seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Corinthians 9:1 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[a]? 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.”[b] 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.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Footnotes:- 1 Corinthians 9:5 That is, Peter
- 1 Corinthians 9:9 Deut. 25:4
After reading this chapter..... I had to google Disciple vs. Apostle...... because IMHO Paul was not an Apostle.
While a disciple is a student, one who learns from a teacher, an apostle is sent to deliver those teachings to others. "Apostle" means messenger, he who is sent. ... The word "apostle" has two meanings, the larger meaning of a messenger and the narrow meaning to denote the twelve people directly linked to Jesus Christ.
Now as long as Paul calls himself a messenger..... I'm ok with him.... but when he puts the Capital A on his title.... then I consider what he says... everything he says.... suspicious. I know... he can't control what the publicist does... especially online.... I think everyone will get what I mean. Now... back to the chapter.....This is from the blueletterbible.org site.
Am I not an apostle? Such an obvious truth should hardly need stating. Of course Paul was an apostle! As obvious as this was, it was doubted and denied by some of the Christians in Corinth.
The evidence of Paul’s true status as an apostle is shown in the following statements:
Am I not free? Paul was not “under authority” to anyone but Jesus Christ, but other Christians were under apostolic authority.· Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Paul insists that he did not merely see a vision of Jesus, but an authentic appearance of the post-resurrection Jesus.· Are you not my work in the Lord? The proof is in the pudding. The work of God among the Corinthian Christians was evidence enough of Paul’s apostolic credentials. In fact, they were the seal of [Paul’s] apostleship in the Lord.
Some today, because of visions or experiences they claim to have had, claim to be apostles on the level of Paul. But seeing the resurrected Jesus is not the only qualification of a true apostle. Paul was specifically commissioned as an apostle when Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus Road (Acts 26:12-18).
If I am not an apostle to other, yet doubtless I am to you: Although some among the Corinthian Christians did doubt Paul’s standing as an apostle, they shouldn’t have. The Corinthian Christians had more reason than most to know Paul was a genuine apostle, because they had seen his work up close.
Or is it only Barnabas and I: Most of the other apostles received support from the churches they ministered to. Paul and Barnabas were unique in this regard, choosing to work and support themselves, so no one could accuse them of preaching for a money motive.
We might think this would make Paul and Barnabas more respected in the sight of the Corinthian Christians, but curiously, it made them less respected. It was almost as if the Corinthian Christians said, “If Paul and Barnabas were real apostles, we would support them; but since they are not supported, we suppose they aren’t real apostles.”
Now this is from the easy English site.
Paul continued to speak about his own freedom. Some Christians at Corinth denied that he was a real apostle. This was because he did not expect to receive pay for his work. So Paul mentioned two facts. They showed that he was an apostle.
1. He had seen Jesus. Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus was an appearance of Jesus after his resurrection. ‘Last of all, he appeared to me also’ (1 Corinthians 15:8).
2. The Christians at Corinth themselves showed that Paul was an apostle. Paul calls them his ‘seal’. A seal was an official stamp on a legal record. It showed that it was genuine. The church at Corinth was the ‘seal’ that Paul was a genuine apostle. Paul’s successful work in Corinth was a proof that God’s power was working by him.
Paul begins to say that he did not use the right that he had spoken about in verses 1-12a. Then he thinks of two more reasons why he has the right to receive financial help.
1. Priests in the Jewish temple and in pagan temples get part of what people offer on the altar.
2. Paul uses Jesus’ words when he sent out the 70 disciples. Jesus told them not to take money with them. They should let people invite them into their homes. That is because ‘the worker deserves his wages’ (Luke 10:7). This was not a command. It was probably a well-known sentence.
Paul had worked for himself when he went to Corinth. He had used his skill to make tents and other leather goods (Acts 18:3). When he was in Thessalonica, he had worked. He worked so that he would not make things hard for the people there (1 Thessalonians 2:9). He had also provided for himself so that lazy Christians could see the right way to live (2 Thessalonians 3:8).
In Corinth, he did not want people to think that he was teaching in order to become rich. Also, there were people who might have helped him for the wrong reason. It would be a way to gain honour for themselves. While Paul was in Thessalonica, he had received gifts from the Christians in Philippi. It seems from 2 Corinthians 11:7-9 that the Christians at Corinth discovered this. And they were not pleased when they discovered it.
Paul might have expected a reward if he had chosen to preach. But he had no choice, because God had trusted him with this work. So he was only carrying out his responsibility.
