The Right Use of Rights

Psalm 15                       1 Corinthians 9:1–18                Matthew 5:43-48

The Right Use of Rights

Last week we examined Paul’s approach to the question of theological precision that had manifested itself in the church of God in Corinth as an attitude of moral superiority that harmed other brothers and sisters in their community. Those who were not quite as assured in their new identity in Jesus were being spiritually wounded by those who considered themselves mature. Paul’s solution to this dilemma was a self-sacrificial love that always seeks to build up others…a love that would even deny certain legitimate rights of believers if exercising that right would harm another believer…in their case eating meat that had been offered to idols.

 Now after the service I was asked a very important question and that is, in the light of Paul’s teaching regarding the giving up of certain rights for the sake of others, how does one maintain theological accuracy when, in our own opinion, those around us are not as correct as we think they ought to be. Well, my answer to this is that we ought to look to Jesus…the one we are meant to imitate…the one we are meant to be like when it comes to how we interact with others.

Now, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that Jesus is altogether right…he is altogether holy…he is altogether perfect. And yet, when we read the Gospels, we see that somehow, he manages to be quite comfortable in the presence of people the religious community of his day shunned. As we all know, Jesus obeyed every biblical law and yet he was vehemently opposed to the Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees…and it is not because Jesus was opposed to upholding theological accuracy! In Matthew 23, Jesus said, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

Now, what did he mean by that? Well, basically he was saying that to their credit, the Pharisees were encouraging people to keep the Law, which was a very good thing, because as Paul said, the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. In other words, Jesus commended the teaching and keeping of the law as contained in the Scriptures. 

But what Jesus spoke against was the way they applied the Law. They used the Law (or we could say “theology”) as a weapon and as a barrier. Jesus said that they shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. Whereas Jesus’ gentle approach loved people into the kingdom, the Pharisees’ harsh approach drove them away. 

The approach of the Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees, and even some of the disciples like James and John, was to judge, call down fire from heaven, confront, interrogate, excommunicate, or stone offenders. Jesus’ response to this type of religiosity was to point out their hypocrisy…let him who is without sin, cast the first stone, he said to the accusers of the woman caught in adultery…and to James and John Jesus said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.”

How many people have not been driven away from the Church because of something said or done by someone who considered themselves morally superior? I’m right, you’re wrong, so either you conform to my theological position or leave. That is exactly what Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians 8. The destruction of others caused by self-inflated theological egotists.

And I repeat…there is nothing wrong with theological accuracy…don’t misunderstand what I am saying…as I said, Jesus was altogether right, altogether holy, and altogether perfect in every way and we should seek to be perfect as he was perfect and as our heavenly Father is perfect. And yet Jesus never used theology as a weapon to destroy but as a tool to lovingly and patiently draw people into change. And we ought to be like him.

A good exercise for all of us would be to diligently search the Gospels to see how Jesus behaved towards those dismissed by others. We need to ask ourselves who were the people in the Gospel accounts that Jesus most often confronted and took to task and why? And then we need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us whom we most clearly resemble. 

The Gospel of love is essentially simple…but it is the self-sacrificial, other-person-centred application of that love that we tend to complicate, because it is difficult and it is costly.

Now, back to chapter 9. At first glance, this chapter feels like an interruption. Whereas in the former chapters, Paul is addressing issues in the church of God in Corinth, here he suddenly begins speaking about his own apostleship, financial support for ministers of the Gospel, and his own personal rights.

But chapter 9 is not a digression. It is Paul’s living illustration of the principle he has just established in chapter 8.

The Corinthians claimed the right to eat food offered to idols. Paul responds by describing rights he himself possesses but willingly refuses to exercise. And he begins with a series of rhetorical questions:

“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?”

The answers are all obvious. Yes, Paul is free. Yes, he did see Jesus on the road to Damascus. Yes, Paul is an apostle. In fact, the Corinthian church itself proves his apostolic ministry.

So what is his point in asking these questions? Well, the bottom line is simply this.  Paul truly possesses certain rights and therefore he is not surrendering imaginary privileges. His application is not theoretical nor is it abstract. This is crucial because Christian surrender is meaningful only when genuine rights are voluntarily laid aside.

