In this chapter, Paul talks about his freedoms and responsibilities as a believer. He reiterates that he is free in Christ. He says that the evidence of his apostleship is the believing community that helped found. The work defines the position, not the other way around. He goes into his rights and privileges; he may take a wife, he may eat and drink, and may work to support himself. 

Here, he argues for the community to let Barnabas and him work for a living. (The book of Acts tells of Paul making and selling tents with the other apostles to fund their missionary travels.) He compares it to how inappropriate it would be to make soldiers pay their own way. Usually, the warring nations fund their own campaigns. He also compares the missionaries to the ox and the plowman who are allowed to eat from the grain they are threshing.  Likewise, the sending churches should fully fund their religious workers. He reminds them of the accepted Jewish practice of allowing priests to eat the food offerings. 

Despite this argument for the community to pay the leaders, he wants to offer the gospel free of charge.  He feels it will increase his reward by not taking money for preaching, but paying his own way. This is in stark contrast to many popular speakers in his day, and ours, who demand big fees and live extravagantly. 

He reminds the reader that the winners of a race only get the prize if they finish first. He compares Christian discipline to that of an athlete. While the runners in the Roman games of his day won perishable wreaths of olive leaves, the believers’ rewards are eternal. Paul does not want us to run aimlessly or beat the air.

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Cor 9:27