Lesson 9 – I Corinthians Chapter 4:3-16
Last week we were introduced into just what it means to be a trustworthy servant of God. By uncovering the Greek definition of the word servant, we found the root meaning to be that of an under-oarsman. In ancient times, large ships were man powered by oarsmen, a station in life seen as lower than that of the common slave.
Paul placed himself and all others who want to serve God, in this unglorifying position. To be this kind of servant would take a strong measure of humility, and when it comes to us putting on humility, Jesus is our perfect example.
Phil. 2:8:
“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Picking up where we left off in verse 2 of chapter 4, Paul declares that servant/stewards should be found trustworthy and faithful. Paul was indeed a trustworthy steward, and he was an overseer of God’s house, building on the foundation of Christ. Remember, Paul is the master builder, and we would do well to imitate him.
1 Cor. 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.”
(NLT) “As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.”
The only authority that matters when it comes to Paul being examined was God’s authority. Paul had no worries when it came to the Corinthians judging him. Specifically, we’re talking about being examined on the quality or faithfulness of our work for the Lord… and only God can judge that. The reason being, when it comes to the quality of our service, it involves our heart and intentions… this can only be examined by God.
By any human court… this literally means “human day” which is talking about a day in human court. The point being made is no human court can ever judge or examine God’s servants.
And Paul says, “in fact, I do not even examine myself.”
Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Sometimes, we don’t even know ourselves. Now, when it comes to our sins, we can certainly be judged.
1 Tim. 5:19-20 (NLT):
“Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.”
Examine: (ana-kree-nō) it means, to investigate, enquire into, scrutinize, or question.
When a great injustice has been done, we often hear authorities say, “We are doing an investigation into this matter.” The problem is, far too often nothing ever comes of it, but to be examined by God is to know it will be done in a holy and righteous way.
1 Cor. 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.”
For I am conscious of nothing against myself…
Acts 23:1:
“Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.”
This is how Paul rolled; this was his “modus operandi.” They say, “You can take a girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.” This is how it was for Paul; he was in this for the long-haul. Paul lived his life in such a way that his conscience was always in right standing before the Lord. Paul’s focus was always on Jesus Christ.
Yet I am not by this acquitted… but just because Paul has a clear conscience in this, it doesn’t prove he’s right.
But the one who examines me is the Lord…
The only opinion, the only evaluation that really matters is the Lord’s… God always has the final word.
2 Tim. 2:15:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
Our job is to always be that faithful servant/oarsman in such a way that God approves of what we’re doing. To be sure, this isn’t always an easy thing to do, but rest in the fact that God knows our heart… and it’s the heart that truly matters.
1 Cor. 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.”
There’s no reason to judge.
Matthew 7:1-5:
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
When it comes to knowing and judging another believer’s efforts, faithfulness, and trustworthiness, we are totally unqualified… only God can do that.
But wait until the Lord comes…
The day is coming, the Lord’s Day is coming! In this context, it takes us back to the Bema Seat Judgement or the Judgement Seat of Christ.
Who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts…
Romans 2:16:
“On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”
Let’s be perfectly clear, this has nothing to do with anything evil, or that our sins will be on full display for all to see; that will never happen. Why? Because Jesus took care of all of that at the Cross. That part has been dealt with, it’s done… finito!
Hebrews 10:17:
“And their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Psalm 103:12:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Don’t let satan bring up your past sins, trying to lay a guilt trip on you… through Jesus, every one of your sins has been forgiven, past, present, and future sins.
The things hidden… is most likely speaking about the things unknown to us. We ask, why does the Lord do the things He does? Why He isn’t doing other things? Why did He heal that person and not the other person. Why did that person die at such a young age? Why do some people suffer while others do not? We have lots of questions for God.
When God comes back, everything that seems to be in the dark to us, God will bring to light. Personally, when we’re with God and see Him as He is, in all His glory, I don’t think there will be very many questions coming from the “peanut gallery.”
And then each man’s praise will come to him from God…
Let’s go back to 1 Cor. 3:15:
“If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
When Paul was saying this, he was talking about the believer who for the most part, never did anything worthy of rewards. Here in verse 5 it says, each man’s praise will come to him from God. This underscores that every believer will have praise, no matter what took place at the Bema Seat. Why?
Romans 8:1:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
All Christians will have some reward and some praise…
God is so good!!!
1 Cor. 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, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.”
(NLT) “Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.”
The fact that Paul is still addressing the problem of factions within the church in Corinth, tells us how deep seated this problem really was. Again, it goes back to them relying on man’s wisdom rather than godly wisdom.
I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes…
What Paul is referring to is what he used metaphorically to get his point across… the figures of farmers (3:6-9), builders (3:10-15), and recently, the servant/stewards (4:1-5). He illustrated to them how he and Apollos had worked together; they worked in the same field, they were members of the same temple, and they were building on the same foundation of Christ.
In very simple terms, Paul was in essence saying that he, Apollos, and all the others were on the same team. The problem was, the Corinthian believers were allowing their carnal pride issues to get in the way, and in doing this, it was causing serious divisions in the church to take place.
Paul and the others displayed a godly example. This is what good church leaders do, and really, it’s what each of us as believers should do as well.
Among these godly examples we see humility, faithfulness, meekness, trustworthiness, submission, and not being arrogant or prideful.
John MacArthur addresses how these godly leaders were being revered; “They are to be honored only within the bounds of Scripture. Godly respect turns into ungodly exaltation when we exceed what is written. When loving gratitude and legitimate loyalty are contaminated with pride and conceit, Christ’s church is fractured and weakened. What God intends as a means of unity satan turns into a means of division.”
So that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other…
The irony of this whole problem was… yes, they were lifting these godly church leaders to celebrity status, but only for their own selfish ambitions, so they could lay claim to them. You can almost hear them saying, “I’m on team Apollos, he’s better than all the rest.” Pride can be so ugly.
1 Cor. 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?”
Here Paul puts up three rhetorical questions…
For who regards you as superior?
To the first one we could say, “Who died and made you king?”
Who regards you as superior besides yourself? Why do you think you’re better than anyone else?
I Googled the phrase, “I am so important,” and this title popped up… “26 Reasons to Be Proud of Yourself.” In the world’s eyes “pride” is a very admired characteristic. It’s okay to recognize personal achievements, but Paul’s other question is, What do you have that you did not receive? Sinful pride is refusing to recognize God’s sovereign role in our life.
John the Baptist said, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.” (Jn. 3:27) then in verse 30 John says, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” And then in John 15:5 Jesus says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” So many people don’t grasp how big God really is!
And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” In other words, “If everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (NLT) In the Corinthian believers’ minds, they thought they were the greatest thing since sliced matzah. What this boils down to is, nothing is more “self-deceitful” than human pride. Humans have the inclination to believe almost anything about themselves, as long as it makes them look good.
1 Cor. 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.”
(NLT) “You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.”
This is a little humorous, and yet it isn’t. Paul adds a dash of sarcasm here, not to be mean, but because he cared about them a great deal. This was needed because they were sliding down a prideful slippery slope. The sad part is, if Paul hadn’t been criticizing them, they wouldn’t have seen this as sarcasm, but taken it as a compliment.
The Corinthians had become like the church at Laodicea…
Rev. 3:17:
“Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,”
These believers were indeed blind to their own sinfulness, and, I imagine if we could be with them during this time, they would be the kind of people that we wouldn’t care to be around.
You have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you…
I think what Paul is referring to here is the millennial kingdom. When Christ returns to defeat the armies of the world that have formed against Him, we will return with Him. After the battle is over, the Bible indicates that all Christians are going to be part of Christ’s government. “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).
We will stay on earth with Jesus, and we will rule and reign with Him throughout the whole world for a thousand years.
The Corinthian believers were acting like this had already taken place, in their minds they had already become kings, but this was a false reality for them.
1 Cor. 4:9-13:
“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. 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. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 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.”
In these five verses Paul is juxtaposing himself and the apostles with the Corinthian believers.
A spectacle to the world… is a reference to the Roman games at the Coliseum. The apostles were seen as no better than the common criminal, that they were like the last ones brought out in the arena for slaughter in the grand finale.
Paul is using very descriptive language here…
Describing the apostles as; spectacles, fools, weak, without honor, hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless, reviled, slandered, scum of the earth, and the dregs of all things.
Now if this was a list of what you could expect in applying for a new job, how many of you would put in for this job?
Paul contrasted this by saying the Corinthians were; prudent in Christ, they were strong, and distinguished. You can see these words dripping with sarcasm. The Corinthians thought they were above it all, that they were the main players and the apostles were nothing but fools. But Paul still loves them!
Perhaps in your service to God, you’ve experienced a small commonality with the apostles. Maybe you’ve been reviled or slandered in some way for your faith. It could be that while you were on the job you were ostracized or gossiped about. What might sting a little more is if your family treated you this way as well, but God never sees us this way at all, He knows everything we go through when we’re working for His kingdom and His glory.
