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1 Corinthians 9:1. Am I not an Apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Having said: if food tempts my brother, I will not eat meat, lest anyone consider him vain and self-praising, I am finally forced to declare that I abstained from what was permitted, so as not to tempt someone. While Christ commanded the preacher of the Gospel to eat from the Gospel (Luke 10:7), that is, at the expense of those taught, I, he says, decided better to starve and not take anything from you, but to work with my own hands and feed myself with my labors. For, as it seems, they had some rich teachers who enjoyed honor because they taught for free and thereby tried to shame Paul. Realizing this, he, as I said, did not want to feed himself at the expense of his students, although he had the right to do so. This is how I behave, he says: but you do not even abstain from offering things to idols. This is generally the idea of ​​this passage, which he reveals in several verses. However, let’s consider each saying separately. “Am I not an Apostle?” So that someone doesn’t say: “You’re not allowed to take it, that’s why you don’t take it,” he says: How? don't the other apostles take it? “Yes,” you say. - What? Am I not an apostle? that is, the same as them. “Am I free?” That is, no one forbids me to take it. Lest they say again: “The other apostles are more important than you, because they saw the Lord,” he says: “Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” For “last of all he appeared to me also, as to a certain monster” (1 Cor. 15:8). And to be witnesses of Christ was indeed a great advantage; for He Himself said: “Blessed are your eyes, for you see what the prophets and kings did not see.” (cf. Luke 10:23–24). 1 Corinthians 9:1. Are you not my business in the Lord? If you are free, if you are an apostle, but have not done any apostolic work: what of this? for Judas also was an apostle and saw the Lord. Therefore he says: you are my business; This means that I have fulfilled the ministry of an apostle. But having said something important, he added: “in the Lord,” that is, he fulfilled it not with his own power, but with the Lord’s. 1 Corinthians 9:2. If for others I am not an Apostle, then for you I am an Apostle. I am not saying that I am the teacher of the entire universe; but am I not your teacher? Why didn’t I take anything from you, from whom I had a special right to take? Through such a concession he further confirms his speech. 1 Corinthians 9:2. For the seal of my apostleship is you in the Lord. That is proof. If anyone wants to make sure whether I am truly an apostle, I will point to you. You constitute the seal and confirmation of my apostleship; for I have done among you all that an apostle should do. 1 Corinthians 9:3. This is my defense against those who condemn me. To those who wish to know how it is clear that I am an apostle, I will offer you in my defense. For having proved that you have been taught everything by me, I will defeat those who condemn me. 1 Corinthians 9:4. Or do we have no power to eat and drink? That is, taking what is needed from the students. But we do not use this power, although we have it. 1 Corinthians 9:5. Or do we not have the power to have a sister wife as a companion, like the other Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? The apostles were followed by rich women, who provided them with what they needed and took upon themselves all the care of this, so that they would only be engaged in preaching. Note that he placed the supreme one after, as the most important, expressing the following thought: what should I say about the others? Peter himself does this. He calls the brothers of the Lord James, the bishop of Jerusalem, Josiah, Simon and Judas (Matthew 13:55), who were called the brothers of the Lord because Joseph was betrothed to the Mother of God. 1 Corinthians 9:6. Or do I and Barnabas alone have no power not to work? That is, do we really not have the power to live without work and support ourselves at the expense of our students without working? He did not keep silent about Barnabas, who, as he knew, was also accurate in this regard; for he lived by his work. 1 Corinthians 9:7. What warrior ever serves on his own pay? For all warriors enjoy support from society. He decently placed the service of the warrior in the first place; for it is similar to the apostolic ministry in terms of the dangers associated with it and the struggle with mental enemies. 1 Corinthians 9:7. Who, having planted grapes, does not eat its fruit? With this example he pointed out the difficulty, the many disasters and worries. However, he did not say: he does not eat the whole fruit, but: “he does not eat the fruit.” He also did not say: whoever is not enriched from the fruit, but: does not “eat”. So everywhere he convinces to look for what is necessary, and not what is superfluous. 