Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

• 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Corinthians 9:1-6 ‘set aside your rights’: “Having encouraged the Corinthians to set aside their rights for the sake of the gospel and the body of Christ, Paul explains how he himself had engaged in such sacrificial behavior as an example to them. He asks four rhetorical questions that assume an affirmative answer, highlighting his authority as an apostle of the risen Lord Jesus (9:1-2). Of those who wonder if he practices what he preaches, Paul asks further questions to show that he has rights as an apostle. These rights included eating and drinking whatever he chose, taking a spouse, and ceasing his tent-making vocation to support himself (9:3-6). But Paul was willing to forego his freedoms for the benefit of the church and the advancement of the gospel.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:4 ‘right to eat and drink’: “Cf. 1 Tim. 5:17, 18. He was entitled to be married (v. 5) and to receive financial support from those to whom he ministered.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:6 ‘working’: ”With sarcasm, Paul, a tentmaker (Acts 18:3), let the Corinthians know that he and Barnabas had as much right as others to receive full financial support from their work. Except for help from a few churches (e.g., Phil. 4:15, 16), they paid their own expenses not because of obligation or necessity, but voluntarily.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:7 ‘some people have rights, but you can waive them’: “Paul illustrates his entitlement to these rights with several examples. A soldier doesn’t go to war at his own expense. The one who plants a vineyard and the one who shepherds a flock each have the prerogative to enjoy some of the fruit and milk associated with their labor. Similarly; an apostle of Jesus Christ is certainly entitled to receive remuneration for his work. Nevertheless, Paul chose not to exercise this right so the gospel wouldn’t be hindered.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:8-10 ‘may we not eat from the fruit of our labor?’: “Even the Old Testament law supports Paul’s argument: Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain (9:8-9). Ultimately; this command was not written for the sake of the oxen but for the sake of God’s people. If an ox has the right to eat of the fruit of his labor, do people not have the same right (9:10)? Thus, those who engage in Christian ministry have the right to receive compensation for their work.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:10-11 ‘Paul supported the ministry by tent-making’: “Though Paul may have been supported financially in some way by patrons like Lydia (see Ac 16:15), he seemed to favor supporting himself through tent-making. Problems arose when the Corinthians observed other teachers (perhaps Apollos and Peter) accepting patronage. Because of Paul’s refusal to do the same, they began to question the authenticity of his apostleship. Paul argued that although he had the right to be supported by them, he also had the right to refuse support. He had chosen to preach the gospel without pay so that he could not be accused of benefiting financially from what he taught. By presenting the gospel ‘free of charge,’ he himself was ‘free’ and would ‘belong to no one,’ constrained to preach only by obedience to Christ (1Co 9:19).”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

1 Corinthians 9:12 ‘others are partakers’: “Apparently, the church had financially supported other ministers. endure. False teachers sought money. Paul wanted to be certain he was not classed with them, so he endured not accepting support, so as not to offend. Cf. Acts 20:34; 2 Thess. 3:8.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:15 ‘none of these things’: “The 6 reasons given in vv. 1-14 that indicate his right to financial support. nor have I written. He was not underhandedly hoping that, despite his protest, the Corinthians would feel obligated to pay him (2 Cor. 11:8, 9; cf. 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8; 1 Pet. 5:2). Better … to die. He preferred death to having anyone think he ministered with a financial motive. See Acts 20:33–35; 1 Pet. 5:2. make my boasting void. The term ‘boast’ refers to that in which one glories or to the basis of one’s glorying, and carries the idea of rejoicing. It is a statement of sincere joy, not pride (cf. 1:31; Rom. 15:17). He was genuinely overjoyed for the privilege of serving the Lord and did not want material support to rob him of it in any way.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:16 ‘nothing to boast of’: “That is to say, his boast (cf. v. 15) was not personal. He was not proud as if it were his gospel; nor was he proud about the way he preached it, as if it were his ability. necessity. Paul did not preach from personal pride, but from divine compulsion. He had no other choice, because God had sovereignly set him apart for service (see Acts 9:3–6, 15; 26:13–19; Gal. 1:15; Col. 1:25; cf. Jer. 1:5; 20:9; Luke 1:13–17). woe. God’s severest chastening is reserved for unfaithful ministers (Heb. 13:17; James 3:1).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:19 ‘Paul conformed to the customs of his audience – not to offend’: “Paul conformed to the culture and practices of those with whom he worked. When with Jews, he observed Jewish custom; when with Gentiles, Gentile custom. With the ‘weak,’ those who were over-scrupulous in their observances, he was particularly careful to regulate his conduct to their standards. Paul’s adaptability appeared as ‘inconsistency’ to his critics. They had failed to note that his ‘inconsistency’ was governed by a greater principle to which he consistently yielded. ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some’ (1Co 9:22). Paul was uncompromising on beliefs and behaviors that were governed by the gospel but flexible and adaptable on those matters that were not.”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

