1 Corinthians | Chapter 9 – Scripture Supply

1 Corinthians 9:1-14 “What About My Rights?”

I. Intro

The context of this chapter still deals with those four guidelines for Christian living, which address areas of Christian practice not specifically covered in Scripture. Just how far should the conscience of others go in limiting my personal freedom? We live in a society that elevates personal rights above everything else. We don’t just want our rights, we demand them. Even when our behavior tramples on someone else’s rights, we still insist that our rights be respected. I was talking to a fellow who works with the criminally insane, and I asked him how many “inmates” they housed. He stopped me and said we can’t use that word at our facility, as it would be a violation of the “residents’” rights.

Paul had spoken of how love is a better guide with regard to our personal freedoms than truth because it considers not just what is right for us but what is right for others. In this chapter, he uses a personal illustration that deals with a pastor’s rights balanced against the greater rewards of laying down those rights.

II. Vs. 1-6 Basic Rights of God’s Servants

Vs. 1-2 Again, let me remind you that the context of this passage still deals specifically with meat sacrificed to idols and generally with what should govern personal freedoms not specifically mentioned in Scripture. I say this because Paul is going to use his rights as an apostle to illustrate this. In fact, he gives four reasons why an apostle has the right to be supported by the churches to whom he ministers. Three of these apply to pastors, evangelists, and Christian workers today; only the point that deals with him being an apostle does not fit.

Verse 1 is made up of four rhetorical questions, each of which the answer is yes. His point is to introduce them to his rights as an apostle, and we get some interesting information about what made up an apostle.

“Am I not an apostle?” The word here means “one sent out” and has a specific reference to that of a commission. Webster’s defines a commission as “an authorization or command to act in a prescribed manner and to perform prescribed acts.” The Corinthian church knew full well that Paul was sent out on a commission to the Gentiles. Paul had come to them because of this commission and spent a year and a half there serving and establishing them in the faith. In Galatians 2, Paul wrote to them that the leadership in Jerusalem had noticed that he had been sent to the Gentiles as Peter had been sent to the Jews.
“Am I not free?” Next, Paul establishes his freedom or liberty. The liberty that these Corinthians stood on was first known to them by the gospel Paul himself taught. “You speak of your rights; those are the rights I first spoke to you about. Do you think you cherish your rights above me?” Paul was always a champion of freedom and grace, but he spoke of that freedom not as a license to sin but as a greater responsibility to serve.
“Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” Here is the first of three proofs of apostleship: being an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus. In Acts 1:21-22, at the appointing of Matthias, we are told that they needed to be an eyewitness of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The only reason this is an issue to us is that there are those who claim “apostolic succession” by the laying on of hands back to Peter or that they are part of the 12 apostles. In either case, they have not been eyewitnesses of the risen Lord, and tagging the person in front of you doesn’t count. In chapter 15, Paul speaks of the fact mentioned in Acts 9 that on the road to Damascus, the risen Lord met him.
“Are you not my work in the Lord?” “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.” Here we are given the final two signs of an apostle, in which they were the visible fruit of this commissioning.

In Acts 6:4, we are told that the apostles were to be devoted to prayer and the teaching of the Word. Paul had done that for 18 months, and many came to Christ as a result.
Furthermore, we are told in 2 Corinthians 12:12 that certain signs and wonders were accomplished by Paul while among them. They were his “living letters” as to the proof of his calling of being sent to them. The fact that they were believers was all the certification Paul needed on their behalf.

Vs. 3 The word “defense” is where we get our English word “apologetic,” and along with the word “examine,” both are legal terms taken from the Roman court. Paul is placing his rights as an apostle on trial, and the reason for this is so that all would agree that he had these rights, but as we shall see next week, he did not choose to exercise those rights for the benefits of others.

There are three rights mentioned here that those in ministry are entitled to. I know a lot of folks think that we pastors only work one day a week and play golf the other six days. They, of course, only think of the duties of the pastor in terms of the Sunday service. But the truth is I personally have never worked more hours at a more difficult job than this one.

Vs. 4 “Do we have no right to eat and drink?” The idea here is that of being supported in the ministry for his sustenance. Food and drink are the necessities of life, thus, Paul is saying that the pastor who has given his life to serving the Lord and His people has the right to have his necessities met by those he serves. The provision that would normally be taken care of by his own labors is to be taken care of by those he serves. There are those that see the pastor as a loafer who makes his living off the backs of others, but there is a deeper principle here that is true for all. “If you reap the benefit of someone else’s service, then you ought to help compensate for it.” None of us expects to work for our bosses for free. We could not afford to. That is why we receive an offering, as it is God’s gracious provision to you that you give as an act of worship toward Him that makes further service possible. Notice that Paul speaks of the “needs” being met, not the wants. There has been far too much abuse in the area of those that serve in the ministry being paid in the millions, and that is not what Paul is suggesting here.
Vs. 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?” Furthermore, Paul says that the servant of the Lord has the right to have his wife and family supported as well. Peter, as well as Jesus’ half-brothers, were all married and brought their wives along with them as they served. The point Paul is making is that the wives of those that serve the Lord and His people have the right not to have to work for their sustenance. Now in our society, more and more women work outside of the home, but Paul is speaking of the fact that if all that the Church provided for was just the pastor and not enough for his family, then that would force the wives to have to work. Personally, I think that the hardest position in the Church is the pastor’s wife, and apart from my wife, Donna, Calvary Chapel would not exist today as she works full-time in support of you. We have chosen to do so in order to give more to you, and it is our desire that one day she will be able to join me in being supported by this fellowship.
Vs. 6 “Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?” Finally, Paul says that the servant of the Lord has the right not to have to work outside of the ministry for a living. For the first 6 or 7 years, I worked full-time outside of the ministry. Today, it is called bi-vocational. Paul is saying that he had the right to be fully financially supported. He and Barnabas did not have to work; they chose to work.

So Paul says that the pastor has a right to have:

Their needs met
Their family supported
To not have to work outside the ministry

III. Vs. 7-14 I Really Am in the Right

Vs. 7 Paul uses three practical illustrations from everyday life to show that those who serve in the ministry have the same rights as everybody else.

“Whoever goes to war at his own expense?” The soldier is not expected to have a civilian job at night that he might be able to eat and provide for his necessities. Soldiers don’t serve their country at their own expense. No, they do it at the country’s expense, which willingly provides everything they need to fight effectively. A pastor is like a soldier who is on the front lines, providing and protecting the freedom others enjoy. Paul makes a great argument, doesn’t he?
“Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit?” Then there is the farmer who works hard in preparing the soil, cultivating the crop. Are they not entitled to a part of the harvest? In fact, the farmer expects the benefits of his labors.
“Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?” Finally, Paul looks at the shepherd who takes care of the flock day and night, but even he partakes of the milk.

Clearly, on a secular level, the worker is worthy of his wages. So Paul’s argument is that if this is true on a secular level, how much more true is it on a spiritual level?

Vs. 8-13 In this section, Paul moves to the Old Testament Word to show that this is not some new practice that only those after Jesus’ resurrection were practicing:

Vs. 8-11 Paul starts out by quoting Deuteronomy 25:4. It is the same verse that he quotes in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 to encourage the Church to pay their pastors an adequate salary. How do we know that this was meant for the Church to understand? Well, oxen can’t read. Yes, it would be cruel to muzzle the ox as it was treading the grain. So too is it cruel to not provide for the necessities of the pastor who labors. Paul wants to make sure they understood that this was not just for the farmer, as God is concerned with more than just oxen. I like that: “he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.” Paul speaks of the principle of sowing and reaping as it relates to ministry. So, if the pastor sows spiritual things, then it is a small matter that he should reap material things from those that he has sown. I think of it this way: I have gained so much from my pastor; he sowed so much great seed into my life, there is no way I could ever repay him; the very least I can do is help him continue to do it! Material payment is given for spiritual work. Of course, the Lord will provide spiritual rewards as well. Thus, he is worthy of double honor.
Vs. 12-13 Here Paul makes the argument that they had no problem providing for others who had labored spiritually on their behalf. How much the more they ought to have the right to partake materially, seeing that without Paul they would not have known the Lord. Yet, Paul gives them a clue as to why he did not partake financially, “we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.” In other words, Paul wanted to make sure that nothing hindered the gospel from reaching more people. Even in the Old Testament economy, the priests partook of the offerings in their service.
Vs. 14 Finally, and most importantly, “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” In Matthew 10:10, Jesus said, “a worker is worthy of his food.”

The principle is God-ordained, spoken of and practiced in the Old Testament, and just plain logical in everyday life. Paul clearly had every right to expect to be provided for his service towards them, yet he weighed that right in light of the greater reward and chose something different, as we shall see next week.

The principle remains true notwithstanding the servant’s decision to receive financial compensation for their labor. Christian, we have needs financially just like any other Church. We don’t speak of them. We don’t force you to give. It is between you and the Lord. But we have a need that if not met will have to come out of our budget, and that would mean my salary, so pray and seek the Lord in what He may be laying upon your heart in provision for the benefits you receive here at Calvary Chapel.

1 Corinthians 9:15-27 “Forsaking Self for the Sake of Others”

I. Intro

As I was studying these verses where Paul deals with laying aside his rights for a greater reward, I realized that most of us have done just that at some time. Consider your life, and you will be able to count numerous times where you laid aside a right for something that you saw as a greater reward. Some of us have worked extra overtime so that we may enjoy a special vacation. Some of us sacrificed financially for a few years so that we could purchase a car or something else. Many of us set aside making a good income to pursue our education. Yet, when it comes to our Christianity, we are often not willing to sacrifice or forego any of our rights.

I’ve rethought this issue, and I now believe the problem lies not in our unwillingness to sacrifice and forgo rights, as we clearly do so in other areas. Instead, I believe the area of our problem lies in our inability to grasp the reward! Not buying it? Ever invite someone to church, and they promise to come only to either call and say something has come up or they just don’t show up? Well, next time, write them a check for $1,000, but don’t sign it, and tell them that when they come to church, you will. I can bet you that they will then see the value of their time spent going to church, albeit not for the right reasons.

Paul last week laid out his clearly God-given rights to be supported in the ministry, but here he is going to give you several reasons why the reward was of greater value than his rights.

II. Vs. 15-18 Gospel’s Reward

Vs. 15 “But I have used none of these things,” is Paul’s way of transitioning from his rights as a pastor and servant of the Lord to be compensated for his service to that of foregoing his right for a greater reward. Again, the context is that of answering the question of just how far the conscience of others should go in limiting my personal freedom? The first answer to that question was that truth must always be balanced by love (Chapter 8). Now we look at the second of these four guidelines for Christian living:

Chp. 9 Rights must be balanced by reward
Chp. 10:1-22 Opportunity must be balanced by servitude
Chp. 10:23-33 Freedom must be balanced by responsibility

Paul is going to list two rewards that caused him to lay down his rights as a pastor. But before he does that, he needs to make sure that they had not misunderstood the previous 14 verses, so he says, “Nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me.” He was not stating those rights in order for them to begin meeting those needs; rather, he stated them to support his position that laying down the right was done so for a greater reward.

To go through this section of scripture, you will notice several things:

First, the use of the personal pronoun “I.” Paul uses it 26 times in 13 verses. So? Well, it is obvious here that Paul is using a personal illustration to emphasize the point that rights must be balanced by reward.
Second, notice the number of times Paul uses the word “gospel,” some 6 times in these 13 verses. What this speaks of is that Paul’s mission or purpose. He wants his readers to understand that the principle of laying aside rights for a greater reward does not mean that you ever change your purpose. Simply put, the one thing that was never auctioned off as far as rights were concerned was his calling to proclaim Jesus. Keith Green had an album that came out in 1978 titled “No Compromise,” and this is Paul’s way of saying that he had that same attitude toward his calling.
Finally, notice the number of times Paul makes reference to getting something in return for his service. He uses the words “reward, boasting, prize, win, and crown” to illustrate this. Paul makes certain that his readers understand that there is always compensation for serving, and laying down your rights is no exception. Laying down our rights is never a case of diminished rewards; instead, God always gives us more than what our rights would have earned us.

So, just what were the greater rewards than monetary compensation? Well, he tells you right here in verse 15, “for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.” We will unravel the meaning of his words in a moment, but first, it is obvious that Paul is speaking of a “personal reward,” something that he would rather die than forfeit. Accepting financial compensation would render this personal reward void, but just what was that personal reward?

