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by Katie Erickson

If 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. Don’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? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
But 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. For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What 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.
- 1 Corinthians 9:12-18

This passage is a continuation of Paul’s thoughts from the previous section, so you may want to read that post for the context of this one. Paul talked about his rights as an apostle, including the right for the church to financially support him in his work. He concludes that thought and introduces his next point with verse 12: “If 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.”

Even though Paul and the other apostles deserved financial support from the church, they did not necessarily use it. Instead, they are so driven to share the gospel that they will do whatever it takes! They will not stop the spread of the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and they will do whatever work it takes to make that happen. They don’t spread the gospel so they can receive the benefit of support from the church; rather, they spread the gospel for its own sake. That is their singular mission.

Paul gives a broader religious argument in verse 13 that applies to the Christians, the Jews, and the pagans. He does not quote Scripture but instead refers generally to “the temple” so that all can see what he means. Those who work in the temple get some material goods from that work. When animals are sacrificed, the temple workers get food from those sacrifices. The Corinthian believers would have been familiar with pagan temple worship and how pagan priests would be fed through offerings that were brought there, so Paul uses that to help them understand his position.

In verse 14, he connects that specifically to sharing the gospel. He states that God commands that those who preach the gospel should be supported by the believers. This is supported by Matthew 10:9-10, where Jesus sends out disciples to teach and instructs them to not bring extra supplies for themselves. When preaching the gospel, that message should be their sole focus, not how their material needs will be met.

But in spite of all this evidence that the church should support Paul’s work, he emphasizes again in verse 15 that he did not use these rights. He is also not asking them to start supporting him in the future. Paul desires to maintain that he is unselfishly spreading the gospel message, and he doesn’t want to even give the perception that he may be doing it for the material gain of being financially supported by the church.

Paul recognizes that it is his preaching of the gospel that is most important, as he shares in verse 16. When he is preaching, he cannot be boasting, and preaching the gospel is his highest priority. This strong desire to preach came from Jesus Himself when He appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul recounts that narrative to King Agrippa later in his life, which we can read in Acts 26. In Acts 26:16-18, Paul shares the specific command from Jesus that drove him to preach so earnestly: “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Paul goes on in verse 17 that it is important for him to preach voluntarily. While Jesus did command him to preach, Paul has the choice to obey or disobey that command. He continually chooses to obey through his preaching. If he chooses to preach the gospel because he desires to, then he receives a reward. If he preaches the gospel only out of obligation to what Jesus told him to do, then he does not receive a reward.

What is that reward? He offers the gospel message completely free of charge so that the people hearing his preaching do not feel obligated to financially support him through that ministry (verse 18). Paul desires to prove how genuine he is in preaching the gospel so that there isn’t even the appearance of him desiring financial support in exchange for his services.

What does all of this mean for us today? Does this mean that those who preach the gospel should not request pay for their work? Not necessarily. It all comes down to what God has called us to do. If God calls those who preach the gospel to provide for themselves financially in other ways, then that is what they should do. If God calls those who preach the gospel to do that work with complete focus and not be distracted by other work responsibilities, then that is what they should do.

Paul did what he knew God was instructing him to do – support himself by being a tentmaker while being focused on preaching the gospel. If you are a preacher or a teacher who shares the gospel message with others, make sure you are listening to how God wants to provide for your needs. If you are a person who hears the preaching of the gospel, then pray about how God may be asking you to support those who do that work and desire your financial support.

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