Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:10

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." — 1 Corinthians 15:10 (ASV)

But by the grace of God I am what I am. By the favor or mercy of God. What I have is to be traced to him, and not to any natural tendency to goodness, any natural inclination to his service, or any merit of my own.

All my hopes of heaven, all my zeal, all my success, all my piety, all my apostolic endowments, are to be traced to him. Nothing is more common in the writings of Paul than a disposition to trace all that he had to the mere mercy and grace of God.

And nothing is a more certain indication of true piety than such a disposition. The reason Paul introduces the subject here seems to be this: he had incidentally and unintentionally introduced a comparison in one respect between himself and the other apostles. He had not possessed the advantages they had.

Most of all, he was overwhelmed with the recollection that he had been a persecutor. He felt, therefore, that a unique obligation rested on him to compensate by diligence for his lack of their advantages—namely, an early personal acquaintance with the Lord Jesus. To express his gratitude that so great a sinner had been made an apostle, he therefore says that he had not been idle. He had been enabled by the grace of God to labor more than all the rest, and he had thus shown that he was not unmindful of his obligations.

But I laboured more abundantly, etc. I was more diligent in preaching; I encountered more perils; I exerted myself more. The records of his life, compared with the records of the other apostles, fully show this.

Yet not I. I do not attribute it to myself. I would not boast of it. The fact is plain and undeniable that I have so labored. But I would not attribute it to myself; I would not be proud or vain.

I would remember my former state; I would remember that I was a persecutor; I would remember that all my disposition to labor, all my ability, and all my success are to be traced to the mere favor and mercy of God.

So every person who has right views feels, who has been favored with success in the ministry. If someone has been successful as a preacher—if they have been self-denying, laborious, and an instrument of good—they cannot be unaware of the fact, and it would be foolish affectation to pretend ignorance of it. But they may feel that it is all owing to the mere mercy of God, and the effect will be to produce humility and gratitude, not pride and self-complacency.