Devotional 5 January 2026

January 05, 2026 • Steve Torres

1 Corinthians 9:7.jpg

“Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 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. 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? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:8-14, ESV)

In 1 Corinthians 9:8–14, Paul makes a point that is both simple and deeply uncomfortable for many believers: those who labor in the work of the gospel are meant to make their living from the gospel. This is not a concession to greed, nor a cultural accommodation. It is a principle grounded in God’s own ordering of work, justice, and provision.

Paul begins by appealing to the Law of Moses: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” (v. 9). God’s concern is not limited to animals, but reaches beyond them. If the Lord cares that an ox is allowed to eat while it works, how much more does He care for the one who labors in His service. The command reveals a pattern: labor is meant to share in its fruit. Spiritual work is real work, and it carries real value.

Paul then presses the point further. If the Corinthians have received spiritual things, is it too much for those who taught them to receive material support in return (vv. 11–12). Here, Paul refuses the false divide between the spiritual and the material. Material provision does not cheapen gospel ministry; it is the natural outcome of faithful spiritual labor. God has always ordered His worship this way. Under the old covenant, those who served at the altar lived from the altar (v. 13). Under the new covenant, the Lord Jesus Himself affirmed the same truth: “those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (v. 14).

Yet Paul is careful to clarify something essential. Though this right is real and God-given, Paul chose not to exercise it among the Corinthians. This was not because the right was unimportant, but because their immaturity might turn support into distraction. Paul did not want questions of money, obligation, or status to obscure the message of Christ crucified.

This passage calls the church to sober clarity. Faithful gospel workers are not less worthy of provision because their labor is spiritual. The existence of false teachers who exploit the gospel does not erase God’s concern for those who labor faithfully. God has ordered His work so that those who sow spiritual things may rightly reap material things, all for the sake of Christ and His people.