What happensPermalink
As an apostle, Paul has every right to receive support from those he serves, just as soldiers, farmers, and priests share in their work’s rewards. Yet he refuses payment so that the gospel may be offered free of charge and above reproach. Paul adapts to people’s customs, within God’s law, that some might be saved. He compares his self-discipline to the athletes of the Isthmian Games near Corinth, who train rigorously for a perishable wreath; Paul seeks an imperishable crown: the salvation of others.
Why it mattersPermalink
Paul shows that true freedom expresses itself through voluntary restraint. Rights yield to love, and discipline becomes devotion. The gospel advances when its servants mirror the self-giving pattern of Christ Himself.
Key versePermalink
I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.