1 Corinthians 9:7. Who, while tending a flock, does not eat milk from the flock? He did not say: sells sheep, or: eats them, or: all the milk, but: “milk,” showing us by this that the teacher should be content with a small reward and the necessary maintenance. The name “shepherd” indicates that the teacher must have great care. 1 Corinthians 9:8. Am I only saying this based on human reasoning? Isn't that what the law says? That is, do I only confirm this with human examples, and have no evidence from Scripture? I can prove that this pleases God too; The Law also commands the same, which is not from men, but from God. 1 Corinthians 9:9. For in the Law of Moses it is written: You shall not muzzle an ox that is threshing. He abundantly confirms the desired object, which is why he cites oxen as an example. 1 Corinthians 9:9. Does God care about oxen? So what? Isn't he really worried? They care, but not in such a way as to give laws about them. Therefore, by caring for the dumb, he instilled something else, namely, he taught the Jews to care for their teachers. From here we learn that everything that is said in the Old Testament about the dumb serves to edify people. 1 Cor.9:10. Or, of course, is it said for us? Yes, this is written for us. I used the word “of course” (πάντως) as about a generally recognized subject, so as not to give the listener a reason to object to anything. 1 Cor.9:10. For whoever plows must plow with hope. That is, the teacher must cultivate the field of hearts and work with the hope of reward and reward. 1 Cor.9:10. And whoever threshes must thresh with the hope of getting what he expects. He moved from sowing to threshing, in order to express in this way how much work the apostles had: for they also plow and thresh. Since the one who plows only hopes, and the one who threshes partly already enjoys, he said that the one who threshes receives what he expects. And so that someone doesn’t say: “What? For such great labors of the apostles, do you expect them to be rewarded only to receive food? added: “with hope,” that is, future blessings, so one must hope for those blessings, and in addition to that, eat and drink at the expense of the disciples. 1 Corinthians 9:11. If we have sown spiritual things in you, is it great if we reap bodily things from you? This proves the case here. You, he says, repay unequally to what you received. For we have sown spiritual things in you, and you repay us with bodily things. Is it big? 1 Cor.9:12. If others have power over you, don't we? Alludes to some false teachers who took from them without shame and without permission. Therefore, he did not say: if others take, but: “they have power over you,” that is, they dominate, rule over you, dispose of you like slaves; Don’t we, the true apostles, have even more right? 1 Cor.9:12. However, we did not use this power. Although we have the power to eat and drink at your expense, we did not use this power, so that you would not be tempted. But you do not abstain from offering things to idols, so as not to tempt the weakest of the brethren! 1 Cor.9:12. But we endure everything, so as not to put any obstacle to the gospel of Christ. Lest anyone say: “You had no need, therefore you did not take,” he says: although we are in great straits, we endure everything, hunger, thirst, and nakedness, so that there is no obstacle, that is, any slowdown for the Gospel and preaching. 1 Corinthians 9:13. Do you not know that those who officiate are fed from the sanctuary? Not content with the above example, he cites another passage from the Law to prove that he had the right to take from his disciples. Since the commandment about oxen was explained by him in a figurative sense, he says that the Law literally commands that the priests should eat from the sanctuary, that is, the Levites, who are lower in degree than the priests. And he did not say: they eat from those who bring, but “from the sanctuary,” so that neither those who receive would be ashamed, as those who feed from people, nor those who give would be conceited. 1 Corinthians 9:13. That those who serve the altar (προσεδρεύοντες - those who sit down) take a share from the altar? That is, priests and bishops. The word “squatting” indicates constant service and abiding. And he did not say that they were taking the sacred, indicating moderation and that they should not collect money. He also did not say that they take from those who offer sacrifices, but “they take a share from the altar.” For what was offered did not belong to those who offered it, but to the church and the altar. He said “they take a share” because the blood of those sacrificed was shed on the altar, the fat was burned, and the priest took the rest of some parts of the meat, such as the chest, the right shoulder, some entrails (Lev.10:14). But the burnt offerings belonged to the altar alone (Lev.9:12–14). 1 Cor.9:14. So the Lord commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from the gospel. I named the strongest proof of all at the end. What, he says, am I imagining one thing or another? The Lord commanded this, giving a law consistent with the Old Testament (Luke 10:7). As I said above: “to eat from the sanctuary,” so it is here: not from those who are taught, but “from the gospel,” so that those who feed do not become conceited. It is not you, he says, who feed him, but his work—the gospel. And he said “live”, and not trade, nor collect wealth. 1 Corinthians 9:15. But I didn't use anything like that. That is, I did not use any of the above-mentioned Old Testament examples, nor the command of Christ to eat and drink yours. 1 Corinthians 9:15. And I didn’t write this so that it would be like that for me. Lest anyone say to him: “What then? if you have not used it before, then you want to use it in the future, which is why you say this,” he hastens to correct this opinion, saying: I did not write this so that it would be like this for me, that is, so that I could take from you. 1 Corinthians 9:15. For it is better for me to die than for anyone to destroy my praise. I, he says, would rather agree to die of hunger than to allow someone to destroy my praise, that is, to declare it vain and empty. He said “praise” in order to show the excess of his joy. Another might say: “he really didn’t take it, but he did it with sorrow and pain.” But he says: I am so far from sadness that I even boast about it. 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! What are you saying? Praise for you is not in the gospel, but in free preaching? Is the latter really better than the former? No, he says; but I am commanded to preach the gospel, this is my duty, and if I fulfill it, there is no perfection in it, but if I do not fulfill it, woe to me, for I will be beaten a lot, as one who does not do the will of his Master (Luke 12:47). Preaching for free is a matter of free will, and therefore a commendable thing. The words “my necessary duty” are said not to take away free will, but to distinguish it from the freedom to take and out of fear of punishment for failure to fulfill a duty. 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 the work of preaching had not been entrusted to me, but I had done it on my own, then I would have had a great and many reward. If it is entrusted to me; Obviously, I do not do this on my own, but I do it according to the will of the Lord. It means "involuntary". Therefore, this work does not deserve honor: for I perform only the service entrusted to me. Please also note the following. He did not say: if I do it “involuntarily”, then I will not have a reward, to show that he will receive a reward for preaching, although in this case he acts according to the will of the Master; for it would be inconsistent with the truth if all the apostles did not receive a reward for preaching, but not the same as the one who preaches for free will receive. 1 Corinthians 9:18. What is my reward for? Because, preaching the Gospel, I preach the gospel of Christ free of charge, without using (εις το μη καταχρ "σασθοα) my authority in the gospel. That is: for me, a great and commendable reward is that I should not use the power to take, not use it at all. For the word κατάχρησις (which in other cases means abuse) was used here in the sense of use (χρήσις) in general. Everywhere he calls collection “power” to show that those who took did not sin at all. He said “in the gospel” to show that whoever preaches the gospel and works should take, and whoever does not should not. 1 Corinthians 9:19. For, being free from everyone, I enslaved myself to everyone in order to gain more. Says even more. Not only did I not take, although I had power, but, being free, not being subordinate to anyone, without outside prompting, I enslaved myself to everyone, not one or two, but the universe, not in order to please everyone with flattery, but in order to gain “more” believers; for it is impossible to acquire everyone. 1 Cor.9:20. To the Jews I became like a Jew, in order to win the Jews. For example, when he circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3). He did not say: Jew, but: “as” Jew, to show that this was for a special purpose. 1 Cor.9:20. For those who were under the law, he was as under the law, in order to gain those who were under the law. We mean proselytes, or those of the Jews who believed, but still kept the law. This was when he shaved his head (Acts 18:18), when he offered a sacrifice according to the rite of purification (Acts 21:26). He did this for a special purpose and for appearances, in order to correct those who did it out of conviction. 1 Corinthians 9:21. For those who are alien to the law - as someone who is alien to the law. By the lawless he means either those who did not have the law of Moses, who were converted from the pagans, such as Cornelius was (Acts 10), and visiting whom Paul condescended to their weakness, or the Greeks, to whom he also applied, for example, when he gave a speech to the Athenians, he began it from the altar that was with them, and taught about Christ not as God, but as man ( Acts 17:22–23, 31); for they could not understand anything like that, but they also considered him one of their gods, which they had: Hercules, Aesculapius. Everywhere the word as is added, so that you know that Paul only seemed to be like that, but in reality was not like that. 1 Corinthians 9:21. Not being a stranger to the law before God, but under the law of Christ, in order to win those who are strangers to the law. So that they would not think that Paul, in conversations with strangers to the law, changed his way of thinking, he says: “not being a stranger to the law before God, but