Greatly concerned for the spiritual welfare of the Corinthian brethren and sisters, Paul makes some very forceful comments. A good example: “Woe is me if I preach not the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). Examining Paul’s thoughts in this chapter, we need to note the forcefulness of the word “woe” (Greek “ouai”). According to the Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, this word is used as an interjection expressing pain, lament, and especially a threat of exclusion from salvation. It is used in 41 passages in the New Testament. In the Septuagint, it is found mainly in the prophetic writings. Overall, the word has quite an elastic meaning, ranging from indications of potential judgment, often linked to hypocrisy, to a more personal flavor of: ‘It is a misery to me.’ Hence, the range of meaning allows Paul to be speaking of possible judgments against himself if he fails to preach the gospel, continuing on to a personal feeling along the lines of: ‘How miserable I am if I don’t preach the gospel.’
A major issue throughout Paul’s correspondence to this ecclesia is the repeated assertion of his apostolic authority, against the background of antagonists seeking to undermine his standing and teachings: “If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? If others share this rightful claim upon you, do we not still more?” (1 Cor. 9:11,12). His apostleship allows him certain rights, including being cared for and remunerated by the ecclesia.
No choice
In the context of preaching, Paul declared that those who proclaim the Gospel should be at liberty to obtain a living by the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:14). Paul has ample warrant for this claim, given the Lord’s statement that “the laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7), and the Old Testament guide: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn” (Deut. 25:4). Both are cited in 1 Corinthians 9:9. However, with increasing emphasis, Paul states that not only has he refrained from using this rightful provision, but also that the fact could be looked upon as grounds for boasting.
Preaching is a very different issue: “For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me” (1 Cor. 9:16). It is impossible for him to boast, even of his apostolic status, as he must preach the Gospel. Paul is saying that preaching is no credit to him, as he has no choice on it. (Equally for us, we cannot claim credit for preaching, because we have no option but to preach.) For Paul, remuneration for preaching the gospel was presumably out of the question, as it might appear to compromise his motives in the eyes of his antagonists.
Personal accountability
And so Paul states: “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” This implies strong personal accountability if the gospel is not preached. Furthermore, to understand the breadth of his words, Paul would be ‘miserable’ if he failed to preach the gospel. Such was the apostle’s devotion to God’s ways.
Following this clear teaching is a rather difficult verse: “For if I do this willingly, I have a reward…” (1 Cor. 9:17). There seems to be two possibilities of understanding this statement: First, if he preaches of his own free will, then a reward will indeed follow. This would indicate that if Paul had voluntarily undertaken to preach he could legitimately have claimed remuneration from the ecclesia. To put it loosely, ‘Seeing that I’ve chosen to preach, I’ll get a reward for it.’
But the second, more appropriate, possibility makes it clear that preaching for him is not a voluntary option. Rather, he preaches not of his own will, but of his Father’s will. He must preach because he is entrusted with a commission to do so. Paul was called, and accordingly stands under constraint. What then is his reward if he does it under compulsion and by his vocation? “Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:18).
Satisfaction in doing God’s will
Paul is saying that, in this obligation to preach, he derives huge satisfaction from making the gospel available without charge to those otherwise in darkness. This is consistent with his comment that he would “endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:12). So great was Paul’s will to preach, conforming to the divine commission, that it would be unthinkable for him to hinder the promulgation of God’s message of salvation.
The exhortation at this stage for us is obvious. One needs to preach whether one likes it or not — it’s a divine commission. Preaching is not an option; it’s an imperative. As Sis. Jane Roberts remarked: “Every Christadelphian is a missionary.” Furthermore, we gain immense satisfaction from preaching the gospel, realizing that we are God’s instruments in so doing, offering it to people without price.
Contact with the gospel
We could perhaps ask: Why is preaching so important? One could say: ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter, since God calls people anyway.’ Some have even argued that we should not engage in much preaching as it is presuming on God’s prerogative to call. But God in fact calls people through the instruments He has provided, that is, His servants.
There are basically two ways in which people come to the gospel. First, some (but generally only a relatively few) may come from their own reading of Scripture. On occasions, we meet people who have come to the essentials of the gospel from their own Scriptural reading and meditation. But, second, and in most cases, people come to the gospel because of the instruction given them, ranging from young children at home and at Sunday School to interested friends coming from different backgrounds — work colleague, seminar participant, chance encounter, and so on.
Speaking out for the Lord
We are then expected to be the mouthpiece of the Lord in teaching the gospel: “But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news’ ” (Rom. 10:14,15).
Preaching, of course, can take many forms, with personal example a key ingredient. Some may have the ability to teach more effectively than others. But the need to open one’s mouth to witness for Him remains crucial; we must be forthcoming with our faith? “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess” (1 Pet. 3:15).
Looking for the opportunity
Consider the experience of the Ethiopian eunuch: “Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless some one guides me?’… Then Philip opened his mouth and commencing with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus” (Acts 8:30,31,35).
When the opportunity arises, do we open our mouths, explaining the Scriptural message, placing no hindrance upon the extension of God’s word? Or do we remain silent? We remember the words of the Lord in another context which is still very pertinent: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matt. 23:13).
Watchmen’s responsibilities
The responsibilities of faithful watchmen are stated clearly in Ezekiel 3:17,18: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die’, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.” But happily, the converse applies, as he goes on to explain, with rich blessings for the faithful watchmen. Preaching is therefore an imperative in our service for the Lord. Not to preach, in all its different forms, is to hinder the gospel of grace.
The abundant signs we see around us in these last days witness to the imminent return of the Lord. Therefore, let us faithfully “preach the word, be instant in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). As with Peter and John, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One