1 Corinthians 5:6-8 - Clean Your House.

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.
8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Sincerity and Truth - Unleavened

V. 6 - “Your boasting is not good” - What do they have to boast about? Could they be boasting about how forgiving they are to the offending man (see verses 5:1-5, above)? Could they be proud they are not being judgmental? Are they proud they have no lower limits to what they will tolerate?

“Look, see how forgiving and tolerant we are!”
Survey says, "Braaaack! Wrong!”

“A little leaven...” - It doesn’t take much evil to corrupt a spiritual life. It only takes one person committing sin in a church, and the enemies of the church paint ALL believers as hypocrites and failures.

I have started to bake bread (Yes, it is easier to buy a loaf from the store, but not as satisfying!). When measuring out the ingredients for bread, the proportions are about 800 gm of flour and 4 gm of yeast (that is about 4 cups flour and 5 tsp yeast) to make two loaves of bread. The yeast is about 1/200th the amount of flour. The admixture of yeast (that is “leaven”) and flour in bread is symbolic of something pure being tainted. This is a vivid picture because most of us love bread, doughnuts, and pastry, and do not tend to think of the bread as evil.

In the Old Covenant, “unleavened bread” - i.e., bread made without yeast - was the only bread acceptable for sacrificial offerings in the Tabernacle or Temple. Perhaps the reason God stipulated unleavened bread was as a continual reminder that purity or perfection is required to come before Him. Likewise the animals sacrificed on the altar had to be without blemish.

A little spot of sin, blackens the whole person. Only sinless perfection can stand before the Lord. Jesus Christ is the source of that sinless perfection. We can receive His nature when we accept and believe in Him as Lord and Savior. All will be judged at the final judgment. Those who have rejected Christ will be cast away. Those who have believed in Jesus, will be defended by Him - they are forgiven, and have received newness of life, the life of Jesus Christ. There is no condemnation for us, because He took it all upon Himself. There will be no spot or stain in or on us. Not because we are worthy, but because He took our sin upon Himself.

V. 7 - “Clean out the old leaven” - Paul here likens “a little sin” in the church to leaven. It only takes a little to change the nature of the body. Get rid of the offending situation. Scrape the bowl clean! Wash it. The new dough in the clean bowl will be clean and pure. Do not allow sinful behavior by church members be the definition of the Christian church the world sees.

“You are in fact unleavened” - You are Jesus’ own people, or body. You are as pure as He is pure. Believe it and live it. You are unadulterated. Demonstrate that to the whole world. A stained church allows the world to believe that Christ Himself may be stained and not worth the faith in Him. It doesn't take much to cause problems.

An example: One of our sons has decided he no longer believes in Christ (we continually pray for his return). He also hates Donald Trump. He told us that he was doubting our Christian faith because we supported Trump for President. How could a Christian support such an evil person? It made no difference to him that we were not looking to Trump as a church pastor, leader, or savior - only as the best choice for the secular job of President running in 2020. There were only two choices - both were flawed men. I realized as we talked with him that we and he were operating on different sets of information. His information painted Trump as an evil, corrupt villain. We knew he is not perfect, but the data we had showed him to be a far better )choice than the alternative. So, the conclusion I drew was he considered that my choice of political candidate meant my Christian faith was suspect.

“Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” - The lamb without blemish was sacrificed to free the Israelite families from bondage in Egypt. (Exo 12:21ff) The lambs sacrificed on the altar of the Tabernacle or Temple washed the sins that had been committed for the past year. The Israelites also brought a sacrifice to cover sins they had committed, not just at Passover. (Lev 4, 5) Christ, being the Lord’s Passover Lamb, was a perfect sinless sacrifice for all sin for all time. The Israelites had to present the sacrifice to have their sins forgiven. They could not ‘piggyback’ on their neighbor’s sacrifice - they had to do it themselves. Similarly, you and I cannot expect to receive forgiveness of sin based on Christ’s sacrifice if we do not believe and accept it into our own lives. Our parents cannot do it for us; our brothers or sisters cannot.  Eternal life and forgiveness of sin is available to all, but only efficacious for the few. (Mat 22:14)

V. 8 - “Therefore let us celebrate the feast” - Not talking about a meal here. Although there will be a big celebration when Christ returns and we are all assembled with Him and the Father. See: “Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!’ He also said to me, ‘These words of God are true.’” (Rev. 19:9).

This could be a hint toward taking communion, where we celebrate or remember His death and resurrection.

Personally, I think this is an image of the joy we should be sharing because we are in Christ. We have eternal life in Him. We are free from sin in Him.

“the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” - There can be no true celebration of Christ’s wondrous gift of salvation if we are tainted by malice and wickedness. If we hold grudges with hatred and anger toward someone, how can we be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit? Not possible. If you have ill-will toward someone, and want to see them hurt or suffer - the love of God, the power of the Holy Spirit is not in you.

This verse is addressed to the church in which the offending person (see verses 6:1-5) is being chastised or removed from fellowship because of sinful behavior. The church must take this action with seriousness, reverence, and maybe a little fear of the Lord. It does no good for the church members to get angry and wish harm on the offender. The body of Christ suffers when one of the believers is mired in sinful behavior. That destroys the witness to the unsaved world. If the church does not have better morals than the world, why take on the ‘baggage’ of the church? So: the church cannot abide by immoral behavior (in the Corinthian church it was a man and his mother acting like lovers (that just kind of makes me go, “Ewwww!”). The church must remove that person, or lead them to repentance. If repentance is rejected and there is no change of heart or action, those people must be removed from fellowship in the church.

That is where is this verse begins to take on meaning. Sincerity and truth must guide the church body as it disciplines the offender. Anger has no place here, wickedness would take precedence, rather than a spirit of humility and grace. The desire to punish would overwhelm love and discipline.

Wickedness has no place in the church - whether in immoral behavior, or hard hearts and evil attitudes. Malice has no place in the church - whether between individuals or between the church body and an individual.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 - Rules For harmonious living

Introduction: In the previous chapters, Paul reprimanded them for separating themselves into factions based on who had preached the gospel to them. He also warned them away from false doctrines and teachings. Paul now begins to deal with specific problems in the Corinthian church. In some ways, the church in Corinth is pattern of the church down through the ages - not a good pattern in some cases, but one in which we can see similar problems in our own church gathering.

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Chap. 5 - Rules For harmonious living
5:1-5 - Immorality and Arrogance
5:6-8 - Clean Out
5:9-13 - Keep the House Cleanx

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1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.
2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Cor 5:1-5 - Immorality and Arrogance.

V. 1 - “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you” - According to some commentaries... because the area of sex was one of the most dramatic places where the ethics of Greek culture clashed with the ethics of Jesus. Sexual immorality was an accepted fact of life for the common person in Greek culture, but it was not to be so among the followers of Jesus. (See note 1, below) Actually, in our pop culture (movies, TV, music, sports), sexual immorality has become quite prevalent, both on screen and in real life. Consider in movies or TV how many times a young man and woman meet, for the first time, and it doesn't take long for them to be ripping each other’s clothes off in order to have sex. There are no recriminations, feelings of guilt, pledges to abstain written in the script. Did you know there is a pornography ‘academy award’ (not connected directly to the ‘Oscars’) but with the same premise - an award for the best sexual performer, best sex scenes, etc?

So it is not just the Greek culture from which the church needed to distance itself. Our own culture is intensely over-sexualized. I am not sure our society has a clear picture of ‘purity’.

"immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles” - Sexual immorality which even made the Greeks uncomfortable! This person (or persons) was having sex with his Dad’s wife - that’s his mother or step-mother, I don’t know which. The implication is that this was not just a one-time thing - which would be bad in and of itself - but this was an ongoing affair, also it seems this was happening while the father was still alive. Kinda makes you shudder and say, “Ewwwww!” This was so bad, even the Greeks thought it was out-of-bounds! Look back through the major prophets, sexual sin, especially infidelity, was one of the sins God hated most. Leaving God for other gods or religions was likened to prostitution. The relationship of God to a believer is pictured as a marriage. (See Note 2, below.) God equates unfaithfulness to Him with harlotry and prostitution.

V. 2 - “You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead” - There were notes on arrogance in 1 Cor 4:6, and 4:18, above. Why do they think they had license to do anything - anything - they pleased? Did they think they could act out with complete impunity? As Christians, did they misinterpret the freedoms they gained from the Law? They knew the Law no longer applied to them, if they were in Christ. They should have known the sacrifices, the holy day observances, the Sabbath rules no longer applied. Christ did away with all that. Did they think the the Ten Commandments no longer applied also? Did Christ negate the Law? A friend of mine, Gay Stavney, had a premise he often quoted, “A conclusion drawn based on illogical means cannot be refuted by logic.” A corollary is: “You cannot get back to the truth using logic, when the starting premise is faulty or illogical.”

They seemed to have started with the premise that nothing in the Law (for example: Exodus through Deuteronomy) applied to them any longer. Also, Gentile Christians appeared to think the Law had never applied to them. Their logical conclusion: they were not bound in any way to its instructions. They were free. If the truth is going to be told, that’s not quite true. Above all, God values faithfulness to Him, which includes moral purity.

“the one who had done this deed” - The Corinthian church should have been upset by the immorality of these people. Their behavior should have caused so much distress in the church community that the only thing they could have done was chastise the offenders. Warn them. Talk with them. If they do not stop this immoral behavior, they will be removed from the church.

Doing nothing about it is tacitly approving the behavior. This is not right. Not only were these people committing sin, the church was not sufficiently incensed to do anything about it.

V. 3 - “For I... have already judged him“ - I get mixed messages from this verse. One of the first things that comes to mind is: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” (Matt. 7:1) Jesus says something similar in Lk 6:37. However, Jesus also chastises the ‘spiritual leaders’ for their hypocrisy when they don’t rightly condemn sin. (See: Lk 12:57) Likewise in Jn 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Is there a conflict in these varied verses? Most probably not. Jesus was not teaching us to stay silent in the evidence of sin. The standard you use to make moral and value judgments can also be used against you. Using scriptures, or God’s commands, as the basis for judgment is appropriate.

V. 4-5 - “In the name of our Lord Jesus... I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan” - Based on the information Paul has (he considers the information true), decided that action needs to be taken against this person. The idea of delivering someone to Satan is mind boggling. I am thinking, “What?! Condemning that person to hell?” This does not compute!

I am not sure if the church member is saved and has fallen completely carnal, or if the person is not at all saved and has infiltrated the church. For now, I will assume the offending man is a Christian, but deep into sin, thereby carnal. He is not living in the power of the Holy Spirit! (A huge understatement) This of course means that the image of the church and of Christ is being harmed by his behavior. Why would any person want to be involved with a group of people that condone such evil behavior?

I do not believe Paul was condemning this man to hell. First, Paul does not have that authority or power - that is God’s alone. Second, the rest of the sentence clarifies the ‘deliver’ statement

“so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” - I think this means the man will, somehow and I don’t know how, be allowed to be tormented by Satan. I look back to the Old Testament and the amount of turmoil and pain the Israelites went through because they would not obey. Attacked and over-run by Assyria, beset on all sides by Philistines, Edomites, Ammonites, Egypt, and exile in Babylon. Many of these trials were allowed by God in order to get their attention, to urge them to repent and fall into the loving arms of the Lord. But they refused to listen (Zech. 7:11-13), and so a great wrath fell upon them. Paul may be asking the Lord to allow the man to be persecuted by Satan, in hopes the man will repent, and be forgiven (or recognize the grace and forgiveness that are his because of Jesus’ death and sacrifice), and return to the church, to Jesus. If the man was not a believer, then perhaps the persecution by Satan will pierce his conscience, and he will realize there is a better way - the way of Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Note 1: “Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 5”, David Guzik, 2013.
Note 2: I don’t understand how one man can have several wives, but one woman cannot have several husbands. This is not clearly spelled out in the OT laws and instructions. For example if a woman is divorced, and she marries another man, she cannot go back to marry the first man again. (See: Jer. 3:1)
Note 3: The ‘New American Standard Bible’ (NASB) uses ‘immorality’ here for a term that means sexual immoral behavior. (The Greek word is the source for our word ‘pornography’.) >***

1 Corinthians 4:18-21 - I am Coming to You

18 Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.
21 What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

The Kingdom of God Consists of Power

V. 18 - “Some have become arrogant” - These people have strayed from the truth, “fallen off the wagon”, and are teaching falsehoods. Because they believe Paul is not returning to Corinth, they see no reason to remain faithful. This is not just a problem with the Corinthian church - all humans tend to rebellion, especially if they are sure no one is looking, or will catch them. If you read the Isaiah or Jeremiah, you will see this as a recurring theme. Because God is “not paying attention”, anything goes. The Corinthian church is making the same egregious error as the Jews of ancient Israel and Judah.

V. 19 - “I shall find out” - If God allows Paul to return to Corinth he will determine for himself what is going on in that church.

“Not their words... but their power” - Are they living in the power of the Holy Spirit? Are they living by their own devices and power? The Holy Spirit is the source of the overflowing life (John 7:37-39). God has provided for us an abundant and fruitful Christian life. (John 10:10, 15:5; Gal. 5:22, 23; Acts 1:8). (See Note 1, below)

Carnal Christians cannot experience the abundant and fruitful life. The carnal man trusts his own efforts to life he Christian life. (Rom. 5:8-10, 7:5-24; Heb. 10:1-25, 1 John 1; 2:1-3; 2 Peter 1:9; Acts 1:8)

Jesus promised the abundant and fruitful life as the result of being filled (directed and empowered) by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is the Christ-directed life by which Christ lives His life in and through us in the power of the Holy Spirit. (John 15) - (see note 1 below).

V. 20 - “the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power” - What you say can be a manifestation of who you are. But the Spirit-filled life is demonstrated by your behavior - your physical life if manifestation of your spiritual life. What is said may not always be the truth - we lie to ourselves as much as we lie to others. We cannot lie to God (we may try, but God knows and reveals all; He cannot be fooled). He will not lie to us.

When Paul comes, it will not be to just talk to them. He will come in the power of the Holy Spirit, and will offer reproof, correction, love and power in the Spirit.

V. 21 - “What do you desire?” - Paul is asking which do you prefer: chastisement, or gentle love and teaching? Paul is going to teach no matter where he goes. The question remains if they want to remain rebellious to receive stern correction and teaching, or if they want encouragement and instruction with love and tenderness? It is their choice.

This is our choice, also. We can follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, patterning our lives after the leading of Christ. We can follow our own guidance, rejecting the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing full well that our path with diverge from the path Christ would have us follow. Listen to the Lord, wherever you go: “You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, ‘This is the correct way, walk in it,’ whether you are heading to the right or the left.” (Isa. 30:21). He will always be with you, to guide you, to help you, uphold you, comfort and teach.

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Note 1: For a more complete explanation and to discover how you can be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, please see and use the booklet “Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-filled Life”, by William R. Bright, President, Campus Crusade International.
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End of Chapter

1 Corinthians 4:14-17 - This is Not to Shame You

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
16 Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.
17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

Be Imitators of Me!

V. 14 - “I do not write these things to shame you” - He is not trying to make them feel bad.

“admonish you as my beloved children” - He is giving them instructions. He is telling them where they are off-track, and the steps they need to take. “This is where you have gone wrong. This is what you need to do to become right again.” Guiding them as a father would teach his children, helping them learn the correct way to behave.
Our modern society has become very “feelings” oriented. Many rules, laws and decisions are made so peoples’ feelings are not hurt. Sometimes it seems that it doesn’t matter what the facts or reality of the situation may be. We will make decisions so people can feel good about themselves. We don’t deal with the sin that is causing the problem, but we feel good about ourselves.

V. 15 - “for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” - Paul was there when they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Paul was the first to lead them to Christ. There may be many others that will come along to offer instruction and guidance. No matter how many teachers and preachers may come through their life, only one person was present at their new birth.

I committed my life to Christ in Dallas, TX during “Explo ‘72”. We had daily meetings in which the speaker, Howard Ball would teach us. Bill Bright would speak also, but it was Howard that had the deepest impact on me. His teaching and instruction helped me to see that I needed to turn my life over to Christ. I had grown up going to church with my parents. I had believed in Jesus and was baptized when I was a child. But it wasn’t until Explo ‘72 that it finally dawned on me what I needed to do. And, I will forever be grateful to Dave Nelson who mentored me and guided me in my spiritual growth, but it was Howard in Dallas who was there at my new birth.

V. 16 - “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me” - How confident Paul is in his faith! Am I brave enough to encourage others to copy me and my Christian lifestyle? People should know I am a Christian. People should not be turned off to Jesus Christ because of my behavior. Even though you may not be a teacher or preacher, you are a Christian and your life is scrutinized by all around you.

