January 28, 2024
1 Corinthians 9:1-14
“Freed for Sacrifice”
Service Overview: Here, Paul not only defends his apostleship, but emphasizes the principle of compensation for those dedicated to gospel work. This passage challenges perceptions about labor in God’s service, offering insights into the intersection of faith, financial support, and the provision of those whose lives are devoted to the work of the church.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’” 1 Timothy 5:17-18 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- Itinerant Greco-Roman philosophers and religious teachers supported themselves in one of four ways: charging fees, staying in well-to-do households, begging, or working at a trade. The last of these was least common but generally acknowledged to give the philosopher the greatest freedom to teach however he liked. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 230)
- The world in which Paul ministered had been overrun by charlatans, opportunists, and soothsayers who were “in it for the money.” The market was flooded with all kinds of philosophical and religious claims, each peddled by teachers who wanted to be paid for access to their enlightened ideas. If Paul had stepped into Corinth taking up a love offering every time he preached his message, the good news of Jesus Christ would have been immediately associated with the fakes. (Charles R. Swindoll, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 136)
- Keep in mind that, for the most part, the Greeks despised manual labor. They had slaves to do manual labor so that the citizens could enjoy sports, philosophy, and leisure. The Jews, of course, magnified honest labor. Even the learned rabbis each practiced a trade, and they taught the people, “He who does not teach his son to work, teaches him to be a thief.” Paul was trained as a tentmaker, a worker in leather. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 111)
- (v.5) Because these two men had refrained from taking money from the churches, some were saying that they were not apostles (see 9:3-4). Also, tentmaking was regarded as lowly work, fit primarily for slaves. They questioned whether Paul had the same authority as other apostles because they looked down on him for working with his hands. Paul asserted that he and Barnabas had the authority of apostles, even though they did not take advantage of the rights they deserved—having waived them of their own free will. (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 121)
- The word apostle means “one sent under commission” and refers primarily to the twelve apostles and Paul. These men had a special commission, along with the New Testament prophets, to lay the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). One of the qualifications for being an apostle was a personal experience of seeing the resurrected Christ. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 112)
What does this text reveal about Paul’s mindset toward ministry why does it matter?
- While Paul had rights, he chose to limit them for the sake of the mission.
(vv. 1-6, 12 | Mat. 6:24, 33; Mark 8:36-37; Luke 12:34; 2 Cor. 11:7-9; Philippians 2:3)
Paul will not do anything to cause a brother or sister to stumble in the faith, even if he has the liberty and right to do that thing. That includes eating food sacrificed to a lifeless idol (ch. 8) and receiving compensation for preaching the gospel (ch. 9). (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 177)
Paul used himself as an illustration of the mature use of liberty: He was free to receive financial support from the Corinthian church, yet he set aside that right in order to achieve a higher goal. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 111)
Paul believes that accepting financial support from the Corinthians would create barriers for his work of proclamation; since that is his preeminent concern, he takes no money. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 152)
- Paul upholds the practice of material support for those in vocational ministry.
(vv. 7-14 | Leviticus 6:16-18; 7:8-10; 7:28-36; Numbers 18:8-19; Deuteronomy 25:4; Luke 10:7; Romans 15:27; Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; James 5:4)
Paul indeed had the authority of an apostle, but he would not exercise his rights as an apostle if doing so would cause a stumbling block to anyone. Yet he also explained, through these questions, that the churches ought to willingly accord these rights to those who deserved them. If Paul waived these rights at various times, this was a personal decision based on his zeal for the gospel. (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 120)
Preaching the gospel is like planting a crop; and making disciples, like harvesting. So if oxen should not be muzzled as they plow, neither should preachers be prevented from eating due to lack of support from those among whom they minister. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 233)
Jesus himself commanded that proclaimers of the gospel should get their living by the gospel. Here we see what a skilled rhetorician Paul was: He has saved his knockdown argument for last, yet he introduces it without fanfare or elaboration, allowing the point to carry its own considerable weight. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 152)
Like the Old Testament priests who were granted the right to eat some of the sacrifice of the altar (9:13), the Lord desires those who preach the gospel to earn their living through the offerings of those to whom they minister (9:14). (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 136)
Conclusion… How does a passage like this challenge us in living counter-culture?
