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1 Corinthians 9:1-2
The Apostle Paul has been teaching – even pleading at times with those of the church at Corinth about their conduct as Christians. He has gone as far in showing his love for them as to give them his personal advice on some areas of Christian behavior as he states in 1 Corinthians 7:12a (NKJV), “But to the rest I, not the Lord, say:”. He shows his caring for them as a father figure in 1 Corinthians 4:14 as he states, “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. In 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 he begins his defense of his authority in Christ Jesus as being a true leader of the gospel to the Gentiles/those who are not Jews. There is developing a sense that the Apostle Paul is concerned that those of the church at Corinth are not heeding his instruction and advice.
In 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 Paul declares, “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? 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.” Jesus personally called from His group of disciples His twelve apostles (Luke 6:12-16), of which Paul was not included. But Jesus personally called Paul/Saul at his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-22). It is uncertain why Saul’s name was changed to Paul (Acts 13:9), but one belief is that because of the infamy to the name of the persecutor “Saul”, his name was changed to leave the infamy behind and show the new life, as per the new name, in Christ as the apostle called to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
This is a promise and proof of the apostleship of Paul in preaching the gospel to the Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul is a great example for most of us as his past life was not that of following the teachings of Christ Jesus. He was in his own words, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10) as we will soon study. God called Paul by God’s grace to Paul, just as it is with each one of us. God loves each one of us so much that He is willing to forget our past and help us build a future that is reflective of the great plan He has for us, if we will put our trust in Him and humble ourselves to the fact that we need help to overcome the issues that we all encounter in this world. If we will stop trying to do everything our way and start seeking His direction in life, He is faithful and will lead you in a life that is far more abundant and joyful than anything you could ever imagine. God used Paul’s life to show us that it does not matter what we have done in the past, forgiveness is possible in Christ Jesus who died in our place, sinless, to pay in the innocent requirement, the penalty for all sin – for your sins and for mine, so that we may be set free from the guilt, anxiety, and worry of our past and live redeemed as children of God through believing in Christ Jesus as our Savior – the Savior of the world. God used Paul to teach us and show us the miracle of salvation in his own life, and he teaches us how this can become a reality and true understanding in our lives as he teaches us in Romans 10:1-13. In Romans 10:4 Paul declares, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” He teaches us the submission to Christ Jesus in his own life and the words and the heartfelt obedience that changes our lives in Romans 10:9-11 as he teaches, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Put your trust in Jesus – believe in Him with all your heart – speak the words of confession to Jesus – and be saved from a life of sin unto a new life of forgiveness and newness of life – in Christ.
Dear LORD,
There may be some today who are reading or listening to this message that believe that the things that they have done in their past, or even that they are continuing to do today, are not worthy of Your forgiveness, but the truth is that none of us have lived lives that are worthy of Your forgiveness. We are all indebted to You because of sins we have committed. But Your love for us is greater than anything we could ever imagine; so great that You would send Your one and only Son to pay for our sins through His innocent life so that You, through Your love, mercy, and grace may save us from our sins. You just ask that we believe it in our hearts and confess it with our mouths. To simply believe and ask in prayer to You, “Dear LORD, I have sinned and I am aware that I need Your forgiveness. Thank You God for sending Jesus to pay for my sins. I ask You to forgive me and create in me the life that You have for me—in Christ. I will seek from this day forward to follow Your will for my life. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
If you sincerely prayed this today, I would like to be the first to welcome you to the family of God as a redeemed, forgiven, child of God. I encourage you to become a part of a church service that teaches salvation in Christ Jesus each week, and begin reading your Bible every day to learn more about what God has in store for you – in Christ.