Paul’s statement about being disqualified (“lest somehow after
preaching to others I myself am disqualified”) is startling because it suggests
that “his conversion, his baptism, his call to apostleship, his service in the
Gospel, do not guarantee his eternal salvation” (Barrett 1968: 218). Any
implication that one may forfeit one’s salvation may cause theological
dyspepsia for some, and the Geneva Bible renders the adjective ἀδόκιμος as “reproved,” “lest I myself am reproved.”
Gundry Volf (1990: 237) contends that Paul does not mean that he might be
“rejected from salvation” but instead refers to being “rejected as an apostle”
(see also Pfitzner 1967: 92n3, 96). Schrage (1995: 371n548) notes that this
view regards this section as primarily a defense of Paul’s apostleship and
downplays its paraenetic function (see also Oropeza’s 1999 critique). The
immortal crown to be won (9:25) is not a positive job-approval rating as an
apostle, but salvation. It can be won only if one exercises self-control and
abstains from the many things that may bring physical delight but ultimately
will doom any success in the contest.
Paul engages in moral exhortation and is not discoursing on the
security of the believer. The word ἀδόκιμος is much stronger than “reproved.” It means “proven false,” as with
coinage, “to be shown as counterfeit.” Hebrews 6:8 contains a vivid picture of
what “failing the proof” entails: “But land that produces thorns and thistles
is worthless [adokimos] and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it
will be burned” (NIV). Paul fears that the Corinthians will fall by the wayside
in the race as the wilderness generation did because of their contact with
idolatry (10:1–11). Moffatt (1938: 125–26) comments that “to secure a share in
the gospel, it is not enough to please oneself in the Church, to assert one’s
freedom, or to be easy-going.” (David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians [2d ed.; Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament; Grand
Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2025], 414-15)
