There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28
In last week’s message, Paul answered the Corinthians’ question regarding whether or not to consume things that had been sacrificed to idols. However, his answer was not as straightforward as they might have expected it to be. He did not reply with either a simple “yes, you can” or “no, you can’t”. Instead, he addressed the question from the standpoint of Christian Liberty.
As born again believers, we have been set free from sin and the requirements of the Jewish Law. Consistent with Jesus’ teachings, we are free to engage in whatever activities we choose. That said, we should consider how our behaviors affect others and our own witness. To that end, we should voluntarily abstain from certain activities that would cause offense or be a “stumbling block” to others. Our prevailing motivation should be sincere love for one another rather than insistence on personal freedoms or rights.
Paul reasoned that it does not physically or spiritually defile a person to eat or drink that which has been sacrificed to an idol. In this respect, the Corinthians were free to eat. However, if doing so would hinder or harm the faith of their brethren, they should choose to abstain. In this respect, they would not eat. Thus, the answer to the question was dependent upon certain variables. Such is the nature of Christian Liberty - it’s not always a black or white decision.
We have already seen evidence in this letter that some of the leaders in Corinth were openly doubting and casting dispersion on Paul and his teachings (1 Corinthians 4:18-21). In today’s message, Paul will defend himself against those who are questioning his liberty by asking several rhetorical questions. His main point - just as they have been set free in Christ, so has he.
I. I AM AN APOSTLE (1 Corinthians 9:1-2)
Paul had just spoken about the freedom that the Corinthians had in Christ. He asked, “Am I not free also?” The answer - of course he was. As a born again believer, Paul had the same freedoms that they are every other Christian have. Apparently, there were some who questioned Paul about this. Perhaps they thought that, because he was a “preacher”, there were certain limits placed on him that they themselves weren’t bound by. Isn’t it funny how Christians hold those in the ministry to a higher standard than they hold themselves to?
He asked, “Am I not an apostle?” and “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” The answers - yes, Paul was an apostle and yes, he had seen the Lord. Jesus called Paul to be an apostle during a personal encounter with him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). The apostles were those who were personally chosen and sent by Jesus during and immediately following His earthly ministry in the first century to establish the church by proclaiming the gospel message to the world. While we still have missionaries and traveling evangelists today, there are no more apostles.
Shifting his focus to the Corinthians, Paul asked them, ”Are you not my work in the Lord?” The answer - sure they were. God had used Paul to plant their church. The fact that they existed at all was strong evidence of his calling as an apostle. While there might be other Christian churches who questioned Paul’s office because they had no connection to him, this was certainly not the case for the church at Corinth.
II. APOSTLES HAVE RIGHTS (1 Corinthians 9:3-7)
Paul was an apostle, but his apostleship did not negate his Christian liberty. Paul asked, “Do we not have a right to eat and drink?” It would seem most reasonable that this question referred back to the subject of consuming things that had been sacrificed to idols which he’d just discussed in chapter 8. The answer - of course they had the same right. Paul and Barnabas enjoyed the same privileges as all of the other believers at Corinth.
He continued, “Do we not have the right to marry a Christian wife?” Again, this referred back to a topic he had covered previously in chapter 7 regarding marriage. Many of the other apostles, as well as the brothers of Jesus, and specifically Peter were married. Paul and Barnabas had the same freedom to marry as they did, should they be led to do so.
Next, Paul posed a series of questions pertaining to his service for the Lord. Apparently, there were those who did not consider his ministry to be real work. He asked, “Do only Barnabas and I not have to work?” The answer - no, they had to work just like everyone else, but their Christian service was their work! They were called into vocational ministry - it was their job.
To that end, he asked 3 followup questions: “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?”, “Who plants a vineyard and does not partake of it?”, and “Who tends a flock and does not use its milk?” The answer to these questions - nobody does. Why? Because a worker is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Apostles were not an exception to this rule. Again, they had the same rights as every other Christian.
III. THE RIGHT TO BE COMPENSATED (1 Corinthians 9:8-11, 13-14)
Following the same line of thought, Paul asked, “Am I speaking from my own judgment or from the Jewish Law?” He then answered himself by quoting Deuteronomy 25:4 which states that, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” The most literal meaning of this command is that you shouldn’t prevent an ox from eating some of the grain that it is threshing (trampling to separate). When applied to people, the principle means that workers should be compensated for their labor.
Paul questioned, “Does this command not apply to us?” and “Since we have labored spiritually on your behalf, is it unreasonable that we reap material benefits from you?” The answers - yes, this same principle applies to Paul and Barnabas and yes, they are deserving of compensation from the Corinthians for their service to them. Just as a farmer works with a hopeful expectation to share the crops, so also a laborer for God has a hopeful expectation of sharing in the harvest.
Finally, Paul asked, “Do you not know that the priests in the temple were permitted to eat of the sacrifices they made?” The Law made provisions for the priests to partake of the old showbread and of certain portions of the offerings they gave. In this way, they received a degree of compensation for their service in the temple. In the same way, God’s direction was that those whose work was to proclaim the gospel were to make their living from doing so. Stated simply, vocational ministers should be adequately paid for their work.
CONCLUSION
Paul began this chapter by defending his office as an apostle. He had personally seen and been called to gospel work by Jesus Christ. Thus, he possessed the same credentials and authority as the other apostles. Even still, he enjoyed the same Christian liberty as every other born again believer. He explained that the freedoms given by Christ do not differ for ministers and laity. If you have been saved, you have the exact same freedoms as every other Christian regardless of your particular station or place in the Body of Christ.
Among other things, Paul had the right to eat whatever he wanted, to marry a Christian woman, and to expect and receive fair compensation for his work. It would not have been unreasonable or inappropriate for him to have done any or all of these things. We all have the same liberties, but we do not all use our liberties the same way. Next week, Paul will discuss how he exercised his liberty and explain why he chose to use it in that way.
In last week’s message, Paul answered the Corinthians’ question regarding whether or not to consume things that had been sacrificed to idols. However, his answer was not as straightforward as they might have expected it to be. He did not reply with either a simple “yes, you can” or “no, you can’t”. Instead, he addressed the question from the standpoint of Christian Liberty.
As born again believers, we have been set free from sin and the requirements of the Jewish Law. Consistent with Jesus’ teachings, we are free to engage in whatever activities we choose. That said, we should consider how our behaviors affect others and our own witness. To that end, we should voluntarily abstain from certain activities that would cause offense or be a “stumbling block” to others. Our prevailing motivation should be sincere love for one another rather than insistence on personal freedoms or rights.
Paul reasoned that it does not physically or spiritually defile a person to eat or drink that which has been sacrificed to an idol. In this respect, the Corinthians were free to eat. However, if doing so would hinder or harm the faith of their brethren, they should choose to abstain. In this respect, they would not eat. Thus, the answer to the question was dependent upon certain variables. Such is the nature of Christian Liberty - it’s not always a black or white decision.
We have already seen evidence in this letter that some of the leaders in Corinth were openly doubting and casting dispersion on Paul and his teachings (1 Corinthians 4:18-21). In today’s message, Paul will defend himself against those who are questioning his liberty by asking several rhetorical questions. His main point - just as they have been set free in Christ, so has he.
I. I AM AN APOSTLE (1 Corinthians 9:1-2)
Paul had just spoken about the freedom that the Corinthians had in Christ. He asked, “Am I not free also?” The answer - of course he was. As a born again believer, Paul had the same freedoms that they are every other Christian have. Apparently, there were some who questioned Paul about this. Perhaps they thought that, because he was a “preacher”, there were certain limits placed on him that they themselves weren’t bound by. Isn’t it funny how Christians hold those in the ministry to a higher standard than they hold themselves to?
He asked, “Am I not an apostle?” and “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” The answers - yes, Paul was an apostle and yes, he had seen the Lord. Jesus called Paul to be an apostle during a personal encounter with him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). The apostles were those who were personally chosen and sent by Jesus during and immediately following His earthly ministry in the first century to establish the church by proclaiming the gospel message to the world. While we still have missionaries and traveling evangelists today, there are no more apostles.
Shifting his focus to the Corinthians, Paul asked them, ”Are you not my work in the Lord?” The answer - sure they were. God had used Paul to plant their church. The fact that they existed at all was strong evidence of his calling as an apostle. While there might be other Christian churches who questioned Paul’s office because they had no connection to him, this was certainly not the case for the church at Corinth.
II. APOSTLES HAVE RIGHTS (1 Corinthians 9:3-7)
Paul was an apostle, but his apostleship did not negate his Christian liberty. Paul asked, “Do we not have a right to eat and drink?” It would seem most reasonable that this question referred back to the subject of consuming things that had been sacrificed to idols which he’d just discussed in chapter 8. The answer - of course they had the same right. Paul and Barnabas enjoyed the same privileges as all of the other believers at Corinth.
He continued, “Do we not have the right to marry a Christian wife?” Again, this referred back to a topic he had covered previously in chapter 7 regarding marriage. Many of the other apostles, as well as the brothers of Jesus, and specifically Peter were married. Paul and Barnabas had the same freedom to marry as they did, should they be led to do so.
Next, Paul posed a series of questions pertaining to his service for the Lord. Apparently, there were those who did not consider his ministry to be real work. He asked, “Do only Barnabas and I not have to work?” The answer - no, they had to work just like everyone else, but their Christian service was their work! They were called into vocational ministry - it was their job.
To that end, he asked 3 followup questions: “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?”, “Who plants a vineyard and does not partake of it?”, and “Who tends a flock and does not use its milk?” The answer to these questions - nobody does. Why? Because a worker is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Apostles were not an exception to this rule. Again, they had the same rights as every other Christian.
III. THE RIGHT TO BE COMPENSATED (1 Corinthians 9:8-11, 13-14)
Following the same line of thought, Paul asked, “Am I speaking from my own judgment or from the Jewish Law?” He then answered himself by quoting Deuteronomy 25:4 which states that, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” The most literal meaning of this command is that you shouldn’t prevent an ox from eating some of the grain that it is threshing (trampling to separate). When applied to people, the principle means that workers should be compensated for their labor.
Paul questioned, “Does this command not apply to us?” and “Since we have labored spiritually on your behalf, is it unreasonable that we reap material benefits from you?” The answers - yes, this same principle applies to Paul and Barnabas and yes, they are deserving of compensation from the Corinthians for their service to them. Just as a farmer works with a hopeful expectation to share the crops, so also a laborer for God has a hopeful expectation of sharing in the harvest.
Finally, Paul asked, “Do you not know that the priests in the temple were permitted to eat of the sacrifices they made?” The Law made provisions for the priests to partake of the old showbread and of certain portions of the offerings they gave. In this way, they received a degree of compensation for their service in the temple. In the same way, God’s direction was that those whose work was to proclaim the gospel were to make their living from doing so. Stated simply, vocational ministers should be adequately paid for their work.
CONCLUSION
Paul began this chapter by defending his office as an apostle. He had personally seen and been called to gospel work by Jesus Christ. Thus, he possessed the same credentials and authority as the other apostles. Even still, he enjoyed the same Christian liberty as every other born again believer. He explained that the freedoms given by Christ do not differ for ministers and laity. If you have been saved, you have the exact same freedoms as every other Christian regardless of your particular station or place in the Body of Christ.
Among other things, Paul had the right to eat whatever he wanted, to marry a Christian woman, and to expect and receive fair compensation for his work. It would not have been unreasonable or inappropriate for him to have done any or all of these things. We all have the same liberties, but we do not all use our liberties the same way. Next week, Paul will discuss how he exercised his liberty and explain why he chose to use it in that way.