1 Corinthians 9:1-18 - Rights and Responsibilities of Ministry

1 Corinthians 9:1-18

A Pattern of Self-Denial

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 doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 My defense to those who examine 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, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? 7 Who ever goes to war 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 the milk of the flock?

8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?

Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

15 But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

This passage finds an example in the calling and life of Paul the apostle of rights and responsibilities n ministering the gospel as servants of Jesus Christ our Lord.  It is our obligation and duty (Luke 17:10) to live for the Lord as we have been called to work out our salvation in doing the works prepared by God for each one of us to do according to the individual gifts and calling (1 Peter 4:10-11, Romans 12:6-8) we now have in Christ.  Paul was a unique apostle in that he had seen Jesus Christ personally on the road to Damascus after the Lord had died and arose, while this test of apostleship for the others was accomplished during His life on earth as Immanuel walked among us.  Nonetheless, Paul was called as an apostle to deliver the word of God in the epistles he penned under divine direction and delivered the gospel of salvation from God’s wrath on sin by grace to the readers of this letter where he demonstrated the seal of God on him in the form of these lives he witnessed to and taught according to the last commandment given by Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20) before He ascended back into heaven where He came down from to accomplish all things as they were written (Luke 24:26-27) of Him long before.  Paul therefore laid out his defense to doubters and deniers with the facts of his calling and the work he was doing as prepared by God for him in the work of the gospel with God’s authority and power.  He supported himself though the workers of the gospel have every right according to God to be supported by others in this holy calling and service as the scripture from Moses about muzzling an ox was brought up.  He did this to keep the accusations at bay as he led the way in transparency (2 Corinthians 6:11, 7:2-4) and sincerity before God and men.  He said these things about support and backed them up by saying that the one who plows should plow in hope, and who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope as a visual explanation of support for workers in the kingdom.  Those who plant and sow spiritual things in their flock have every right therefore to be supported by those being served, yet Paul made it transparently clear that he did not exercise his right that the gospel was not further hindered by those opposing him for accepting the support lest that be said was his motivation.  However, the principle stands firm for those mini of the gospel just as those who had served in the temple and were fed from the offerings given to the priests as their sustenance from the gifts of the people by God’s design and command (Leviticus 7:6, 31) as it is written.  He sums this up with, “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”  Paul resolved not to take the support in this way to avoid accusations and stated instead that his boasting was in Jesus the Lord and not in what he had or did.  To him, proclaiming the gospel was paramount because the necessity of that calling was foremost in his heart and soul as he penned the words, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”  This is also for our example to proclaim our own witness to what Jesus Christ has done in His suffering life, atoning death for our curse under the law, and resurrection to life from death with an eternal hope of a life with God.  That is our only boasting, the work of God on our behalf, not our works.  We are accepted in the Beloved to live acceptable lives for this gospel in return out of duty (Luke 17:10) that is willing and not forced on us to earn or lose acceptance or salvation from God.  Paul’s reward was to present the gospel without payment so as not to be accused of abusing his authority given by God.  This is a great testimony for many preachers today to avoid accusations and tarnishing the gospel by greed or self-seeking motives in the light of the rights and responsibilities of ministry as demonstrated in the calling and life of Paul the apostle for our example to imitate.