1 Corinthians 4
Apostles of Christ
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till 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.
6Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. 7For who makes you different from anyone else? 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! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15Even though 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. 17For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with 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 very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
3 comments:
Pretty wild. This reminds me of Romans 14:12 where Pauls reminds us that we all will stand at the judgement sit and recount ourselves for Him. This really makes you think about your life and what you hold to your heart as important. Lord, I pray You give us a heart like Paul. Strong during adversity even when the reat of us would be angry. I am pretty sure I would not be blessing those eho beat me, however I want that to become part of my nature like Paul.
In Christ,
c
3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
Oh I wish this were the case for me. Father, help me to live this statement as a motto. While I have learned not to worry about if I am judged by others, I am still a huge judge of myself, on things big and small. Help me to let You be the judge and live to your standards, not to false ideals I have about success or productivity. Help me to have a loving heart, worried more about my brethren than about my rises and falls. I have learned that they are all lessons from you.
Amen
In Christ
crb
This whole chapter causes me to stop and think.
It begins with the shocking truth of what CRB quoted in his comments of vs. 3...no anxiety over the judgement of others and no self-judgement. Especially in light of some of the later verses (vs. 8-13), I almost can't help but compare my responses to Paul's in the area of dealing with the evil responses (or unjust responses) of other people. Paul said when cursed, he blesses; when persecuted, he endures it; when slandered, he answers kindly. I cannot help but say I am NO WHERE near that. I have a strong sense of right and wrong--justice (especially when it comes into play for me and my family). When someone wrongly treats any of us, I tend to confront it.
I must believe that Paul is so focused on the eternal that the persecution he is enduring doesn't dent him at all. He clearly states that he only cares about the judgement of God on his life and that he is willing (and telling others to do the same) wait until Judgement Day for true justice. In fact, he seems to be surrendering the now for the eternal. That is such an amazingly free way to live IMO. As someone raised in America, these verses almost seem counter-intuitive. We are bred and trained to look for injustice, fight for justice (including our rights and freedoms), etc. Paul (at least in dealing with the persecution of the Church and accusations about his character and life) seems to be saying don't fight it and don't worry about it. God will vindicate it ALL in the end.
Does that not throw a wrench into your world view too? Am I missing something here?
Lastly, vs. 18-21 is a great reminder that it is not our rhetoric that ultimately matters, rather it is a life transformed by the power of Christ. Remember it is Paul who also writes in 1 Corinthians 1:24 that Christ is the power and wisdom of God for all of us. He also says in Romans 1:16 that he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ becasue it it the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.
He also commands Timothy (and I believe us) in 2 Timothy 1:8 to always testify to Christ and join in the suffering of Christ by the power of God.
These truths are extrememly counter-cultural in our world today, but seem to be at the heart of the Kingdom-culture of Christ.
Father, I confess that your Word challenges the very fabric of my upbringing, thoughts, and life. Forgive my self-defense and clamoring for rights. Help me to see life as you see it. Help me expend energy on living out the power of Christ as a transforming power in this fallen world. Grant us your wisdom and strength to live each day as men for you.
In Christ's name,
A-men
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