Unintentional Division
1 Corinthians 4
We are indebted, indirectly, to Hal Lindsay
for this lesson.
Some years ago I taught a series of lessons
on the Book of Revelation. Having no firm opinion as to which
theory is correct, I taught the course using the three main
opinions with occasional variations that were of interest. It
was a rather academic look at the subject, I’m afraid, and that
tended to upset people. There are those of us who are passionate
on the subject.
One such person came up to me between
sessions, stuck his finger under my nose and announced to me
that Hal Lindsay had discovered that Operation Desert Storm was
specifically prophesied in the Bible. (I am unable to verify
this assertion). It was a point of obvious triumph to him, that
“his teacher” (Lindsay) was right and I was wrong.
Whether or not Mr. Lindsay has it right, his
teaching in this instance caused division in the church. It is
highly likely that this was not his intention, of course, but it
was the result. In the passage we examine today, we see Paul
dealing with a similar situation, and showing us what to do
today.
(1 Cor 4 NIV) So then,
men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those
entrusted with the secret things of God. {2} Now it is required
that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. {3}
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court;
indeed, I do not even judge myself. {4} My conscience is clear,
but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges
me. {5} Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait
till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in
darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that
time each will receive his praise from God. {6} Now, brothers, I
have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your
benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the
saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not
take pride in one man over against another. {7} For who makes
you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did
not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as
though you did not? {8} Already you have all you want! Already
you have become rich! You have become kings--and that without
us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might
be kings with you! {9} For it seems to me that God has put us
apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men
condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to
the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. {10} We are
fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak,
but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! {11} To
this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are
brutally treated, we are homeless. {12} We work hard with our
own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted,
we endure it; {13} when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up
to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse
of the world. {14} I am not writing this to shame you, but to
warn you, as my dear children. {15} Even though you have ten
thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for
in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. {16}
Therefore I urge you to imitate me. {17} For this reason I am
sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in
the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus,
which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. {18}
Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to
you. {19} But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is
willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant
people are talking, but what power they have. {20} For the
kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. {21} What
do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and
with a gentle spirit?
Stewardship – the model of Christian
leadership
The Christian leader must always remember
that he (or she) is the steward of God’s most precious
possessions – his saints. Therefore, when divisions arise, the
steward must take action to remedy these. That’s what Paul has
done here. So when we read this passage, we need to remember
that Paul’s comments about “judgment” are in the context of
church leadership – that is, stewardship. These are comments not
about judgment in general, but about judging those who are in
leadership positions in the church. In short, here’s his
commandment concerning our evaluation of how well people are
doing as leaders in the church.
Entrusted
We must first remember the burden they carry.
They are entrusted with God’s saints; this is no light thing. So
many see this as “a task” – but not a trust. But any teacher or
preacher is given a trust, and this is not a light thing.
Judged
Stewardship comes with accountability. If you
have stewardship, you will be held accountable. But there are
some misconceptions about this which Paul corrects:
·
First, it matters very
little what others think of your stewardship. They may
not have all the facts (very likely). So what they have
to say – particularly in the usual grousing method of
telling someone else – should be of very little concern.
·
Indeed, our own opinion of
our performance means little either. There’s a lesson in
this: just because we “feel good” about our service
doesn’t mean that we’re doing it right. Just because we
“feel rotten” about it doesn’t mean we’re doing it
wrong.
·
What does matter? Christ’s
judgment of our service. For that reason, we should
continually examine ourselves to see if we are meeting
his standards – whether we feel good or not.
What shall we do?
How, then, should the Christian in the pews
react to leadership and its divisions? What lessons are there
for the average Christian?
·
We should not judge others –
but wait for sin to be exposed. It will become obvious
in due time. Then we should apply church discipline in
the spirit of love which Christ intended.
·
Clearly, we should examine
ourselves as we do this, so that we do nothing out of
divisiveness but everything out of love.
·
If there is one thing most
counseled, it is WAIT. Wait for the Lord to expose
things, wait for his return. Let him unfold things in
his time – he has all of it.
Self-Application
Paul’s writing here takes a biting tone. Up
until this point he has been using himself and Apollos as
examples. Now, having laid the ground work, he bites into them
for their arrogance.
Sarcasm
Paul can have a slice and dice tongue at
times, and it’s shown here. Beneath it, however, he asks those
who follow the divisive leaders a few questions which still are
worthy of asking today:
·
First, what makes you so
different from the rest of the sinners in this church?
Is it really the case that following a particular
teacher makes you somehow “better” than other
Christians? If Hal Lindsay is right and I’m wrong, what
credit is that to you?
·
Second, isn’t everything you
have in Christ a gift anyway? Or did you really believe
that you’re working your way into heaven?
·
Therefore, tell me: just
what are you bragging about? Why are you so proud? None
of this is to your credit – neither what you brag about,
nor the bragging itself.
Comparison
Paul drives the point home with a little
comparison. He presumes in this section that everyone knows the
greatness of the Apostles, and then sarcastically makes the
comparison between himself and them:
·
The first comparison is
physical: you’re sitting back in the pews while I’m
getting beat up for the cause of Christ. You know what
our Lord will honor; but you’ve been given a life of
ease. What, then, is the complaint here? Is it just
possible you know that my (Paul’s) suffering brings
greater reward than your comfort? (There is a difference
between admiring Mother Teresa and being like her).
·
The next comparison is in
how other people think of you. If you’re one who loves
to be in a faction, one reason is that you really care
about this. But see again: who do people think highly of
– the rich guy in the pew or the scraggly evangelist?
·
But the real clincher is
this: look what we (the Apostles) do in response. You
grouse and complain, you fall into factions and
divisions – and when we are kicked and abused, we return
blessing. Do you see anything wrong with this picture?
Purpose
It is entirely in keeping with Paul’s mission
that his response to this is simply this: he now proposes to
warn them – as a father would – of the consequences of their
actions. Having done that, he will then encourage them to
imitate him, as he imitates Christ.
Sequence of Correction
Paul does just that. Follow the logic:
·
Since Paul is entrusted with
them as a steward from God, and
·
Since they need to imitate
him as he imitates Christ, he will
·
Therefore send Timothy to
them to accomplish this objective.
It sounds rather simple – but understand that
it is very expensive to Paul to do this. He is giving them the
best he has.
Character of the messenger
We need look no farther than at Timothy
himself to see the price Paul is paying in setting the
Corinthians straight:
·
He is Paul’s son – the
constant companion in trials, the one whom he loves just
like a son.
·
He is the bearer of Paul’s
message – if you will, his message in the flesh.
It is very reminiscent of how God sent his
Son to us; Paul is imitating that in sending Timothy to the
Corinthians. In like manner, it is very costly. But stewardship
is never very easy.
What’s to be done
Timothy does not come to lecture them.
Indeed, Paul uses a very specific phrasing here: Timothy is to
remind them.
·
He is to remind them of the
example Paul set for them, in his way of life.
·
He is also to remind them of
the teaching Paul gave them – and that this is the same
teaching he gives to all the church.
Timothy is young; by sending this letter Paul
intends to provide him with the proper credentials in the faith.
But he will not stop at this. Paul, if the Lord is willing, will
return later as well.
This too is an imitation of God, who will
return to us on the Day.
God offers a choice
Like Paul to the Corinthians, God offers us a
choice. He begins by reminding us that when he comes again, he
will find out exactly what’s been going on:
·
He will expose how the
arrogant talk against him, and how they treat his words
with contempt.
·
He will also expose – to
them and to us – the real meaning of power, for all
power is his.
But until then, he will not leave us without
help.
·
He sends messengers – some
formal, others not – to guide us in our choices.
·
But he leaves those choices
to us. We will be judged on the day by what we did in
those choices.
The day is coming. On that day, He will be
gentle with the meek who followed his word, kept his church
together and followed his commands. But he will be a whip to the
arrogant who knew so much better than he what should be done.
The question is still before us – for a
while.
