9:17,18
Paul did not preach voluntarily, rather he had been conscripted into the role! He was “simply discharging the trust committed to [him]”. So was there no reward for him? No “payment” for him? Paul was fully invested in preaching the gospel. He was offering the gospel “free of charge”. He did not make use of his “rights”. The Corinthians should be equally willing to forego rights if doing so will further the cause of the gospel.
9:19
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” Sinful man is naturally self-centred, but once we are freed from sin, just as Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, we do not consider our freedom something to be grasped, we do not consider our pride something to be boasted about. We live for Christ and for others. Of course, there is a way in which we do refuse to give up our freedom, as Paul chastised the Galatians for as they were going down the road of ting themselves up rules.
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