In verse 3 Paul says, “My defense to those who examine me is this.” We need to pay attention to the words examine and defense. The Corinthians were actually examining Paul; they were investigating him to determine whether or not he was an apostle. What a shame to them! This is just like children examining their father to see if he is a genuine father.
The colon at the end of verse 3 in the text indicates that the following verses are intended to be Paul’s defense. Certain so-called spiritual people think that a believer should never make a defense for himself. They claim that Christians should always suffer, bear the cross, and refrain from defending themselves. However, sometimes the Lord Jesus defended Himself, and here Paul set forth his defense before the Corinthians.
In verse 4 Paul asks, “Do we not have a right to eat and to drink?” Literally the Greek word rendered right is authority. The same word is used in 8:9 and 9:18. The right here is that of eating and drinking for the gospel (v. 14) at the expense of the saints and the churches.
In verse 5 Paul continues, “Do we not have a right to take along a sister as a wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” Once again, Paul’s words are strong. The complicated philosophical believers at Corinth made it necessary for him to speak in such a strong, direct way.
Verse 6 says, “Or only I and Barnabas, have we not the right not to work?” Not to work here means not to have a job. Some of the apostles did not work at a job, but were supported by the church or by the believers. Paul and Barnabas had the right not to work. But they worked with their hands in order to supply their needs.
In verse 7 Paul asks, “Who at any time carries on a war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?” Paul’s reference to carrying on a war implies that formerly the Corinthians were captives and that Paul had fought for them so that they might be released from Satan and set at liberty. Here Paul seems to be saying, “We have fought in a war to release you from captivity. Should we carry on such a war at our own expense? Is it fair that we must do so?” Furthermore, Paul’s word about a vineyard and a flock indicates that the believers at Corinth were a vineyard to produce fruit and also a flock shepherded by the apostles.
Verses 8 through 10 say, “Am I speaking these things according to man? Or does not the law also say these things? For in the law of Moses it is written: You shall not muzzle a threshing ox. Is it for the oxen that God cares? Or does He say it assuredly for our sake? For our sake; for it was written that the plower should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope of partaking.” Here Paul quotes the Old Testament in a wonderful way and applies it to the present situation. He also says that the plower should plow in hope and he who threshes, in hope of partaking. Here he again likens the church in Corinth to a farm. In 3:9 he had told them that they are God’s farm. Paul plowed the ground and threshed in hope of partaking.
In verse 11 Paul says, “If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your fleshly things?” Once again Paul is quite strong. The Corinthians did not have a case against him.
In verse 12 Paul continues, “If others partake of this right over you, should not rather we? But we did not use this right; but we bear all things that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.” The Greek word translated bear literally means to contain as a vessel, to conceal; hence, to cover as a roof. Paul was like a vessel containing everything the Corinthians had done to him and also like a roof covering them. But they forced him to remove the covering and pour out the contents of the vessel. In all this Paul’s concern was not to cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.
In verse 13 Paul again refers to the Old Testament when he asks, “Do you not know that those who labor on sacred things eat the things of the temple; those who attend to the altar partake with the altar?” In verse 14 he applies this principle to those who preach the gospel: “So also the Lord has ordained that those who announce the gospel live of the gospel.”
In verse 15 Paul declares, “But I have used none of these things. And I did not write these things that it might be so with me; for it is good for me rather to die than that anyone should make my boast empty.” Here we see that the apostle is desperately absolute for the Lord’s interests. He is willing not only to sacrifice all his rights (vv. 12, 15a, 18), but also to pay the price even of his life. Paul definitely did not write these things in order to receive support or gifts from the believers at Corinth. On the contrary, he was willing even to die for Christ and the church.
If we look into the depths of 1 Corinthians 9, we shall see that Paul was not only a person one with God, but was also a person with a pure heart and spirit. No other portion of the Bible presents such a picture of a person who is clean and pure. If Paul had not been pure, he would not have been able to write all these verses.
Problems among Christians are caused not only by their complications, but even the more, by their lack of purity. For the most part, the complications are on the surface. Under the surface lies impureness. The elders, the co-workers, and the saints may not be pure in their motive or intention. To be pure is to be genuine, single, and altogether without politics.
In this chapter we should be deeply impressed by the fact that Paul was pure and genuine. The Corinthians, by contrast, were not pure. They examined Paul and had doubts concerning his apostleship. In their motives, thoughts, and feelings they were impure. Some of the Corinthians even thought that Paul was defrauding them, that he was cheating them in a crafty way. Had they been pure even as Paul was pure, they would have had no doubts about Paul or his apostleship.
Brother Nee once said that those who are thieves are often worried that others will steal from them. If someone suspects that a person sitting nearby will steal from him, this may indicate that he himself is a thief. If he had not stolen from others, he would not have the fear that others might steal something from him. In the same principle, because the Corinthians were not pure, they suspected that Paul was not pure and that he was taking advantage of them. The fact that they had such thoughts about Paul proves that they were impure. This evil of impureness is hidden in us all. Because of our fallen nature, we are all impure.
Suppose a brother comes to me with a gift, and I suspect that this gift is presented with the intention that I do something for the brother. This thought is not sinful, but it is impure. Concerning the receiving of gifts, I have learned an important principle from the Lord. This principle is to accept every gift as genuine, having no thought that it may be given with a motive, and then not do anything for the one who gives the gift. To do something for a person who gives us a gift indicates that we have been bribed. A few times people have given me things out of an impure motive. At the time I had no thought that those persons were impure; only later did I learn that the motive was not pure. To repeat, thinking that a gift is given out of an impure motive indicates that we ourselves are impure. If we are pure, we shall not think like this.
I appreciate Paul’s word in verse 15: “But I have used none of these things. And I did not write these things that it might be so with me.” Such a word exposed those Corinthians who thought that Paul wrote in this way so that he would be given some support or supply. Paul closed the door on such impure thoughts by saying plainly that he did not write with the intention of receiving anything from the Corinthians. Once again we see that Paul was one spirit with the Lord and that he was absolutely pure. Because of his purity, he could be frank, direct, and straightforward. If Paul’s purpose in writing chapter nine had been to be supplied by the Corinthians, Paul would have been impure. However, in writing this Epistle Paul was pure.
In the church life today many problems are apparently due to complications; actually, the problems are caused by impureness. It is impure to say or do anything with the aim that others will do something for us. It is also impure to think that others are trying to take advantage of us. In the church life we must close the door to impure thinking. If we are impure, we shall not be able to be bold, frank, or direct. Instead, we shall be political, polite.
In 1 Corinthians 9 we see that Paul’s only motive and intention were related to Christ and His Body. Paul was pure to the uttermost. If we were pure in the church life in every respect, there would not be any problems. The underlying cause of problems in the church life is impureness. On the one hand, the Corinthians asked questions of Paul; on the other hand, they examined him. They welcomed him, but they also had doubts about him. This exposes their impureness. But even though the Corinthians were not pure, Paul conducted himself in a pure way as a begetting father. In writing to the believers at Corinth he revealed himself as a person who was one with God and absolutely pure. In the Lord’s work he had no motive other than Christ and the Body.