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1 Corinthians 9:1-27 — Paul's Rights as an Apostle

1Cor.9.1-27

¹Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ²If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. ³This is my defense to those who examine me. ⁴Do we not have the right to eat and drink? ⁵Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? ⁶Or is it only Barnabas and I who do not have the right to refrain from working ? ⁷Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit ? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? ⁸Do I say these things according to human judgment? Or does the law not also say these things? ⁹For it is written in the law of Moses: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is God only concerned about oxen? ¹⁰Or does he say this entirely for our sake? For our sake it was written, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope, and the one who threshes in hope of sharing . ¹¹If we sowed spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? ¹²If others share in this right over you, do we not even more? But we did not use this right; rather, we endure all things so that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ. ¹³Do you not know that those who perform the sacred services eat the things from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel. ¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights. And I have not written these things so that it may be done this way for me. For it would be better for me to die than—no one will make my boast void ! ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, for necessity is laid upon me; for woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel , I may offer the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. ¹⁹For though I am free from all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win the more. ²⁰And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those under the law as under the law, though not being myself under the law , so that I might win those under the law; ²¹to those without law as without law (not being without God's law but subject to Christ's law), so that I might win those without law; ²²To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some. ²³And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in it. ²⁴Do you not know that those who run in a stadium all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They indeed do it so that they may receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. ²⁶Therefore I run in this way, not aimlessly; I box in this way, not beating the air. ²⁷But I strictly discipline my body and bring it under control, lest somehow, after preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified.

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4/11/2026

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