CHAPTER IX
THE
APOSTLESHIP OF PAUL
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Summary—Answer to Various Insinuations of Judaizers. The
Corinthians Had Proof of His Apostleship. He Had the Right to Have a Wife As
Well as Peter. It Was His Right to Be Sustained by the Church. He Sustained
Himself to Have One Ground for Self-Congratulation. Adapted Himself to All
Classes to Save Them. The Christian Race.
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1, 2. Am I not an apostle?
Two objects are held in view in this chapter; to answer those, the Judaizers,
who disparaged his authority by contrasts between him and the other apostles,
and to enforce upon the church, by his example, self denial for the benefit of
others. Am I not free? He had spoken (8:9) of Christian liberty He was
free also, and an apostle who had seen the Lord, and hence, could
witness to his resurrection. 2. The seal of mine apostleship ye are. The
existence of the church at Corinth, founded by his labors, proved that he was their
apostle, at least.
3–6. Have we not power to eat and to drink? To live at the charges of the churches we have founded? 5.
Have we not power to lead about a sister, etc.? Peter (Cephas) was a
married man. Other apostles had wives. Had Paul no right to have a wife? The
answer is that he had this liberty as well as others if he had chosen to use
it. Brethren of the Lord. Luke 6:15; Gal. 1:19. 6. Or have Barnabas
and I only, etc. He and Barnabas worked with their own hands to sustain
themselves while preaching. Others were sustained. Had not they the same right?
He next shows that they had the right by various illustrations.
7–10. Who goeth a warfare at his own charges? Soldiers were paid while on a campaign; but he and Barnabas
were Christian soldiers. The husbandman ate of the vineyard; but they
worked in the vineyard of the Lord. The feeder of a flock drank of its
milk, but they were feeders of the flock of God. 8. Say I these things as a
man? Human affairs teach our right to be sustained, but the law of Moses
teaches the same lesson. 9. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox, etc. See
Deut. 25:4. In the East still the grain is trodden out on the threshing floor
by the cattle, nor do the people muzzle the cattle to this day. Doth God
take care of the oxen? Was this enactment made solely for the benefit of
the oxen? Or was not it rather to teach those who did a work had a right to
live off of that work? The latter, doubtless.
11–14. If we have sown to you in spiritual things. Preached the gospel, converted them, built them up in
Christ. This conserved their eternal interests. Carnal things. An
earthly support. 12. If others be partakers of this power. Enjoy this
privilege of earthly support. But his right was greater than that of these. Have
not used this power. He had supported himself lest he should hinder the
gospel. The heathen might say that he was influenced by mercenary motives.
As to his course see Acts 18:3. 13. They which minister about holy things.
He now shows that the temple teaches the same lesson. The priests and Levites
are sustained by the temple offerings. Partakers with the altar. A part
of the sacrifice was consumed on the altar and a part was awarded to the
priests. 14. Even so hath the Lord ordained, etc. It was the Lord’s
ordinance, even if Paul did not exercise the power, that those who preach the
gospel should be sustained by the church. See Matt. 10:9, 10.
15–18. But I have used none of these things. They had neither sustained him, nor did he now write to
them to have them do so. Nay, he was fully resolved not to change his course.
It were even better for him to die than to do so. 16. For though I
preach * * * I have nothing to glory of. He preached because he was
Christ’s servant. He was therefore under necessity, as a servant. Nay, “woe
was upon him” if he obeyed not. In this, then, he had no right to boast. But
if he refused a support from the churches when he had liberty to receive it,
that might make a ground of boasting. 17. If I do this thing willingly.
If he preached voluntarily, he might then claim an earthly reward. But if
against my will. If I do this as a servant of Christ upon whom the service
is laid; then he has a stewardship. (See Revision.) In that case he has
the obligations of a steward. It is his duty to feed the Master’s servants. 18.
What then is my reward? He had no earthly wages. What then? That he should
have the satisfaction of knowing that, for the sake of the gospel, he gave up
his right, and preached freely. If he was accused of mercenary motives it might
interpose a hindrance.
19–23. For though I be free, etc. He shows why he used this self denial. In order that he
might gain souls, he was willing to become the servant of all, and to
deny himself all things. 20. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew. With Jews
he lived as a Jew in order to reach them. He observed their distinctions of
meats, kept feasts, and circumcised Timothy. He observed the law to reach those
who kept law. 21. To them without law. To such, though in the sight of
God keeping His law, he came not as an enforcer of the law of Moses. He spoke
to Gentiles from a Gentile standpoint, as at Athens. (Acts 17.) 22. To the
weak I became as weak. Adapted himself to their weakness as he had directed
the “strong” at Corinth to do. I am made all things, etc. While
steadfastly keeping Christ’s law he adapted himself to all men in the hope of
gaining them. 23. And I do all things. All this self denial had in view
a single object—the promotion of the gospel. Would that all Christians, from
the same motive, would adapt themselves to all classes, in order to reach them.
24–27. They which run in a race, run all, etc. He had spoken of self denial in order to secure gospel
success. He now enforces the need of sparing no effort, self denial or
exertion, to win the crown. The Corinthians were familiar with the races in the
stadium. Only one, the foremost, received a prize. Hence the lesson, so run
that you may obtain; outstrip all others if possible. The Isthmian games,
among the most famous of Greece, were celebrated at Corinth. 25. Every man
that striveth, etc. Everyone who proposed to strive in the games for the
prize pursued a course of self control, and exercised himself very
systematically. All this effort was made for a corruptible crown. The
prize of the victor in the foot race was a crown woven of the pine leaves which
grew then, and still grow, on the isthmus of Corinth. But we an
incorruptible. We run for a crown that never fades (1 Peter 5:4). 26.
I, therefore, so run, not as uncertainly. Not as one who had no definite
goal before him. His eye was fixed upon the heavenly prize. Not as one that
beateth the air. The first figure is of a runner with a definite object;
the second is taken from the boxer who strikes the air instead of his
competitor. So fights not Paul. He puts a skillful aim into his blows. 27.
But I keep my body under. I buffet my body (Revision). He puts the body
down by his blows, by self denial for Christ. It shall not be his master, but
his servant. He keeps it under lest, after having preached to others, he should
be rejected; that is, refused the prize of the crown. What an exhortation
to us is this example of the apostle! Continually vigilant lest he should be
finally rejected! Even he worked out his salvation “with fear and trembling.”
Surely, he should “give all diligence to make our calling and election sure.”
In this worldly, self-seeking, luxurious age “we should give the more earnest
heed to the things which we have heard.”
Excerpt from:
The People's New Testament
by Barton
Warren Johnson
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