So, in this light, having established his position as a authentic apostle, Paul then develops the argument that ministers of the gospel have a legitimate right to material support. He first appeals to ordinary life: Soldiers, he says, do not finance their own campaigns. Pretty obvious, right? Next, he points out that farmers eat grapes from their vineyards just as shepherds drink milk from their flocks.

These examples from day-to-day life, reflect a broader pattern of moral reasoning common throughout both Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. Labour rightly deserves a living wage.

But Paul then strengthens the point from Scripture itself by quoting from Deuteronomy 25: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.”

Now, at first this might seem like an odd prooftext, but Paul is not taking Scripture out of context. The surrounding laws in Deuteronomy 25 consistently emphasize humane and just treatment of labourers, vulnerable persons, and dependents. The principle is one of fair and just treatment for all – consequently one who labours should share in the fruit of that labour.

And Paul therefore applies the principle to gospel ministry. Those who provide spiritual things may rightly receive material support.

He further appeals to the Old Testament priesthood. Now remember, the Priests and Levites lived from the offerings of Israel (principally the tithe, but also other offerings and sacrifices) because they had no tribal inheritance of land. So, their dependence upon the worshipping community was built into Israel’s covenant structure. 

That is why, when Israel ceased to tithe, the spiritual system collapsed because the teachers and upholders of the law were distracted from serving as they had to sustain themselves. Now, I know Paul is often cited as an example of bi-vocational ministry, working as a tentmaker while also serving as an evangelist and pastor, but we also know that when Silas and Timothy brought to Corinth sufficient support from the church in Philippi, Paul was able to devote himself exclusively to preaching because he no longer had to support himself. (Acts 18:5) We must always endeavour to interpret Scripture with Scripture.

So, the foundational principal is established: Just as in the Old Testament, those who provide spiritual things may rightly receive material support.

And then finally Paul appeals to Jesus Himself: “The Lord commanded,” he says, “that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” Now, this is not a direct quote from the Gospels but it almost certainly echoes Jesus’ instructions to the apostles and the seventy-two during their missionary journeys: “The labourer deserves his wages.” (cf. Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:7).

So, in these few verses, Paul establishes beyond doubt that gospel workers possess a genuine right to support. Yet after establishing this right with overwhelming force, Paul delivers the shocking conclusion: “Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right.” And this is the heart of Paul’s argument.

He is not denying the legitimacy of support for ministers. He is demonstrating the supremacy of the gospel over personal entitlement.

You see, Paul feared that financial dependence upon the Corinthians might compromise the integrity of his ministry or reinforce the Corinthian systems of patronage and status. Remember, in Corinth, wealthy patrons often exercised influence through financial support and benefactors expected loyalty, honour, and public recognition in return for their gifts. But Paul refuses to allow the gospel to become entangled in these systems of social obligation.

He would rather labour with his own hands than permit anyone to think the gospel could be purchased, manipulated, or controlled.

And this reveals something essential about Christian leadership. Paul does not lead through self-assertion. He leads through self-sacrifice.

The false spirituality of Corinth says: “I have rights and therefore I will use them.” Whereas Paul’s spirituality says: “I have rights and therefore I am free to surrender them.” And here we encounter a profound paradox.

Only truly free people can willingly relinquish power and control.

People enslaved to status, recognition, comfort, or entitlement cannot surrender these things because they derive their identity from them. On the other hand, Paul’s freedom in Christ liberates him from the need to promote himself.

And this becomes even clearer when Paul describes his ministry as a stewardship. He says: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” You see, Paul does not view apostleship as a platform for self-expression. He views it as a divine commission.

The language of compulsion here reflects the world of stewardship and servanthood. Paul sees himself as one entrusted with a task committed to him by God and therefore, he has no choice but to fulfil his duty and his obligation. 

But lest we miss the point Paul is trying to make here by focussing on individual issues mentioned in these chapters…meat, and rights, and wages…we must see each one of these issues in the light of the whole thought. 

In these chapters, Paul is making a statement about two very different approaches to the Christian life. One which is self-centred and the other which is other-person-centred. And the important thing to grasp here is that the self-centred person may be perfectly right…allow me to repeat that: the self-centred person may be perfectly right, and consequently they justify their actions even though the upholding of their rights damages or destroys other believers.

But Paul deliberately chooses to live an other-person-centred life by forfeiting his legitimate rights for the sake of others. 

The question that quite naturally flows from this teaching of Paul is simply this: whom are we like?

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026