Rights and Duties of an Apostle
1 Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord? 2 Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do! Because of your life in union with the Lord you yourselves are proof of the fact that I am an apostle.
3 When people criticize me, this is how I defend myself: 4 Don't I have the right to be given food and drink for my work? 5 Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips? 6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living? 7 What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?
8 I don't have to limit myself to these everyday examples, because the Law says the same thing. 9 We read in the Law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain.” Now, is God concerned about oxen? 10 Didn't he really mean us when he said that? Of course that was written for us. Anyone who plows and anyone who reaps should do their work in the hope of getting a share of the crop. 11 We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have the right to expect this from you, don't we have an even greater right?
But we haven't made use of this right. Instead, we have endured everything in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ. 13 Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices. 14 In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from it.
15 But I haven't made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this now in order to claim such rights for myself. I would rather die first! Nobody is going to turn my rightful boast into empty words! 16 I have no right to boast just because I preach the gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the gospel! 17 If I did my work as a matter of free choice, then I could expect to be paid; but I do it as a matter of duty, because God has entrusted me with this task. 18 What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without charging for it, without claiming my rights in my work for the gospel.
19 I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many people as possible. 20 While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them. 21 In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. 22 Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.
23 All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings. 24 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. 25 Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 26 That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. 27 I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
Apustuļa tiesības
1 Vai tad es nebūtu brīvs? Vai es neesmu apustulis? Vai gan neesmu redzējis mūsu Kungu Jēzu Kristu? Vai jūs neesat mans darbs Kungā? 2 Ja citiem es neesmu apustulis, jums es tomēr esmu: jūs esat manas apustuļa sūtības zīmogs Kungā. 3 Mana aizstāvība pret apvainotājiem ir šāda – 4 vai mums nav tiesību ēst un dzert? 5 Vai mums nav tiesību ceļot ar sievu, kas ir ticības māsa, kā to darījuši pārējie apustuļi un Kunga brāļi, un Kēfa? 6 Vai mums ar Barnabu vienīgajiem jāstrādā, lai pelnītu iztiku? 7 Kas dodas karā pats ar savu maizi? Kas stāda vīnadārzu un nebauda tā augļus? Vai arī, kas gana ganāmpulku un neēd no ganāmpulka piena? 8 Vai gan, to sacīdams, es runāju tikai kā cilvēks? Vai to nesaka arī bauslība? 9 Mozus bauslībā ir rakstīts: neliec uzpurni vērsim pie kulšanas. – Vai tad Dievam rūp vērsis? 10 Vai ne mūsu dēļ viņš runā? Mūsu dēļ ir rakstīts: arājam pienākas art ar cerību un kūlējam kult ar cerību, ka viņš iegūs augļus. 11 Ja mēs iesējām jums garīgo sēklu, vai liela lieta, ja mēs pļausim jūsu laicīgos augļus? 12 Ja citiem ir tādas tiesības uz jums, vai ne vairāk mums? Taču mēs neesam šīs tiesības izmantojuši, bet visu panesam, lai neliktu šķēršļus Kristus evaņģēlijam. 13 Vai jūs nezināt, ka tie, kas kalpo templī, pārtiek no tempļa labumiem, un tie, kas kalpo pie altāra, savu tiesu saņem no altāra? 14 Tā arī Kungs pavēlēja tiem, kas sludina evaņģēliju, – dzīvot no evaņģēlija. 15 Bet es no tā neko neesmu izmantojis. Un šo visu es nerakstu tādēļ, lai to attiecinātu uz mani. Tad jau labāk man būtu mirt. Šo manu lepošanos man neviens neatņems. 16 Ja es sludinu evaņģēliju, tad ar to man nav ko lepoties, tas man ir jādara. Vai! man, ja es nesludinātu evaņģēliju! 17 Ja es to daru no brīva prāta, tad man ir alga, bet, ja to daru ne no brīva, tad esmu tikai amata veicējs. 18 Kāda tad ir mana alga? Sludināt evaņģēliju bez atlīdzības, neizmantojot tiesības, kas man pēc evaņģēlija ir dotas. 19 Brīvs būdams no visiem, esmu sevi padarījis visiem par vergu, lai iemantotu vairāk cilvēku. 20 Jūdiem es biju kā jūds, lai iemantotu jūdus, tiem, kas zem bauslības, kā tāds, kas zem bauslības – tomēr tāds nebūdams –, lai iemantotu tos, kas zem bauslības. 21 Tiem, kas bauslību nepazīst, es biju kā tāds, kas bez bauslības –, tomēr es nebiju brīvs no Dieva bauslības, es biju zem Kristus bauslības – lai iegūtu tos, kas nepazīst bauslību. 22 Vājajiem es biju vājš, lai iemantotu vājos. Ikvienam biju tāds, kāds viņš ir, lai vismaz kaut dažus izglābtu. 23 Bet to visu es daru evaņģēlija dēļ, lai būtu pie tā līdzdalīgs. 24 Vai tad jūs nezināt, ka skriešanas sacīkstēs visi gan skrien, bet godalgu saņem tikai viens? Skrieniet tā, lai jūs saņemat godalgu. 25 Ikviens, kas piedalās sacīkstēs, atturas no visa cita: to viņi dara, lai saņemtu iznīcīgu vainagu, bet mēs – neiznīcīgu. 26 Tātad es neskrienu bezmērķīgi; cīņā dūres es velti nevicinu. 27 Bet es šaustu un paverdzinu savu miesu, lai, sludinādams citiem, pats nekļūtu atmetams.
