1 Corinthians 4
4
1LET a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.
2Here now it is required among the dispensers, that a man be found faithful.
3But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by man's day; but neither do I judge my own self.
4For I am not conscious to myself of any thing, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord.
5Therefore judge not 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 from God.
6But these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollo, for your sakes; that in us you may learn, that one be not puffed up against the other for another, above that which is written.
7For who distinguisheth thee? Or what hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
8You are now full; you are now become rich; you reign without us; and I would to God you did reign, that we also might reign with you.
9For I think that God hath set forth us apostles, the last, as it were men appointed to death: we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.
10We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are honourable, but we without honour.
11Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode;
12And we labour, working with our own hands: we are reviled, and we bless; we are persecuted, and we suffer it.
13We are blasphemed, and we entreat; we are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even until now.
14I write not these things to confound you; but I admonish you as my dearest children.
15For if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten you.
16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.
17For this cause have I sent to you Timothy, who is my dearest son and faithful in the Lord; who will put you in mind of my ways, which are in Christ Jesus; as I teach every where in every church.
18As if I would not come to you, so some are puffed up.
19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will: and will know, not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power.
20For the kingdom of God is not in speech, but in power.
21What will you? shall I come to you with a rod; or in charity, and in the spirit of meekness?
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1 Corinthians 4: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Corinthians 4
4
True Apostles of Christ
1So here’s how you should think of us. We’re servants of Christ who’ve been trusted with the mysteries God has shown us. 2Those who’ve been trusted with something must show that they’re dependable. 3I really don’t care if you judge me, or if any human court judges me. I don’t even judge myself. 4I don’t feel I have done anything wrong, but that doesn’t mean I’m not guilty. It’s the Lord who judges me. 5So don’t judge anything before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord returns, and he will bring what’s now hidden in the dark out into the light. He’ll show the real reasons why people do what they do. At that time God will give each person the praise they deserve.
6Brothers and sisters, I’ve used myself and Apollos as examples. I want to help you learn from us what the saying means, “Don’t go beyond what’s written.” If you understand that, you won’t feel proud that you follow one of us instead of the other. 7Who thinks you’re different from anyone else? What do you have that wasn’t given to you? And if it was given to you, why do you brag as though it came from you?
8You think you already have everything you need. You think you’ve already become rich and that you’ve begun to rule, even though we haven’t. I wish that you really had begun to rule. Then we’d be ruling with you! 9It feels as if God has put us apostles on display like the people who are put at the end of the procession to the arena because they’re going to die there. And it feels as if the whole universe is watching, both angels and humans. 10We’re fools for Christ, but you’re so wise in Christ! We’re weak, but you’re so strong! You are honored, but we’re looked down on! 11We’re still hungry and thirsty, dressed in rags, homeless, and treated badly. 12We work hard with our own hands. When others curse us, we bless them. When we’re attacked, we don’t fight back. 13When others say bad things about us, we answer with kind words. We’ve become the world’s garbage, and we’re still everybody’s trash even now.
Paul Warns Against Pride
14I’m not writing this to make you ashamed, but to warn you as my dear children. 15Other people might be your guardians in Christ, but even if there were 10,000 of them, you still wouldn’t have many fathers. I became your father in Christ Jesus by telling you the good news. 16So I’m asking you to follow my example. 17That’s the reason why I’ve sent Timothy to you. He’s like a son to me, and I love him. He’s faithful in serving the Lord. He’ll remind you of the way I live as a servant of Christ Jesus. I myself follow what I teach everywhere in all the churches.
18Some of you have become proud. You act as if I weren’t coming to you. 19But I am going to come very soon, if that’s the Lord’s will. Then I’ll find out if there’s actually any power behind what these proud people are saying. 20The kingdom of God isn’t a matter of talk but a matter of power. 21Which would you prefer? Do you want me to come and punish you? Or do you want me to come in love, with a gentle spirit?
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