Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The Apostle by Chapter | 1 Corinthians Chapter 4


By Sam Nobles

With this chapter, the Apostle Paul ends his critique of the problem of division that existed at the church at Corinth and goes on to illustrate the attitude one should have toward those who serve God, and why we should leave the judgment of such men to God (v.1-5). Paul uses the example of the apostles in ironic fashion (v.6-13) with the purpose to warn the church, and to remind them of what is proper. Paul himself makes the pledge that he is coming to deal with those who are "puffed up", if necessary (v.14-21).

Life is like stewardship, so be faithful (v.1-5).
Everybody is guilty of being judgmental, but the truth is, no one’s judgment counts for anything except the Lord’s. He is looking for faithful stewards in this life. In fact, the Bible reveals that God wants to tell us, “Well done good and faithful servant…” (Luke 19:17). It has been rightly said that a thousand dollars’ worth of faithfulness is paid off in nickels, dimes, and quarters. Be faithful in the small things because life seems to be made up of more of the smaller moments than the big ones.

Life is like a battle, so be brave (v.6-13)
If the Apostles were some of the greatest Christians who ever lived, and they were the filth and the scum of the earth, where did that leave the boasting Corinthians?1 This description of how the Apostles suffered for the sake of Christ should make us all embarrassed at what we complain about. You might be doing pretty well compared to your neighbor, but you’re comparing yourself to the wrong person. The comparison is not between you and your neighbor or between you and your pastor. It’s between you and God. When the Lord comes on the scene, He sets the standard. It’s not how you compare with anything but the glory of the Father, and in His light, we all come up short. When we compare ourselves against each other we can always find someone that seems worse off than us, but the truth is, we should all compare ourselves to the perfect standard of Christ Jesus, and see that we are all lacking.

Life is like a school, so be teachable (v.14-21)
Paul saw himself like a father figure to the Corinthian believers, and like a father, he felt it was up to him to instruct them in the ways of righteousness. The Lord uses many hands and voices to teach us, and we must be willing pupils as we go through life.2

Scripture to Claim: But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, New edition (David C. Cook, 2010).
[1] Ibid.

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