“I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more?”

The great reformer Martin Luther said before the ecclesiastical trial, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God.” He did not suggest he would submit to philosophical reasoning that existed apart from the Bible. Rather, he would only respond to reason based on the Bible. In this passage Paul shows that his teaching on the “rights” of God’s full-time servant to be financially supported is not based on “human” reasoning alone but is carefully thought out from Scripture. This also holds true for his earlier statements where he said things like, “But to the rest I say, not the Lord …” (1 Cor. 7:12).

Paul’s reasoning is quite convincing to say the least. But the amount of space he gives this issue probably reflects the intensity of the issue. It is debatable whether that intensity had to do with the level of criticism, or with Paul’s desire to address the issue extensively—probably both.

Money and ministry have always been strained bed-fellows. But the Bible does not avoid the subject. It is true that many modern-day televangelists and churches that continuously talk about giving have given Christianity a black-eye. But there remains a responsibility to meet the financial needs of those who have committed their lives in service to the Lord and His people. Paul is unapologetic and uncompromising on this issue. If one bases his belief and practice on Scripture, this is indeed a slam-dunk issue. Full-time servants of the Lord should be supported, they have a right to it, and they should not be denied!

This truth is rooted in the OT—one can almost hear the chuckle in Paul’s words, the obvious inference of Deut. 25:4. What is good for the ox is also good for the plowman. The entity responsible for the work should reap the benefits of that work (of course!). How could one not see that inference? Paul uses the same reasoning later to emphasize that some elders should be financially supported (1 Tim. 5:17–18). So Paul himself had a right to be financially supported by the Corinthians. Sounds self-serving of Paul? He addresses this next.

Lord, help me to reason well from Scripture, as Paul did.