Chapter 9

2021 - In the outline, chapters 8-11 are together, and called "Freedom in the church"

Chapter 8 ended talking about food offered to idols.

Paul switches subjects.  He is no longer talking about what is going on in the Corinthian church, but talks about his own life.  MSB says he is moving from Chapter 8, which was about the limits on Christian liberty, to how he has applied these principles in his own life.  This verse:

2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. [1Co 9:2 ESV]

MSB note says "The existence of the church in Corinth was evidence of Paul's apostolic authenticity."  It does not explain why this is so.  It can't mean that only apostles could start churches.  Surely doesn't mean that a "real" church required at least a letter from an apostle saying they were officially a church.  Why then?  2021- Still don't see the connection here...Paul established the church at Corinth.  Also at other places.  In a general sense, perhaps he is saying that is the assignment given the apostles.  That is what the "office" of apostle is to do.  Plant churches, build foundations for the gospel to expand to all the world and continue for all generations.  Maybe that's why we don't have them anymore, because they've done all that.  But we don't know of any churches that the others established...so this too seems to miss the mark.  Maybe the fact that he established it with many signs and wonders is the seal.  The Holy Spirit sealed it by authenticating Paul as sent by God.  This makes more sense to me than any of the other ideas.

2021-2,  Verse 1 is starting off with rhetorical questions.  Obviously, the answer to each question is rhetorical.  What Paul is doing in these first two verses is establishing his authority to write this letter and tell them how God wants things done.  THAT is why it needs to be from an apostle.  THAT is why he says that the Corinthian church itself is not "the" sign of an apostle, but "another, one of many" signs that he is an apostle.  Being an apostle gives him authority to say to them the things that he says, and his apostleship is the reason they should consider his words as scripture, not just as one man's opinion.  Finally!  And he goes on through the rest of the chapter proving for those who might doubt that he is an apostle.  Naturally, some would say he was not, since he was not one of the 12.  This was a difficult accusation to answer.  So Paul establishes the requirements for apostleship, and then sets out to show that he meets the requirements.

Intro verse to what is coming in the rest of the chapter:

3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. [1Co 9:3 ESV]

Per MSB, a series of rhetorical questions, all obviously to be answered yes.  Apparently some accused Paul of "making money" off the church.  I like the question about whether a soldier serves at his own expense, or whether one who tends a flock should get any of the milk.

The law teaches that those who help with the crop can partake of the benefit of the crop.  If farmers can do this, how much more apostles.  They sow spiritual things, shouldn't they reap material things?

Then Paul says that even though he has a right to support, he has never taken support, lest it become an issue.  2021 - He says this a lot.  He seems to have been particularly sensitive to this issue.  He wears the fact that he looks after his own support and never asks them for anything as a badge that shows his interest in them is in no way about material interests.

2024 - Paul has told them how churches operate, what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.  He has given them his personal opinion on other matters, which is more weighty because he is an apostle.  He has answered some specific questions that they sent him.  One has to wonder if the last question they asked was why they should do as he says...or at least the letter to him may have closed with a report that some, perhaps a lot, in the Corinthian church discounted his authority because they did not think he was a "real" apostle.  So these next chapters are Paul establishing both his title as apostle, and through that, his authority.

2022 - This verse:

14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. [1Co 9:14 KJV].  The TCR shows this to be a parallel passage to Lk 10.7, which says:

7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. [Luk 10:7 ESV].

The passage in Luke is when the 72 disciples by twos were sent out.  So it was not just about the 12, but about whomever God sends out.  But it does not tell them to request living expense from the local synagogue.  It seem that they are to accept hospitality from only one house.  That would never work for a preacher at a church, but it might work that way for an evangelist. 

The word for preach is "katangelio".  Is that a local preacher or an evangelist when the spiritual gifts are listed later?  Jesus used "laborer", which we will surely take as a more general term than evangelist might be. 

Here is the verse, and all that goes with it, that I've heard so often quoted to justify "any means to the right end":

20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. [1Co 9:20-23 ESV]

He does not say "to sinners I became a sinner so I could win sinners".  We are all sinners already.  So what does he mean?  How far do we go?  Church-sponsored sports, VBS, religious-themed cartoons, Bible apps...

MSB has some good notes here...

Within the limits of God's Word...is a good phrase in this context.  Paul would be as culturally and socially Jewish as necessary when witnessing to Jews, though he was not bound by Jewish tradition to do so.  As in, if he was having lunch with Jews he wanted to reach with the gospel, he probably didn't order a pulled pork sandwich.  If he was having lunch with Gentiles, and they all did order pork sandwiches, Paul would have done the same so as not to "separate" himself from them.  He did what he could to keep the separating "walls" as low as possible.  The wall between believer and unbeliever is already high enough.  And then he adds that he became weak to the weak.  So he includes modifying his delivery - his vocabulary, the depth of his outline, the "presumption of what his audience already understood" - when preaching to those who'd never heard any gospel.  We see this in Athens when he starts with who God is, and why he should be worshiped, instead of with the abrogation of Mosaic law.  So what does this mean...Paul is talking about himself as an individual.  He is NOT saying that a church should do these things, but that it's members should consider it.  If the whole church does it...you get contemporary services, a flight from orthodoxy, an effort "not to offend" by having your church do "churchy" things.  So....you take church out of church so that those who don't like church will come to church, and it won't seem like church at all.  Because if they for one minute think it's church, they won't come any more.  This cannot be what Paul is saying.  And I think that's why he makes the distinction - the break - at the beginning of the chapter that says he is talking about himself as an evangelist and apostle and church planter, not as an advisor on how to "grow" an existing church.  I think this is a key to understanding what the whole "I have become all things..." phrase is really about. 

2021 - At the start of the chapter, Paul asks "Am I not free..."  Surely this is transitional and shows he is talking about himself, not about the body of the church.  Same in the previous chapter.  Not what the church allows to be brought in to eat, but what individuals out in the "every day" should eat (not what they CAN eat, but what most keeps the goal in mind  while staying true to the word of God).  So the clear distinction.  We are talking about individuals, not churches.  That's where this gets messed up.  He maintains this when talking about the race.  An individual wins the race.  This is about the behavior of people, not the "programs" of churches.  And who knows.  Maybe I'm the only one that ever thought it had anything at all to do with church programs. 

In vs 21, Paul did not say he violated God's moral law in order to reach the Gentiles.  As in I am sure he did not participate in temple orgies in order to make friends with Diana-worshipers so he could win them.  MSB says the "weak" part was making the gospel clear even at the lowest levels of comprehension.  It sums with this phrase in the comment on vs 22:

Within the bounds of God's Word, he would not offend the Jew, Gentile, or those weak in understanding.  Not changing Scripture or compromising the truth, he would condescend in ways that could lead to salvation.

Paul then changes metaphors to athletes who are in the race not to run only, but to win.  They discipline themselves, they sacrifice, they focus on what makes them better runners. Paul is trying to save souls, and all that he does is done to enhance his chances of doing so.  (2021 - This is why he won't take pay for his preaching!  He knows that some would use that as a mark against him.  Like saying Billy Graham was not sincere because he wore $500 suits when everyone else was wearing $100 suits.  Paul did not want this accusation to detract from his authenticity.  Yet despite his best efforts, the charge seems to have been raised against him repeatedly.  He points out that he took no pay in several of his letters.  But now I see why it mattered.)  To reach more people, to have greater influence on them, and so on.  Christian discipline, so as not to disqualify ourselves from the contest.  Here is another criteria for how far you can go.  At some point, you become so much one of the group you want to reach that you have no influence over them at all. 

That was me as a PK, trying to cuss worse than the rest and be worse than the rest so that I could be accepted as one of the rest.  My goal wasn't to reach them but to be part and parcel with them.  My goal was completely wrong, and this line needs to be kept in mind also.  This strategy is not being addressed to the church as a whole, but to individuals.  Paul is saying "Here is what I do", not "Here is what your church as a whole should do."