Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
April 2024
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? 2 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.
3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 5 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? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?
7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 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?
10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 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.
13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
15 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, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. 16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 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.
21 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. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (I Corinthians 9:1-23 NIV)
Today, we come to an important passage. This is an important passage on preaching the gospel. There is a model on how to win souls in this passage.
There are some famous verses in this passage. Paul says, “I have become all things to all people.” That is often quoted by people today. There is also a serious warning for every Christian in this chapter.
Paul talks about himself a lot in this chapter. He uses the pronoun “I” about 30 times. This is one of the most first-person chapters in the NT.
Paul talks about his rights as an apostle. Today, we are going to look at some principles of ministry from this chapter.
1) Ministry should be defended
In I Corinthians 9, Paul defends his ministry. In I Corinthians 9:3, he says, “This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me” (NIV). The word “defense” in Greek that Paul uses is ἀπολογία.
We get the word “apologetics” from that Greek word. Apologetics is a defense of the Christian faith. It is giving answers to skeptics and people who do not believe.
Is there a God? Is Jesus God? Is the Bible the Word of God? How do you know?
Some Christians can do that, but most cannot. They do not know the Word very well. That is why any Jehovah’s Witness can tie them up in knots.
Sometimes we need to defend our ministry. Sometimes we need to defend our faith.
Peter said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (I Peter 3:15 NIV).
How does Paul defend his ministry in this chapter? He uses logic. He uses reason. He uses Scripture. He quotes the OT. He quotes the NT. He quotes Jesus. He uses questions. He asks eighteen questions in this chapter. Many are rhetorical questions.
What are rhetorical questions? They are questions not to get information but to give information. They are questions asked to make a point. They are questions asked which assume a particular answer. Paul does this a lot.
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? (I Corinthians 1:13 NIV)
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? (I Corinthians 12:29-30 NIV)
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? (I Corinthians 9:1 NIV)
Sometimes, we need to defend our faith and sometimes we need to defend other things. Paul talks about himself a lot in this chapter.
Paul defends his leadership in this chapter. Why did he need to do that? Some people in Paul’s day did not like him.
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. (I Corinthians 9:2 NIV)
It seems strange that people did not like Paul, he was one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. Most of the NT books were written by Paul. Many of the other apostles who followed Jesus never wrote a book of Scripture.
When did you ever read any Gospels written by Mattias, or Bartholomew? When did you ever read any epistles of the Apostle Phillip or Thomas? When did you ever read a book of Scripture from the Apostle Andrew? Paul wrote thirteen or fourteen books of Scripture.
He may have been the greatest missionary of all time. He went on three missionary journeys and started all kinds of churches from Jerusalem to Spain. Paul traveled more than 10,000 miles on his Christian missionary journeys to various cities and that was without an airplane or car.
He was a great theologian. He was not just a missionary and a pastor; he was a theologian. He went deep. Even the Apostle Peter said that some of the things he wrote was hard to understand. Some of the deepest theology of the NT comes from Paul.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if there was no Apostle Paul?
There would be no Protestant Churches. Protestant churches began because Martin Luther began reading the Book of Romans. It completely changed his life and started the Reformation.
There would be no Gentile churches. There would be no Lamb’s Chapel. Before Paul came around, almost all Christians were Jews. Christianity was a sect of Judaism.
Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles. That is what he called himself (Romans 11:13). The church is predominantly a Gentile movement today because of Paul. It changed, because of Paul.
You would not be a Christian today if it were not for Paul. Paul was the one who took the gospel to Europe and from Europe it came to America and that is how we heard the message.
Christianity would have looked very different without Paul. The Bible would look different. There would be no epistles of Paul. There would no teaching about justification. There would be little teaching on spiritual gifts.
Paul was one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. His ministry was characterized by signs and wonders. He raised people from the dead, but people didn’t like him.
Why didn’t they like him? He wasn’t one of the Twelve. He did not follow Jesus around for three years and witness all of his miracles. Some other people were better preachers than he was. Apollos was a better speaker.
Unfortunately, there are some people who think that way today. Some say that the like Jesus but hate Paul. He is unpopular in some circles. Many feminists hate Paul. They think he was a woman hater.
He wasn’t. Just because you believe that God created men and women differently, just because you believe that they have different roles, doesn’t mean that you hate women.
Paul said something in I Corinthians 7 that no one in the ancient world ever said. He said that husbands and wives have total equality when it comes to intimacy. The husband has power over the body of the wife and the wife has power over the body of the husband.
2) Ministry should be supported
This is a chapter that is all about rights. It is all about the rights of a minister.
In this country, rights are important. We love our freedom in this country. We have something called “The Bill of Rights” in one of the founding documents of our country.
People are always telling you, “I’ve got my rights.” That’s American. Paul had rights too. Paul was not an American, but he was a Roman and Romans had some rights as citizens.
Paul knew about rights. He tells the Corinthians what his rights were. Apostles had rights. What were they? Paul mentioned two of them.
Don’t we have THE RIGHT to food and drink? 5 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? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack THE RIGHT to not work for a living?
7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 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? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have THIS RIGHT of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? (I Corinthians 9:4-12 NIV)
Paul had the right to a wife, and he had the right to a paycheck. Let’s look at these two rights.
The Right to a Wife
Paul had the right to get married. As far as we know, never got married. Other apostles got married. Paul says that even Peter got married. We don’t know who his wife was.
The Chosen does an excellent job portraying Peter’s wife but Peter’s real wife probably didn’t look like Lara Silva and her real name probably wasn’t Eden, but Peter did have a wife.
One of the Church Fathers, who lived in the second century, was named Clement of Alexandria. He said that Peter was not only married but had kids.[1]
It is funny to think of Peter begin married because the Roman Catholic Church believes that Peter was the first Pope, although he is never called that in the Bible. No pope today can get married, but everyone agrees that the first pope had a wife.
In three of the Gospels, we are told that Peter had a mother-in-law. She was sick and Jesus healed her (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-40). Jesus healed Peter’s wife’s mom. If he had a mother-in-law, he had to have a wife.
Catholics have to believe that his wife died. There is no evidence that she died before the ministry of Jesus. Clement says that she was martyred for her faith, and this could only have happened after the ministry of Jesus, probably around the time of Nero.[2]
The Right to a Paycheck
Paul had the right of financial support as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Ministers today have the right to be supported. Paul gives seven reasons why they should be supported.
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? (I Corinthians 9:7 NIV)
Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? (I Corinthians 9:7 NIV)
Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? (I Corinthians 9:7 NIV)
Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” (I Corinthians 9:8 NIV). Paul quoted Moses. He quoted Deuteronomy 25.
If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? (I Corinthians 9:12 NIV)
Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? (I Corinthians 9:13 NIV)
The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. (I Corinthians 9:14 NIV). When did Jesus say this?
He said, “for the worker deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7 NIV). He said, “The laborer deserves his food” (Mathew 10:10 ESV) and that is talking about ministry in the context. It is in the context of mission trips.
Paul says that ministers have a right to a salary. They have the right to be supported financially. Why is this important?
Some churches today do not believe in paying their preachers. They do not believe in a paid pastor. Should pastors be paid? Yes. The church has the responsibility to support their pastor.
Paul says that anyone who works should be paid. It is a basic human right. If someone works for you, you should pay them. Paul says that even animals who work should get paid for their work. Paul got that from the OT.
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? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. (I Corinthians 9:9-10 NIV)
Even animals have the right to be paid for their work. They should be allowed to eat. Don’t muzzle them. Don’t bind their mouths while they are working.
God cares about animals, but He cares even more about people. If animals have rights, people should also have rights. Apostles also have rights.
If you work, you should get paid for it. Now, some preachers work harder than others. Paul talked about some leaders who LABOR in the word and in doctrine (I Timothy 5:17). Some labor more than others. There are some lazy preachers in our day.
3) Ministry should be sacrificial
He became a servant to all (I Corinthians 9:19). If you want to be in ministry, there are some things you have to give up and sacrifice. Paul gave some things up. He gave up some things that he could have had.
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. (I Corinthians 9:12 NIV)
In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 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, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. (I Corinthians 9:14-15 NIV)
He said he deserved some things. He had a right to do some things and even a commandment of Christ, but he did not exercise that right. He did not criticize others who received support.
He said that he would rather die than take their money. He preached the gospel “free of charge” (I Corinthians 9:18 NIV), so no one would accuse him of preaching to get rich, like many of the prosperity preachers do today.
Paul’s ministry was selfless. Does that describe ministry today? Does it describe ministers today? Some are in the ministry for themselves for what they can get out of it. They are always begging for money, but not Paul.
4) Ministry should be flexible
This brings us to Paul’s philosophy of evangelism. It brings us to one of the most abused and misquoted verses in the Bible. Paul says, “I have become all things to all people” (I Corinthians 9:22 NIV)
What does that mean? How do we do it? Should we become all things to all people? Is this a verse that teaches we are free to do anything and live any way we want?
Does it mean that anything done to win the lost is justified? Does it mean we can contradict the Word of God to reach people? Does this mean that we can sin to lead someone to Christ?
There was a cult in the 1970s called the Children of God. Now, they are called Family International. They taught women could be hookers for Jesus. They actually encouraged prostitution to win people to Christ. Paul is not teaching that we do anything to reach people and have no rules.
He is not saying, “To the adulterer, I became an adulterer. To the murderer, I became a murder. To the drunkard, I became a drunkard. To become a drug dealer, I became a drug dealer. To the idolater, I have become an idolater.”
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. 21 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 (I Corinthians 9:20-21 NIV)
Paul was not against rules or commandments. He said that he was under Christ’s law. He said, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts” (I Corinthians 7:19 NIV)
There were some things that Paul would not compromise on. He would never compromise on his principles, his doctrine or his morals. He never watered down his message to reach people.
He preached Christ and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2). He preached an offensive message. He preached a message that was foolishness to the world. In other areas, he was flexible.
Paul practiced cultural flexibility (language, dress, diet, social customs, entertainment) but there are some limits to cultural flexibility.
We should practice cultural accommodation as much as possible, without compromising biblical truth.
Paul mentions several groups of people – Jews, Gentiles, and the weak. Matthew Henry said that “He did not despise nor judge them but became as one of them”[3] in order to reach them.
5) Ministry should be evangelistic
Preaching the gospel is part of any ministry. This whole passage is about reaching people for Christ.
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, TO WIN AS MANY AS POSSIBLE. 20 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.
21 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. 22 To the weak I became weak, TO WIN THE WEAK. I have become all things to all people SO THAT BY ALL POSSIBLE MEANS I MIGHT SAVE SOME (I Corinthians 9:19-22 NIV)
Paul mentions a COMPULSION to preach the gospel and a CURSE if he doesn’t preach it. “There is a charge laid upon him and a woe if he neglects it.”[4]
A Compulsion
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach (I Corinthians 9:16 NIV)
Paul was under compulsion to preach. Jesus met him on the Damascus Road and gave him a commission to preach. He gave us a commission as well, the Great Commission.
We have a command. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. That commission is given to every Christian. Witnessing is not optional. We must preach.
A Curse
Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (I Corinthians 9:16 NIV). Paul had no choice but to preach the gospel. If he did not preach it, he would face divine judgment.
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 3:17-19 ESV)
[1] Eusebius, Church History, III, 30.1, citing Clement, Stromata VII.11.
[2] Eusebius, Church History, III, 30.2.
[3]https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/1-corinthians/9.html
[4] Thomas Charles Edwards, A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1885), 234.
