1 Corinthians 9
1 Corinthians 9
[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome to God's plan, your part year two, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire new Testament one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. Today, we are going to be talking about whether or not you should be paid if you're a pastor or whether or not you should pay your pastor, I guess.
Um, actually there's a lot more going on here than just that, but it seems like Paul takes quite a. I don't know. Seemingly strange turn. Uh, we're looking at first Corinthians chapter nine. There's a lot going on in this chapter and it seems like one of those chapters where we had to do a little extra digging.
To kind of try to figure out what's going on here. Well, yeah, I don't think that he's necessarily even just saying, should pastors be paid? He's saying that is something that does happen, but for him, he's kind of like making this case for himself that I'm not taking what it says I actually even deserve because I care so much about this mission and you people and believers and [00:01:00] helping you to grow in your faith.
It seems like this is one of those things. Stream of consciousness situations with Paul, because like yesterday we talked about food sacrifice to idols in chapter eight, if you look at even how this chapter is set up, it seems like a pretty abrupt shift. Um, after we dug into the chapter a little bit, I don't, I don't think it's quite as abrupt as what it seems.
Um, but you'll notice, I mean, he, he starts off chapter nine and again, these These headings and chapters weren't originally there. This is just one flowing letter. Um, but I'll back it up. If you look at chapter 8 verse 12, thus sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscious when it's weak, you sin against Christ.
Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat lest I make my brother stumble. Then chapter 9 verse 1. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
It's like, [00:02:00] where did that come from? Um, obviously he is dealing with people questioning his authority because he kind of out of nowhere defends himself over and over in first Corinthians. Um, he's going to make a lengthy defense of himself, um, again, here. In the next couple of chapters, but you can see that that's on his mind and he's defending himself here at the beginning of this chapter.
Yeah, and I, I definitely get that too. It is interesting though how the same theme kind of ties its way into this chapter though, because he is saying that he's going to essentially not make his brother stumble, and at the same time, What he's addressing in chapter nine is specifically about like the payments, if you will, do to ministers and, um, people who are teaching God's word to others, he's saying, I'm not even going to take that because I don't want that to be a stumbling block for anybody or a questioning thing for [00:03:00] anyone.
To, I guess, like, accuse him of something later. So the point that he's making in Chapter 9 does build somewhat on the point that he was making in Chapter 8. It does seem, like, oddly pointed, though. Like, oh, all of a sudden we go from, Yay, you're alongside of us, too. Am I not free? It's like, whoa, okay. So I guess it is, like, a weird turn in that sense.
However, I think the same thread's still there. So today in our culture, it is, it's fairly common. For pastors to be paid like lead Christian leaders to be paid. Like that's not odd. Um, it also would not have been odd for faith leaders in Paul's day to be paid. In fact, um, it would not have been odd for there to be influential.
Uh, spiritual leaders who secretly got rich off of speaking, uh, here and there and everywhere, traveling speakers that raised money. So sometimes we can look at things and be like, Oh, that's not how they did life, but it is. And so Paul's defense here is that, look. I care about preaching the [00:04:00] gospel to the lost, and we've seen him say this over and over.
This is a very clear mission that Paul senses on his life. And so he's saying like, I'm entitled to payment, but I'm not going to take that. I'm going to refuse that because I don't want any anybody to have a reason to resent what I'm trying to do in preaching and teaching the gospel. There is some wisdom to that, too, because I feel like, like, if there was a, if there was a pastor today who, like, fully, outright relied 100% On what god's going to provide or anybody I guess I could even be a missionary Uh because paul was technically a missionary as well that to me would just be like wow, that's extreme faith like that is very Very much opening your hand and just letting god do whatever you're not reliant on anything that I don't know.
That you are just like assuming is coming your way. So there is, I don't know, it's just like, it's a kind of a cool thing that he has going for him in that aspect. He's [00:05:00] even saying in verses seven through nine, uh, essentially like if you are putting hard work in verse seven, who serves as a soldier at his own expense, who plans a vineyard without eating any of its fruit or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
Do I say these things on my own human authority? Does not the law of Moses say this or does not the law say the same and then he goes on to quote Um part of the law of moses. So he's essentially making a case for himself. Like this is not something i'm just making up Right, but because of that i'm not going to even take that because I care so deeply About this.
It's funny when when you think about faith and money Doesn't go together. Well, it doesn't and and probably If you've been around faith for a long time, probably you've thought about this topic. Um, certainly when I was a pastor, I haven't been for like, about a year, like a formal pastor, I guess. Mm-Hmm.
Mm-Hmm. , like everybody has influence when you steward that influence, well, et cetera, et cetera, but , um, [00:06:00] certainly you thought about how you conduct yourself as a pastor and the way that you push people or hold certain people accountable. It does. Make you think about the money and it is kind of weird.
Like it's probably a little bit strange because if you've been around church for a long time, like it's not weird to think about like, well, that guy's a really influential donor. I don't know how we're going to handle this or wow. That person has been around the church for a long time. They give a lot of money.
How, what are we going to do about this? So the combination of faith and money is very strange and it does require a lot of wisdom, but it's not prohibited. And, and that is another thing that I think is an idea that's out there. That's like, like pastor shouldn't be paid. Well, actually that's not true either.
And I think too, what is important is not only are we talking money. I think even a better word for it is, like, provision. Yeah, provision. That's fair. Provision is helpful for my understanding as well, because if you are provided for, I think you're, [00:07:00] like, that you're applying what even the Law of Moses said.
And, and Paul has a very clear understanding that ultimately God is his provider and God will continue to provide, and that's one of the compelling things about that. Um, certainly if you would have been in the first century and you would have observed his life, I think he would be a person that you could watch and be pretty confident.
Like that guy definitely. believes what he's saying because he goes through like very difficult circumstances and just Gets he gets stoned almost to death and just stands right back up and keeps preaching like it's hard to say He doesn't believe what he says when he just keeps saying it Um, so so essentially in this chapter at least the first part of this chapter He's making this lengthy defense on how people Pastors or church leaders or spiritual leaders, they are entitled to compensation.
And he uses those examples that you've already pointed out, Jenny, um, to say that, like when you have a job, you're, it's okay to benefit from that job, but he's refusing to benefit from his job so that it doesn't hurt the gospel. And in a sense, um, [00:08:00] he's, Kind of playing out what he talked about in chapter eight, like he doesn't want anything he does to cause a brother to stumble.
So because of that, he's foregoing financial compensation at this time. It seems like there's a transition then in verse 15, but I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.
And boasting, it kind of threw me a little bit, but our study Bible says that Paul used that word to express a rightful sense of joy and fulfillment in what God has done through him. So it doesn't actually have any, like, provision, monetary, food, shelter, value with it at all. He's happy that God is using him.
He wants to be faithful to the call that God's put on his life, yeah. So I think we pivot there a little bit, um, we still have that idea of what is provided for these type of men or people that are doing these works, [00:09:00] um, but again it comes back to Like I'm not going to get stuck on this because I don't want you to fall away and be like turned off of the gospel because of the decisions that I'm making.
And we kind of get into this like, like race language and I'm not going to stop what I'm doing. Yeah. As in actual physical running. Yeah. I mean, shortly before that, he talks about like, he became a Jew to reach the Jews. He became a Gentile to reach the Gentiles. He became under the law to reach those under the law.
Yeah. I mean, he's, he's essentially making the same case he's been making that the thing that matters is full commitment to Christ and the other things are just like tangential, tangential details, like things that don't matter as much and Paul has established he's willing to. Become what he needs to be to reach people with the gospel in this community, and then become what he needs to be to reach people with the gospel in this community.
One of the clearest examples, I always think of Paul, is that the Jerusalem [00:10:00] Council decided in Acts 15 that you did not need to be circumcised to honor Christ. And immediately following the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, he takes Timothy with him to reach people and he asks him to be circumcised, basically like not to be a stumbling block.
So they, they decided you don't need to do this. And then Paul was like, well, actually we do need to do this just so that we can further the gospel in the communities we're going to be in. As a, as a piggyback off of yesterday, I feel like this next section. It is, I wrote down in my Bible, it's like a cautious discernment.
Oh yeah, for sure. You're not giving in to sin. You're not giving into things that are wrong. It's a cautious discernment. And how can I approach this group of people still representing God still like shining his light for him? In order to win some for the kingdom. It's always that cautious discernment.
Like I'm not going to do this because I don't want to make you stumble and fall. I'm not going to [00:11:00] get paid. I don't seek payment first and foremost, because I don't want that to be a stumbling block for you questioning my integrity, questioning why I'm doing this, because ultimately. He is concerned about the things that God is doing through him, not what he can gain from people.
So then we get to your race language you were talking about, um, which I think this is probably one of the more powerful parts of this passage. Yeah. What's funny before you even get to that, I feel like if you follow Paul's path, it could be a very easy A to B and he takes it from like A and then like C.
Squiggly lines the whole way and finally makes his way to be. So when you were saying that earlier, just like these like silly little tangent things he goes on, I would definitely agree with that. So we, we land here. So he says, do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one receives the prize.
So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises, self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, and imperishable. I think it's really [00:12:00] powerful. Cool. Like, uh, just a side note, like a nerdy history thing. Um, this. Corinth was the site of like the, the is me a thin games or something.
I'm sure I'm saying that wrong. Um, but it was like, it was like a very popular athletic contest that was second only to the Olympics. So they would have been very familiar with runners and prizes and reads. And what he's saying is like, man, they work really hard. Just to get bragging rights and a wreath that's going to die.
Like if those runners work that hard for a wreath, it's going to die. I want to work way harder to honor Christ because our reward in honoring Christ is imperishable. It will last forever. And it's important that we do it right. And with, with a passion and perseverance. So, in verse, let's see, after what you read, verse 28, So, I do not run aimlessly.
I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body, keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. Paul is very [00:13:00] concerned. Um, if we look back, I think it was 1 Corinthians 5, uh, was, That story about the man who was having like a very improper relation, sexual relations with What would have been his mother in law that guy?
Definitely like he lost his race right there like he had to like stop He needed to be like they actually even said he needed to be like Um, taken out of the, the group of believers and hopes that he would be able to come back in. And Paul is basically saying like, I don't want to be going on preaching with selfish game, like selfish ambition and things that like might be a stumbling block for other people in order that I might be disqualified.
Like I'm going to keep my conscience clear. I'm making these decisions so that more can be won for Christ and not for myself. So that whole idea of being disqualified, like he's concerned of that too. Like he's not immune. from these things that, that tear us down, that tear other people down. And he, I think he's kind of calling [00:14:00] that out here.
I know that there's like, very extreme differences, but let's be real, like, sin is sin, and if he, if his heart's in the wrong place, he doesn't want it to be there, and he wants to continue on, um, to win others. And I think that the invitation continues on to us. Let us run the race. Well, um, keeping in mind the prize at the end and doing everything we can to press on toward it, uh, to persevere in our, our lives of honoring Christ to bring him glory.
Um, so that ultimately we can, we can honor him with our lives and bring more people to him and build his kingdom. So that's the challenge for today. That's the, your part for today. We'll be back again tomorrow with first Corinthians chapter 10. We'll see you then. Hey, before we get into the reading, we want to tell you quickly about Logos Bible software.
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We use it often. We think it will be useful to you. And if you use that link, you'll be helping out the podcast. So go check that out. With that in mind, here's today's reading. First Corinthians chapter nine. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?
If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruits? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say [00:16:00] the same?
For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain. Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope, and the thresher thresh in hope, of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this rite, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have [00:17:00] anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting.
For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became a Jew in order to win more Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law, though not being myself under the law, that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law.
To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. [00:18:00] I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you might obtain it.
Every athlete exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we have an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of God's Plan, Your Part. Don't forget you can find us on just about every social media platform. Let us know what you thought of today's episode. And if you have any questions, go ahead and post them there. You can also reach out to us directly at godsplanyourpartatgmail.
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