1 Corinthians 9:1 - Exposition

Am I not an apostle I am I not free? The order of the best manuscripts is, Am I not free? am I not an apostle? St. Paul designed in this chapter to show that he was not only giving a precept, but setting an example, He told the "strong" Corinthians, who had "knowledge," that they should be ready to abnegate their rights for the good of others, he now wishes to show them that, in a matter which affected his whole life, he had himself abnegated his own rights. Being free and an apostle, he could, if he had chosen, have claimed, as others had done, a right to be supported by the Churches to which he preached, he had thought it more for their good to waive this claim, and therefore he had done so at the cost (as appears in many other passages: 1 Corinthians 4:12 ; Acts 20:34 ; 1 Thessalonians 2:9 ) of bitter hardship to himself. But St. Paul practically "goes off" at the word "apostle." It was so essential for him to vindicate, against the subterranean malignity of hostile partisans, his dignity as an apostle, that in asserting that authority he almost loses sight for the time of the main object for which he had alluded to the fact. Hence much that he says is of the nature of a digression—though an important one—until he resumes the main thread of his subject at 1 Corinthians 11:15 . Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Doubtless he mainly refers to the vision on the road to Damascus ( Acts 9:3 , Acts 9:17 ; 1 Corinthians 15:8 ), though he received other visions and revelations also ( Acts 18:9 ; Acts 22:14 , Acts 22:18 ; 2 Corinthians 12:1 , etc.). he had probably not seen Christ during his life on earth (see my 'Life of St. Paul,' 1:73-75). The words are added to remind them that those who boasted of personal knowledge and relation with Jesus—perhaps the Christ party—had no exclusive prerogative. Are not ye my work in the Lord? I am not only an apostle, but emphatically your apostle ( Acts 18:1-11 ; 1 Corinthians 4:15 ).