Servants of Christ - A Look at 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

In ministry there are several pitfalls that we must be careful to avoid. The first pitfall that we must avoid is taking compliments and successes to heart. If we are not careful we can begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should. The second pitfall that we must avoid is taking negative criticism to heart. If we focus too intently on the criticism we will become crippled by doubts and discouragement. 

In 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, the Bible gives us insight on how the minister is to view himself. 

1 Corinthians 4:1 (ESV) -- "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."

In verse 1, Paul uses two terms to identify God's minister. First, he is a servant of Christ. For a servant there is no honor, and no rank, just the simple task of obeying the master. Second, he is a steward of the mysteries of God. A steward is someone who manages the affairs of another. For God's minister he is to take the revelation of God's Word and dispense it faithfully.

1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV) -- "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful."

In verse 2, the Bible tells us that the standard by which the minister will be judged is his faithfulness. 

1 Corinthians 4:3–5 (ESV) -- "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God."

When it comes to the minister's ministry the only One who is worthy to truly evaluate his ministry is God. When it comes to others, Paul says that he isn't going to allow others to define the effectiveness of his ministry. He also says that he doesn't trust his own evaluation either. But when the Day of the Lord comes, He will reveal those things are unknown today and He will disclose our motivation for ministry.

The onlyproper motivation is that we would do everything "to the glory of God." 

Leaving a Legacy

As I read through First Chronicles recently I began to consider what it means to leave a legacy. I think for some a legacy is about making sure that their families are provided for after they are gone. For others it is about making sure that they are remembered. I don't believe that there is anything inherently wrong with either of these objectives in leaving a legacy, but I want my life to be about more than just being remembered or my family being taken care of. 

In David we find a strong biblical approach to what it means to leave a legacy. You may remember that David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord, but God told him that because he was a man of war that he could not build the temple. Instead, God chose Solomon, David's son, to build the temple. David's response is worthy of our emulation.

In 1 Chronicles 28 and 29 we see David preparing Solomon for the task. 

• David invested in Solomon's life spiritually. He charged him to serve God with a whole heart and with a willing mind.
• David instructed him on how to build the building.
• David provided for the building project. He began to collect much of the materials that would be necessary for the project and then he began to collect the finances that would be needed to pay the craftsmen.
• David challenged the people to come along side Solomon and support the project with the labor and their resources.

I believe that leaving a legacy shouldn't be about me at all. It's about preparing the next generation to succeed and go much farther than I could ever hope or dream. 

Let us leave the generations that follow us with these words:

1 Chronicles 28:20 (ESV) -- "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished."

Dealing with Divisions in the Church

The church in Corinth was filled with chaos. it had compromised with the world and it had become filled with self-righteousness. The result was that the church had split into various cliques and groups with each believing that they were more spiritual than the others.

In the last part of chapter 3 Paul brings his argument against divisions in the church to a conclusion.

1 Corinthians 3:18–23 (ESV) -- Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” ²⁰ and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” ²¹ So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, ²³ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

If the church is going to be united it will require that we have a proper view of four specific things.

1. We must have a proper view of OURSELVES

Most of the divisions that occur in the church are a direct result of people who are overly impressed with their own wisdom and righteousness. Paul says that they have deceived themselves into thinking that they are wise and spiritual. The result is that we want everyone to know what we think and we stop seeking God's wisdom and direction. God says that the wisdom of this world is folly.

God's wisdom turns the wisdom of this world upside down. In God's wisdom . . .

• Worldly wisdom is folly
• What the world sees as folly is wisdom
• Weakness is power
• Leaders are servants
• God's people are nobodies, yet they possess all things

In verses 19-20, Paul quotes from Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11 to provide a Biblical basis for his argument. He says that God catches the foolish in their craftiness, and He looks at their well thought out conclusions and finds that they are foolish. 

2. We must have a proper view of OTHERS

The leaders that God sends to lead His church are to be listened to and respected, but our confidence must NEVER be in the creature! It must be in the Creator!

3. We must have a proper view of LIFE

The world, life, death, present, and future sum up the tyranny of our human existence. But it is in Christ we have been set free from the tyrannies of life.

Paul tells us that . . .

• The world is ours -- In the cross, God has planted His flag on planet earth and marked it as His own possession. It is through the cross that we see God's mighty hand at work, we experience God's grace, and we work faithfully for His glory until He returns or calls us home!
• Life is ours -- For those who are in Christ, life is not to be drudgery. Jesus came so that we might experience life to its fullest. 
• Death is ours -- Death is not something that Christian should fear, because death is only the door through which we must pass to experience the freedom from sin, temptation, and evil that is a reality in this life.
• The present is ours -- Regardless of the struggles of the present, for the Christian we are promised that God will use it for our good!
• The future is ours -- For those who live by the wisdom of this world, the future often brings worry and panic. But for those who are Christians we are to be people of hope -- because we know who holds the future.

4. We must have a proper view of God

The greatest motive for maintaining the unity of the Spirit and for avoiding divisions in the church is knowing that we belong to Christ and that Christ belongs to God. Because we belong to Him, we all belong to Him, and we also belong to one another.

Our Works Judged

In an earlier post, I pointed out that there were some Christians in the church in Corinth who had convinced themselves that they were spiritual when in reality they were acting lost people. Because of their self-centered attitude the church was divided and they had lost sight of their mission. Paul's solution to their selfishness was for them to make much of God!

In 1 Corinthians 3:10-17, the apostle Paul uses the analogy of a building to remind them that there will come a time when our works will be judged by God.

1 Corinthians 3:10–17 (ESV) -- According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. ¹¹ For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³ each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴ If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. ¹⁶ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

As God's workers we are called to build God's church upon the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the passage above we are reminded that the way that we build will be judged by God. Here Paul gives us three warnings.

1. We need to be careful how we BUILD

Paul reminds us that all true building of the church must be in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ. To build upon another foundation is to build on a false foundation. 

The warning that Paul gives us in verse 10 is very clear! "Let each one take care how he builds upon it." Every believer has a part in the building of God's church and each should be careful how he builds. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul warns Timothy, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

2. We need to remember that our work will be TESTED

In verse 12, Paul lists six types of building material that remind us that all of our work in building the church falls in to one of two categories: perishable, or imperishable.

In verse 13, we are reminded that the true value of our work will not be revealed until the Day of Judgment.

• On that Day the fire of judgment will reveal the kind of building material that we used. It will even reveal the true motives of our hearts.
• On that Day the fire of judgment will also test the quality of our work. Did we give God our best or did we give Him our leftovers?

In verses 14-15, we find that the testing of our work will determine our rewards.

• If the work survives, the worker will receive a reward.
• If the work is destroyed, then the worker watches as all that he has invested his life in building is suddenly swept away. He is saved, but just in the nick of time.

3. We need to be warned. Those who harm God's church will be DESTROYED

In verse 16, Paul reminds us that the church is God's temple and His Spirit dwells in her. In chapter 6, Paul tells us that we as believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but here in chapter 3, the point is that the believers gathered together as the church are also the dwelling place of His Spirit. 

In verse 17, Paul takes the warnings of verse 10 and verse 15 to another level. He says that for those who seek to cause division and destruction to God's church -- can expect that God's wrath will destroy them. 

The point is not that the believer who attacks the church will lose their salvation. It is that God in His wrath will destroy their earthly bodies. In Paul's discussion of the Lord's Supper in chapter 11, he addresses those who are causing division in the church and taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. In 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 Paul says, "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died."

The greatest need in the church of America today is for her to recapture her vision of what she is by God's grace. She is the temple of God and she is to reveal Him to the community in which God has placed her.

So what is our responsibility?

1. Let us commit to build careful and faithfully, knowing that one day our craftsmanship will be put to the test!
2. Let us make sure that we are not a source of division and destruction in the Lord's church!
3. If we aren't connected to a local body of believers, let us find a church in which we will commit to be faithful workers, and let us get after it!

Carnal Christian

In the last part of 1 Corinthians 2, the apostle Paul proclaimed that in the world there are only two types of people: those who are still separated from God and those who have been reconciled to God. But now in chapter 3, Paul breaks down those who have been reconciled in to two different groups: believers whose lives are controlled by the flesh and those who whose lives are controlled by the Spirit of God.

