Conversion, Gift, Priesthood, and the Stumbling Block of Money
I. The Gospel Announced as Without Cost in Scripture
The gospel is revealed in Scripture as without cost, without price, and without exchange. This is not rhetorical flourish, nor merely ethical exhortation, but a declaration about the nature of divine life and the way it is received.
Isaiah proclaims to covenant-breaking Israel:
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.”
Isaiah 55:1
The command to “buy” while explicitly possessing “no money” abolishes transactional logic. What is offered is life from God, not a commodity. The absence of price is essential to the nature of what is given. If payment were possible, the gift would cease to be what it is.
This prophetic declaration stands prior to any later ecclesial practice. It defines the category of the gospel before questions of ministry, support, or organization arise.
II. Conversion as Ontological Change, Not Moral Improvement
The gospel must be without cost because conversion itself alters the category of the human person.
Jesus does not define salvation as reform, instruction, or covenant adjustment. He defines it as birth:
“Unless one is born from above (γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
Birth is not an exchange. Birth is not earned. Birth does not place the newborn in debt. The language itself excludes transactional categories.
Paul expands this reality in terms of participation in death and resurrection:
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:4
Conversion entails the death of the old self and the emergence of a new one:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
A new creation cannot be charged for entry into existence. To attach payment, obligation, or entitlement to conversion is to misunderstand what conversion is.
III. Faith as Reception, Not Exchange
Paul insists that salvation is received, not transacted:
“By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8–9
Faith (πίστις) is not a currency offered to God but the means by which life is received. If faith were a work that secured payment, boasting would be possible. Paul explicitly denies this.
“What do you have that you did not receive?”
1 Corinthians 4:7
Christ Himself is given as wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption:
“but you are from Him... so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
1 Corinthians 1:30–31
If everything is received, then nothing essential to salvation can be sold.
IV. Jesus’ Teaching on Provision: Hospitality Without Entitlement
When Jesus sends the Twelve (Matthew 10; Luke 10), He explicitly forbids economic preparation and leverage:
“Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts… for the laborer is worthy of his food.”
Matthew 10:9–10
This instruction establishes dependence, not entitlement. No wages are negotiated. No payment is demanded. The disciples enter homes marked by peace and depart if peace is absent. Their needs are met; they received shelter and food. There is no mention of money exchanged, nor instruction to ask for it, to be taken with them, as Jesus specifically said take no money belt. That would defeat the lesson.
Jesus reinforces this with creation theology:
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”
Matthew 6:26
Birds are sustained without commerce. If God provides, you do not need to tithe ten percent of what he gave away, or to give to multiply it, this is nonsense. Provision flows from God, not systems of exchange. Jesus’ teaching forms trust, not professional security. it is not an entitlement system like the priests in the Old Testament.
Jesus did not example tithing or passing around an offering plate to collect money, in fact the little insight we have of money is that he appointed a thief to keep it, and money to meet the Laws requirements came miraculously, like a gold piece caught in the mouth of a fish. Provision was meeting the needs and provided at times miraculous, Jesus turned what existed into more, feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread and fish.
We never see him teach multiplication of money, which some might use the Parable of Talents to do. His teachings are always about something more precious in the eyes of God, more than gold or silver. Jesus never used money as an exchange for the gospel message.
V. The Temple Tax, Treasury, and the Coin in the Fish
In Matthew 17, Jesus pays the temple tax not as obligation but to avoid offense:
“Then the sons are free… However, not to give offense to them…”
Matthew 17:26–27
Jesus was still under Law, and the temple service was a essential part of it, the new covenant was established in His death. The payment Jesus made comes miraculously, not from collected funds. This episode highlights Jesus’ freedom from institutional funding while temporarily submitting to an order that is passing away.
The woman whom Jesus praised for giving all, was giving into the treasury, not tithing, not giving out of generosity but that which was required by Mosaic Law. She gave a lot less than the Law required (the Law required once a year a small amount, some say equated to a few days of common labor, she gave by my calculations about 1/32 of that) but Jesus praised her and did not condemn her. Right before this passage he warns of the religious leaders teachings that destroyed widows homes (Mark 12:38-40)
Jesus did not teach to give away that which God gave to meet your needs, this is manipulation of scripture that preys on widows and others. A false teacher would tell a people to give away their rent, to sow it into the kingdom, tithe ten percent, and then they would reap a reward one hundred fold. They would say even when God has met your need you should tithe and expect n return. This not from Jesus, this is not the good news, it is another message if there was such, beware of those who would destroy widows homes.
Giving in the New Testament is not transactional, it not a exchange for blessings. It is a sign of knowing Jesus, as John writes, "if you have the worlds goods and turn your heart from your brother in need how can the love of God exist in you." This is how you can tell those of unsound doctrine, how they treat "his brethren." Like a pyramid scheme the money flows to the top and not back down to those in need.
False teachers masquerade under the name of Jesus, calling him Lord outwardly, doing things in "his name," and evangelism and outreach is used to their benefit, so they grow in wealth and influence, do not believe them this is the sign the scriptures give of love, they do not have love inwardly the church.
VI. Paul’s “Right” in 1 Corinthians 9: Defined and Refused
Paul discusses a “right” (ἐξουσία) to material support using Torah analogies:
The unmuzzled ox (Deuteronomy 25:4)
Priests eating from temple offerings (Numbers 18)
Yet Paul’s decisive statement is this:
“Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 9:12
The problem is not legality but effect. Exercising the right introduces exchange logic into a gospel defined by gift, thereby creating a stumbling block.
VII. “The Lord Commanded” — Law, Jesus, and Paul’s Clarification
Paul states:
“The LORD commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should live from the gospel.”
1 Corinthians 9:14
In context (1 Corinthians 9:13–14), Paul is drawing continuity from the Mosaic system, not asserting that Jesus instituted a paid clerical vocation. Jesus Himself (and Paul and all other Apostles) never command wages, salaries, or tithes for gospel proclamation or any other time. Giving is not a requirement but flows from the heart as the gospel is freely received, especially to the household of God in need.
Paul immediately clarifies his own practice:
“That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge.”
1 Corinthians 9:18
If Jesus had commanded entitlement, Paul’s refusal would constitute disobedience. Instead, Paul presents renunciation as fidelity to the gospel’s nature.
VIII. “The Laborer Is Worthy of His Wages” — Justice, Not Clerical Entitlement
Paul writes:
“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
1 Timothy 5:18
Both statements originate in Torah (Deuteronomy 25:4; Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14–15). They address justice and fairness, not vocational entitlement to spiritual mediation.
Jesus uses the phrase in Luke 10:7 within a hospitality context, not an employment contract. People who receive the gospel, trust them to bring them into their homes supplying their necessitates. He is not teaching them a vocation but reliance on him.
Vocation leads to comfort in this world and this is opposite to what Jesus is teaching. He himself chose not from the theological educated ranks, Paul being an exception, but mostly fishermen and tax collectors. This becomes a principle of whom God calls, what the world deems unwise and weak so to confound the wise and strong (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
Jesus gives gifts to men and gifts are not given based on education but through revelation and wisdom in knowing Jesus. Hopefully, seeking truth and not living to traditions is the main theme of any vocational training.
IX. The Early Church: Shared Life Under Persecution
In Acts, believers sell property and share resources:
“They sold their possessions and belongings and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
Acts 2:45
In Hebrews we these believers were socially and religiously displaced, often losing property and standing. The Jews who believed in Jesus were deemed lawbreakers, according to the Mosaic Law, losing titles and land entitled by Law to the people. This is communal survival, not institutional funding. Paul later raises funds for these persecuted saints, not for himself. Paul did receive while in prison, with no ability to work and little monetary need, he would have needed supplies as he wrote from prison often.
X. The Priesthood of All Believers
Scripture declares:
“You are a royal priesthood.”
1 Peter 2:9
If all believers are priests, then no subset possesses exclusive access to God. The Old testament priesthood entitlement to live off would be to all. Teaching of tithing today takes and chooses parts of the tithing laws, which is a sign in itself it is wrong, totally ignoring the spiritual reality it points to in Christ. Mediation cannot be monetized where mediation has been abolished in Christ. Christ is our High Priest, you don't have to pay someone to mediate for you. If we all are priests then we all are entitled, if there was such a right.
XI. Money as a Stumbling Block to the Gospel
Paul states:
“For if I do this willingly I have a reward, now if unwillingly I am entrusted with a charge.” (1 Corinthians 9:17)
It is a principle, at the heart of justification and the free giving of the gospel, if you work for a wage you earn it and the wage is your reward. At the heart of the gospel is that it is free without charge. To make it into a charge, easily supported by Old Testament verses, contradicts the message.
"what then is my reward? so that I preach presently the gospel free of charge, to the extent I do not exploit my authority in the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:17)
Paul could claim authority, “the laborer deserves his wages” using scripture but that exploits it or uses it to his advantage.
God appointed him as an administer or steward, even what he calls a slave of the message of the gospel. Not as entitlement or authority to live off people, but to protect and preserve, and proclaim the gospel of grace.
"for if I proclaim the gospel I do not exist boasting, for I am compelled to do so. Woe is me if I do not proclaim!" (1 Corinthians 9:16)
All of the rights he could have claimed are spelled out in earlier verses;
"for in the law of Moses it is written..." (1 Corinthians 9:3-12)
In the law of Moses so much is done in the church today. Paul administers a New Testament, a new covenant established in the blood of Jesus. A foundation being new creation of the Spirit. He addresses sowing and reaping as a spiritual concept, which many use out of context;
"If we sowed spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap fleshly things from you?" (1 Corinthians 9:11)
Paul reasons is this not what the Mosaic Law says, the one plowing and threshing should share? so if we sow the word of God which exists Spirit and truth, are we not entitled to share in your earthly things according to the Mosaic Law? Others have used this authority.
This authority of reaping is Old Testament based. The New Testament explicitly declares sowing and reaping as a spiritual concept not a monetary one.
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one sowing to his flesh from the flesh reaps corruption and the one sowing to the Spirit from the Spirit reaps eternal life and peace" (Galatians 6:7)
"The seed sown is the word of God..." (Luke 8:11; Mark 4:14; Mathew 13:19).
Tithing was never about money, it is a shadow of the spiritual that points to Christ (Exodus 29:13). The priests would eat that from the altar and share in his holiness. We are not under the Mosaic Law (Romans 7:1-5). Paul's letter to the Galatians is all about why it is wrong to go back to this system. It is false teaching of another gospel as if there was one.
These rights are not something Jesus commanded as a way the disciples should live. History of the church shows that money corrupts. The Reformation was all about overcoming an institution that did not live to truth and made questioning its corruption a sin. Paul states this truth:
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” (1 Timothy 6:10)
It is foundational Biblical teaching. Jesus warns you can't follow two masters, as money masters a person. He warns people will think they deserve to go to heaven because they have done many mighty works in his name. Works are like earning a wage, the gospel is not earned, it is free of charge.
Jesus doesn't encourage earthly prosperity, come follow me and I will make you rich. He doesn't promote a pyramid scheme type of church where those at the top are entitled to wealth while others sacrifice, serve, and give in hopes to reach the top.
No, quite the opposite, sell all you have and come follow me! In John 6 he explicitly tells disciples they follow him for the wrong reasons, for earthly reasons, and to "seek food that endures unto life." What Jesus has to offer is more precious that gold and can't be bought with it.
Paul's ultimate reasoning fits the gospel narrative as a free gift;
"if others share in this authority over you, do not we more? Rather, we do not make these a right, but endure all things so that we do not place any obstacle to the gospel of Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:16)
We know from scripture Paul was a tent maker, and he took on the extra burden of working with his hands "so that we do not place any obstacle to the gospel of Christ." Vocation creates comfort, Paul refused to live this way, taking on the extra burdening of tent making.
Paul understood the spiritual principles and wisdom and revelation in knowing Jesus and thus glory often came being earthly uncomfortable. Five times thrown in prison, three times shipwrecked and beaten with a rod, stoned and left for dead... He was afflicted, persecuted, went hungry, thirsty, naked but could proclaim nothing would separate him from the love of God. Do we love God that much?
Money reintroduces hierarchy, coercion, and fleshly logic into a spiritual realm defined by grace. This is why Paul identifies it not merely as a danger, but as a stumbling block to the gospel itself. It is a message for us today, if we really love Jesus we would not allow money to be a stumbling block to anyone.
XII. The Promise of God: Access Without Cost
Jesus summarizes the gospel economy:
“Freely you have received; freely give.”
Matthew 10:8
The promise of God is access to life, righteousness, and inheritance without cost. God bears the cost entirely in Christ. Any system that conditions access on payment contradicts the gospel’s form and power.
Closing Assertion
The gospel cannot be sold because conversion is not a service, faith is not a transaction, and life from God is not a commodity. Money does not merely corrupt practice; it distorts the gospel’s meaning. For this reason, Paul endured loss rather than obscure the promise.
The gospel stands or falls on this truth: it is given, not bought, it is without cost.