1 Corinthians 4:1-8 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 4:1-8. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (NIV)
1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.
2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
On verses 1-5: The people in the church in Corinth had their share of “Paul groupies” and “Apollos groupies”. The Paul groupies loved to talk about how great Paul was and how much better he was than any other Christian leader. They would boast about their allegiance to Paul and look with disdain at those who were led by other Christian leaders. The Apollos groupies loved to do the same as it related to Apollos. In response to all this, here Paul is basically saying, “Stop putting Apollos and me on a pedestal. Stop comparing us as if we are in some beauty contest or talent show. The fact is that Apollos and I are both servants of Christ, entrusted with the ‘secret things of God’ (v1), that is, the gospel and the revelation of God’s Word. We answer to God and are seeking to be faithful to God with what He has entrusted to us (v2). So however you or any other human being wants to judge us means very little to me (v3), because it is God’s judgment of us that really counts (v4). On that note, instead of trying to judge things based on the limited evidence that you see, leave it to God to be the judge since God sees everything, including what you don’t see, such as people’s motives and hearts (v5)”.
What can we learn from this?
1. Don’t be so quick to judge people with such finality and conclusiveness, since you are not the judge anyway and you don’t see everything. It is God’s judgment that counts, not yours.
2. All of us have been entrusted by God with something precious. May we seek to be as faithful as we can with what God has entrusted to us.
3. Since God is the judge, may we not get caught up in what other people think or say about us. May we simply focus on doing what pleases the real judge, which is God Himself.
1 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)
6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.
On verse 6: What does Paul mean here, especially by the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written”? I believe when taken in context Paul means at least three things: (1) when people who don’t know you well praise you from a distance, don’t get a big head; (2) when people who don’t know you well judge you from a distance, don’t take it too personally; and (3) don’t get caught in comparisons with others. Instead, anchor your worth, your identity and your purpose in “what is written”, that is, what God says about you. When you don’t go beyond what is written, and you anchor yourself in God’s Word, that’s where you find peace, purpose and security.
1 Corinthians 4:7-8 (NIV)
7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings–and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!
On verses 7-8: The Paul groupies and Apollos groupies were taking pride in how much they had learned from and experienced with Paul and Apollos respectively, as if being taught by Paul or Apollos was a badge of honour that showed superiority over others. Yet Paul says, “How does that make you better than anyone else? If this is all God’s grace, you have nothing to boast about concerning yourselves.”
Paul is showing that, in the end, the problem with these Paul groupies and Apollos groupies was their own pride. These groupies had assumed that they had reached some kind of elevated status as Christians, that they were better and wiser (“kings”) compared to other believers, and that they already knew everything they needed to know. In fact, these prideful Christians were simply using their connection with Paul and Apollos to prove their own self-perceived superiority. So here Paul makes it clear that neither he nor Apollos ever taught them to think this way (“You have become kings [which is Paul being sarcastic] – and that without us”).
What can we learn from all this? Beware spiritual pride. Beware thinking, because of your experience, your connections, or your past ministry success, that somehow you are superior and better than everyone else. Remember that pride precedes a downfall, but humility comes before honour (Proverbs 18:12).
Heavenly Father, when people praise me from a distance, may I not get a big head. When people judge me from a distance, may I not take it personally. May I not be controlled by the praise, the judgments or the comparisons people give, but instead may my identity, worth and purpose be anchored in what Your Word says about me. I pray I would never be spiritually prideful, thinking myself better than others. Rather may Christ-like humility fuel my thoughts, words and attitude toward others. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
