Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 9:27
No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian believers while defending his apostolic ministry and explaining his approach to spiritual stewardship. He speaks from the perspective of a trained athlete using his own physical discipline as a metaphor for ministerial accountability.
The words — ὑπωπιάζω (hupōpiazō) literally means "I batter below the eye," and δουλαγωγέω (doulagōgō) means "I bring into servitude." These terms describe Paul's forceful subjugation of his own physical nature.
The thread — The text explicitly links to 1 Corinthians 9:25, which compares spiritual labor to athletic training for a perishable crown. It also parallels Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5, which command believers to actively put to death the deeds and components of the earthly body.
Why it lands — The verse states that ministers who preach to others must first discipline themselves to avoid being disqualified. It requires readers to treat spiritual obedience with the same rigorous, non-negotiable standard as an athlete's physical training.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
- 1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
- Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
- 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?
- 1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.
- 1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.
- 2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;
- 1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.
- Romans 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
- Luke 9:25 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?