1 Corinthians 9
Lipscomb1 Corinthians 9:1
Am I not free?—He had just said that those who had “knowledge” should be ready to surrender their rights for the good of the “weak.” He now shows them that in matters which affected his whole life he had himself been governed by this rule. He was free and could have claimed that those to whom he preached should support him, but he deemed it wise to waive that right, and in so doing he subjected himself to great hardships and privations. (See Acts 20:34; 1 Thessalonians 2:9).
am I not an apostle?—Some one had gained an influence in the church at Corinth, who, in seeking to destroy Paul’s influence, denied that he was an apostle. As he had refused to receive help of the church at Corinth while among them, this question indicates that they had made the facts—that he was not married and would not receive support—reasons for saying he was not an apostle. He had performed works in their midst which none but the apostles did. He says: “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.” (2 Corinthians 12:12). These signs have been wrought in their midst and he refers to them as evidence of his claims.
An idea has prevailed that Apollos was at the head of the opposition to Paul; that some of the parties at Corinth claimed to be “of Apollos” is made the ground of this conclusion. But this is incorrect, for the relations between Paul and Apollos were cordial. (1 Corinthians 16:12).
have I not seen Jesus our Lord?—Paul had not seen and learned of Jesus when in the flesh as the other apostles had. This difference he himself recognized and made mention of it on several occasions. But he had seen Jesus even as he appeared to the twelve after his resurrection. After having recounted these appearances, he specifies with solemn emphasis, “And last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also.” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). [This manifestation of the risen and glorified Lord, which was vouchsafed to him on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:17), placed him on a level, in regard to this important particular, with the twelve.]
are not ye my work in the Lord?—He had been instrumental in converting them to Christ. He says: “For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 4:15).
1 Corinthians 9:2
If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; —If others should reject him as an apostle, how could they, since they were the fruit of his labor as an apostle? They were the seal of his apostleship. “He dwelt there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11), and he built a larger church there than he had built at any other place. His claims to be an apostle had been accompanied by miracles, and they had believed on the evidence given through these of God’s presence with him. Now to deny that he was an apostle would be to say that God had enabled one to work miracles and wonders who made false claims, or to admit that the miracles and wonders on which their faith rested had not been performed. They above all others could not question his apostleship.
for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.— [A seal is that which is affixed to a deed, or other instrument to make it sure and indisputable. The Corinthian church itself is represented as such a seal of his apostleship. After their conversion he had bestowed on many of them gifts of the Holy Spirit in such abundance that they were inferior to no church whatever. (1 Corinthians 1:5-7; 2 Corinthians 12:13).]
1 Corinthians 9:3
My defence to them that examine me is this.—When any of his opponents undertook to question him as to his apostleship, he answered that he had seen the Lord Jesus, and that he had set his seal upon his commission by the success which had crowned his labors. This answer satisfied Peter, James, and John, who gave to him the right hands of fellowship, seeing to him had been committed the apostleship to the Gentiles. (Galatians 2:8-9).
1 Corinthians 9:4
Have we no right to eat and to drink?—[Having proved his apostleship, he now proves his right to be maintained by those among whom he labored.]
1 Corinthians 9:5
Have we no right to lead about a wife that is a believer, —[He answered those who called in question his apostleship, on the ground that he had no wife neither did he receive a support from those among whom he labored, by informing them that, while he and Barnabas had the right to do so, they did not avail themselves of these privileges as a matter of choice.]
even as the rest of the apostles,—These had wives who accompanied them in their work, and he and Barnabas had the same right. [This passage certainly leads to the conclusion that most of the apostles, if not all, were married men; that all had the privilege of having themselves and their wives maintained by the churches.]
and the brethren of the Lord,— [The brethren of the Lord were “James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas.” (Matthew 13:55). Various and ingenious suppositions have been made as to who these were. Some have endeavored to prove that they were the cousins of Jesus; others that they were the sons of Joseph by a former marriage. These views have been fostered by those who have endeavored to establish the perpetual virginity of Mary. But the natural conclusion from a study of what is said in the Gospels, without preconceived prejudice, would be that Joseph and Mary lived together as husband and wife after the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus, and that these sons were born unto them. This conclusion is supported by the use of the words: “She brought forth her firstborn son” (Luke 2:7); “And knew her not till she had brought forth a son” (Matthew 1:25); “before they came together” (Matthew 1:18); and the repeated mention of them in connection with his mother Mary (Matthew 12:46; Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3).]
and Cephas?—[This statement and the account of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38) is conclusive proof that he was a married man.]
1 Corinthians 9:6
Or I only and Barnabas, have we not a right to forbear working?—Not only had they the right to marry if they saw fit, but they had a right to forbear laboring with their hands for support and to call on the brethren to support them in the work to which they were called. [The word “only” here implies that the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord exercised their right to be maintained by the church.]
1 Corinthians 9:7
What soldier ever serveth at his own charges?—The soldier had a right to receive support from those whom he served. This was a matter of common equity; and on this principle all acted who enlisted as soldiers. So then any man who goes into the world to fight for Jesus is entitled to his support from those to whom he renders service.
who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof? —Any man that plants a vineyard is entitled to the fruit of the vineyard he planted.
or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?—Any man that feeds a flock is entitled to the milk of that flock. In all this he asserts the right of those who labor for the church of God to live by that labor. He is entitled to a living for the work he does. If he does not labor in his calling, he is not entitled to it, for “if any will not work, neither let him eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
1 Corinthians 9:8
Do I speak these things after the manner of men? or saith not the law also the same?—It is not merely in accordance with human judgment of what is fitting that he lays down the principle that the laborer has a right to a living wage. There is a higher authority than that, for God had ordained it in the law.
1 Corinthians 9:9
For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.—The ox when treading out the grain was allowed to eat what he needed while so doing.
Is it for the oxen that God careth,—[Certainly God cares for the ox. He had commanded the Israelites that when the harvest came, the ox, while treading out the corn which it had contributed to produce by the painful labor of plowing, should not be muzzled, and thereby prevented from enjoying, conjointly with man, the fruit of its toil. God’s object in acting thus was evidently to cultivate in the hearts of his people feelings of justice and equity. This moral object appears not only from the prohibition itself, but also from all the other injunctions which accompany it—pay to the poor laborer his wages on the same evening; not to put the child to death with the guilty father; always to leave, when gathering the harvest, a gleaning for widows and strangers; not to subject the criminal to more than forty stripes. (Deuteronomy 24:10 to Deuteronomy 25:4). This whole context shows clearly enough what the object of the prohibition was. It was not from solicitude for the ox that God made this prohibition; there were other ways for providing for his nourishment.
By calling on the Israelites to exercise gentleness and gratitude, even to a poor animal, it is clear that God desired to impress on them, with stronger reason, the same way of acting toward the human workmen whose help they engaged in their labor. It was the duties of moral beings to one another that God wished to impress by this precept.]
1 Corinthians 9:10
or saith he it assuredly for your sake? Yea, for our sake it was written: because he that ploweth ought to plow in hope, and he that thresheth, to thresh in hope of partaking.—This was written to teach that those laboring in the service of the Lord were entitled to a living from those for whom they labored, whatever their labor might be. [So the good which such a provision as the law achieved for the oxen was nothing compared to the good which it accomplished for man. God did not do this simply as a provision for the ox, but to teach us that it is a divine principle that the laborer should have his reward.]
1 Corinthians 9:11
If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things?—If Paul and Barnabas had preached to them, fed their souls with spiritual food, it was not unreasonable that they should minister to their fleshly necessities.
1 Corinthians 9:12
If others partake of this right over you, do not we yet more?—These opponents of Paul had received support from them. Certainly if any one had the right to receive their support, Paul, who had labored to support himself and suffered to plan and build up the church in its weakness, was entitled to it.
Nevertheless we did not use this right;—He had not demanded this of them, preferring to hold himself above suspicion as to his motives. It is common even yet that an earnest, faithful worker denies himself, plants the truth through selfdenial, builds up a church, and then the church wishes a popular man to entertain them, and they forget the self-sacrificing father, wound his feelings, and support in abundance a popular young man, who perverts the truth their father in the gospel taught. Paul’s rebuke here applies to all such churches; but the men who allow themselves to be so used ought to be regarded as unworthy of countenance or support. Many young men ought to drink into Paul’s spirit—that he would not build on another man’s foundation—and seek destitute fields in which they can plant vineyards and live of their own planting, drink the milk of the flock they themselves have watered and cared for.
but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.—While Paul had the right to this support, he refused to accept it lest he should be suspected of seeking gain. He preferred to suffer and labor with his own hands, lest the gospel should be hindered by such suspicions against his character. [From this we should learn that our right to anything is of itself no sufficient reason for claiming it. We are bound by our relation to Christ to consider whether we shall most advance his cause by claiming or waiving our rights.]
1 Corinthians 9:13
Know ye not that they that minister about sacred things eat of the things of the temple,—God ordained in the temple service that those who administered in the temple should live from the offerings in the temple.
and they that wait upon the altar have their portion with the altar?—-Of the offerings and sacrifices brought to the temple, certain portions were set apart for the priests and their helpers around the altar, and for their families. While serving at the altar they must live of the offerings made.
1 Corinthians 9:14
Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel.—As the priests who ministered about the holy things lived of the gifts made at the altar, so those who preach the gospel should receive their support out of the offerings made by the church, not of special donations made to them while other work of the church suffers, as God ordained it. A failure to support the work of the church left the teacher to suffer.
1 Corinthians 9:15
But I have used none of these things:—Paul chose to use none of these privileges of a support to which he was entitled, lest by it he should hinder the gospel of Christ.
and I write not these things that it may be so done in my case;—-Neither did he write this to them that they should do so to him.
for it were good for me rather to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.—His glorying was that he might preach the gospel without receiving help from those to whom he preached.
1 Corinthians 9:16
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me;—He had been a sinner in persecuting the church. God chooses men to do work because of their fitness to do it. Paul’s persecution of the church continually reminded him how he should as much as he could compensate for the injury he had done to it. So he felt in preaching and suffering all he could preach and suffer only what he ought to do to undo the former evil work. As he had made others suffer for it, he felt that he ought to bear and suffer to convert the world. Paul’s conscience was always tender, quick, alert to lead him to suffer as he had made others suffer.
for woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.—As he had received mercy from God, he must proclaim the terms of mercy to others; hence he felt that woe would be unto him, if, after receiving so great mercy, he did not preach the mercy to others.
1 Corinthians 9:17
For if I do this of mine own will, I have a reward:—If he preached cheerfully and willingly without support, a reward would be given him.
but if not of mine own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.—The stewardship was the responsibility of being an apostle to the Gentiles. And if he should fail to fill it, the responsibility of the Gentiles dying without having the gospel preached to them would be his. And what a woe would have rested upon him had he failed in the discharge of his duty, [Since a steward was a slave, there is a great difference between what he did in obedience to a command and what a man volunteers to do of his own accord. And this is the difference to which Paul refers. The slave may feel honored by the command of his master, and obey him gladly, still it is but service. So “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1), was commanded to preach the gospel (Acts 26:16-21), and he did it with his whole heart; but he was not commanded to refuse support from those to whom he ministered while so doing.]
1 Corinthians 9:18
What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel without charge,—His reward or that which brought the reward was that he should preach the gospel without charge.
so as not to use to the full my right in the gospel.—He was sensitive lest he should transcend and abuse his right of support while preaching. So he refused it from those to whom he preached. His own persecution of the church in days past no doubt wrought upon his conscience and demanded that he should suffer for the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:19
For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.—-[None had any claim on him because they maintained him; yet he reduced himself to the condition of a servant, both by serving all men without requiring even maintenance from them and by complying with their prejudices in all cases where he could without violating God’s will. How he did this is explained in the following verses.]
1 Corinthians 9:20
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews;—To the Jews when he circumcised Timothy, for it is expressly said: “Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those parts.” (Acts 16:3). Also when he consented to purify himself and to be at charges with the four men who had a vow (Acts 21:20-26); and when he said: “I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6-7). He conformed to their usages, observed the law, avowing at the same time that he did it as a matter of conciliation. But whenever the fair inference from his course would have been that he regarded the Mosaic law and observances as binding on the Christian he strenuously refused compliance.
His action in relation to Timothy and Titus shows the principle which governed him. Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess, he circumcised, because it was regarded as a concession. Titus he refused to circumcise, because it was demanded as a matter of obedience to the Mosaic law. (Galatians 2:3-5). Two things are, therefore, to be considered in all cases in the opinions and practices of others: (1) That the point conceded be a matter of indifference; for Paul never yielded to anything which was in itself wrong. In this respect his conduct was directly opposite to that of those who accommodate themselves to the sins of men or to the religious errors of others. (2) That the concession does not involve any admission other than what is, in fact, indifferent in a matter of moral or spiritual obligation.
to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;—[Expositors generally take the position that this clause is only explanatory of the expression, “to the Jews,” that is, to those under the law, I became a Jew, that is, as one under the law.]
1 Corinthians 9:21
to them that are without law,—All peoples and things in the universe are under the general government and rule of God. God gives men the privilege of obeying him and being saved, or of rejecting him as ruler and being condemned and punished for rebelling against him. If they were not under the dominion and rule of God, he could not punish them. Satan himself is under the dominion of God. God is the sole ruler of the universe. He permits men to rebel, to refuse to submit, for a time; but if they do not repent, God, as the ruler of all, will punish them.
All men now living ought to be under “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” The reason they are not is because they are unwilling to obey him. God allows them to live a while in the state of rebellion; then if they refuse to repent and obey him, in the execution of the laws of the universe, he will punish them in hell. God forbears with them for a time, giving them time and opportunity to repent. He gives laws only to those willing to obey him. Those unwilling to serve him he leaves without law, not that they are not accountable, but because they reject him as ruler. God gave laws to the Israelites because they were willing at times to obey and serve him.
The Gentiles were not willing to serve him, and he left them without law. When any Gentile was willing to obey God, he entered into the Jewish family and came under the Mosaic law. Just so now; any soul that is willing to obey God comes into the church of God and under his law. If a man is not under law it is because he is not willing to obey God. The Gentiles, who were without law in the days of Judaism, became willing to obey God under Christ; hence they were said to be without law, were not under the law of Moses.
as without law,—[Paul adapted himself to the habits and modes of thought of the Gentiles; quoted their poets (Acts 17:23); ate with them, and rebuked Peter when he ceased to do so (Galatians 2:11-16); based an argument on the inscriptions on their altars (Acts 17:23); and did not urge on them the ceremonies and “works of the law”; but “by the hearing of faith” (Galatians 3:9).]
not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law.—This parenthesis explains in what sense only Paul was “without law.” The death of Jesus on the cross had made him free from the law of Moses (Colossians 2:14), and brought him under the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2).
1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.—Paul’s own example is instructive, as showing how far this method of action may be rightly carried. He accommodated himself to the prejudices and preferences of men so far as he could without sacrificing truth and righteousness, in order to win them to Christ. In other words, he sacrificed personal rights and personal liberty of action rather than to insist upon them when they stood in the way of winning any man, or set of men, to the Lord. As an example he earnestly contended that the law of Moses was no longer binding; yet he observed it as fully as he could, consistently with the law of Christ, for the purpose of conciliating the Jews and obtaining from them a favorable hearing of the gospel. He did this not that he might be personally popular with any man, but that by doing so he might throw no obstacle in the way of their giving the gospel a favorable hearing.
1 Corinthians 9:23
And I do all things for the gospel’s sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof.— [Hitherto Paul has dwelt on the duty of self-denial for the good of others; now, however, he rises higher—to the absolute necessity of it to eternal salvation even of himself, as an indispensable feature of Christian character. So we see that in work for the good of others we must not be unmindful of our own good; and there is nothing more conducive to our spiritual benefit than faithful, self-denying service for Christ. “Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.” (1 Timothy 4:16).]
1 Corinthians 9:24
Know ye not that they that run in a race run all,—There is here an allusion to the Isthmian games, which took place every second year, at a place on the seacoast about nine miles from Corinth. These games had been one of the chief means of fostering the feeling of brotherhood in the Hellenic race. They were the greatest of the national gatherings; and even when one State was at war with another, hostilities were suspended during the celebration of the games. All competitors in the games had ten months’ training, under the directions of competent teachers and under various restrictions of diet. For thirty days previous to the contest the candidates had to attend the exercises at the gymnasium. At the beginning of the festival, they were required to prove to the judges that they were of pure Greek blood, and had not forfeited by misconduct the right of citizenship, and had undergone the necessary training.
Only after the fulfillment of these conditions were they allowed, and when the time arrived, to contend in the sight of assembled Greece. The race was not merely an exhibition of bodily strength, but solemn trials of the excellence of the competitors in the gymnastic art, and was to the Greeks one-half of the human education. Proclamation was made of the name of each competitor by a herald.
but one receiveth the prize?—Of the multitude of competitors one only received the prize. They ran with all their might—each exerted himself to the utmost. The desire to succeed was so intense that the contestants suffered great agony. The issue of the contest was watched by his relatives and friends with breathless interest. His success depended on his passing all rivals, so thy cheered him to greater exertion.
[The prize was a wreath of pine leaves, conferred on the successful contestant on the last day of the games. “Every one thronged to see and congratulate him; his relatives, friends, and countrymen shedding tears of tenderness and joy, lifted him on their shoulders to show him to the crowd, and held him up to the applause of the whole assembly, who strewed handfuls of flowers over him.” His family was greatly honored by his victory, and when he returned to his home, he rode in a triumphal chariot through a breach in the wall which enclosed the city, the object of this being to symbolize that for a city which was honored by such a citizen no walls of defense were needful. His name was sung in triumphal odes and his likeness was placed in the long line of statues which formed the approach to the adjacent temple. Such was the imagery before Paul’s mind when he wrote these words.]
Even so run; that ye may attain.—That is, run as the victor runs, in order to attain. We have seen that the victor’s success depended on great self-denial in preparation, and the greatest possible effort in the contest. In the Christian race he who crowns is willing to crown not the first only but the last. Yet all must run in a certain way. What this so running is, we learn from the following. “Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2). This gives special prominence to the immense concourse which the Greek spectacle called together, as well as the necessity of being free from every hindrance and of straining to the utmost every nerve, in order to attain the heavenly runner’s prize.
1 Corinthians 9:25
And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things.—Contentedly and without a murmur he submits himself to the rules and restrictions of his ten months’ training, without which he may as well not compete. The indulgences which other men allow themselves he must forego. Not once will he break the trainer’s rules, for he knows that some competitor will refrain even from that once and gain the strength while he is losing it. He glories in his hardships and fatigues and privation, and counts it a point of honor scrupulously to abstain from anything which might in the slightest degree diminish his chance of success, because his heart is set on the prize, and severe training is indispensable. He knows that his chances are gone if in any point or on any occasion he relaxes the rigor of the discipline.
Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown;—A crown of pine leaves. The victor, it is true, won a crown of glory; but the glory faded almost as fast as the wreath. No permanent satisfaction could result from being victorious in a contest of physical strength, activity, and skill.
but we an incorruptible.—-An incorruptible, an unfading, and eternal crown. It is called “the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8); “the crown of life” (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10); and “the crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). It is possible for every one who runs the Christian race to receive this crown, which shall forever be unto him a joy as thrilling as at the moment of receiving it. [It is worthy of the determined and sustained effort of a lifetime. As victory in the games was the actual incentive which stimulated the Grecian youth to strive for the physical strength and development, so there is laid before the Christian an incentive which, when fully apprehended, is sufficient to carry him to great spiritual attainments. To have righteousness and life in perfection is his true glory, and this is the very crown of his being. And such a crown cannot fade away.]
1 Corinthians 9:26
I therefore so run, as not uncertainly;—Here Paul appeals to his own conduct as an illustration of the lesson which he is teaching, and by means of it reminds the reader that the whole of this chapter has been a vindication of his own selfdenial, and that he has a clear and definite object in view. No man can run as Paul did who has no definite object to be gained. [We must be resolved to win and have no thought of defeat, of failure, or of doing something better. It is the absence of deliberate choice and a strong determination which causes such uncertain running on the part of many who claim to be in the race. Their faces are as often turned from the goals as towards it. They fail to understand that all strength spent in any other direction than towards the goal is lost. They act as though they do not know what they wish to make of life.]
so fight I, as not beating the air:—The illustration is changed from running to fighting, both being included in “striveth.” He had an adversary to contend against, and did not strive with uncertain blows; but all his efforts were directed, with good account, to the great purpose of subjecting his enemy, and bringing every thought into captivity to God.
1 Corinthians 9:27
but I buffet my body,—By this he plainly means his whole embodied self, as acting and acting on through the body. So viewed he expressed his determination to beat down relentlessly all those unholy inclinations of which the body is the essential organ. [Every man’s body is his enemy when, instead of being his servant, it becomes his master. The proper function of the body is to serve the will, to bring the inner man into contact with the outer world and enable him to influence it. When the body refuses to obey the will, when it usurps the authority and compels the man to do its bidding, it becomes his dangerous enemy.]
and bring it into bondage:—He brought all its desires under subjection, that it might serve, not rule, the spirit. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other” (Galatians 5:17), “because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). God is Spirit; so the flesh opposes God. Paul kept under his body, and brought it, with all its lusts and desires, into subjection to the Spirit. He also says: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
[It is difficult to control the thoughts. Evil thoughts will rise in the mind, excited by fleshly lusts. To bring into subjection to the will of God is the triumph of the Spirit, yet by constant prayer and watchfulness it can be done. By devotion to the Lord and persevering effort the thoughts that spring from the heart can be brought into subjection to the will of Christ. The heart can be so trained that the thoughts that arise will be of God, of our duties, and obligations to him, and of the high and exalted privileges and blessings that are bestowed on us as his children. This state is gained only by the constant study of God’s word, a drinking into the Spirit, a cultivation of the devotional feelings, and a constant effort to conform the life to the will of God. This is the only way to fit the soul for companionship with God and “the spirits of just men made perfect.” The church is the training school to fit man for the eternal home, and the will of Christ is for disciplining and training for the blessed companionship with the redeemed in the heavenly home.]
lest by any means, after that I have preached to others,— [The image is carried on, and Paul says that he has a further motive to live a life of self-denial—that having acted as a herald, proclaiming the conditions of the contest, and the requisite preliminaries for it, should not be found to have himself fulfilled them. It is the same image kept up still of this race, and of the herald who announced the name of the victor, and the fact that he had fulfilled the necessary conditions. It was not the custom for the herald to join in the contest, but the apostle was himself both a runner in the Christian race and a herald of the conditions of that race to others. Hence, naturally, he speaks of the two characters, which in the actual illustration would be distinct, as united in one when applied spiritually to himself.]
I myself should be rejected.—[Lest he should fail utterly of the prize. If such earnest, self-denying watchfulness was needed on the part of Paul, with all his labors for others, to make his own calling and election sure, we should learn that not to do our utmost to save, at any personal sacrifice, the souls of others is to imperil our own salvation. For such effort and sacrifice strengthen the spiritual life. And so serious is our conflict and so tremendous are its issues that we dare not leave unused any means of spiritual strength. In seeking to save others, we are working out our own salvation.]