1 Corinthians 9
9
Paul’s Example as an Apostle
1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal#Rv 5:1 of my apostleship in the Lord.
3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?#2Th 3:8–9 5Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife#9:5 Lit a sister as a wife like the other apostles,#Jd 17 the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?#Jn 1:42 6Or do only Barnabas#Ac 4:36 and I have no right to refrain from working? 7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?#Lk 3:14 Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?
8Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox#Lk 13:15 while it treads out grain.#9:9Dt 25:4#Dt 25:4 Is God really concerned about oxen? 10Isn’t he really saying it for our sake? Yes, this is written for our sake,#Rm 4:24 because he who plows ought to plow in hope,#Ac 23:6; 1Th 1:3 and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop.#2Tm 2:6 11If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything#Ac 20:33–35; 2Co 6:3–10; 11:7–12 so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.
13Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar#Lv 6:16,26; 7:6,31–32; Nm 5:9–10; 18:8–20,31; Dt 18:1 share in the offerings of the altar? 14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.#Mt 10:8–10; Lk 10:7
15For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I written these things that they may be applied in my case. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast! 16For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach#9:16 Lit because necessity is laid upon me — and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I am entrusted#Lk 16:11 with a commission. 18What then is my reward? To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gospel.#2Co 11:7; 12:13
19Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win#1Pt 3:1 more people. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law — though I myself am not under the law#9:20 Other mss omit though I myself am not under the law — to win those under the law.#Ac 16:3; 21:23–26 21To those who are without the law,#Rm 2:12,14; Gl 2:3; 3:2 like one without the law — though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ — to win those without the law. 22To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.#Rm 11:14; 1Co 7:16 23Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings.
24Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race,#Jd 3 but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.#Col 2:18 25Now everyone who competes exercises self-control#Gl 5:23 in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown,#1Pt 1:18; 5:4 but we an imperishable crown. 26So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. 27Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.#Heb 6:8
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
1 Corinthians 9
9
Servant Leadership Wins Over All
1Am I not free? Am I not an emissary? Have I not seen Yeshua our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2If to others I am not an emissary, at least I am to you—for you are the seal of my office of emissary in the Lord.
3My defense to those who examine me is this.
4Don’t we have the right to food and drink?
5Don’t we have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other emissaries and the Lord’s brothers and Kefa?
6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to not work?
7What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink its milk?
8I don’t say these things merely as a man, do I? Doesn’t Torah also say these things?
9For it is written in the Torah of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” Is it the oxen that concern God,
10or is He speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the one plowing ought to plow in hope and the one threshing in hope of a share in the crop.
11If we sowed spiritual things into you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
12If others have a share in this claim over you, shouldn’t we even more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we put up with all things so that we cause no hindrance to the Good News of Messiah.
13Don’t you know that those who perform the holy services eat from the Temple, and those who wait on the altar receive a share at the altar?
14So also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the Good News to get their living from the Good News.
15But I have used none of these things, and I am not writing these things so it will happen this way in my case—for I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason to boast.
16For if I proclaim the Good News, I have no reason to boast—for pressure is put on me and woe to me if I don’t proclaim the Good News!
17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have been entrusted with a commission.
18What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may present the Good News free of charge, not making use of my right in the Good News.
19For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win over more of them.
20To the Jewish people I identified as a Jew, so that I might win over the Jewish people. To those under Torah I became like one under Torah (though not myself being under Torah), so that I might win over those under Torah;
21to those outside Torah, like one outside Torah (though not being outside God’s Torah but in Messiah’s Torah), so that I might win over those outside Torah.
22To the weak I became weak, so that I might win over the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that by all means possible I might save some.
23I do it all for the sake of the Good News, so that I might be a fellow partaker of it.
24Don’t you know that in a stadium the runners all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win!
25Every competitor exercises self-control in all respects. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we do it to receive an imperishable one.
26So I run in this way—not aimlessly. So I box in this way—not beating the air.
27Rather, I punish my body and bring it into submission, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
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