1 Corinthians Chapter 9

vs 1

Paul's asking a bunch of questions here. One is to do with his own freedom in Christ. One is to do with his authority as an apostle. Another with his position as one who saw Christ. One is his status as the one who brought the Corinthians to the Lord. You can see Paul is going on a two-pronged fork here - firstly he will have to defend his position as an apostle, and then he will use it to show that even though he is free, he doesn't do crazy things like they do.

vs 2

So even if Paul might not be considered an apostle by some, he must be by the Corinthians, because he brought them the message. He was sent to them, and as such they are the mark of his ministry as an apostle.

vs 3

I think his defense sits on both sides of this verse, but the verses to come are dynamite.

vs 4

They want to argue about food and drink, but while Paul was there he was given no such thing by them for his work.

vs 5

Did Peter have a wife? Or is Paul just saying that they have the right to have a wife? It seems odd to name him as one who "has a right" if he isn't exercising that right. Not sure about that one. That Paul claims this right, though, is showing that he doesn't have a wife (believing wife, anyway). But it's not just a right to marriage that Paul is talking about here - it is a right to support. He is arguing that he should be able to travel around with his wife, and that both be supported (as other apostles seem to).

vs 6

And yet for Paul and Barnabas, the Corinthians did nothing. They were forced to work for a living, and then do their Corinthian ministry in between the gaps.

vs 7

Paul uses these examples to show the folly of the situation that Paul found himself in to bring the gospel to the Corinthians. He is building up his list of rights and authorities to show them that even if they think they've got freedoms in Christ, surely Paul has more!

vs 8-9

And even the Law backs him up here, with a verse that he uses again in his letters to Timothy. And yet the Brethren dumped this idea of paying Christian workers (like pastors), but not on biblical grounds, merely because of a cultural situation they found themselves in at the time. Now, though, it has become entrenched, and it is only just beginning to wear down again to a more biblical model.