NOTES for Co1 9:15-26
Continuing the discussion of his apostolic ministry, Paul once again draws his readers' attention to the fact that he never intended to use the opportunities for support from the churches where his ministry took place, even though in his own opinion he had every right to them (v. 15). He did this not because he considered himself worse than others, but because he did not want to lose what the apostle calls his "boast" (the corresponding Greek word could also be translated as "glory" or "glorifying," v. 16). This thought of Paul's is close to the Savior's call to the apostles to consider themselves unworthy servants even when they have, as it were, done everything required of them and done it well. The point, of course, is not that the labor of witnesses to the Kingdom is worth nothing, but rather how such a witness relates to his ministry.
One can relate to it merely as work, necessary and even joyful work, but still only work, fulfilling the duties God has laid on the minister. Or one can serve God in such a way that ministry becomes an inseparable part of the minister's life; then the question of payment no longer arises, though a reward is possible (vv. 16-17).
The difference is that payment is always proportional to the work done, while a reward is not always so. Paul understands perfectly that in the Kingdom there is no payment for work, but there is reward for servants. In order to receive it, one must from the very beginning forget every calculation, giving oneself to ministry completely and without reserve, becoming, in the apostle's words, "all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (vv. 18-23). The apostle speaks of just such ministry, comparing it with athletic contests in which one can win only by investing one's whole self in the victory, without reserve (vv. 24-27). In the Kingdom, one can live only a full life. It is entirely permeated by the breath of God, and every citizen of the Kingdom can receive that breath in all its fullness. But only on one condition: that he not calculate how much each movement and each breath costs.