Last week, we worked through 1 Corinthians 4. Admittedly, I didn't really explain the last half of the chapter at all.
I think I had three reasons for this. None of which are very important, but here they are: (1) Chapter 4 hangs together as a single argument, and I wanted to catch the force of that argument; (2) I try really hard to keep sermons to about 4,000 words. A lot of weeks, at this point in my life (when I'm not actively teaching) these sermons are really more for me than anyone else. They are a major part of how I set my mind on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6; ESV) and on the things above (Colossians 3:2). But I try to keep them to a manageable length, so that if/when I teach, I'm prepared. Life is busy, and it'd be stressful trying to have something every week, for that week, when I work as much as I do. (3) I wasn't sure how to explain part of it.
But in passing very high over part of chapter 4 last week, I deliberately avoided talking about something that's core to understanding Christianity as a religion of power and of victory. So I'd like to back up, and introduce you to something that's maybe quite new. I maybe tried to explain part of it before, but it usually takes me a couple times before it starts to come out right (#nephilim).
Paul begins chapter 4, by talking about how the Corinthians should view people like himself, and Apollos. How should you view people in the church, that you want to call "leaders"-- the people who are your teachers, pastors, and elders?
(4:1) Everyone must consider us in this way: as Christ's assistants
and stewards/administrators of God's mysteries.
(2) In this connection, moreover, it is sought in the stewards,
that faithful, one may be found.
So this is the Corinthians' basic problem with Paul. They thought he was an unfaithful steward. Not because he was secretly living in unrepentant sin. Not because he was stealing from them, or taking advantage of them. Not because he taught heresy. They thought he was unfaithful because he failed to teach them about Spiritual things. And these Spiritual things are so amazing, they have decided that Paul-- the man who led them all to Christ, and who founded the church-- is a total failure. He's unfaithful.
(3) Now, to me a trivial matter it is,
that by you I may be examined/appraised,
or by a human court,
but I don't myself examine/appraise.
For nothing against myself I am aware of,
but not by this I am made right.
Now, the one examining/appraising me, the Lord he is,
(5) so then don't before the time anything judge,
until the Lord comes,
who both enlightens the hidden things of darkness
and will reveal the desires of the hearts,
and then praise will come to each one from God.
(6) Now, these things , brothers, I have disguised about myself and Apollos for your benefit,
in order that by us, you may learn not [to go] beyond what has been written,
in order that no one may be made proud against the other.
(7) For who judges that you surpass others?
Now, what do you have that you didn't receive?
Now, if indeed you received, why are you boasting as if you didn't receive it?
Here, I'd like to start unpacking this. Because this, I didn't really explain last week. The Corinthians are boasting about the Spiritual things that they've learned about. They speak in tongues. They have healings. They have words of knowledge. They have prophecy. If you walked into their church on a Sunday morning, I think you would've been overwhelmed by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
And they brag about all of this. They look at themselves, and they think, "Look how far we've come." But they would say it nasty-- "Look how far we've come since we had only Paul teaching us."
Paul begins his challenge to them here, by asking them two questions. The first one is this:
(1) What do you have, that you didn't receive?
They are bragging about Spiritual things. Capital S. Spirit things. Which of these things from the Spirit do they have, that they didn't receive from the Holy Spirit? Is speaking in tongues something you learn, like you'd learn Russian or Chinese? Do you wake up one morning, and suddenly have prophecies to edify the church?
No. Of course not. If you have any Spiritual things, it's because you received them from the Holy Spirit.
Paul then asks a follow up question:
Now, if indeed you received, why are you boasting as if you didn't receive it?
In his commentary, Richard B. Hays talks about this verse by using an (apparently) old joke I'd never heard:
Who are the privileged in society? The privileged are people who are born on third base, and think they hit a triple.
The Corinthians are boasting about where they are as Christians, and who they are-- but why? How you can boast in something, if you received it?
This brings us to verse 8. As we read verses 8-13, there's one main question we have to answer. "Just how sarcastic is Paul being here?" He's for sure a little sarcastic. But, truthfully, I think he's a lot less sarcastic here than we think. He starts by saying this:
(8) Already having been satiated/filled you are,
already you were made rich,
apart from us you reigned as kings,
and would that indeed you reigned as kings,
in order that also we with you might reign as kings.
Paul is, for sure, a little sarcastic here. He wishes the Corinthians reigned as kings, because if this was true, then Paul and Apollos could maybe join them in reigning as kings. If this was true, the Corinthians could use their power and authority, and dig up two extra thrones for them. And why does Paul wish this was true? Because Paul knows that right now, he doesn't reign as a king.
But is Paul being completely sarcastic? He also says this about them: "Already having been filled you are. Already you were made rich."
Is this true of them? Paul began his letter by telling them how he thanks God for them. 1:4-7:
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God-- the one given to you in Christ Jesus--
(5) that/because in everything you were made rich in him-- in all speech and in all knowledge,
(6) just as the testimony about Christ was confirmed in you,
(7) with the result that you don't lack in any grace.
Now, when Paul thanks God that He has made them rich in all speech, and in all knowledge, and in every "grace," I assume he's sincere. Paul is not sarcastic toward God here, right?
So, the Corinthians think they have already become full. They've already been made rich. And Paul agrees with them. He thanks God, that God did this for them.
And the Corinthians also think they already reign as kings. And Paul makes it clear that this is not quite true.
Something about this is off.
But how in the world could the Corinthians think they already reign as kings? What would give them that impression?
We read this, and it doesn't make sense. We look at our lives as Christians, and we think, "How could the Corinthians possibly think they have everything God gives? How could the Corinthians possibly think they already reign as kings?" And we think that Paul is challenging this-- we assume that the way we view our Christian life, is the same way that Paul does. We assume Paul is agreeing with us here.
So let's talk about reigning as kings.
When God first created us, he created us to rule over the earth. This is built into the creation mandate. We image God; we serve as His representatives in completing the job of creating the world:
Genesis 1:28:
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
So we were created to reign as kings on the earth. This was the great responsibility, and privilege, we were given (Psalm 8). And in this day of environmental friendliness, and easily triggered people, and PC culture, no one wants to teach this. This has been lost. But we were made to rule. It is our God-given right, and place, to rule. We were made to be kings over all of creation-- not over each other. Over all of creation.
But when people sinned, what happened? I'm not sure exactly how to put this, to be honest. I'm going to try to say this carefully, so I don't have to fix it later. What I want to say, but I'm not sure is quite right, is that we in some sense lost our dominion. We no longer reign as the kings we were made to be because of our sin.
What keeps us from reigning like we are supposed to? Humans have four terrible enemies, that keep us from effectively reigning: (1) sin, (2) sickness, (3) death, and (4) Satan.
Now, the NT is filled with promises that the day is coming, when we will someday again reign over the earth. We will regain our dominion:
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. -Matthew 5:5
17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17
9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.” -Revelation 5:9-10
So when Jesus returns, we will reign. This our future hope, and expectation. But why do the Corinthians think they reign now?
Let's back up. What are the greatest enemies to human beings? There are four: (1) sin, (2) Satan, (3) sickness, and (4) death.
These are the things that hold people captive. These are the things that people are enslaved to.
Now, what does King Jesus do for us in these things?
(1) Sin: When it comes to sin, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have been freed from the law of sin and death, and are now free to serve God. And we have the Holy Spirit, who enables us to obey God. Galatians 5:16: 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (ESV).
Christians often act like they have no choice, except to sin. They think it's inevitable. They think there's nothing they can do. No: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
(2) Satan: Many Christians live in constant terror of Satan. They fear Satan, and his power, more than God's. But how does the NT talk about Satan: "Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). If we put on God's armor, the devil will have no opening against us (Eph. 4:27). Instead, we actually take the fight to Satan. We are the ones knocking down Satan's gates. We are the ones invading Satan's kingdom, reclaiming people for God's kingdom. The gates of hell will not stand against the church (Matthew 16:17-19).
(3) Sickness: The church has been given authority over all sickness through Jesus (Matt. 10:8; Luke 9, 10). Sickness is demonic (Acts 10:38); it is not from God. And we are commanded to heal the sick.
(4) Death. Here, we run into problems. We are commanded to raise people from the dead (Matt. 10:8). But we will find that we are often unable to do so. And all of us will physically die, eventually (Matt. 10:28).
However, we know that death is not the enemy it was. It has lost its sting. We know that it's not the end of our existence. When we die, we get to go to our Lord Jesus (Philippians 1:23).
But death itself has not yet been defeated.
The Corinthians' problem, was that they understood the victory that we have in Christ so well, that they thought they already reigned completely. They looked at sin, and death, and sickness, and Satan, and they thought, "We are already more than conquerors through Him who strengthens us."
And what they didn't realize, is that we don't yet see our final victory. Life right now is a struggle. But one day, we will reign as kings.
Now, our problem, I think, is that we still think we are slaves to all of humanity's enemies. Our problem, is that we don't think we reign at all. We don't realize the truth of Ephesians 2:6:
6 and [He] raised us up with him and seated us [together] with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
We are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. We do reign. Ephesians 1:15-23:
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[f] toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Bu at the same time, we don't yet fully reign. Someday, all of this will no longer be a struggle. Death will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14), along with Satan (Revelation 20:10). And our reign will not be challenged.
If we understood the Spiritual things-- if we understood the Spiritual power God has placed inside of us, we would look at the world so differently. We would see a world of potential. And, at the same time, we would still long for the day when our enemies are completely defeated.
Paul then continues in verse 9, contrasting his own life as an apostle with that of the Corinthians:
(9) For I think, God has displayed/exhibited us the apostles [as?] least of all, as condemned to death,
because a spectacle we have become to the world and to angels and to people.
(10) We are fools for the sake of Christ.
Now, you are sensible in Christ.
We are weak.
Now, you are strong.
You are honored.
Now, we are dishonored.
Until the present hour, we are both hungry, and we are thirsty, and we are poorly clothed, and we are roughly treated, and we are homeless, and we toil,
working with our own hands.
Being insulted, we bless.
Being persecuted, we endure.
(13) Being slandered, we encourage.
Like the offscouring/dirt of the world we have become,
of all things the offscouring up until now.
Paul began this section by tackling the Corinthians' problem with him head-on. They think he's been an unfaithful steward. I think we are supposed to read these verses in part, as Paul's defense of his ministry. He has sacrificed his entire life for them. God has made his life a public spectacle. He is an embarrassment to the Corinthians, and to the world. He is mocked, ridiculed, insulted, slandered. He is hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed. He is weak. He is abused. He is homeless. He is the dirt on your hands at the end of the working day, that you scrub to get off so you can eat and relax. How can you look at Paul, and how he sacrificed himself for them, and consider him unfaithful?
So what is the Christian life? The Christian life is not simply one of power. It's also, at the same time, a life of self-sacrifice, and weakness, and suffering. Paul is not a slave to the great enemies of humanity. There is nothing wrong with his victory over these things. But you can't look at Paul's life, and say he already reigns as a king. What he is, truthfully, is an embarrassment to the Corinthians. He doesn't fit their understanding of faith.
Paul continues, in verse 14:
(14) Not shaming you, I write these things,
but as my beloved children advising/warning you.
For if countless guardians you have in Christ,
but not many fathers.
For in Christ Jesus through the gospel I fathered you.
Paul's goal in saying all of this, isn't to shame them. I mean, it should. It's humiliating, when someone sits you down, and points out to you that you've become arrogant. You find yourself wanting to argue with them-- and then you stop. You realize, they are right. But that's not why he's writing this. He says this, as their spiritual father, because he's worried about them. He wants to help them understand what it means to be a Christian. The Christian life isn't just about the victory, and the power. It's also about the self-sacrifice for others. It's about pouring out our lives, to serve each other.
(16) Therefore, I exhort you, my imitators become.
(17) For this reason I sent to you Timothy,
who is my beloved child and faithful in the Lord,
who will remind you of my ways-- the ones in Christ Jesus--
just as everywhere in every church I teach.
(18) Now, some have become puffed up/arrogant, as if I am not coming to you.
Now, I will come quickly to you,
if the Lord desires,
and I will know not the speech of the puffed up ones
but the power.
For not with speech the kingdom of God is,
but with power.
(21) What do you desire?
With a rod shall I come to you,
or with a spirit of love and gentleness/humility?
The Corinthians are impressed by their own power. They think they already reign as kings. Here, Paul reveals his power. Paul knows how real power works. Real power is not found in empty, boastful words, and in thinking you're better than everyone else in the church.
Real power is revealed when it's necessary for discipline, to correct those who think they are superior to other Christians. Who boast in themselves, as if they didn't receive what they have from the Holy Spirit. Who at some point along the way, got the idea that church was all about them. That they are the big deal. And who stopped living self-sacrificially.
And so Paul ends this section, by saying this: What comes next is up to you. If you refuse to repent of your boasting, and pride, Paul will come with a rod. There will be church discipline. There has to be-- because you are tearing the church apart through your pride.
Or, you can repent, and Paul will come with a spirit of love, and in gentleness.
The choice is yours. But the end result will be the same-- this church will be a church of people who are grateful for everything God gave them, who live self-sacrificially, and who view others as more important than themselves. Each one of us will say, "It's you that is the big deal."
So that's the challenge each of us needs to hear. I can be proud, and lift myself up against everyone, and act like I'm a big deal. Or I can remember that everything I have, spiritually, is a gift. I'm nothing. I'm not the big deal; you are.
And I'd rather deal with any pride myself, than have to have elders deal with it. My preference, is that my leaders come to me with a spirit of love and humility.
