1 Corinthians 9:1–2: Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
“Am I not an apostle?” Of course the answer is, “Yes, Paul, you are an apostle.” The way this question is couched in the Greek demands a positive answer. “Am I not free?” The answer is, “Yes, Paul, you are free.” “Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” One qualification of an apostle was that he had personally seen Jesus Christ. Paul had satisfied that requirement. “Are not ye my work in the Lord?” The Corinthian believers were the evidence of his apostleship. “If I be not an apostle unto others”—but he was an apostle to others. The “if” is the if of condition. “Yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.” As far as the Corinthian church was concerned, he didn’t have to defend his apostleship. It was evident to the Christians there that he was an apostle. 1
Application
- Read Ephesians 1:13-14. What is the proof that you are a Christian?
- Read Ephesians 2:10. What is the evidence that you are His workmanship?
Thought to Share
He has an answer to every question, even before the question is asked. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Lord, thank You for being my Savior and my Seal of promise.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (1 Corinthians) (electronic ed., Vol. 44). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
