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Preachers are servants of Christ and their responsibility is only before Christ (1-5). Pride as the real cause of divisions into parties (6–21) 1 Cor.4:1–5. Having shown what preachers cannot be, Ap. now talks about what they really are. They are only servants of Christ and their duty is to faithfully carry out the work entrusted to them. Therefore, it is not people who should judge preachers, but Christ Himself. 1 Corinthians 4:1. So everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. "Us" . Ap. first he speaks about preachers in general and, in particular, about himself and Apollos. – “House Builders” (οικονόμους). This is how slaves were called in ancient times, to whom the master entrusted supervision of the house and who shared work and food among other slaves (Luke 12:42). The preacher is also entrusted by Christ with the truth of the Gospel to communicate to others. - “The Mysteries of God”. The word mystery means the plan of Divine economy for the salvation of people. - “Mysteries” are the various individual parts of the plan from which Paul and Apollos made a choice when they preached to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 3:2). 1 Cor.4:2. What is required of the stewards is that everyone should be faithful. “To the faithful,” that is, according to his conscience, he distributed what was given to him from the Master, he served the Church with all the gifts and powers that he received in order to fulfill the will of the Master. 1 Cor.4:3. It means very little to me how you judge me or how other people judge me; I don’t judge myself. 1 Cor.4:4. For although I do not know anything about myself, I am not justified by this; The Lord is my judge. 1 Cor.4:5. Therefore, do not judge in any way before the time, until the Lord comes, who will illuminate what is hidden in the darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart, and then everyone will receive praise from God. Now Ap. speaks in particular about himself personally. He personally does not attach importance to the judgment of other people about him. He does not even trust himself when he has to evaluate his activities (cf. 2 Cor. 7:11), because for him there is something hidden in his inner being. At least his conscience was completely calm, but this does not mean that he completely fulfilled his duty before the Lord. Only the Lord at the final judgment will say whether His servant was right and faithful in everything (cf. Rom. 2:16). - “Heart intentions,” i.e., the motives by which a person does this or that thing, knowledge of which alone makes it possible to correctly evaluate each individual act of a person. Ap. now draws a conclusion to the first part of the message. Having shown the Corinthians the true essence of the Gospel, and from this drawing a conclusion about the essence of the ministry of a Christian preacher. Ap. now explains that the cause of the divisions that occurred in the Corinthian Church was the pride of the Corinthians. The latter think too highly of themselves, as if they had achieved Christian perfection. Ap. points out to them the unfoundedness of such self-exaltation, and then, softening the tone of speech, reminds them of their relationship to him and makes a promise to come to Corinth. 1 Cor.4:6. This, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sake, so that you would learn from us not to philosophize beyond what is written, and not to be proud of one another. “This”, that is, what was said in the immediately preceding section about the preaching ministry. - “Applied to himself and Apollos.” He considers Apollos his friend and believes that he will not be offended by such expressions as those of Chapter III. 7 tbsp. - “For your sake,” that is, so that the truth presented in this form would be more acceptable to you. - “So that you learn from us...”. Ap. Paul and Apollos set an example of humility in their behavior. - “What is written.” It is better to understand this expression as the second part of the saying used in rabbinical schools: “don’t overthink or go beyond what is written!” – “One before the other” – ruled: “each for one (υπέρ) against (κατά) the other. “Each Corinthian, while exalting one preacher, disdained the others. At the same time, he extolled himself as a student of the most respected preacher. 1 Corinthians 4:7. For who makes you different? What do you have that you wouldn't get? And if you received it, why do you boast as if you didn’t receive it? Proving the absurdity of such self-exaltation, Ap. asks the proud Corinthian three questions. What answers could be given to these questions? Presumably these answers are as follows: to the first question: “who distinguishes you” (i.e., who told you that you are superior to others)? Answer: “Isn’t it you yourself?” To the second question: “what do you have...?” Answer: “positively nothing! all your gifts are from God!” The third question does not require an answer, because it is more of an exclamation than a question. 1 Cor.4:8. You are already fed up, you have already become rich, you have begun to reign without us. Oh, if you really reigned, so that you and I could reign! Ap. he is too indignant at the baseless self-exaltation of the Corinthians, and his speech takes on the character of irony. Paul and the other apostles live in sorrow, but the Corinthians, on the contrary, for some reason are already triumphant. - “You are already fed up.” Among the Corinthians, spiritual poverty, hunger for righteousness, and tears of repentance, which should always accompany the spiritual development of a Christian, have already disappeared (Matthew 5:3-6). Their spiritual needs seem to be completely satisfied. - “They were enriched” - of course, with numerous spiritual gifts, which aroused great conceit in the Corinthians. - “You began to reign,” that is, as if you had already entered the glorious kingdom of Christ. - “Without us,” that is, in such a way that we do not participate in this glorification at all. 1 Cor.4:9. For I think that God destined us, the last messengers, to be, as it were, sentenced to death, because we became a disgrace to the world, to Angels and men. "For". The connecting preposition shows that the Apostle’s ironic speech is still ongoing. - “I think” - more correctly: “it seems” - “What do we need...”. More correct: “that God presented us, the apostles, as the last, as if condemned to death.” Ap. one wonders how the Corinthians could imagine that the Apostles should after them, “last,” enter the kingdom of Christ, which He promised to those who love Him. Is it really true that the Apostles must always stand in the position of gladiators sentenced to death, while their spiritual children will enjoy peace? - “We have become a disgrace,” that is, a spectacle that people of different positions are going to watch. - “For the world.” This word means the totality of all intelligent beings. - “For Angels” - both good and evil (cf. Eph. 3:10). 1 Cor.4:10. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; We are weak, but you are strong; you are in glory, and we are in dishonor. 1 Corinthians 4:11. Even to this day we suffer hunger and thirst and nakedness and beatings, and we wander, 1 Cor.4:12. and we labor, working with our own hands. They slander us, we bless; they persecute us, we endure; 1 Cor.4:13. they blaspheme us, we pray; We are like rubbish for the world, like dust trampled upon by everyone to this day. Ap. depicts the contrast between the plight of the apostles and the supposed glorification of the Corinthian Christians. - “We are mad,” that is, we are not afraid to appear mad in the eyes of the Corinthians by preaching the crucified Christ, while others managed to earn the title of “wise” by proclaiming Christ according to the custom of philosophers. – “We are weak” – see 1 Cor. 2:1-5. - “You are strong,” that is, you are not bothered by any doubts, as if everything you do is always good! - “They blaspheme us, we pray,” that is, we persuade them to fairly discuss our behavior. 1 Cor.4:14. I do not write this to shame you, but I admonish you as my beloved children. The Apostle did not speak with such irony out of malice, but out of grief and for the benefit of the Corinthians themselves. He did not want to humble or shame them, but to turn them to the true path. He also had the right to do this, as their spiritual father. 1 Corinthians 4:15. For although you have thousands of teachers in Christ, you have not many fathers; I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 1 Cor.4:16. Therefore, I beg you: imitate me, as I imitate Christ. "Thousands of Mentors". Ap. makes an allusion to the many teachers of the faith who appeared in Corinth after the removal of Paul and Apollos from there. - “I gave birth to you.” Ap. Paul converted the Corinthians to Christ, although he did this not by his own power, but by the power of Christ and through the Gospel (good news). - “Therefore...”. A father has the right to expect from his children that they will imitate him in life. 1 Corinthians 4:17. For this purpose I have sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. To help them turn to the true path, Ap. sent his reliable employee, Timofey, to them. This latter, at the time of writing the message, had indeed already left Ephesus, although he arrived in Corinth after receiving the message of St. Apex there. Paul (1 Cor. 16:10, 11; cf. Acts 19:20, 21). - “Son”. This Ap. hints that Timothy was converted to Christianity by him (cf. 2 Tim. 1:2). – About “my ways in Christ,” that is, about humility, self-denial, devotion to the Lord. Ap follows the path of these virtues. ever since he turned to Christ. - “How I teach...”. His teaching is fully consistent with his life and he acts the same everywhere. 1 Corinthians 4:18. Because I do not come to you, some among you have become proud; 1 Corinthians 4:19. but I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will test not the words of the proud, but the strength, 1 Corinthians 4:20. for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Cor.4:21. What do you want? come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of meekness? Since from the fact of Timothy’s embassy, ​​Paul’s ill-wishers could draw the conclusion that the Apostle himself would not appear in Corinth, then Ap. now he informs them that he himself will come there. - "Some" . These were probably some people from the party of “Christ” (cf. 2 Cor. 10:9-10, 7 and 2 Cor. 11:23). - “They became proud,” that is, they began to think that they would become the head of the Church. - “Not words,” that is, I will not pay attention to the oratory of proud teachers of the faith. – “And the power”, that is, do they have the real power of the Spirit of God, as a source of new life? The Corinthians cannot understand this matter properly, but the Apostle will reveal everything! - “Kingdom of God”. This is not a future, heavenly kingdom, but a kingdom that already exists here, in the souls of believers. - “Not in words, but in power,” that is, not where they talk a lot and eloquently about lofty subjects and tasks, but where there is the power to carry out these tasks. - “With a rod.” Like a father, Ap. the right to use measures of severity in relation to their spiritual children. This is proof of the existence of church discipline even under the apostles. You might be interested in: