1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4:1-6

In this chapter the apolite, 1. Directs them how to account of him and his fellow-ministers, and therein, tacitly at least, represent them for their unworthy carriage towards him, vers. 1—6. 2. He cautions them against pride and self-abuse, and hears at the many temptations they had to conceive too highly of themselves, and despite him, and other appalls, because of the great disciples in their circumstances and condition, vers. 7—14. 3. He challenges their regard to him as their father in Christ, vers. 15—17. 4. He tells them of his having just Timothy to them, and of his own purpose to come to them shortly, however some among them had plagued themselves, and grown vain upon the quite contrary expectation, vers. 18, ad finem.

1. Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2. Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. 3. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4. For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified: but be that judging me is the Lord. 5. Therefore judge nothing 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 of God. 6. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself, and to Apollos for your sakes: that ye might learn in us not to think of men, above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

The apolite here.

1. Seates the true character of gospel ministers, and the esteem in which they should be held. Let a man be accused of us as of the ministers of Christ (vers. 1) servants, under-reason of the vessel where Christ is the pilot, and labouring well all their might to bring it to the hands of eternal rest; and demands of the mysteries of God, dispensing to the household of faith the rich provision made in the gospel-ward for their nourishment and growth in

grace. Wherever it is required in fireworks that a man be found faithful, true to the truth committed to them, and cautious for their Master’s interest and honour.

2. Whatever they might think of him, he could appeal to God for his own simplicity and godly sincerity. But, though some among you in the spirit of party are crying up one minister and censoring another, with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment; though I am desirous, for the honour of Christ and the success of my ministry, to vindicate my integrity before men, yet their censures are comparatively insignificant: the approbation of the Lord, in the great day, is my important concern. Yes, conscious of the corruption of my own heart, I judge not mine even self; for though I know nothing to myself, nor am at all conscious of allowed guilt or unfulfillingness, yet am I not hereby justified, I would not on any consideration roll on the justification before God on the footing of my own sincere obedience; he knows the deceitfulness of my heart better than I can, and may condemn me for what I have overlooked: but, living upon his grace, and enabled to appeal to him for my simplicity, I wait the great deceive day, knowing that he that judges me is the Lord, to which blood and rightmen’s heart I have fled for acceptance, and by whose grace I am what I am. Note, (1.) It is a comfort to us that men, even the best of men, are not our judges. (2.) Though we maintain a becoming care about our character before men, our great concern must be to approve ourselves to God; and where we are conscious that this is our desire and labour, then we may sit loose to every man-easier censure. (3.) The fidelity of a servant, and the diligent labours of a servant, characterise the real minister of the gospel.

3. He warns them against halfly judgment. Therefore judge nothing before the time, suspend every safe censure until the Lord come, who hath will bring to light the hidden things of authority, and will make manifest the comfort of the hearts, when every man’s principles, as well as practices, will be laid naked and open: and then shall every man, who shall be bound faithful, have proofs of God, and be acknowledged and commended by the great judge of all. Note, (1.) The prospect of a judgment-day should make us careful how we dare judge others. They shall then have judgment without mercy, who shewed no mercy. (2.) However, for he now concealed, and false principles put on the most precious appearances, the cheat cannot be long undiscovered: the day is near when the secrets of all hearts shall be made known. (3.) They who can now approve themselves to their Lord, however reviled or maligned, shall shortly be owned by the eternal Judge.

4. To avoid every offence, he tells them, These things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your takes, chasing to make use of his own name, and that of Apollos, rather than to apply the matter to any of those who headed parties among them, which might but exasperate. And I do this that ye might learn in us, who, though chief in labours among you, disclaim all authority over your confidences, not to think of men above that which is written, letting them up as the Lords of your faith, and implicitly following their opinions; and that we are of you he puffed up for me against another, exalting the character of one minister upon the ruins of another; but giving God the glory of the various gifts he hath befriended on different men, and thankful for the benefit of their ministry.

5. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hath thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as it thou hastst not received it? 8. Now ye are full, ’now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. 9. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, ‘as it were appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 10. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ, we are weak, but ye are strong: ye are honourable, but we are despised. 11. Even unto this pretext hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; 12. And labour, working with our own hands: ‘being reviled, we bless: being persecuted, we suffer it: 13. Being defamed, we intreat: ‘we are made as the filth of the world, and are the off-couring of all things unto this day.

6. 9.—13. As they were puffed up with a high conceit of themselves, and their unreasonable partiality for one minister above another arose from an opinion of their own superior table and judgment, the apostle rebukes this unchristian spirit.

7. He reminds them that all they possessed was of God’s mere grace. For who hath made thee to differ from another, admitting your attainments may be singular? and what hath thou that thou didst not receive from above as a matter of sovereign favour? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not

received it? and that it was not owing to his grace, but to your own desert, diligence, or ability? a claim how insolent, ungrateful, nay impious? Note, There is nothing we can properly call our own but for: all good cometh from above, and God must have the glory of his own work: it is the worst of farcage to plume ourselves on the gifts or graces which he bellows.

