1 Corinthians 9

1Am I not completely free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Are you believers not the result of my hard work for the Lord?

2Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do, for you yourselves are the proof that I am an apostle in the Lord.

3This is my answer to those who question me.

4Do we not have the right to food and drink?

5Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as the other apostles do, and the Lord's brothers, and Peter?

6Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who must work to support ourselves?

7Who serves as a soldier and pays their own way? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who takes care of a flock and does not drink its milk?

8Am I only saying this from a human point of view? Does the law not say the same thing?

9The Law of Moses says: Do not muzzle an ox while it threshes grain. Was God thinking only about farm oxen? No, He was definitely speaking about us!

10The worker who plows the field expects to eat from the harvest. The worker who threshes the grain expects a share of the crop.

11If we have planted spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to receive some material help from you?

12If others have this right to be supported by you, do we not have it even more? But we have not used this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than get in the way of the good news of Christ.

13Do you not know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple? Those who serve at the altar share in what is offered there.

14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the good news should make their living from it.

15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this so that something will be done for me. I would rather die than let anyone take away this thing I am proud of.

16For when I preach the good news, I cannot brag, because I am required to do it. How terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the good news!

17If I preach because I choose to, I have a reward. But even if I do not choose it, I have still been trusted with this job.

18So what is my reward? Just this: when I preach the good news, I can offer it free of charge. So I do not make full use of my rights as a preacher.

19Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

20When I was with Jewish people, I lived like a Jew. I did this to lead Jewish people to Christ. When I was with people under the Law, I followed their customs. I am not trapped under that Law myself. I only did it to bring those people to Christ!

21When I was with Gentiles who do not have the Law, I lived like them. This does not mean I ignore God's commands. I follow the Law of Christ!

22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some.

23I do all this for the sake of the good news, so that I may share in its blessings.

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? So run in such a way as to win the prize.

25Everyone who competes in the games trains hard in everything. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

26So I do not run like someone with no finish line. I do not box like a fighter just punching the air!

27I discipline my body strictly, like a dedicated athlete. I make my body obey me! I do this so that after preaching to others, I will not fail the test.