9. STEWARDSHIP IN PARTNERSHIP - 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

 

In this passage Paul continues to build upon that which has gone before. The first verse is closely tied to the final verses of chapter three. Yet it is also clear that the passage has relevance to all that has gone before in Paul’s argument. Paul is continuing to build a case against the practice of Corinthian faction forming. To do so, Paul develops the idea of stewardship in partnership as servants of God together. Rather than being the heads of various factions, the leaders of God’s church are servants and stewards together in the work of the Lord.

Paul is also beginning to build a case concerning himself. He is beginning to answer the various charges that have been levelled against him by some in the Corinthian congregation. He begins this case by pointing to the right tribunal in which he is to be judged.

 

Please Read 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

 

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: Consider 1 Corinthians 4:1. How is a man a steward of the mysteries of God?

 

Verse 1: The first verse of this chapter is related to the previous chapter and in particular to the concluding statements of it. Paul and his fellow servants are to be regarded as belonging to the Corinthian church (3:21-23). Yet the principles outlined in these verses are also related to one of the continuing themes that Paul is developing and that is the ‘partnership’ of Christ’s servants together in the extension of the kingdom.

Rather than being rivals in the pursuit of individual kingdoms or status, the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ are just that - servants. They serve the one Master, being stewards of all that God has given them. They are not the heads of factions, but together serve the Lord who is their Master (Acts 26:16), being under Him as His servants. Therefore to elevate any to a position of supreme leadership in the church is a grave error.

Paul and his fellow-workers are identified in this verse as stewards. In this respect they are to be seen as being entrusted with that which belongs to their Master and to manage it on His behalf (Mt 25:14ff; Lk 16:2ff; 19:11-27). They are simply doing a job that has been entrusted to them by God Himself. The particular area of stewardship in this passage has reference to the mysteries of God. They are to faithfully manage these mysteries in the way that God has appointed.

The mysteries of God are not things that are top secret or mysteries in the sense that we speak of when we use the word mystery. The mysteries of God are those things that would not be known by us except God had revealed them to us (2:7). Paul and his co-workers therefore, are stewards of the revelation of God. They have had the gospel entrusted to them and they are to manage it on God’s behalf, being answerable to Him for how it is used.

QUESTION: How would Hyper-Calvinism fit into this passage? Explain your answer.

 

Verse 2: How should a believer scrutinize a steward’s ministry? Should it be judged by its eloquence or methodology? Paul indicates that the correct way to judge a person’s ministry is by faithfulness to God in his stewardship (1 Pet 4:10). To be given over to the world’s wisdom would indicate a tendency to unfaithfulness and therefore failure as a steward of God’s mysteries.

It’s important to note that though this passage has been talking of all God’s servants as stewards, each one will be assessed according to his own faithfulness or unfaithfulness.

QUESTIONS: How is a steward of the mysteries of God able to be faithful? What does such faithfulness involve?

 

Verse 3: Faced with the scrutiny of the Corinthians and their factional divisions, Paul states that the judgments formed by the Corinthians regarding him are of little concern to him. By this Paul is not saying that he cares little if the Corinthian church continues as it is, but that he himself is untouched by their assessment or for that matter of that made by the world concerning him. Ultimately it mattered little what anyone thought of him and his ministry, for the assessment of his stewardship of the mysteries of God lay not with human judges but with God.

It would be easy for Paul to be accepted by the Corinthians or by the world. All that was required was the adoption of methods and practices acceptable to them. For Paul to be found faithful in his ministry however, it was necessary for him to be found so before the bar of God‘s judgment. God’s assessment was what really mattered to Paul. Paul was accountable to God, not the Corinthians or anyone else. Even Paul’s own assessment of his ministry could be flawed by his own biased and subjective views, so he would not make any binding assessment of his own ministry.

QUESTIONS: Comment on the relevance of Paul’s concern to our own day. Should the Lord’s servants be concerned about the opinions of men?

 

Verse 4: In his own assessment Paul was clear of any charge of unfaithfulness or wrong doing in the area of his stewardship. He had sought to be faithful and as far as he knew he had achieved this. Yet Paul is also very well aware that this does not mean he is right before God (Tit 3:5) or actually proven faithful in his ministry. This is a judgment that only God can make concerning the apostle’s faithfulness.

The context makes clear that Paul is not talking about justification in the sense of salvation. Paul clearly understood the relationship of works to salvation and knew that the Corinthians also understood this. Paul is simply saying that he cannot finally approve of his ministry or not approve of it. The assessment of Paul’s ministry and of Paul himself is the role of Jesus Christ Himself (2 Cor 5:10). It is Paul’s Master that will rightly assess Paul’s place before God and his ministry. Paul is accountable to God and not to any man. Such is the position of every steward of God.

Verse 5: This verse gives us an important warning concerning the place of judgment. We must exercise extreme caution in judging others, whether it is their place before God or their ministry for God. We are not capable of knowing the hearts and hidden things of men, therefore the right time for judgment is the Lord’s return, for these things He will reveal.

QUESTIONS: Should we then be finished with all judging? Explain your answer.

 

Paul is drawing particular attention in this passage to the sort of judgments being made by the Christians in Corinth. They are judging the worth of God’s servants by worldly standards. These standards are essentially external in nature, while the Lord’s judgment will involve the exposure of all inner activity also (Rom 2:16; Rev 20:11-13). The judgments of men cannot be as accurate as those of the Lord.

In this world people receive praise for all the wrong reasons. In the world to come God’s true servants will receive praise from God based upon spiritual realities and not the mere appearance of things. The correct time therefore for such judgments will be the Lord’s return and the Lord will make them Himself. Then will the assessment that is given be right and be the proper grounds for rejoicing.

QUESTION: With the above paragraph in mind, what sort of judgments is Paul referring to when he tells the Corinthians to judge nothing? Explain.

 

Individual Discovery

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

 

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17/10/2006

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