I Corinthians 9

​I Corinthians 9:1-2:
Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the]seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Paul assures the church that they are wrong not to accept his claim to be an apostle, asserting that he had seen (in person, not in a vision) the risen Lord Jesus Christ, just as the original twelve apostles had done (Acts 22:14; 1 Corinthians 15:8). Paul was free in that he was not the servant of any man, but of Christ Himself (Gal 1:1). Even those who would not accept Paul’s apostolic credentials could not argue with the fact that the church at Corinth had begun as a result of his ministry, and being an apostle gave him certain rights and privileges [SOURCE: Bible Studies Online]
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I Corinthians 9:3-17:
Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the]seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? 7 Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?
8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 
14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
 But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 

I Corinthians 9:18:
"What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel of Christ without charge. that I abuse not my power in the gospel." 

​So whats with all the “charges” required by some “biblical” counselors? I’ve known some people who have gone through some hurts and pains, and not knowing anyone to turn to, attempted to find a biblical counselor…..only to find they could not afford it. There is nothing in the Bible anywhere to suggest that a bill should be given in return for truth…since it is truth which is part of the healing power of anyone’s life. As Martin and Diedre Bobgan wrote in their newsletter, “For how many more years will church leaders hear biblical counselors close in prayer and ask ‘Will you pay by cash, check, or credit card?”

I Corinthians 9:19-23:
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 

Sadly, the modern church has turned that principle on its head. Today believers confuse the concept of being all things to all men, using it as license to imitate the world and embody the characteristics of the subculture they want to reach. Even worse, whole churches apply it as a marketing strategy, attempting to fashion themselves according to the trends and interests of the world. The notion that the church must become like the world to win the world is the dogma of the day. Virtually every modern worldly attraction has a “Christian” counterpart. We have Christian motorcycle gangs, Christian bodybuilding teams, Christian dance clubs, Christian amusement parks, and even Christian nudist colonies. Self-Sacrifice, Not Compromise What was Paul actually saying in those verses? He described not his adoption of worldly practices, but rather his willingness to sacrifice himself to win people to Christ. He would give up anything—even become “a slave to all”—if that would promote the spread of the unadulterated gospel. His desire to win souls is the heart of the text, and he repeats it several times: “that I might win more” (1 Corinthians 9:19); “so that I might win Jews”; “that I might win those who are under the Law” (v. 20); “that I might win those who are without law” (v. 21); “that I might win the weak”; and “that I may by all means save some” (v. 22). Winning people to Christ was his one objective. In order to do that, Paul was willing to give up all his rights and privileges, his position, his rank, his livelihood, his freedom—ultimately even his life. If it would further the spread of the gospel, Paul would claim no rights, make no demands, insist on no privileges. And that is precisely how Paul lived and ministered. He refused to adopt worldly methods (2 Corinthians 4:1-3), and he behaved such that he personally would never be an obstacle to anyone’s hearing and understanding the message of Christ. He had an attitude of personal sacrifice, not compromise. He would never alter the clear and confrontive call to repentance and faith. He saw his personal liberty and human rights as something to be used—or not used—for God’s glory, not his own enjoyment. If he could trade his liberty for an opportunity to proclaim the gospel, he would gladly do it. When ministering to Jews, Paul avoided unnecessary offenses. It’s not that he sought to be a model Jew the Pharisees would be proud of, rather, he abstained from whatever would create a barrier to hearing his message. If it was important to them to abstain from eating pork, he abstained. If their sensibilities demanded that a certain feast be observed, he observed it. Why? Not to appease their pride or win their favor, but in order to open a door of opportunity for him to preach the uncompromised truth, so that he might win them to Jesus Christ. In the same way, when ministering to Gentiles he became “as without law” (1 Corinthians 9:21). That didn’t mean he was living licentiously or behaving unrighteously. He would have no sympathy with antinomians—people who believe all law is abolished for Christians. Paul is not implying that he lived it up just to make the Gentiles admire him. He did not encourage people to think they could become Christians and hang on to a worldly lifestyle. “As without law” means he avoided living in such a way that might convey that they needed to adopt the Mosaic Law. When he ministered to Gentiles, he dropped all his non-moral Jewish traditions. He followed Gentile customs and culture insofar as it did not conflict with the law of Christ. He avoided needlessly offending the Gentiles. To be clear, Paul was not a chameleon who conformed to his audience. He was a man of integrity who simply gave up whatever rights and privileges and freedoms he could in order to gain a hearing. He spoke in terms each audience could understand and lived in ways that didn’t cause offense. --James MacArthur

 I Corinthians 9:24-25:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy (Rom 9:16).

 I Corinthians 9:25-27:
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified