1 Corinthians 9:14

THE SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY

‘Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.’

1 Corinthians 9:14

St. Paul’s apostleship had here been called in question, and it was objected that he had never seen and known the Lord, and another objection was that he was a common workman. St. Paul has been answering the objections raised by these Corinthians. To the first objection, that he had not been elected by an Apostle to be an Apostle, he says that he had a higher election—that the Lord Himself had called him. To the second objection he replies that he had no desire to know Christ after the flesh. The rest of the chapter is a defence of his working with his own hands for his living. He tells us that he did not assert himself, but humbled himself: ‘I made myself a slave to all.’ St. Paul worked for his own living. But the Divine order is that ‘They which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.’ He had picked those converts out of the corruptest city in the world—out of Corinth—and he had done them good, but he refused their maintenance on the highest grounds: ‘That, when I preach the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the Gospel.’

Yet it is clear from the whole tenor of this chapter that St. Paul would lay down the principle that the ministry must be supported by those who benefit from it, for ‘even so hath the Lord ordained.’

What lessons can we learn from this contention?

I. The sacred character of the ministry.—The clergy of the Church are ‘ordained,’ set apart for the work of the ministry. They must not engage in business; their whole life is to be devoted to their own spiritual work. This fact emphasises the sacred character of the ministry. They are ministers and stewards of the Lord.

II. The responsibility of the laity.—The clergy must live, and they who sow spiritual things have the right to reap at least material things. For a large part the clergy of to-day are supported by endowments, by the benefactions of those who in bygone days felt their responsibility and made provision accordingly. There is too great a tendency to allow the clergy to live on ‘the dead hand,’ but the laity of to-day have a responsibility which they cannot evade, and it is a crying disgrace that there should be those who preach the Gospel who are not adequately supported, whose livings are really starvings, simply because the laity will not do their duty.

III. What, then, can we do?—There must be a frank recognition of this apostolic, this Divine principle. It may be that in our own parish this help is not needed, but in the wider field of the Church at large there is a great and pressing need. Easter offerings, subscriptions to diocesan and general funds, such as the Queen Victoria Clergy Fund, these are the agencies we must support if we would seek to obey this Divine command. In this way we shall—

(a) Have a share in the work of the Christian ministry.

(b) Bring blessing to ourselves.

(c) Strengthen the hands and cheer the hearts of those who minister to us in holy things.