24 Why Paul Refused to Take Support: Living on Support, Part 2 (1 Corinthians 9:15-27)

Krisan Marotta: Thank you for joining me today for the Wednesday in the Word podcast. I'm Krisan Marotta, and this is my podcast about what the Bible means and how we know. Today we're gonna study 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 15 through 27. This is the 24th talk in our series on 1 Corinthians. Lecture notes for today's talk are on the link below the podcast, and you can also find them on the website. Just go to wednesdayintheword.com slash 1 Corinthians 2.4. And while you're there, take a moment to browse through the website. There's no charge, no spam, no ads, and lots of Bible study materials. Glad to have you along. Well, we are still in chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians. The section we're looking at today is the second half of a two-part argument that began in chapter 9. And chapter 9 is part of an argument that started in chapter 8. So in this section of the letter, Paul's answering questions that the Corinthians have asked him, and the question he's answering now begin in 8 1, where it says now concerning things sacrificed to idols. At the time Paul was writing, Corinth had various temples to a variety of pagan gods, and people would go to the temples and make offerings of meat. Since the pagan gods were not actually there to eat the meat, what happened to the meat after the rituals were over? Well, some of it was burnt up in the offering itself, but much of it was sold in the marketplace or sold in the temple dining rooms where members of the community would eat together kind of like we go out to a restaurant today. Some of the Corinthian believers have rightly argued, look, these idols are not real. They don't exist. Meat that's been sacrificed to idols is just meat, it's not contaminated, and we are free to buy it at the meat market and eat it at the temple. Others in the community don't feel that freedom. They argue that participating in the meals or buying the meat at the marketplace is a support of and participation in idolatry, which is obviously wrong, and this issue is dividing the church and they've asked Paul to weigh in. The argument of those who feel free to participate is that we know the idols aren't real. Yes, those pagans participating may believe that the pagan gods are real, but we know better. We know there's only one God, and He's not the God of that temple, and we know they are not worshiping a real being. If we were intending to worship other gods, well that would be one thing, but that's not our intent. We're not going there to worship other gods, we're going there to eat, and we know that there's no other god there to worship. We're just going for a meal. Well, in chapter eight, Paul argued that what they know is correct, their knowledge is correct, but it's not enough. They are in fact free to eat the meat, but they should refrain from eating the meat if exercising their freedom becomes a stumbling block to others. They don't want to send the message to anyone that it's okay to do what you believe to be sin and thereby risk causing their brother or sister to stumble. So Paul basically said in chapter eight, it's wrong to encourage people to disobey God. Instead, you want to be a model of obedience. In chapter nine, Paul then uses himself as an example to teach them how to exercise their freedom. So in the first part of the chapter, he argued that he has the freedom to accept payment from those to whom he preaches the gospel. So he argued as an apostle, he has a right to take support. It is right and appropriate for him to be financially supported and for his livelihood to be taken care of by others so that he can continue to preach the gospel. That was the first half of his argument, which we looked at in the last podcast. In this second half of the argument, which we're gonna look at today, he argues that he did not exercise that right and he explains why. So in this podcast, we'll look at why he didn't take any support and what's at stake for him in refraining from doing that. So he's gonna talk about his own example of limiting his freedom for the sake of the gospel. But he brings up another aspect of the question that's very important. He also discusses the significance of his actions, not only as they affect other people, but what his actions say about him as a person and what he believes. And he claims this issue is serious not only for the impact we have on other people, but the impact it has on us and what it reveals about who we are. That's where we're picking up the argument. So having made his case that he has the right to be paid by the Corinthians for his labor among them, he then goes on in nine fifteen and he says, But I have used 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 my boast an empty one. So I have used none of these things, that is, I have every right to receive support from you Corinthians, but I, Paul, have taken no support. I've not exercised this right that I have. Now back in nine twelve, he briefly told us why, he said, so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Now in twelve he didn't really explain what that hindrance would be, but it's not too hard to figure out. If he accepted money for preaching in Corinth, he opens himself up to the charge that his motive for preaching and teaching is to make money off them, like a salesman selling a product. And we know that Paul had a rather contentious relationship with the church in Corinth. As we saw in the first four chapters, some of the folks in Corinth have judged him and found him lacking, and they seemed suspicious of his motives and his credentials as an apostle, and some rejected his authority as an apostle altogether. Well, if Paul had taken money from them, that would have just added fuel to that fire, to that suspicion. So in that kind of an environment, he doesn't want to give them any excuse to reject the gospel, and I think that's what he means by hinder the gospel. From Acts we know that when Paul went to a new city, he typically found work there and supported himself financially. He didn't want his support to be a burden on the community. But we do see him taking support at times. For example, Paul thanks the Philippians for their generous financial gift. That's basically what the letter starts with. He rejoices that they have embraced his ministry and embraced his message and find it worthy of supporting. They gave their gift voluntarily and he rejoices in that letter over what the gift reveals about how they value the gospel. Corinth is a different situation. Paul has a very different relationship with them. In Corinth, he doesn't want to muddy the water by taking any financial support. So he says here in 9 15, I'm not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case. I, Paul, just made this really strong case for why I have a right to be paid, but I didn't make that case to convince you to pay me. That's not the point. As we'll see, he wants to compare his situation to theirs. And the comparison is you Corinthians have knowledge about the freedom you have to eat the meat sacrificed to the idols. I, Paul, have freedom to accept support from those I minister to. We both have knowledge, we both have freedoms, and we both have a responsibility to exercise our freedoms in a way that is loving and does not compromise the truth of the gospel. That's the case he's making. Now he says in nine fifteen, for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. And I think this statement is the thread that ties the rest of this chapter together, and I want to make sure we understand it. Because he's making a very strong statement here, and I think it's more than hyperbole. I think he means it. I think he means it would be better to die than for any man to make his boast empty. So what's hyperbole? If I say I'd rather die than go to that party, that's hyperbole. The party is not that important, and of course I'd choose to live. I'm exaggerating to make a point. But if eternal salvation is at stake, then it's not hyperbole. That's a true statement. There are more important things than living, and it would be better to die than to renounce the faith or to lose my citizenship in the kingdom of God. That's the testimony of the martyrs that death is not too high a price to pay to keep my faith. And as we go through his argument, I think we'll see Paul is saying there's something more important going on here than keeping my life, and it's keeping my faith. So let's break this down. We know from the context that he's been talking about using freedom in such a way that we don't cause another to stumble or fall away from the faith. So we want to conduct ourselves in such a way that we don't make it harder for someone else to hear the gospel or contribute to their downfall. And that's an eternal life and death issue. But as we go through his argument, we'll see that it's not only other people's ability to hear the gospel that's at stake, ultimately, his own salvation is at stake as well. So here he's talking about my boast. He's about to talk about my reward, and he's gonna go on to say that he conducts himself in such a way that he will also be a partaker of the gospel. It's not just a question of those who hear him coming to believe. He wants to ensure that he himself also enjoys the benefits of eternal life and finishes the race well. He concludes in 927, but I discipline my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. So throughout this section there is this theme that Paul sees his own participation in the gospel at stake. How he exercises his freedom is not just a question of the impact he has on other people, it also says something about his own faith. So in 915 again, but I have used 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 my boast an empty one. Boast is a problematic word for us in English, and we don't really have a great English word to capture this Greek word. In English, the word boast usually has negative connotations. We usually mean something like, I think I'm great, but I'm really not. I'm puffing myself up beyond reality. I think I'm great, but I'm deceiving myself and I'm really not that great. That's my boast. I'm exaggerating my worth or my greatness. But that negative idea of exaggeration is not a given in this Greek word. The Greek word for boast can be used in that kind of negative sense that includes that kind of arrogant exaggeration, but frequently it has a positive sense. And I think here in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul's using it in that positive sense. So in the positive sense, this Greek word means if I have a boast, there's something about me that is worthy of praise and worthy to be admired. My boast is something that has value or worth. For example, Paul says in Romans 5 that we boast in our hope of the glory of God. As a believer, I stand to inherit the glory of God. That's my great hope. That's my boast. I can say that this thing is true about me and is a great and wonderful thing. I stand to inherit the glory of God. That is a wonderful true thing about me that has great importance and significance. I can rejoice in it. I can be excited that it is true of me, and in that sense, it is my boast. Now, do I have a hope of the glory of God because I'm such hot stuff or because I've earned it or I'm so great? No, absolutely not. I only have that hope because of the grace of God and the blood of Christ. But it is still a thing that is true about me. It is still my hope and my boast. It is a good thing about me that I point to with joy and satisfaction. And when Paul uses this word in a positive context, that's the kind of thing he means. My boast is a good thing about life that I point to with joy and satisfaction. In this case, Paul's boast involves the fact that he has not accepted payment from the Corinthians. Now we have to make sure we understand him. He's not saying I'm such a great guy because I didn't take your money. He's saying the fact that I chose not to take your money says something about how much I value the gospel. The fact that I chose to limit my freedom among you speaks well of my motives and of the faith that I hold. That's the boast he has. It would be better for him to die than for someone to prove that his boast is empty. In other words, it would be better for him to die than to find out that he really doesn't have the faith he claims to have or value the gospel he preaches. So if I boast that I have faith, but I don't really have it, my boast is shown to be empty, Paul says it's better to die than for that to be true. So he explains all this in sixteen through eighteen. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion, for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily I have a reward, but if against my will I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward that when I preach the gospel I may offer the gospel without charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. Okay, Paul just spoke of his boast and that he'd rather die than have anyone make his boast empty, and in nine sixteen he says, My boast is not the fact that I'm an apostle who preaches the gospel. You might think that I'm boasting about the fact that I'm an apostle and you're not, but that's not what I'm talking about. The fact that I'm an apostle is not my boast, as I've just defined boast. I'm not saying, I, Paul, that I point with satisfaction to the fact that I'm an apostle. Why? Because it wasn't my idea. I didn't make myself an apostle. God chose me for this role. I do it because I am under compulsion, and woe is me if I don't preach it. Being an apostle says nothing about me because I didn't have anything to do with becoming an apostle. Paul's saying it wasn't my idea to be an apostle. I didn't apply for it, I didn't campaign for it, I didn't ask for it. I was walking down the road to Damascus when Christ appeared to me. I had nothing to do with it. I was drafted. Being an apostle doesn't say anything about my character because I didn't choose it. I preach because I'm under compulsion. I have no freedom in this area. What I do when I have freedom, now that says something about me. When I'm free to choose, my choices tell you something about who I am and my character. You can learn something about who I am, what I value, what I believe in, what I think, by what I freely choose. But being an apostle, that's not an area of freedom for me, me, Paul. I was told to do it. That's the job I've been given, and I have to do it. Now I find it really interesting that Paul sees no particular virtue in being an apostle. We look back from our vantage point in history and we think, wow, Paul was really fortunate. He was really blessed to be made an apostle. He was a great man. Look at all the amazing things God did through him and for him. He changed the course of history. So he was really great. Well, I don't think Paul would say that. I think Paul would say, yes, God gave me a significant role to play in his kingdom. God gave me Paul a role that had a big impact in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't say anything about me as a person. God could have picked anyone. Now God's choices might teach us something about God, but the fact that he chose me Paul doesn't say anything about me. I didn't earn the role, I don't deserve it, I'm nothing. As his argument continues, Paul talks about the theoretical possibility that he could do his job as an apostle in an inappropriate way. And it's theoretical for Paul, but in fact, we see examples in the Old Testament where God used people who rejected him to bring about his will. Paul's saying, I could be one of those cases. I could proclaim the message without partaking of it myself. That is a possibility. At the end of the section, he talks about how he doesn't want to be disqualified. He doesn't want to find out in the end that he lacked the faith that he preached about. Here he's saying the fact that I do this job of apostle doesn't tell you anything about me. Now he's going to come back to this theme in chapter twelve when we talk about spiritual gifts. So remember this when we get to chapter twelve, because he's going to bring this up again. But it's worth noting here that we think that significant people are the ones who have these big, high impact, visible jobs, the ones who change the course of history, who speak to thousands, or whose books become mega best sellers, or who get interviewed on all the morning talk shows, or maybe they cure cancer and invent the next high-tech gadget that changes the world. We look at all those roles and we think having a big significant impact job makes me a big significant person. And Paul says, nope, I don't see it that way. The job itself is not what makes me significant, at least not the kind of significance he's talking about here, because it's a job God gave him, he didn't freely choose it. So if the fact that he's an apostle doesn't say anything about him or his character because he was drafted into the job, what does say something about him? Well he tells us how he handles himself, what he values, what he believes, how he treats others, how he puts himself forward, the things he can do when he has a free choice to make, that's what tells you something about him. Look at 917 again. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if against my will I have a stewardship entrusted to me. If I'd volunteered, that would tell you about my reward or my boast, because it was a choice that I made freely, but he's saying I didn't. Now I think he's using reward and boast here interchangeably. And remember where we are in the argument. Paul started this by saying he has a boast, he doesn't want to be made false, and he's telling us that boast is not the fact that he's an apostle. We tend to get confused about this word reward just like we do the word boast. We think it sounds a little bit conceited or arrogant to say I have a boast or I have a reward, but these Greek words in this context are much more positive. They just don't have the negative connotations of conceit or self-centeredness. Paul's saying there's something significant and worthwhile in my life. That's my boast. That's what I point to with joy and satisfaction, and because of that I will receive what I am looking for, I will receive a reward. I boast in the fact that I'm a believer and my reward will be eternal life. Now that doesn't mean I earned it because I'm such a great person. It was a gift of God. But it is my boast, my hope, my promise to reward is. Is this wonderful good gift from God that is true about me? That's the kind of thing Paul's saying here. And he's telling us my boast is not in being an apostle because I didn't volunteer. I'm not going to receive the reward of eternal life because I was such a great apostle. If I had volunteered to be an apostle, that might say something about my faith such that I could expect a reward, but I didn't volunteer, I was drafted. So what is his boast? We're going to see that his boast is tied up in the fact that he accepted no money from the Corinthians. Look at eighteen. What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. I think Paul is saying something more than that his reward is that he gets to preach for free. Now he's switching between the word boast and the word reward, but I think he's talking about the same thing. I think he's using those words synonymously. So let's follow his thinking. He says there's something about me that is so significant that I would rather die than have it not be true. That thing that I'm talking about is not the fact that I'm an apostle. Being an apostle is something I'm compelled to do. It's a job I was drafted into. What is my boast? What is my reward based on? It's that I preach the gospel without charge. When it comes to being an apostle, I have no freedom. When it comes to accepting payment for the gospel, I have freedom. I have a choice to make there. I can express my own values and my own beliefs through my freely chosen action. So my boast is in the fact that I have chosen not to accept payment from you. And why is that significant? Because it shows I'm not preaching the gospel for the money. It shows that I don't want to hinder the gospel. My free choice to refuse payment from you shows that the gospel means something to me. I'm not just preaching it because I've been drafted, I'm preaching it because I myself believe it to be true and know it to be true. And it's so important to me that I communicate the message clearly and unambiguously that I don't want to take any money from you that might cast a cloud on the gospel or cast a cloud on my motives in preaching it. So I am limiting my freedoms because the gospel is so important to me that I don't want anything to get in the way of someone else hearing it. My boast, then, is that the gospel is important to me. My boast is the fact that I have faith, and one of the ways my faith is expressed is that I am not taking money. This is not just a job I was drafted into. It is a message of how to find eternal life and rescue and redemption. I myself believe it, and my actions show you that my belief is genuine. So Paul's argued he's an apostle, he has the freedom to take support for preaching the gospel, but he's refused to take support so as not to become a stumbling block to anyone. He doesn't want to cast any suspicion on the truth of the gospel or his motives in preaching by taking money. And what that says about him is that he values the message of the gospel so much that when he compares it to getting paid, he would rather teach the gospel. He would rather make it easier for the Corinthians to hear it than get paid. He will gladly work to support himself if it makes it easier for them to hear and believe. So he'd rather not take money if money could be a stumbling block for them. And the way he exercises his freedom while preaching the gospel says something about who he is, what he values, and what he believes. It says he believes this gospel himself, and that's his boast, that he is a believing, faithful servant of the gospel, and that he is hoping to receive the reward of eternal life promised in the gospel. So he's not writing to the Corinthians to urge them to pay him. He's writing them to encourage them to value the gospel so much that they limit their freedom to avoid causing another to stumble. That's his example. The way I exercise my freedom is an expression of what I believe to be true, of what I value, and I want you Corinthians to exercise your freedom in the same way as an expression of your genuine belief and how much you value the gospel. Okay, he goes on in nineteen through twenty three. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew so that I might win Jews, to those under the law as under the law, though not being myself under the law, so that I might win those who are under the law. To those who are without the law as without the law, though not being without the law of God, but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak, I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. So now he's generalizing his argument. He's generalizing from beyond this issue of accepting money, and he's saying, look, it's not just in the area of money where I don't want to compromise the gospel, it's true in any area. I think about my freedoms in terms of how it impacts the people I'm talking to. So in 919, I'm free from all men. I have my own understanding, my own worldview. I know what's true and right, I know where I have obligations and where I don't. I know what I'm free to do and what I'm not free to do. I am free in the sense that I am not obligated to do what someone else tells me to do. I think that's what he means by I'm free from all men. Just because this person over here says I should avoid meat sacrificed to idols doesn't mean I have to avoid such meat. I'm free before God. I know what is right and true, and I know what my rights and freedoms are under the gospel. But while in theory no one else can dictate to me and limit my freedoms, I have made myself a slave to all. I have chosen to limit my freedom anyway. I'm not under legal obligation to limit my freedoms, yet whenever love would tell me to limit them so as not to hinder the gospel or cloud the gospel, I limit them. I consider the impact my choices might have on others and I act accordingly. I limit my freedoms accordingly. If limiting my freedom means more people would hear and believe the gospel, then I gladly do it. So in 1920 and 21, he talks about to the Jews I became a Jew, and to those without the law as without the law. I think his point here is sometimes I'm in a situation where the people I'm with obey the laws either as Jews or converts to Judaism. So the set of rules and regulations they follow is much larger than mine. And when I'm with them, I follow their rules so that they might hear the gospel more easily. Even though I understand that I'm no longer under obligation to keep, say, the Mosaic dietary laws, for example, I keep the laws when I'm with them for their sake. I limit myself to the things they limit themselves to so that I might win them to the gospel. On the other hand, when I'm in a situation where the people I'm with do not keep kosher, do not follow the Old Testament laws, then I follow their rules so that they too might hear the gospel. Now, would Paul tell them what he believes to be true? Absolutely. We have examples of his teaching and explanations in scripture. But he's saying if I'm talking to someone who's been raised her whole life to believe that practice A is immoral, when I'm with her, I avoid practice A. Why create a stumbling block for her by my behavior? If she believes that a person who does A is not a person who could ever believe in God, and I want her to believe in God, why would I do practice A in front of her? Because what's she going to conclude? She's going to conclude that I don't believe in this God. And believing in God is exactly what I want to persuade her to do. So why would I hinder the gospel that way? When I'm trying to persuade someone to believe the gospel, I don't want to give them an issue to argue about. That's not really an issue. I don't want them to wrestle with the question of practice A, I want them to wrestle with the claims of Jesus Christ without being distracted or dismissing me as an evildoer. Now remember the context of the argument. This is a discussion of should I eat meat sacrificed to idols? This is not a discussion of what must I do to be saved. When the gospel itself was at stake, Paul stood up and clarified exactly what was right and wrong. So we know from Galatians in particular that when the Judaizers said, Hey, you know what? Those Gentiles, they have to keep the law and be circumcised if they want to be saved, Paul stood up and said, No, the Gentiles can be saved without keeping the Old Testament law. Paul did not limit the freedom of the Gentiles so as not to offend the Judaizers because the message of the gospel itself was at stake. So Paul does not become all things to all people when the gospel itself is at stake. But that's not the situation we're talking about here. The situation here is not putting a stumbling block to the truth in someone else's path. And notice in 921, he does make a clarification, he says, but not being without the law. I think he's saying, let's be clear here, when I say I don't keep the law, that does not mean I disregard the law of God and start stealing, lying, and committing adultery. I don't mean that I am lawless and I begin ignoring what is true and good. I mean not seeing an obligation to keep the ritual aspects of the Mosaic Law, but I'm still under the law of Christ. I'm not lawless. In 22, he talks about to the weak I became weak so that I might win the weak. Weak in this context is not weak willed. So he's not saying when I'm with people who have a hard time avoiding promiscuity, I join them in promiscuity. He's not talking about that kind of thing. These are weak as an immature. Their understanding is not yet full and complete and robust. This is like the weakened conscience we saw in chapter eight. They don't yet understand the freedoms they have. When their understanding is lacking or incomplete, I limit myself in the same way they do, but I keep the law of God, I do not become lawless. And this is the message he wants to communicate to the Corinthians. If you have friends who think eating meat from idols is immoral, stop putting pressure on them to eat it. Instead, just limit your freedoms. Stop eating meat when you're with them so that you can win them over. And he says, I have become all things to all men so that I may by all means save some. This is one of those Bible verses that is very well known and has come into our modern Christian usage. And I just want to stop and make sure we think about it in context. Because sometimes the way we use it today is not the way Paul meant it. And it has come to mean something very different today than what Paul meant by it. This idea that I can be all things to all men and be a slave to all, that can be seriously abused and misapplied. So let's be clear about what Paul is saying and what he's not saying. Paul is speaking in a very specific context, in a very specific argument. He's talking about how we exercise our freedoms and how we exercise them so as not to hinder the gospel, and he wraps up his point in this phrase, I become all things to all people. So I think what he is saying is this. What will make it easiest for them to grow and learn and believe and embrace the gospel? If I'm trying to communicate the gospel to them, then I should limit my freedoms so as not to create a stumbling block for them. I don't want this false idea that I'm an evildoer who cheerfully pursues a lifestyle of sin to distract or confuse them, and I certainly don't want to pressure them to do what they believe is wrong so that I can do what I want to do. On the other hand, if they have legitimately confused or compromised the gospel somehow, then I need to humbly and clearly tell them the truth, even if the truth offends or upsets them. When the truth of the gospel is at stake, the most loving thing to do is speak up. So if the Judaizers say you have to keep the law to be saved, I say no because that's what they need to hear. This verse does not mean that if someone might not like me the way I am, I pretend to be something else that will please them. It does not mean that my goal is to keep everyone happy, and it does not mean that my goal is to make sure I never do anything that anyone anywhere could be offended by. First, that's impossible. There are going to be people who will be offended if you do something, and there will be people who will be offended if you don't do it. And sometimes promoting the gospel is going to be offensive, and people may not like you and they may get very angry with you, but it still could be the most loving thing to do. So remember, Paul is speaking in a specific context. If limiting my freedom helps me to communicate the gospel to someone else, then I do it. Let's pick back up his argument then 923. I do all things for the sake of the gospel so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. This is the theme we were talking about earlier. Paul wants to become a fellow partaker of the gospel. He believes it, he hopes in its promises. It's more than just a job, it's a message that he believes, and he doesn't just want to go through the motions of proclaiming the message because he's under obligation or compulsion to proclaim it. He believes it. He wants to believe it and share in its promises. And then he expands on that idea in twenty four through twenty seven. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim. I box in such a way as not beating the air, but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. Let's picture Paul's analogy here. He's not saying there's only going to be one winner and there's only one person who will ever receive eternal life. This is like a marathon. Sure, one person is going to cross the line first, but that doesn't mean everyone else stops running because they're running the race because they want to finish it. That's what he's talking about. He's saying those who enter the race have a goal. They want to cross the finish line. They don't stop after the first person crosses the line. They keep going because they have this goal they want to finish. There are those who will cross the line and there are those who will fall and never make it. Only those who cross the finish line are going to get the prize. You don't get the prize by entering the race, you get the prize by finishing it. I think the analogy is claiming to have faith isn't enough. You actually have to have faith. Going to church, going through the motions, doing religious things, those are not enough. That's like entering the race. But you have to cross the finish line. You actually have to have genuine saving faith to receive eternal life. So he's encouraging them, run in such a way that you might win. Athletes exercise self-control. The idea here is that runners make choices. They choose what to eat, they choose what not to eat because they want to increase their physical endurance and their likelihood of finishing the race. They choose how much sleep to get, they choose how much water to drink, they choose how much to work out and to train and to practice because they have this goal of finishing the race. They invest in shoes and equipment so that they might finish the race. They have this goal. And so they make these disciplined choices, they discipline their life to reach their goal, and those disciplined choices reveal something about who they are and what they value. And runners and athletes are doing all this for a trophy or a medal that's going to rust and break, but look at our incentive. We're running a different kind of race. The prize we hope for and the prize we run toward is imperishable. It's eternal life. It's an inheritance in the kingdom of God that cannot be stolen, broken, lost, defiled, or destroyed. It's something you cannot lose once you get it. So how much more incentive do you need to do what makes sense in pursuit of the goal of eternal life? That's what he's saying. Run with aim, run with discipline. I Paul run with aim. I discipline myself. I limit my freedoms. I make choices so that I might live out my faith in the gospel. I'm not just preaching to others. I want to cross the finish line too. So in the analogy, the athlete is making intelligent choices based on the goal he's trying to reach. He does what he needs to do to reach the goal. And Paul's saying, I see my life in the same way. My goal is a mature faith in Christ. My goal is being a partaker of this gospel I preach. My goal is not just proclaiming the gospel to others, it is believing it myself. I want to inherit the promises that come to those who love God and trust in Jesus. I don't just do my job as an apostle because it's my job. I do it because I want to partake in the promises of the gospel. Therefore, I make choices that fit with that goal. And those include limiting my freedoms to help promote the gospel. That's why I think communicating the gospel in the clearest way possible is more important than getting a paycheck. If I stand on my rights while compromising the gospel, then I might find myself lacking the very faith I preach about. And he's saying I want to believe it myself. I have to believe it myself. And the fact that I believe it is revealed in the free choices I make to limit my freedoms. So Paul faces the same critical personal questions we all face. Do I really believe the gospel? Am I a person of faith? Is this all theology and academic philosophy to me? Or am I a person who is counting on the blood of Jesus to forgive my sins and grant me an inheritance in the kingdom of God? Am I going through the motions of being religious, or do I really believe it? Do I really believe that the answer to my biggest problem is found in the cross of Christ? And Paul's saying one way you can know where you stand is by the choices you make. Paul's saying to the Corinthians, look, we're running a race. The choices we make in our lives arise out of faith or lack of faith. He is not saying if you sin, it means you're not a believer. That's not the picture he's painting. Genuine believers struggle with sin. He's talking about the situations that test our faith and confront us with the question, what do I really believe and what do I want in life? For Paul, how he exercises his freedom when he preaches the gospel is one of those tests. Those situations test what he values more, the gospel or selfishness, the gospel or money. Will he preach clearly when it costs him? When he has to give up his freedom, his rights, and his paycheck. Likewise, this issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols is a test for the Corinthians. Some in the church enjoy knowing that they have the freedom to eat this meat and enjoy a dinner in the temple dining hall. They enjoy feeling superior because they know and understand rightly, and they enjoy putting pressure on their naive and immature neighbors to come and eat with them. And Paul's saying this is a test you faced. When you have friends who think that the practice is a deliberate pursuit of evil, it's deliberately idolatry. What are you going to do? What's more important to you? Getting your way and doing what you want or clearly communicating the gospel to your friend? What do you value more? Isn't the choice to submit to God and seek Him with your whole heart much more important than this freedom to eat meat? So that's what Paul's encouraging them. Think of your life like an athlete training for a race. There is nothing more important than crossing the finish line and winning the prize of eternal life. If you've been listening to the Wednesday in the Word podcast, my mission is to teach you both what the Bible means and how we know. I pray that this podcast has lost you, and if it has, please share it with a friend, someone else you think you might benefit from it. And if you can, leave a positive rating overview whenever you listen to the podcast. It really does help others find the podcast more easily. If you want to find out more or hear previous episodes, go to wednesdayintheword.com. Artstame Music is graciously provided by Reggie Coast of HeartHelpmusic.org. Thank you for joining me today. I'm Krisan Marotta, and I'll see you next week at Krisan Marotta.