1 Corinthians 4
4
Apostles of Christ
1You should think of us as Christ's servants, who have been put in charge of God's secret truths. 2The one thing required of such servants is that they be faithful to their master. 3Now, I am not at all concerned about being judged by you or by any human standard; I don't even pass judgement on myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am really innocent. The Lord is the one who passes judgement on me. 5So you should not pass judgement on anyone before the right time comes. Final judgement must wait until the Lord comes; he will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people's minds. And then all will receive from God the praise they deserve.
6For your sake, my brothers and sisters, I have applied all this to Apollos and me, using the two of us as an example, so that you may learn what the saying means, “Observe the proper rules.” None of you should be proud of one person and despise another. 7Who made you superior to others? Didn't God give you everything you have? Well, then, how can you boast, as if what you have were not a gift?
8Do you already have everything you need? Are you already rich? Have you become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we could be kings together with you. 9For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of humanity. 10For Christ's sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honoured! 11To this very moment we go hungry and thirsty; we are clothed in rags; we are beaten; we wander from place to place; 12#Acts 18.3we wear ourselves out with hard work. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13when we are insulted, we answer with kind words. We are no more than this world's refuse; we are the scum of the earth to this very moment!
14I write this to you, not because I want to make you feel ashamed, but to instruct you as my own dear children. 15For even if you have 10,000 guardians in your Christian life, you have only one father. For in your life in union with Christ Jesus I have become your father by bringing the Good News to you. 16#1 Cor 11.1; Phil 3.17I beg you, then, to follow my example. 17For this purpose I am sending to you Timothy, who is my own dear and faithful son in the Christian life. He will remind you of the principles which I follow in the new life in union with Christ Jesus and which I teach in all the churches everywhere.
18Some of you have become proud because you have thought that I would not be coming to visit you. 19If the Lord is willing, however, I will come to you soon, and then I will find out for myself the power which these proud people have, and not just what they say. 20For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power. 21Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in a spirit of love and gentleness?
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
1 Corinthians 4
4
The Faithful Manager
1A person should consider us in this way: as servants # Jn 18:36 of Christ and managers # Lk 16:1 of God’s mysteries. # 1Co 2:7 2In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one of them be found faithful. # Nm 12:7 3It is of little # Mt 5:19 importance to me that I should be evaluated # 1Co 2:14 by you or by any human court. # Lit a human day In fact, I don’t even evaluate myself. 4For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified # Ac 13:39 by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord. 5Therefore don’t judge # Lk 6:37 anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, # Mk 8:38; 1Pt 5:6 who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God. # 2Co 10:18
The Apostles’ Example of Humility
6Now, brothers, # Ac 9:30 I have applied these things to myself and Apollos # Ti 3:13 for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” # The words in quotation marks could = the OT, a Jewish maxim, or a popular proverb. The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another. 7For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it? 8You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us — and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! 9For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. 10We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! # 1Pt 5:14 We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; 12we labor, working # 2Jn 8 with our own hands. # Ac 18:3 When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals. # Is 64:6; Lm 3:45
Paul’s Fatherly Care
14I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. # 1Th 2:11; Phm 1 15For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can’t have many fathers. For I became your father # Gl 4:19; Phm 10 in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17This is why I have sent # 2Co 9:3; Eph 6:21-22; Col 4:7-8; Phm 12 Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful # Nm 12:7 son in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18Now some are inflated with pride, as though I were not coming to you. 19But I will come to you soon, # Ac 19:21; 1Co 16:5; 2Co 1:15-16 if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride. 20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, # 2Co 1:23; 2:1,3; 12:20-21; 13:2,10 or in love and a spirit of gentleness? # Jms 3:13
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