Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 CORINTHIANS #4 - 3:18-4:21)
G. 3:18-4:17 THE IMPORTANCE OF APOSTOLIC MINISTRY
1. 3:18-23 GOD'S ESTIMATE OF THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD
a. 3:18a Let no one deceive himself.
MeDEIS he-auTON e-xa-paTAto [1818].
b. 3:18b LET NOT PHILOSOPHY HOLD BACK FROM TRUE WISDOM
EI tis doKEI [1380] soPHOS EInai en huMIN en to aiOni TOUto,
If any thinks he is wise among you in this :age,
moROS [3474] geNEStho, HIna GEne-tai soPHOS.
let him become a fool, that he become wise.
c. 3:19a For the wisdom of this :world is foolishness with :God.
he gar soPHIa tou KOSmou TOUtou moRIa [3472] paRA to TheO es-tin.
d. 3:19b-20 GOD SEES HUMAN WISDOM AS FUTILE
GEgrap-tai gar, Ho drasSOme-nos [1405] tous soPHOUS en te pa-nourGIa [3834] auTON:
For it is written, Who takes the wise in their :craftiness:
kai PAlin, KUri-os giNOSkei tous di-a-lo-gisMOUS [1261] ton soPHON, HOti eiSIN MAtai-oi [3152].
20 and again, The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
e. 3:21a Wherefore let no one glory in men.
HOSte meDEIS kauCHAStho[2744]en anTHROpois.
f. 3:21b-23 ALL MINISTRIES AND TIME ARE GIFTS FROM GOD
PANta gar huMON es-tin; EIte PAUlos, EIte A-polLOS, EIte KePHAS, EIte KOSmos, EIte zo-E[2222],
For all things are yours; 22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or world, or life,
EIte THAna-tos, EIte e-nesTOta [1764], EIte MELlon-ta [3195]; PANta huMON;
or death, or thingspresent, or coming; all areyours;
huMEIS de ChrisTOU; ChrisTOS de TheOU.
23 and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
2. 4:1-5 GOSPEL MINISTERS: STEWARDS OF GOD
a. 4:1 TRUE MINISTERS ARE TRUSTEES
HOUtos heMAS lo-giZEStho[3049]ANthro-pos, hos hu-peREtas [5257]ChrisTOU,
Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ,
kai oi-koNOmous [3623]mus-teRIon [3466]TheOU.
and stewards of God's mysteries.
b. 4:2 Here, moreover, it is required in the stewards, that one be found faithful.
HOde, loiPON, zeTEItai [2212]en tois oi-koNOmois, HIna pisTOS [4103]tis heu-reTHE.
c. 4:3 PAUL DISREGARDS JUDGMENT OF OTHERS: EVEN HIS OWN
eMOI de eis eLAchisTON es-tin HIna huph' huMON a-na-kriTHO [350], e huPO an-throPInes heME-ras:
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's day:
alLA, ouDE e-mauTON a-naKRIno.
yes, I judge not my own self.
d. 4:4 THE LORD, NOT PAUL'S CONSCIENCE, JUSTIFIES HIM
ouDEN gar e-mauTOSUnoi-da [4894]; all' ouk en TOUtode-diKAIo-mai [1344]:
For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified:
ho de a-naKRInon me KUriOS es-tin.
but who judges me is theLord.
e. 4:5 SEEING THE LORD WILL JUDGE: WE CAN DISPENSE WITH PRESENT JUDGMENT
HOSte mepro kaiROU [2540], ti KRIne-te [2919], HEos an ELtheho KUri-os,
Wherefore judge nothing before theseason, until the Lord come,
hos kai phoTIsei [5461]ta krupTA [2927]tou SKOtous [4655],
who will both light up the hidden thingsof the darkness,
kai pha-neROsei [5319]tas bouLAS [1012]ton kar-diON;
and manifest the counsels of the hearts;
kai TOte ho Epai-nos [1868]geNEse-tai heKAStoaPO tou TheOU.
and then shall each have the praise from :God.
3. 4:6-13 THE WAY FLESH TREATS APOSTOLIC MINISTRY
a. 4:6 IN JUDGING, KEEP WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF SCRIPTURE
TAUta de, a-delPHOI, me-te-scheMAti-sa [3345]eis e-mauTON
Now these, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself
kai A-polLON di' huMAS; HIna en huMIN MAthe-te [3129] to MehuPER ha GEgrap-tai;
and Apollos for your sakes; that in us you might learnthe Not to go beyond the things written;
HIna meheis huPER tou heNOS phu-siOUSthe [5448]kaTA tou heTErou.
that you be not puffed up for the one against the other.
b. 4:7 ALL TALENTS COME BY GIFT, NOT SELF-ATTAINMENT
tis GAR se di-aKRInei [1252]? ti de Echeis ho ouk Ela-bes?
For who makes you to differ? and what have you that you did not receive?
ei de kai Ela-bes, ti kauCHAsai [2744] hos me laBON?
but if you did receive, why do you glory as if you had not received?
c. 4:8 A DELUSION: TO THINK WE ARE ALREADY REIGNING
Edeke-ko-resMEnoi [2880]esTE? Edee-plouTEsa-te [4147]?
Already are you filled? already are you become rich?
choRIS heMON e-ba-siLEUsa-te [936]? kai OpheLON ge e-ba-siLEUsa-te,
have you come to reign without us? yes and I would indeed you did reign,
HIna kai heMEIS huMIN sun-ba-siLEUso-men [4821].
that we also might reign with you.
d. 4:9 APOSTLES: THE LAST OF THE ARENA'S PROCESSION, FOR A SPECTACLE
doKO[1380], gar, ho TheOS heMAS tous a-poSTOlous [652]esCHAtous [2078],
For, I think, :God has set forth us the apostles last,
aPEdei-xen [584]hos e-pi-tha-naTIous [1935]: HOti THEa-tron [2302]
as doomed to death: for we are become
a-geNEthe-men toKOSmokai agGElois kai anTHROpois.
a spectacle unto the world and to angels and men.
e. 4:10 FOOLS FOR CHRIST'S SAKE
heMEIS moROI [3474]diA ChrisTON, huMEIS de PHROni-moi [5429]en ChrisTO;
We arefools for Christ, but you arewise in Christ;
heMEIS as-theNEIS [772], huMEIS de is-chuROI [2478]; huMEIS ENdo-xoi [1741], heMEIS de Ati-moi [820].
we areweak, but you strong; you haveglory, but we dishonor.
f. 4:11-13 SCUM OF THE EARTH: WORLD'S ESTIMATE OF APOSTLES
ACHri tes ARti HOras kai peiNOmen [3983], kai diPSOmen [1372], kai gum-niTEUo-men [2852],
Unto the present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked,
kai ko-la-phiZOme-tha, kai as-taTOUmen ]790]:
and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place:
kai ko-piOmen [2872], er-gaZOme-noi [2038]tais iDIais cherSIN:
12 and we toil, working with our:own hands:
loi-doROUme-noi [3058], eu-loGOUmen [2127]; di-oKOme-noi [1377], a-neCHOme-tha [430];
being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
dus-pheMOUme-noi [987], pa-ra-kaLOUmen [3870]: hos pe-ri-kaTHARma-ta [4027]
13being defamed, we beseech: we are become as filth
tou KOSmou e-geNEthe-men, PANton peRIpse-ma [4067], HEos ARti.
of the world , offscouring of all things, even until now.
4. 4:14-17 FOLLOW PAUL AS AN EXAMPLE
a. 4:14 I write not these thingsto shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Ouk enTREpon [1788]huMAS GRAphoTAUta, all' hos TEKna mou a-ga-peTA [27]nou-theTON [3560].
b. 4:15 PAUL: A CHANNEL FOR SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST
eAN gar muRIous [3463]pai-da-goGOUS [3807]Eche-te en ChrisTO, all' ou polLOUS paTEras;
For though you may have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet not many fathers;
en gar ChrisTOIeSOU diA tou eu-ag-geLIou [2098]eGOhuMAS eGENne-sa [1080].
for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.
c. 4:16 I beseech you therefore, become imitators of me.
pa-ra-kaLO [3870] oun huMAS, mi-meTAI [3402] mou GInes-the.
d. 4:17 TIMOTHY: TO REMIND OF PAUL'S METHOD OF TEACHING THE FAITH
diA TOUto Epem-psa huMIN TiMOthe-on, hos esTIN mou TEKnon a-ga-peTON kai pisTON en KuRIo,
For this cause have I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved child and faithful in the Lord,
hos huMAS a-namNEsei [363] tas hoDOUS mou tas en ChrisTO IeSOU,
who shall remind you of my :ways which are in Christ Jesus,
kaTHOS pan-taCHOU en PAse ek-kleSIa diDASko [1321].
even as I teach everywhere in every church.
H. 4:18-21 APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY CORRECTS KINGDOM MISUNDERSTANDING
a. 4:18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.
Hos me er-choMEnou de mou pros huMAS, e-phu-siOtheSAN [5448] ti-nes.
b. 4:19 PAUL'S PROMISE
eLEUso-mai de taCHEos [5030] pros huMAS, eAN ho KUri-os theLEse [2309];
But I will come unto you speedily, if the Lord will;
kai GNOso-mai, ou ton LOgon [3056] ton pe-phu-si-oMEnon [5448], alLA ten DUna-min [1411].
and I will know, not the word of those puffed up, but the power.
c. 4:20 For the kingdom of :God is not in word, but in power.
ou gar en LOgo he ba-siLEIa [932] tou TheOU, all' en duNAmei.
d. 4:21 What will you? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
ti THEle-te? en 'RABdo[4464]ELthopros huMAS, een aGApePNEUmaTI te praUte-tos [4236]?
NOTE: (2009-01-10) It is important to see God's estimate of the Wisdom of this world: Statesmen, Politicians, Philosophers, Educators, Psychologists, Scientists, Religionists, etc. For individuals in these groups and others who are not committed disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ - they are bankrupt in the things of the Kingdom of God.
Then see 4:1-5. Here we read Spirit-inspired words through God's servant, the apostle Paul. All ministers of the Gospel are stewardsto God if they would be pleasing to Him. Dead to the self-life - identified with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion - alive to God in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. He like Paul who lives in this state, is abovethe judgment of this world. This is notjust the ideal! Thisis the state of normalChristianity, and normal ministry. Stewardshipto God is the key.
Now look at 4:6-13, and the way the world sees and treats true apostles. Whowants to be an apostle according to thisinsight? In the aftermath of 1948, a wave of carnal apostles arose, who did notmeet the standard set forth by the Holy Spirit through Paul as outlined here. Yet, this is the Plumbline that will be set down beside ministries at the “Judgment Seat (BEma) of Christ” following the resurrection of the first-born.
Paul then by revelation, sets himself forth as an example of a true minister and apostle. In another place he says, “Follow me as I follow Christ!”
God used him to write 14 of the 27 New Testament books. In 1 Corinthians 14:37 (14:37-40), “If any thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of what thingsI write you, that it is theLord's commandment.” - he witnessed that all his words were nothis words, but the words of the Spirit of Christ through him. Jesus said the same thing about His words as the Son of Man, in the Gospel of John. When you hear individuals say - “O, that's just Paul speaking!” Don't agree or receive it. Rebuke it and correct it by quoting to them 1 Corinthians 14:37. Such individuals are setting themselves up as judges of God, not Paul!
And lastly, consider 1 Corinthians 4:14. The Spirit has Paul use a most extraordinary word to set forth how he gently corrected and discipled the Corinthian believers. It is the word admonish(nou-theSIa). “Nous”is the word for the human mind, and “TIthe-mi” is the word “to place, establish or set.” Paul was bringing the human minds of the Corinthian believers into harmony with the mind of God, the Word of God, and the waysof God. He was helping them to fulfill Romans 12:1-2, to renewtheir minds, until they thought God's thoughts after Him, spoke His words, and acted out His ways. There is even a book written entitled “Nouthetic Counseling”.
Thisis what Oswald Chambers, George Muller, Rees Howells, H. A. Baker, Madame Guyon and countless other saints have done. What man hasdone, man cando!
1 Corinthians is a basic book to help us renew our minds in line with basic ABC's of the Gospel, the Foundation Truths of Hebrews 6:1-2.
Ed Hird of Vancouver BC recently mailed out lecture notes on Carl Jung, that he will be presenting in S. California in the near future. Jung is Gnostic in New Age garb, and his non-Christian teachings are slipping surreptitiously into the church. This is the thinking God saved the Corinthian church out of. Let us not be misled, and be led back into what Paul sought to fully deliver them from. - J.A.W.