His reward was to receive no reward! People do not have to pay for their salvation. Eternal life is God’s gift. So, when he refused to accept pay, Paul was acting the message of the gospel. He was showing that he was free to choose not to make them pay.
Paul was free to act as he decided. But he thought about himself as everyone’s slave. His purpose was to win people to be followers of Christ. He described four different groups of people:
1. Jews . Paul did not believe that circumcision was essential. He refused to let anyone circumcise Titus (Galatians 2:3). But in a different situation, Paul circumcised Timothy. (Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Greek father.) Timothy was going to work with Paul and Silas. So it was necessary for him to be allowed into Jewish synagogues. This was where they usually began to preach the gospel (Acts 16:3).
Later, Paul returned to Jerusalem. Then James asked him to take part in a religious promise that four men were making. This was to show that Paul did not expect Jews to give up all their religious practices (Acts 21:23-26). So Paul agreed with some Jewish customs. But he taught that these customs were not necessary for salvation.
2. Those with the law. These words usually meant ‘Jews’. But Paul was not speaking about a person’s nationality. He was speaking about the person’s attitude to the law. Paul may mean Gentiles who were interested in the Jewish religion. Or he may mean Gentiles who had believed the Jewish faith.
3. Those who do not have the law. Paul here refers to pagans. The Christians at Corinth might misunderstand what Paul said. They might think that he was saying, ‘I am free to behave in a wicked way.’ So, he explained that he was not free from God’s commands. Christ’s law was the law of love towards other people (John 13:34-35). Paul’s speeches at Lystra (Acts 14:14-17) and Athens (Acts 17:22-31) show how Paul tried to explain the gospel. He chose to talk in a way that those without the law would understand.
4. The weak . Paul meant all those who had no power in society. Some people were anxious about meat that someone had offered to an idol. He included those people. He would give up his own freedom to eat it if this might cause them to sin.
Ok... Paul was an apostle.... "little a".... not an Apostle.... "capital A"...... that's the discussion this morning. At this point... based on what I know right now.... I agree with those who call him "little a". It's just a formality for me.... but it was a big deal for the church in Corinth and Paul.
As I have been saying.... the church in Corinth met in a brothel.... [the temple to the fake goddess Aphrodite]. Among the members of the church were Christian Jews [Messianic Jews] and Christian Gentiles. There were goody two shoes who had been living under rules so rigid they had to get permission to pick their nose..... and there were the prostitutes who worked in the Temple [male and female].
Just as it is today.... if a preacher does something the member doesn't like.... the member will start talking about it. Now I don't mean like pool boy and the preacher's wife type of thing... I mean the discussions on circumcision, certain dietary rules, and authority.
I bet what really happened here went down something like this...... Paul said "look they don't have to be circumcised and you don't have to buy your meat from their shops. What is important here is your Salvation.... not a bunch of civil sayings." Then someone in the back of the room shouted.... "why should we be listening to you anyway.... they don't even pay you to preach. You're just a follower like me. Who made you head dude?"
Poor Paul..... guess that's what he gets for holding the coats of his cohorts when Stephen was murdered in the street. Stephen was a disciple.... he was a good men who had a big heart for the poor and the widowed. Paul watched him die. Then, as Paul tells the story...... notice it's as Paul tells the story.... Paul got knocked down and blinded by Jesus.... and he claimed that Jesus appeared to him.... but no one around Paul at the time backed his story. According to Paul... Jesus instructed him. It's only Paul's word.... and Paul did hold the coat of the guys who stoned Stephen to death. So why should I believe anything Paul says? What makes anyone think Paul with a little a should be head dude?
The reason I can believe Paul..... well Ananias testified that he was told to go heal Paul's eyes. And since Ananias didn't want to go because of Paul's reputation as a murderer of Christians..... it was a big deal. Then on top of that.... when Paul bored people so bad they fell our of third story windows trying to get a breath of fresh air to stay awake.... people were getting the "message" and finding Salvation. People believed.... that's what allows me to call Paul a "little a".
Paul said he didn't need to be paid for telling people about Jesus. Some thought, since he wasn't a paid employee, he had no authority to preach. Paul said he was quite proud of not taking money. Paul didn't want the value of the collection plate to become the value of the church [smart]. Paul didn't want Salvation to be put on the market..... Salvation is a gift from God..... and it's not something we can put a price tag on.... no amount of money thrown in the collection plate at church would buy Salvation.... and Paul wanted to make a point of that.....
So.... Paul said he was a "big A" because Jesus told him what to do. The church called him a "little a" because no one saw or heard Jesus tell him these things.
IMHO.... "little a" did a great job of spreading the word.....