1 Peter 5:6-7:
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
1 Cor. 4:14:
“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”
Like I said before, Paul still loves these guys, and maybe the way he’s talking to the Corinthian believers is a bit of tough love, where he’s not pulling any punches. Paul is their spiritual father, and the words he’s been using on them is like taking them to the proverbial “wood shed.”
Paul wanted to admonish them, not hurt them. To admonish means, to warn, or exhort, also “to put in mind.” He’s clearly bringing these important issues to their attention, and in doing so, Paul is hoping for their conscience to kick in. Remember, they are still believers, and all believers have the Holy Spirit in them… and His job is to convict us when we get off track.
Let me encourage you, if you see a fellow brother or sister in Christ behaving badly, bring it to their attention, but do it in such a way that it isn’t humiliating and not with a self-righteous attitude. It might not be received well at first or maybe not at all, but by being in the family of God we should be accountable to one another.
A little side note, it always helps when we use God’s Word to back us up!
2 Tim. 3:16-17:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
As my beloved children…
In previous verses Paul referred to them as “brothers,” and now he’s saying, as my beloved children.
The word beloved is from the verb agapaō, which makes reference to the strongest kind of love; this is a love that is on purpose, it is resolute, meaning to willfully serve someone in love, it’s not emotional.
Matthew 5:46:
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
I don’t think the Corinthians loved Paul the way he loved them, and the way they were acting made them not very loveable at all. The love Paul was showing them was self-sacrificing, deep, and long-lasting. We shouldn’t expect anything less from Paul.
1 Cor. 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.”
This isn’t Paul doing an imitation of Darth Vader saying, “I am your father!”
An interesting thing to think about here is, whenever you have the privilege to lead someone to Christ, you then in a way, become that person’s spiritual parent, in that you should have a hand in their spiritual growth. Sometimes that’s not always possible, but if we can, we assist them and encourage them as they begin their walk with God.
Paul never took credit for the Corinthian’s salvation, because for all of us, our re-birth is through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 (NLT):
“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”
Paul was the spiritual father of the Corinthian believers, who stood by and assisted at their new birth, he was the instrument God was using to bring them the gospel.
For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ…
The word tutors is interesting because it refers to home instructors, who for the most part were slaves within the household. They would help bring up the kids for basic training and moral upbringing… today we call them nannies. The Corinthians could have had many people along the way being some kind of influence to them, but Paul became their father through the gospel.
We’ve been talking a lot about not making church leaders any sort of spiritual idol, but it would’ve been quite the honor and privilege to sit under Paul’s tutelage and learn God’s Word from him. It was a shame that the Corinthian church took what they learned from him in a wrong direction, but the good news was that Paul was reaching out to them, giving them another chance if you will, to get them back on track.
James 1:22 (NLT):
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
Through Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, they were getting God’s Word; we could say they got the very first addition of the New Testament. James says, “You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” It was up to the Corinthian church to take in everything Paul was writing and then apply it to their lives.
This pertains to us in our Christian walk. Whenever we’re studying and reading God’s Word, we must be careful to observe it, understand it, and then apply to our lives as well.
1 Cor. 4:16:
“Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.”
Can we say what Paul is saying to those around us? Can we say, “Do as I say and do as I do?” Are we being godly examples before a world that is watching our every move?
When making a statement like this, it comes down to credibility. Paul had the highest of marks when it came to his credibility.
Jesus called out the credibility of the Pharisees…
Matthew 23:3 (NLT) [speaking of the Pharisees]:
“So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.”
Paul practiced what he preached, because if he didn’t, he would be a hypocrite just like the Pharisees.
Phil 3:16-17:
“However, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”
There wasn’t any pride involved when Paul said to imitate him. Whenever Paul ministered to anyone, he always had the purest of motives. Paul was continually single-minded, in that he was always about his Savior’s business. Paul is a great example for us because Jesus was his example. Just as the Corinthians were receiving the truth of God’s Word first hand from Paul, Paul received his knowledge first hand from Jesus.
Proverbs 13:20:
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Phil. 4:9:
“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
When we were young, we were taught to not listen or talk to strangers, but Paul is no stranger to us, everything that comes to us from Paul is the inspired Word of God.
Acts 20:24 (NLT):
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus… the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
To say that God knew what He was doing when He chose Paul to spread the good news and build His church, would be an understatement of epic proportions. Paul has led by example, and we would do well to emulate him. Paul and the other apostles were the ultimate servant/oarsmen. Just as Christ gave His life to save the world, Paul and the others were ready to give their lives… and in time they would. Paul is by far one of the great heroes of faith. When he tells us to imitate him, it was the Holy Spirit that inspired him to write that… in other words, it’s safe for us to copy Paul.