1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4:1-21 (The messengers are just servants—not sophists)

(4:1) “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

The Corinthians had a poor view of the leaders in the church—especially the apostles and apostolic teachers like Apollos. How then should they view them? Look at the terms Paul uses to identify himself:

“Servants” (hypēretēs) often referred to a “physician’s assistant” or “helper” (BDAG). It could also refer to an “underrower,” which was a person who “rowed in the lower part of a large ship.”[] Later, the word developed into someone who did lowly work in general.

“Stewards” (oikonomous) referred to a “property manager” or “city treasurer” (BDAG). Think of the Steward of Gondor: He didn’t own the kingdom; Aragorn, the King owned it. He was merely watching over it until the King returned. Peter uses this word for all Christians—not just the apostles (1 Pet. 4:10). Similarly, Paul didn’t believe that he owned God’s truth or created it. Rather, he was just God’s steward and servant.

(4:2) “In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

The role of a steward is just to be “trustworthy” or “faithful” (pistos) to his master. If the master approves of their work, that’s all that matters in the end.

(4:3) “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.”

As a “servant” and “steward” (v.2), Paul was ultimately accountable to the Owner of the church. Taylor writes, “Only the owner of the household can determine if the steward has been trustworthy in the management of the estate. In the same way, only the Lord determines the faithfulness of his servant/steward.”[]

The people in Corinth were judging Paul’s motives (see verse 5). This makes sense of Paul’s comments here. He isn’t referring to overt and objective sin—only motives. Yet Paul writes that he isn’t even qualified to judge his own motives. Because the human heart is so deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9-10), we need to depend on God to reveal our motives (Ps. 139:23-24). As verse 4 states, “The one who examines me is the Lord.” Morris writes, “The Christian is to be judged by his Master. Introspection is not the way forward. Often people think that they know exactly what their spiritual state is and just what their service for God has effected. The result may depress beyond reason or exalt beyond measure; neither is relevant. It is not the task of the servant to pass such judgments, but rather to get on with the job of serving the Lord.”[]

(4:4) “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”

Paul does write that we can become “conscious” of impure motives. But unless God reveals this to us (Phil. 3:15), we shouldn’t fall into morbid introspection.

(4:5) “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time.” Paul is speaking of judging “motives,” as the next portion of the text makes clear. It would be a misuse of this text to state that we cannot judge ethical or theological issues at all (see further comments on 1 Corinthians 4:5 “Can we judge people or not?”).

“Wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts.” God will judge our motives at the bema seat of Christ, but this isn’t our role to do this with one another right now.

“Then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” The purpose of God’s examination will not be to shame or punish us, but to “praise” us for the good we did.

(4:6) “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written.”

“These things” refers to Paul and Apollos as servants of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 3:5-8). We shouldn’t add or take away from God’s word regarding Christian servants (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18). In this context, Paul seems to be saying that we shouldn’t have too high a view of Christian leaders, nor have too low a view. He’s correcting their man-worship and their critical spirit with the plumb line of Scripture.

“What is written.” This surely refers to Scripture (graphō),[] but in what sense? Paul could be referring to chapters 1-3, or perhaps the OT passages he cited in chapters 1-3. Commentators are not entirely certain exactly which Scripture Paul is referring to, or if he is simply referring to Scripture as a whole.[] We hold that Paul is referring to Scripture in general.

“So that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.” The Corinthians were exceeding what was written in their boasting and arrogance over wisdom, as well as their man-worship of leaders.

(4:7) “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

“For who regards you as superior?” The Corinthians regarded themselves as superior! They prided their knowledge and wisdom over all else and over everyone else. Paul argues that whatever knowledge or wisdom that they have comes from God. Taylor paraphrases Paul’s statement in this way: “Who in the world do you think you are, anyway? What kind of self-delusion is it that allows you to put yourself in a position to judge another person’s servant?”[]

“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” Whatever we’ve been able to accomplish, it was only possible because of the gifts God gave us in the first place (e.g. our personality, charisma, intellect, gifts, etc.). Therefore, it makes no sense to boast over something that we never earned in the first place.

(4:8) “You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you.”

Paul’s sarcasm is evident (!!). They couldn’t see their hunger (Mt. 5:6). They couldn’t see their poverty (Rev. 3:17). They thought they were “kings,” instead of being content to be heirs of the King.

(4:9) “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.”

The Corinthians were identifying themselves with their leaders, but Paul turns the tables on them here: Their leaders were servants—not sophists or kings. Much like the book of Job, the suffering of the apostles had cosmic implications. Their suffering wasn’t just for the benefit of humans (though it certainly was meaningful for many coming to faith in Christ). It had an impact on angels viewing it as well (“we have become a spectacle to… angels”).

“Condemned to death” (epithanatios) was a rare word that referred to “condemned criminals who were often paraded before the public gaze as objects of derision.”[]

“Spectacle” (theatron) seems to be “alluding to the figure of condemned men tortured and exposed to the wild animals in the colosseum.”[]

(4:10) “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.”

If the message of Christ is “foolish” (1 Cor. 1:18-31), then those who follow it are also fools. Again, Paul’s sarcasm is evident. Paul is taking the opposite view of the Corinthians, boasting in the fact that he was a weak man (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

(4:11) “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless.”

To paraphrase, Paul wrote this letter with an empty belly, rags for clothes, no home, and under persecution (vv.12-13).

(4:12) “We toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure.”

“We toil, working with our own hands.” Paul would work in the secular world when the church couldn’t support him financially. Morris writes, “This is all the more significant in that the Greeks despised all manual labour, thinking of it as fit only for slaves.”[]

 “When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure.” The Corinthian elite wouldn’t suffer for their “knowledge” and “wisdom” like this. Paul’s knowledge had taken over his life, possessing him. It changed him into a man of humility and love—not a sophist full of pride.

(4:13) “when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

“When we are slandered, we try to conciliate.” When we’re slandered, we usually react in a posture of fight or flight. Paul chooses a third option: He tries to boldly move toward the person for the purpose of reconciliation (parakaleō). This kind response was thought of as weakness in Greek culture and a sign of “a lack of proper manliness.”[]

“We have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.” The Corinthians knew of Paul, Peter, and Apollos. Even though they were the leaders of the early church, the Corinthian culture would’ve considered them low class. The word “scum” (perikatharma) meant “that which is wiped off, refuse, scum.”[] The term “dregs” (perithema) originally meant “the off-scouring of all things” (BDAG) in the context of cleansing. That is, this referred to human excrement. However, the word was later used for a “ransom, scapegoat, or sacrifice” (BDAG). Paul is saying that the apostles were the living sacrifices (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).

(4:14) “I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Paul wasn’t being immature by utilizing sarcasm. He states that he’s using this rhetorical device to admonish—not to shame. It would be all too easy for Paul to want to shame these carnal Christians, but he doesn’t. He wants to correct them, so he uses a rhetorical method (with which they were familiar) to do so. Paul calls them “my beloved children,” because he founded this church, as verse 15 makes clear. He appeals to them as their spiritual father—not a corporate executive or far-removed leader from a watchtower.

(4:15) “For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.”

“For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ.” This refers to Paul, Apollos, and Peter—not to mention the other pastors and teachers in Corinth.

“Yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” There is something special about leading a person to Christ. While the person will go on to be mentored and taught by other believers (“countless tutors”), they will always remember the person who led them to Christ.

(4:16) “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.”

With all of Paul’s admonishment about the Corinthians obsessing over their leaders, we might think that the solution is to get rid of leadership all together. But this would be to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead, Paul encourages them to imitate his example as a servant leader (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1; Gal. 4:12; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2 Thess. 3:7, 9).

(4:17) “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.”

Paul says that he’s sending Timothy as an example of a servant leader, who can instruct them in his methods and approach to leadership. Paul wasn’t expecting anything more with them than he did anywhere else (“just as I teach everywhere in every church”). He held these wild Corinthians to the same teachings and standards as he did with everyone else.

(4:18) “Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.”

It wasn’t enough for the Corinthians to puff themselves up. As is so often the case with prideful people, they needed to put Paul down, too. Apparently, some were probably calling Paul a weakling, claiming that he was writing from far away because he was too scared to show up in person. Here, Paul tells them that he is going to show up personally, and confront their ungodly attitudes.

(4:19) “But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.”

“But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills.” The arrogant, divisive leaders in Corinth probably thought that Paul sent Timothy because he wasn’t courageous enough to come himself. But Paul says that he will come to them in person very “soon” (cf. 1 Cor. 16:5-9).

“I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.” Paul isn’t against words. He’s against the words of the arrogant. Do these arrogant leaders have the power to match their big claims? Fee writes, “Paul is not challenging the arrogant, therefore, on their grounds, but on his own.”[]

(4:20) “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.”

The Corinthians were good talkers, but Paul was empowered by God.

(4:21) “What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?”

Paul asks this question to get them to think through how they want to move forward. He wants them to think through their repentance before he shows up. There is a principle of leadership here: Give the person time to think through repentance. Of course, Paul does warn that he will bring a rebuke if they don’t change their minds. This must be what he means by the “rod” in this context.

Questions for Reflection

Based on Paul’s description of himself in contrast to the Corinthians, what does it mean to be a “fool for Christ”? (v.10)

Based on verse 2. This topic of producing results and being faithful is often debated and disagreed upon in Christian circles. What does it look like to be faithful—even if we’re not seeing visible results? Are these two concepts always mutually exclusive? How would we know if we were being faithful—even in the absence of results?

Based on verses 3-5. Paul speaks against judging motives, and even our own motives. What could happen in a Christian community if we disregarded this teaching and began to judge motives?

Should we never explore our motives? What are proper and improper ways to explore motives?

Based on verses 15-16. Paul offers a middle ground between worshipping leaders and rejecting leadership altogether. What would we see if we went to either extreme?