1 Corinthians 9–10

A Pattern of Self-Denial

9Am ^aI not an apostle? Am I not free? ^bHave I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? ^cAre you not my work in the Lord? ²If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are ^dthe ¹seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³My defense to those who examine me is this: ^4eDo we have no ²right to eat and drink? ⁵Do we have no right to take along ³a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, ^fthe brothers of the Lord, and ^gCephas? ⁶Or is it only Barnabas and I ^hwho have no right to refrain from working? ⁷Who ever ⁱgoes to war at his own expense? Who ^jplants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who ^ktends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?

⁸Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? ⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, ^l“You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? ¹⁰Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that ^mhe who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. ¹¹ⁿIf we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? ¹²If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?

^oNevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things ^plest we hinder the gospel of Christ. ^13qDo you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the ^rtemple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴Even so ^sthe Lord has commanded ^tthat those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

¹⁵But ^uI have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for ^vit would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for ^wnecessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this willingly, ^xI have a reward; but if against my will, ^yI have been entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸What is my reward then? That ^zwhen I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel ⁴of Christ without charge, that I ^amay not abuse my authority in the gospel.

Serving All Men

¹⁹For though I am ^bfree from all men, ^cI have made myself a servant to all, ^dthat I might win the more; ²⁰and ^eto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the ⁵law, that I might win those who are under the law; ^21fto ^gthose who are without law, as without law ^h(not being without ⁶law toward God, but under ⁷law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; ²²ⁱto the weak I became ⁸as weak, that I might win the weak. ^jI have become all things to all men, ^kthat I might by all means save some. ²³Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Striving for a Crown

²⁴Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? ^lRun in such a way that you may ⁹obtain it. ²⁵And everyone who competes for the prize ¹is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for ^man imperishable crown. ²⁶Therefore I run thus: ⁿnot with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. ^27oBut I discipline my body and ^pbring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become ^qdisqualified.

Old Testament Examples

10Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under ^athe cloud, all passed through ^bthe sea, ²all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³all ate the same ^cspiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same ^dspiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies ^ewere scattered in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as ^fthey also lusted. ^7gAnd do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ^h“The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” ⁸ⁱNor let us commit sexual immorality, as ^jsome of them did, and ^kin one day twenty-three thousand fell; ⁹nor let us ¹tempt Christ, as ^lsome of them also tempted, and ^mwere destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰nor complain, as ⁿsome of them also complained, and ^owere destroyed by ^pthe destroyer. ¹¹Now ²all these things happened to them as examples, and ^qthey were written for our ³admonition, ^rupon whom the ends of the ages have come.

¹²Therefore ^slet him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but ^tGod is faithful, ^uwho will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to ⁴bear it.

Flee from Idolatry

¹⁴Therefore, my beloved, ^vflee from idolatry. ¹⁵I speak as to ^wwise men; judge for yourselves what I say. ^16xThe cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the ⁵communion of the blood of Christ? ^yThe bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? ¹⁷For ^zwe, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

¹⁸Observe ^aIsrael ^bafter the flesh: ^cAre not those who eat of the sacrifices ⁶partakers of the altar? ¹⁹What am I saying then? ^dThat an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? ²⁰Rather, that the things which the Gentiles ^esacrifice ^fthey sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. ^21gYou cannot drink the cup of the Lord and ^hthe cup of demons; you cannot partake of the ⁱLord’s table and of the table of demons. ²²Or do we ^jprovoke the Lord to jealousy? ^kAre we stronger than He?

All to the Glory of God

²³All things are lawful ⁷for me, but not all things are ^lhelpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things ⁸edify. ²⁴Let no one seek his own, but each one ^mthe other’s well-being.

²⁵ⁿEat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; ²⁶for ^o“the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

²⁷If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, ^peat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. ²⁸But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it ^qfor the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; ⁹for ^r“the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” ²⁹“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For ^swhy is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? ³⁰But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food ^tover which I give thanks?

^31uTherefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ^32vGive no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, ³³just ^was I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.