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, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
3I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.
5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
6Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. 7For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with you! 9For it seems to me that God has displayed us apostles at the end of the procession, like prisoners appointed for death. We have become a spectacle to the whole world, to angels as well as to men.
10We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. 11To this very hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
Paul’s Fatherly Warning
14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus,#4:17 BYZ and TR my way of life in Christ, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.
18Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have. 20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.