1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:2 SEAL. Seals in the ancient Near East were used to guarantee the quality and authenticity of a document (such as a letter) or product (such as wine); see note on John 6:27. Paul’s gospel preaching has changed the hearts of the Corinthians. That change shows tha... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:4 RIGHT. Paul proclaimed the gospel and established churches. He had the right (see the same word in 1 Corinthians 8:8) to receive material support from those churches (see Luke 10:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Timothy 5:17). THE BROTHERS OF THE LORD. James ... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:6 BARNABAS was a Jewish Christian from the priestly tribe of Levi. He was from Cyprus and was an early member of the Jerusalem church (Acts 4:36). He and Paul worked together on Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:1). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElement... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:7 With three examples from everyday life, Paul observes the obvious principle that those who work hard should benefit from their labor. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:12 OTHERS. Probably refers to those listed in v. 1 Corinthians 9:5. They had traveled through Corinth and received material support from the Corinthians while ministering there. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.l... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:15 I HAVE MADE NO USE. Paul occasionally received support from churches for preaching the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 4:14), but apparently he never received such support from Christians in the places where he was currently working (2 Corinthians 11:... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:17 STEWARDSHIP refers to managing a household. God has entrusted Paul with a responsibility to preach the gospel. He must be faithful, whether he benefits from it materially or not. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=imag... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:18 FREE OF CHARGE. Paul preached the gospel in urban centers where traveling lecturers were common. Some of them used their speaking skills to seek fame and fortune. Paul wants to distinguish himself from such preachers (see 1 Thessalonians 2:3, 1 Thessalonians... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:20 I BECAME AS A JEW. In Christ, God had created a new people without distinction between Jew and Gentile (Acts 15:9; Romans 10:12; 1 Corinthians 10:32). Paul was willing to adopt the Jewish way of life temporarily to gain a hearing among Jews (Acts 16:3; Acts 2... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:21 THOSE OUTSIDE THE LAW. Outside the Mosaic law, which defined the Jewish way of life. NOT... OUTSIDE THE LAW OF GOD... THE LAW OF CHRIST. Paul seems to distinguish between the Jewish law and something he calls “the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19) and... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24 This extended athletic metaphor would have been understood in Corinth. The city was the location of the biennial Isthmian games, second in fame only to the Olympic games (see also Philippians 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). The PERISHABLE WREATH was a crown of leaves g... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS—NOTE ON 1 CORINTHIANS 9:27 An athlete goes through rigorous physical training in order to achieve victory. Paul endures physical and emotional hardship to advance the gospel. (See v. 1 Corinthians 9:12 and 2 Corinthians 6:1.) DISQUALIFIED in this context means “disqualified from receiv... [ Continue Reading ]