under the law of Christ,” that is, having a law higher than the ancient law, the law of Christ. And for what? in order to acquire those alien to the law. 1 Cor.9:22. He was like one who was weak to the weak, so that he might gain the weak. So now for you, because of your lack of firmness in your convictions and your receptiveness to temptation, I did not want to eat at your expense. And in those cases when, due to the weakness of his listeners, he does not speak clearly about the divinity of the Son or the divinity of the Spirit, know that he becomes “to the weak as one who is weak.” 1 Cor.9:22. I became everything to everyone, in order to save at least some. And is there too much to list? I applied myself to everyone. Although I did not hope to save everyone, I wanted to save at least a few. And this is even more surprising. But to work until exhaustion for the sake of a few is a great thing. I added “at least” to console the teachers. For although no one will save everyone, he will undoubtedly save a few. Therefore, it should not remain inactive. 1 Corinthians 9:23. I do this for the sake of the Gospel, to be a partaker of it. The gospel calls believers who are saved through the gospel, as he said above: “to live from the gospel,” that is, from believers. I, he says, do this so that I, together with the believers, can be a partner in crowns. He says this not because he did it for a reward, but in order to convince them to do everything for the brethren in the hope of receiving heavenly blessings. Notice the apostle's humility. Worthy of primacy, he places himself in participation in benefits along with believers in general. 1 Corinthians 9:24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the reward? Having proved that the brothers need to be lenient, he speaks more strictly to them. His words have such meaning. Do not think that for your salvation it is enough that you have believed and entered the field of the Church. No, this is not enough; just like for those running on a list, it is not enough to just run, but you still need to run impeccably, and, moreover, to the very goal. And whoever ran like this will only receive a reward. And you are in danger of not getting it; because, knowing more than others, you despise your brothers and eat things sacrificed to idols. 1 Corinthians 9:24. So run to get it. All ascetics abstain from everything. You, he says, must run in order to receive. And this does not happen without love, which you do not have. Although you consider yourself perfect, it is not fair; for you have not yet achieved this. Hinting that they had many shortcomings, for gluttony, fornication and drunkenness were common among them, he says: “all ascetics abstain from everything,” not from one or the other, but abstain from everything. So, admit that you are still far from perfect, and learn that the receipt of reward is conditional on abstinence. 1 Corinthians 9:25. They are to receive a perishable crown, and we are to receive an incorruptible crown. This is already an accusation. They abstain in order to receive a perishable crown: but we do not do the same for the incorruptible crown? 1 Corinthians 9:26. And that’s why I run differently than to the wrong thing. What does this mean: “as if incorrect”? The fact that I do everything with a purpose, when I cut, when I cut my hair, and I do nothing without thought and without a purpose, like you. For what is the purpose of eating something sacrificed to idols when others perish because of it? Absolutely none. Therefore, by doing this without a reasonable basis, you run into the wrong, and without a goal and in vain. As an excellent teacher, the apostle directly sets himself up as an example. 1 Corinthians 9:26. I don’t fight so much as to just beat the air. I have someone to smite, namely the devil. But you do not amaze him, but use the perfection of knowledge for vanity. 1 Corinthians 9:27. But I pacify and enslave my body. This indicates that they are devoted to gluttony and excuse it under the pretext of perfection. And I, he says, endure every kind of labor in order to live chastely. For “I pacify” (ύποπιέζω – I darken my eyes) means: I fight with the body. The word ύπώποι refers to bruises under the eyes that occur from beatings. So, the apostle wants to show that the fight against nature is a difficult feat. For the body, he says, is very autocratic and strong in opposition. Since he said “I pacify” and mentioned bruises, he immediately added: “and I enslave,” so that you know that the body should not be destroyed, but, like a willful slave, tamed and subdued, which is characteristic of a master, and not an enemy. Some people think that ύποπιέζω is said in a closer sense, instead of: I exhaust with hunger. But such an opinion is unfair; for then the word ύποπιάζω would have to appear. 1 Corinthians 9:27. So that, while preaching to others, you yourself do not remain unworthy. And through this it excites them to greater sobriety. For if, he says, it is not enough for me to preach and teach for salvation, but I also need to present myself blameless in everything: how can you be saved by faith alone when you serve so many passions? You might be interested in: