9

A Pattern of Self-Denial

¹Am ⚓I not an apostle? Am I not free? ⚓Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? ⚓Are you not my work in the Lord? ²If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are ⚓the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
³My defense to those who examine me is this: ⁴⚓Do we have no right to eat and drink? ⁵Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, ⚓the brothers of the Lord, and ⚓Cephas? ⁶Or is it only Barnabas and I ⚓who have no right to refrain from working? ⁷Who ever ⚓goes to war at his own expense? Who ⚓plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who ⚓tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?
⁸Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? ⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, ⚓“You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? ¹⁰Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that ⚓he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. ¹¹⚓If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? ¹²If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
⚓Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things ⚓lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. ¹³⚓Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the ⚓temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴Even so ⚓the Lord has commanded ⚓that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
¹⁵But ⚓I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for ⚓it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for ⚓necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this willingly, ⚓I have a reward; but if against my will, ⚓I have been entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸What is my reward then? That ⚓when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I ⚓may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

Serving All Men

¹⁹For though I am ⚓free from all men,⚓I have made myself a servant to all, ⚓that I might win the more; ²⁰and ⚓to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; ²¹⚓to ⚓those who are without law, as without law ⚓(not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; ²²⚓to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. ⚓I have become all things to all men,⚓that I might by all means save some. ²³Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Striving for a Crown

²⁴Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? ⚓Run in such a way that you may obtain it. ²⁵And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for⚓an imperishable crown. ²⁶Therefore I run thus: ⚓not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. ²⁷⚓But I discipline my body and ⚓bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become ⚓disqualified.

9

使徒的权利

¹我不是自由的吗？我不是使徒吗？我不是见过我们的主耶稣吗？你们不是我在主里面工作的成果吗？ ²假若对别人来说，我不是使徒，对你们来说，我总是使徒；因为你们在主里正是我作使徒的印证。
³对那些质问我的人，这就是我的答辩。 ⁴难道我们没有权利靠着传福音吃喝吗？ ⁵难道我们没有权利带着信主的妻子一起出入，如同其余的使徒，和主的兄弟们，和矶法一样吗？ ⁶只有我和巴拿巴没有权利不做工吗？ ⁷有谁当兵而自备粮饷呢？有谁栽葡萄园而不吃园里的果子呢？有谁牧养牛羊而不喝牛羊的奶呢？
⁸我说这些话岂是照一般人的看法？律法不也是这样说吗？ ⁹就如摩西的律法记着：“牛在踹谷的时候，不可笼住它的嘴。”难道上帝所挂念的是牛吗？ ¹⁰他不全是为我们说的吗？的确是为我们说的！因为耕种的要存着指望去耕种；收割的也要存着分享谷物的指望去收割。 ¹¹我们既然把属灵的种子撒在你们中间，若从你们收取养生之物，这还算大事吗？ ¹²假如别人在你们身上享有这权利，何况我们呢？
然而，我们并没有用过这权利，倒是凡事忍受，免得基督的福音受到阻碍。 ¹³你们岂不知在圣殿供职的人吃圣殿中的食物吗？在祭坛伺候的人分享坛上的供物吗？ ¹⁴主也是这样命令，要传福音的人靠着福音养生。
¹⁵但这权利我全然没有用过。我写这些话，并非要你们这样待我，因为我宁可死也不让人使我所夸的落了空。 ¹⁶我传福音原没有可夸耀的，因为我是不得已的，若不传福音，我就有祸了。 ¹⁷我若甘心做这事，就有赏赐；若不甘心，责任却已经托付给我了。 ¹⁸这样，我的赏赐是什么呢？就是我传福音的时候，使人不花钱得福音，免得我用尽了传福音的权利。
¹⁹我虽然是自由的，不受人管辖，但我甘心作了众人的仆人，为赢得更多的人。 ²⁰对犹太人，我就作犹太人，为要赢得犹太人；对律法以下的人，我虽不在律法以下，还是作律法以下的人，为要赢得律法以下的人。 ²¹对没有律法的人，我就作没有律法的人，为要赢得没有律法的人；其实我在上帝面前，不是没有律法，而是在基督的律法之下。 ²²对软弱的人，我就作软弱的人，为要赢得软弱的人。对什么样的人，我就作什么样的人。无论如何我总要救一些人。 ²³凡我所做的，都是为福音的缘故，为要与人共享这福音的好处。
²⁴你们不知道在运动场上赛跑的，大家都跑，但得奖赏的只有一人？你们也要这样跑，好使你们得着奖赏。 ²⁵凡参加竞赛的，在各方面都要有节制，他们不过是要得会朽坏的冠冕；我们却是要得不会朽坏的冠冕。 ²⁶所以，我奔跑，不像无目标的；我斗拳，不像打空气的。 ²⁷我克制己身，使它完全顺服，免得我传福音给别人，自己反而被淘汰了。