Question 1

In verse 15, what two things does Paul deny about his relationship to material support?

Accepted Answer

Paul denies (1) that he has made use of the “rights” he just discussed—he says he has used none of them—and (2) that his writing is an attempt to trigger support for himself now. The verse is careful on both fronts: he is not admitting a past failure to claim support, nor is he subtly asking the Corinthians to start paying him. This sets a baseline for the rest of the paragraph: his reasoning is not about getting money, but about why not receiving money matters to what he is trying to preserve in Corinth.

Question 2

What does Paul mean when he says he would rather die than have anyone “empty” his boasting (v.15)?

Accepted Answer

At minimum, Paul treats his “boasting” as something legitimate that could be ruined by a change in how he is supported. The text does not define the content of the boasting in one phrase, but it connects it to his refusal of support in Corinth. So the “emptying” is not about removing pride from him; it is about undermining a basis for confidence about his ministry—likely the credibility and clarity that his message was not being sold or shaped by financial ties. The intensity (“rather die”) stresses how important that credibility is to him.

Question 3

According to verse 16, why does Paul say preaching gives him no ground for boasting?

Accepted Answer

He says preaching does not provide him with bragging rights because “necessity is laid” on him. In other words, he is not presenting preaching as a personal achievement he freely invented and can claim credit for. He also adds a negative pressure: “woe” to him if he does not preach. That makes his point stronger—preaching is not merely a preference or a career choice; it is an obligation he is answerable for. The verse shifts attention from performance and recognition to responsibility and constraint.

Question 4

How does verse 17 distinguish between doing the work “willingly” and doing it as “stewardship entrusted” to him?

Accepted Answer

Paul contrasts two angles on the same activity. If the work were purely “of his own will,” he could speak about earning a reward as if it were an optional project that deserves payment or applause. But he insists that, in his case, it is also a stewardship entrusted to him—an assigned responsibility he must manage. The contrast does not deny that Paul can be personally willing; it highlights that the mission is not ultimately self-generated. The language of entrustment makes preaching sound like a charge given to him, not a self-promoting venture.

Question 5

In verse 18, what reward does Paul identify, and how is it connected to his refusal of payment?

Accepted Answer

Paul answers his own question directly: his “reward” is that when he preaches he can present the gospel “without charge.” So the reward is not the paycheck he could have claimed; it is the opportunity to remove cost as a barrier and remove suspicion about motives. The connection is explicit: refusing payment is part of how he carries out his task in a way he considers valuable. This also implies that at least one part of his ministry involves voluntary self-limitation within an obligatory commission.

Question 6

What does Paul mean by “so as not to abuse my authority in the gospel” (v.18)?

Accepted Answer

The wording suggests Paul has real authority connected to his gospel work, and he is concerned about misusing it. In this paragraph, the immediate issue is financial support: taking payment could be perceived as leveraging authority for gain, or it could create obligations and status dynamics that distort the message. Paul does not say that receiving support is automatically an abuse (since he argued the right earlier); rather, in Corinth, he treats not charging as the way to ensure his authority cannot be framed as self-serving. The “abuse” is about the manner of using authority, not the existence of authority.

1 Corinthians 9:15-18

Scripture