1 Corinthians 9:1 - Meaning and Application

Paul, in his ministry, faced opposition from outside and discouragement from inside the church. He was under attack, and false believers questioned whether he was truly an apostle. They worked hard to damage his character and weaken his reputation, especially in Corinth, where he had done much good and had every reason to expect gratitude. Yet some people there still caused him deep distress.

This is not strange. A minister who has shown a people real kindness and has served them well may still receive very unkind treatment. Some in Corinth questioned, or perhaps even denied, Paul’s apostolic authority. He answers their objections here, and he does so in a way that also shows the self-denial he had urged in the previous chapter, for the good of others.

First, he states plainly that he is an apostle and gives the reasons. “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” One important part of the apostolic calling was to be a witness of Christ’s resurrection. Paul is saying, in effect, “Have I not seen the Lord, even if not right after his resurrection, yet after his ascension?” See (1 Corinthians 4:8). He also asks, “Am I not free?” meaning, “Do I not have the same commission, authority, and rights as the other apostles?” He was not refusing to live from the gospel because he lacked that right. He had other reasons for supporting himself.

Second, he points to the success of his ministry among them as proof of his apostleship. “Are you not my work in the Lord?” he asks. By Christ’s blessing on his labor, he had helped plant a church among them. They themselves were the seal, or proof, of his apostleship in the Lord. Their conversion through his ministry was God’s confirmation that he had been sent.

Ministers of Christ should not be surprised if some people ask them to prove their ministry, even when those same people have seen its power and felt God’s presence through it. Paul had genuine reason to expect better treatment from the Corinthians. If he was not an apostle to others, he surely was to them, (1 Corinthians 9:2). He had labored among them for a long time and with great success, and they above all should have owned and honored his calling instead of calling it into question.

It is often true that faithful ministers meet their worst treatment where they have the most reason to expect the best. This Corinthian church had as much reason as any church to trust Paul’s apostolic mission, and likely more. He had led them to the knowledge and faith of Christ. He had labored among them for nearly two years, and not in vain, because God had many people there, (Acts 18:10-11). It was a serious act of ingratitude for them to question his authority.