Alba 6-22-2025
TO PAY OR NOT TO PAY
I Corinthians 9:1-18
Today's subject is “To Pay or Not to Pay”, that is the question. There was a preacher who had just finished his sermon for the day and went to the back of the church for his usual greetings and handshaking.
After shaking a few hands he was greeted by the seven year old son of one of the Deacons. “Good morning, young man,” the preacher said as he reached out to shake his hand.
As he was doing so he felt something in the palm of his hand. “What’s this?” the preacher asked. “Money,” said the boy with a big smile on his face, “it’s for you.” “I don’t want your money”, the preacher answered.
But the boy answered “I want you to have it.” After a short pause the boy continued, “My daddy says you’re the poorest preacher we ever had, and I want to help you.”
In chapter nine of First Corinthians, the apostle Paul speaks to the issue of paying the preacher. He says it is the right thing to do. On the other hand, he reminds the Corinthians that when he was with them, he did not accept a salary. He even seems rather proud of that. Instead he did his work as a tent maker to earn his money. But he also makes it clear that if he had charged the church for his work, he would have been justified in doing so.
Lets look at what Paul writes in I Corinthians 9:1-18 (NKJV). “Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?
“7 Who 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?
“8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? 9 For 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? 10 Or 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? 12 If 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? 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
15 But 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. 16 For 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! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What 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.
In these verses Paul makes it clear that as an apostle, he had as much right to expect payment for his ministry as anyone else, including the other apostles, Peter and the brothers of Jesus. To illustrate that the one who ministers has a right to receive support from those served, Paul uses three vocations as an example: the soldier, the farmer, and the shepherd.
Soldiers risk their lives to protect and to serve their government. They are not expected to serve at their own expense. Farmers do not work for free either. They put in long hours to plant and harvest their fruit. They eat the fruits from their labor and sell excess produce for a profit so they can survive.
Shepherds also expect to gain financially from their labor. They expect at a minimum some milk from their flock as payment. And Paul doesn't stop there. He uses the Old Testament verse in Deuteronomy 25:4 about oxen to show that scripture expects the one doing the work should be able to be benefited by it. Even the temple priests were allowed to eat meat that had been offered as a sacrifice on the altar by the people.
Jesus spoke in favor concerning salaries as well. In Luke 10:7 He says that the “laborer is worthy of his wages”. So the biblical standard is set. To pay or not to pay is settled. It is right to pay the preacher. But then again, Paul did not accept pay. He says that the Lord's call for him to preach the gospel demands that he do it even if he is not paid. His own words are, “woe to me if I preach not the gospel”. One translation says, “If I don't do it, I'm doomed” (CEV). To be honest, that sounds a little strong. But Paul does express every intention to tell people about Jesus, no matter what.
Jesus appeared to Paul when he was on the road to Damascus going to persecute Christians. At that time Jesus gave him a special commission to preach the gospel. In Acts 26:16 and 18 the Lord told Paul, “I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness...” “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by me.”
After Paul was converted, he was true to the challenge that the Lord had given him. He became a preacher of the Good News to any and all who would listen. And even though Paul did not take a salary from the Corinthians, at other times and places he did gladly receive financial support from the churches to which he had ministered (check out Philippians 4:10-13 for example).
Now as for myself, I have always gladly received whatever a church was willing to pay me as their minister. But just a few years ago, at a leadership meeting, I told the men it was time for a salary review. It was during a time when our church here was experiencing a financial setback. So what I said must have sounded strange. But then I said I thought I was being paid too much. Well the leaders didn't see it that way and left the salary where it was. And thankfully, as if by a miracle, our current situation is in better shape.
In that situation I was certainly not another apostle Paul, but allow me to become personal for a moment more. Growing up, my family and my church provided a strong spiritual influence in my life. By the time I was eleven years old, my oldest sister had been in Bible college, and my brother was also attending the same school. There was a day when mom and I were in the dining room, and mom was either using her sewing machine or ironing. I was at the table reading my Bible. I can't say that was a regular habit, but that is what I was doing.
I remember looking up at my mother and saying, “I'm going to be a preacher.” It was not earth shaking. Mom may have said something positive in response, but I don't remember it. It was just a decision. One I would keep.
I often attended summer Bible camp at Camp Nebowa near Onawa, Iowa. My last time to attend was the summer after my freshman year of high school. As was often the practice at camp in those days, there was a strong push for the youth to make full time ministry decisions.
By that time, I already knew what my plans were. But I had made friends with another boy and was sitting with him the night the call to ministry was made. I did not move but told my friend of my plans. He insisted that I go to the front with the others. I really didn't see the need to do so. But, at his insistence, I went. Most likely there is a list somewhere (if they kept it) showing that one more was added to the faithful because of the call at camp, but the decision was actually made at a dining room table.
Later, there was an assignment at school to make plans for a future job choice. We were to write out answers to various questions the teacher gave. One of the questions asked about any opportunities for advancement in the chosen job. Of course my decision was to be a minister. So guess what my answer was about advancement: None. The way I saw it was that once you were the minister, there was no higher job position.
Well the teacher disagreed. She pointed out that a minister could advance to a larger church, or that his church could grow, changing his status. There have been changes that I have experienced through the years, but I still feel that there is no higher position than being able to share the gospel no matter the pay. While we have never been on the high end of salaries that are paid to some preachers, God has always been very good to us, and we have been consistently blessed.
Are some preachers overpaid? I think we have heard of many salaries that seem to be past common sense. But, on the other hand, many more have been underpaid, and for these, the constant worries about money serve as a distraction.
Although Paul had not taken any money from the Corinthians, he defends his right, and that of other Christian ministers, to receive financial support from those to whom they minister. Paul makes the point that those working in the faith have a right to earn a living. They are allowed to have a normal life that includes food and drink. They are allowed to have a normal life that includes the partnership of a spouse and a family, just like the other apostles, Jesus’ brothers, and Peter. They are allowed to make an income that can provide the normal things of life.
Paul had the right to be paid and devote all his energy and time to the work of the ministry. Yet, he earned money by making tents. Why? Because the church, when he came, was not a church yet. In its infancy, it was not ready to support Paul. So, he voluntarily worked.
Paul uses himself as an illustration of giving up personal rights. He has the right to hospitality, to be married, and to be paid for his work. But he willingly gave up these rights to win people to Christ. In verses 17 and 18 Paul speaks of His reward. And it is not a brighter crown or a bigger mansion. Look closely at the text to see what Paul believes is so important that he would deny himself his own rights. He wants to just be able to preach and present the gospel with no obstacles. The ultimate aim is winning some to Christ.
His reward is that his motives and sincerity cannot be questioned, because he is clearly not doing these things for personal gain. In verse 12 he says that he wants nothing to hinder the gospel of Christ. Paul wants to get himself out of the way so that the gospel is free to work. The gospel has God given power. God’s word does amazing things. This is why we read in Isaiah 55:11 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please.”
The question of whether or not to pay the preacher, or anyone else who does work for the Lord, is answered in these verses. It basically says, let the ox, I mean the preacher, eat and be given what he needs. But there are many of you who serve the Lord in a number of ways without any pay...except for the blessing the Lord gives. Actually, when we love the Lord Jesus Christ, when we are deeply grateful to Him for all He has done, His death on the cross and forgiveness of our sins, it is indeed a joy to serve Him. And it sometimes seems kind of strange to receive money for that.
What Paul did by refusing to take money was to humble himself. He did not want attention to be directed toward himself, but toward Christ. His enemies picked up on this and misunderstood his motive. They were questioning Paul about his credentials. They accuse Paul of not being worth the pay. He tells the Corinthians that his willingness to serve without being paid should show them that his commitment to Jesus Christ and his commitment to them is genuine. In chapter eight he speaks of denying oneself in order not to harm others. He not only talks about giving up things for the sake of the Gospel and the sake of other Christians, he actually does it. He practices what he preaches.
Once there was a pair of identical twin brothers; one was a preacher, and the other was a physician. It was almost impossible to tell the two men apart. A woman approached one of them on the street and asked, “Are you the one who preaches?” “No,” came the answer, “I'm the one who practices.” Practicing what we preach; it has always been a challenge not only for preachers, but for all Christians.
We should be able to tell people, “Look at my life, and you will see that my Christianity is not just a bunch of words. It is what I believe and how I live.” We should be able to point to tangible things in our lives which demonstrate that we have indeed experienced God's grace and are a different person because of it.
We need to be thankful for those who have led us to faith in Jesus Christ. Each one of us is evidence of someone else having answered God’s call on their life. We are the evidence that God has used someone to bring us to know Jesus. We are the seal of someone’s faithfulness in answering God’s call.
Just as Paul’s life was changed forever on the road to Damascus, our lives are changed through the faithful evangelism and discipline of those who have brought us to faith, to an understanding of God’s power and His love for us.
God wants to use us to change lives. He wants not only for us to live the difference, but to make a difference. We can trust that if God could work through Paul, He will work through you and me. And the reward He gives will be greater than anything we could receive on this earth.
CLOSE:
It always pays to serve the Lord. Here is a story that has been told many times: A missionary couple returned after many years of faithful service in Africa. It so happened there was a very important diplomat also on the same ship.
When the ship arrived, this couple stood back and watched as the band played, and the people had gathered, and there was great applause with a huge banner that read WELCOME HOME! But it was not for them, it was for the diplomat.
As the diplomat walked down the gangplank and was whisked off in a limousine, this dear fellow put his arm around his wife as he walked off the ship with her. “Honey,” he said, “it just doesn’t seem right after all of these years that we would have this kind of treatment, and here this fellow gets welcomed home that way.” She put her arms around her husband and said to him, “But, honey, we’re not home yet.”
When you get discouraged and are tempted to wonder if it really pays to serve the Lord, remind yourself that when we get home, it will be worth it all.
It may not always seem to pay off here, but in eternity, everyone who loves and serves the Lord will spend forever glad that they did. Everyone who did not love and serve the Lord will spend eternity wishing they had.
