1 Corinthians 4:6-8 - Which of You is Superior?

6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.
7 For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received
8 You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you.

Don’t Become Arrogant

V. 6 - “I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes” - Don’t pass judgment against each other based on your favorite evangelist. Whether it might be McGee, or Moody, or Calvin, or Graham (or in this case - Paul or Apollos) is of little importance. The Gospel is what matters.
Paul is applying this standard to himself, Apollos, Peter and others. He will not judge the ministry of these missionary-apostles. As long as they are preaching Christ and Him crucified, he has no problem with their message.

“No one of you will become arrogant” - No one is to place themselves as better than another. Claiming that high ground is placing your opinion equal with God’s.

Arrogance is not a new problem for believers, or so-called believers. Read through Isaiah or Jeremiah. Note how often it is said the people became arrogant towards God. Arrogance usually comes from not believing God’s warnings - refusing to believe He will do what He said He will do. It is coming to the erroneous conclusion that they can handle whatever God can dish out.

If we say we know more than God, about any situation, we have supplanted God as Lord of our lives. Refusing to obey, either by active rebellion or passive indifference, (That is a succinct definition of ‘sin’) is placing our mind, understanding, and will above the Lord’s. Refusing to place yourself in the proper order of things, with respect to God and His commands, is arrogance. It is refusing to see that it will not end well for you. As an example: I love to play golf, and have a handicap rating of 18 (really good golfers have a “0” handicap). It only takes a couple of holes when playing with a low handicap golfer to know that I have no chance of beating him. It would be foolish to challenge that golfer. Arrogance (stupidity) would tell me that I can take him.

V. 7 - “For who regards you as superior?” - Other than you yourself?

“What do you have that you did not receive?” - What did you do to earn salvation? What did you do that will pay the cost of your sin? How have you made yourself spotless and sinless before the Lord? If you could do that, then you could have a claim. As long as your salvation is given to you by God, there is nothing you can claim. Paul knows: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” (1 Tim. 1:15-16)

“Why do you boast as if you had not received it?” - We all are totally dependent on God’s mercy and patience. “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Rom. 9:16) God makes the salvation possible. We can respond to His call. “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:17). The one death - Jesus Christ died for our sin - paid for us all. We have eternal life in Him. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23) Eternal life for you and me has been purchased by His blood.

V. 8 - “You are already filled, you have already become rich” - There is no need to build yourselves up in your or others’ estimation. You accepted Christ as savior - and Paul wasn’t there when it happened! And yet, you are still saved!

“[You] have become kings without us” - Because of Christ, we have all been given a ‘step up’ - we are now children of the living God, the Lord and King of the universe. A king’s children are royalty - and can be kings (or queens) themselves. You are royalty! The Lord and King is your Father who is in heaven. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have Received Mercy.” (1 Pet. 2:9-10) You were nothing. Now you are someone special!

“I wish that you had become kings” - I think Paul is making a gentle jest here. We are royalty in God’s kingdom. Paul is giving a little elbow in the ribs by telling them if they were made kings here on earth then he would be a king right along side them. Knowing that kingship here on earth is a paltry thing compared to reigning with God for eternity.

***

1 Cor 4:1-5 - We Are Servants

Chapter 4 Outline:

4:1-5 - We Are Servants
4:6-8 - Fools, or, Do not be Arrogant
4:9-13 - Working to build you up
4:14-21 - Admonishments

***
Introduction

Paul begins to wrap up the admonishment started in chapter 1:10 regarding who is the better believer  based on who led them to faith in Christ. Who is more ‘Christian’? Were you saved through J. Vernon McGee, or D. L. Moody, or Billy Graham? Which one of those makes you more saved, a better disciple? What? None of the above? Are you sure you are saved, then? That is the type of argument that was consuming the Corinthian church. Paul did not want special adulation from the church members, did not want worship. He knows he answers to the Lord. In fact, he is not comfortable analyzing his own performance.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 - Christ Evaluates Our Service

1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.
4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.
5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

So No One Can Boast

V. 1 - “Let a man regard us in this manner” - Let’s be realistic. We - Paul, Apollos, Peter - have a job to do for the Lord. That is how we want to be judged. Don’t raise Paul or Apollos up on a pedestal, to be revered.

“servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” - Judge the missionaries, ministers, pastors, or teachers on this: have they clearly taught the words of God - salvation in Jesus Christ, eternal life, forgiveness of sin, and love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (See: Gal. 5:22-23).

+

Generally, a servant works for someone. A servant is not usually an independent operator, i.e., they are not given lots of latitude, or free reign, but follow instructions, directions or commands. (See Note 1, below)

A steward is responsible manages the affairs of another, and seems to have the freedom to utilize methods and techniques to achieve a goal. An example would be a financial advisor or manager - you hand over your ‘nest egg’, the advisor manages it. You don’t ‘micro-manage’, because you probably don’t have the expertise. There are basic goals for your account, and how these are met may be a mystery to you, but not to the financial advisor (you hope).

God called Paul, et. al., to be missionaries, apostles. Their service was to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. (See: Acts 2:6; 1 Cor. 2:2; Gal. 6:14) They were also called to explain the miracle of Jesus - the mystery. (Note: a ‘mystery’ is something God does in and through Christ that was not clearly prophesied or predicted in the Old Testament scriptures.) The Jews were looking anxiously for the Messiah, but somehow could not see the Messiah in Jesus Christ. The were looking for a victorious savior, but didn’t foresee His victory over death and His resurrection. Not only did they not anticipate Jesus’ victory over death, they were blinded to the actual event, and opposed those who did believe and accept Jesus as Savior. Paul’s eyes, and others eyes, were opened by the Lord to be able to see how Jesus fulfilled all the prophesies, and he taught these ‘mysteries’ to the new Christians.

Even more so when addressing Gentiles. Most Jews were familiar (or at least, should have been) with the prophesied Messiah. Gentiles’ understanding of the Jewish faith is probably very limited - Sabbath, circumcision (maybe), yarmulke (men’s skull caps), Israel, Jerusalem, etc. Paul’s evangelistic message would be the same to Jews and Gentiles - “Jesus died for your sins, according to the scriptures, and He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures...” (See: 1 Cor. 15:3-9) For Gentiles, the prophecies about the Christ may indeed be “mysteries”, and will need clarification and explanation. Most other religions in that era were not about making you a better person, forgiving your sins - most were appeals to get stuff from the gods. Nothing was done to relieve guilt, take away sin, give you hope.)

V. 2 - “it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” - If your house manager is not trustworthy, you fire him. If your financial manager mismanages, you get someone else. The stakes here are even higher - eternal life or death. In reality, we all are required to be trustworthy with respect to our salvation and witness to the world.

V. 3 - “it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you” - Paul says, “You may think you judge me. I don’t even judge myself.” This does not mean Paul runs wild, doing anything he feels. He is well aware he must answer to the Lord, and it is only to the Lord. He knows the Lord misses nothing - good or bad. Paul knows what he is called to do. He is doing his best to follow God’s instructions to him. Paul is not thinking, “I am doing pretty well.” This kind of self congratulations usually involves comparing our own performance to some one else. God does not compare my actions to another’s. He judges my actions by His commands.

V. 4 - “The one who examines me is the Lord” - Paul emphasizes that it is not his own judgment that determines if he has met the Lord’s commands.

V. 5 - “Therefore do not go on passing judgment” - Mind you own business. Again, this is not carte blanche license to do anything (I mean anything). Committing sin is not acceptable in any circumstance. Forming factions based on who delivered the gospel message - Paul, Apollos, Barnabas, or Peter - is the issue here. How is “Christ died for your sin” correct if Paul says it, but not correct if Peter says it? We saw something similar when opponents of Jesus were going through the countryside preaching the gospel in order to cause trouble. When Jesus’ disciples objected, they were told the gospel is being preached even so. (See: Mark 9:36-40)

“Each man’s praise will come to him from God” - Wait for it. Let God sort it out. It is not your job to judge the work of another. Only the Lord can do this. Jesus deals with each of us on an individual level, and we do not have any authority to question that. See how Jesus dealt with this in John 21:20-23. 

***

Note 1: There is a variety of appellations ascribed to Christians in the NT. We are children of God (1 John 3:2);  we are Jesus’s own people, He has purchased us by His blood (John 8:31); we are servants (Heb 4:1); we are slaves (Eph 6:6); we are the church (Mat 16:18, Acts 8:1), etc.