1 Corinthians 9:20 ‘became as a Jew’: “Within the limits of God’s Word and his Christian conscience, he would be as culturally and socially Jewish as necessary when witnessing to Jews (cf. Rom. 9:3; 10:1; 11:14). He was not bound to ceremonies and traditions of Judaism. All legal restraints had been removed, but there was the constraint of love (cf. Rom. 9:3; 10:1; 11:14). For examples of this identification with customs of the Jews, see … Acts 16:3; 18:18; 21:20-26.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Corinthians 9:22 ‘a passion for saving souls’: “The passion for saving sinners is implanted into believers for at least three reasons. First, for God’s glory. To change sinful people so they pant after an increase of holiness, to render stubborn wills eager for the spread of obedience, and to make wandering hearts earnest for the establishment of the abiding kingdom of the Redeemer-these are mighty feats of the divine grace of God and bring all glory to him. Second, the passion for saving souls is implanted in believers for the church’s good. There can be no doubt that the passion for winning souls expends the church’s energy in a healthy manner. Churches that do not care for outsiders quickly suffer from disunity and strife. What unites a church completely is the calling out of all its forces for accomplishing the Redeemer’s grand objective. This passion for saving souls not only employs but also draws forth the strength of the church. It awakens the church’s latent energies and arouses its no-blest abilities. Communion in service and success welds the saints together and is one of the best securities for mutual love. As a common desire to defend their country welds all the regiments of an army into one, so the common desire to save souls makes all true believers akin to one another. But, third, this passion is most of all for the good of the individual possessing it. Work for Jesus keeps us strong in faith and intense in love to him. Soul-winning keeps the heart lively and preserves our warm youth in Christ It is a mighty refresher to decaying love. Love for souls will, in the end, bring to all who have it the highest joy beneath the stars-the joy of knowing that they have been made the spiritual parents of others.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Corinthians 9:23 ‘God’s Way is sometimes beyond our understanding – at the moment’: “Our human ways are based on what seems fair.  We firmly believe that when someone does what is right, rewards and blessings result.  When someone does what is wrong, there are serious consequences, even punishment.  But that’s our way, not necessarily God’s way.  At least not immediately.  He’s been known to allow unfair treatment to occur in the lives of some absolutely innocent folks – for reasons far more profound and deep than they or we could have imagined.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessing

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ‘compelled to spread the Gospel’: “Paul tells the Corinthians he is ‘under compulsion’ to preach the gospel of Christ to a lost world (1 Corinthians 9:16). He does this ministry ‘without charge’ (verse 18), making himself ‘a slave to all, so that I may win the more’ to Christ (verse 19). In order to be effective, he adjusted himself to all classes of people, becoming ‘all things to all men, that I may by all means save some’ (verse 22). ‘Paul holds himself up as an example. To the weak he became as weak; he accommodated himself to their prejudices that he might win them over to better views. And he wished the Corinthians to do the same’ (Hodge, First Corinthians, p. 166).
“Paul then discusses his future reward for service by using the example of the athlete who gives himself totally to winning a race. ‘Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win’ (verse 24). With these words Paul states the fact that all believers are in the race of service to the Lord. Just as self-control is necessary in order to compete in athletic games, self-control is essential in the spiritual race. We must exercise spiritual and moral determination in order to fare well in the race. The world expends its energy on ‘a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable’ (verse 25).To run and win, discipline is required (verse 26) in order to make the body a slave to the endeavor, ‘so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified’ (verse 27). The Greek word adokimos (‘disqualified’) suggests it is possible for a believer to fail in the spiritual race. When Paul speaks of failure he is not addressing the issue of salvation, but how we live the Christian life.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Corinthians 9:24-26 ‘Run to win in everything including service to God’: “I remember playing Little League baseball in Jackson, Michigan, and one of the first lessons in baseball that I was taught and that I carried with me my entire baseball career-we run off! When the team who was hitting made three outs and we got to come in to hit-we ran off the field. Every time.
“Of course, when the ball was in play, we also hustled, but it was expected that everyone would do that.
“The apostle Paul says to run to win, which is in1portant too. It’s such a fine line to help children learn to enjoy sports, but then in the next juncture to help them understand that there is a point to the games we are playing-to win. God has given them talents and abilities, and never asked them to be soft or passive once they became Christians. Paul says we are running for ‘an eternal prize,’ not a prize that will fade away like the laurel wreath awarded to an athlete in his day. What better place to put our talents and abilities to use and to passionately pursue victory than in the name of the Savior and within the Kingdom of God, no matter what age we are?
“But what does it require? We are to “run” not just by attending an occasional worship service on Sunday with maybe a Sunday school class thrown in, participation that I would consider the equivalent of just a couple of laps or a jog around the park; we are to run with discipline and perseverance, faithfully obeying Him, serving those who need our help, accepting people who are different from us, loving those who disagree with us, and never compromising the one we are following. Running until it hurts, giving of ourselves sacrificially every step of the way. And not just at the expected times, but during the little times that show our character, when others aren’t watching.”

• Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 15 November)

1 Corinthians 9:24 ‘Isthmian Games , part of the Panhellenic Games’: “Paul’s Corinthian readers would have been well familiar with runners in the Games (1 Cor. 9:24). The athletic contests at Olympia were founded in 776 B.C. and held continuously for more than a thousand years. They did not cease until A.D. 393 when the Roman emperor Theodosius abolished them because they were pagan.”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 ‘Discipline beyond the physical’: “Athletic events were very popular, and thus a good illustration for preaching. Paul wanted his readers to understand that the need to train and the desire to win applies to spiritual life as it does to athletic contests. Like a runner Paul disciplined his own body (1 Cor. 9:27). His prize would be imperishable (1 Cor. 9:25), and thus of much greater value than the athlete’s prize of leaves.”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

1 Corinthians 9:25 ‘the laurel wreath’: “The Corinthians were also familiar with the crown that was the winning prize (1 Cor. 9:25). Statues show the athletes completely naked, but probably they had some covering. The prize for the winner was a crown made of laurel leaves, or an imitation crown made of golden leaves. With this crown went great fame, if not a stipend of money from the city.”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

1 Corinthians 9:27 ‘A Personal Training Plan’: “Self-control. Discipline. Getting in shape. A new commitment to stick to the plan.
“How many times have you written down these goals or thought about them just before January 1? In a CNN report on New Year’s resolutions, it wasn’t surprising to learn that losing weight is the most common goal people set. In fact, I would guess that year after year that rarely changes-it will always be up there. It’s what fitness centers across the country gear up for: an influx of new customers and increased revenue in January more than any other time of the year.
“And then we come to our senses-around February. …
“As followers of Christ, we should maintain self-control and discipline, especially when it comes to taking care of our bodies. Getting in shape and making a commitment to stay that way honors God. He has given us our bodies through the miracle of creation. Taking care of them, watching what we put into them, and being careful about how we use them each day are responsibilities we shouldn’t take lightly.”

• Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 1 January)

My Thoughts

Paul starts this chapter with a game of twenty questions, or so it seems.

Paul is not among the Twelve Apostles, but he is the apostle to the Gentiles.  As he asks, why some may question his apostleship, the people of Corinth should not.  Paul is calling upon the basic concept, even used today in some churches, that the one who reveals the hidden truths of the Scripture and expounds upon them is an “apostle.”  Paul spent a year and a half in Corinth, not just planting the church but helping the church grow (Acts 18).

Paul speaks of not being married, but he defends his right to marry, as the other Apostles are married, mentioning Cephas (Peter) by name.

Oddly, verse 6 has a double negative.  It seems that others who called themselves apostles did not work for a living while Paul did.  Another oddity, at least for me, in verse 6 is that Barnabas was mentioned.  Paul established the church in Corinth with Silas by his side.  On Paul’s second missionary journey, he took Silas due to a dispute with Barnabas who wanted to take John Mark along.  They split up and Paul and Barnabas seem to have not worked together as a team.  We never hear about Barnabas again after it says that Barnabas and John Mark went to Cyprus.  John Mark is mentioned in the letters as someone who Paul has learned to rely on.  John Mark and Barnabas were relatives.  While John Mark wrote the book of Mark, probably taking dictation from Peter, Barnabas probably made the same circuits that Paul made, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Paul knew Barnabas had been to Corinth or was known by the Corinthians as someone who worked to support himself.  Mentioning Barnabas here would be like me mentioning Mark Lowry, when I have only seen him on stage twice in person.

The next paragraph, filled with questions, drives the point home that the person who reaps a harvest partakes in the fruit of that harvest.  But Paul makes an exception for him and his companions.  They had the right, but they chose not to exercise that right.  This is a strong lesson to us, or it should be.  We have certain rights, but when that right infringes upon someone else’s rights, we should discern whether we should exercise our rights.

One example of this that bothers me any time I drive the SUV around is the right of way.  People do not seem to understand the right of way.  They take their turn when it is obvious that it was the turn of the other person.  But yielding the right of way to a boorish, inconsiderate person may not “show God’s Love” to that person, but it avoids an accident.  When we have rights, it is up to us to determine when or if to exercise that right.  In many cases, not exercising that right can show God’s love to someone else.

Paul finishes his argument with his reasons for not exercising his rights as an apostle.

Paul then talks about how he was what his audience needed.  To the Jews, he spoke as a Jew.  He became weak for the weak.  Although Paul was free, he became as a slave to reach those people.  When you read Paul’s sermons, sprinkled throughout the book of Acts, you see this in action.

I worked for twenty years with an engineering company.  I was the training manager.  The company had a policy that I was successful in slowly changing.  We appeared to the class in business suits, but as the day wore on, the coat might get put away.  By the end of the day, the necktie might not be worn.  This was to show the class that we were in charge.  We were the teachers and they, the trainees.  But I was convinced that the same thing could be done by dressing just a little better than the class.  They would be in their work uniforms, usually coveralls.  So, a company dress shirt and a pair of khaki pants was slightly nicer.  The rapport with the class was achieved faster.  The fancy dress was a barrier with the class, and we said some important things in our introductions that they could have missed by not connecting with the class from the start – just in one aspect, our attire.

To take that a little further, when going overseas, I tried to find a book on that country’s culture.  I studied the sports that they enjoyed.  I learned the stars of that sport.  Note: Almost all the workers that I trained were men, and in many countries overseas, a woman in that environment was “unthinkable.”  There were occasional women in the classes taught in the USA, and they usually knew more than their male counterparts.  They had to know more to show the guys that they could hold their own.

But what Paul is saying here is to win souls to Christ, you must understand where they are coming from.  And you must not place a barrier between you and them.  You should think about those barriers ahead of time by understanding your audience.  But that definitely does not mean you should sin so that they will think you to be one of them nor should you applaud their sin.

Paul finishes this chapter with the analogy of the race.  The Isthmian Games were held near Corinth.  There were four venues around Greece for these games.  Some events were races.  The Greek word for race is where we get our word for agony.  There were games of strength.  There were military games, with fighting of one kind or another.  There were even poetry competitions, and they let the women partake in that.  The Isthmian Games were discontinued in the 4th century due to the prominent religion becoming Christianity and the Games had pagan roots.

While some people argue that we should be physically strong, keeping our bodies fit, that is not what Paul is saying here.  He is saying that we should do what we normally do to the utmost of the strength that we have.  If there is plenty left in the tank when we are done, we could have done more.

That being said, I have known people who were so obsessed with exercise that their bodies broke down.  They had pain that caused them to be hospitalized, just to find out they had overexercised.  We should exercise, most of us more than we do, but we must keep everything in balance.

But in “finishing the race”, we should do everything we can to spread the Gospel.  Keeping our health in our minds, we must use our available energy to show God’s love to as many people as possible, praising God as we do so.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

1 Corinthians 9 1. What groups of people in your community are not being ministered to: The poor? Unwed mothers? The gays? The Yuppies? An ethnic group? Students? The elderly? What would it mean for you to apply the principle of verses 19-23 in order to communicate the gospel to them? What ‘baggage’ in your lifestyle would be a barrier between them and you? What would it cost you to get rid of that in order to reach them?
“2. In the Christian race, how are you doing: (a) ‘Fresh because I’m just starting’? (b) ‘Feeling tired and achy, thinking of dropping out for awhile’? (c) ‘Going great, I’ve got my second wind’? (d) ‘Where in the world is the finish line’? (e) ‘I thought this was a sprint, not a marathon’?
“3. From this passage, what are the obligations of a church to its pastors and leaders? What is a fair way of determining appropriate compensation for them?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

First Corinthians 9 has one set of questions.

Question 1 was written in the 70s.  The former head of the Yippies claimed that Yuppies were Yippies who went into the workforce.  They had some non-conformist ideologies, but they toned it down to become successful, in fact successful in business became their drive, and they looked good while doing it.  The Yuppies had a certain attire that distinguished them from their neighbors.  But there are a lot of things today that divide us that did not divide us in the 70s and 80s.  And the words for what these groups are called is often fluid, changing faster than the dictionary can keep up.  Yet, the question remains:  Are they being reached with the Gospel, and if not, how do you do so?

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.