1Cor 9:4-6 | KingComments | STEP | You shouldn’t delude yourself that Paul just only preached some theory in the previous chapter. In this chapter, it will become apparent that he has lived accordingly. In his whole ministry among the Corinthians that has become clear. He showed that he had voluntarily abandoned things to which he was entitled as a servant and an apostle and of which he could have had expected from the Corinthians. They had to become aware of that. That’s why he asked some questions. Not difficult questions which you have to think through. The answer, actually, is already embedded in the question. . He starts with the question: “Am I not free?” Of course he was free. The law had no say over him anymore. He was not responsible to anyone, for Jesus Christ was his Lord. The next question is: “Am I not an apostle?” In the salutation of this letter he calls himself “an apostle of Jesus Christ”. The word apostle means: messenger. Such a person has to carry out the order of his sender. Could Paul call himself an apostle just like that? There was bad talk of Paul going on among the Corinthians that he pretended to be an apostle. To be an apostle someone should fulfill the condition that he had seen the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. In Acts 1 you read about choosing another apostle to replace Judas. Peter speaks there about someone who “[must] become a witness with us of His resurrection” ( ). Paul fulfilled this condition. Therefore his third question: “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” It is not that he was one the twelve apostles who travelled through Israel with the Lord Jesus, but he saw the Lord Jesus on his way to Damascus when he persecuted the church. In Acts 9 you find this history ( ). So he really was an apostle. The people who contradicted that, wanted to limit his influence among the Corinthians. Those were people who wanted to take advantage of the Corinthians themselves and therefore they accused Paul of doing so. It is remarkable how quick they (and we too) are inclined to believe such gossip. Paul can refute these accusations easily. He just points at the Corinthians and asks them: “Are you not my work in the Lord?” He says, as it were: ‘Just look at yourselves. How have you become converted?’ Therein lies the gentle reproach that they should have known better. . They even should have been aware that they were “the seal”, that is the confirmation, of his apostleship. Certainly, they in particular, should not have doubted his apostleship. Do you see how he justifies himself to the Corinthians? He asked his questions in such a way, that there was only one possible answer to them. Obviously, no multiple choice questions. The Bible is a book in which many questions are asked. The questions are often not that difficult. Also the answer is often simple. Yet, we may want to avoid the good answer because we sense that otherwise something has to be changed in our life. We see a striking example of that in Matthew 21 ( ). When the chief priests and the elders had given the right answer (and they knew the good answer!), they also had to accept the Lord Jesus, but they didn’t want that. Here you see that the answer to a question depends on the condition of your heart. The point is whether you are willing to accept the consequences of your answer. . The next questions of Paul are addressed to the people who wanted to put Paul in a bad light with the Corinthians. But the Corinthians (and you) hear these questions too. Those are the questions that indicate how Paul had behaved himself among the Corinthians. . In the first place he asks questions that are connected to the rights he had. He assuredly had the right to get food and drink from the Corinthians, had he not? Wasn’t he allowed to live from the gifts that the churches sent him? And in case he had been married, wouldn’t he then be allowed, like many others, to take along his wife on his journeys? His wife would then also have had the right to get a loving care from the church. And concerning his social occupations (he was a tentmaker by profession; that is said in ), he was, just like Barnabas, certainly not obliged to work to earn his own living, was he? They were entitled to be supported by the churches for their living. . Later, in , he makes clear why he did not make use of this right. Here he only points out his right to be provided by the church with food and drink. To reinforce this right, he gives three examples from daily life, which confirm what he said. To the commander of an army this is not a question, but a clear case. Just take a soldier as an example. The only thing he has to focus on is the war. For this he is employed ( ). He has to fight, he has to win. Nothing of that would have happened if he also had had to care for his food. Someone had to bring him that food, even if he is engaged in the fiercest battle. In this way the soldier gets power to continue the battle. The two other examples come from agriculture and cattle farming. He who has a vineyard, wants it to bear much fruit, for the more fruit, the more wine to be sold and the bigger the returns and profits. Does that mean that he who has worked in the vineyard for another person, he himself will not profit from the fruit? Of course he himself will also make use of it. The same goes for tending a flock. He who is occupied with that flock the whole day and takes care of it, is also allowed to take some of the milk of that flock for his own use. In some companies it does work the same. The products they deliver are allowed to be taken home by the employees, for free or for a low price. Why has Paul chosen these three examples of a soldier, a vine dresser and a shepherd? It is because these examples are also meaningful to you. You could recognize yourself in these examples. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul calls Timothy “a soldier of Christ Jesus” ( ). You will have experienced that you find yourself on a hostile territory. You are surrounded by many enemies. But the Lord Jesus is your Commander in the battle. He assures you that you’re able to withstand as long as you trust in Him. The second example also applies to you. In Matthew 20 the Lord Jesus uses a parable about workers who are sent into a vineyard ( ). You also are such a worker who is allowed to work in the vineyard. You can be sure that the Lord Jesus reward your work with “whatever is right” ( ). But isn’t it the case that you already enjoy now the things you can do for Him? The third example, from the flock, has to do with taking care of believers. In John 10 the Lord Jesus talks about the one flock of which He is the one Shepherd ( ). That flock consists of all sheep that belong to Him and which He calls “My sheep” ( ). You belong to those sheep too. Therefore when you see a believer going astray, you might pay him a visit. You can try to bring him back to the flock on the basis of the Bible. Try to feed him from the Bible and by that way have him get the taste for the Bible again. In 1 Peter 2 the Bible is called “the pure milk” ( ). When you let your brother get the taste of it, you yourself will also be strengthened. In this way you see how you are provided by God Himself with everything you need in the ministry of God, and every believer has received a ministry from God. Now read 1 Corinthians 9:1-7 again. Reflection: What is the connection between chapter 8 and chapter 9?

‏ 1 Corinthians 9:4-6

Am I Not Free?

You shouldn’t delude yourself that Paul just only preached some theory in the previous chapter. In this chapter, it will become apparent that he has lived accordingly. In his whole ministry among the Corinthians that has become clear. He showed that he had voluntarily abandoned things to which he was entitled as a servant and an apostle and of which he could have had expected from the Corinthians. They had to become aware of that. That’s why he asked some questions. Not difficult questions which you have to think through. The answer, actually, is already embedded in the question.

1Cor 9:1. He starts with the question: “Am I not free?” Of course he was free. The law had no say over him anymore. He was not responsible to anyone, for Jesus Christ was his Lord.

The next question is: “Am I not an apostle?” In the salutation of this letter he calls himself “an apostle of Jesus Christ”. The word apostle means: messenger. Such a person has to carry out the order of his sender.

Could Paul call himself an apostle just like that? There was bad talk of Paul going on among the Corinthians that he pretended to be an apostle. To be an apostle someone should fulfill the condition that he had seen the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. In Acts 1 you read about choosing another apostle to replace Judas. Peter speaks there about someone who “[must] become a witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:22). Paul fulfilled this condition. Therefore his third question: “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” It is not that he was one the twelve apostles who travelled through Israel with the Lord Jesus, but he saw the Lord Jesus on his way to Damascus when he persecuted the church. In Acts 9 you find this history (Acts 9:1-7). So he really was an apostle.

The people who contradicted that, wanted to limit his influence among the Corinthians. Those were people who wanted to take advantage of the Corinthians themselves and therefore they accused Paul of doing so. It is remarkable how quick they (and we too) are inclined to believe such gossip.

Paul can refute these accusations easily. He just points at the Corinthians and asks them: “Are you not my work in the Lord?” He says, as it were: ‘Just look at yourselves. How have you become converted?’ Therein lies the gentle reproach that they should have known better.

1Cor 9:2. They even should have been aware that they were “the seal”, that is the confirmation, of his apostleship. Certainly, they in particular, should not have doubted his apostleship. Do you see how he justifies himself to the Corinthians? He asked his questions in such a way, that there was only one possible answer to them. Obviously, no multiple choice questions.

