1 Corinthians 9:16, commentary and pictures

Preaching the gospel gives no ground for boasting, because a divine commission lays necessity upon the preacher, and woe falls upon him if he does not preach. That work is not done for wages or personal glory and gain, but from deep concern for the salvation of souls and the approval of God. The necessity rests not on pulpit ministers alone but on every true child of God in proportion to gifts and talents, with Christ's love in the heart pressing outward to make that love known. Truly feeling that necessity and woe holds messengers faithful, making them labor cheerfully without sparing themselves and endure trial, privation, burden of soul, and suffering to save souls. Those who do not feel it love ease and study their own convenience and comfort, becoming slothful, self-caring and weak, and their unfaithfulness displeases God and endangers the cause of truth.

Divine Necessity to Preach

Preaching the gospel gives no ground for boasting, because necessity is laid upon the preacher by divine commission and woe falls if he does not preach. Ministry is treated as privilege rather than work done for money, laboring for the salvation of people while seeking the approval of God. It is not service performed for wages or for personal glory or gain, but is driven by deep concern for souls outweighing selfish interest. Ministers are not to demand pay for every service as though working only for gain, but to give themselves wholly to God's work in trust that they will not lack what they need.

Paul had the right to receive support from the Corinthians but was willing to give it up at Corinth so that suspicion of financial motives would not weaken his usefulness and the force of his message. The necessity was a divine obligation, not a source of personal glory or a way to gain wealth, and giving up a lawful claim guarded the message from the charge of preaching for money. That necessity is a sacred, responsible mission to warn people of peril, point them to safety, and seek their rescue, and the preacher who recognizes the calling cannot treat it as optional or labor merely for wages. Ministers have been entrusted with proclaiming God's last message of mercy to the world, and the woe for failing to preach falls on those who do not throw their whole energies into this all-important work they acknowledge God placed in their hands.

Such unfaithfulness displeases God, endangers the cause of truth, and exposes it to ridicule. Those entrusted must fill the office to the best of ability and bring their very best powers into the work, refusing duties that conflict with preaching and refusing too many other burdens. He who holds forth the word of life must take time to study the Word and examine self, closely searching the heart and giving himself to the Lord to grasp the hidden things of God, while financial matters and business details are managed by able businessmen and left to others set apart for that line. The warning also applies to those called to preach truth who refuse to obey, and an even heavier woe rests on those who preach while unsanctified in heart and life, as well as on those who keep such ministers in a position they cannot fill.

The felt woe if one preaches not is unmistakable evidence of a divine call. A genuine call places binding responsibility on the preacher, with woe upon him if he does not heed the call. The church bears the burden of responsibility to look carefully and attentively at the lives, qualifications, and general course of those who profess to be teachers for this evidence. If it is lacking the church must act and let it be known that they are not acknowledged as teachers, in order to be clear and to shut out the danger of uncalled travelers whose lack of wisdom leads to injudicious moves that drive precious souls away.

The necessity rests not on pulpit ministers alone but on every true child of God and co-worker with Christ, minister and layman alike in proportion to gifts and talents. Christ's love in the heart creates inward pressure to praise Him and make that love known, so everyone who has received pardoning grace has warrant and duty to present that love in word and action to those connected with them. Religion is thus not dormant but works in active service, encouragement of others, and streams of charity, love and self-sacrifice. All who truly labor together with God carry the burden of the work with heart and devotion, feeling woe if they fail to stand faithful and true to their position of trust.

The same woe that falls on the minister if he preach not will just as surely fall upon the businessman, farmer, mechanic, merchant, lawyer, and every church member who with different talents will not be a co-worker with Christ in securing souls and advancing God's cause. Responsibility of minister and layman is no less one than the other, each in exact proportion to gifts from God, including talents and means to help accomplish the gospel's work. The minister who abandons sacred soul-winning work for temporal gain is an apostate held accountable for misapplied talents. Every day and every hour comes as a blood-bought privilege not only to work out one's own salvation but to be an agent in bringing souls to Christ, building up His kingdom, and making manifest His glory.

Faithful Self-Sacrificing Ministry

Truly feeling the inward woe that falls if the gospel is not preached is enough to hold messengers faithful to the work. It makes them labor cheerfully without sparing themselves, take up the burden, and endure trials and privations and wearing labor and burden of soul, even being baptized into suffering. Those who feel it do not study their own ease but minister faithfully in word and doctrine, willing to suffer and endure all things for Christ's sake in order to save those for whom He died. Preaching is therefore a duty laid on God's servants and no ground for boasting.

Those who do not feel this woe love ease and study their own convenience and comfort. They become slothful, dilatory and self-caring, show weakness and little fortitude, do not know when they have an easy time, imagine themselves slighted and injured, and think their lot hard and their trials great. Faithful work puts Christ's mission and the saving of souls ahead of personal liking, pleasure, convenience and self-gratification. It is not merely loving to preach but being driven by laid-on necessity and woe, with a solemn sense of the holiness of God's work for this time that holds a man to sacred duty, makes him trust God, practice self-denial and lift the cross, and sends him forth burdened with the word of life to do good and save souls instead of neglecting duty and turning preaching calls into occasions for sight-seeing and pleasure.

In practice this self-denial means working with the hands when needed to support the family rather than burdening the church, and preaching in order to save souls. It means giving up ease and extravagance, ceasing to study personal convenience and comfort, keeping the worth of souls in mind, practicing economy with the Lord's money rather than using it freely and carelessly, and not making great outward preparations and fixings to travel in ease and comfort. Faithful ministers give themselves wholly to God's work without being paid for every service as though working only for gain, trusting they will not lack what they need, because concern for the salvation of souls outweighs selfish interest. He who holds forth the Word of life must take time to study the Word and examine self, closely searching his own heart and giving himself to the Lord to grasp the hidden things of God, bringing his very best powers into the work, refusing duties and too many other burdens that conflict with preaching, while financial matters and business details are managed by able businessmen and left to others set apart for that line.

Unfaithfulness displeases God, endangers the cause of truth and the church, and exposes it to the ridicule of the enemy. An even heavier woe rests on those who preach while unsanctified in heart and life, as well as on those who keep such ministers in a position they cannot fill. The slothful, dilatory and self-caring must be scourged out and released, and God will not acknowledge them as self-sacrificing servants but will raise up earnest laborers who know when they have an easy time and feel the burden of souls, so that a pure, faithful and self-sacrificing company remains. Every day and every hour comes as a blood-bought privilege not only to work out one's own salvation but to be an agent in bringing souls to Christ, building up His kingdom, and making manifest the glory of God, with heart and devotion and faithfulness to the position of trust.