1 Corinthians 9:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What does this mean: "This is my defense before those who examine me"? For those who wish to know why I am an apostle, or accuse me as though I take money, or ask why I do not take it, or try to prove that I am not an apostle, my proof and justification are your instruction and what I am about to say. What is this?

To those who wish to know how it is evident that I am an apostle, I will offer you in my defense. For by proving that you were taught all things by me, I will strike down those who condemn me.

With regard to his enemies who were active in Corinth, he writes the following: "This is my defense before those who examine me."

Here the Apostle develops the thought he had expressed earlier: "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the belly, and the belly for food" (1 Cor 6:12-13). He sets these very words before the present reasoning: "This is my defense before those who examine me."

If anyone wishes to judge my labors, I call you as witnesses, because your work is sufficient testimony for me concerning my labors.

Thus, he says, I answer all those who, curiously searching out everything that concerns me, say that I am not an Apostle. I present you, Corinthians, as witnesses. You are the confirmation and proof of my apostleship, because among you I performed apostolic works. I taught you faith in Christ, endured many sufferings for it, and converted many of you to Christ. After this convincing answer, he passes to the explanation of his right, according to which, as an Apostle, he could take from his Corinthian disciples all that was necessary for life.

"If I am not an Apostle to others, yet to you I am an Apostle. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord." That is, the proof consists in those abundant spiritual gifts poured out upon the Corinthians through the apostolic preaching. "This is my defense before those who examine me," that is, before those who do not acknowledge my apostolic dignity.

Wishing to establish the obligatory force of his example of abstinence, the Apostle points to his dignity as a herald of Christ. The Corinthians, converted by him to Christ, could not doubt this dignity.

They had not only heard his word and seen the great miracles performed by him. They also bore in themselves various gracious gifts, both common and extraordinary, which had appeared in them through the faith proclaimed by the Apostle.

If the Apostle was so powerful, then he was no less free than those who, reasoning in an allegedly free way, ate things sacrificed to idols.

Pointing to his apostolic dignity in another epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle writes: “The signs of an Apostle were performed among you in all patience” (2 Cor 12:12).

Here too the Apostle passes to the same instructive thought concerning his ascetic patience. It was shown in his abstaining from the use of that to which he had a full right.

And this is my answer to those who would object to my apostleship and dispute it. What I have said ought to convince everyone that I am a true Apostle. "For those who wish to know why I am an Apostle, or who try to prove that I am not an Apostle, your conversion serves as my proof and justification" (Chrysostom).