A. By becoming people who know when to suppress our rights for the sake of others.
(Prov. 31:8-9; Isaiah 1:17; Luke 6:31; John 15:13; Romans 8:18; 1 Cor. 8; Philippians 2:3)
Perhaps the most striking element of this chapter for American Christians is its studied indifference to the “rights” of the individual. Without ever denying that he could claim various rights, Paul exemplifies instead a freedom that relinquishes rights for the sake of others (v. 19). (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 157)
Only when we sacrifice our personal, individual rights in this life will we be eligible for rewards in the next. (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 140)
When you leave this world, will you be known as one who accumulated treasures on earth that you couldn’t keep? Or will you be recognized as one who invested treasures in heaven that you couldn’t lose? (Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, 49)
When your focus is on living for Christ, your rights become comparatively unimportant. (Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 121)
B. By faithfully supporting those materially, who faithfully support us spiritually.
(Luke 10:7; 12:34; Colossians 3:2; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Hebrews 13:5, 16; James 5:4)
Everyday experience teaches us that a workman deserves some reward for his labors. If a man is drafted to be a soldier, the government pays his wages and provides a certain amount of supplies for him. The man who plants a vineyard gets to eat the fruit, just as the shepherd or herdsman has the right to use the milk from the animals. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 112)
Believers who individually and corporately benefit from the ministries of full-time Christian workers need carefully to examine and heed Paul’s call in verses 1–12a. Such ministers should not have to be so preoccupied with providing for their basic needs that they cannot devote themselves wholeheartedly to their work. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 235)
Tragically, many Christians spend precious little time thinking about their eternal home. Instead, they work themselves into oblivion building temporary homes and hideaways. (Hank Hanegraaff, Resurrection, 86)
Gospel Connection…
Jesus laid down his rights for the sake of others and calls his followers to do the same.
(Mark 10:45; John 15:13; Romans 5:8; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 5:2; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 2)
The gospel above all was not a mere slogan for Paul. It was the heart and guiding light of his ministry. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 180)
He was made man, who made man. He was created of a mother whom he created. He was carried by the hand that he formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, he the Word. Without whom all human eloquence is mute. (Augustine)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Paul willingly and joyfully gave up his right to financial compensation. How do you typically feel about giving up your rights?
- How does someone decide when giving up a right or privilege is necessary?
- How can pride keep you from wanting to give up your rights to serve others?
- What do these verses teach about financially supporting those serving God in vocational ministry?
- What right(s) in your life might you need to set aside at times in order to serve and love others?
Quotes to note…
A good test for would-be full-time Christian workers is to ask themselves the question if they could imagine being truly happier doing anything else. If the answer is yes, they probably have not been called. Without Paul’s sense of compulsion, it will be too easy to give up when the hard times come. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 239)
Another benefit of giving is freedom. It’s a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own – the greater their total mass – the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, they suck us in… We think we own our possessions, but too often they own us.. .Every item we buy is one more thing to think about, talk about, clean, repair, rearrange, fret over, and replace when it goes bad. (Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, 33, 51-52)
Evangelical Christians have always been gospel people. After all, it’s in our name. Evangelical is a transliteration of the Greek word “gospel.” So, in that sense, the gospel has always been our brand. It’s been the heart of Christianity from the beginning. It’s what gives our faith life. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 176)
The Christian worker has the right to expect benefits for his labors. If this is true in the “secular” realm, it is also true in the spiritual realm. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 112)
Congregations should not think of their giving as providing a salary, however, in ways that tempt them to demand satisfaction of their personal whims. “The church does not pay its ministers; rather, it provides them with resources so that they are able to serve freely.” (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 236)
The Corinthians had been liberated by Christ to live in freedom from the Law (Gal. 5:1), and they were intent on exercising their newfound rights. But if there was an upside-down way of doing something, the Corinthians would find it. They had used their freedom to feed their egos and fleshly desires, spending their liberty on selfish pursuits. Rather than bolstering their team members in the body of Christ, they demanded their rights. So, Paul challenges their attitude by arguing from the greater to the lesser. If Paul himself sacrificed his rights as an apostle, then how is it that the church members at Corinth could insist on having their rights honored? (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 135)
It is our duty and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed; we are to spend and to be spent, not to lay ourselves up in lavender, and nurse our flesh. Such soul-travail as that of a faithful minister will bring on occasional seasons of exhaustion, when heart and flesh will fail. (C. H. Spurgeon, The Minister’s Fainting Fits, Lectures to My Students, Lecture XI, 1856)
