1 Corinthians 9:14 KJV Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

COMMENTARY: This verse refers to other scriptures that say that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. To “live of” the gospel, therefore, means that we receive good spiritual food that supports our spiritual life from the mouth of God. Thus it must be said that the gospel is good spiritual food from the mouth of God (i.e. his spoken words.)

Many Bible versions translate this verse wrongly along with other scriptures that wrongly suggest that people who share the gospel should receive income (i.e. their living) by preaching the gospel. These translations are used to justify paying Pastors, Priests, Rabbis, Apostles, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Overseers, Rabbis, Popes, Missionaries and Evangelists for preaching and other religious work. 

Colossians 1:23  if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

COMMENTARY: Faith and hope are both references to God’s spoken word.

That fact that faith comes by hearing God’s spoken word agrees with the fact reported in this verse that the gospel is heard. The gospel, therefore, is God’s spoken voice which is heard in clean, pure hearts.

Galatians 1:11  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.

COMMENTARY: The gospel as Christians understand it is of human origin. It is based on the literal words of the Bible — not on God’s spoken voice. Furthermore. the Christian gospel is limited to a few specific events in the Bible. The true gospel is God’s spoken word and, like God himself, is not limited in any way

2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

COMMENTARY: Old/First Covenant religionists are perishing (i.e. spiritually dead) because they do not hear God’s spoken voice. The true gospel is veiled (i.e. hidden, concealed) to Old/First Covenant religionists because they cannot hear God’s spoken voice. The true gospel is not veiled, however, to New Covenant disciples who have God’s laws written on their hearts, who listen to God’s spoken voice, and who do not listen to false prophets.

1 Thessalonians 3:2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

COMMENTARY: Timothy is a servant of God. He was a servant like Jesus and other prophets who spoke for God. Spreading the gospel is another way of saying “speak for God.” That means that the gospel they share is the word of God. And this confirms that the true gospel is the word of God.

Christ was an anointed messiah whom God sent to speak for him to Old/First Covenant religionists. Jesus’ words were not his own. God spoke through him. Therefore, the true gospel of Christ is God’s word spoken through messiahs sent by God.

1 Corinthians 9:18 This is an example of a scripture that has been wrongly translated and misrepresents what God meant for it to say. To explain, we begin by looking at the original Greek text as reported in the King James Version (KJV):

what is my reward then that gospel make gospel christ charge that abuse not my power in gospel.

Then we will look at how the original Greek text was translated in several versions of the bible.The best translations are in King James versions of the bible:

New King James Version
What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

King James Bible
What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

New International Version
What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

New Living Translation
What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.

English Standard Version
What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

GOD’S WORD® Translation
So what is my reward? It is to spread the Good News free of charge. In that way I won’t use the rights that belong to those who spread the Good News.

American Standard Version
What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my right in the gospel.

English Revised Version
What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my right in the gospel.

Upon close analysis, we see that there are significant differences in these translations. These are the differences;

The NKJV says “I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”

And the KJV says ” I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel”

But we see a remarkably different translation in the other versions which all refer to use of rights in the gospel. The Greek word Exousia is translated as power in the KJV and authority in the NKJV, but as rights in all the other versions.

Another big difference between the KJV, NKJV and other six versions is found in the translations of the Greek words Katachraomai and Me. The KJV and NKJV translate these words together as “not abuse power,” and “abuse not authority,” while all the other six versions translate them in terms of not making full use of rights. There is a very big difference between the idea of not abusing power and authority, and the idea of not making full use of rights.

When we look back at the original Greek text which reads “abuse not my power,” it is clear that the KJV and NKJV accurately translate the original Greek text and that the translations of the other six versions are inaccurate and misleading translations.

The problem with the inaccurate and misleading translations is that they clearly imply that those who preach the gospel do have rights to charge for their preaching, but that they also have the option to not use those rights. These are very self-serving translations that open up the door for all religious leaders and teachers to charge for their ministry of the gospel. Given the option to not charge for their preaching/teaching, all religious leaders will take advantage of (i.e. use) that right so that they might earn a living from their preaching/teaching. This is not the intended meaning of the original Greek text.

The meaning of the original Greek text is this:

When preachers/teachers do not charge for  preaching/teaching the true gospel, they do not abuse their right to teach.

This meaning can be rightly rephrased this way:

When preachers/teachers of a false gospel do charge for their preaching/teaching, they abuse their right to teach.

We conclude from this analysis that anyone who charges (i.e. earns an income) for preaching/teaching something they call “the gospel,” the gospel they preach/teach is a false gospel. It is a false gospel because they charge for it. When they chose to use an assumed right to charge for preaching/teaching that they wrongly inferred from 1 Corinthians 9:14, they immediately disqualified themselves as preachers of the true gospel.

Preachers of the true gospel do not and will not charge for the true gospel because they understand the following:

• • • The true gospel is God’s spoken word.
    • God’s spoken word is a free gift.
    • When God said “Give as freely as you have received,” he was referring to his spoken word.

Thus it must be said that everyone who shares the true gospel will share without earning any income for sharing. Conversely, it must be said that anyone who earns an income for their preaching/teaching shares a false gospel. To carry this one step further, it must be said that true prophets share the true gospel and that false prophets share a false gospel.

Paul, the author of 1 Corinthians 9:18, was an apostle who spoke for God. He preached the gospel free of charge because it was God’s spoken word which he had received as a gift from God.

Unlike, Old/First Covenant religious leaders who receive financial compensation for their teaching and services, Paul, who is a New Covenant disciple and a true prophet sent by God, did not charge for his teaching. Neither he nor Jesus received compensation because they understood the scripture that says “Give as freely as you have received!

STUDY TIPS: See Money and Ministry In the New Testament and this link for more of Paul’s teaching about earning money from teaching the true gospel

Galatians 1: 6-7 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

COMMENTARY: ***

1 Corinthians 15:1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

COMMENTARY:

Galatians 2:5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

COMMENTARY:

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—

COMMENTARY: True prophets are servants of God who are sent by God to speak for God.

See this link for understanding of what it means to be set apart.

Jesus was a servant of God sent by God to speak God’s words. Apostles are also sent by God to speak for God. The words they speak are the gospel which is the fullness of God’s spoken words — not just a few teachings about Jesus and not just the written words of the Bible. The words of the Bible and God’s spoken words are not the same.