Free of Charge

I. Introduction
A. Paul’s detractors in Corinth
1. Wherever Paul went, opposition arose against him and against the gospel he preached.
2. It was certainly this way in Corinth. After a time of ministry there, planting Corinth’s first church, a group of men claiming to be apostles infiltrated the Corinthian congregation and began to undermine Paul’s status as an apostle.
B. In our passage this morning, Paul feels forced to defend himself against the accusations of these detractors.
1. He feels that to be silent in the face of the false things being said about him is to give up on the Corinthian believers, and just allow them to be taken captive by these false apostles.
2. But he loves them too much to let this happen. So, if he has to boast, he will boast, though he acknowledges that it is ordinarily a foolish thing to do, and does so only as a last resort.
3. The only alternative is to give the impression that his opponent’s false accusations against him are true. So, he resorts to a kind of boasting, begging them for their tolerance.
C. 2Corinthians 11:1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!...5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.
D. I’d like to focus in on three things this morning. The first one is in...
II. (Knowledge versus rhetoric)
A. v.6 “Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.”
B. Paul’s adversaries in Corinth accused him of being a bad public speaker.
1. Paul already referred to this by quoting them in 2Corinthians 10:10 They say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.”
2. You see, one of the most valued skills in Corinth was training and skill in Greek rhetoric.
3. The Jews, however, didn’t seem to feel this way. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, said, “Jews do not favor those persons who adorn their style with smoothness of diction.”
4. So probably, in the context of Corinth, Paul seemed awkward and unskilled.
5. But rhetorical skill wasn’t what was important to Paul. And so he says in v.6: “Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge.”
C. Eloquence of speech is not necessarily a sign of the Spirit’s presence. There are many spellbinding speakers who have no real knowledge of Christ, many who use slick speech to manipulate rather than edify, many who rely on style and technique – instead of substance – to produce the desired effect in the hearer.
D. But Paul was wary of the kind of eloquent rhetoric his adversaries boasted in. He felt that it detracted from the message of the cross.
1. “Christ sent me to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” – 1Corinthians 1:17
E. But Paul had something the false apostles didn’t have. He had knowledge.
1. “Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge.”
2. You see, the power of Paul’s adversaries was in their clever eloquence rather than in the knowledge of what God has done in Christ.
3. Not so with Paul. Paul’s power was in the gospel message of Christ, which he knows very well. He has learned it from the risen Christ Himself.
4. What he speaks of Christ comes not from his own opinions, but from his knowledge.
5. When he writes his letters, he writes about what he knows. He knows – and he knows he knows.
6. That’s why Paul’s letters, along with the rest of Scripture, is so important.
7. These are not just interesting ancient letters, penned by wise people from long ago.
8. These letters are written by people who God chose to communicate His truth. And He moved them by His HS to do just that. So, these letters are the word of God, for “All Scripture is inspired by God.” (2Tim.3:16)
9. So Paul saw his job as clearly proclaiming and explaining the message of Christ, relying on the power of the HS to bring it home in people’s hearts.
F. Paul is more interested in proclaiming the message of the cross than in turning a clever phrase which produces applause. He is not out to amuse or entertain his audience but to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus, confronting his hearers with a life or death decision.
1. He cared about more sincerity, humility and faithfulness than he did about smoothness/style.
2. “We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” – 1Corinthians 2:13
3. He was very suspicious of those who exalted eloquence over substance.
4. Listen to what he says in 2Timothy 4:1–4, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus... 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
G. And this is a real temptation to preachers who have the ability to entertain or to play people’s heart-strings. It is tempting for them to adapt to the appetites of people, pursuing success instead of faithfulness to teach and proclaim God’s word.
1. Jesus didn’t adapt His message to draw crowds, did He? In fact, in John 6:66 we’re told that what He taught was a big turn-off for a lot of people.
III. And yet, in some ways Paul did adapt his ministry to his hearers.
A. He talks about this in v.7-12. He says that, though he accepts money from other church, he refuses money from the Corinthians, and He will continue to do so, even though it offends them.
B. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.
C. Paul clearly believed that those who are called to spend their lives preaching the word ought to make their living preaching the word, and it was the duty of churches to pay their pastors.
1. He makes this clear in 1Corinthians 9:1-19. Here is a two verse sample: 13-14 “Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”
D. But we also know that Paul didn’t always accept money from churches, the Corinthians church is a case in point. To them, he preached free of charge, refusing his just compensation in order to avoid putting an obstacle in the way of the gospel (1Cor.9:12).
E. So, we can see in his refusing money from the Corinthians and not from other churches that Paul adapted himself to the ones he’s ministering to. He knew that different people have to be loved in different ways – and not according to what they want, but according to what they need.
F. In fact, in 1Cor.9, he ends his discussion of the issue of accepting or refusing payment with these words: “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
G. Paul seems to be talking about adapting himself for the sake of winning non-believers. But it’s clear from the context that he intends the principle to apply to ministering to believers as well. “I have become all things to all people.”
H. Elsewhere he says “encourage the timid, warn the unruly.” (1Thes.5:14)
I. So, part of Christian love is adapting ourselves to the needs of the people around us.
J. This is so contrary to how the world tells us to live. “Be yourself! Just be you!”
1. Well, I’m glad the Son of God didn’t just remain who He was, but adapted Himself to who we are – so that as the Son of Man He might help us become the sons of God.
K. You see, there’s something more important than being yourself – and that is being like Jesus.
1. The great goal of people in our society is all wrapped up in self. The great goal of the Christian couldn’t be any more different. It is all wrapped up in Jesus.
2. Think about Michelle and Melanie and Richard & Carol. They don’t live where they want to live or speak the language they want to speak or eat the food they want to eat or wear the clothes they want to wear or hang out with the people they want to hang out with. They have chosen to adapt themselves to another people, because they are living not for self-fulfilment but for the gospel. They are not living to find themselves, they have already been found by Christ, and live for Him.
3. Much of what the world thinks is splendid is detestable in the eyes of God (Luke 16:15).
4. If we’re not aware of the fact that the world is urging us to go a completely different direction than the Lord wants us to go, we will drift along in the world’s direction.
5. True life isn’t about being true to yourself. True life is about being filled with Christ, being filled with the HS. True life is described in Gal.2:20, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” True life is described in Phil.1:21, “For me to live is Christ.”
IV. But why did Paul insist on offering the gospel free of charge to some churches?
A. Sometimes he relied on the gifts of other churches, or on his tent-making work to provide for his needs. Why did he refuse to accept money from the Corinthians, as he says in 1Cor.9:15, “I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision.”
B. What makes Paul’s refusal even stranger is that it’s clear the congregation at Corinth was well off, in comparison to the congregations of Macedonia, from whom he gladly accepted money.
C. And he insisted on doing so, even though it offended them. They turned Paul’s refusal of money against him, claiming that this reflected negatively on Paul’s legitimacy as an apostle.
1. That’s why he asks in v.7, “Did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge?”
2. They even claimed that it proved that Paul didn’t love them, which he refutes in v.11.
D. There seem to be several justifications for this reaction:
1. “You get what you pay for.” If you don’t accept money, it means you must not be worth anything.
a. Companies that charge top dollar often are critical of discount companies in this same way. “They don’t charge you much because they cut corners and don’t do as good a job.”
b. (Of course, many times that’s true, although sometimes those who charge top dollar don’t actually do the job any better. They’re just trying to get the most money for the least work.)
c. They insinuated that Paul did not claim his rightful due because he knew in his heart that he was not a true apostle and therefore undeserving to be paid as if he was.
2. Leaders came from the ranks of the leisure class.
a. Craftsmen were considered lower class. Most Greek teachers refused to work with their hands, considering it demeaning. In fact, it was considered preferable to beg than to work with one’s hands. Probably the false apostles claimed that because Paul made tents, he was beneath them. That’s why Paul refers to them here sarcastically (and in 12:11) as “super-apostles.”
b. “An impoverished leader was a contradiction in terms.” – Savage
c. They did not understand how someone could voluntarily live humbly.
3. Perhaps they were actually embarrassed by Paul’s lifestyle, much like some churches want a well-dressed and successful-looking pastor.
E. V.12 says, “What I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.”
1. He doesn’t want them to be able to say, “Look, we’re just like Paul!”
2. But Paul’s reason for refusing money couldn’t be merely to distinguish himself from the false apostles, because Paul was refusing their money before the false apostles infiltrated the Corinthian congregation.
3. Paul never expected money when he was first preaching the gospel in an area – it seemed contradictory to the message of free grace. But later on in the process – and Paul labored in Corinth for a year and a half – why would Paul be so determined to preach the gospel to the Corinthian church free of charge, and yet willing to accept pay from other churches?
4. 1Cor.9:11 “If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” (See also 18-19.)
a. But how does accepting pay from them put an obstacle in the way of the gospel?
b. And, why wouldn’t it put an obstacle in the way of the gospel in other churches?
5. Paul doesn’t really give us the answer directly, but I don’t think it’s too hard to figure out.
F. Unlike other cities Paul visited, Corinth had a transactional culture.
1. Transactional people are people who don’t believe in love. They think all human interactions are transactional. They are jaded and cynical about people’s motives. They believe that everyone is ultimately motivated by self-interest, that everyone is motivated by what they can gain from others, that no one is truly motivated by love.
2. The Corinthians tended to be very transactional.
3. This is why Paul emphasizes love so much in his two letters to the Corinthians – e.g. 1Cor.13.
4. There is more and more of this kind of thinking today. And some are consciously choosing it as their philosophy of life.
5. Now if the Corinthians thought this way, it would be easy for them to be convinced that Paul was preaching the gospel and planting churches for his own gain, for his own sake.
6. And that’s why he refused to take money for his services.
a. He did not want to accept anything from the Corinthians which would then make them feel like he was in it for the money.
b. He did not want to accept anything from the Corinthians which would then make them feel like he owed them something.
G. And this is equally true today. Those who think transactionally believe that the gospel is just a Christian attempt to get something from them. They scoff at the notion that in sharing the gospel we are actually trying to give something to them. Maybe you have someone in your life like that. I do.
1. The only way to try to convince them of the gospel is to try to prove love to them – to try to love them in a way which they can’t explain without having to rethink their view of life. And pray that God would open their eyes to the reality of the love of Christ.
2. That’s exactly what Paul is trying to do in his insistence on giving them the gospel – and his love – free of charge. He is trying desperately to persuade them that he is motivated only by Christ and by Christ’s love for them. He will do nothing that will put himself on a par with these counterfeit apostles who are looking to line their pockets with Corinthian money.
3. That’s all you can do: just keep loving – even if it causes offense, just keep giving – even if falsely accused, just keep praying – even if it looks hopeless.
4. As Paul said earlier, “So death is at work in us, but life in you!” (2Cor.4:12) We die, that you might live. Just like Jesus.