Глава 9

1 Corinthians 9:1. Am I not an Apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my business in the Lord? “Is there an Apostle?” That is, he accepted the order from above. “Is there no freedom?” That is, I am not under the authority of another and am not in the rank of disciple, but the universe has been entrusted to me. And since Paul was called after the Ascension of the Savior, and the apostles were all in great glory, as those worthy to see the Lord, then, of necessity, he added this: “Have you not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” Then he calls the Corinthians themselves as a witness. “Aren’t you my work in the Lord?” And he talks about this in more detail. 1 Corinthians 9:2. If for others I am not an Apostle, then for you I am an Apostle; for the seal of my apostleship is you in the Lord. “Even if to others I am not an Apostle, but to you I am.” The Apostle expressed this briefly, but suddenly said a lot about the labors in teaching the doctrine, about exploits and all kinds of suffering for it, and about the miraculous actions of grace, of which the Corinthians were true witnesses, as self-witnesses. Therefore, he said: “Even if to others I am not an Apostle, but still to you I am.” Even if I don’t have a single witness, then your testimony is enough for me. “For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” I have the change that has taken place in you as proof of my apostolic merits. For the Apostle calls “seal” proof and confirmation. So the godly John said: “He who received His testimony” sealed (εσφράγισεν), that is, he confirmed “that God is true” (John 3:33). 1 Corinthians 9:3. This is my defense against those who condemn me. “My answer to those who oppose me is this.” If anyone wants to judge my labors, then I call you as a witness, because your work is enough for me to testify about my labors. 1 Corinthians 9:4. Or do we have no power to eat and drink? 1 Corinthians 9:5. Or do we not have the power to have a sister as a wife as a companion, like the other Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? “Food is not the imam’s power to eat and drink? “Is it not the imams who have the power to lead their sister and wife, like the other Apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?” The apostle means: “eat and drink” from the gospel. I intend to show that, having the right, according to the Sovereign Law, to receive the necessary food from the disciples, he continued to work and labor to earn the necessary food, for the benefit of the disciples. This: “to lead a sister’s wife,” others interpreted in such a way that just as the Lord was followed by faithful wives who supplied the disciples with the necessary food (Luke 8:3), so some of the apostles were followed by wives who showed ardent faith in themselves, were attached to their teaching and contributed to the Divine preaching. 1 Corinthians 9:6. Or do I and Barnabas alone have no power not to work? “Or is it only I and Barnabas who are not imams who do not have the power to do so?” That is, the Lord allowed all those who preach the gospel to “live from the gospel”; And are we the only ones deprived of this right? Then the Apostle proves the justice and necessity of this by everyday customs. 1 Corinthians 9:7. What warrior ever serves on his own pay? Who, having planted grapes, does not eat its fruit? Who, while tending a flock, does not eat milk from the flock? “Who fights with their dues when? Who plants grapes and does not eat of its fruit? Who feeds the flock and does not eat the milk of the flock?” Thus, having shown that a warrior is nourished by military service, and a gardener eats fruit, and a shepherd gets his food from the milk of those he flocks, the Apostle added: 1 Corinthians 9:8. Am I only saying this based on human reasoning? Isn't that what the law says? 1 Corinthians 9:9. For in the Law of Moses it is written: You shall not muzzle an ox that is threshing. Does God care about oxen? “Do I say this food according to man? Doesn’t this also speak the law? It is written in the Mosaic Law." If this seems to anyone to be human reasoning, let him hear what the law clearly commands. “Do not stop the mouth of an ox when it is threshing” (Deut. 25:4). “Is food for God’s sake?” 1 Cor.9:10. Or, of course, is it said for us? So, this is written for us; for he who plows must plow with hope, and he who threshes must thresh with the hope of receiving what he expects. “Or does he say all sorts of things for our sake? For the sake of us, you wrote, as if you should shout about hope, and thresh with the hope of your hope to receive communion.” This is not what the Apostle says, that God has no concern for oxen. For God cares about them too, but he cares for our sake, because it was for our sake that he created them. That is why blessed David said: “To him who grows on the mountains, grass and grain are for the service of man” (Ps. 146:8). 1 Corinthians 9:11. If we have sown spiritual things in you, is it great if we reap bodily things from you? “If we sow spiritual seed to you, is it great if we reap your bodily seed?” Having given much more, do we sin if we take much less? 1 Cor.9:12. If others have power over you, don't we? However, we did not use this power, but we endure everything, so as not to put any obstacle to the gospel of Christ. “If they partake of your power, shall we not?” In these words the Apostle means those who misruled the Corinthians. “But we did not create in this region; but we covered everything”; that is, we endure, withstand, endure. And for what? “Let there not be an end to the gospel of Christ.” Very expressively the Apostle called the harm a cessation, because, he says, it does not allow the gospel to spread; delays its flow, prevents salvation through preaching. Then, since he mentioned oxen and interpreted the law, others probably objected that the interpretation was not done as it should, then he points to a law that confirms his word even more clearly. 1 Corinthians 9:13. Do you not know that those who officiate are fed from the sanctuary? that those who serve the altar take a share from the altar? “Do you not know that those who make holy things eat from the sanctuary? And those who serve the altar share with the altar?” Look at those who officiate according to the law: they bring part of it to the altar, and use the other part themselves. For the Apostle expressed this with the words: “they share with the altar”; because on the altar they brought “kidneys” and “limb of the liver, ... and the fat like them” (Ex. 29:13), but they took for themselves “the side of the gums” and “breasts” (Lev. 7:31-32), - the Apostle shows that the Lord also commanded in accordance with the law. 1 Cor.9:14. So the Lord commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from the gospel. “So the Lord commanded those who preach the gospel to live by the gospel.” For this is His word: “For he who labors his wages is worthy” (Matthew 10:10). And the Apostle did not say: “Get rich from the gospel,” but: “Live,” because the Lord commanded that we receive only the necessary food. 1 Corinthians 9:15. But I didn't use anything like that. And I didn’t write this so that it would be like that for me. For it is better for me to die than for anyone to destroy my praise. “I have not done a single thing from these,” that is, preaching among you. He also informs about this in the Second Epistle: “What is there that you have lost more than other churches, except as if I myself were not cold for you” (2 Cor. 12:13)? For what he took from others, about whom he thought that, having taken from them, would benefit them, he announces in the following words: “From other churches, we have received a rent for your service” (2 Cor. 11:8). He also praises the Philippians so much that they served him carefully many times (Phil. 4:15-16). For this he wishes good things to Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 1:16–18). But, knowing the weakness of the Corinthians, he did it with his own hands, without borrowing anything from them. And lest any of them think that he said this wanting to receive, he added, not without reason: “This is not written, so it will be about me, for it would be better for me to die than for anyone to waste my praise.” The Apostle calls it praise to preach freely and to extend beyond the prescribed limit. 1 Corinthians 9:16. For if I preach the gospel, then I have nothing to boast about, because this is my necessary duty, and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! “Even if I preach the gospel, I have no praise: my need is present!” I do this as a slave, serving the Master; Not a single servant thinks highly of himself when he does what his master orders. “Woe is me if I do not preach the good news”; because to resist the Lord is a deed worthy of punishment. 1 Corinthians 9:17. For if I do this voluntarily, I will have a reward; and if it is involuntary, then I perform only the service entrusted to me. “If I do this willingly, I am rewarded by the imam; if I do it unwillingly, the building is betrayed.” The Apostle did not use the words “willingly” and “involuntarily” in relation to his own arbitrariness, but thereby showing that he was fulfilling the Lord’s law. 1 Corinthians 9:18. What is my reward for? Because, preaching the Gospel, I preach the gospel of Christ freely, without using my authority in the gospel. “What kind of bribe do we have? May I preach the gospel without compensation and spread the gospel of Christ, so that I don’t do it in my area in the gospel.” The Master gave me the right, says the Apostle, to receive the necessary food from the disciples, but I do not use this right, but I work, working myself, to reap the fruit of this labor. The Apostle spread about all this, trying to force the Corinthians, who used knowledge poorly, fearlessly ate things sacrificed to idols, and thereby gave the weak a reason to suffer harm, to renounce their evil right. That is why he showed that, having received the right both from the law and from God of all kinds, and seeing that the apostle was enjoying this right, and seeing the basis for it in the very nature of the matter, he did not heed any of this, having in mind only the success of the preaching and the benefit of those hearing. The words that follow agree with this. 1 Corinthians 9:19. For, being free from everyone, I enslaved myself to everyone in order to gain more. “I am free from everyone, I have enslaved everyone to myself, so that I may gain many.” The apostle means freedom given under grace. He states more clearly what he called slavery. 