1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB (2024)

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 4 B. Moral Disorders* FAQs

CHAPTER 4

1Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.a2Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.3It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself;4I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord.b5Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

Paul’s Life as Pattern.*6I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written,* so that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another.7Who confers distinction upon you? What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?8You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich; you have become kings* without us! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we also might become kings with you.

9* For as I see it, God has exhibited us apostles as the last of all, like people sentenced to death, since we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and human beings alike.c10We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.d11To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homelesse12and we toil, working with our own hands. When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;f13when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment.

14I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.*15Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.g16Therefore, I urge you, be imitators of me.h17For this reason I am sending you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord; he will remind you of my ways in Christ [Jesus], just as I teach them everywhere in every church.i

18* Some have become inflated with pride, as if I were not coming to you.19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I shall ascertain not the talk of these inflated people but their power.20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.j21Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit?k

* [4:621] This is an emotionally charged peroration to the discussion about divisions. It contains several exhortations and statements of Paul’s purpose in writing (cf. 1Cor 4:6, 1417, 21) that counterbalance the initial exhortation at 1Cor 1:10.

* [4:6] That you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written: the words “to go” are not in the Greek, but have here been added as the minimum necessary to elicit sense from this difficult passage. It probably means that the Corinthians should avoid the false wisdom of vain speculation, contenting themselves with Paul’s proclamation of the cross, which is the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Old Testament (what is written). Inflated with pride: literally, “puffed up,” i.e., arrogant, filled with a sense of self-importance. The term is particularly Pauline, found in the New Testament only in 1Cor 4:6, 1819; 5:2; 8:1; 13:4; Col 2:18 (cf. the related noun at 2Cor 12:20). It sometimes occurs in conjunction with the theme of “boasting,” as in 1Cor 4:67 here.

* [4:8] Satisfied…rich…kings: these three statements could also be punctuated as questions continuing the series begun in v. 7. In any case these expressions reflect a tendency at Corinth toward an overrealized eschatology, a form of self-deception that draws Paul’s irony. The underlying attitude has implications for the Corinthians’ thinking about other issues, notably morality and the resurrection, that Paul will address later in the letter.

* [4:913] A rhetorically effective catalogue of the circumstances of apostolic existence, in the course of which Paul ironically contrasts his own sufferings with the Corinthians’ illusion that they have passed beyond the folly of the passion and have already reached the condition of glory. His language echoes that of the beatitudes and woes, which assert a future reversal of present conditions. Their present sufferings (“to this very hour,” v. 11) place the apostles in the class of those to whom the beatitudes promise future relief (Mt 5:311; Lk 6:2023); whereas the Corinthians’ image of themselves as “already” filled, rich, ruling (1Cor 4:8), as wise, strong, and honored (1Cor 4:10) places them paradoxically in the position of those whom the woes threaten with future undoing (Lk 6:2426). They have lost sight of the fact that the reversal is predicted for the future.

* [4:1417] My beloved children: the close of the argument is dominated by the tender metaphor of the father who not only gives his children life but also educates them. Once he has begotten them through his preaching, Paul continues to present the gospel to them existentially, by his life as well as by his word, and they are to learn, as children do, by imitating their parents (1Cor 4:16). The reference to the rod in 1Cor 4:21 belongs to the same image-complex. So does the image of the ways in 1Cor 4:17: the ways that Paul teaches everywhere, “his ways in Christ Jesus,” mean a behavior pattern quite different from the human ways along which the Corinthians are walking (1Cor 3:3).

* [4:1821] 1Cor 4:20 picks up the contrast between a certain kind of talk (logos) and true power (dynamis) from 1Cor 1:1718 and 1Cor 2:45. The kingdom, which many of them imagine to be fully present in their lives (1Cor 4:8), will be rather unexpectedly disclosed in the strength of Paul’s encounter with them, if they make a powerful intervention on his part necessary. Compare the similar ending to an argument in 2Cor 13:14, 10.

a. [4:1] Ti 1:7; 1Pt 4:10.

b. [4:4] 2Cor 1:12; Rom 2:16; 2Cor 5:10.

c. [4:9] 15:31; Rom 8:36; 2Cor 4:812; 11:23 / Heb 10:33.

d. [4:10] 1:18; 3:18; 2Cor 11:19 / 2:3; 2Cor 13:9.

e. [4:11] Rom 8:35; 2Cor 11:2327.

f. [4:12] Acts 9:614; 18:3; 20:34; 1Thes 2:9 / 1Pt 3:9.

g. [4:15] Gal 4:19; Phlm 10.

h. [4:16] 11:1; Phil 3:17; 4:9; 1Thes 1:6; 2Thes 3:7, 9.

i. [4:17] 16:10; Acts 19:22.

j. [4:20] 2:4; 1Thes 1:5.

k. [4:21] 2Cor 1:23; 10:2.

B. Moral Disorders*

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of 1st Corinthians Chapter 4? ›

First Corinthians 4 continues Paul's insistence to the Corinthian Christians to stop making themselves judges of each other. Only the Lord's judgment matters. They are living as if their wealth and status are all they need, while the apostles serve Christ in poverty and under persecution, imitating Christ.

