Regarding Leaders – 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

[Transcript]

Since the beginning of the letter, Paul has addressed the problem of factions within the Corinthian church centered around their favorite teachers. There was team Paul, team Apollos, and team Cephas, probably among others. He reminded them that the Lord chose to use foolish things to shame the wise (1:27), pointed them to the simple Gospel and the Spirit’s power (2:4), exhorted them to grow up (3:1), and emphasized that he and the other men they idolized were fellow servants (3:9). Essentially, he instructed them on how not to regard himself, Apollos, and Cephas. In this chapter, Paul addressed how he and his fellow teachers and apostles should be regarded and conclude his remarks on this matter.

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:1

Paul spent a great deal of time leveling the playing field in chapter three. He spoke of himself and Apollos as fellow servants so that the Corinthian believers wouldn’t elevate one of them above the other but instead give glory to the Lord, who gives them all things. Yet here, Paul distinguished those who teach. They are indeed servants, but they have also been entrusted with the mysteries of God. This distinction indicates that he and Apollos (and anyone who teaches) were gifted to teach and explain the Scriptures faithfully in addition to serving.

As stewards of the Lord’s mysteries, they must be faithful men (3:2). This fidelity extends beyond faithfulness to their spouses. The whole of their character must be trustworthy. Are they reliable in all circumstances? Is their yes, yes, and their no, no? Are they faithful to the Apostle’s and Prophet’s teachings without straying into the doctrines and traditions of men?

On a personal note, the last decade of my life has been a rediscovery of God’s Word. I’m a reasonably intelligent guy, and I’m not easily swayed from how I understand things. If I’ve arrived at a conclusion, there’s a pretty good reason for it. But around 2015-2016, I began a slow reevaluation of my faith. How much of what I believed was because of the clever arguments of theologians, and how much of it was because the Holy Spirit convinced me as I read the Word? I gradually and incrementally began holding every belief up to the scrutiny of the Word. The good news is that I wasn’t a complete heretic. The better news was that I discovered things that needed to change. The best news is that the Lord has been faithful to affirm those changes through the Holy Spirit’s power.

What does this have to do with that? In the process found that I wasn’t a faithful teacher. Faithful and capable are two different things. I was capable to teach. But what I was doing wasn’t much more than a regurgitation of what I had heard other teachers teach. I might have done that capably, but that is not faithful teaching. Faithful teachers let the Word transform them, and they teach out of the overflow of that transformation. Quickly, I came to the shameful realization that I had been transformed more by other teachers than by the Word and Spirit.

We examine teachers’ faithfulness to determine whether they remain qualified to teach. Able to teach and qualified are separate matters. Teachers should demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in their lives just as much as the ones who sit beneath their instruction.

“For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” – 1 Corinthians 4:4

Paul had a circumspect understanding of his ministry. At the same time, he recognized that he was a sheep just like the others, but also that the Lord had called him to be an Apostle. Because of this, the judgments of other sheep didn’t trouble him. He was confident in his calling, yet not so confident that he believed he could do no wrong. He refused even to judge himself (3:3). This demonstrates that Paul knew the depth of his sin. He understood that even his best evaluation of his motives would fall short. Just because he couldn’t detect something didn’t acquit him. The Lord is the one who knows our motives, and His judgment is what matters.

I have been fortunate to serve with men and women in the church who understand this really well. But I have heard numerous testimonies from people who came out of churches where the leadership could not be questioned. Leaders who refuse to entertain questions or receive criticisms are typically afraid of something. They’ll never admit that because the façade of control has to be maintained. But fear is frequently at the root of this problem: fear or just unbridled narcissism. Both are terribly destructive. Both are utterly self-centered. And somehow, regardless of which one motivates, these people frequently find their way into positions of authority, and blind sheep put them there.

Churches must be led by humble leaders. I don’t know how else to say it. If you’re leaders aren’t marked by humility, your church is heading for disaster. Humble leaders welcome critique because even negative criticism can teach you something. They aren’t threatened by the talents of others. They don’t overestimate (or underestimate) their strengths and weaknesses. And even though they may not be convinced to change their minds on a matter, they’ll always give alternative points of view a fair hearing.

So, rather than concern himself with the judgments of others or even his own, he looked ahead to the eschatological judgment of the Lord, where every motive of the heart will be brought to light. Knowing that judgment lay ahead, he served with humility. Now, that doesn’t let the Corinthians (or us) off the hook for making righteous judgments in the here and now. Later, we will indeed see Paul render judgment against persons in their congregation for their outrageous sins. However, the judgments at stake here are against matters of motive, not commandment. The Lord “will disclose the purposes of the heart” (4:5).

“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.” – 1 Corinthians 4:10

Sarcasm isn’t a Gen X invention (though we likely perfected it). Paul engaged in a series of sarcastic remarks in verses eight through thirteen to emphasize his point. The Corinthians’ love of “wisdom” and eloquence, in their view, made Paul and his associates appear quaint by comparison. However, he reminded them with words infused with sarcasm and hyperbole that anyone who follows Christ will seem foolish and be marked by suffering.

Though it is rightly called hyperbole, in Paul’s life, the hyperbole is closer to the truth. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, he outlined a staggering list of sufferings he had endured up to that point in his life. Throughout the history of the church, many Christians have suffered greatly for the Gospel. However, for every believer whose extraordinary suffering has made it into the history books, there are countless believers who endured very ordinary suffering.

Let me help put it like this. All Christian suffering begins with denial of the flesh. Level one is you simply refuse to indulge in the sinful desires of your old self. Suffering begins there. I don’t think you can reduce it any further. That basic denial puts you at odds with the world around you that carelessly indulges in whatever pleases them in that moment. From there, if your denial makes the people around you bristle and you become the target of their ire, their jokes, their ridicule, that’s level two suffering. If you endure through level two, and start bringing light into the lives of those who persecute you, perhaps then you’ll start drawing the fire of the spiritual powers who are invested in keeping the world in darkness. That’s level three.

Of course, I’m waxing a little here with these levels of suffering, but my point is that you don’t have to suffer identically to Paul to be counted in the Christian suffering roll. Just deny your flesh and see where the suffering takes you. Maybe it’ll land you in the history books. Maybe you’ll suffer in unknown obscurity. But remember that though the world doesn’t see you suffer, your Father does, and He will reward you.

Paul remarked that the Lord had made His Apostles seem the most foolish, making them a “spectacle” for everyone on earth and in heaven to witness. While this is part of his sarcastic hyperbole, the truth within is profound. Paul argued in chapter one that we who are saved are all fools for Christ’s sake. Everyone who serves the Lord will appear undignified in the eyes of the world. We, along with Paul and the Apostles, will become Exhibit A in His case against Satan and those divine beings who followed him in rebellion. His church – His family of fools – will be the “spectacle” by which the Lord reveals His many-sided wisdom to all of creation, both seen and unseen.

“in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church,” Ephesians 3:10 (LEB)

“I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” – 1 Corinthians 4:16

Has anyone ever started a conversation with you by saying, “No offense,” or, “I’m not trying to be mean,” or, “You know I love you”? You know what that means. Brace yourself! Paul did the opposite. He spoke sharply to them, then followed it with, “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” That’s Paul’s version of “no offense.”

His point, though, was well taken. They were essentially his church kids. He planted the church and was instrumental in discipling them through the earliest times of their spiritual lives. He appointed their elders and even sent Timothy to them while he was absent. He was a spiritual father to them. He wanted them to imitate his faith and practice and grow up into Christ as he had.

Two thousand years later, we still need spiritual fathers. I believe spiritual fathers are the builders that Paul referenced in chapter three. Those whom the Lord gives every church to teach and shepherd the flock. I don’t think spiritual fathers are only preachers/teachers in the church, but I don’t think you can be a spiritual father and not teach well. In the context here, spiritual fathers have their spiritual ducks in a row. Their belief and their practices are worthy of imitation. I want to be a person worthy of that imitation.

It’s a curious thing, but in the past at our church we’ve had people bothered by the phrase “follow me as I follow Christ.” They were bothered in the sense that we taught that the congregation should follow the elders’ leadership as they followed the Lord. Now, I always feel weird and self-serving to speak of this since I am one of the elders, but let me tell you that if tomorrow I started attending another church, after figuring some things out, if I decided to make that place my church home, I would follow their elders as they follow Christ. The key phrase being, “as they follow Christ.” Which means if they make a turn away from Him, I don’t have to follow them. Now, they may be convinced they are following Jesus, but if I’m not convinced they’re following Jesus, then I am under no obligation to follow them. Of course, all of this requires discernment and an intimate walk with the Lord.

Paul’s admonition to imitate him isn’t in a vacuum. He has been clear all along with them that the evidence of his message and authority aren’t from his words alone. He demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit in their midst. He’s not a talk-only kind of apostle. We shouldn’t imitate men and women who possess no evidence of the Spirit’s power. In fact, Paul pointed out that when the Lord allowed him to return, he would test those who were arrogant, not by what they say, but by their power (4:19).

“For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” – 1 Corinthians 4:20

There is a dangling matter that we can investigate for ongoing discussion.

“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.” 1 Corinthians 4:6

Verse six admonishes the Corinthians not to go beyond what is written. Anthony Thiselton’s commentary on 1 Corinthians (2000) contains seven possible interpretations of this saying.

It represents a misunderstood scribal gloss.
It is a general reference to the OT.
It refers to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians.
It refers to Scripture that Paul has already quoted in 1 Corinthians.
It alludes to written statements in church regulations or previous letters.
It describes both interpretations 2 or 5—either as Scripture or as regulations.
It communicates that the Corinthian church’s “childishness” is like a child’s inability to read letters properly.^[1]

The abundance of interpretation highlights the occasional difficulty of translating Greek. However, since the Scripture was written to them and for us, we (the “for us” crowd) can understand the admonishment more broadly. Now that we possess the full canon of Scripture, “do not go beyond what is written” can apply to the entirety of God’s Word.

In our belief and practice we should not go beyond what is written. That means while there may be brilliant books, essays, and letters written by faithful men and women throughout the church’s history, we should not give them the same authority as the Word. Though the Lord may speak in various ways to his people, every thought, impression, vision, and dream must be measured and weighed by the Word. The Word of the Lord contained in the sixty-six books of our Bibles is the final authority on all matters of faith and practice. Do not go beyond what is written.