1 Corinthians 9:1-7
1: Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2: If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3: My defense to those who examine me is this:
4: Do we not have a right to eat and drink?
5: Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
6: Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working?
7: Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
Paul gave himself as an example of one who did not use his liberty at the expense of others, as he described in chapter 8, and affirmed his apostleship in the process. As an apostle, he could have required them to support him, and even a wife, if he so chose which he didn’t. Other apostles did not work, were married, and received their support from the church. He asked what soldier pays his own wages, or what farmer doesn’t eat of his own crops, or who tends to a flock but doesn’t drink the milk? In the same way, Paul could require them to support him because of his labor among them so he would not have to work for his own support.
Some were questioning his apostleship, so he pointed out evidence of it. Even if there were those who didn’t recognize him as an apostle, perhaps because he did not follow the Lord in the flesh before His death and resurrection, he did in fact meet the qualifications. The Lord physically appeared to him on the road to Damascus and the signs, wonders and miracles of an apostle done among them were evidence of it. (2 Corinthians 12:11-13)
So, Paul connected the sacrifice of liberty for the benefit of others to what he had done for them as an apostle of the Lord Jesus. As the saying goes, "Never mistake kindness for weakness." Just because someone doesn’t take advantage of a privilege doesn’t mean they are not entitled to that privilege. Instead of criticizing or questioning Paul, or Barnabas, it would have been more appropriate to thank them.
3: My defense to those who examine me is this:
4: Do we not have a right to eat and drink?
5: Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
6: Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working?
7: Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
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Paul gave himself as an example of one who did not use his liberty at the expense of others, as he described in chapter 8, and affirmed his apostleship in the process. As an apostle, he could have required them to support him, and even a wife, if he so chose which he didn’t. Other apostles did not work, were married, and received their support from the church. He asked what soldier pays his own wages, or what farmer doesn’t eat of his own crops, or who tends to a flock but doesn’t drink the milk? In the same way, Paul could require them to support him because of his labor among them so he would not have to work for his own support.
Some were questioning his apostleship, so he pointed out evidence of it. Even if there were those who didn’t recognize him as an apostle, perhaps because he did not follow the Lord in the flesh before His death and resurrection, he did in fact meet the qualifications. The Lord physically appeared to him on the road to Damascus and the signs, wonders and miracles of an apostle done among them were evidence of it. (2 Corinthians 12:11-13)
So, Paul connected the sacrifice of liberty for the benefit of others to what he had done for them as an apostle of the Lord Jesus. As the saying goes, "Never mistake kindness for weakness." Just because someone doesn’t take advantage of a privilege doesn’t mean they are not entitled to that privilege. Instead of criticizing or questioning Paul, or Barnabas, it would have been more appropriate to thank them.
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