As Paul addresses the Christians in the church he points out the problem in the church and then he gives them the solution. 

1. The Problem: Saved people were acting like LOST PEOPLE

 1 Corinthians 3:1–4 (ESV) -- But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. ² I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, ³ for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

When these believers looked at themselves, they saw themselves as being spiritual when in reality they were acting like spoiled little babies. It was Paul's desire to feed them with the deep truths of the Gospel, but they couldn't handle it. The reason: they were still living according to the selfish desires of the flesh. This was seen in how they related to one another. Like a bunch of babies they were filled with jealousy and fighting.

Galatians 5:16 (ESV) -- But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

2. The Solution: make much of GOD

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 (ESV) -- What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸ He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

As I read verses 5-9 the one thing that really stands out is that the solution to living a selfish life is to make much of God.

• Every believer has work to do, but it is God who assigns the task. We are simply servants who God has chosen to use as instruments to build His kingdom.
• As each of us accomplishes the task that God has assigned us, it is God who brings about the growth. 
• As God's servant we are to be united in our task with the understanding that it is God who will reward us according to the quality of our work.
• In the end, we must never forget that the church doesn't belong to us. Both the worker and the church belong to God. 

As I studied this text and I examined the culture in which I have lived my entire life I came to these conclusion:

1. There are some who have convinced themselves that they are Christians; when in reality they are not. They have put their trust in religion, baptism, the Sinner's Prayer, church membership, or being good. Unless there is a change one day they will stand before God in judgment and hear Him say, "I never knew you;depart from me." The only way that we can be saved is by putting our trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
2. There are others who have convinced themselves that they are spiritual; when in reality they are still living lives that are controlled by the flesh. They are Christians but everything in life and in the church is about them. They think of no one but themselves. 
3. It is God's desire that we surrender our lives and desires to Him, so that we can become spiritually mature. This doesn't mean that we are perfect or have it all together. What it means is that we walk in intimacy with Jesus, and we are more concerned with His will than with our own.

Five Tips for Studying the Bible

I believe that all Christians want to read and understand the Bible, but too often we are intimidated by the literary style, the language, and the size of the Bible. I want to remind you of some of the basic things we must remember when we approach the Bible. 

Five tips to reading the Bible for understanding:

1. Ask the right question

Too often we approach the Bible with the question, "What is this passage saying to me?" The better question would be, "What does this passage mean?" God inspired the original author to write the text with a specific meaning in mind. Our objective is to discover that meaning and then we can seek to make practical application to our lives.

2. Pray before you study

You cannot understand the point of the Bible without the Spirit's help (1 Corinthians 2:9-14). So we should approach God's Word in prayer asking Him to open our minds and hearts so that we can understand His Word. Remember with our finite minds it is impossible for us to completely understand it all. 

3. Read the passage in context

One of the major errors in reading and understanding the Bible is taking a select passage out of its context and then making application. Always keep in mind that every verse is connected to a chapter, a book, and the entire Bible. So when you are trying to understand a particular passage, be sure and read the verses around it so that you can make an accurate interpretation and application.

4. Interpret Scripture by Scripture

Each passage must be understood not only in light of its immediate context, but also in light of the whole of Scripture. The Bible is a complete unit, where every part is connected with the rest. Especially when interpreting a difficult text, you must look at how it fits in with the rest of God's Word.

5. Be a student of the Word

Make the Bible a key part of your regular diet. Read it daily and allow God to speak to you through it. Don't be afraid to ask questions -- the more you're in the Bible the more it will come alive and impact your life. 

I also want to encourage you to find someone who is a little farther along in their faith journey to challenge and disciple you in the faith. 

THE WISDOM OF GOD

The church in Corinth was a church divided by its devotion to human philosophies and human leaders. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul reminded them in the first five verses of chapter 2 that he didn’t come to them using big words and persuasive arguments. Instead he chose to focus on the Gospel and allow the Spirit of God to work in great power in their lives.

The Gospel, which Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, was Paul’s message and it is to be our message.

· In His death, Jesus bore the penalty of our sins;

· And in His resurrection from the dead; He secured for us eternal life (Roman 6:5-11).

In 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, the apostle Paul emphasized two points:

1. God’s wisdom is NOT discovered through human effort
The Corinthians placed so much emphasis on their wisdom and ability to discover the meaning of life through their ability to reason. But the reality is this, the more value that man puts on his wisdom, the more foolish he becomes. The Bible tells us in Romans 11:34, “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” The point is that God is so exalted above man that we must acknowledge our dependence upon Him.

The apostle Paul explains it this way in . . .

1 Corinthians 2:6–9 (ESV) – “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’”

In the first part of verse 6, Paul says, “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom.” There are some who take what Paul says here to imply that there is a wisdom that is reserved for those who are super spiritual. But the context points to the mature as being those who have put their trust in Christ for salvation. It is to the followers of Christ that Paul imparts wisdom.

The wisdom that is from God is “is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.”

The Corinthians were proud of their intellect, but Paul says here that God’s wisdom is . . .

· “Is not a wisdom of this age . . .”

This wisdom is of the world.

James 3:15 (ESV) – “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

· “Is not a wisdom . . . of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.”

These rulers are the people that the Corinthians had put so much trust and confidence in. Paul says that these rulers are “coming to nothing.”

Matthew 11:25 (ESV) – “You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.”

In verses 7-8, Paul says, “But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

The message of wisdom that is delivered to the saints is “a secret and hidden wisdom of God.” This wisdom is not a riddle that man can solve, but it remains hidden until God chooses to disclose it.

In 7b, Paul goes on to say that this wisdom “God decreed before the ages for our glory.” Before time began, God had purposed to bring His people to glory through the wisdom of Christ crucified.

In verse 8, Paul goes on to say that God’s wisdom is unknown to the wise of the world. The crucifixion is proof that they did not have God’s wisdom. In their ignorance they executed God’s Son.

In verse 9, Paul quotes from Isaiah 64:4. He says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

The point that Paul is making is that the natural eyes, ears, and hearts of man cannot know or comprehend God’s wisdom. But to those who love God, He has revealed His wisdom.

Man cannot come to God on his own; but God has come to him. Paul tells us that God has sent His Spirit to reveal His wisdom.

2. God’s wisdom is revealed through His Spirit

The Holy Spirit has revealed God’s wisdom through revelation, inspiration and illumination.

· By revelation

The first step of the Holy Spirit’s transmission of God’s wisdom is revelation.

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV) – “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

In the first part of verse 10, Paul tells us that the only way for us to know and understand God’s wisdom is through the Spirit.

In the last part of verse 10 and in verse 11, Paul explains how the Holy Spirit is able to reveal to us God’s wisdom.

(1) “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”

The Corinthians considered Paul’s teaching to be “milk.” But Paul says that the “Spirit searches everything,” and the message of redemption through the cross comes from the “depths of God.”

(2) “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

Here Paul uses the analogy that just as the only person who can truly know what goes on inside a person is that person; so only God knows the things of God.

It is for these reasons that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us the wisdom of God!

· By Inspiration

1 Corinthians 2:12–13 (ESV) – “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

Inspiration is the process by which God’s Spirit reveals God’s wisdom to us. In verse 12, we are told that the Spirit that we have received is not from the world, but from God. God has actively worked through His Spirit so that we are enabled to “understand the things freely given us by God.”

In verse 13, Paul says that the truths of God are not taught by “human wisdom,” but they are “taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

· By Illumination

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (ESV) – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

It is possible to read and study the Bible and yet not be able to understand it. The scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus’ day were highly trained in the Old Testament, and yet they completely missed its central message.

In verse 14, Paul says that the natural person . . .

· Is unable to grasp the things of the Spirit, because they are foolishness to him;

· Is unable to comprehend spiritual truths because they do not have the Spirit to illuminate it for them.

In verse 15, we find a contrast between the natural person and the spiritual person.

· The natural person is unable to accept the things of the Spirit, but the spiritual person is able to evaluate God’s wisdom, because the Spirit of God guides them;

· The natural person is unable to comprehend spiritual truth; but the spiritual person is only concerned with God’s assessment of his life.

In verse 16, Paul reminds us that the spiritual person is able to understand the mind of the Lord, because he has the “mind of Christ.”