If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
If other people have the right to expect support from you, don't we have even more of that right? But we chose not to use it. We put up with everything instead because we didn't want anything to get in the way of sharing the good news about Jesus.
Sometimes the best way to serve is to give up what you deserve.
📚 Historical Context
In the first century AD, the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians to address divisions and practical issues in the early church, including how leaders should be supported financially. Paul, as an apostle who had founded the Corinthian church, was asserting his rightful claim to material support from them, similar to other teachers or leaders who expected such provisions. However, he emphasized his decision not to use this right in order to avoid any obstacle that might undermine the spread of the gospel in a culturally diverse and skeptical Roman city like Corinth.
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