The Bible is a book in which many questions are asked. The questions are often not that difficult. Also the answer is often simple. Yet, we may want to avoid the good answer because we sense that otherwise something has to be changed in our life. We see a striking example of that in Matthew 21 (Mt 21:24-27). When the chief priests and the elders had given the right answer (and they knew the good answer!), they also had to accept the Lord Jesus, but they didn’t want that. Here you see that the answer to a question depends on the condition of your heart. The point is whether you are willing to accept the consequences of your answer.

1Cor 9:3. The next questions of Paul are addressed to the people who wanted to put Paul in a bad light with the Corinthians. But the Corinthians (and you) hear these questions too. Those are the questions that indicate how Paul had behaved himself among the Corinthians.

1Cor 9:4-6. In the first place he asks questions that are connected to the rights he had. He assuredly had the right to get food and drink from the Corinthians, had he not? Wasn’t he allowed to live from the gifts that the churches sent him? And in case he had been married, wouldn’t he then be allowed, like many others, to take along his wife on his journeys? His wife would then also have had the right to get a loving care from the church. And concerning his social occupations (he was a tentmaker by profession; that is said in Acts 18:3), he was, just like Barnabas, certainly not obliged to work to earn his own living, was he? They were entitled to be supported by the churches for their living.

1Cor 9:7. Later, in 1Cor 9:12, he makes clear why he did not make use of this right. Here he only points out his right to be provided by the church with food and drink.

To reinforce this right, he gives three examples from daily life, which confirm what he said. To the commander of an army this is not a question, but a clear case. Just take a soldier as an example. The only thing he has to focus on is the war. For this he is employed (2Tim 2:4). He has to fight, he has to win. Nothing of that would have happened if he also had had to care for his food. Someone had to bring him that food, even if he is engaged in the fiercest battle. In this way the soldier gets power to continue the battle.

The two other examples come from agriculture and cattle farming. He who has a vineyard, wants it to bear much fruit, for the more fruit, the more wine to be sold and the bigger the returns and profits. Does that mean that he who has worked in the vineyard for another person, he himself will not profit from the fruit? Of course he himself will also make use of it. The same goes for tending a flock. He who is occupied with that flock the whole day and takes care of it, is also allowed to take some of the milk of that flock for his own use.

In some companies it does work the same. The products they deliver are allowed to be taken home by the employees, for free or for a low price.

Why has Paul chosen these three examples of a soldier, a vine dresser and a shepherd? It is because these examples are also meaningful to you. You could recognize yourself in these examples. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul calls Timothy “a soldier of Christ Jesus” (2Tim 2:3). You will have experienced that you find yourself on a hostile territory. You are surrounded by many enemies. But the Lord Jesus is your Commander in the battle. He assures you that you’re able to withstand as long as you trust in Him.

The second example also applies to you. In Matthew 20 the Lord Jesus uses a parable about workers who are sent into a vineyard (Mt 20:1-16). You also are such a worker who is allowed to work in the vineyard. You can be sure that the Lord Jesus reward your work with “whatever is right” (Mt 20:4). But isn’t it the case that you already enjoy now the things you can do for Him?

The third example, from the flock, has to do with taking care of believers. In John 10 the Lord Jesus talks about the one flock of which He is the one Shepherd (Jn 10:16). That flock consists of all sheep that belong to Him and which He calls “My sheep” (Jn 10:27). You belong to those sheep too.

Therefore when you see a believer going astray, you might pay him a visit. You can try to bring him back to the flock on the basis of the Bible. Try to feed him from the Bible and by that way have him get the taste for the Bible again. In 1 Peter 2 the Bible is called “the pure milk” (1Pet 2:2). When you let your brother get the taste of it, you yourself will also be strengthened.

In this way you see how you are provided by God Himself with everything you need in the ministry of God, and every believer has received a ministry from God.

Now read 1 Corinthians 9:1-7 again.

Reflection: What is the connection between chapter 8 and chapter 9?