I Corinthians 3:18-4:4 (Part 18) The Corinthians Were Not Applying Proper Standards of Judgment

*The Corinthians were not applying proper standards of judgment

*Paul therefore gives a principle: whoever the worker is he must be assessed by God’s standards not man’s—3:18-23

Developing that principle

• The warning about self-deception

o The skillful creation of a belief contrary to fact

• The evidence of self-deception

o You lose the distinction between what is real and what is not in fantasy

o They lost the line of distinction between (v. 18a) . . .

 The church

 The world

• The remedy—v. 18b

o The only way to see the contrast/distinction is to stop fantasizing

The problem of human wisdom—vv. 19-20

• There are human opinions that contradict the Word of God—you have either . . .

o The truth of the Word of God

o Human opinion

• God’s response to human wisdom

o They carry out their own plan—v. 19

o God interferes—v. 20

The application of the truth—vv. 21-23

• Do not boast in man

• We are totally adequate by our position in Christ

The basic issue in Christian service—faithfulness not results—4:1-4

• The place of the worker—4:1

• The requirement of the worker—4:2

• The evaluation of the worker—4:3-4

o By other believers

o By unbelievers

o By one’s own self

Evaluation—4:5

• There is a proper time

• There is a proper judge

• There is a proper knowledge

• There is a proper application