“1 Corinthians 9”

Thursday, March 09, 2017

The principle established in the previous chapter was that a Christian should not exercise his personal liberties if this would cause a weaker Christian to stumble.

In chapter 9, Paul uses himself as an illustration of giving up certain rights, so that he would not wound anyone’s conscience. The primary example he uses is that he did not take any financial support for preaching the gospel in Corinth. He did not want anybody to think that he preached simply for the money.

If you recall, Acts 18:1-17 tells us about Paul’s initial visit to Corinth, when the church was established in this first century city. The first few verses of that chapter inform us that, while Paul was preaching in Corinth, he worked as a tentmaker with Aquila and Priscilla, a husband and wife team. While he had the right to be paid for his work as an evangelist, he did not want to be a financial burden to the church. (He says, in 2 Corinthians 11:8, that he was paid by other churches during part of his time in Corinth.)

He further emphasizes that his motive for preaching the gospel was to save as many souls as possible, not to make as much money as possible.

Paul risked his life on many occasions to make disciples of Christ. He listed many of the hardships he endured for the Lord in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. As you read that listing of his trials and difficulties, it is hard for us to realize the challenges faced by first century evangelists whose very lives were often in danger. They persevered because they kept their eyes on Christ and the ultimate reward, rather than on the hardships (Hebrews 12:1-2).

At the conclusion of the chapter, Paul reminds the disciples that all Christians must discipline themselves and remain pure in body and spirit so that they do not fall away from the Lord. He goes so far as to say that he himself, as an apostle, might become disqualified, if he failed to practice self-control. This is only one of the many New Testament passages that deny the false doctrine known as “once saved, always saved.”

--Roger Hillis  

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