1 Corinthians 9–10

PAUL’S EXAMPLE AS AN APOSTLE

9Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ²If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal^r of my apostleship in the Lord.

³My defense to those who examine me is this: ⁴Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?^{s 5}Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife^B like the other apostles,^t the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?^{u 6}Or do only Barnabas^v and I have no right to refrain from working? ⁷Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?^w Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?

⁸Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? ⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox^x while it treads out grain.^Cy Is God really concerned about oxen? ¹⁰Isn’t he really saying it for our sake? Yes, this is written for our sake,^z because he who plows ought to plow in hope,^aa and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop.^{ab 11}If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? ¹²If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything^ac so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.

¹³Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar^ad share in the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.^ae

¹⁵For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I written these things that they may be applied in my case. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast! ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach^D—and 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^af with a commission. ¹⁸What then is my reward? To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gospel.^ag

¹⁹Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win^ah more people. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law^E—to win those under the law.^{ai 21}To those who are without the law,^aj like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.^{a 23}Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings.

²⁴Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race,^b but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.^{c 25}Now everyone who competes exercises self-control^d in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown,^e but we an imperishable crown. ²⁶So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. ²⁷Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.^f

WARNINGS FROM ISRAEL’S PAST

10Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors^g were all under the cloud,^h all passed through the sea,^{i 2}and all were baptized^j into Moses^k in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food,^{l 4}and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock^m that followed them, and that rock was Christ.^{n 5}Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness.^o

⁶Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire^p evil things as they did.^{Aq 7}Don’t become idolaters^r as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.^{BCs 8}Let us not commit sexual immorality^t as some of them did,^D and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died.^{u 9}Let us not test Christ as some of them did^E and were destroyed by snakes.^{v 10}And don’t grumble^w as some of them did,^Fx and were killed by the destroyer.^{Gy 11}These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction,^z on whom the ends of the ages^Haa have come.^{ab 12}So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.^{ac 13}No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful;^ad he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out^ae so that you may be able to bear it.

WARNING AGAINST IDOLATRY

¹⁴So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I am speaking as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I am saying. ¹⁶The cup^af of blessing^ag that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread^ah that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are one^ai body, since all of us share the one bread. ¹⁸Consider the people of Israel.^I Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?^{aj 19}What am I saying then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, but I do say that what they^J sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons! ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²²Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?^ak

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY

²³“Everything is permissible,”^A but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,”^A but not everything builds up. ²⁴No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.^al

²⁵Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, ²⁶since the earth is the Lord’s,^am and all that is in it.^{Ban 27}If any of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising questions for the sake of conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This is food from a sacrifice,” do not eat it,^ao out of consideration for the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.^{C 29}I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged^ap by another person’s conscience? ³⁰If I partake with thanksgiving,^aq why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks?

³¹So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.^{ar 32}Give no offense^as to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, ³³just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many,^a so that they may be saved.