1 CORINTHIANS 9—RUN TO WIN THE PRIZE
1 Corinthians – Part 14 — 1 Corinthians 9
Stonebrook Sunday AM, 05/03/26, Brad Barrett
Have you ever watched a movie or a TV show, and you were greatly enjoying it. But then at the end, you saw three terrible words: “TO BE CONTINUED.” I find that so annoying. I want the full story, and I don’t want to wait.
We are in the middle of a fascinating story of sorts, far better than a movie or a show. It’s a letter in the New Testament, inspired from heaven by God through the mind and hands of a man named Paul.
1st Corinthians. Every week we are looking only at a small portion of the letter. So at the end of every sermon, we should probably say, “TO BE CONTINUED.”
Because we keep doing this, it’s helpful to review.
Previously in Corinthians
• He begins the letter by recounting the glorious, heavenly, Spirit-driven work in their lives.• But the rest of the letter is serious correction. For since Paul had left Corinth, the church fell back into old patterns of thinking: pride, boasting, immorality, and lack of love. They were worldly and immature. Spiritual babies.• Last week in chapter 8, Paul acknowledges the freedom we all have in Christ in certain areas, but if our freedom causes a brother or sister in Christ to stumble and sin, then we should yield our rights out of love for them.
Today Chapter 9 is, in part, a continuation of last week’s topic: Out of love for people, yield.
But in part, it’s a new topic, or at least a change in focus. Today, instead of speaking of freedom Paul speaks more about rights. In this case, his right to have a salary as an apostle, but out of love for people, he yields his right.
So let’s read.
PAUL’S DEFENSE (9:1-14)
Read 1 Corinthians 9:1-14
Vs. 1-6
Paul doesn’t give us much background, but something is going on in Corinth in their attitudes and actions towards Paul. It seems some of the Christians are questioning Paul’s role as an apostle. Perhaps they think Paul isn’t an apostle because he doesn’t take a salary (indicated in vs. 4-6). Perhaps it’s related to the issues in Chapter 1 where the church members have become divisive, creating “tribes” of leaders that they want to follow: “I am following Peter. I am following Apollos. I am following Paul.”
Whatever the reason, Paul is defending his God-given right to have a salary—to get food and drink…the basics to living life.
In vs. 5, he points to the other apostles like Cephas (Peter’s other name). All the others are financially supported, and as married men, they take their wives with them as they travel to other cities and countries, preaching the gospel and strengthening churches. They all are financially supported.
So why would the Corinthians think that Paul shouldn’t be?? They are not making sense.
Vs. 7
In vs. 7, he continues his argument powerfully. Three occupations. soldiers, vineyard owners, and shepherds
Some of you in this room either are now or have been in the military. You received a salary so that you could focus on your assigned role. I hope none of the rest of us think you should have worked for free. That wouldn’t be right.
Vineyard owners. Some of you are farmers, or in the farming community, or you grew up on a farm. No one in this room should think the farmer shouldn’t make a living from the crops he grows.
Shepherds caring for sheep. Again, does anyone think that a livestock owner or worker shouldn’t be paid a wage?
We all know this intuitively. If we have a job—say a software developer, nurse, barista—we have the right to a wage. (Especially the barista. Under NO circumstances should we NOT pay the barista. I mean, how would the rest of us survive?)
God has designed us to work for our daily bread. We know this. If someone came up to you—the software developer, the nurse, and the barista—and said, “I think you should work for free,” you would laugh.
This is Paul’s point about his role as an apostle.
Vs. 8-10
In vs. 8, Paul’s argument gets even stronger.
Now he appeals to the Scriptures. The OT Law that Israel lived under. Priests in Israel served the Lord and the people full time, representing the people in worship and offering sacrifices for sins. Of course they should be paid. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25, “Don’t muzzle the ox while it’s treading the grain.” Oxen were driven in circles over the sheaves of grain spread on a hard floor. This physical treading separated the edible grain from the chaff. If you starved the oxen, you wouldn’t have edible grain. So YOU would starve.
That is what apostles and gospel workers are like. They are directly or indirectly feeding the souls of people. So feed them. Give them what they need to live in this world so that they can continue their work of nourishing souls.
Vs. 12-14
Now Paul circles back to his main point: In the same way that soldiers, farmers, and priests all have a right to a wage for the work they do, preachers of the gospel have the same right.
Verse 14 is one more evidence: The Lord Jesus in Luke 10:7 said that the gospel workers are worthy of a wage.
So in these 14 verses, Paul really goes over the top here to make his point: As an apostle, he has a right to be paid so that he can eat and live. Logic tells us this. Our own work experience tells us this. The OT tells us this. Jesus himself tells us this. Some in the Corinthian church—for some unexplained reason—think Paul shouldn’t do this. Or they think that because Paul has voluntarily chosen NOT to take a salary that he is not really an apostle. So he basically tells the Corinthians he has every right to receive a wage, and THEY have every responsibility to give it to him.
This is the longest and strongest passage on this topic—at least that I can think of—on Christians’ responsibility to support those who work in the gospel. Pastors, missionaries, and support staff. The application for every church and every Christian is quite obvious. We’ll come back to that later.
PAUL’S PASSION (9:15-23)
So at this point, we might think Paul is telling the church to obey the Lord and make this happen: Give him a salary.
But surprisingly he goes in the opposite direction. He now says, “Even though before God I deserve a wage from you, I am not going to take it.” WHY?
Let’s read 1 CORINTHIANS 9:15-23
If we have read through the NT at least once, we may have discovered that at numerous times, Paul carried two fulltime jobs. He supported himself by working as a tentmaker. He was a skilled manual laborer working with textiles and leather to make tents. That was his day job.
Then his evening job was apostle. Evangelizing. Strengthening churches.
What Paul is saying is that he voluntarily refused his right as an apostle to a wage and worked a second job. He did this that it might help more people find Jesus.
How does this help win more people to Jesus? He doesn’t precisely say, but we know from other letters of Paul, some people accused him of greed, and that he preaches just for money. So perhaps Paul wants to be able to say, “I not only am not doing this for the money, I’m not taking any money at all!”
Paul doesn’t say that Peter and the other apostles should refuse a salary. They have a right to a salary, and he makes no judgment on them. He simply says he voluntarily is going to work a second job in order to be a greater blessing to the Christians and the non-Christians in Corinth and other cities.
Vs. 15-18
Paul’s refusal to take a salary is so important to him that he would rather die than have this boast taken away, this boast of preaching without pay, free of charge.
But in vs. 16, he honestly cannot truly boast in this, for he is compelled to preach — so compelled that in an exaggerating way, he would rather bring down a “woe”, a curse, upon himself if he doesn’t preach. It’s like he’s passionately stating in the extreme how God has called him to preach, and so he must.
God saved Paul and then appointed him to do this work of an apostle. So Paul sees this as a stewardship. A duty. A glorious obligation before God Himself.
So vs. 18, his reward — the only wage he really wants — is to preach the gospel free of charge.
What we can’t help but notice in this chapter is Paul’s great passion to proclaim Christ. He is zealous for Christ and for saving souls. His entire life is focused around that.
In Paul’s second letter to this church, he says,
2 Corinthians 12:15 (CSB) I will most gladly spend and be spent for you.
Like a parent for his child, Paul is willing to give up everything to gain new spiritual children, the people in the City of Corinth. He is willing to give up everything—a deserved wage…and even his life.
What zeal for Jesus and for souls this man had.
Vs. 19-23
Vs. 19 is important. Paul knows he is free to spend his life however he wants. No one is forcing him to do what he’s doing. But he voluntarily becomes like a slave to others to bring the gospel to lost souls.
Why is he so consumed with winning souls? From Paul’s personal story, heknew that he had committed crimes against heaven, and so he deserved death. But God mercifully spared his life and saved him, purely by grace. Not by any merit of Paul’s.
And Paul knows that everyone in Corinth was in the exact same position. They needed eternal life, and it would come only through Jesus.
So Paul voluntarily enslaves himself to others, serving them by bringing Jesus to them.
Vs. 20, to his fellow Jews, even though he is no longer under the law of Moses, he will do whatever it takes to win them. He won’t compromise the gospel of grace. That is non-negotiable. But he can win hearts.
Then in vs. 21, to the non-Jews, the Gentiles, “those not under the law,” Paul went to great lengths to win them to Jesus, even though he would never violate a clear command of Christ. Otherwise, we could mis-read this and think, “Oh, Paul would be willing to get drunk with alcoholics in order to win them to Jesus.”
That is NOT at all what Paul means. He will never adapt or change the message of the gospel. He will never compromise godly living. But he is more than willing to adapt all sorts of manner of living and give of himself if it means more people could be saved.
Then in vs. 22, he speaks about those who are “weak.” He is hearkening back to Chapter 8, those who are weak in conscience. Those who think it’s wrong to do something that the Bible doesn’t actually forbid. Paul is willing to give up certain freedoms if it means he might win another soul to Jesus and show more love to his fellow Christ-followers.
Paul here is willing to go to great extent to win people over to Jesus.
• Never by violating clear commands of Christ.• Never by violating his own conscience• Never to impress others or to get them to like him. Back in chapter 4, he told us that he doesn’t care that much what other people think of him. He mainly cares about what Jesus thinks of him.
But he will give up almost anything else if it impacts souls.
The key is vs. 22.
“I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.”
“Winning” to Paul meant one thing: Saving more souls. Paul knows the gospel message. He knows he is not actually the one who saves people. But as a messenger of Jesus, he has a role to play to bring others to the Savior, Jesus. And he will go to great extents to win others to Jesus.
He carries the heart of Jesus.
Jesus said his purpose in coming to earth was simple yet profound:
Matthew 20:28 (CSB) The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Paul simply is carrying out that message: That Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to grant eternal life to anyone who will believe in him. Paul voluntarily yields his rights and his very life for that cause.
PAUL’S CALL (9:24-27)
Paul now brings all this to a conclusion. Let’s read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
The Corinthians were well-acquainted with an athletic competition called the Isthmian Games, like the Olympic Games. They were held every two years to honor the Greek god, Poseidon. Winners were crowned with a wreath made of celery or pine.
World-class athletes like Olympians sacrifice a great deal to win the competition. Time, money, friendships, and more. I really admire their commitment and zeal. But it’s all to wear some celery on their heads or a piece of metal around their neck.
He uses this metaphor to describe all that he is saying.
He is calling on the Christians in Corinth to live their lives in a way that matters most.
Here is the only command in the entire chapter:
Vs. 24: “Run in such a way to win the prize.”
Live your life absorbed in winning the prize, the prize of souls.
Christianity is not a hobby. It is not one more activity we sign up for. It is not merely a religious duty to attend a worship service on Sundays. Christianity is about believing in Jesus, walking with his people, doing whatever he tells us to do, and then pointing as many people as we can to him. To go all out towin the prize—the prize of souls.
APPLICATION
What can we take from this passage? How does it relate to our lives today in 2026?
1. Financially support those who are sowing the gospel in your life.
This is one of the more obvious applications here. In fact, it is so obvious I considered not saying any more about it.
But Paul had to make it plain to the Corinthians, making the strongest case possible. In fact, I can’t think of a passage anywhere in Scripture that lays this out more clearly than what Paul has done here in the first half of Chapter 9. Paul almost goes overboard in laying out the God-given calling for ministers of the gospel to receive support from churches whom they serve.
Why would Stonebrook or any other church be different than this church in Corinth? So I feel I would be unfaithful to the Scriptures to not make this application point this morning.
Many of you in this room are stellar examples of this. You have faithfully supported the mission of Christ and gospel workers for years. Some of you for decades. The Lord knows and will honor you. Well done.
Some of you are not doing this. I don’t know who you are, but even if I did, it’s the Spirit’s job to convict you and move you to obedience. So if you are not financially supporting the gospel and gospel workers, my simple but strong advice to you is to re-read this chapter with yourself in mind. And obey it.
This is not simply a Stonebrook issue. This is for anyone who follows Jesus and is being fed the gospel. For even if you are visiting in town from another church or watching online in another city, this applies to you and your church back home.
Here is the main application in this passage, the only direct command:
2. Run in such a way to win the prize.
Generally from this chapter and from the NT in general, followers of Jesus are to be on mission. To join with a local church and be a part of bringing the message of Jesus Christ—this gospel—to a lost world.
Then when we zoom in on Paul’s specific message here, the Lord is commanding us to “run in such a way as to win,” to win as many souls to Jesus as we can. And from the chapter, we see that includes a willingness give up rights we have—even clear, God-given rights like providing a salary to a gospel worker — if it will help open the door for more people to find Jesus.
In Paul’s life, here in chapter 9 he was very specific about his right to a wage. It’s hard to think of a more personal right than earning income from your job. Paul was willing to lay that right aside….if it would help win souls to Jesus.
So let’s bring a question or two to each one of us.
A. Does a specific person come to mind?
A neighbor. Family member. Old friend. Co-worker. An adult child that has rejected Jesus and perhaps even rejected us. Or perhaps a category of people: (Paul had Jews and Gentiles.). Do we have a category? Students, disenfranchised people in Ames, people from another religion.
For some of you, people like this are on your mind all the time. So, well done.
Others of us, we need to ask the Lord to help us have a heart for the salvation of souls.
Then,
B. Does a specific right of yours come to mind?
As you consider that person or group, does something in your life—even a God-given right— come to your mind that is an unnecessary obstacle to them seeking after Jesus?
Here are a few examples:
Your right to use your money on your own needs and wants, especially the wants. Is there a way I can freely show generosity to a family member I am distant with?
Your right to sleep and to control your own schedule. Is my schedule so rigid or so full that I find it nearly impossible to serve and love and speak to a friend who needs Jesus?
Your right to privacy. Am I quite closed about my life? How can I be more open about my life up to a neighbor that I haven’t spoken to yet about Jesus?
When you think about rights like money, schedule, privacy, and other things, do any of them stand out as something you are holding tightly in your fist and you won’t let go? Is that tight-fistedness standing in the way of winning that person to Jesus? Is it keeping people at a distance? Is it keeping you from entering into someone’s world to bring Jesus to them?
We freely lay our rights before God because Jesus did this for us. He had every right to receive glory and power and praise and love. But he gave it all up for us. He laid aside every right to win our souls.
May we run in such a way to win the prize.
CONCLUSION
Let us end with Paul’s words at the end of the next chapter:
1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1 (CSB)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
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