I Corinthians 8:13

First Corinthians 8:13

In First Corinthians 8:13 the Bible says, "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world stands, lest I make my brother to offend." Paul is making the point to the Corinthian Christians that there is something more important than their own rights and freedoms. Of course, it is important to remember the freedom that we have, because Jesus paid it all. Jesus saved us from sin and He saved us from the law; and therefore we have a very great freedom. But there is one thing more important than the free practice of our Christian liberties. The effect and the influence that we have on others is more important.

Paul said that even though he was free to eat meat, even meat that had been offered to idols, he would eat no meat if it caused his brother to offend. When should you go ahead and do something that is permissible and when should you sacrifice your freedom and not do that thing which is permissible? The key phrase is when Paul said, "Lest I make my brother to offend." To better understand this phrase it helps to realize that the word that is translated "to offend" can also be translated “to stumble.” “Lest I make my brother to stumble” is what Paul was saying. This is not a situation where someone disagrees with what you are doing and is therefore offended by what you are doing. If that were how things were to be decided, then the Christians who are the weakest in faith or the most legalistic would decide if certain actions were permissible or not. In this sense the Pharisees were offended that Jesus and His disciples picked grain on the Sabbath, but Jesus did it anyway because a lesson needed to be learned that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

But there are cases where I should forego my freedoms and my permissible actions if there is a danger that a weak Christian in following my example would be made to stumble. The strong Christian should always be aware that they have an influence on others. And the desire should always be to influence unsaved people in such a way that they would be attracted to the Gospel, and to influence those who are saved in such a way that they would be helped and strengthened and built up in the faith and in their walk with the Lord. And in order to be able to really help people in all the ways possible, we must be willing to sacrifice some of our rights from time to time.

Paul is not asking the believers in Corinth to do anything that he himself has not been willing to do. The purpose of First Corinthians chapter 9 is for Paul to give some detailed examples of the fact that he had made sacrifices of his own privileges and rights for the sake of the believers at Corinth. First Corinthians 9:1-6 says, "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of my apostleship are you in the Lord. My answer to them that do examine me is this, Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?"

In the last phrase of verse 6 Paul said, "have we not power to stop working?" He was referring to the fact that when he was in Corinth for the purpose of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and with the authority of an apostle, Paul worked with his own hands instead of receiving financial support from the Corinthians. He did not have to do things that way. It would have been perfectly acceptable and perfectly normal if Paul had not worked all those extra hours. Acts 18:3 talks about the work that Paul did with his own hands and it says, "And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and worked: for by their occupation they were tentmakers."

But the Bible makes it clear that those who preach the word of God should be supported financially by those who benefit from their teaching. This principle of believers supporting financially those whose calling is to teach the Word started early on in the Old Testament. Before the law was given Abraham gave 10 percent of his bounty to the priest Melchisidec. And then when the law itself was given the Levites were set aside from the rest of the Israelites because the Levites were called to take care of the tabernacle and the worship that was associated with the tabernacle. The Levites were not given territories to live in like the rest of the Israelites, but they were supported by the gifts that the others gave to God. When you give your money to those who are preaching and teaching the Word of God, you are giving to God.

In First Corinthians 9:7 Paul uses three examples from the natural world as illustrations of the fact that those who preach the Word of God should be supported by those who benefit from their preaching. It says, "Who goes to warfare anytime at his own charges? Who plants a vineyard, and eats not of the fruit thereof? Or who feeds a flock, and eats not of the milk of the flock?"

Paul used common sense and illustrations from life to prove his point, and he also used the Old Testament scriptures. Paul quoted from Deuteronomy and said in First Corinthians 9:9-10, "For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. Does God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows should plow in hope; and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope." It is the ox who did such very hard work in the threshing of the grain. It would be an unjust and cruel thing if those who owned the grain did not share with the oxen.

The preaching of the Word of God is the most important work in the world. If you contribute to such work then you are a part of the work even if you yourself do not do the preaching. There is nothing more valuable in the world than good, spiritual sermons and messages from God’s Word. To have a good message from the Word of God requires a servant who has been called and gifted by God to do such work. It requires a person who through many years of study has learned to compare scripture with scripture, because if the message is not primarily made up of the Word, then it is not really a message from God. "If any man speak, let him speak as of the words of God." A valuable message is a spiritual message, because it comes from a servant who has learned over time to fight the battles of faith and who has learned that it is by the grace of God through Christ that the privilege of knowing God can be experienced. A good sermon will build up your soul, will remind you of the blessings of forgiveness, will be centered upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. A good sermon will inspire you to give your life for God, and will reveal to you the existence of the Father in a living way. A good, spiritual sermon is a priceless thing. Surely the servants of God who labor to bring such messages are worthy to be supported by you.

Paul compares the value of material things to spiritual things to make his point one more time. He said in First Corinthians 9:11, "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" That which is spiritual is much more important than that which is material. Material things will last for only a lifetime, but spiritual things will last forever. If someone gives you spiritual things and you give them material things in return, then what they have given you is much more valuable than what you have given them. Therefore, for preachers of the gospel to be given money or other material things in return for their work should not be looked down upon because a good lesson from God’s Word is worth more than you could ever pay for it.

First Corinthians 9:12-14 says, "If others be partakers of this power over you, should not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do you 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 of the altar? Even so has the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." Why should you give financially to someone who preaches the same gospel and with the same spirit as the apostle Paul? If for no other reason, do it because it is God’s will. The Word of God tells us the will of God, and the Word of God says that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

It is hard work to study the Word of God and to come up with a good message from it. And anyone who does this work can only do it if they have been fitted for it by the calling of God, and if they have been assisted by God to put aside the cares of the world and to find the time to do it; and therefore they are deserving to be assisted financially. It is the right thing, it is the good thing, it is the spiritual thing for you to do. If you have not been called to preach the gospel, you can at least participate in the work of those who do, by giving to them financially.

As a preacher of the gospel Paul had the right to expect that the Christians in Corinth would support him financially. But the point that Paul is making is that he did not use this right of his with the Corinthians. He said in First Corinthians 1:15, "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." The reason that Paul got on this subject was to give an example to the Corinthians that there is something more important than exercising your rights. The influence that you have on other people is more important than your rights or freedoms. And the influence that you have on other people is partly affected by their view of the world, and their philosophy of life, and their current spiritual condition.

Evidently, when Paul analyzed the Corinthians and their condition, Paul decided that it would be best in that situation if he did not receive financial assistance from them, and he worked as a tentmaker at the same time that he preached the gospel in the city of Corinth. Of course, this shows the tremendous level of dedication that Paul had to the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To Paul the spread of the gospel was more important than anything else. That was his number one priority. It was more important than money and it was more important than the exercise of his rights. And in verse 15 Paul said that it was even more important than life itself. Paul said that he would rather die, than in any way harm or diminish the influence of the gospel.

First Corinthians 9:16-18 says, "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel."

If you have been saved from your sins by Jesus, one of the primary reasons that God has you on the earth is to help spread the gospel. The last thing that Jesus taught his disciples was a reminder that they should go into all the world with the gospel. Everyone who believes has a ministry of some sort. Everyone who believes comes into contact with other people and therefore has an influence on them. Paul was committed to the gospel of Christ and he said, "Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel." The good news of the gospel is the message of the love of God to a lost and dying world.

Not only is the message important, but all of the circumstances surrounding the delivering of the message are also important. Of the things that were in his power and under his control, Paul was going to make sure that when he delivered the gospel he did not give anyone the possibility of saying that he had an ulterior motive for presenting the gospel. In the day in which we live there are false messengers who use religion for material gain. You can usually see some of them on the TV on any given week. These false messengers who are led by the spirit of material gain, give the impression that there must be a payment made by the listeners if the listeners are to be receive the benefits of the gospel. That is not true.

The gospel is free of charge because Jesus paid it all with His precious blood. No one should ever present the gospel and give the impression that they are doing it in order to get money. That would hurt the gospel, and make it less attractive. You cannot hide your true motives: your own words will give you away. People will listen and then they will know. One of the values of going through books of the Bible verse by verse, is that you will cover the various subjects in the Bible with the same percentage of time that God had them recorded in the Bible. The giving of money is recorded in the Bible, but some people emphasize it too much, and therefore they take away from the good message that would otherwise have been delivered.

If you emphasize giving more than the Bible emphasizes it, then you will make the gospel unattractive. The gospel is free, and no one should think that they have to pay money in order to hear the wonderful news of salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Paul understood this principle, and he said in First Corinthians 9:18 that "I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel." God loves you free of charge. There is nothing that you must pay, because Jesus paid it all.

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