1 Corinthians 9

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