10. IMMATURE SELF-ELEVATION - 1 Corinthians 4:6-8

 

In this portion of 1 Corinthians the real motives behind the factional in-fighting in Corinth become clear. It is not so much the elevation of certain men to the head of a group (such as Paul, Apollos, etc) as an elevation of self-serving people to prominence through the formation of these factional groups. This appears to be the real reason for the party spirit in Corinth. This is something that needs to be kept in mind when assessing all such factional crises in the church. In this portion of 1 Corinthians Paul seeks to address such vain self-elevation.

 

Please Read 1 Corinthians 4:6-8

 

Verse 6: Writing to the believers at Corinth in a direct, but yet loving way, Paul explains why he has said these things to them. What were ‘these things’ that Paul writes of in verse six? Paul is speaking of the various explanations and illustrations that he has used in the previous chapter and in this chapter. These explanations and illustrations include the farming picture of verses 6-9 and the building picture of verses 8 and following (see also the picture of stewardship in 4:1-5). These illustrative devices have been used to explain to the Corinthian believers the relationship that Paul and Apollos have to the church and to each other in the Lord.

These things Paul has explained so that the Corinthians themselves may be instructed correctly concerning the position of Apollos and Paul and all ministers of the gospel in the church. In doing this, Paul’s aim has been to keep the Corinthian Christians from going further a-field for instruction and going beyond the place that Scripture sets down for ministers. Christians are to be guided by Scripture and are not to go beyond them to some other form of instruction. The Scriptures are the standard of the faith and not any one individual ‘leader’s’ ideas or theories. These explanations and illustrations were to help the Corinthian believers understand the Scriptural place of leadership in the church.

What is meant by ‘what is written’ is the directions set down in Scripture. Think of the ‘it is written’ portions of the New Testament (Mt 2:5; Lk 10:26, etc) and the phrase will begin to make more sense. Paul is explaining through his use of illustrative means the teaching of Scripture regarding leadership positions among the people of God and the church in particular.

QUESTION: How would the Corinthians go beyond what is written in the sense meant by Paul? Explain.

 

Interestingly, this verse also exposes the real leaders of the factions in Corinth. Rather than being those that were said to be the leaders of the various factions, such as Apollos and Paul, the real leaders were self-elevated men who wanted the spotlight for themselves and their own ideas. These were men who wanted to push their own ‘wisdom’ rather than that of the Scriptures. Clearly this verse is to be understood in connection with what has gone before, further explaining the place of true wisdom in the governing of the church and in the lives of Christians. All foolish worldly wisdom is to be rejected.

Verse 7: In this verse the nature of the factional in-fighting in Corinth becomes a little clearer. It would appear from Paul’s questions that each factional group assumed superiority over the others (headed by local men with big mouths and big egos). What Paul wants to know is how these superior Christians arrived at their position of superiority? Had they been in fact appointed to these roles by someone with the authority to do so? The answer to Paul’s first question is that no one made them different to the other believers. All stand on an equal footing. These men had not been appointed by anyone to any special or superior position over others in the church.

Another solution to the arrogance and pride that was to be found in Corinth was to meditate upon the source of all the graces and gifts in the church at Corinth. Where did they come from? Did any believer invent or manufacture their own gifts? The answer of course is that God is the one who distributed grace and gifts to the church (Jn 3:27; 1 Cor 1:4-7; 2:10ff; 12:4ff; Jam 1:17). If there were any differences in roles, then God was responsible for these differences, yet they were still equal before the Lord.

With reflection upon the questions that Paul had asked the Corinthians it would have soon become obvious that there was no room for boasting, for all they had had come from a gracious God. All boasting is removed, for God has given all to them. To behave in the Corinthian way is to express an unwarranted arrogance, for such displays suggest that the recipients of the gifts were responsible for their existence. It is a display of ingratitude and unthankfulness to God for the diversity in the church. With a true recognition of the source of spiritual gifts in the church would come the ending of such foolish pride and self-elevation.

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What does Paul mean by stating that the Corinthians are already full and already rich in 1 Corinthians 4:8?

 

Verse 8: The Corinthian behaviour betrayed an attitude of having already ‘arrived.’ Such displays by Christians give the impression that the believer thinks he has no longer any need of other Christians or even of God. Such people behave in a self-sufficient manner, believing (or at least living as though) that they have all that they need in themselves (Rev 3:17). Such believe that they have already reached a state of spiritual greatness, a height from which they survey all others who must submit to their superior worth. Such was the individual Corinthian greatness in their own eyes that they believed themselves elevated even over the apostles themselves. They had advanced (in their opinion) beyond the need of having apostles and were now in a place where they could dismiss the ministry of Paul’s apostolic team as no longer required.

With the use of sarcasm Paul pulls the Corinthian arrogance apart strand by strand. The behaviour of the Corinthians betrayed a state of mind convinced that they had already arrived spiritually. They were already full or had already received what they wanted - elevation above others. They had gained earthly prominence and were rich in their own eyes. How far from the truth this really was. In reality these superior believers were quite empty and poor.

QUESTION: Explain why Paul would have been happy if the Corinthian believers were in fact reigning?

 

Paul responded to such foolishness and vanity with deliberate sarcasm. Through this sarcasm Paul delivers the reality of the matter, for had the Corinthians truly reigned, then so would all Christians (Rev 20:6) - for the end would have already come. Yet the truth of the matter is far different, for the servants of the Lord are still suffering in this world as the following verses make clear. If the end had already come and the Corinthians were reigning, then the apostle Paul would also have been relieved of his earthly ministry and suffering.

 

Individual Discovery

With regard to the context, why does Paul describe the sufferings that he has gone through?

 

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17/10/2006

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