First Corinthians 4:1-21

Continuing on from chapter 3, Paul writes:

I Corinthians 4:1 and 2:

^4:1Thus a man must calculate us as assistants of Christ and stewards of (the) mysteries of God; ^.2here from-now-on you must seek-after among the stewards in order that someone may be found believing.

In this manner any man among the holy-people must calculate us (reckon, count, compute logically regarding myself and Apollos) as:

assistants of Christ (Christ's attendants serving in subservience to him; “assistants” literally means under-rowers, ordinary sailors on a ship who are in subordination and act/serve under the immediate direction of their captain) and
stewards of God's mysteries (house-managers or administrators of God's household-matters pertaining-to God’s purposes, plans, actions, etc, that He kept secret). A mystery/secret is kept a mystery unless it is revealed (uncovered), and then it is not a mystery anymore for those to whom it has been revealed because now they know it (refer to Deuteronomy 29:29).

The word “mystery” throughout Paul’s letters means “secret.” A mystery contains the details that are known and can be understood by those involved in it and by those to whom it has been revealed – it is not inexplicable to those involved in it.

Here in this category during the remaining time you must seek-after among the stewards (look for among the stewards, those whom you consider, or those who consider themselves, to be stewards) for the purpose and result that someone among these stewards would be found believing (adjectively described as: faithful, trusting that-which God and the Lord Jesus Christ have given them to believe).

The criteria for a person to be an assistant of Christ and a steward of God's mysteries is that he/she believes what God and the Lord Jesus Christ say and then carries-out the stewardship accordingly. If someone would claim to be an assistant of Christ and steward of the mysteries of God but does not believe and act accordingly, then this person is not a steward – and consequently this person is not to be believed.

Paul is continuing to teach that it is God and the things of God that are important, that God and the Lord Jesus Christ are whom they ought to believe and obey - no matter which assistant of Christ and steward of God's mysteries assists and stewards among them.

[Reference: Numbers 12:7; Matthew 13:11; Luke 12:36-59, and chapter 16; Acts 26:12-18; Romans 11:25, and 16:25; I Corinthians 15:51; Ephesians 3:1-12; Colossians 1:25-29; I Timothy 3:9 and 16; Titus 1:7; I Peter 4:10 and 11.]

Verses 3-5:

^.3But to me it is into (the) least-thing in order that I may be judged-up by you or by manly day but I neither judge myself up, ^.4for I knew² nothing together with myself but I was not made-righteous² in this-thing, but the (one) judging me up is Lord; ^.5so-that you must not judge something before time until ever the Lord may come who also will lighten the hidden-things of darkness and he will manifest the deliberate-determinations of the hearts and then the praise will become to each-person from God.

From my point of view it is into, directed-to, results-in the smallest-thing, it does not matter to me in the least, that I would be judged-up (carefully-examined or investigated; which is not the "seeking-after" of verse 2 above – that I would be judged-up) by you or by manly day (by the power of, from under the hand or agency of you Corinthian holy-people, or by this present time-period which pertains-to mankind issuing human judgments, making decisions about me as in a court).

Paul is referring to judgments based on man's point of view (not God's point of view) during this age when mankind thinks he can judge and make his own decisions regarding life, and man continues do as he pleases without God. Presently we are living during the age of the grace of God. The bestowing of God’s grace upon all, without issuing merited punishment/judgment, will continue up-until the coming of Christ to gather all the holy-people/Christians together with him which will begin the Lord's day when the Lord Jesus Christ will do the judging on God's behalf and God's wrath will be manifested towards all who are against God and the things of God.

Paul continues: but contrary to being influenced by any judgments that someone may make that is contrary to God's viewpoint regarding me or what I am doing, I do not presently and actively judge-up myself (I don’t carefully examine or investigate myself). In truth, I know not one thing together with myself (I don’t see or perceive anything in conjunction with myself whereby I would be compelled to testify against myself, I know of no fault in order to witness against myself) – but it is not residing within this fact that I was caused to become righteous and remain righteous (justified, set-forth by this judicial act making me righteous in God's viewpoint). The one who is presently and actively carefully-examining or investigating me is the Lord/Master.

Paul's master in both the spirit category and the walk/behavior category was the Lord Jesus Christ - nobody or nothing else, not even himself. The truth regarding every holy-person is that we are judged in and by the Lord Jesus Christ who has already paid the price on our behalf for our redemption and salvation. Therefore we have already been judged spiritually and the pronounced sentence is that we are righteous (justified). Any judgments based on any other viewpoint are null and void for each and every Christian in the spirit category because we are sons of the only true God. However, in the walk category (which includes our behavior, service, state of fellowship with God and our Lord Jesus Christ and one-another), it is up to the freedom of will of each holy-person whether he lives his everyday life in accordance with God's Word or not (refer to II Corinthians 5:10).

Paul continues: the result and consequence is that you must not judge something (not make a decision in judgment about anything in this context) before time (prior-to, in advance of the specific season or period of time of the final judgment) continuing up-to whenever the Lord would come. There is no doubt but that the Lord will definitely come, but the specific-time of his arrival is not known, and as we know today Christ did not come to be present during the earthly life-time of those Corinthian holy-people.

When the Lord Jesus Christ will come:

he will pour light upon (give light on and thereby cause to be seen) the things pertaining-to and consisting-of darkness (where there is no light at all) which are presently hidden from view (these are those-things originating-from and concealed-by the devil/satan so that his purposes and motives may not be known thus enabling him to carry-on his dark and cloaked activities among people and devil-spirits against the only true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God's children - us, and all the things which belong to God), and
he will actively manifest (evidence, show-forth, bring to light) the deliberate-determinations (purposed-wills) of the hearts (belonging-to, pertaining-to, and issuing-from the hearts). The word "heart" literally means the organ which keeps the fleshy body alive by circulating the blood, but figuratively it means the center or core of a person's being, the seat of his whole personal self and life.

And then, at that time, the praise (applause) will become to each person from God. The praise will come into being, come to pass, from God to each person who believes and obeys what God says.

[Reference: Acts 2:34-36; Romans 2:16; I Corinthians 6:1-3; II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 1:10; and you may read my studies on I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, and chapter 15 of this study on I Corinthians.]

Verses 6 and 7:

^.6And these-things, brothers, I changed-the-outward-figure into myself and Apollos because-of you in order that you may learn in us not (to go) over the-things-which were written² in order that you are not puffed-up one-person on behalf of one-person down-against the different-person, ^.7for who throughly-judges you, and what do you have which you did not receive? But if also you received, why do you boast as not having received?

Paul explains that he is using a figure of speech by applying these-things which he is teaching to himself and Apollos, even though this teaching is relevant to the whole church of holy-people as to what we have spiritually and how we ought to walk/behave with and for God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and with one-another. And again, Paul reminds the Corinthian holy-people that they are brothers with the same holy spirit-life within them. All holy-people are brothers and God is our Father in the spirit category.

He writes: these-things, brothers, I changed-the-outward-figure into myself and Apollos because-of you (on your account) for the purpose and result that you would learn in us not to go over (learn in the example of myself and Apollos not to go, in your thinking and living, beyond or in excess of) the-things-which were written and are still written (God’s Word) with the purpose and resulting fact that you are not puffed-up (literally: physically or naturally breathing and swelling up; figuratively: inflated in your thinking and walking during the everyday living of life) one-person in the interests of another-person (as though bending over to protect so as to be "on the same side as" someone-else, for example: Paul or Apollos), but at the same time looking down against a different person (one whom you choose not to support).

Paul makes the next questions individual to each one of the Corinthian holy-people to more pointedly get this teaching across to them: in truth…

what person or spirit presently and actively judges through-and-through you (makes a separating or differentiating decision, wholly distinguishes or discerns, judges a difference about you from another holy-person relative-to the spirit category), and
what do you presently and actively have/hold which you did not receive (did not take what was given to you)?

These are rhetorical questions – no answers are necessary to be written because both the questioner and the holy-person asked should honestly reply: no person, no spirit, nothing – not even myself!

But since in fact you did take-hold of that-which was given to you, why do you boast (speak loudly about it) as though you had not previously received it from some other source outside of yourself?

No holy-person made or did or took or created all that he has now, having become a holy-person in Christ, by himself! Each of us received holy spirit-life from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ with grace - we could not have received it unless God first offered it to us by means of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Reference: John 3:25-36; Romans 12:3-5; Ephesians 2:8 and 9; Philippians 3:20 and 21; Colossians 2:18 and 19; James 1:17.]

Verses 8 and 9:

^.8Already you are having been satisfied², already you were wealthy, you reigned-as-kings without us! - and I wish indeed you reigned-as-kings in order that we also may reign-as-kings together with you; ^.9for I consider (that) God pointed-out us, the latest apostles, as (being) on-death-sentence because we were caused-to-become a theatre to the world and angels and men:

In your own puffed-up attitudes regarding your walk in this life for and with God and the things of God: you are already satisfied with the amount of knowledge, etc, which you have, as if you had eaten enough to your individual filling-points which vary from man-to-man and none of you want to eat anything else. You were already rich (having wealth). You reigned as kings apart-from us, having reached the "ultimate peak" all by yourselves and not needing to learn and receive anything else…!

However, Paul does not continue these amplifying statements, but instead he tops it all by writing: and I wish that indeed you reigned as kings in carrying-out the will of God during your everyday living – why? – for the purpose and result that "we" (myself and Apollos) would also reign as kings together with you (in conjunction with you – not separately apart-from you).

All holy-people are together in the spirit category because all of us have received the same holy spirit-life which is the spirit of Christ within – one cannot be without another, and so if the Corinthian holy-people reigned then so would Paul and Apollos reign together with them. All holy-people will reign both spiritually and in the everyday living of life together with our Lord Jesus Christ in the future after he has gathered us all together with him.

Paul continues: in truth, as far as the living of everyday life is concerned, I suppose that God actively pointed us out (demonstrated, exhibited, indicated as pointing-out with the finger away-from other objects towards particular objects – us, myself and Apollos) as being on a death-sentence (on our way to death) because we were caused to become a theatre (the place where others would go as spectators to see entertainment of some kind – myself and Apollos as the spectacle to be viewed):

to the world (the ordered-arrangement that God created but at this time is still damaged as a result of previous events) and
to angels (those angels which are under the authority of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the devil/satan his devil-spirits, demons, which are the angels that decided to obey the devil/satan instead-of the only true God) and
to men (all men, both holy-people and unholy-people).

Paul and Apollos were the latest or last-appointed apostles by God and the Lord Jesus Christ at that time. They were sent-forth on their individual specific missions/assignments and they were doing what they were asked to do. They were caused to become a spectacle to those who are not fully-knowledgeable of God's intention, His purposes and plans, His methods and ways, etc, and so from some of the spectators’ viewpoint they were condemned and on their way to be put to death!

[Reference: Isaiah chapter 20; Romans 8:31-39, and 15:31; II Corinthians 11:16-33; II Timothy 2:12; Hebrews 10:32 and 33; Revelation 1:5 and 6, 3:17-22, and chapters 21 and 22.]

Verses 10-13:

^.10we (are) dull because-of Christ but you (are) thoughtful in Christ, we (are) weak but you (are) strong - you (are) in-glory but we (are) dishonorable!; ^.11continuously-until the present hour we both hunger and we thirst, and we are naked, and we are buffeted, and we have no-standing-place, ^.12and we labor working with (our) own hands, being reviled we bless, being persecuted we hold-ourselves-up, ^.13being badly-spoken-against we encourage, as refuse of the world we were caused-to-become, scum of all-things, until now.

Viewed as being a theatre/spectacle to the world and angels and men, Paul writes: we (myself and Apollos) are dull because-of Christ (foolish, absurd, not-acute on account of Christ) but you Corinthian holy-people are thoughtful in Christ (you have thoughts in your minds being intellectual within the sphere of action of Christ), we are weak (without strength) but you are strong (with physical strength) - you are in-glory (living within importance, splendor, renown) but we are dishonorable (lacking recognition or respect for any estimation of value or price)!

Paul tells them some of the evidences of how they are being treated by those who do not know and/or agree with God's purpose by means of himself and Apollos, and he uses the present tense of the verbs thus emphasizing that it was still true even while he was writing this letter to the Corinthian church.

During the whole time up to the hour which is now, and which may continue further:

we are both hungry and thirsty, and
we are naked (scantily-clothed, ill-clad - not totally-naked but in want of physical items such as outer-garments to keep warm and look presentable to the world), and
we are buffeted (struck as with clenched fists, knocked-about and roughly-treated with blows rained on us bruising and hurting us), and
we have no standing place (no fixed residence, no permanent home, wandering about without any place to stand still, we are always on the move), and
we labor (exert wearisome effort or toil) working with our own hands (expending energy doing things ourselves and not wrongly taking things from others);
being reviled (abused with abusive language, railed at, insulted) we bless (we speak well/good words because we speak what God and the Lord Jesus Christ ask us to speak);
being persecuted (pursued with hostility by people and devil-spirits as though we were enemies) we hold ourselves in an upright-position (putting up with and enduring it);
being badly spoken against (being spoken against so as to injure us with ill-omen or evil-language like voodoo, witchcraft, wizardry, etc) we encourage (we exhort people calling them beside us so as to help them to do what is right in the sight of God);
as refuse of the world we were caused to become (we were caused to become as the world's trash, the things which are thrown away in the cleaning of something),
scum of all things (the filth or off-scouring which is scraped-off from all areas in every aspect of worldly-living)…

…how long? – until now (the present time, even while writing this letter). What a spectacle!

[Reference: Matthew 5:38-48, 8:19 and 20, and 26:63-68; Acts 17:18, 18:3, 20:33-35, and 26:24; II Corinthians 6:4-10, 11:23-33, and 12:7; Ephesians 4:28, and 5:27; Philippians 4:11-13; I Thessalonians 2:4-8; II Thessalonians 3:7-13; I Timothy 4:10; I Peter 2:19 and 20.]

Verses 14-17:

^.14I write these-things not shaming you but as my loved¹ children I admonish (you); ^.15if-ever you may have ten-thousand training-instructors in Christ but not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus by means of the good-message I begot you, ^.16therefore I encourage you, you must become imitators of me, ^.17because-of-this I sent to you Timothy who is my loved¹ child and believing in (the) Lord, who will remind you of my ways, the (ways which are) in Christ Jesus, according as I teach everywhere in every church.

Paul helps the Corinthian holy-people who read this letter to understand: the purpose for my writing such things is not to shame you (not to cause you to turn in on yourselves and recoil from that-which is wrong when you reflect on your own behavior/conduct, and then to leave you in that shamed state) – but on the contrary, I actively admonish you (I put you in mind of these things causing you to remember what you have already been taught of God's Word - what God says) and I do this for you as my children whom I love with God's love.

The word "love¹" or the verb "to love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. God tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us) how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations. It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

If it should ever happen that you would have 10,000 (a myriad) of training-instructors in Christ…. The word "training-instructors" refers to trustworthy servants who lead their master's children by strict attention wherever these children need to be taken, giving knowledge and providing authoritative information or advice endeavoring to give the children in their charge structure in the walk/behavior category, keeping them in line with what the master's will is. These training-instructors in Christ are themselves children of God having received the gift of holy spirit.

If-ever you may have 10,000 training-instructors in Christ, but contrary to 10,000 you do not have many fathers (a lot of men who are your fathers by having begotten you) – in truth, I am the one who begot you in Christ Jesus by means of the good-message (gospel, evangel). Paul had taught them what God has given to be believed regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:8-10). They believed it and God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ graciously gave them holy spirit-life. They became holy-people/Christians, children of the only true God spiritually. God was now their Father in the spirit category. Paul figuratively speaks about himself being the one who begot them in Christ Jesus through the good-message. He had given them what they needed (the teaching of the good-message to hear and believe) in order for them to become born spiritually and so they were to look to him as children to their father for continued guidance, help, love, care, and everything else which a loving-father would give to his child relative to the walk/behavior category. A father’s ability and responsibility towards his own children was much greater than that of a training-instructor.

Paul continues: following-on logically, I encourage you (exhort you, call you beside me as a father would call his child beside him in order to help him do what is right): you must become imitators (mimics, followers) of me.

And instead of leaving them to try and figure it all out by themselves because he was not physically with them in Corinth at that time, Paul explains: this is the reason that I sent to you Timothy who is my Godly-loved child and he is believing in the Lord (having faith, trusting within the sphere of action of the things pertaining-to the Lord Jesus Christ, a believer, and therefore he is believable, faithful and trustworthy)….

During the time-period of the writing of the Bible the sons within a family helped their father in whatever the family business was, and they continued to do so even after they got married. The son worked with his father in the family interest and did not normally branch off to "do his own thing"! Timothy followed in the footsteps of Paul, as though he were his biological son, in the family interest, which in this case was God's family interest. Here he calls Timothy his “child” so as to compare Timothy’s relationship with Paul to the Corinthian Christians’ relationship with Paul having just told them that they were his Godly-loved children and he was their father having begotten them by means of the good-message.

Paul continues: Timothy will remind you of my ways (he will cause you to bring-up to your minds, call-up to your remembrance, what my ways are, my manners of action, my methods of proceeding) – emphatically the ways which are in Christ Jesus according as I teach (by giving instruction and direction) in every place in every church (within/among all the assemblies of the called-out people of God, no exception).

After Timothy would remind them of Paul's ways in Christ Jesus (not the way he ties his sandals or the way he walks or the way he clothes himself or the way he may eat his bread or drink his soup – but his ways in Christ Jesus), then it would be easier for the Corinthian holy-people to imitate Paul's ways in Christ Jesus.

[Reference: Acts 16:1-5, 19:22; I Corinthians 16:10 and 11; Galatians 3:24-26, and 4:19; Ephesians 5:1 and 2; Philippians 2:22, and 3:17; I Thessalonians 1:6, and 2:10-14; I Timothy 1:1 and 2; II Timothy 1:1-6.]

Verses 18-21:

^.18But as-to my not coming towards you, some-people were puffed-up, ^.19but I will come quickly towards you if-ever the Lord may intend, and I will know not the word of the (people) having been puffed-up² but the ability, ^.20for the kingdom of God (is) not in word but in ability. ^.21What do you intend – (that) I may come in a rod towards you or in love¹ and spirit of meekness?

As regards to my not going towards you when you expected me to go, some of you became inflated in your thinking and attitudes, but I will go speedily (with swiftness) towards you should the Lord Jesus Christ intend (will me to go with active volition and desire – that's when I will go, not because you or I may think it's a good idea or a bad idea!).

When I will go towards you, I will make a point of not personally knowing the word (spoken-account, speech) of the people who were and are still puffed-up (inflated in their thinking and attitudes) - but on the contrary, I will make a point of personally knowing the ability (of having a truly active and relative knowing of the able-power, capability of the holy spirit-life that is within myself and you). In truth, the kingdom of God is not in word, but on the contrary, it is in ability.

The kingdom of God refers to all that is contained within God's sovereignty, His kingly or royal dominion and government and rule and territory and power, etc, which of course is holy and spiritual because God is Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God is not within word (its sphere and cause of action does not rest and continue by a spoken-account, what somebody says), but on the contrary, the kingdom of God is within ability (its sphere and cause of action rests and continues by able-power, capability – God being the source of this ability which is holy spirit). Every holy-person/Christian has holy spirit-life within him/her which is what makes us children of God.

Next, Paul asks a question which would really bring it home to their minds what he is teaching them: what do you intend (will) – is it that you want me to come to you within the sphere of action of a rod (a staff for training and a scepter of authority and office), or do you want me to come within the sphere of action of Godly-love and that-which is internally-related to it which is the spirit of meekness (the spirit characterized-by, energizing and manifesting a tender-receptiveness or receptivity towards God and the things of God) towards you?

Do you want me to come to you with a rod to train you and demonstrate authoritative-power regarding what I have already taught you, do you want me to deal with you in proportion to your puffed-up attitudes, etc? Or, do you want me to come to you, who have received the same holy spirit as I have, manifesting Godly-love and spirit of meekness towards you?

The Corinthian holy-people needed to consider their walk/behavior which should have been in alignment with God's Word. In those areas where it did not line-up with God's Word they ought to adjust it so that then they would walk in accordance with what Paul had already taught them - the good-message.

[Reference: Acts 19:21 and 20:2; Psalm 2:9; I Corinthians chapter 15; II Corinthians 1:23-2:3, and 10:1-7; Galatians 5:22, 23, and 6:1; I Thessalonians 2:12; II Timothy 2:24-26; Hebrews 1:8; James 1:21; Revelation 2:27, 12:5, and 19:11-16. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

I Corinthians Chapter 5