1 Corinthians (Written)

Friday, 12 September 2014

But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. 1 Corinthians 9:15

For the past 14 verses, Paul has clearly and methodically defended his apostleship and then his right to compensation for the conducting of the duties of that office. This right was one granted even by the Lord Himself. However, he now introduces a new direction concerning this by stating “but.” In contradistinction to what he has clearly laid out, he says “I have used none of these things.” This is not in defiance of the Lord, but in support of the cause of the Lord’s church.

All of the rights and privileges that should be associated with the exercise of his office have been turned down by him. He will explain this directly in this verse and for the next three verses, and then he will divide that explanation into two separate reasons –

1) His serving of men to impress upon them the gospel of Christ (verses 19-23).
2) His desire to run the race and receive the prize set before him (verses 24-27).

In order to lay the foundation for those things, he continues with his thoughts by saying, “nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me.” In other words, it is as if he were saying, “Though I am entitled to these benefits and as of yet have not received them, this letter is not to get you to recognize this and correct it.” Instead, his words are twofold. First, that they recognize his apostleship as valid (which he has done). Secondly, to understand why he has not accepted the rights that go along with the position and why he will continue to not accept those privileges.

And to show the absolute determination concerning his resolve in this matter, he finishes the verse with, “for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.” To him, the impartation of the gospel was the most important aspect of his life. He had been called out of darkness and into light directly by the Lord. He had received the highest measure of God’s grace and he felt that to accept payment for such a wondrous gift would be worse than death. And if his life was sharing the gospel, then death would mean he could no longer share the gospel, something he earnestly desired to do. It is the strongest assertion possible that his motives were focused only on the sharing of what he had been bestowed.

Life application: People do certain things because they love to do them. We will pay large amounts of money to go mountain skiing, adventuring in the African safari, or go on an ocean cruise. Who would expect to be paid for doing such things? Paul’s passion was sharing the gospel and so he was willing to share it without payment. And each person who truly loves Christ should likewise feel the desire and hunger to help in some way in this endeavor. Local missionary work, helping keep up the church, or even just carrying around tracts to hand out after dinner at a restaurant are ways to spread the message. What value is Christ to you? Are you showing it to others in self-sacrificing ways?

Lord God, I know that I could never do enough to merit the great grace which has been bestowed upon me through the work of Jesus. And yet, I have to admit that I fail daily to even try. I pass by people who don’t know about Him and don’t take the time to share the good news. I rush out of church without thinking that maybe I could help with some small task. I spend a lot of time watching TV or silly videos, but I don’t pursue You by reading Your word. Help me to change this attitude in my life and to draw closer to You while imparting my love for You to others. Amen.

Thursday, 11 September 2014

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:14

Paul has made a logical and orderly defense concerning the rights of those who minister to others in spiritual matters. He even reached back to the law both from a spiritual application and concerning those who “serve in the temple” and “those who serve at the altar.” In a final and unambiguous defense, he notes that the Lord Himself “has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”

Although the gospel which was preached during the Lord’s earthly ministry lacked a knowledge of the “church age” for both those He commissioned to teach it as well as those who heard it, it was still a preaching of the gospel. Though the disciples at that time expected the gospel to be immediately realized as one of an earthly kingdom, something He corrected them on in Acts 1:6-8, it was nonetheless the gospel proclamation. At that time, he gave these instructions to the twelve apostles –

“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. ⁹ “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— ¹⁰ no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. ¹² As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.” Matthew 10:5-13

His words “the worker is worth his keep” indicates that these men were to be cared for during their travels as they carried this good news to the people of Israel. Based on this, along with all of his other supporting thoughts, it was clearly evident that Paul (and all who preach the gospel) are to be given the same support as they minister to others.

Paul’s reference to “the Lord has commanded” implies that the words were already being circulated among believers. In other words, there were probably copies of these words from Matthew already out among the people. If not, then he would have most likely said something like “as Peter informed me, the Lord has commanded.” The fact that he left the source out of his letter implies that the gospel narrative was already known to those in Corinth. It is an attestation of a very early date for the writing of the gospel record.

Finally for this verse, Paul notes that preachers “should receive their living from the gospel.” In essence, he is equating the “gospel” with the “altar” of his previous thoughts. The work of the temple only prefigured the greater work of Christ. Thus we see in Hebrews these words –

“We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. ¹² And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. ¹³ Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴ For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Hebrews 13:10-11

Life application: Remember as you go to your respective place of worship, that your pastor is entitled to certain benefits and honors. If faithful in his proclamation of the gospel, which includes the whole counsel of God, then don’t be timid to do something special for him from time to time. In many ways, serving as a pastor can be a brutal job. People get angry and leave for petty reasons and this will cut the metal of the toughest man eventually. So let him know you support him as long as he continues to present the Bible in a careful and God-honoring way.

Thank You Lord for another morning in Your presence. Today I will do my best to fix my eyes on You; to fix my thoughts on You; and to meditate on Your word as I go about my business. Please guide my every step, be with me in the decisions I make, and help me to remember to be good, kind, and courteous to others as the day unfolds. Help me Lord, to be the example of grace and goodness that You would desire of me. This is my prayer and this is my petition for the day ahead. Amen.

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 1 Corinthians 9:13

From verse 4 until verse 12, Paul meticulously demonstrated that those who labor should receive compensation for their labors. Then in verse 12, he switched his comments to note that “we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.” He has moved from general labor to the specific labor, meaning work for Christ. Now in verse 13, he shows that those who labored for the Lord in the Old Testament received compensation for their efforts.

This move is to further bolster his previous comments about the rights of an apostle and how they should be entitled to support from the ministry. And so he again reaches back to the mandates of the Old Testament law. One of the twelve tribes, Levi, was set apart for ministering to the people. Within this tribe one group, the sons of Aaron, were called to the priesthood. In return for these mandated services, they were supported through the sacrifices and offerings of the people of Israel.

The first portion of his question deals with the Levites – “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple?” Whether they knew this or not before Paul asked them, they knew it to be true now. The question is a rhetorical one and indicates that they do in fact eat those things. Likewise he asks if they also knew that “those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar.” This portion concerns the priests of Israel who, in fact, partook of those things.

There are numerous verses in the Old Testament law which so provided for the Levites and priests. Every third year, the Levites received the tithes of the people as a portion of their wages. From this a tithe went to the priests. When animal or grain sacrifices and offerings were brought to the temple, depending on the type presented, a portion may have been taken and given to them for their sustenance. When an animal was so sacrificed, the law even provided that the skins of the animal were to be given to the priests as payment. These could be sold for clothing, tents, parchments, etc. (This is found in Leviticus 7:8).

In all, the answer to Paul’s question is that those who so minister and those who so serve do in fact benefit directly from their work. Using this line of reasoning from the Mosaic Law, he will next show that the Lord Himself directed something similar for those who share in the gospel.

Life application: Paul’s words, though seeming to flip back and forth, actually form a well though out progression. In following how he presents an argument and then defends it, we can learn also how to defend the tenets of the faith. There is nothing wrong with using Old Testament concepts for such a defense if those concepts carry through logically to the New Testament. However, we must be careful to not arbitrarily apply or claim verses from the Old Testament which actually have no relevance to a New Testament concept. Care then needs to be taken in how one approaches concepts and prescriptions found in the Old Testament.

As the years pass by we grow in knowledge
We change from children into young adults
We move through school years and may head off to college
And we learn in life from mistakes and from faults

Eventually though we to a certain point age
Where we start to lose some of the things we once knew
Our memories fade, whether a professor or a sage
And sooner or later our time here on earth is through

But You, O God, are from everlasting to everlasting
In You is a sure hope to have life anew
And so to You our eyes and our hopes we are a’casting
For the wondrous resurrection and eternal days with You

Yes Lord God, our days on earth are few and full of trials and difficulties, but You have given an eternal hope to those who have called on Jesus. Help us to remember this in the times when things seem hopeless, toilsome, or painful and remind us that these afflictions are just temporary and passing away. Thank You for our sure and grounded hope in Jesus our Lord! Amen.

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:12

After all the previous verses of chapter 9, Paul will begin to explain why he chose not to exercise his apostolic rights. Before he does though, he makes an obvious statement –

“If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?”

He has spent seven verses showing how the rights of the one who labors include their entitlement to being supported by those they labor for. As this is a right which goes all the way back to the Law of Moses and which included brute beasts, it should be considered a universal axiom.

As it is, and because the other apostles used this right when visiting Corinth, weren’t Paul and Barnabas even more entitled to using it? It was they who originally came and shared the gospel with them! In fact, Paul said to them that “you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” (verse 3). Because of this undeniable fact, he was certainly entitled to the right of payment for his labors.

And yet, despite this certainty, Paul continues with “Nevertheless we have not used this right.” This shows that Paul had an agenda other than profiting off of those in Corinth. If sharing the gospel was his passion and his life’s main purpose, and yet he didn’t earn his keep from it, then it showed a sincerity of heart that others should have recognized. If a person played major league baseball for nothing more than food money and a place to sleep, it would show a true love for the game. But when there are millions of dollars up for grabs, one can never really tell if the players are on the field for love of money or love of the game.

The same is true with televangelists. Just because someone has great oratory skills, doesn’t mean that their love for Christ is sincere. Knowing that there are literally millions of dollars available to those who preach the gospel, along with fame, power over others, and Lear jets waiting in the hangar, one can’t really be certain that Christ is the purpose for the preaching. Paul desired to avoid any such pitfall in the minds of those he ministered to. Instead he notes that they “endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.”

He was willing to go to great lengths and through any trials to share the gospel, even without exercising his rights as an apostle. The word translated “endure” is the Greek word stegomen. It means to cover closely (so as to keep water out). In essence, “to contain without leaking.” The external pressures on a ship as it passes through heavy seas is immense. Such a test of the ship will show its true colors. If it survives such a beating, it is a worthy vessel to trust one’s life with. Paul was showing to them that the message he preached was a worthy message; one in which another could trust with their eternal soul. There was nothing which could harm their fate, and Paul’s willingness to suffer externally without cost or benefit was a demonstration of this.

The word for “hinder” is the Greek word enkopēn. It is only used here in the New Testament and it basically means an “incision” or a “cutting into.” Hence Paul gives the idea of an impediment on a path which would interfere with following that path. If he were to come and lollygag around, eating food, schmoozing with the church, and expecting special treatment, those in the church could easily question his motives concerning the sharing of the gospel.

He wanted no such thing to occur, and so he worked diligently and without charge to share the wondrous message which had been entrusted to him.

Life application: About the secrets hidden inside each of us the Bible says –

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

Only the Lord can truly search out the heart of man. But our eyes should be used to evaluate those around us, particularly those in positions of power or leadership. It is a foolish thing to implicitly trust someone who acts in one way while speaking in another. If a leader were to spend all of his time on the golf course while telling others about the importance of work, it would show a corruption of the heart which was obvious. Likewise if that leader’s wife were to tell those around her to only eat certain foods she deemed healthy and yet she was often seen eating foods which weren’t on that list, it would show the corrupt and twisted thinking of a person who merely wanted control over others. In such cases, evaluating the actions would show the heart of the person. Let us reasonably evaluate our leaders, both in the church and elsewhere, and not blindly follow them because they have fine speaking abilities or some other highly noticeable trait.

Lord, help me to be discerning in how I evaluate others. Help me not to be overly judgmental, but at the same time, give me the wisdom to not blindly follow those in leadership positions. Help me especially in the church to properly and wisely evaluate leaders and to not get caught up in idolizing them or their great abilities. I know if that were to happen, I would blindly trust them, even if their message wasn’t sound. Grant me such discernment so that I will follow Your word above all else. Amen.

Monday, 8 September 2014

If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 1 Corinthians 9:11

Paul has been showing through the use of Deuteronomy 25:4 that the oxen which treaded out the grain is actually making a greater statement about the labors of people. If an oxen isn’t to be kept from eating the grain he treads, then how much more should the human laborer be provided for through his efforts! He now transfers this thought directly to his apostleship, which he defended several verses ago as one shown to be valid and which actually was the means of transmitting the gospel to those in Corinth.

Because their coming to Christ came about through his efforts, then wasn’t he entitled to be provided for through those efforts? In this reasoning, he states it from the greater to the lesser; from the spiritual to the material. This then is the opposite of the previous argument –

1) From the ox (lesser) to the human (greater).
2) From the spiritual (greater) to the material (lesser).

His words are “If we have sown spiritual things for you…” The “if” is to be taken as a statement of fact – “We have (definitely) sown spiritual things for you” (as he demonstrated earlier). Because of this, “is it a great thing if we reap your material things?” The question demands an answer that it is no great thing, but rather what would be expected. The ox was entitled, according to the law, to eat as he threshed. The context of the surrounding passage (and Paul’s words of analysis concerning it) show that this naturally leads to the same entitlement for man in his labors. Therefore, it is no great thing to consider that those who minister in spiritual things should in fact reap in material things.

In both clauses, the “we” is emphatic, only bolstering the intent of his words, and the use of the word “great” involves a hint of sarcasm. He is showing very clearly that his apostleship is one which has been both helpful to them and deserving of their help to him in return. Despite this, Paul declined to accept such help from them. This will be seen as the chapter continues and the reason for it will be explained.

Life application: Paul says in Galatians 6:6, “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.” There is good reason for this. The one who teaches spiritually is providing the most valuable of all benefits to those he teaches (assuming the word is being properly handled and rightly divided). Is it then too much to return to the teacher something of benefit for his material profit?

Let him who is taught the word share
In all good things with him who teaches
For in that precious word, and only there
Is the found the true path to which heaven reaches

The one who so instructs has the most important duty
And the one who is instructed should so avow
With gifts and offerings, a thankful booty
For spiritual instruction of the Who, the what, the how

For in learning the word, we learn of Jesus
And in Him is found the true and only heavenly path
It is His cross which has delivered us
From condemnation and God’s holy wrath

Lord, I thank You for the many great men who have instructed me in my spiritual walk. Some have passed long ago and only their writings remain. Some I’ve met from afar, through the television or radio. And some have come into my life by Your gracious hand so that I have personally met them and learned from them. For each of these people I am grateful to You. Thank You for those who have carefully and rightly divided Your word in order to instruct me about Jesus. Amen.