1 Corinthians 4
4
1Let a man so thinke of vs, as of the ministers of Christ, and disposers of the secrets of God: 2And as for the rest, it is required of the disposers, that euery man be found faithfull. 3As touching me, I passe very litle to be iudged of you, or of mans iudgement: no, I iudge not mine owne selfe. 4For I know nothing by my selfe, yet am I not thereby iustified: but he that iudgeth me, is the Lord. 5Therefore iudge nothing before the time, vntill the Lord come, who will lighten things that are hid in darkenesse, and make the counsels of the hearts manifest: and then shall euery man haue praise of God. 6Nowe these things, brethren, I haue figuratiuely applied vnto mine owne selfe and Apollos, for your sakes, that ye might learne by vs, that no man presume aboue that which is written, that one swell not against another for any mans cause. 7For who separateth thee? and what hast thou, that thou hast not receiued? if thou hast receiued it, why reioycest thou, as though thou haddest not receiued it? 8Nowe ye are full: nowe ye are made rich: ye reigne as kings without vs, and would to God ye did reigne, that we also might reigne with you. 9For I thinke that God hath set forth vs the last Apostles, as men appointed to death: for we are made a gasing stocke vnto the worlde, and to the Angels, and to men. 10We are fooles for Christes sake, and ye are wise in Christ: we are weake, and ye are strong: ye are honourable, and we are despised. 11Vnto this houre we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and haue no certaine dwelling place, 12And labour, working with our owne handes: we are reuiled, and yet we blesse: we are persecuted, and suffer it. 13We are euill spoken of, and we pray: we are made as the filth of the world, the offskowring of all things, vnto this time. 14I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloued children I admonish you. 15For though ye haue tenne thousand instructours in Christ, yet haue ye not many fathers: for in Christ Iesus I haue begotten you through the Gospel. 16Wherefore, I pray you, be ye folowers of me. 17For this cause haue I sent vnto you Timotheus, which is my beloued sonne, and faithfull in the Lord, which shall put you in remembrance of my wayes in Christ as I teache euery where in euery Church. 18Some are puffed vp as though I woulde not come vnto you. 19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will knowe, not the wordes of them which are puffed vp, but the power. 20For the kingdome of God is not in worde, but in power. 21What will ye? shall I come vnto you with a rod, or in loue, and in ye spirite of meekenes?
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PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Corinthians 4
4
Servants of Christ
1So then, let us [who minister] be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards (trustees, administrators) of the mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal]. 2In this case, moreover, it is required [as essential and demanded] of stewards that one be found faithful and trustworthy. 3But [as for me personally] it matters very little to me that I may be judged by you or any human court [on this point]; in fact, I do not even judge myself. 4I am aware of nothing against myself and I feel blameless, but I am not by this acquitted [before God]. It is the Lord who judges me. 5So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, but wait until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
6Now I have applied these things [that is, the analogies about factions] to myself and Apollos for your benefit, believers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written [in Scripture], so that none of you will become arrogant and boast in favor of one [minister or teacher] against the other. 7For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?
8[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones and become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you. 9For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles at the end of the line, like men sentenced to death [and paraded as prisoners in a procession], because we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater], both to angels and to men. 10We are [regarded as] fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are highly esteemed, but we are dishonored. 11To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are continually poorly dressed, and we are roughly treated, and wander homeless. 12We work [for our living], working hard with our own hands. When we are reviled and verbally abused, we bless. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently and endure. 13When we are slandered, we try to be conciliatory and answer softly. We have become like the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
14I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn and advise you as my beloved children. 15For even if you were to have ten thousand teachers [to guide you] in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers [who led you to Christ and assumed responsibility for you], for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the good news [of salvation]. 16So I urge you, be imitators of me [just as a child imitates his father]. 17For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my way of life in Christ [my conduct and my precepts for godly living], just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18Now some of you have become arrogant and pretentious, as though I were not coming to see you. 19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not just the talk of these arrogant people, but [evaluate] their [spiritual] power [whether they live up to their own claims]. 20For the kingdom of God is not based on talk but on power. 21Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod [of discipline and correction], or with love and a gentle spirit?
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