Re: 1 Corinthians 9:27 -
Consider the following:
1 Thessalonians 2:19 -
"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown [stephanos] of rejoicing? Are not even ye [plural] in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"
"After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown [stephanos] of boasting, if it is not you yourselves [plural] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?"
So, in this ^ context, their "crown" is said to be "saved" persons who will be "in the presence of our Lord Jesus" at that future time.
In the context of 1Cor9, Paul had just (in the previous chpt) spoken to them about "...take heed lest by any means THIS LIBERTY of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. [...] And through thy knowledge [related to "THIS LIBERTY of yours [/and implied "of ours"]"] shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?" 1Cor8:9,11.
So in the next chpt, Paul is saying (as their "apostle" [in a passage (one among several) where Paul is vindicating his apostleship]--v.1 "are not YE my work in the Lord" and v.2 "for the seal of mine apostleship are YE in the Lord"; and see also vv.12-13 where it says, "If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ [...<snip>...] they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should LIVE OF the gospel" [i.e. in the here and now, have "their living" sustained while doing the work of (IOW, be supported monitarily/financially [etc] by those to whom they are ministering)]... but then he goes on to say, "But *I* have used none of these things..." v.15. Then see vv.18-19 where Paul is showing how he himself LIMITS his own rights and freedoms (as one ministering the "holy things" so to speak) "SO THAT I might GAIN the MORE [i.e. MORE PEOPLE--Then see again my point at the top of this post]".
This, in my understanding, is what Paul means (in this context) by "obtain[ing] an INCORRUPTIBLE crown [stephanos]"... and "But I keep under my body, and bring it under subjection: lest that by any means [like, in the event of his exercising his own rights and freedoms, which are perfectly legit, but which he has restricted for the gospel's sake (that I might gain the more [more ppl])], when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" [some believe this is referring to "being a castaway" in the minds of his HEARERS/those to whom he PREACHES/his LISTENERS" MUCH LIKE it is used in his later section of 2Cor13:3-7,7b esp... (SO, his LIMITING his own rights and freedoms/liberty--what I blv v.27 also speaks to--"that I might by all means SAVE SOME" v.22 [who will then also be "in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming"--aka be a part of Paul's "crown"--like in 1Th2:19--thus making him to have been a "fellow-partaker of the gospel" (that is, in the gospel work)... Not saying, "so that he can ultimately achieve salvation by means of his efforts"])]).