1 Corinthians 4 - Is Your Life Worth Imitating?

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The Nature of True Apostleship

4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 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. 

Paul considers himself as a servant who has been a gift by his master. The master entrusted him with the special gift of faith in order that he might use it wisely. In this case the gift is the mystery of God’s love as it has been revealed in Christ. God becoming a human would have been a mystery of epic proportions.

Just like with any gift given the question is what we are going to do with it. Paul knew he was accountable to his master Jesus alone for what he did with this indescribable gift.

God has given you a gift too. What have you done with it? What will you do with it? Jesus is the absolute best thing we could ever share with the world.

6 Now, brothers and sisters, 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 be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. 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?

Paul again addresses the spiritual pride in the church based on personality worship. This rivalry led to people boasting that they somehow were superior since they followed a particular person like Paul or Apollos. Since all we have has been given to us, Paul concludes there is no room for "one-upmanship" in the body of Christ.

Paul hopes his writing will help the Corinthian Christians learn to keep their thinking Biblical, and to not use standards beyond the Word of God to judge him or the other apostles.

Many people today evaluate a pastor or a minister on unbiblical standards. They judge him on his humor, his entertainment value, his appearance, or his skill at marketing and sales. But this is to think beyond what is written in the sense Paul means it here. (Guzik)

8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!

Paul is using sarcasm here. 

Though Paul uses strong sarcasm, his purpose isn’t to make fun of the Corinthian Christians. He wants to shake them out of their proud, self-willed thinking. “He was laughing at them with holy laughter, and yet with utter contempt for what they had been doing.” (Morgan)

9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 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. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

In reality the life of an apostle wasn't very glamorous at all. There was no pomp and circumstance. The only perks of being an apostle were being hungry, thirsty, dressed in rags, and homeless. They were also treated like garbage, like the scum of the earth. 

"Though Paul uses strong sarcasm, his purpose isn’t to make fun of the Corinthian Christians. He wants to shake them out of their proud, self-willed thinking. “He was laughing at them with holy laughter, and yet with utter contempt for what they had been doing.” (Morgan)  

This reminds me of the "health and wealth" gospel, where if you really have enough faith, you will be blessed with riches and prosperity. God wants you to be rich after all. Similarly the, "name it and claim it" gospel says that if you are sick it is due to your lack of faith. If you truly believed, God would give you that miracle. The problem with this is Jesus didn't promise any of this. 

In fact he said, "The world will hate you because of me." Jesus told us to "pick up our cross and follow him". This was not a health and wealth gospel, Remember the cross was an instrument of torture. It is only as we humble ourselves that will we be exalted. It is only when we die to self, that we live. 

Our problem is we often want a middle road: a little popularity, a little reputation, but still the anointing of God. We want the power without the cost. God help us to choose Paul’s way, because it is really God’s way. - Guzik

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 

Paul shows us his tender side. After some of this sarcasm, he gets back to his desire for them to become like Christ. Though an instructor or guardian had authority over someone it was not the same as a Father. 

16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent 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.

How many of us would urge people in our ministry to "imitate us". I don't think Paul is saying this in a prideful way like, "Aren't I a super-Christian". He has not only taught them about Jesus but also modeled for them what it looks like to be his disciple. 

Often we spend a lot of time teaching but not as much modeling. We dilute discipleship to be mental assent to doctrines and bible study, while not ever getting down to the nitty gritty of being a disciple in the trenches. Not only was he a model of a Christ-follower, but he also has mentored young Timothy, who they could also imitate. 

Paul was fulfilling the Great Commission which Jesus gave the apostles. It is paraphrased as, "Be a disciple, make a disciple." You can't give away what you don't have. Though we need to be taught and understand biblical truths and doctrines, too often we have assumed that study equals transformation. It is putting faith in action based on biblical truth which moves us along to Christ-like maturity. 

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 rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Though Paul has written a lot, when he comes to visit them, he will be able to tell if they are "walking the walk". Paul is not afraid to discipline as their spiritual father if they are not willing to heed his instruction. He loves them that much! 

Who is your spiritual father? Is there anyone in your life who could say to you, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ!"? If your life worth imitating? If not where do you need to change it?