First Corinthians 9:15 means that Paul chose not to use his right to financial support from the churches he served, and he would rather die than give anyone a reason to say his preaching was done for money. The verse is part of Paul’s own defense of his ministry in Corinth, where some people were questioning his authority and motives. He writes to the church at Corinth, which he founded, to explain why he has worked with his own hands instead of accepting payment.
But I have used none of these things, and I don’t write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void.
1 Corinthians 9:15 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 9:15 Means
Paul begins by saying he has “used none of these things.” The “things” he refers to are the rights he had as a preacher: food, drink, and the support of a believing wife, all of which he lists earlier in the chapter. He is not saying he lacked the right to them. He is saying he never claimed them, so no one could accuse him of profiting from the gospel.
Next he says he is not writing this in order to receive those benefits later. He is not dropping hints or setting up a future request. His silence about money is intentional, and his refusal is not a bargaining tactic. The verse does not promise that every preacher must refuse support, and Paul elsewhere affirms that the Lord has ordained that those who proclaim the gospel should live from it. What the verse does show is a specific personal choice that Paul made for the sake of the Corinthians’ trust in him.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 9:15
First Corinthians is a letter Paul wrote to a divided congregation in the Greek city of Corinth, around the middle of the first century. Chapter 9 sits in a section where Paul answers critics who doubted his apostleship and questioned why he did not take the financial support other apostles seemed to receive. Some in Corinth may have judged him by the standards of traveling teachers who expected to be paid, so Paul had to explain his practice.
The verses just before the passage describe the rights a worker in the gospel can claim, and the verses just after show Paul’s reasoning: he preaches freely so that his reward is to offer the gospel without charge. Reading verse 15 in this setting makes it clear that Paul is not condemning others who accept support. He is explaining the particular way he chose to serve, so that his own conduct would not hinder the message he carried.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 9:15
1 Corinthians 9:14
Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News.
(WEB)
This verse comes just before verse 15 and states that the Lord has commanded those who preach the gospel to receive their living from it. Reading it alongside verse 15 shows that Paul knew the principle and chose to set aside his right to live from the gospel for a particular reason.
2 Corinthians 11:7-9
7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge? 8 I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you. 9 When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.
(WEB)
In this passage Paul again explains that he preached to the Corinthians without charge, and he speaks of receiving help from other churches so that he would not be a burden. It shows the same concern for his ministry and reveals that his practice of self-support was a settled pattern in his work.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 9:15
Lord, you have given us the good news of Christ, and you have called those who share it to serve with integrity. Teach me to hold my gifts and opportunities with open hands, so that nothing I receive or refuse gets in the way of the message you have entrusted to me. Let my life be a clear witness that the gospel is worth more than anything I could gain from it. Keep my heart free from pride and my motives pure before you. Amen.
