The Letters · New Testament

1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4: stewards judged by the Lord, apostles as a spectacle, and a father's warning

General context

The chapter sets the terms: "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God", and stewards must be "found faithful". Being judged by the readers or by "man’s judgment" is "a very small thing", and the writer adds "yea, I judge not mine own self", since "he that judgeth me is the Lord". So they are to "judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come", who will bring hidden things to light. He says these things were "in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos" so the readers would learn "not to think of men above that which is written" and not be "puffed up for one against another". Questions press the point: "what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" Then the tone turns: "Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us", while the apostles are set forth "last, as it were appointed to death", "a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men". The comparison is drawn line by line, fools and wise, weak and strong, despised and honourable. The apostles hunger, thirst, are naked and buffeted, have "no certain dwellingplace", work with their own hands, bless when reviled, and are "the filth of the world". He writes not to shame but to warn them "as my beloved sons", since they have "ten thousand instructers" but few fathers. He asks them to follow him, reports that he has sent Timotheus, and answers those "puffed up, as though I would not come": he will come shortly and will test power, not speech. The last sentence is a question about how he should arrive.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 4:1, 1 Corinthians 4:2, 1 Corinthians 4:3, 1 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 4:7, 1 Corinthians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 4:9, 1 Corinthians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 1 Corinthians 4:13, 1 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Corinthians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 4:17, 1 Corinthians 4:18, 1 Corinthians 4:19, 1 Corinthians 4:20, 1 Corinthians 4:21

1 Corinthians 4 (KJV)

¹Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

²Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

³But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

⁴For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

⁵Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

⁶And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

⁷For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

⁸Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

⁹For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

¹¹Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

¹²And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:

¹³Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

¹⁴I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

¹⁵For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

¹⁶Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

¹⁷For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

¹⁸Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

¹⁹But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

²⁰For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

²¹What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

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Historical context

Two people are named besides the writer, Apollos and Timotheus. Timotheus is called "my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord" and is said to have been sent to remind them of the writer's ways, "as I teach every where in every church"; whether he arrived is not reported here. The visit is stated as an intention with a condition, "I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will", and carries no date. The fatherhood claim is given a stated ground, "in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel", and nothing more is explained about it. The phrase "not to think of men above that which is written" appeals to writing without naming a book or quoting one. The hardships are listed in the present tense, "Even unto this present hour", with no place, occasion or persecutor named.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Corinthians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 4:17, 1 Corinthians 4:19

Literary context

Judgment words run through the first third: judged of you, man's judgment, I judge not mine own self, he that judgeth me, judge nothing before the time. The middle turns to irony in verse 8, where a run of clauses praises and stings at once, followed by a comparison in which "we" take the low term and "ye" the high one in every pair. The catalogue of hardship is built from participles answered by verbs, "being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it", so each blow is met with a reply rather than a complaint. The warning that follows is softened by a family word, sons and father, and then the chapter refuses to end on a statement, putting a choice to the readers instead, a rod or meekness.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 4:3, 1 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 4:9, 1 Corinthians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 1 Corinthians 4:13, 1 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Corinthians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 4:21

Key moments

Stewards of the mysteries (1 Corinthians 4:1). The writer asks to be accounted a minister and steward.
Judge nothing before the time (1 Corinthians 4:5). Judgment is deferred to the Lord's coming.
What hast thou that thou didst not receive (1 Corinthians 4:7). A question undercuts any ground for boasting.
A spectacle to the world (1 Corinthians 4:9). The apostles are described as set forth last and appointed to death.
The filth of the world (1 Corinthians 4:13). The hardship list ends with the strongest term in it.
Begotten through the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15). The writer claims a father's place on a stated ground.
A rod or meekness (1 Corinthians 4:21). The chapter closes with a question about how he should come.

For reflection

The chapter ends by asking the readers which kind of visit they want rather than telling them what will happen. If you were in Corinth, which arrival would you expect, and on what evidence in the chapter?