1 Corinthians 9

₁Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? ₂Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

₃This is my defence to those who sit in judgment on me. ₄Don’t we have the right to food and drink? ₅Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? ₆Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

₇Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? ₈Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ₉For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? ₁₀Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever ploughs and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ₁₁If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ₁₂If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

₁₃Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? ₁₄In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

₁₅But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. ₁₆For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ₁₇If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ₁₈What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

₁₉Though I am free and belong to no-one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ₂₀To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ₂₁To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ₂₂To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ₂₃I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

₂₄Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ₂₅Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. ₂₆Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ₂₇No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.