Глава 4

1 Corinthians 4:1. So everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. “So let man hate us, as the servants of Christ and the builders of the mysteries of God.” Whoever wants to honor us, let him honor us as servants, respect us as builders, and commensurate the honoring with our nature. And the divine Apostle not only wrote so, but also acted. For he forbade the Lycaonians who attempted to make a sacrifice, tearing their clothes together with Barnabas and crying out: “I am servile to you men” (Acts 14:15). So blessed Peter said to Cornelius: “And I myself am a man” (Acts 10:26). 1 Cor.4:2. What is required of the stewards is that everyone should be faithful. “And everything else is sought in the builders, so that the faithful may be found,” not in order to admire the dignity of the Master, but in order to maintain goodwill towards the Master. 1 Cor.4:3. It matters very little to me how you judge me or how other people judge me; I don’t judge myself. “It’s not enough for me to eat, but I’ll get it from you.” He brings a serious accusation against them: that they do not measure up to honor, but honor without measure, and that, not having the right to judge, they judge, and they judge not just anyone, but teachers. For some would not prefer one thing, and others another, if they had not arrogated to themselves the right to judge. Therefore, he deprived them of the right to judge, calling it humiliation for teachers to be subject to the judgment of their students in their case. Then he offers a general word for healing them: “Or from the human day,” but he called the short duration of natural life human day. “But I don’t blame 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. “For I have nothing in myself, but I am justified in no way: the Lord is the one who quarrels with me.” What to say about others? And I, knowing exactly what concerns me and not being aware of anything illegal, dare neither judge myself nor admit myself innocent; I await the Lord's judgment. Let no one think that in the words “I will justify myself in any way” there is a contradiction to what was said: “I have nothing in myself.” One does not contradict the other, but, on the contrary, one follows from the other. It often happens that one sins without knowing, even recognizing in oneself what was done just; but the God of all looks at it differently. For this is shown by the following words: 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. “Before the time, judge nothing, until the Lord comes, Who will bring the secret of darkness into the light, and will reveal the counsels of the heart, and then praise will come to everyone from God”; that is, you see the visible, but to God it is clear and hidden. But in this life He does not reveal everything; in this life everything will become clear. Therefore, expect a truthful judgment. For then you will see truthful judgments. And since in what was said he had previously exposed himself, Apollos and Cephas, in order to show more clearly by the importance of his faces the indecency of what had been done, he finally, out of necessity, makes his accusation clear. 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. “And this, my brother, I have transformed Apollos on myself for your sake, so that from us you may learn to be wiser than what is written.” If we, teachers of teachers, who received preaching from God, did not assign our names to you, but commanded you to be called in the name of Christ, then consider how wicked what they have done is filled! For this is what the words mean: “Let you learn from us, not to be wiser than what is written.” It is written: “If anyone wants to be older, let him be the least of all” (Mark 9:35), and: “Whoever is called to be in him... let him abide in him” (1 Cor. 7:24). “Let not one person be proud of another.” For the Corinthians, having divided themselves into factions and decided to call themselves some by the name of one, and others by the name of another, quarreled one with the other, and each faction tried to give primacy to its teacher over the others. Then the Apostle turns to the teachers themselves. 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? “Who’s reasoning with you?” What is the use of making you a teacher? Why are you not called the same teacher of all? “What about you, did you accept him?” Why do you think so highly of yourself? Is it because of eloquence? But God gave you this. Is it because of your knowledge? And this is God's gift. Or because of the miracles you perform? And this is the action of the Spirit. “Have you also accepted that you boasted as if it were not accepted?” No one thinks highly of himself because of the deposits of others, but he vigilantly guards them in order to keep them for the giver. 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. “Behold, you are full, behold, you are rich.” You have no need for anything, you have abundantly enjoyed all the blessings. “You will reign without us.” We are still in poverty, suffering for preaching, but you have enjoyed the Kingdom. And since the Apostle said this, laughing at them, he reveals his real disposition towards them. “And may you reign naturally!” Not only do I not envy you, but I also want you to enjoy these benefits. Then the Apostle expresses the immensity of humility. “Yes, and we would have reigned with you.” This is how the Apostle always expresses himself about the Lord Christ: “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:11); because Christ truly reigns, and His sincere servants are partakers of His Kingdom; however, here too, out of modesty, I used this expression, humbling their pride. 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. “I remember that we are God’s messengers of the last manifestation, like death rows.” If you really do not need anything and have already achieved the possession of the Kingdom, then we, apparently, have been brought to life solely for the slaughter. For this is meant by the word “suicide bombers.” “Shame on the world, both Angel and man.” Our deeds are put on display for all to see, Angels marvel at our courage; and among people, some enjoy our suffering, others are compassionate, it is true, but do not have the strength to help us. 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. “We are fighting for Christ’s sake.” We preach what the infidels recognize as violence. “You are wise.” And so that the blow would not be too strong, the Apostle added: about “Christ,” that is: “Oh, if only you had true prudence!” “We are weak, but you are strong: you are glorious, but we are dishonest.” Then the Apostle lists the types of suffering. 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 work, working with our own hands. They slander us, we bless; They persecute us, we endure. Until “this hour we hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and suffer, and wander,” and “we labor, working with our own hands.” The apostle showed patience in all this, and in subsequent words he portrays the most perfect wisdom. “We are reproached, we bless: we persecute, 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. “Hulimi, let us be consoled.” Then he shows extreme humiliation. “Like the waste of the world,” that is, we are no different from what is thrown away in houses as unnecessary, whether vegetables, or peelings, or something else like that. So most people consider us unimportant. “Everything hitherto trampled underfoot.” The Apostle seems to be saying this: “I testify to my great gratitude.” He said this not about the persecutors, but about those who accepted the sermon, which is why he added: 1 Cor.4:14. I do not write this to shame you, but I admonish you as my beloved children. “I am not writing this to shame you, but like my beloved child I am punishing you.” And he proves that they are indeed his creation. 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. “Even though many were educators in Christ, but not many were fathers: for in Christ Jesus through the gospel you were born.” The Apostle called the other teachers educators, and himself a father, because he was the first to bring them the gospel teaching. 1 Cor.4:16. Therefore, I beg you: imitate me, as I imitate Christ. “I pray you,” brothers, “be like me,” that is, humble yourself as I humble myself; endure what I endure; boast in your sufferings, not in your gifts. 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. “For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remember my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere and in every church.” The Apostle showed his affection for the Corinthians by sending Timothy, and his love for Timothy by calling him his beloved child; He also declared another of his virtues, calling him faithful in the Lord. He, says the Apostle, will tell you how I act, for he calls his ways his actions. But he did not say that Timothy would inform about them, but “remember”; this same word accuses them of oblivion, because they were witnesses of apostolic virtue. He added that in all churches he usually teaches the same teaching; and, having accused everyone of this, finally pronounces a sentence on the one who has fallen into fornication. 1 Corinthians 4:18. Even though I do not come to you, some of you have become proud. “For I am not coming to you, I have become proud.” Anticipating his repentance, the godly Paul did not reveal his name, so as not to become known to every person, but said vaguely: “no man.” 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. “I will come to you quickly, if the Lord pleases, and I will understand not the word of those who are proud, but power.” I will examine not eloquence, but mode of action. Then he confirms this: 1 Corinthians 4:20. for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. “For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power.” For for salvation it is not enough to preach about the Kingdom of God, but one must also act worthy of the Kingdom. 1 Cor.4:21. What do you want? come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of meekness? “What do you want? Will I come to you with a club, or with love and a spirit of meekness?” . He gives them both to choose from, for he says: “I will come as you wish, either spiritually, or in the form of a judge.” “Mace” he calls punitive force, for it deprived the eyes of Elimas of light (Acts 13:11). You might be interested in: