TEACHING NOTES Introduction In the last session, we covered 1 Cor. 8 where Paul begins to address concerns about eating food sacrificed to idols. Paul argues that Christians may have the right to eat certain foods, but some actions may cause others to stumble. As we turn to chapter nine, Paul is going to continue this discussion about giving up some rights for the sake of others. ‌ 1 Corinthians 8:8–9 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. ‌ This right of yours = This refers to those in the Corinthian church who didn’t see a problem with eating food that may have been sacrificed to idols. Some believed they had “the right” to eat anything, while others avoiding anything that may have been sacrificed to pagan gods. ‌ 1 Cor. 8: The rights/freedoms to eat anything may lead others to stumble in their faith. ‌ 1 Cor. 9: Paul lists other rights/freedoms that may be given up to benefit others. ‌ 1 Cor. 10: Idolatry is dangerous and deadly. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:1–2 1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. ‌ Am I not free? = Paul is making the argument that he has freedom and rights. But as we will see, Paul is willing to give up some of this freedom for the sake of others and for the sake of the Gospel. ‌ Am I not an apostle? = The Corinthians know Paul is an apostle, but some had begun to question Paul’s authority. Since some in the church disagreed some of Paul’s teachings, they were trying to discredit him. ‌ Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? = Although Paul did not see Jesus before the crucifixion, Paul did see the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). In the early church, apostles who had seen the risen Jesus were considered to have more authority than those who had not. ‌ Are not you my workmanship? = Paul planted the church in Corinth and spent at least 18 months serving the church there. So, if some of the Corinthian believers are questioning Paul’s apostleship, then they are by default questioning the origin of their own church. In other words if Paul is not a real apostle, then the churches he planted are not real churches. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:3–7 3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? ‌ Those who would examine me = There were some in Corinth who were challenging Paul’s apostleship and authority. Based on what Paul says in the following passages, it seems that some of the Corinthians criticized Paul because he would not accept financial support from them. ‌ The right to eat and drink = Paul could be referring to working for food and/or receiving food from the church. The ancient church operated as a family by sharing resources, responsibility, and accountability. When the church gathered there was usually a shared meal. ‌ The right to take along a wife = Although Paul was single, it was not because apostles were required to be single. Apostles have the right to marry and bring their spouse with them on their missionary journeys. ‌ No right to refrain from working = Apostles and teachers were supported financially by the church family. But this did not mean that apostles could not work for a living if needed. The main point here is that they had the right to be supported by the church and the right to refuse support. ‌ Understanding how the Greeks viewed work also helps us to understand this passage properly. The Greeks despised work and viewed daily labor as an indication of lower status. This attitude also existed in the Thessalonian church (see 2 Thess. 3:6-12). The fact that Paul did not accept financial support from the Corinthian church and worked for a living provided an example of work ethic to the believers. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:8–10 8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. ‌ Do I say this on human authority? = Paul is about to show that what he is saying is not his opinion, but comes from God’s Word. ‌ “You shall not muzzle an ox…” = Paul is quoting Deut. 25:4, which commanded Israel not to deny food to an animal while it was working for you. Paul quotes this passage again in 1 Tim. 5:18 in the same context of providing for those who serve the church. ‌ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? = This passage helps us understand how the apostles had a deeper understanding of the Torah. This law about oxen is about more than livestock. It also teaches us how to treat people. If God commanded Israel not to prevent an ox from eating while it is working for you, shouldn’t the same apply even more to people who are serving you? ‌ Sharing in the crop = Just as a plowman should hope to share in the crop, those who devote themselves to serving the church should hope to receive provision. ‌ How the early Christians interpreted Torah laws: There are many laws in the Torah that seem strange to us. The dietary laws are a good example. God commanded not to eat certain animals that were referred to as “unclean.” For example, they were not allowed to eat pigs and vultures. The early Christians understood these laws to be teaching more than dietary restrictions. These laws were meant to illustrate something about human behavior. In 1 Cor. 9:8-10 Paul understood the law against muzzling an ox to be instructing us to care for those who serve us. In a similar way, an early Christian document called The Epistle of Barnabas interpreted the dietary laws as a teaching tool for human living. In the tenth chapter of the Epistle of Barnabas he argues that Israel was to avoid pigs because God did not want His people to act like pigs (gluttonous, filthy, caring nothing for its owner, etc.). Eagles, hawks, and ravens were to be avoided to teach them “how to procure food for themselves by labour and sweat, rather than seize on that of others.” In other words when an Israelite thought of a pig, he was reminded to avoid acting like a pig. When he saw a raven seize its prey, he was reminded “not to sit idle, devising ways to devour what belongs to others.” In other words God was saying to Israel, “Whatever I tell you not to eat, pay attention to how those animals live, and do not be like them.” This is the kind of interpretive method Paul is using to teach the Corinthians to provide for those who gives their lives to the church. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:11–12 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. ‌ If we have sown spiritual things = Paul is referring to preaching and teaching the Gospel and Word of God. Paul illustrates preaching and teaching as a farmer planting seeds. Jesus also explained the kingdom of God as farming. ‌ Is it too much if we reap material things from you? = Paul makes the same argument in Rom. 15:27. ‌ Others share this rightful claim on you = Apparently, the church in Corinth provided for other apostles and teachers. ‌ We have not made use of this right = Even though Paul and Barnabas had the right to be financially supported by the Corinthian church, they had chosen to work instead of depending on the church. ‌ An obstacle to the Gospel = Paul and Barnabas did not receive financial support from Corinth (they did receive from other churches) because they did not want anyone in Corinth thinking they were serving God for monetary gain. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. ‌ Those in temple service eat from the temple = Under the Torah, those who served in the tabernacle/temple (priests and Levites) were supported by what was brought into the temple. ‌ The Lord commanded = Paul is saying that Jesus commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel. While this is not a direct quote of Jesus, it is a paraphrase of Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7. In Matt.10; Luke 10, Jesus sends out the disciples and tells them not to bring extra supplies because their needs to be met by those they were serving. Those who devote their lives to serving the church should have their material needs met by the church. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:15–16 15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ‌ I have made no use of these rights = We that Paul did allow other churches to support him, so he is saying here that he has not made use of these rights in Corinth. ‌ I am not writing to secure provision = Paul is not writing this to get the Corinthians to support him financially. He is simply making the case that believers can give up certain rights for the sake of others. ‌ Ground for boasting = Paul was proud of the blessing to preaching for free in Corinth, so much so that he’d rather die than give up that blessing. ‌ Necessity is laid upon me = The Greek word for “necessity” here is ananke, which means “to be compelled” or “to be under obligation.” For Paul, spreading the Gospel was his life. Jesus, through the prophet Ananias, called Paul to be “a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). ‌ Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel = To declare “woe” in the Bible was to declare a curse. The Greek word for woe is ouai, which means “dreadful.” Paul is saying he would be cursed if he did not fulfill his mission from God. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:17–18 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. ‌ I do this of my own will = Paul was free to accept financial support from Corinth, but he chose of his own will to refrain from this right. ‌ I am still entrusted with a stewardship = Literally, “I am still entrusted with responsibility.” Paul is saying that whether or not he made use of his rights as an apostle, either way he is still responsible to fulfill his mission from God. ‌ What then is my reward? = Paul saw preaching the Gospel “free of charge” in Corinth as a great gift and reward. Not all of the apostles were able to do their work for free, but Paul had the means to do so. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:19–20 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ‌ I made myself a servant to all = While many modern pastors and teachers use their position to assert authority over others, Paul considered himself a servant of God’s people. Paul got this servant-leader idea from Jesus who said in Matthew 20:28 “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‌ To the Jews I became as a Jew = When Paul was around the Jews, he behaved as a Jew keeping the Torah. He did this in order to reach them with the Gospel. If Paul had walked into a Jewish synagogue dressed like a Gentile and eating bacon, he would have no hope of sharing the Gospel. ‌ Not being myself under the law = Paul is saying that he is not under the control of the Torah. Why? Because the Torah is fulfilled in Christ and a new covenant has come. Those who are in Christ are no longer under the old covenant. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:21–23 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. ‌ Those outside the law = Literally, “those without the law.” This refers to Gentiles. Gentiles were not given the Torah and were not required to follow it (except for four requirements—see Acts 15). The only Gentiles who were required to follow the four requirements in Acts 15 were Gentiles living in Israel. Gentiles who were not living in Israel did not have the Torah. ‌ Under the law of Christ = Paul was not “outside the law of God” or “without the law of God” because he is a Jew, but he is under the law of Christ. The new covenant is the law of Christ. Keep in mind that Torah means “teaching or instruction.” Christians are under the law or instruction of Christ. ‌ The weak = In Paul’s letters “the weak” often refers to Jewish Christians who are keeping Torah and looking down on Gentile Christians who do not keep the dietary laws of the Torah. This is most clearly seen in Rom. 14-15 where “the weak person eats only vegetables” because they are afraid that meat is associated with idols. This was the same problem Paul addresses in 1 Cor. 8-10. ‌ I do it all for the Gospel = Paul was not changing his behavior simply to fit in with different groups. Paul was intentionally removing barriers so he could reach all people with the Gospel. ‌ 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. ‌ Only one receives the prize = Corinth was the location of the famous Isthmian games held every other year. These games were held in honor of the sea god Poseidon and the youth god Palaimon. Paul is using an athletic illustration that the Corinthians would understand. In a race all the runners run, but not all the runners win. All people are living life, but not all have eternal life. Paul also uses this illustration in Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:7. ‌ Every athlete exercises self-control = A good athlete must be disciplined to stay in shape and develop their skills. In our spiritual life, we must be disciplined to stay in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). ‌ A perishable wreath = People living without God are often chasing the perishable things of this world. Everything in this world is subject to decay. Everything in this world is temporary. ‌ But we an imperishable = Christians should not be chasing the temporary things of this world. We are called to invest in eternity in preparation for the new creation which will be a imperishable creation. ‌ Do not run aimlessly = The Christian life is not an aimless life. The goal is “to be conformed to image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29) and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19-20). ‌ I discipline my body = In other words, “I bring my body into submission.” This is another way of speaking of self-control. We all know that our bodies desire things that lead to destruction. We must keep our desires in check. ‌ I myself should be disqualified = Paul believed that he could disqualify himself as a preacher of the Gospel if he did not remain faithful to Christ. The Greek word for “disqualified” here is adokimos, which also means “to be rejected.” If Paul had turned away from Christ, he would have been rejected. The Bible teaches that faithfulness—not merely belief—leads to salvation. If we say we believe but are not faithful, we cannot expect to be accepted by God. ‌ Conclusion Love your neighbor as yourself. ‌Love people more than your preferences. ‌ Love people more than your rights. Be willing to deny yourself to build others up. ‌ Next Week: Read 1 Cor. 10.