which makes all things of this life pale in comparison. “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:7-9). Paul is pointing us to the Gospel and to his example in preaching so we might have something to imitate. “I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:16). His goal is not to point to himself in order to boast, but to point to himself in order that thru imitating his discipleship we may be pointed to the cross of Jesus Christ.
It is with this in mind that he continues: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Paul concludes his beautiful testimony by comparing discipleship to something the Corinthians could relate to. Every three years the Isthmian games were held in the vicinity of Corinth and Paul wants to teach us thru this worldly and well known spectacle. Thru the analogy of the races run at these games Paul implores the Corinthians (and us!) to run the race of discipleship with perseverance, effort, diligence, and a passionate fight. Complacence has absolutely no place in the life of the Christian. The true effects of grace always spur men into action, into lives of bold discipleship that desire to live up to what we have already attained in Jesus Christ. There is a real danger in becoming lazy and complacent in the grace of God, and therefore Paul urges us to learn from his example and follow Jesus Christ with every fiber of our being. We run the race because we have taken hold of by Jesus Christ. We run the race because we are compelled thru the call and Word of Christ to cling to the cross and follow Him with unrelenting fervor and obedience. We run the race because Jesus Christ has already run and won the race on our behalf, and He continues to run it before us (leading us onward) even today. Let us therefore pray that we do not fall into the trap of abusing the grace of God, but that thru daily repentance before the law of God and thru faith in the uplifting gospel of the cross that we are empowered to run the faithful race of discipleship to Jesus Christ. “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus…Let us live up to what we have already attained” (Philippians 3:12-14, 16).
Continuing on Paul discusses the rights he has as a Christian: “Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?” (1 Corinthians 9:4-7). As a fellow Christian, just like the rest of us, Paul asks: Don’t I have the right and freedom to eat and drink whatever I please, just like you? Don’t I have the right and freedom to take a wife if I choose to do so, just like you? Don’t I also have the right and freedom to receive daily support for the toils of my work, just like you? Or am I somehow exempt from being supported in my ministry and thereby forced to work multiple side jobs just to squeeze by? Paul has the exact same rights and freedoms as all Christians and he wants the Corinthians to see this. He hammers home his point by using the Scriptures: “Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:8-14). Paul wants us to see that the Scriptures were not written for the sake of oxen or anything else, but that they were all written for us. Paul implores us to therefore realize that those who preach the gospel have the right to be supported by those to whom they proclaim God’s Word (for all men have the right to receive their daily bread from their labors). It is inappropriate for congregations to “muzzle” those who proclaim God’s Word by refusing to support them with material necessities; they should instead actively support them so that they may be provided for in this life and enabled to proclaim God’s Word fulltime and without any “side jobs.” Thru bringing this up Paul wishes to show the church at Corinth that it is their duty to help those in the future who would come to them with the gospel. However this is not Paul’s main point or lesson.
Continuing on to the heart of the matter, he points out that he has deliberately forsaken his rights so as not to be a burden or hindrance upon the message he is proclaiming. “But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it” (1 Corinthians 9:15-18). Paul doesn’t want the support of the Corinthians; Paul wants them to see the authority of Jesus Christ by whom he speaks. Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to see “Paul”; he wants them to see Jesus Christ and the message of the cross that he has willingly given everything up for. Paul does not preach because he wants to or because he can make money or even a comfortable living by doing so; no, Paul preaches the gospel because the grace of God compels him, he has no choice. “The word of Yahweh has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:8-9). It is this that Paul wants the Corinthians to see. He wants them to stop listening to false teachers and preachers and to adhere to the full council of God that he brought them. He wants them to see the gospel that he is unequivocally passionate about, the gospel for which he would die a thousand painful deaths. He would do anything to make this message of the cross known: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). All Paul cares about is Jesus Christ and His gospel. For the sake of Jesus Christ Paul is willing to forsake all things. He is willing to give up all rights and freedoms so that the message of the cross may be proclaimed. It is this example that Paul is trying to illustrate to us. He is not ultimately talking about preachers getting material support, he is ultimately talking about discipleship and how we should be willing to give up all things for the sake of Christ. He wants us to see the message of Jesus Christ which is of unparalleled importance and significance, the Message which makes all things of this life pale in comparison. “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:7-9). Paul is pointing us to the Gospel and to his example in preaching so we might have something to imitate. “I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:16). His goal is not to point to himself in order to boast, but to point to himself in order that thru imitating his discipleship we may be pointed to the cross of Jesus Christ.
It is with this in mind that he continues: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Paul concludes his beautiful testimony by comparing discipleship to something the Corinthians could relate to. Every three years the Isthmian games were held in the vicinity of Corinth and Paul wants to teach us thru this worldly and well known spectacle. Thru the analogy of the races run at these games Paul implores the Corinthians (and us!) to run the race of discipleship with perseverance, effort, diligence, and a passionate fight. Complacence has absolutely no place in the life of the Christian. The true effects of grace always spur men into action, into lives of bold discipleship that desire to live up to what we have already attained in Jesus Christ. There is a real danger in becoming lazy and complacent in the grace of God, and therefore Paul urges us to learn from his example and follow Jesus Christ with every fiber of our being. We run the race because we have taken hold of by Jesus Christ. We run the race because we are compelled thru the call and Word of Christ to cling to the cross and follow Him with unrelenting fervor and obedience. We run the race because Jesus Christ has already run and won the race on our behalf, and He continues to run it before us (leading us onward) even today. Let us therefore pray that we do not fall into the trap of abusing the grace of God, but that thru daily repentance before the law of God and thru faith in the uplifting gospel of the cross that we are empowered to run the faithful race of discipleship to Jesus Christ. “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus…Let us live up to what we have already attained” (Philippians 3:12-14, 16).
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