FIRST CORINTHIANS-CHAPTER NINE _ OUTLINE AND COMMENTARY-MARK DUNAGAN_ I. OUTLINE OF CHAPTER NINE: I. In Defense of Being An Apostle: 1 Corinthians 9:1-3 II. In Defense of Being Financially Supported: 1 Corinthians 9:4-14 III. Defending His "Right" Not To Use His "Rights": 1 Corinthians 9:15-23... [ Continue Reading ]
AM. NOT FREE? AM. NOT AN APOSTLE? HAVE. NOT SEEN JESUS OUR LORD? ARE NOT YE MY WORK IN THE LORD? 'Am. not free? -having the same rights and liberties as any other Christian. Some might have been saying, 'If Paul really was an apostle, then he would "use" his rights, not forego them.' Paul responds... [ Continue Reading ]
IF TO OTHERS. AM NOT AN APOSTLE, YET AT LEAST. AM TO YOU; FOR THE SEAL OF MINE APOSTLESHIP ARE YE IN THE LORD. 'If to others. am not an apostle' -others who had never met him or who were not the result of his labors. 'YET AT LEAST. AM TO YOU' -He had labored among them for at least 18 months, he... [ Continue Reading ]
MY DEFENCE TO THEM THAT EXAMINE ME IS THIS. 'This is my answer to those who question my authority.' (Con); 'That is how. vindicate myself to my critics' (Wey) 'IS THIS' -referring back to verses 1-2. This is the standard answer that Paul would give to this critics. And evidently some existed in the... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE WE NO RIGHT TO EAT AND TO DRINK? This begins. series of questions, which are designed to force the Corinthians to acknowledge the fact that Paul has the same rights that any other apostle does. 'EAT AND DRINK' -i.e. be fed by the church. 'At the expense of the churches' (Vincent p. 228)... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE WE NO RIGHT TO LEAD ABOUT. WIFE THAT IS. BELIEVER, EVEN AS THE REST OF THE APOSTLES, AND THE BRETHREN OF THE LORD, AND CEPHAS? 'lead about. wife that is. believer' -Which infers: (1) The apostles had the right to marry. (2) Paul didn't even consider than an apostle would marry an unbelieving... [ Continue Reading ]
OR. ONLY AND BARNABAS, HAVE WE NOT. RIGHT TO FORBEAR WORKING? 'and Barnabas' -another well known Christian evangelist who had also supported himself in. trade. 'The allusion implies wide-spread knowledge of the career of Barnabas.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 847) 'FORBEAR WORKING' -'to work, is the regular... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SOLDIER EVER SERVETH AT HIS OWN CHARGES? WHO PLANTETH. VINEYARD, AND EATETH NOT THE FRUIT THEREOF? OR WHO FEEDETH. FLOCK, AND EATETH NOT OF THE MILK OF THE FLOCK? 'What soldier' -'Did you ever hear of. man serving in the army at his own expense..' (NEB) This verse points out that wages for s... [ Continue Reading ]
DO. SPEAK THESE THINGS AFTER THE MANNER OF MEN? OR SAITH NOT THE LAW ALSO THE SAME? 'after the manner of men?' -'Human arguments, you say?' (Mof); 'This is,. know, an argument from everyday life, but it is. principle endorsed by the Law.' (Phi) 'Or, if one objects to these parallels as being mere... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW OF MOSES, THOU SHALT NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHEN HE TREADETH OUT THE CORN. IS IT FOR THE OXEN THAT GOD CARETH, 'For it is written'. Deuteronomy 25:4 'IS IT FOR THE OXEN THAT GOD CARETH' -'Do you think God was thinking only about oxen when He said this' (Tay). Now the Scrip... [ Continue Reading ]
OR SAITH HE IT ASSUREDLY FOR OUR SAKE? YEA, FOR OUR SAKE IT WAS WRITTEN: BECAUSE HE THAT PLOWETH OUGHT TO PLOW IN HOPE, AND HE THAT THRESHETH, TO THRESH IN HOPE OF PARTAKING. 'for our sake it was written' -'Surely we are included!' (Phi) 'Paul asserts that God does not legislate for oxen and forge... [ Continue Reading ]
IF WE SOWED UNTO YOU SPIRITUAL THINGS, IS IT. GREAT MATTER IF WE SHALL REAP YOUR CARNAL THINGS? 'If we sowed' -And if farmers had the right to share in the material benefits of their labors (i.e. they live off their land), how much more the laborers in God's field. men like Paul himself. (1 Corint... [ Continue Reading ]
IF OTHERS PARTAKE OF THIS RIGHT OVER YOU, DO NOT WE YET MORE? NEVERTHELESS WE DID NOT USE THIS RIGHT; BUT WE BEAR ALL THINGS, THAT WE MAY CAUSE NO HINDRANCE TO THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 'If others partake of this right over you' -i.e. the right of financial support. Clearly, the Corinthians believed t... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE NOT THAT THEY THAT MINISTER ABOUT SACRED THINGS EAT OF THE THINGS OF THE TEMPLE, AND THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE ALTAR HAVE THEIR PORTION WITH THE ALTAR? 'Know ye not' -yet another jab at their arrogance and "knowledge". 'THEY THAT MINISTER ABOUT THE SACRED THINGS' -i.e. the priests. 'EAT OF... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN SO DID THE LORD ORDAIN THAT THEY THAT PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL SHOULD LIVE OF THE GOSPEL. 'Even so' -'On the same principle' (Phi); 'In the same way' (RSV) 'Just as God gave orders about the priests in the temple, so did the Lord Jesus give orders for those who preach the gospel to live out of the... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT. HAVE USED NONE OF THESE THINGS: AND. WRITE NOT THESE THINGS THAT IT MAY BE SO DONE IN MY CASE; FOR IT WERE GOOD FOR ME RATHER TO DIE, THAN THAT ANY MAN SHOULD MAKE MY GLORIFYING VOID. 'But. have used none of these things' -i.e. accepting support from you. 'He doesn't go into detail about why h... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF. PREACH THE GOSPEL,. HAVE NOTHING TO GLORY OF; FOR NECESSITY IS LAID UPON ME; FOR WOE IS UNTO ME, IF. PREACH NOT THE GOSPEL. 'I have nothing to glory of' -'Proclaiming the gospel gives me no ground of boasting.' (Mon) Paul here explains what his boast does not consist in. 'FOR NECESSITY IS... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF. DO THIS OF MINE OWN WILL,. HAVE. REWARD: BUT IF NOT OF MINE OWN WILL,. HAVE. STEWARDSHIP INTRUSTED TO ME. 'For if. do this of mine own will' -'For if. do this voluntarily,. have. reward' (NASV) 'BUT IF NOT OF MINE OWN WILL' -'but since. serve by compulsion' (Con) 'I HAVE. STEWARDSHIP INTR... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT THEN IS MY REWARD? THAT, WHEN. PREACH THE GOSPEL,. MAY MAKE THE GOSPEL WITHOUT CHARGE, SO AS NOT TO USE TO THE FULL MY RIGHT IN THE GOSPEL. 'What then is my reward?' -'he asks of one who is entitled to no reward. Since his apostolic ministry is his by divine appointment, given to him quite ap... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THOUGH. WAS FREE FROM ALL MEN,. BROUGHT MYSELF UNDER BONDAGE TO ALL, THAT. MIGHT GAIN THE MORE. 'free from all men' -Again he asserts his own liberty in Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1). Paul had the same "rights" as every other Christian. But instead of insisting on them, to the point of hindering... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TO THE JEWS. BECAME AS. JEW, THAT. MIGHT GAIN JEWS; TO THEM THAT ARE UNDER THE LAW, AS UNDER THE LAW, NOT BEING MYSELF UNDER THE LAW, THAT. MIGHT GAIN THEM THAT ARE UNDER THE LAW; 'I became as. Jew' -'I lived like. Jew' (Knox) 'To put it in more contemporary terms, when he was among Jews he wa... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT LAW, AS WITHOUT LAW, NOT BEING WITHOUT LAW TO GOD, BUT UNDER LAW TO CHRIST, THAT. MIGHT GAIN THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT LAW. 'them that are without law' -i.e. the Gentiles who were never under the Law of Moses. And yet they were clearly accountable to God's laws. (1 Corinthians... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THE WEAK. BECAME WEAK, THAT. MIGHT GAIN THE WEAK:. AM BECOME ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN, THAT. MAY BY ALL MEANS SAVE SOME. 'To weak. became weak' -note that Paul doesn't mention the "strong", that is what he already was. 'Among those with scruples' (F.F. Bruce p. 88) 'Why would he bother? In. socie... [ Continue Reading ]
AND. DO ALL THINGS FOR THE GOSPEL'S SAKE, THAT. MAY BE. JOINT PARTAKER THEREOF. 'I do all things for the gospel's sake' -'But. do it all to advance the Gospel' (Ber) This is Paul's singular passion in life. (1 Corinthians 9:12-18) Everything that is done, is done in view of the advancement, sprea... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE NOT THAT THEY THAT RUN IN. RACE RUN ALL, BUT ONE RECEIVETH THE PRIZE? EVEN SO RUN; THAT YE MAY ATTAIN. 'run in. race' -'Why does he go to all this trouble? Why is he so serious about his forfeiting of rights. He told us--to save some and enjoy the triumph of the gospel. Is that strange? he... [ Continue Reading ]
AND EVERY MAN THAT STRIVETH IN THE GAMES EXERCISETH SELF-CONTROL IN ALL THINGS. NOW THEY DO IT TO RECEIVE. CORRUPTIBLE CROWN; BUT WE AN INCORRUPTIBLE. 'striveth in the games' -'competes in the games' (NASV) 'EXERCISETH SELF-CONTROL IN ALL THINGS' -we might add, they 'exercise self-control' in all... [ Continue Reading ]
1 CORINTHIANS 9:26. THEREFORE SO RUN, AS NOT UNCERTAINLY; SO FIGHT I, AS NOT BEATING THE AIR: 'I therefore so run' -Paul reveals what on his part he is determined to do. Like Joshua of old. (Joshua 2:15) 'AS NOT UNCERTAINLY' -'So. run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.' (Tay); 'So.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT. BUFFET MY BODY, AND BRING IT INTO BONDAGE: LEST BY ANY MEANS, AFTER THAT. HAVE PREACHED TO OTHERS,. MYSELF SHOULD BE REJECTED. 'but. buffet my body' -'to beat black and blue' (Robertson p. 149) _ 'In dealing with his body, he doesn't deliver pats, he delivers hard stunning blows...He's talki... [ Continue Reading ]