1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
In this chapter, Paul lays out basic principles for his authority as Christ’s Apostle and their spiritual father. He had founded the church in Corinth by the undeniable power of the Spirit, enduring much suffering and difficulty in the process. Yet some in the church were now questioning his authority and flaunting the commandments of Christ. And so he recounts the rule and authority of his apostleship. He needs to win them all over again, else they will not accept his message of correction.
Paul doesn’t begin by requesting the Corinthians to honor him as man in command (although he had that right – 1Cor 4:15-16), but to recognize him as God’s minister (1Cor 3:5) and steward (1Pet 4:10). To acknowledge his calling and mission is to accept him as their primary spiritual leader. And so Paul recounts how God had charged him with the stewardship of His Word, of wisely and faithfully teaching the mysteries of God and His Kingdom in the churches (Mat 13:11; Rom 16:25; 1Cor 2:7; Eph 1:9). A steward is one that acts on his master’s behalf. He must be diligent to show himself trustworthy and faithful (2Tim 2:15). See Jesus’ parable of the unfaithful steward in Luke 16:1-12 and Matthew 24:45-51.
The Twelve Apostles were given unique and profound knowledge to proclaim and write the very oracles of God. And the Church did not ordain new Apostles when one of them died, for they were the very foundation of the Church of Christ (Rev 21:14; Eph 2:20), invested with authority not to be repeated in later history. The present verses then, apply to the general relationship of leaders in the churches of Christ in a secondary sense, for Paul is speaking of his own office as an Apostle.
3 But 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. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
A steward’s work will be judged by his master (not by others, not by himself) and if he is found to be unfaithful, his stewardship will be taken away. Paul says, “I know of nothing in myself that my conscience condemns, yet that does not make me innocent: God is the one ultimate judge of my actions and innermost motives.” Compare with 1John 3:19-21. In the Greek language, judge and judgment have a range of meanings and uses (see Tit 3:12; 2Cor 5:14; Acts 26:8). The word is anakrino in each case except for verse 5, where only the root word appears (krino). For some other uses of anakrino, see Luke 23:14; Acts 24:8; 1Cor 2:14-15; 10:27; 14:24.
Yea, I judge not mine own self. How men judge me or even how I judge myself is not all that important. Someone has said, “It doesn’t matter what you or I think about a matter, or even what your pastor thinks; what matters is what God thinks.” These verses are not a general command to never judge a matter or action as good/bad or worthy/unworthy. In fact, in the next chapter Paul reprimands the Corinthians for not judging the sinning brother in their church (1Cor 5:3). And later he calls for every man to judge himself before partaking of the Communion table (1Cor 11:28-31). Rather, Paul is telling the Corinthians that his goal is to diligently act as God’s steward to demonstrate his faithfulness to the Lord Judge, not to impress men or puff himself up.
Ultimately, man is incapable of judging purely and justly because he is not able to positively know the truth of the matter, nor even the motives and causes of it. God alone has that power which enables Him to truly judge a matter without fault. Nevertheless, and in weakness and trembling, we are required to exercise righteous judgment according to God’s Word, first in examining our own hearts and actions, but also in maintaining the purity of the Faith in the brotherhood. Wisdom, discernment and humility are essential. Yet God is the one true judge of every matter.
5 Therefore 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.
A common response to advice or correction is, “Back off, you’re not my judge. The Bible says not to judge others.” However, a full understanding of the Word shows that the Christian is required to judge sin and any issue insofar as he is able to understand it. Yet he must be careful to never go above that which is written and judge matters of conscience and/or other topics that cannot be fully known. Those must wait for the final day of Judgment.
Therefore, judge nothing before the time is not a general command, but an internal truth of this passage, for it is painfully obvious that Man can never be an unbiased judge with full knowledge of the facts and motives involved (see note Mat 7:1). Be very careful then to not decide the conclusion of the matter before the time. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak (James 1:19). Yes, the commandments of Scripture must be judged by the churches of Christ (John 7:24), but the secret, hidden actions of man will be judged on the Day of Judgment at the Lord’s return (Rom 2:16), when the very intentions and innermost thoughts of his heart will be exposed (Heb 4:12). Some will receive His praise, while others will be condemned.
It follows from this that if a man publicly repents and his life matches his testimony, the church should accept him. Our judgment is based on what we have been given to know. The man may continue in secret sin or he may not have truly forgiven from the heart, but those unknowables are not in the church’s realm of responsibility. However, they will be certainly and perfectly judged on the Last Day.
6 And 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.
The Apostle’s desire, he says, is to increase the Corinthians’ discerning abilities so that they might correctly judge these self-aggrandizing persons in their midst. By several figures he has made his point clear: Paul and Apollos were ministers (1Cor 3:5), laborers (1Cor 3:9), masterbuilders (1Cor 3:10), stewards (1Cor 4:1), and even fools that were actually wise (1Cor 3:18). No man should be exalted above measure (Rom 12:3).
The babes in the church at Corinth were characterized by attitudes of superiority and judgmentalism. Later chapters will show that they over-exalted certain members – not because of their greater faithfulness, but because they were able to exercise certain highly-coveted Gifts. Meanwhile, the best gifts and the deepest wisdom were neglected and unexplored. In the present chapters, Paul urges them to recognize their unbalanced and unwise attitudes, to choose the way of humility and to prefer others above oneself. “Do not think of men above that which is written,” or, “Do not regard a man higher than what is allowed.”
The written Word of God is the book of laws and guides He has given us to lived by. Do not go above that which is written to make strict judgments in matters the Scriptures do not condemn. Do not magnify one person’s spiritual experience so as to make him superior to others. To go above that which is written is to pass the bounds of legitimate judgment and wisdom. The Word of God will one day judge each man (John 12:48). A currently popular idea among liberal Christians is that the Bible is not the authoritative Word of God, but a valuable compilation of good writings by Godly men. Then they elevate the Holy Spirit above that which is written such that by their special revelations they may change or modify the Bible for their purposes. In contrast, the Apostles and early church taught that the Spirit speaks through the written Word of God and illuminates our understanding of it (John 14:26; 16:3).
7 For 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? 8 Now 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.
The prideful, carnal teachers in Corinth thought themselves to be superior than others in the church. Hadn’t God given them special gifts and abilities? They were complete and full, they were rich and satisfied, they had arrived at the top, they were reigning as kings. Christ used similar imagery in His condemnation of the Laodicean church in Rev 3:17.
The natural human tendency is to take pride in one’s intelligence, talents, powers of reason/discernment and innate insights. Ultimately however, these come from God. Nobody has the right to glory in his own knowledge, position or accomplishments. Paul gloried in his infirmities (2Cor 12:10). Sadly, even in many Anabaptist churches there are many leaders who think too much of themselves and go beyond what is written. Ye are all brethren, Christ said (Mat 23:8-12). Leaders are to be servants in the church, and not lords (1Pet 5:3; Mat 20:25-28).
Who maketh thee to differ from another? It is God. He has made the seeing and the blind (Ex 4:11), the wise and the simple, and even the wicked (Pro 16:4). We are His creation, His workmanship (Eph 2:10). Let God receive all glory and praise. These Corinthian leaders thought they were full and rich by their own merit and effort; they reigned as kings without us, as if they had not received everything they possessed. “I wish,” Paul says, “That you really were reigning, and that we were reigning with you. Alas, it cannot be so, for God has displayed us Apostles as the least and not the first.”
9 For 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. 10 We 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.
To be an Apostle was to be ridiculed, persecuted and martyred. Every one of the Twelve were made a spectacle (theatron) unto the world. Except for John the Beloved, all were appointed to death. Many commentators see these verses as an allusion to the horrendous, demonic butchery at the Roman coliseums, in which the last spectacle of the day consisted of a parade of people forced into the arena completely naked, where they were mercilessly slaughtered by the gladiators in a bloody, violent massacre of the defenseless. In this case, the spectators are angels as well as men (compare Heb 12:1).
As an Apostle, Paul was made to look weak and foolish; he was despised, buffeted, homeless and reviled by the world’s intelligentsia and authorities of both religious and governmental realms. It is a cruel, disgraceful picture, but he wasn’t exaggerating. See also 2Cor 4:11; Heb 10:33. Mistreatment from external quarters might be expected, but to find some in the church of Corinth acting in equally defamatory fashion was disheartening.
“We Apostles cannot stand before your luminous wisdom,” Paul says to these soothsayers, “You are strong, honorable, well-fed and wise, while we are weak, despised, poor and foolish.” His satire is meant to rebuke (v14).
11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; 12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
Paul did not have the large houses, private jets, swollen bank accounts and bulging memberships like famous pastors of many churches today. He did not even solicit donations, but worked for his food and clothing (Acts 18:3). These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me (Acts 20:34; 1Thes 2:9). Far from enjoying the amenities of this earth, his heart and mind were fixated on a heavenly city and the crown of life which Christ has promised to give unto all them that love Him (James 1:12). This testimony, so contrary to that of the comfortable elite, should have spoken loudly to the Corinthians. He was seeking not one gram of personal gain from them. His entire goal was to equip them wholly, so that they would be able to present themselves approved unto God.
I am convinced that the experience of the true pastor/evangelist will be more like Paul’s and less like the rich evangelists of today’s societies. Defamed, ridiculed, rejected, treated as the filth and offscouring of the world. This appears to be a quotation of Lam 3:45; but of the Masoretic version instead of the more commonly quoted Septuagint text. Wherever he went, Paul was greatly mistreated by both Jews and Greeks (ex. Acts 24:5; 22:22).
14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
We should not think this rebuke applies only to the Corinthians! Over the centuries of church history, many have rejected, changed and “interpreted” the Apostle’s doctrine which was given to him by special revelation of God (1Thes 2:13; Gal 1:12; 2Cor 12:7). These are no better than the false prophets in the churches of antiquity, holding their own wisdom in higher regard than the Word that God communicated unto the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. I do not shame you, I warn you.
15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Paul had been the first to preach the Gospel in Corinth and was the founder of the church there. He was jealous for their allegiance (2Cor 11:2-3), deeply concerned for their spiritual condition (2Cor 11:28-29). There was no lack of instructors to guide the church, but none of them were so dedicated and protective of them as was their one father in the faith. These instructors were actually jostling to gain followers, but only for the purpose of making merchandise of them (2Pet 2:1-3).
17 For 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.
Timothy was a sincere follower of God and one of Paul’s dearest friends in Christ. He apparently carried this letter to Corinth and had been charged with reminding them of the first principles of being a church. Perhaps the account in Acts 19:21-22 refers to this journey. If so, then Erastus probably accompanied Timothy.
As I teach every where in every church. The letters to the church at Corinth contain nothing different from the doctrines of Christ that Paul taught in all the other churches that he administered. He had no special commandment for the Corinthians that he had not commanded elsewhere, no new doctrine that he did not teach elsewhere, nothing that he allowed in Corinth that he does not allow in the other churches. This verse is particularly relevant for the common argument that the veiling of the women (chapter 11) was only a doctrine for the church in Corinth. No, the precepts of Christ for the churches are consistent throughout the Kingdom. Paul says, And so ordain I in all the churches (1Cor 7:17).
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19 But 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. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
The many instructors and eloquent orators competing for position and influence were taking advantage of Paul’s absence. Their strifes and contentions were causing divisions and unrest in the church (1Cor 1:10). All was done for selfish gain (James 4:1). Paul says he will not spare the rod if they continue in such disgraceful fashion (2Cor 13:2). “I will come to you, and will examine and know the real power of these men.”
Word – speech (logos) versus power (dunamis). The Apostle has already shown the inadequacy of excellent speeches and flowery wisdom as evidences of Godliness (see 1Cor 2:1-5). There is a power in speech too (1Thes 1:5), but cross-examination will reveal if a man’s words are a superficial show of wisdom, or if they are based in fervent faith and the wisdom that is from above (James 3:17).