1 Corinthians 9:1

Am I not a free man? The false teacher at Corinth was a Christian (see note on 1 Corinthians 3:5), but his motives were not right. He thought the gospel was a way to get rich (1 Timothy 6:5), although it would not be right to say that he was totally wicked. But because of his attitude toward money, he was amazed to find that Paul had not taken one cent from the Corinthians when he preached there. See note on 2 Corinthians 11:8. Because he did intend to take money from them, he believed he had to destroy Paul's authority as an apostle. "If Paul is an apostle, why didn't he use the rights of an apostle? Why is he living a celibate life when the other apostles, especially Peter, are married?" The Corinthians must have asked about these things when they wrote to Paul. Paul says he is a free man - free to demand they pay him a salary, and free not to take a cent from them if he chooses. Am I not an apostle: God himself called Paul to be an apostle. See note on 1 Corinthians 1:1. Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? Paul saw Jesus in person, and this made him a witness to the resurrection (see Galatians 1:10-17). And aren't you the result? The church (messianic community) at Corinth proved that he was their apostle.