Of course, that is not at all what Paul is doing. He is certainly not trying to work a situation to his financial benefit. His emphasis is entirely on the other side. Although he has these rights, he has willingly laid them aside in order that he might have the privilege of taking the Gospel to the Corinthians without cost. He does this because he does not want anybody to misunderstand his motivations. In all his long hours and hard labors, he has been a faithful apostle—and the Corinthians have not paid him anything. Yet in this case, even if they offered to pay him he would not take it because he counts it as one of the great joys of his life to be in a position where he can labor with his own hands, support himself, and have the privilege of preaching the Gospel without cost.
Now notice how this is to be applied. Since Paul is giving up this kind of apostolic right, it is certainly no great sacrifice to give up meat that has been sacrificed to an idol. The Corinthians should be able to lay aside this lesser right in order that other Christians might not be offended, but rather might be built up in the Gospel to the praise of the glory of Jesus Christ. We can apply this in our own day by saying that we ought to give consideration of doing certain things in the Christian life without any idea of remuneration. That should be true in the Christian ministry as well. There are situations where ministers ought to think of areas in which they volunteer their time in order to further the Gospel in some way. Many ministers and other Christian leaders serve on boards where they even spend money to go to meetings in order to see that some other work goes forward.
At the very end of this chapter, in verses 24 and following, Paul talks about self-denial. This is a very appropriate way to close this chapter. Have we no rights? Oh, yes, we do have rights. But for the sake of the Gospel we have to lay some of these aside, even in a personal way, in order that we might attain the prize of the high calling to which we are called. Paul uses an athletic image at this point. He talks about a runner, and also uses some language that has to do with a boxer. His point is that if you want to excel at a sport, you have got to endure a certain amount of hardship. You must discipline your body, which is never fun because it is hard work and it hurts. People who run know that, especially when they overdo it and go too far. They know they are going to pay for it the next day, but there is something good about it as you are actually doing it. There are rewards that come from enduring the pain and hardship.
Paul means that if we are so concerned about doing this as individuals where mere matters of sports are concerned, where we discipline ourselves, bringing our body into subjection in order that we might run a little bit faster than we did the last time, or be a little bit thinner or in better shape than we were a year ago, certainly we should be willing to do that for the Gospel’s sake. And yet, how many of us are really lean and fit for the greatest work that we can possibly have?
Aren’t we often what we would have to call flabby, undisciplined, and self-absorbed Christians? Paul says that ought not to be; rather we should see things as he has described them and pay the price in order that Jesus Christ might be exalted in other people’s lives.