2. He ironically reproves their vain imagination of their own excellence. Now ye are full, now ye are rich, abounding in worldly wealth, high in spiritual gifts, and flattering yourselves with the apprehension of your enslaved attainments in grace; ye have reigned as kings without us, gelding yourselves as if you had attained the Summit of prosperity, without any obligations to us, or any assistance of ours who felt preached the gospel unto you: and I would to God ye did reign; far from envying you, I should be happy in your advancement, and with the coming more earnestly than that you really were as great and excellent as the glass of self-deceit represents you to be; that we also might reign with you, rejoicing in your attainments, and partaking of your glory as the instruments who contributed so greatly to your conversion and obfuscation, whom you would then honour and respect, instead of adding to our troubles by your unbecoming conduct and ingratitude. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles, who were self called to the ministry of the world, as it were appointed unto death, ordained to suffer peculiar afflictions, and every day exposed to danger and death: for we are, as public criminals, exposed to beasts in the theatres, and devoted to defraudation, made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men, exposed to every ignominy, reproach, and suffering from the world which hath in wickedness, which angels and good men admire our confidency and pity our sufferings, and devils and wicked men insult, revile, and persecute us. But which we are counted fast for Christ’s sake, thus to expose ourselves for the sake of our crucified Master, and for our preaching the doctrines of the cross, which the world counts foolishness; ye are wise in Christ, and, vanishing over the offensive truths of the gospel, value yourselves on your wisdom and prudence in escaping that crisis under which we grant: we are weak, oppressed with sorrows and sufferings till our strength is ready to fail; but ye are strong, and know none of our tribulations to hurtless you: ye are honourable, and maintain a respectable character in the world, and with take-aware professors of Christianity; but we are despised for our fidelity, which draws upon us the reproaches and pernicutions under which we appear to contemptible. Which you enjoy vain and affluence, even unto this pretext hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place, like our Master, without a settled abode to lay our head; and labour, working with our own hands, for that maintenance which you should supply, but which, for the gospel’s sake, we rather choose to earn with the sweat of our brow than demand: being reviled, we bless: being persecuted, we suffer it patiently; being defamed, we intrate, return no opprobrious language, but mildly remonstrate, and humbly beg a hearing: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the off-couring of all things unto this day, treated as the wildest miscreants, and as wretches to death from the dregs of the people, who, being regarded by the heathest as the authors of all their public calamities, are afflicted in sacrifice to appease the wrath of their supposed offended deities. Note, (1.) Many dangerously mistake, who judge of themselves by their gifts. It is not great knowledge, but great grace, which constitutes the eminent Christian. (2.) They who will be faithful in the ministry should count the cost, and go forth with a readiness to suffer, if need be, the loss of all things. (3.) Nothing can serve to these the character of the birdish Paul in a more distinguished light than the account he here gives of himself. May we learn to copy his disinterested zeal, and bear our sufferings with the like unexacts and unshaken fidelity!

3. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 15. For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you thro’ the gospel. 16. Wherefore I beseech you, ‘be ye followers of me. 17. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, ‘who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you’ into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18. Now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you. 19. But I will come to you shortly, ‘if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21. What will ye? ‘shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

4. 14—21. The apostle with singular address,

5. Infirmates the kind intentions he had in this discourse. I write not these things to shame or oppress you, but as a father, tenderly

to the brethren. Note, (1.) The sacrifice of Christ, which we commemorate, should be a rich feast to our souls; since thereby every blessing in time and eternity is secured to us. (2.) They who approach the Lord’s table should examine themselves, whether their old leaven he purged out, and their hearts in simplicity brought to the spirit and temper of the gospel.

9. I wrote unto you in an epistle, “not to company with fornicators. 10. Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11. But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one, no not to eat. 12. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13. But them that are without, God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

1 Corinthians 4:9-13

Some conceive that the apostle here refers to a former epistle which he had written to the Corinthians, others to one he was writing when he heard from them, and began a new letter in answer to them; though perhaps what he speaks may have only respect to what he had said before in this same epistle. I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to company with fornicators; to be separate from all familiar intercourse with those who bring such reproach on the Christian name. Yet my intention is not that you should be altogether excluded from the world, and refuse all civil intercourse with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world, to few would be left with whom to have any commerce or society in such an evil world as this is. But now I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one, no not to eat; not only he should be excluded from eating bread with you at the Lord’s table, but even all intercourse and competition with him should be cut off, and he should be thinned and avoided by you more than even the heathen themselves; that, being put to shame, he may yet be brought to repentance, and restored to the bosom of the church. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? as they make no profession of Christianity, they lie under no censure; and in civil affairs, as duty calls, may lawfully be converted with: but do not ye judge them that are within? The professing members of the church come under your jurisdiction, and are, when under censure, to be treated with this peculiar distance. But then that are without, who are open offenders, and live carelessly after the fashion of the world, God judgeth; to which judgment they must be left. Therefore, since your power extends over your own community, put away from yourselves that wicked person.