Help Previous Next

NASB Bible

1 Corinthians 9

Paul's Use of Liberty

1

Am I not  afree? Am I not an  bapostle? Have I not  cseen Jesus our Lord? Are you not  dmy work in the Lord?

2

If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the  aseal of my  bapostleship in the Lord.

3

My defense to those who examine me is this:

4

 1 aDo we not have a right to eat and drink?

5

 1 aDo we not have a right to take along a  2believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the  bbrothers of the Lord and  cCephas?

6

Or do only  1 aBarnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working?

7

Who at any time serves  aas a soldier at his own expense? Who  bplants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not  1use the milk of the flock?

8

I am not speaking these things  aaccording to  1human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things?

9

For it is written in the Law of Moses, " aYOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING." God is not concerned about  boxen, is He?

10

Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes,  afor our sake it was written, because  bthe plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.

11

 aIf we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

12

If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we  adid not use this right, but we endure all things  bso that we will cause no hindrance to the  cgospel of Christ.

13

 aDo you not know that those who  bperform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share  1from the altar?

14

So also  athe Lord directed those who proclaim the  bgospel to  cget their living from the gospel.

15

But I have  aused none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make  bmy boast an empty one.

16

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for  aI am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach  bthe gospel.

17

For if I do this voluntarily, I have a  areward; but if against my will, I have a  bstewardship entrusted to me.

18

What then is my  areward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel  bwithout charge, so as  cnot to make full use of my right in the gospel.

19

For though I am  afree from all men, I have made myself  ba slave to all, so that I may  cwin more.

20

 aTo the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under  1the Law, as under  1the Law though  bnot being myself under  1the Law, so that I might win those who are under  1the Law;

21

to those who are  awithout law,  bas without law, though not being without the law of God but  cunder the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.

22

To the  aweak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become  ball things to all men,  cso that I may by all means save some.

23

I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

24

 aDo you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives  bthe prize?  cRun in such a way that you may win.

25

Everyone who  acompetes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable  bwreath, but we an imperishable.

26

Therefore I  arun in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not  bbeating the air;

27

but I  1discipline  amy body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.



Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved.
For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.lockman.org
Report corrections to contact@SpiritAndTruth.org
(Produced: Sat Dec 22 11:24:23 2007)

Help Previous Next