Vs. 16-17 In these two verses, he tells them what the personal reward was not. It was not “preaching the gospel,” though there will be an eternal reward for doing so. Paul is speaking of a personal reward here on earth. He explains this to his readers, “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!” The word “boast” here deals with the idea of rejoicing or causing great joy, not bragging. Paul gloried “in” the gospel, not “for” the gospel; he had nothing to do with the giving of it or the content of it. He simply proclaimed that which he received, and though he did so willingly, there was also “necessity” or no choice, as he would suffer personally if he didn’t. In Jeremiah 20:9, the prophet speaks of this personally as he was being mistreated on behalf of the words God had him to speak, so he said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”

In verse 17, he continues to explain this by saying, “For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.” The reward here is that eternal reward when he is in the presence of the Lord and hears those words, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Paul speaks of the reality that the servant of the Lord has received from God a “stewardship” or calling, and it is unlike a normal career. A stewardship is when one person gives another person something of great value to be cared for as if it were their own. It differs from a job in that a job is what I do to earn an income; a stewardship is what I am 24-7, I’m never not a servant of Jesus and of you all. Names like Jonah and Balaam come to mind as those who had a stewardship that God had entrusted them with yet chose not to do so willingly and still ended up serving the Lord even against their own will.

Vs. 18 So if his personal reward was not preaching the gospel, what was it? “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.” Don’t get it? Paul says that his personal reward was being able to proclaim the gospel of Christ without having to be compensated for it. Paul’s reward was not preaching the gospel; rather, it was not getting paid to do so. Paul said the same thing to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:35, quoting Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” To do so meant that Paul would work throughout the day to earn his own living so that he would not be a burden upon someone else.

There can be no greater personal satisfaction in all of Christian experience than to give ourselves away for the Lord’s service. Jesus said in Matt. 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give.” David said as he purchased the ground where the temple would be built in 2 Samuel 24:24, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” Long after the joy of receiving a gift is gone, the joy of having given a gift remains! There is always a greater personal reward in doing something freely without any other reward other than the personal satisfaction of having laid down your rights, especially when you can do so in a way that nobody ever knows. The Greeks and Romans looked down upon manual labor, but for Paul, what they thought of him paled in comparison to the joy of giving something of great value, eternal value, for nothing. It is the same reason why we here at Calvary Chapel don’t charge for our tapes and make it donation only. Most of our ministry here is done that way; it is done so with great joy as unto the Lord. It is my prayer that you all will discover the same joy of giving yourselves away in terms of your time, talent, and treasure; you will always be the richer for it.

III. Vs. 19-27 Eternal Reward

Vs. 19 Paul moves on to the second reward that caused him to lay down his rights as a servant of the Lord. Look at how he puts it here, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.” Paul reminds them that he had rights and freedoms as they did, he was free from all men, yet he forsook his rights that he might win the more. So what is the second great reward? Well, it is the “Eternal reward.” Yes, there was a personal satisfaction in offering the greatest gift that mankind will ever know of free of charge, but it also yields a great eternal reward as well. That is why he made himself a servant of all. Paul wanted nothing to hinder eternity for others, especially his own personal rights! Jesus asked in Matt. 16:26, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Perhaps the greater question would be, “What would we give in exchange for another’s soul?” Paul gave up all his rights to being financially compensated for his labor and paid for it out of his own pocket to see people won for eternity.

What value do you put on others’ salvation or growth in Christ?
What rights would you be willing to lay down to see lives transformed for the kingdom of God?

Vs. 20-23 Since rights are of far less value than reward, in what way do we surrender these rights for the greater reward? That is what Paul is going to address: the lost art of self-denial as he describes three ways he adapted his life around reaching the world. First, I want you to notice the phrases “that I might win,” which is repeated in each of these cases, and verse 23 as Paul says, “this I do for the gospel’s sake.” Both of these phrases define in what manner Paul adapted his rights. In every way, Paul says that what he did was twofold: that he “might win those for the gospel’s sake”! There is no room here in this section of scripture to change the methodology of reaching the lost. Paul is not talking about a change of methodology; that’s the gospel. Neither is he talking about a change in purpose, which is to “win those”! I have heard these verses quoted by those who say that it is okay to be a Christian and live with a person or go to parties, etc. You know, “become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” To make this verse say this is perverse, as Paul is speaking of laying down personal rights and freedoms in order to reach people, not engaging in them! Love is always willing to give up more than the law ever demands; the difference is in the motivation! We now have churches that use these verses to excuse their methodology of not proclaiming the gospel.

I received a lovely letter from a lady who visited our church, and her comments challenged me. “Dear Pastor Dale, I like the way you tell it like it is. I think our Heavenly Father might tell you that a walk with God isn’t always popular, but it is always victorious; and a good pastor tells the truth regardless of opinion. Remember that pastors who tell people what they want to hear instead of what is right do no good for themselves or the people!” No, Paul’s message and method never changed, and by God’s grace and power, mine won’t either! So here we see three ways he adapted his rights that he might win others. Paul practiced self-denial in three areas:

Vs. 20 Convictions “To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law”: Though Paul was no longer bound by the ceremonies, rituals, and traditions of Judaism, he willingly placed himself back in them that he might win those who were under them. Thus, we can see that Paul adapted “his rights” around the convictions of others. Not the gospel’s or Christ’s, but his rights. Paul said in Romans 10:1 that his “heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” That which had once been legal restraints to be right with God was now love restraints to win his fellow countrymen. Just how far did Paul take this? Well, when Timothy got saved and accompanied Paul on his missions, he asked him to become circumcised even though Paul and Timothy both realized that it meant nothing as far as salvation was concerned. So why do it? Well, that they might win the Jews, who would have been stumbled by him being an uncircumcised gentile. Paul also paid for others and himself and partook of the Jews’ purification ceremony, which meant shaving your hair.
Vs. 21 Customs “To those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law”: The “law” here is not the moral law but rather the ceremonial law, as Paul clearly explains. This all had to do with days of worship, types of food you could eat, and people you could be friends with. Simply put, Jews had no dealings with gentiles. So when Paul was around the gentiles, he laid down any personal rights he had and ate what they ate, went into their homes. To the degree of laying aside personal rights, he adapted to the culture he was in. Ham sandwich, no problem! Certainly on moral matters, Paul did not compromise, but on cultural matters, they meant nothing to him, so to win those in that culture, he dressed as they did, learned, and respected their customs.
Vs. 22 Conscience “To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”: The third area of laying aside his rights fell upon those who were weak in their conscience. If their level of comprehension was less than his, then he adapted his behavior and actions appropriately. There was no compromise of the gospel, no setting aside of the truth of the word, only foregoing certain rights that he possessed that they had not grasped yet. No big deal, as his goal was to win them above his own personal rights.

Paul was willing to offend people over the gospel but never wished to offend them because of personal rights and freedoms. Paul has already established the fact of this in the first chapter, verse 23, where he said that he preached “Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.” To stumble those with the message is going to happen, but to stumble them with my freedoms is a sin!

So Paul was willing, for the sake of the greater eternal reward, to adapt his personal rights in the area of:

Convictions
Customs
Conscience

All of this, again, was not compromising the gospel. In fact, it was the opposite, as it was for the gospel’s sake that he was willing to lay aside his rights in the areas of “convictions, customs, and conscience.”

Vs. 24-27 The second way Paul showed his value of the reward above personal rights and freedoms was in the area of “self-discipline.” Paul seems to have loved athletic games, as he mentions them quite often. The Corinthians were the home of the second largest games in the world, called the Isthmian Games, so they would know this well.

Vs. 24-25 Those that run in a race all run, but there is only one winner. Now, there are two differences as far as Christianity is concerned as it deals with a race.
- “One receives the prize”: That is not the case for us in Christ. Every believer who so lives their life in the power and energy of the Spirit and willingly lays down their rights will win eternal rewards. Is that not a great motivation? You aren’t competing with the person next to you; you are trying only to better your own score, if you will.
- “They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”: Their reward is temporal; ours is eternal. Is that not great? Paul says those that race in the world, only one wins, and what they win won’t last, but when you lay down your rights for eternal rewards, all win, and what you win will last forever. Do you believe that, Christian? Yes? Well, then let’s prove it!
Vs. 26-27 It is for the above two reasons Paul gives two things about how he trained:
- “I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.” In other words, Paul says that he ran as though he had already won; he knew that there was a purpose for his laying aside personal rights, and it was the certainty of winning eternal rewards. His life was not just about practice; “shadow boxing,” he was not on the bench; he was in a real fight with great rewards. Paul did not lose sight of this in his practice; instead, he ran and fought with a great deal of confidence, knowing that, as he says in Romans 8:37, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
- “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.” In these Olympic games, those that participated had to undergo supervised training for 10 months. Any break in that training disqualified them from participating in the games. The word “discipline” here is a Greek word that means to give a black eye. In other words, Paul looked at the reward as being so valuable that he made his body conform to his goal and not the other way around. Paul was willing to discipline his life for the great reward of eternity. His concern was that in some way he would spend too much time trying to get others in the race that he would fail to qualify himself.

Far too many people are led by what their bodies and rights dictate; their bodies tell them what to eat and how much to eat. But when you really think the reward is worth the sacrifice, you change everything about your life to obtain that goal. May we see the reward as worth the laying aside of our rights.