At No Cost to You
Day 226: 1 Corinthians 9:1-18
“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.” - 1 Corinthians 9:18 ESV
As I made my way through our reading for today, many questions came to the surface. One of the main ones was this: “Why did Paul not claim his rights to take any financial support from the Corinthians?” It seems as though this was his same practice earlier in Thessalonica as well (see 1 Thessalonians 2:5-10).
The most influential leader (outside of Jesus) in Christian history was not “on staff” in Corinth. Instead, he made a living as a leatherworker (making tents). This was a profession looked at with disdain among the Greco-Roman elite, but among the common people, this gained an incredible amount of influence.
The traveling Cynics and Sophists of Paul’s time were notorious for begging for money in return for their teachings. This would have made him stand out from acts like these.
What makes things even more interesting is that verse 12 of our reading seems to indicate that the Corinthians did cover the living expenses of their local ministers. Perhaps Apollos?
Paul was not a located minister. He traveled, taught, and encouraged. He wasn’t doing a majority of the baptizing or the day-to-day pastoring. Still, he had an important role to play. We all do.
This is yet another thing that makes Christianity unique. The paid staff whose profession is to serve the local church or ministries should not have all the influence or authority. We need everyone to contribute and lead as God has equipped us (we'll get to spiritual gifts in a few days).
We should all be “compelled to preach.” This is the only way we will reach our potential as the body of Christ.
SIDE NOTE: We do know that the Philippians (and others) did contribute to Paul's financial needs (see Philippians 4:14-15, 1 Corinthians 11:8, 12:13). So he wasn't above accepting financial support, but in affluent Corinth, he needed to make a statement.