I Corinthians 9 · The Lantern

The Rights of an Apostle

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my work in the Lord?

Nor indeed, if, among the Greeks, in accordance with the carelessness of custom, women and wives are classed under a common name-however, there is a name proper to wives-shall we therefore so interpret Paul as if he demonstrates the apostles to have had wives?

"Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?" Inasmuch as he had said, "If meat make my brother to stumble I will eat no flesh forever;" a thing which he had not yet done, but professed he would do if need require: lest any man should say, "Thou vauntest thyself at random, and art severe in discourse, and utterest w…

Having said: if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat, lest anyone consider him boastful and self-praising, he is compelled at last to declare that he abstained even from what was permitted, so as not to cause anyone to stumble.

If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you yourselves are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Those Jewish believers who nevertheless continued to observe the law of Moses denied that Paul was an apostle because he taught that it was no longer necessary to be circumcised or to observe the sabbath. Even the other apostles thought that he was teaching something different because of this, and they denied that he was an apostle.

"If to others I am not an Apostle, yet at least I am to you." Do you see how far he is from enlarging here without necessity? And yet he had the whole world to speak of, and barbarous nations, and sea and land. However, he mentions none of these things, but carries his point by concession, and even granting more than he need.

I do not say that I am a teacher of the whole universe; but am I not a teacher to you at least? Why then did I take nothing from you, from whom I had a special right to take? Through such a concession he further strengthens his argument. That is, the proof. If anyone wishes to be convinced whether I am truly an apostle, I will point to you.

My defense to those examining me is this:

Do we not have the right to eat and to drink?

Do we not have the right to take about a sister as a wife, as also the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

The apostles concentrated on undistracted preaching and took their wives around as Christian sisters rather than as spouses, to be their fellow ministers to the women of the household, so that the gospel would reach them without causing scandal.

But let us return to the order of our discourse, and the whole of the passage itself of the Epistle let us diligently consider. "Have we not," saith he, "leave to eat and to drink?

The apostles were followed by wealthy women who provided them with necessities and took upon themselves all the care for this, so that they might occupy themselves solely with preaching. Note that he placed the chief apostle last, as the most important, expressing this thought: why speak of the others? Peter himself does this.

Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right not to work?

For there is extant withal an Epistle to the Hebrews under the name of Barnabas-a man sufficiently accredited by God, as being one whom Paul has stationed next to himself in the uninterrupted observance of abstinence: "Or else, I alone and Barnabas, have not we the power of working?

"Or I only and Barnabas, have we not a right to forbear working?" See his humility of mind and his soul pure from envy, how he takes care not to conceal him whom he knew to be a partaker with himself in this perfection. For if the other things be common, how is not this common?

That is, do we really not have the authority to live without working and to be supported at the expense of our disciples, without laboring? He did not fail to mention Barnabas either, who, as he knew, was also scrupulous in this regard; for he lived by his own labor.

Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock?

When he teaches that every man ought to live of his own industry, he begins with a copious induction of examples-of soldiers, and shepherds, and husbandmen. But he wanted divine authority.

The church has its own soldiers and its own provincial officers … its vineyard and its planters, its flock and its shepherds.… Thus some are rightly fed and clothed at the expense of the charitable rich. They accept nothing for their own necessities except from those who sell their goods.

On that passage in 1 Corinthians 9: Who serves as a soldier, etc.; the Gloss says: "As the Lord ordained, those living from the Gospel ate bread freely given, received from those to whom they preached grace freely given"; but it is called bread freely given because it was not acquired through bodily labor: therefore those exercising the work of preaching are not bound to bodily…

Do I speak these things according to man? Or does the law not also say these things?

For in the law of Moses it has been written: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.” Is there care with God for the oxen?

But the new law's wont was to point to clemency, and to convert to tranquillity the pristine ferocity of "glaives" and "lances," and to remodel the pristine execution of "war" upon the rivals and foes of the law into the pacific actions of "ploughing" and "tilling" the land.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN THE PSALM, “MEN,” HE SAYS, “AND BEASTS YOU WILL SAVE” (Ps. 35:7); AND IN THE PROPHET JONAH, “I WILL NOT SPARE,” HE SAYS, “THE CITY IN WHICH LIVE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE, AND MANY ANIMALS” (Jonah 4:11); WHEREAS THE APOSTLE SAYS, “DOES GOD CARE FOR OXEN?” (1 Cor. 9:9).

He confirms the desired point abundantly, which is why he brings up the example of oxen as well. What then? Does He truly not care? He does care, but not so as to give laws about them. Therefore, by His concern for dumb animals He was suggesting something else, namely He was training the Jews in caring for their teachers.

Or does He speak entirely because of us? For it was written for our sake, because the one plowing ought to plow in hope, and the one threshing in hope that he is to partake.

If we sowed the spiritual things among you, is it a great thing if we will reap material things from you?

If others partake of the authority over you, do not we more? But we did not use this right; instead we bear all things, so that we may place no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those working in the sacred things eat the things of the temple, that those attending at the altar partake at the altar?

So also the Lord has prescribed to those proclaiming the gospel to live from the gospel.

But I have used none of these things. Neither have I written these things that it may be so with me; for it is better for me to die than — no one will make my boasting void.

For if I evangelise, there is no boasting to me, for necessity is laid upon me; for woe be to me if I do not evangelise.

