Monday: Selfless Love
Daily Lesson for Monday 27th of July 2026
Read 1 Corinthians 9:1-6. How does this passage provide a practical example of what it means to practice self-denial motivated by love?
At first sight, it looks as though Paul’s defense of his apostleship, in 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, has nothing to do with the previous discussion on knowledge versus love. One cannot forget, though, that the Bible was not originally written in chapters. What Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 is not disconnected from the preceding material. Indeed, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 offers a practical example of selfless love for Christ and for the brethren. For the sake of love, Paul relinquishes a few rights.
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“To eat and drink” (1 Corinthians 9:4, NKJV). Here food and drink represent financial assistance in general. As an apostle, Paul had the right to receive material support from those to whom he ministered. Other religious leaders in his time used to do just that. But he didn’t; instead, he supported himself by making tents (Acts 18:3).
“To take along a believing wife” (1 Corinthians 9:5, NKJV). A married apostle was allowed to make a missionary journey with his wife at the church’s expense. Examples of missionary couples include Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:3) and Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7). But Paul was unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:8). He could get married and then benefit from the right of being accompanied by a wife, with financial support for both.
“To refrain from working” for a living (1 Corinthians 9:6, NKJV). Paul and Barnabas had the right to earn wages for their missionary work (1 Corinthians 9:4-6). Paul made tents for a living (Acts 18:3), but we don’t know what Barnabas’s occupation was. We know that he was very generous (Acts 4:36-37), and thus, he was willing to support himself.
In 1 Corinthians 9:7-11, Paul develops the idea of 1 Corinthians 9:6 in order to show that it is fair for him and Barnabas to earn a living from the church (1 Corinthians 9:11-12). The Lord Himself commanded, “Those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NKJV; compare with 1 Timothy 5:18). Nevertheless, Paul says, “We have not made use of this right” (1 Corinthians 9:12, ESV). Thus, Paul presents himself as an example of self-denial (1 Corinthians 9:1-18) and argues that this benefits the preaching of the gospel in Corinth (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
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What are things that, though they perhaps are due you, you might still be better off relinquishing in order to be a more effective witness for the Lord? |
“If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:12).
The course of the gospel of Jesus Christ will sometimes require one to go the extra mile. Those who believe in the course will sometimes voluntarily surrender their legitimate rights. This is an act of deliberate self-denial for the sake of others. This is not to champion social reform or political change or personal integrity, but to win souls for the kingdom of God. “I may win more people” (1 Corinthians 9:19–23). Paul is not simply setting a new precedent, but he is emulating Christ (Philippians 2:5–8).
In a world where self-interest, greed and selfishness are championed as the hallmarks of greatness, self-denial is a personal cost to pay for the kingdom. Self-denial for the sake of the gospel is a call to radically minimise the love of the world. Paul is sharing his experience not to cling to our so-called rights but willingly lay them aside for the good of others. This is the love for the gospel. Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed his personal comfort for social and political causes. Nelson Mandela sacrificed personal vengeance for the sake of national healing. Florence Nightingale sacrificed the life of wealth and privilege (she was born into riches) to serve as a nurse during the Crimean War. President José Mujica of Uruguay (the world’s “poorest president”) willingly surrendered the privileges of the high office to avoid distancing himself from his people.
For you and me, what can we sacrifice for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
I can sacrifice more of my time from scowling, to telling people more about the Jesus loves for them
It is interesting to compare the early church work which was mostly run on a volunteer basis, with the modern Seventh-day Adventist Church, which globally has a working budget equivalent to a small country. I need to be transparent here: I worked for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for over 40 years. You could say that almost everything I have spent on living has come out of the church coffers. When you consider the worldwide church, the wages bill is enormous.
So, when we read about Paul’s self-supporting ministry, how do we apply it in the modern world? Does the spirit of selfless love apply to a paid Gospel workforce? Are our Sabbath School lessons just about us as individuals, or are there lessons for our corporate business model as well?
I have seen both the best and worst of corporate selflessness during my lifetime. The Church organisation has gone above and beyond their legal responsibility in many cases, supporting employees who have been in need. At the same time, I have seen the courts involved to remove anomalies that should have been addressed much earlier.
The big lesson for us is that if we want the corporate church to exhibit selfless love, that can only come from individuals who practise selfless love. The church is a reflection of its members. The crate of apples is only as good as the individual apples!
Paul writes to the church at Corinth to remind them that the church is God’s instrument and community, called to display the love and character of Christ to a dying world. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul shows the essence of selfless love by willingly surrendering his personal rights and privileges for the sake of the gospel. Although he had the right to receive financial support and exercise his freedom, he chose instead to become “a servant to all” so that he might win more people to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22). This illustrates that the the church was designed to be an irresistible community that draws both the broken and the strong to Christ. Yet when self-interest replaces sacrificial love, the church loses its witness. Our responsibility as Christ’s community extends beyond passive observation of events and happenings; it requires active commitment to the spiritual and practical well-being of others, both within and outside the church. As Paul exhorts, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:24; cf. Philippians 2:3–4; Galatians 6:2).
The supreme example of selfless love is found in God Himself, who “so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). Christ’s willing sacrifice on the cross for undeserving sinners reveals the true pattern of Christian living: genuine joy is discovered not in demanding our rights but in giving ourselves for the good of others. Jesus declared, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and He commanded His followers, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34–35). As vessels of God’s love, we find our deepest fulfillment by loving God wholeheartedly (Matthew 22:37–39), serving our neighbors sacrificially, and reflecting Christ’s compassion in every sphere of life. Such selfless love makes the gospel visible and enables the church to become a transforming presence in the world, bringing glory to God and drawing many to faith in Christ.
Father,should we need to relinquish some rights and some personal comfort for the sake of your gospel,please provide the strength for that.
Amen!
May I ask why is it assumed that Andronicus and Junia were a married couple, when Paul describes them as “countrymen” and “fellow prisoners” in Romans 16:7?
Most scholars now believe Junia was a female though there are some who disagree. It would be logical that they would be husband and wife in that case, though I suppose they could be brother and sister. And the word countrymen is translated as “kinsmen” or “relatives” by other versions. Many, many times when the word “men” is used in the Bible, it is referring to people in general.
I also don’t see any reason why women could not have been prisoners. Paul arrested both men and women before he was converted.
The name Junia was a common female name, appearing over 250 times in inscriptions from Rome alone. So a dispute about whether Junia was a woman or a man doesn’t have much ground to stand on.
As Christina said,
Selfish love does not glorify God. Now, what does glorify God that can take the place of selfish love? What is selfish love? Simply love for self-gain. It is love that does not give back, it only receives.
To glorify God with selfless love, give of your faith, give of your virtue, give of your knowledge, give of yourself control, give of your perseverance, give of your godliness, give of your brotherly kindness, and give of your love.
II Peter 1:8.
“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Compare with the Clear Word paraphrase of the same text.
“When these qualities are in you and overflow to others, you’ll never be ineffective for Jesus Christ, nor will your love for Him diminish.”
Ties together genuine knowledge with genuine love. Our goal as Christians.
Although ” Those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel, 1 Corinthians 9:14″ Paul is telling us that we should sometimes we need to prioritise other people’s sake not to hinder the spreading of the gospel. Apostles were meant to benefit/ get facilitation from the church for all their necessities ” To eat and drink,1 Corinthians 9:4″ but Paul chose not to prioritise that ” Privilege, 1 Corinthians 9:14″ instead involved himself in earning duties, Acts 18:3.
Kinder similar to ” Christlike servant lesson” Selfless love, we need to die to self and not seek our own good but rather the good of others.
What is the ‘effective witness for the Lord’ based on?
Rom.8:36-39 – ”As it is written: “For Your (the LORD’s) sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is IN Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Can human acts of love/self-denial match the power of God’s Love which He vested in Jesus Christ, His Son? We can consider ourselves to be ‘more than conquerors’ because of God’s Spirit within, though I do not consider man’s acts of ‘self-denial’ to be seen in this same way. (I see them as contributions to enrich the soil in which the ‘Word of God’ will grow good fruit.)
God’s Love is a very special type of Love; unmatched by anything man can do. The Love the Father vested in His Son when giving Him His Name – ‘Joshua’ – means “Yahweh saves”. This Love contained within His Son Christ Jesus’ is His Own – the power to safe. John 17:1-12.
1 John 4:7-21 – Though man is a fallen creature and does not know how to truly love, we have, never the less, been called to do our best by loving one another – releasing the Father’s Love by acts of kindness. I find nothing more satisfying and reassuring than to ‘be known by my heavenly Father’, knowing that He loves me unconditionally. Can I match His Love for me by selfless acts of kindness? no, but I will continue to entreat Him to keep me safe by His Love – and He will do this by the Power of His Name – “Selfless Love”. John 17:11;15.
I Corinthians 9 is very interesting as Paul both makes the case for the rights of the apostles and emphasizes how he didn’t avail himself of those rights. At first read, this seems contradictory but I don’t think it actually is.
I realize that surrender and self-sacrifice must be voluntary. God doesn’t force this on us and we shouldn’t force this on others either. We often tell me people “this is what dying to self looks like”, but I think it isn’t actually our business. God leads people to determine what that looks like and He doesn’t order but invite. I don’t think He wants us to surrender our rights because we “have to”. But as His love fills us, we will choose to. He will also give us wisdom to know when to. We often struggle with this – some people demand their rights all the time and others end up completely spent because they don’t realize they need certain things.
At times I have sacrificed things – free time, alone time (I am an introvert, after all), money and so on for God. But when I’ve seen someone else not making that sacrifice, I’ve had moments where I got mad. I was annoyed they hadn’t made that sacrifice. And I see now that was wrong. It’s between them and God what they should sacrifice. Some people sacrifice one thing and some another. Some make a sacrifice at a certain time that would be inappropriate at another. We all must follow our conscience and not judge others.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Christina.
Yes, I believe that, while some don’t really give much at all, others may give more than they should. I believe the concept of “You are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19), but that we are stewards of the body, time, money and talents God has given us can help us achieve balance, if we always keep in touch with God through prayer. Considering our bodies and our whole selves are the property of God. We need to take care of our health so we can serve God.
I also don’t think that allowing ourselves to be abused is God’s will. That would be allowing God’s property to be abused.
A patient told me today that the Holy Spirit talks to her all the time and started giving me examples. Then I handed her The Great Controversy. Right after she asked me what my belief was, I told her. We can be a witness anywhere. Especially at work, we can easily be witnesses.
What is your experience/opinion about these different models of pastoral care?
A. Common Protestant Model – The lead pastor is regularly available at one church building during the week, with regular “office hours” and support staff, and heads the primary care-giving responsibilities. The pastor may share tasks such as home and hospital visits, marital and individual counseling, youth ministry, etc. with unpaid or paid church lay leaders, but the salaried senior pastor is the one coordinating it all and devotes significant time and resources to shepherding the local flock. This lead pastor’s regular presence creates a stable structure for a “family” of faith, much as having a Dad or Mom as the stay-at-home parent tending the “hearth fires” gives stability to the home. The pastor carries the primary load of preaching, visitation, and leadership, assisted by elders and deacons. In larger churches, home groups may form for mid-week Bible study and prayer and these groups also become friendship groups for mutual support.
B. Common Seventh-Day Adventist Model – The lead pastor is a conference employee assigned to districts, not hired by individual churches, and travels throughout multi-church districts – often comprised of 2-3 congregations, sometimes widely spread apart – with an emphasis on teaching, evangelism, church planting, and outreach. They rotate preaching across their churches…so that they are usually not present every Sabbath at one location and may be away several weeks before returning again to that location. Part of leading many congregations means attending more church board meetings and being involved in more administration work, which also cuts into pastoral ministry time.
The primary load of ongoing pastoral care is carried by elders, deacons and lay leaders, with an emphasis on “the priesthood of all believers”. The lead pastor is available for larger planned events like weddings, baptisms, and funerals, but elders and deacons are expected to carry significant ongoing day-to-day, week-to-week pastoral responsibility of their local church, meeting the special needs that arise and the counseling work as unpaid, lay ministers, and fitting this in around their paying jobs.
C. Early Apostolic Model – More fluid, communal and context-dependent. Paul, Barnabas, Peter and other apostles were primarily itinerant…planting a church and perhaps staying 1-3 years before moving on to a new area. Today’s lesson points out that Paul sometimes supported himself by tentmaking so he would not burden new or poor churches. At other times, he received financial support from churches (Phil. 4:10-18; 1 Cor. 9:6-14). Once the church was established, local elders/overseers/bishops handled the ongoing, continuous care of shepherding, teaching, oversight, while deacons handled the practical service and distribution of goods (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Acts 6:1-6). The church members lived in closer geographic and social proximity than most of today’s Western congregations and as a matter of course met regularly throughout the week in each other’s homes, sharing resources, practical help for the needy, and social life (Acts 2:44-46, 4:32-35; 6:1-6; Heb. 10:24-25; 1 Tim. 5:3-16). When urgent needs arose, the community responded together and care was distributed naturally across the body of believers, based on relationships already established through close daily living.
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You probably have sensed my opinion. I do support a “love one another” model where it is not all top-down and “the pastor does everything”…where members practice the gospel message of self-denial and generosity…and where we all expect and WANT to do our part in meeting each other’s needs. But how do we carry this out practically when we have to work to provide income for ourselves and our families, and most of us live a distance apart?
In first-century Mediterranean cities and villages… work, family, and church life overlapped more than they do now in contemporary North America. Many people worked closer to home, lived nearer one another, and had less rigid “9-5” + commute schedules. Today, when elders and deacons hold full-time secular jobs and the geographic spread is greater with members traveling from towns farther away to reach the closest Adventist church, the purely lay-led model can leave gaps in counseling, crisis response, and ongoing visitation – especially during weekday daytime hours.
This past week, I called one of our pastors to pray over my sweetest Mom in her final hours of life (thank you to all of you who have been on this journey with me). He generously agreed to come right away – a distance of about 40 miles and about 50 minutes of driving time. He is a young father of 4 and I was aware of (and so grateful for) the time away from family this would mean for him. In Bible times, I would most likely have called upon an elder a few doors away who may be working his trade from home or otherwise available.
For the model of whole-body mutual ministry to function properly, we may need to consider some additional provisions such as:
* Some sort of stipend support to compensate for time off of our day jobs to do these ministries within the church.
* Some true planning, training and organization so that the church family knows who to call on in time of need (if not the head pastor) and so that the person filling that role is equipped.
For example, I know of several couples within the church whose marriages dissolved without the support of ongoing marital counseling from church leadership. Marriage counseling, family counseling, youth counseling, mental health counseling….these needs are prevalent and require a weekly commitment of time, experience and expertise in the counseling field…and church office hours.
Another area of service in my particular congregation is meeting the needs of the immigrant/refugee members which make up around 80% of our congregation. One of our dear retired elders coordinates it all and we donate goods and resources to her to distribute, but her health is failing and who else has the availability to devote to this full-time job when the rest of us are working day jobs?
What works in your churches? What are realistic work loads that volunteer members carry in meeting congregational needs? What is your experience with shared teams? What are your thoughts about weekly pastoral hours at the church?
I think there are pros and cons to all models. I know people like to hold up the apostolic model as one that we should aspire to, but our world is very different today, as you have said. I agree that the biggest difference is how spread out we are. Technology allows us to travel quickly but it also keeps us away from each other. Many do not live close to their church.
I have served as an elder and I find it hard to do all the things I feel I should do, and that is even with a pastor. Without a pastor it would be even worse. I don’t really see it to be feasible for elders to dedicate the time required to fill all the church roles. It might be possible if they were retired, but I’m not sure it’s ideal to have only older leaders.
A stipend will not really help as it would not change the fact that when we’re at work, we have to be at work. We cannot just leave on a monent’s notice. Not all jobs allow part-time work and even if they do, the stipend would probably not offset the wages lost.
I understand that people feel full-time pastors make the congregation lazy, but I don’t think it has to be that way. Congregants will be just as lazy with full-time elders doing the work. It’s a heart issue.
I had an outstanding pastor once and I felt he actually motivated me to serve more. I also appreciated having him to “lean on” for support in ministry. It would have been harder as an elder to not have that support, though I suppose elders can support each other.
It’s hard to know what is best, though.