1 Cor.9:20. To the Jews I became like a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to those under the law he was as one under the law, in order to gain those under the law. “I was a Jew, even as I was a Jew, that I might gain the Jews: I was under the law, so that I might gain those under the law.” I think he calls those who have not yet believed, Jews, and those who are under the law, those who accepted the Gospel, but are still attached to keeping the law. And for the sake of both, he performed the legal cleansing in Jerusalem (Acts 21:26), and Timothy was circumcised in Lycaonia (Acts 16:3), and did many other similar things at his discretion. 1 Corinthians 9:21. To those who are strangers to the law - as one who is strangers to the law - not being alien to the law before God, but under the law of Christ - in order to win those who are strangers to the law. “The lawless are the lawless, not the lawless to God, but the lawyer to Christ, that I may gain the lawless.” The Apostle calls those who live outside the law “lawless.” Every kind of his Economy can be seen not only in his writings, but also in the Acts of the Apostles. For he spoke differently in the Jewish synagogues and taught differently in the Areopagus, using medicine appropriate to each disease against it. 1 Cor.9:22. He was like one who was weak to the weak, so that he might gain the weak. I became everything to everyone, in order to save at least some. “I was weak as I was weak, but I will gain the weak.” Thus, in the Epistle to the Romans he said: “We must bear the weaknesses of the weak” (Rom. 15:1). We must understand exactly what has been said. For the divine Apostle did not change, taking into account the times, as some claimed, slandering him, but used all sorts of means for the benefit of others. This is what he says: “Yes, I will gain the Jews, and I will gain those under the law, and I will gain the lawless, and I will gain the weak.” Then, putting it more briefly, he continues: “I’ll save everyone, but I’ll save everyone.” The Apostle knew that not everyone would become partakers of salvation, but for the sake of one thing he made every effort. 1 Corinthians 9:23. I do this for the sake of the Gospel, to be a partaker of it. “I do this for the sake of the gospel, so that I will be an accomplice with it.” For the purpose of the Gospel is the salvation of people. For this reason, the Lord ate with the publicans, and allowed a sinner wife to mourn at His feet, teaching this that he came for the salvation of people. Then the Apostle says that the labor of those who preach the Gospel is similar to the labor of those who labor physically, and the crown is not similar to the crown of the latter, but is incomparably superior to it. 1 Corinthians 9:24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the reward? So run to get it. “Don’t you know that those who flow into disgrace all flow into disgrace, but only one receives honor? Take this and you will understand.” Many struggle there, but only one is declared the winner; here each of those who strive valiantly is awarded proclamation. 1 Corinthians 9:25. All ascetics abstain from everything: those to receive a perishable crown, and we to receive an incorruptible crown. “Whoever strives will abstain from all.” So, look at the labors of those who struggle physically. They do not eat everything that they would like, but they eat the food that the teacher of feats offers. Therefore, pointing to labor, the Apostle points to the difference in crowns. “And they will receive a crown that has been corrupted, but we are incorruptible.” The Apostle presents himself as an example. 1 Corinthians 9:26. And that’s why I don’t run in the wrong way, I don’t fight in a way that just beats the air. “This is how I flow, not like the unknown: this is how I strive, not like the air beats.” I look at the blessings I hope for, because the crown is not unknown to me, and I do not work in vain, beating the air, but I strike at invisible opponents. The Apostle said this, taking the image of speech from those learning to fight. For they usually, when practicing, move their arms instead of the opponent against the air. What is the way to strike? 1 Corinthians 9:27. But I subdue and enslave my body, so that, while preaching to others, I myself may not remain unworthy. “But I mortify my body and enslave it, so that if I preach to others, I myself will not be enslaved.” Just as food strengthens a physical fighter, so hard work and abstinence strengthen me and destroy my opponent. I use this method, fearing and trembling, so that, having taught others what I should, I myself would not remain without reaching the end of my exploits. Then, with the intention of frightening them even more, the Apostle mentions Israel, and how many benefits they enjoyed, and how many punishments they suffered; and what happened to Israel he calls examples for the Corinthians, teaching that they, having fallen into similar unbelief, will endure the same thing. You might be interested in: