The Responsibility of Liberty
Notes
Transcript
Handout
We’re studying 1 Corinthians, and you remember that, in this letter, Paul is answering questions that the Corinthians asked, at least in the middle section. One of the questions they asked regarded eating meat that had been offered to an idol. In that pagan society, people would sacrifice meats to idols. Now, the meat that wasn’t burnt on the altar would wind up in a marketplace somewhere. The priest would take it and sell it, or the people would take it back and sell it, or they would take it back and serve it on their table. So Christians were in situations where they would be eating meat that had been offered to an idol; and some of the Christians were wondering whether this was right or not.
Well, the Corinthian people, the mature ones, the strong Christians were saying, “What’s the difference? There are no such thing as other God’s anyway. An idol isn’t anything, and God isn’t really too concerned about food. It isn’t what goes in you that defiles you. It’s what comes out of you. So it isn’t any big deal. Eat up; but some of the brand new baby Christians who had just been saved out of idol worship, and just come to Christ out of paganism, found it very difficult to do that, because that whole thing represented a way of life that was distasteful to them, that they had rejected and turned their back on; and to see some Christians just eating up and having a great old time eating this meat became very offensive to them, because they were so antagonistic toward that way of life from which they had been delivered; and so there were some Christians who had the right to eat. I mean the Bible didn’t forbid it. They were right. It was all right; but there were other Christians who were being injured by it.
So Paul introduces a principle in chapter 8, which we studied last time, and the principle is this.
You may have the freedom to do something, but don’t do it if it’s gonna hurt somebody else.
Don’t do it if it’s gonna wound somebody else. Don’t do it if it’s gonna grieve somebody else.
There are some things that are definitely wrong. The Bible tells us what they are; but in the gray area, you know, the area that the Bible doesn’t forbid, we have freedom. We have complete liberty, but love becomes the limiter of our liberty. We don’t wanna do something that makes somebody offend or that causes somebody to fall into a sin that they can’t handle.
Maybe there are some things you can handle that they can’t handle. Maybe you could go to a feast and eat meat offered to an idol, and … and you’d just be eating there; but maybe another Christian would go to this little feast, and they’d have meat offered to an idol, and he would get caught in the whole orgy that went with the feast, because he was so weak.
So, yes, we have liberty in Christ, but our liberty is limited by love. I will not do some things that I have the right to do simply because somebody’d be offended, and … and I’ve been the cause of somebody stumbling.
That’s verse 13 of chapter 8, and that’s how he closes out the principle. Look at it with me, and we’ll just start there.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
“Wherefore, if food makes my brother offend, I won’t even eat … he says … I don’t wanna do anything to make him offend.”
As long as the world stands, I don’t wanna make my brother offend. Now this is a super Christian principle that we, as Christians, have a responsibility to other folks to live lives that are not offensive to them. To live lives that don’t purposely go about doing whatever we want, because we have the liberty to do it in Christ, no matter how it affects someone.
Now, having stated that tremendously important principle, Paul wants to illustrate it. I told you that he states the principle in chapter 8. He illustrates it in chapter 9 through 10:13, and he applies it from 10:14 to 11:1. So he states the principle, and now he is going to illustrate it.
The one from his own life makes up chapter 9, so all of chapter 9 is an illustration from the life of Paul of how he had a liberty that he could’ve used, but he didn’t use it, because somebody would’ve been offended.
What is that liberty?
What is that right?
It is the right to support from the church. He had the right to expect the Corinthian church to pay him money for his ministry, to support him, to underwrite him, to provide his needs. He had the perfect right for that, but he chose not to use that right; and he chose, rather, to make tents all through his ministry and earn his own living; because he felt, in his case, in the early birth of the church, that to demand that right would’ve become a terrible offense to many people; and he was afraid that some people wouldn’t even become Christians because they would see Christianity as some kind of a movement fostered by this man who did it to get people to give him money. So he was so conscientious about how he would come across that, throughout his entire ministry, he never exercised the right he had to ask for support, and he worked with his hands, always earning his own way.
Now, he’s gonna tell us about that liberty that he set aside.
But, first, he gives in verses 1–14, six reasons why the minister is worthy of support; and then he shows in verses 15–18 why he didn’t choose to use that liberty.
Now, we’ll see how that all applies to today as we go, and then next week in particular.
Deserving of Support
Deserving of Support
Let’s look, first of all, at these six reasons why Paul could have asked for support and expected it.
That’s just what he’s talking about. Why is it that a minister of God, a servant of God, whatever ministry he has, is worthy of the support of the people?
Paul was an Apostle
Paul was an Apostle
Reason No. 1 in Paul’s case is that he was an apostle. That’s No. 1. He was an apostle.
1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
The … the Corinthians have been saying, “Hey, man, we’re free to do anything we want. We can go eat meat offered to idols. We can go up to one of the pagan feasts. We don’t have to do what they do. We can still eat their food. We’re liberated people, man. We can just go out and do whatever we wanna do,” and so Paul says, “All right, I’m in your boat, too. Am I not free? Could I not do whatever I want? I’m not just a Christian like the rest of you. Am I not an … what?… an apostle. As a specially appointed apostle by Christ, do I not at least have the liberty that you do, and maybe just more? Am I certainly any less than you in my liberty? Don’t I have the same freedom you do?”
And he’s about to say, “Hey, I have the same liberty you do; and, yet, I set it aside; and I’m not demanding you to do anything that I haven’t done myself. Am I not also free? Am I not even an apostle? And, yet, I set my liberty aside. I set my freedom aside, because I don’t wanna offend somebody.
Now, some of them may have said, “Well, I’m not sure you’re an apostle, fella.” So he says in verse 1, “Am I not free? Am I not apostle?” And then he gives two reasons or two verifications of his apostleship.
He Has Seen Christ
He Has Seen Christ
Now, the qualification for an apostle was that he be appointed by the resurrected Christ. An apostle had to be appointed by Jesus Christ personally, which means he would’ve had to have seen the resurrected Christ.
You have Seen my Work
You have Seen my Work
Now, the second thing that he uses to verify his apostleship is in chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians, in the last statement of verse 1. “Are not you my work in the Lord?” Not only was the seeing of Christ a verification of his apostleship, but so was the Corinthian church. “If you have any doubts about my apostleship,” he says, “look at yourselves. Where do you think you came from? Aren’t you the fruit of my labor? Aren’t you the … the verification of my ministry?”
2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.
The word apostle means a sent one. “I certain was a sent one from God, and I brought the message to you, and you are the seal of my apostleship. You in the Lord. The fact that you’re saved, the fact that you’re in Christ, the fact that you’ve been born again, the fact that you’re in the family of God, that you’re a church oughta be proof enough that I’m an apostle, because I brought you the message. You oughta look at your own selves. You’re my seal.”
Now, “As an apostle,” he’s saying, “do not I have liberty? Do not I have as much freedom as you and maybe even more?” And, of course, the implication is, “Well, yes.”
3 Mine answer to them that do examine me is this,
The word examine is a legal term. Talks about making an investigation before you make a decision. “So when anybody wants to try to decide whether I’m an apostle, here’s the evidence I give them. One, I saw the Lord. Two, look at the results. I’m an apostle,” he says.
“Now, as an apostle, I have liberty. I have freedom. I have freedom to do whatever I want; and one of the things that I have the freedom to do,” he says, “is ask you for money. Is to ask you to support me.”
4 Have we not power to eat and to drink?
Now watch him. “Have we no right to eat and to drink?” And he’s a little bit sarcastic with ‘em at this point, just a little bit ironic.
He’s saying, “Now that you know that I’m an apostle, that’s been established, are you saying that I have no right to food and drink?”
5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
Verse 5, “Have we no right to lead about a sister, a wife,” and what it really means is, “Have we no right to take a Christian sister as a wife and lead her about.”
When it says to lead her about, it means, “Have we no right to take a Christian sister and marry her as a wife and take with us on our journeys? Why, the other apostles do it. The brothers of our Lord do it, and Cephas, or Peter, does it. Are you saying that I only and Barnabas have no right to stop working? Everybody else can receive support, and everybody else can marry a Christian sister and take her on the journey, and the … and the believers will not only support him, but her, as well? But we can’t?”
No, what he’s saying is, “I have a right to support from you, and if I wanted to … he wasn’t married at this time. His wife had most likely died … if I wanted to, I could take a Christian sister as a wife and expect that you would support her, as well. That’s my liberty. That’s my right to ask of you.”
6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
Now, verse 6, he says, “You’re certainly not saying that everybody can do it but Barnabas and me. We have to work. That what you’re saying?” Well, they couldn’t say that. I mean they had liberty. They could ask of … of the church and expect to get money. Barnabas was his buddy. They had been co-pastors in Antioch; and when the call of the Lord came to go as missionaries to the Gentile world, Barnabas went with Paul. Two of ‘em, and he’s saying, “You’re sure not gonna say that we’re the two that have to work while everybody else is supported by the church.” No.
So reason No. 1, Paul, said, “That I have the liberty to ask for support is I’m an apostle.” Now watch reason No. 2 in verse 7.
Support is Human Custom
Support is Human Custom
7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
“Who goes to war at any time at his own expense?” Did you ever know a soldier who fought the war all day and then went to work at night to earn his living? No, if a guy’s in the Army, they’re gonna pay him. Not a lot, but they’re gonna pay him enough. They’re gonna sustain him and get him food, lodging, and whatever clothing he needs, and they’re gonna give him a little bit of money. Nobody goes to war and pays himself. In other words, it is human custom that a man earns his living by his work. That’s all he’s saying.
Next one, “Who plants a vineyard and eats not its fruit?” I mean if a guy plants a vineyard, he doesn’t work as a farmer all day long and then go to … to work at night to earn a living. He gets his living from his farming. Out of that labor comes his living.
Third thing he uses is, “If somebody feeds a flock, doesn’t he drink the milk?” Sure. He just uses three illustrations: a soldier, a farmer, and a shepherd.
All three were cared for out of their occupation, and his conclusion is, “So why not the servant of God? Why shouldn’t the servant of God be equally cared for out of his occupation?” … It’s just human custom, as well as apostolic right.
Support is Law of God
Support is Law of God
8 Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
Is thus just human reasoning, or does God’s law say the same thing?”
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
“For it is written … verse 9 … in the Law of Moses.” Yes, there is something in the Law of Moses. This isn’t just a human analogy or human reason. God has something to say. You say, “What did he say?” Well, he quotes the Law of Moses. God’s Old Testament, Deuteronomy 25:4, he quotes, “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain.” Now, you say, “What does that have to do with anything? What is he talking about? Muzzling an ox.”
The Egyptians, that’s a quote from Deuteronomy 25:4, and it was an Old Testament principle. Now, the Egyptians had an interesting custom that the Israelites picked up. Whenever they wanted to separate the grain from the husk, they would throw all of the stuff on a great floor, a great flat area, and they would get oxen, and they would tie to the oxen a great big, round, flat stone, and the oxen would just walk all over that grain, dragging that stone, crushing the husks and releasing the grain out of it. That’s the way the separated it, and the law said, “Don’t muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads the grain.” You wanna have one frustrated ox, you just muzzle him and make him tread that grain. You’ll really frustrate him. That would be inhumane. That would be unjust. If the ox is gonna drag that rock around all day, he oughta be able to take a few bites now and then. That’s the point, see.
In other words, the … the principle, the metaphor is a person ought to earn his living out of his labor. His sustenance should come from out of his labor. There shouldn’t be a labor, and then some other source of sustenance. He oughta be supported in what he does. If the ox is climbing on the grain, he oughta be able to eat a little of it while he’s doing it. If the farmer owns the vineyard, and he’s out farming, he oughta take a grape or two. If the soldier’s fighting in a war, he oughta be able to … to get paid for his efforts. If the guy has a flock, he oughta be able to drink a little of the milk himself …
10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
Verse 10, “Or saith He it altogether for our sakes?” … Yes, “For our sakes, no doubt, this is written.” Stop right there. When God wrote that, He wasn’t really talking about oxen. He was talking about people, and it’s, incidentally, in … in Deuteronomy 25, there’s no mention of animals anyway. It’s talking about social and economic relationships between men; and it just puts this one in a metaphor. Men oughta be able to earn their living from their labor. Simple principle.
If God requires that an ox, spending his strength serving man, should get his reward, how much more a man who spends his strength serving God?
If an ox shouldn’t be muzzled, why should a man of God? Why should a minister? And, you know, there’s a built-in incentive, too, I think in this. I think when a man gains his living out of his labor, it may tend to make his labor all the more diligent …
And now look at verse 10 again. He says, “This is written … pick it up right in the third line there … This is written: that he that plows should plow in hope.”
In other words, the guy plowing the field oughta be able to hope that, out of his plowing, he’s gonna gain a reward. “He that threshes in hope should be a partaker of his hope.” In other words, he should be working, realizing there was gonna come something in the future. He’d have a hope for something in the future, and, indeed, it would come. Hope for the servant.
Applying this to himself, Paul is simply saying this. “I oughta be able, and so should every missionary and every pastor and every minister, we oughta be able to labor with the anticipation that, out of that labor, is gonna come our financial need. That outta the labor is gonna come reward. That outta that labor is gonna come provision. We shouldn’t have to have additional provision other than that.”
Now, Paul makes a direct application, verse 11.
11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
Now, that’s an interesting statement. He says, “Look, Corinthians, if we sowed unto you the things of the Spirit, life-transforming things, eternal things, forever things, is it any big deal that you would give back to us some material things?”
It’s an obvious question, isn’t it? No, I mean it’s no big deal. But so many times the mentality of Christians in history has been, “Make sure the servant of God can barely make it. Don’t give them too much. After all, they’re serving God.”
“My philosophy on the thing is, ‘Hey, if he’s serving God, I mean what higher calling? Give him a whole bunch.’ ”
You see, the point is not just, you know, make sure he never has enough, but give him more than he needs, and then you let him worry about how he’s a steward of it. You let him … generosity … You know, we think about a missionary and, invariably, you know, you say, “Well, we don’t wanna … don’t wanna overdo it. After all, they’re only missionaries.”
So Paul’s saying, “Hey … back to 1 Corinthians 9 … I have a right to ask for funds. No. 1, I’m an apostle, and I have that freedom. No. 2, that’s human custom … verse 7 … No. 3, it’s the law of God.”
And then he gives No. 4, and I’m just gonna mention this briefly to you.
Support is Done for Others
Support is Done for Others
No. 4 reason to support the ministry is it was done to others.
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
Paul says in verse 12, “If others be partakers of this right over you, are not we also? If other people receive this, shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t we receive it as well as the others?” There had been precedent, you see, Apollos, one of the other pastors there; Peter undoubtedly was being supported by them; many others surely were being supported. He’s saying, “Everybody else is receiving it, shouldn’t we?” And especially since Paul was the founder of the church and their one spiritual father.
Support is Patterned in the Priests
Support is Patterned in the Priests
Let’s look at verse 13 and see the fifth reason. The fifth reason for supporting the ministry is that this is the universal pattern. This is the universal religious pattern.
13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
Verse 13, “Do you not know,” and this is God-ordained, too. This is right out of God’s law. “Do you not know that they who minister about holy things live of the temple, and they who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?” What’s he saying there? He’s saying it’s always been God’s way that God’s priests were supported by their priesthood.
For example, a priest is in the temple; and people are bringing offerings, the Old Testament. The man would … would bring a burnt offering. There were five different offerings that the Jews would bring. Let’s say he’d bring a burnt offering. Now, this alone was the one that was totally burned up. The only thing left would be, according to Genesis 32, the stomach, the entrails, and the sinew from the thigh, and that you wouldn’t particularly want. But what was left out of the burnt offering was the hide, and the priests would take the hides, and they would use those hides to sell to make money to live. So out of the burnt offering came the hide of the animal. The second offering that the Jews gave was the sin offering. Only the fat was burned, and the priest kept all the rest of the meat. The third offering was the trespass offering. The same thing, the fat was burned. The priest kept the rest of the meat. There was the meal offering, where they brought flour and wine and oil. A small token of it was burned. The rest of it went to the priest. The peace offering, which is the fifth one, where the fat and the entrails were burned. The priest received the breast and the … they said the right shoulder, and that all has symbolic meaning; and all the rest of it went back to the worshipper.
So in every case, there was something for the priest in order that his livelihood and his support and his sustenance might come out of his service. The priest received the first fruits of barley, wheat, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, honey, all of those things. Some of the first fruits of everybody’s crop had to go to the priesthood to support them in the Old Testament.
They received one-tenth of the Levites tithe. They received what was called the teruma, which was the one-fiftieth of any crop. They received what was called the kallah, and that had … that had to do with dough.
When anybody made bread, one-twenty-fourth of the batch had to go to the priest. If you were a baker, one-forty-eighth, ‘cause you were making more bread.
And so the priest in the Old Testament, according to these truths, and you can find them in Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 18, and many places, they were sustained by their ministry; and so he says in verse 13, “Don’t you know that those who minister about holy things live of the temple, and those who serve the altar are partakers with the altar?” In other words, the support comes right out of that ministry.
Support is Jesus Ordained
Support is Jesus Ordained
But now, climactically, No. 6, he says, “I have right to ask for support, because the Lord Jesus … ordained it. The Lord Jesus ordained it.”
14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
It’s saying is this, “They who preach the Gospel should derive their living from the preaching of the Gospel.” Support the preacher. Support the man of God. Support the missionary. This is the Word of our Lord. The Lord ordained it. This is not human reason. This is not just Old Testament proverb. This has been reiterated by the Lord Himself.
Paul says, “My beloved Corinthians, I’m just as free as you are; and I have a right to ask you for support; but … but.”
Denial of Support
Denial of Support
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
15 But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.
Paul gave six reasons why he had a right to be supported, and then he said, “But I didn’t use any of ‘em. I never took anything from you, even though I had a right to do it. You know why?
Love for you limited the exercise of that liberty.
I felt that it would be a hindrance, and so I didn’t take the right that I had.” And that, people is his principle here. As Christians, we have rights, rights that can be defended. I mean that’s a tremendous defense of his right, isn’t it, but a right that equally can be set aside.
Listen, as we … as we live with each other, and as we love each other, and as we serve each other in the church, and as we remember the world around us, one of the things we have to do is this.
We have to recognize that there are some things that aren’t wrong to do in themselves; but they are offensive; and, thus, they become wrong for us; and sometimes we have to limit our liberty for love’s sake; but it’s a small price to pay; because I would think to myself that the joy experienced in loving my brother would be infinitely superior to the joy in exercising my liberty to the harm of my brother. Wouldn’t you? Let’s pray.