V. 17 - “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy” - Timothy began to work with Paul after he and Silas worked their way through the area of Cilicia (An area of southern Turkey - which is between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea), and met in the town of Lystra. Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father.
An interesting part of this account is that Paul asked Timothy to be circumcised, and he agreed. You may wonder at that, since Paul’s ministry was primarily to the Gentiles. Paul started almost every encounter in a town or city in a synagogue. The devout Jews would not speak or discuss with Timothy if he was not circumcised. Therefore his circumcision opened doors for Paul and Timothy to share the gospel.
Timothy’s circumcision was not a religious rite that made him acceptable to God. Think about that: he would do whatever it takes to be able to share Christ. It was pain and suffering endured so that he would not be hindered in sharing the gospel with anyone - Jew or Gentile. Silas and Timothy became such trusted co-workers that he had no qualms sending them to churches, or leaving them in cities to continue preaching. Paul could trust them to teach and preach.

“He will remind you of my ways which are in Christ” - Timothy was more than a co-worker. He is called “a beloved and faithful child in the Lord”. Being a solid and well-grounded believer, he could trusted to teach the principles of being a child of God. He will teach the same things Paul teaches, which Paul learned from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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1 Corinthians 4:9-13 - The Trials of Being an Apostle

9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.
11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;
12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;
13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

You Are Strong, Distinguished!

V. 9 - “God has exhibited us apostles last of all” - God called the prophets in “the old days”. But the people did not listen or obey. “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.” (Zech. 7:11-12)

God send His Son to proclaim peace and salvation with God. But the people did not listen - they crucified Him. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36) Jew or Gentile - both rejected the gift from God. See: “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:23) The end for those who rejected Him will not be pretty. “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” (Rev. 11:8) They did not just turn their backs on Him, they killed Him.

God has called the apostles to spread the gospel of forgiveness and love through His Son, Jesus Christ. As Paul said earlier in this letter, “servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” The apostles and missionaries are not received any better than the prophets or the Messiah.

“Spectacle to the world” - Paul includes the fact they (Paul, and others) face opposition, including being jailed and executed (See: “condemned to death”). The apostles are not sneaking about in secret. They are proclaiming Christ publicly. Paul spoke to kings and religious leaders. He spoke to the learned scholars of the world in Athens. He spoke with the power leaders of Rome. He is out there, speaking for Christ in the spiritual and earthly realms.

V. 10 - “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ” - Paul speaks of the mercy of Jesus Christ in order to be true to his calling. In the face of intense opposition and hatred, Paul preaches Christ. It would seem foolish to put yourself out there in danger. You can almost hearing people saying to Paul, “Are you nuts!?”

Paul has praised their prudence in Christ. This does not mean they are hiding their faith, huddled in the basement. It means they have listened and responded. They have not rejected Christ as did the religious leaders. Their prudence and wisdom is demonstrated in their faith.

“We are weak, but you are strong” - Paul is encouraging them to be faithful. He may appear to be weak because he is constantly persecuted. They have strength beyond their understanding because they have the Lord. Our strength in the Lord is dependent upon the amount of trust we are willing to place in Him. There is no need to rely upon our own will power to succeed in our spiritual life. That is the paradox we live in - the life and power of the Lord is ours, but we bumble along, trying to tough it out.

“We are without honorr” - (you are distinguished) - Again, more encouragement. In this case, Paul is building them up, while claiming no honor for himself.

V. 11-13 - “Hungry... thirsty... poorly clothed... roughly treated... homeless” - A litany of the trials and tribulations of being an apostle! He is not complaining, but pointing out he is not traveling by corporate jet, being chauffeured in a stretch limo, making his missionary headquarters in a Hilton hotel suite.

“We toil... work, when we are reviled... blessed, when we are persecuted... endure” - In spite of those things arrayed against his ministry, his mission, Paul is still at work.

“Slandered... conciliate, scum of the world, dregs...” - He knows what the world, the non-believing world, thinks of him. What the world thinks is of little import, because it is what the Lord judges that matters. Paul is not thumbing his nose at the world, but is remaining faithful to the call given him.

He is not denigrating his call as an apostle or missionary, but is letting them know what he goes through to remain faithful to that call. We whine and complain about the disrespect and disdain the secular world around us shows to Christians. Paul did not face just a bad attitude towards him. He faced persecution and death. We need have an attitude more like Paul.

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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.

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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

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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).

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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. 

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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.