What is the summary of Corinthians 1 4? ›

First Corinthians 1:4–9 is about God's grace to the Corinthians. Before beginning to address problems in the church, Paul first declares his thanks to God for the people. Specifically, he is thankful for God's grace and the good gifts God has given to them. Those gifts confirm that the Corinthians are truly in Christ.

What is the message of 1 Corinthians 4 20? ›

The sermon text is 1 Corinthians 4:20 - "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." The sermon was given on Pentecost Sunday, reminding the congregation of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

What does 1st Corinthians 4 and 3 mean? ›

Only the Lord can judge His servants, including Paul. By making themselves judges, they are acting like they have all they need. They are proudly focused on reputation and status while the apostles live for Christ in poverty and under persecution.

What are the mysteries of God in 1 Corinthians 4? ›

When in 4:1 Paul refers to the mysteries of God, he means Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ. Paul and the other apostles were stewards of these mysteries.

What is 1 Corinthians talking about? ›

1 Corinthians 1–11.

Paul warns against divisions within the Church and emphasizes the importance of unity among Church members. He warns members against sexual immorality, teaches that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, and encourages self-discipline.

Who wrote 1 Corinthians Chapter 4? ›

1 Corinthians is the second known letter of four from Paul to the church in Corinth, as evidenced by Paul's mention of his previous letter in 1 Corinthians 5:9. The other two being what is called the Second Epistle to the Corinthians and a "tearful, severe" letter mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2:3–4.

What is the lesson of 1 Corinthians 4 2? ›

This verse of 1 Corinthians 4 says that stewards must be faithful, trustworthy and reliable. No boss would consider "hiring" a man who he knew would not be honest and reliable. God wants us to be faithful, dependable and always return to Him as He has given to us.

What is the message of 1 Corinthians 4 2? ›

1 Corinthians 4:2 In-Context

We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God's most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. 2 The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge.

What is the power of God? ›

But the power of God is demonstrated by His ability to accomplish His will in every situation, both real and potential, through any means He chooses in order to glorify Himself. God's power is centered on His will and His glory. We just need to know where to look. His transformative power.

What does the Bible mean by your hair is your glory? ›

Women have a god-given “mantle” or “covering” — the hair symbolizes this anointing that all women carry. This does not mean that women can't cut or shave their hair. It just means that hair represents a spiritual truth. It's as Paul explained…

What does it mean to love your wife like God loved the church? ›

Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church: with humility and sacrifice, as if caring for their own bodies. Despite popular myth, the Bible does not permit either sex to be abusive or unloving within a marriage. Chapter Summary. Chapter 5 begins with an admonition to imitate Christ.

What is the main point of 1 Corinthians chapter 4? ›

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul walks through the accountability of church leadership, the mark of suffering in the lives of followers of Jesus, and his desire for the Corinthians to imitate his faith. We learn through this passage that God's call for his servants is not success, honor, or status, but faithfulness alone.

What does 1 Corinthians 4 7 mean? ›

What did you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why did you boast as if you did not receive it?” – 1 Corinthians 4:7. This is a great verse that reminds us very, very simply, every one of us, that every good thing we have is from God. There is nothing good in us that did not come from God.

What does 1 Corinthians 4 8 mean? ›

Paul says that the Corinthians Christians are so self-reliant that they are acting as wealthy people who already have all they want instead of as people who have much to gain from Christ. They are living as if they are kings, passing judgment on others and doing as they please when they please.

What does it mean to visit orphans and widows in their affliction? ›

Visiting orphans and widows is so much more than just taking a trip to another country to hand out some food to people you will never see again; visiting orphans and widows means to look after, to take care of, to provide for, with the implication of continuous responsibility.

What does it mean the kingdom of God is not in Word but in Power? ›

God's kingdom is not about talk, Paul declares. It is about power. That's easy for all of us to forget. So much of our practice of Christianity focuses on words being preached, read, or prayed. All that talk, though, is meaningless without the legitimate power of God behind it (James 2:26).

What is the meaning of begin to weave and God will give the thread? ›

Begin to weave and God will give the thread Used to emphasize that one should take initiative even with fewer resources as it increases the possibility of finding new solutions.

What is the meaning of the expression the heavens were let loose? ›

Answer: "The heavens were let loose" is a poetic phrase that typically describes a situation where there is heavy rain or a downpour. It conveys a sense of the sky opening up and releasing a torrent of rain. This phrase is often used to depict a dramatic or intense rainfall, emphasizing the power and force of nature.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Barbera Armstrong

Last Updated:

Views: 5994

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Barbera Armstrong

Birthday: 1992-09-12

Address: Suite 993 99852 Daugherty Causeway, Ritchiehaven, VT 49630

Phone: +5026838435397

Job: National Engineer

Hobby: Listening to music, Board games, Photography, Ice skating, LARPing, Kite flying, Rugby

Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.