A Father’s Admonition

Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:14-21
    
    Paul has been chiding the Corinthians for several chapters now and he acknowledges his difficult tone.  “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.  For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.  For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel”(1 Cor 4:14).  Sometimes children (and others!) need to be sternly challenged when their behaviors and attitudes are out of line.  Paul pictures himself as the father who has this responsibility for his kids.  Along with the warmth and closeness of their relationship comes the duty to discipline.

    This delicate task is part of the reason for Paul sending Timothy “to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church”(1 Cor 4:17).  He wants Timothy to work with the Corinthians and prepare the way for his coming.  Although some accuse Paul of being afraid to come (v. 18-19), he insists that he will soon enough see them face to face.  The question is the manner of his coming:  “What do you wish?  Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?”(1 Cor 4:21).  Paul’s visit can be painful or pleasant; it is all up to them.

    All of us have points in our spiritual lives when harsher voices are needed.  Sometimes we do not see our weaknesses, bad habits, and dangerous thinking.  Occasionally those who know us well will, like Paul, challenge our understanding, behavior, or attitude.  Perhaps our study of the Bible will convict us with this type of strong rebuke.  Will we accept this instruction?

-----------
One Thing to Think About:   Do I have anyone who can admonish me?

One Thing to Pray For:  Humility to accept correction—both the harsh and the gentle
 

What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?

Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:6-13
    
    Paul’s main problem with the Corinthians’ overvaluing of certain men is that it is making them “puffed up in favor of one against another”(1 Cor 4:6).   Thinking too much of these teachers means that they are thinking too much of themselves; when we separate into groups and condescend to others, it is because we think we know best (and we chose the right team).  Paul takes aim at the pride involved:  “For who sees anything different in you?  What do you have that you did not receive?  If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”(1 Cor 4:7).   God gave us all good gifts to unite us and humble us—not to puff us up and divide us.

    The next section drips with sarcasm as Paul contrasts his humble, unglamorous lifestyle with the Corinthians’ view of themselves.  “Already you have all you want!  Already you have become rich!  Without us you have become kings!  And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!”(1 Cor 4:8).  The Corinthians think of themselves as already kings in a way that Paul mocks.  His way of “reigning” is far different:  “To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless”(1 Cor 4:11).  Even though Paul’s ministry has its hardships, it is actually God’s work (see v. 9) and prevents his arrogance.  “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ.  We are weak, but you are strong.  You are held in honor, but we in disrepute”(1 Cor 4:10).  The sarcasm is thick here; the Corinthians think of themselves as superior to the apostles who lead them.

    In addition to specific instructions, the Corinthians need an attitude adjustment.  “What do you have that you did not receive?” is a powerful question to challenge our pride.  We often become consumed with our intelligence, judgment, possessions, achievements, and reputations.  What part of this did we not receive?  If “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above”(James 1:17), what room do we have to boast and condescend?      

-----------
One Thing to Think About:   What do I have that I did not receive?

One Thing to Pray For:  The strength to endure when treated poorly
 

The Judgment That Matters

Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:1-5
    
    Rather than venerating men like Peter, Paul, and Apollos (1 Cor 1:12), Paul wants the Corinthians to “regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God”(1 Cor 4:1).  Both of these relationships—servants and stewards—imply that these men will have to answer to their master for their actions.  “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful”(1 Cor 4:2).  A steward is one who is given authority over another’s money or possessions and expected to discharge his master’s will.  A “faithful” steward is one who pleases his master and proves himself trustworthy.

    So who determines how well a servant or steward is doing his job?  Certainly not his fellow-servants.  “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court.  In fact, I do not even judge myself.  For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted.  It is the Lord who judges me”(1 Cor 4:3-4).  The Corinthians have been judging Paul and Apollos and Peter by their own criteria of spirituality and wisdom; Paul says that their judgment “is a very small thing” that does not move his needle.  Yet Paul acknowledges that even his own self-judgment is not the standard; he is not conscious of unfaithfulness but knows he is not his own judge.  There is one judgment that matters:  “it is the Lord who judges me.”  The point?  “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.  Then each one will receive his commendation from God”(1 Cor 4:5).  Jesus’ judgment includes hearts and secret things.  Let’s wait for the judgment that matters.

    Paul is not saying that we should never judge or evaluate ourselves and others.  We will see that shortly (1 Cor 5:3, 12-13, 6:1-5).  When others are sin, Christians should be able to tell and act accordingly.  The judgment described here is criticism of how other Christians discharge their duties, live out their faith, and present the gospel.  Rather than criticizing and separating, let’s wait for the judgment that matters.

-----------
One Thing to Think About:   What does Jesus think about my choices?

One Thing to Pray For:  The patience and grace not to judge my brothers in matters like these
 

All Things Are Yours

Reading:  1 Corinthians 3:16-23
    
    Paul wants the Corinthians to see the magnitude of the problem their divisions create.  “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him.  For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple”(1 Cor 3:16-17).  The “you”s here are plural; Paul is looking at the church as a whole as the temple in which God’s Spirit lives.  In the days of the Levitical priesthood, it was a grave offense to defile the temple and contaminate the place of God’s presence.  Yet the Corinthians’ allegiance to men is destroying God’s temple, incurring the wrath of God.

    So Paul gives three exhortations.  “Let no one deceive himself”(1 Cor 3:18) that his following men is an innocent practice.  “If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise”(1 Cor 3:18).  The Corinthians seem to have a problem overestimating their own wisdom and importance (1 Cor 8:1-2, 12:21) and Paul stresses that true wisdom comes in humility rather than pride.  “So let no one boast in men”(1 Cor 3:21).  All of this focus on which teachers are worthy of our allegiance is misplaced.  Why?  “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s”(1 Cor 3:21-23).  Rather than being “of Apollos” or “of Paul,” the truth is that Paul and Apollos belong to them!  They are servants of God’s people (1 Cor 3:5), not leaders and not to be glorified.

    “All things are yours” is a sweeping, mind-bending statement.  God has made his people the object of his love and favor.  He has cleansed us from sin and revealed his mind to us, giving us teachers to guide and build us.  But other things are ours too:  “the world or life or death or the present or the future.”  God will make all these things “work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”(Rom 8:28).  We don’t need special status or special connection to people; we already have all we could ever need in Christ.

-----------
One Thing to Think About:   Am I confident that “all things are mine” in Christ?

One Thing to Pray For:  Respect for God’s people and their unity
 

Building on the Foundation

Reading:  1 Corinthians 3:10-15
    
    Paul flips metaphors from gardening to building.  “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it.  Let each one take care how he builds upon it”(1 Cor 3:10).  Just as he “planted”(1 Cor 3:6) by initially teaching the gospel in Corinth, so he also has laid the foundation of Jesus (1 Cor 3:11).  Now the Corinthians continue to grow as others come and teach them, which Paul describes as building on the foundation.  There are a variety of materials available for use in such buildings—“gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw”(1 Cor 3:12)—and some will fare better than others.  Paul is arguing that every teaching has an impact in building strong, faithful lives—or weak, fragile lives.

    But these verses are directed at those who teach and build on the foundation.  It is a warning that however you help build others’ lives, “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done”(1 Cor 3:13).  Paul promises that the strength of the faith and commitment we build in others will be tested.  It is unclear if he is referring to the fire of the final judgment or the ordinary tests of life (as in Matt 7:25, 27).  When we see our brothers, bolstered by our teaching and encouragement, surviving, we “receive a reward”(1 Cor 3:14).  Meanwhile, when the “work is burned up,” we are devastated (“suffer loss”) even though we can still be saved (1 Cor 3:15).  

    All Christians contribute to the growth of our brothers and sisters, building on the foundation of Jesus.  These verses show that this is a sober responsibility.   The strength of the counsel we give, the teaching we share, and the example we set will be tested.  We long to see one another developing the strength to withstand the tests of life, even though we acknowledge that this is not our sole responsibility.  It is a call to thoughtful, careful, deliberate work with one another.

-----------
One Thing to Think About:   Whose lives am I helping to build?

One Thing to Pray For:  The strength for myself and others to withstand the test