And so there is incumbent on us a necessity binding us, since we have premised that a new law was predicted by the prophets, and that not such as had been already given to their fathers at the time when He led them forth from the land of Egypt, to show and prove, on the one hand, that that old Law has ceased, and on the other, that the promised new law is now in operation.

The servant sent by the Lord does what he has to do even if he is not willing, because if he does not do it he will suffer for it. Moses preached to Pharaoh even though he did not want to, and Jonah was forced to preach to the Ninevites.8.

What are you saying? Your praise is not in preaching the Gospel, but in preaching without charge? Is the latter better than the former?

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

What then shall I do, to whom the dispensation of the word has been entrusted? Though I am an "unprofitable servant," I have nevertheless received from the Lord "the measure of wheat to be distributed to the Lord's household."

Up to now I am so far restored in that glory that I confess I am ignorant not only how near I come to it but even whether I shall come to it at all. It is true I am a dispenser of eternal salvation along with my other innumerable fellow servants.

To that which is objected, that such men are imitators of Gehazi, who minister spiritual things for temporal ones: to this the Gloss responds sufficiently enough on that passage of 1 Corinthians 9: A dispensation is entrusted to me: "We ought not to preach the Gospel in order that we may eat, but rather to eat in order that we may preach the Gospel, so that food is not a good w…

What then is my reward? That in evangelising I may offer the gospel free of charge, so as not to use up my right in the gospel.

Paul the Servant to All

For being free from all, I enslaved myself to all, so that I may gain the more;

For instance, Paul circumcised Timothy because of the Jews who believed, in order that those who had received their training from the law might not revolt from the faith through his breaking such points of the law as were understood more cam ally, knowing right well that circumcision does not justify; for he professed that "all things were for all" by conformity, preserving tho…

Paul is free from all human claims because he preached the gospel without getting any praise for it and never wanted anything from anyone, except their salvation.

He says something even greater. Not only did I not take, though I had the authority, but also, being free, not being subject to anyone, without external compulsion, I enslaved myself to all, not to one or two, but to the whole world, not in order to please everyone through flattery, but to gain "more" believers; for it is impossible to gain all.

and I became to the Jews like a Jew, so that I may win Jews; to those under the law as under the law, not being myself under the law, so that I may win those under the law;

"For not only for the Hebrews and those that are under the law "according to the apostle, "is it right to become a Jew, but also a Greek for the sake of the Greeks, that we may gain all.". Also in the Epistle to the Colossians he writes, "Admonishing every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.".

Did Paul merely pretend to be all things to all men, in the way that flatterers do? No. He was a man of God and a doctor of the spirit who could diagnose every pain, and with great diligence he tended them and sympathized with them all. We all have something or other in common with everyone. This empathy is what Paul embodied in dealing with each particular person.

For example, when he circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3). He did not say: a Jew, but: "as" a Jew, to show that this was done with a special purpose. We understand proselytes, or those of the Jews who believed but still held to the law. This was when he shaved his head (Acts 18:18), when he offered a sacrifice according to the rite of purification (Acts 21:26).

to those outside the law like one outside the law — not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ — so that I may win those outside the law.

But to those without the law as without the law, not being without law to God. But someone will suppose that I have become an apostate from the law and lawless to God; but I say that even if I do not keep the law according to the letter, I am not lawless to God, but I am under the law of Christ, keeping the way of life that is according to the gospel, that I might gain those wi…

Paul states, somewhat surprisingly, that he is under the law of Christ, lest anyone think that he is under the law of Moses.

By "lawless" he means either those who did not have the Law of Moses, who converted from among the Gentiles, such as Cornelius (Acts 10), and in visiting whom Paul condescended to their weakness, or also the Greeks, to whom he likewise adapted himself—for example, when he delivered a speech before the Athenians, he began it from the altar that they had, and taught about Christ…

I became weak to the weak, that I may win the weak; I have become all things to all, so that by all means I may save some.

And I do all things on account of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker with it.

Run Your Race to Win

Do you not know that those running in a race course all run indeed, but one receives the prize? So run that you may grasp it.

On this account also Paul the Apostle says to the Corinthians, "Know ye not, that they who run in a racecourse, do all indeed run, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. Every one also who engages in the contest is temperate in all things: now these men do it that they may obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

As far as you extend your efforts in behalf of piety, so far will the greatness of your soul extend through efforts and toils toward what the Lord urges us.

Having proved that one must be condescending toward the brethren, he now addresses them with a more stern discourse. His words have the following meaning. Do not think that for your salvation it is already enough that you believed and entered upon the arena of the Church.

And everyone who is striving controls himself in all things. They then, indeed, that they may receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable.

I therefore run thus, not as uncertainly; so I fight, not as beating the air;

but I batter my body and bring it into slavery, lest perhaps, having preached to others, I myself may be disqualified.

"I buffet my body and bring it into subjection." "For everyone who wishes to take part in a contest is continent in all things" (the words "he is continent in all things" really mean that, though he does not abstain from everything, yet he is self-controlled on such things as he thinks fit).

Let our soul be in command and our body in subjection. Then Christ will come immediately and make his dwelling with us.

Here he points out that they are given over to gluttony and excuse it under the pretext of perfection. But I, he says, endure every labor in order to live chastely. For "I discipline" (ὑποπιέζω — I strike under the eyes) means: I fight with the body. The word ὑπώποι refers to the bruises under the eyes that come from beatings.

I Corinthians9

The Rights of an Apostle

Paul the Servant to All

Run Your Race to Win