1 Corinthians 1-10 Theme of Self-sacrifice

After Paul distinguishes between God's wisdom and man's wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1-4, he gives some instructions that involve self-sacrifice.

In Chapter 6 the believer is told to give up his right to sue a brother in a pagan court; in Chapter 7, to give up his right to divorce an unbelieving spouse and, in marriage, to give up his right to his own body; in Chapters 8 and 10, to give up his right to eat and drink whatever he wants, and to give up his right to patronize pagan establishments; and in Chapter 9, to be willing to give up his right to remuneration for work done.

In 1 Co 9: 27, Paul says: "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Paul is demonstrating by example both a physical and mental discipline that has enabled him to be an effective witness for Christ.

Romans 12:1 beseeches the believer to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

The believer is said to have freedom in Christ (John 8:36). This freedom has two aspects: freedom from the sin nature with which he was born, and freedom from condemnation for failure to be able to keep all the laws, rules and regulations of the Old Testament moral code. This freedom is a freedom that allows the believer to serve Christ. Free from bondage to sin and the law, the believer is now in bondage to Christ. He is not free to sin with impunity.

Paul compares the need for the believer to have a disciplined life to that of an athlete who is running a race to obtain a prize (1 Co 9:24). Instead of selfishly seeking comfort, wealth, or worldly goals for himself, the believer is to give himself as a living sacrifice in order to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ. Rather than feeling he has been cheated out of some of the luxuries of life, the surrendered believer, with all his discipline and self-sacrifice, finds the power and joy of the Lord in fulfilling God's purpose for his life.