1 Corinthians 9
Paul Surrenders His Rights
aAm I not free? bAm I not an apostle? cHave I not seen Jesus our Lord? dAre 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 athe seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 aDo we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 aDo we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and bthe brothers of the Lord and cCephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 aWho serves as a soldier at his own expense? bWho plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
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, a“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 afor our sake, because bthe plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 aIf 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, awe have not made use of this right, but we endure anything brather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that athose 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 athose who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But aI 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 bdeprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For anecessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 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 aa stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching aI may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For athough I am free from all, bI have made myself a servant to all, that I might cwin more of them. 20 aTo 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. 21 To athose outside the law I became bas one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but cunder the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 aTo the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. bI have become all things to all people, that cby all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, athat I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives athe prize? So brun that you may obtain it. 25 Every aathlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we ban imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I ado not box as one bbeating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and akeep it under control, lest after preaching to others bI myself should be cdisqualified.
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