B.
The apostle's vindication
9:1-27
1.
His qualifications
vv. 1-3
1 Cor. 9
:1
9:1
1Am I not
2afree? Am I not an
3bapostle? Have I not
4cseen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my
5dwork in the Lord?
1 Cor. 9
:2
9:2
If to others I am not an apostle, yet surely I am to
1you; for you in the Lord are the
2aseal of my
bapostleship.
1 Cor. 9
:3
9:3
My defense to those who examine me is
1this.
2.
His rights
vv. 4-15
1 Cor. 9
:4
9:4
1Do we not have a
2right to
3aeat and to drink?
1 Cor. 9
:5
9:5
Do we not have a right to take along a sister as a wife,
aeven as the rest of the apostles and the
bbrothers of the Lord and
cCephas?
1 Cor. 9
:6
9:6
Or do only I and
aBarnabas not have the
bright not to work?
1 Cor. 9
:7
9:7
What soldier ever
aserves by his own wages? Who
bplants a
cvineyard and does not
dpartake of its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not partake of the milk of the flock?
1 Cor. 9
:8
9:8
Am I speaking these things
aaccording to man? Or does the law not also say these things?
1 Cor. 9
:9
9:9
For in the law of Moses it is written:
a"You shall not muzzle the ox
1while it is treading out the grain.'' Is it for oxen that God cares?
1 Cor. 9
:10
9:10
Or does He say
it altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written because the
aplowman should plow in hope, and he who threshes, in hope of partaking.
1 Cor. 9
:11
9:11
If we have sown to you the
aspiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap from you the fleshly things?
1 Cor. 9
:12
9:12
If others partake of this right over you, should not rather we? Yet we did
anot use this right, but we
1bear all things that we may
bnot cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.
1 Cor. 9
:13
9:13
Do you not know that those who labor on the
1sacred things
aeat the things of the sacred temple,
that those who attend to the altar have their portion with the altar?
1 Cor. 9
:14
9:14
So also the Lord directed those who announce the gospel to
alive from the gospel.
1 Cor. 9
:15
9:15
But I myself have not used
aany of these things; and I have not written these things that it may be so with me; for it is good for me
1rather to die
2than — No one shall make my
bboast void.
3.
His faithfulness
vv. 16-23
1 Cor. 9
:16
9:16
For if I preach the gospel, I have no boast, for
anecessity is laid upon me; for woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.
1 Cor. 9
:17
9:17
If I do this of my own will, I have a
1areward; but if not of my own will, I am
bentrusted with a
2cstewardship.
1 Cor. 9
:18
9:18
What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may present the gospel
awithout charge, so as
bnot to use to the full my right in the gospel.
1 Cor. 9
:19
9:19
For though I am
afree from
1all, I have
benslaved myself to
1all that I might gain the more.
1 Cor. 9
:20
9:20
And to the Jews I became
aas a Jew in order that I might
bgain Jews; to those
cunder law, as under law (though I myself am
dnot under law), that I might gain those under law.
1 Cor. 9
:21
9:21
To those
awithout law,
bas without law (though I am not
1without law to God but
2within claw to Christ), that I might gain those without law.
1 Cor. 9
:22
9:22
To the weak I
abecame weak that I might gain the weak. To all men I have
1become ball things that I might by all means
csave some.
1 Cor. 9
:23
9:23
And I do all things for the sake of the gospel that I may become a
1fellow apartaker of it.
4.
His endeavor
vv. 24-27
1 Cor. 9
:24
9:24
Do you not know that those who
1run on a
aracecourse all run, but one receives the
2bprize?
cRun in this way, that you may
3lay hold.
1 Cor. 9
:25
9:25
And everyone who
acontends exercises self-control in all things; they then, that they may receive a corruptible
1crown, but we,
ban cincorruptible.
1 Cor. 9
:26
9:26
I therefore
arun in this way, not as though without a clear aim; I box in this way, not as though beating the
bair;
1 Cor. 9
:27
9:27
But I
1buffet my body and
2make it my slave,
3lest perhaps having
4preached to others, I myself may become
5adisapproved.
