In 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul made the following statement to the Corinthians, “ I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.” (v. 8)
Why did Paul say he robbed other churches?
Paul was committed to ministering the gospel for free, and he refused to impose his right to support on the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9). If the Corinthians had willingly offered to help Paul’s ministry, certainly Paul would have graciously accepted, but insisting on their support was not something Paul was going to do.
This is the point that does not need to be missed. Though Paul had the right to be supported, he willingly chose not to make it an issue by imposing his needs on the Corinthians.
The words, “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service,” is said within a much larger context in which Paul chastises the Corinthians for allowing false apostles to take advantage of them, which included taking their money.
Consider the context:
1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.
Note: verse 5 in The Amplified Bible says, “Yet I consider myself in no way inferior to the [so-called] super-apostles.
Paul is not contrasting his ministry with other true apostles in 2 Corinthians 11 and 12. Paul is contrasting the integrity of his genuine apostleship to those who were taking advantage of the Corinthians for personal gain.
Paul continues:
6 But though I be rude (unskilled) in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things.
7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
9 And when I was present with you, and wanted (in need), I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia (southern Greece).
11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
16 I say again, let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:1-21
In these verses, Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for putting up with false ministers (namely, false apostles) who abuse them, take from them, exalt themselves, etc…
Sound familiar?
Paul and those with him, such as Titus, who served the Corinthians without charge were ministers of integrity. They did not make merchandise of the Corinthians like the false ministers the Corinthians were tolerating.
Later in chapter 12, Paul would once again address his commitment not to be chargeable to the Corinthians for his ministry to them. Consider the following from chapter 12:
11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
Note, again the term “very chiefest apostle” means “those [so-called] super-apostles.”
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
Note: Paul is being sarcastic when he says, “forgive me this wrong!” He had no intention of changing and becoming chargeable to them. In much the same way he doesn’t mean he literally “robbed” other churches, but that the support that the Corinthians did not offer, the other Churches made up the difference. Not because Paul was chargeable to the other churches, but because the other churches graciously gave to support Paul’s ministry.
Paul continues:
14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
16 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
17 Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
18 I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
19 Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.
Paul was committed to eternal things and verses 20 -21 speak to this truth regarding Paul’s concerns for the Corinthians to be edified in Christ.
20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:
21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:11-21
When Paul says, “ I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service,” he was simply saying that other churches came to his aid when the Corinthians failed to minister to his needs, though the Corinthians had given their support of those false ministers who had taken advantage of them. Paul, however, refused to impose his needs on the Corinthians.
It is good and right for people to support ministers, it is not right for ministers to abuse this privilege, and Paul communicates this to the Corinthians in both of his letters to them.
Rooted and Grounded In Christ 
Dear Michael,
Love this article. Thanks!
I am wondering when you say “It is good and right for people to support ministers” where you get this from scripture. We see in Acts 20:33-35, 1 Tess 2:5 (actually most of 2), and 2 Tess 3:7-12 (but also most of 3) that Paul was rather fixed on the idea of leaving us a model to imitate through hard work so that he could share the Gospel. He makes a clear distinction between work and ministry. When is it work to serve? Did Jesus ever receive for teaching? As His disciples should we? I think this exception of Paul is because of how insistent the Church in Macedonia was in giving out of their need as he reminds us. It is in fact the only place in scripture we see anybody receiving money. I think it is also important and significant, as you mention, that it the funds collected where not from the people he was witnessing to. When does a good “shepherd” live directly off his sheep? Again, as disciples of Christ we see that He did not do this and thus I am wondering why we do this.
Look forward to your response.
In His peace,
Tomás
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Hi Thomas, thank you for your comment. That is a good question and I will plan to answer it soon. My family is currently in the process of moving over the next few days. If you don’t hear back from me with a response in a couple of weeks, please don’t hesitate to send me a reminder. I hope to take some time after the dust settles from the move to write you out a solid and thorough answer.
Blessings.
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Good morning and GOD bless.To answer your question,did JESUS recieve financial support,yes he did.Luke 8:2-3,says the Women Ministered to JESUS of their Substance and that’s money,food,etc.So yes JESUS received financial support for his ministry.And yes Paul did work at times to support his needs but he also took pay for his service.2 Corinthians 11:8-9,Paul said he took pay from other churches and that the Macedonians supplied financial support for him.1 Corinthains,Paul said the Laborer is WORTHY of his wages.JESUS said dont MUZZLE the OX that TREAD out the corn.No the Pastor is not living off the sheep he is living off of GOD.Who told the church to support their Pastor.The policeman,firefighters,politicians,etc.All live from taxes and support from the people for there service.Why is it that you have a problem with Pastors being compensated for their service.When 1 Corinthians Cleary says they should be compensated for their service.Paul had a business like many Pastors have today,including myself.But that don’t mean we shouldn’t RECIEVE financial support from those we Minister to.The scriptures you gave do not mean,Pastors shouldnt receive financial support.And I just showed you or proved to you that JESUS did receive financial support.Since you asked.GOD BLESS.
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In response to your comment.
First, I never contended that Jesus wasn’t ministered to by the giving of others.
Secondly, I did not argue that Paul refused to be supported. At the very outset of my teaching I made this comment: “Paul was committed to ministering the gospel for free, and he refused to impose his right to support on the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9). If the Corinthians had willingly offered to help Paul’s ministry, certainly Paul would have graciously accepted, but insisting on their support was not something Paul was going to do.”
Notice very carefully, that I affirm that Paul would have accepted the Corinthians support but Paul was not going to “impose” his right of support on them. That is the point you have missed in my teaching. I did not make this up. Paul says it himself in 1 Corinthians 9.
Thirdly, not one time did make a disparaging remark about true ministers receiving support. I made the following statement very early in my article: “Though Paul had the right to be supported, he willingly chose not to make it an issue by imposing his needs on the Corinthians.”
Notice that I affirmed that Paul had the right (as a minister of the gospel) to receive support. Yet you commented as if I were opposing ministers being supported. You made the following comment:
The scriptures you gave do not mean, Pastors shouldn’t receive financial support. And I just showed you or proved to you that JESUS did receive financial support. Since you asked.”GOD BLESS.
I never made any such arguments.
Here is what I did say, which affirms my belief that true ministers have a right to support.
When Paul says, “ I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service,” he was simply saying that other churches came to his aid when the Corinthians failed to minister to his needs, though the Corinthians had given their support of those false ministers who had taken advantage of them. Paul, however, refused to impose his needs on the Corinthians. It is good and right for people to support ministers, it is not right for ministers to abuse this privilege, and Paul communicates this to the Corinthians in both of his letters to them.
Notice that I said it is good and right for people to support ministers. I then said, “it is not right for ministers to abuse this privilege.
Paul was a true minister of the gospel and he was more concerned with the true spiritual growth of the people than whether or not they supported him. When explaining to the Corinthians how they had allowed false apostles to take advantage of them, Paul says ” I robbed other churches”, meaning that the other churches had supported him in his ministry while the Corinthians had failed to do so. It is in this context that Paul says, “I seek not yours but you”. The point Paul is making is that his motives towards the Corinthians was for their spiritual growth in the Lord and in no way was he ministering to them for any support from them, and he would continue to love and lay down his life for them even if they never supported him.
Ministers have a right to support. They do not have the right to abuse that privilege. The reality is, Paul often worked to pay his own way, and even taught his fellow ministers who he trained to do the same so as not to abuse their privilege of right to support. Paul did not work on the side because people didn’t adequately support him. That idea is perpetrated by some ministers but it is wrong. Paul reveals in his own writings that he purposely chose to work and pay his own way so that the integrity of the message of the gospel would not be hindered.
You really ought to re-read what I have written because you have made assumptions and projected things onto my article things I did not say. I cover why Paul payed his own way in the teachings provided in the link below.
https://rootedandgroundedinchrist.com/2017/08/04/why-did-paul-pay-his-own-way/
https://rootedandgroundedinchrist.com/2015/08/09/was-paul-a-rich-preacher/
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No problem, I work in very rural areas and so communication is rather slow for me as well. I think in rereading my rather brief response I wanted to clarify a couple of things:
1. I see Scripture always calls us to be generous and not just with our “tithe” but with everything at all times. All is His and we should be in the continual process of asking Him how He desires that we use it.
2. This generosity is usually meant for others who are going through a hard times or marginalized people by society. It is not a a permanent giving.
3. As mature teachers of the Word, what are we modeling to others who are growing in understanding when we live off the donations and tithe? That they should grow in their faith and do the same as we do? (That is live, off the donations of others.) Or that they should do something else that we do not do and work so as to be able to donate to the church? (That is, do as I say not what I do). Either model seems fret with problems.
I do not question the very genuine motivation of the people who serve in order to expand His church. This is not an evaluation of others and their motivations. It is a complete criticism of the model that I do not see based in scripture that we are seeking to replicate including the titles and positions we give and seek to have within this structure. The problem with receive money is deeper to me that just tritely checking my own motivations for “serving” in the church. The bigger problem for me is that it is not a model that is easily reproducible for the growth, division, and thus expansion of the church.
Look forward to your response.
Blessings, Tomás
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