1 Corinthians 4

Intro

Have you ever gotten in trouble as a kid and you just knew you were done for?

V 1-7

Paul is writing to an audience who is using a non biblical standard to judge who they deem worthy to be followed

Paul’s contention is that they have an arrogance about them that cannot stand

They look down upon him, they created factions based on which leader they believe to be correct

their pride and ego is through the roof. Paul reminds them that our judge is not of any worldly standard, but a heavenly one

This judgement doesn’t mean we can’t ever be held accountable, it means that we are to be judged off of the word of the Lord alone

For when we judge by other standards, we often come out better and others often come out worse

3 questions Paul poses to humble his audience:

What makes you different from each other?

What have you received that isn’t given?

Why do you boast like it's your doing not a gift from God?

Application: Our pride can easily lead us to judge by non-biblical standard. We can easily begin to add things to scripture that aren’t present

V 8-13

Sarcastic Tone to kick off this section

The church is struggling greatly with this boastful arrogance about how great their spirituality is

Simultaneously there is some embarrassment because of how lowly Paul appears to be. He travels and has the churches provide for his needs

Says the apostles have been “made lowly”

Church wants to have blessings as a sign of spiritual depth compared to the apostles

Paul’s concern is for something far greater than worldly status

Paul then shows just what true success in Christ looks like

Application: Are we concerned about where we stand in the world or where we stand before Christ?

V 14-21

Paul pivots from this sarcastic tone to one that is now building the church back up

He is correcting the church in the way a father lovingly corrects their child

the church has messed up greatly and Paul is writing to point out the errors of their ways and to guide them back on track

By following Timothy and Paul’s example, he sets a standard by which the church could see christ

I cor 11:1

Paul then flips the script and asks the church how they want to him to come back to them

As a father who is correcting his children, or as a loving guide who is admonishing the church