1 Corinthians 4
4:1-5. Paul continues to admonish the partisans in Corinth: What are apostles? They are “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1). A steward handles the master’s treasury, and therefore must be trustworthy (2). Obviously, no one’s examination of such a steward matters except the Lord of the steward (3-4). The hidden motives of hearts will be exposed by the light of judgment day, and any praise that matters will come from God (5).
It needs to be noted that by chapter five Paul is admonishing them for not judging a person. The judgment forbidden in this present case is the judging of what man cannot know, and what is none of his business. Do not usurp God’s judgment by attempting to judge the hidden motives of men’s hearts. But some sins are not hidden (as in chapter five). They are all too plainly sin, and are all too publicly visible. Within the church, like cancer in the body, these sins must be faced and cut out.
4:3. “…I do not even examine myself.” Here again, this seems to contradict another admonition; “But let a man examine himself….” (1 Cor.11:28). But the issue in the latter case is whether or not a man sees Christ’s death for his sins spiritually set forth in the Lord’s Supper. Here, Paul is saying that what a man must not do is compare his own service to the Lord with that of another to see how worthy he is of praise. No, Paul isn’t into getting in touch with his feelings, or sharing them with the group, so that he can talk, talk, talk about himself, and feel good about himself. He wants to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. He presses “on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phip.3:13-14). He no longer has any self-esteem based on “a righteousness of his own derived from the Law” (Phip.3:9). He has determined to know nothing “except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor.2:2). This is where his hope and his well-being lie. He looks to Christ, not within himself. The one who examines him is the Lord (4).
4:6-7. Figuratively; refers to 3:6 ff. What is written; in particular, this should remind them of the Scriptures quoted in 1:19, 31; 2:9, 16; 3:19-20. Neither Paul nor Apollos, and certainly not those of Corinth, have anything they did not receive (7), yet they have apparently moved ahead of both of their teachers, so as to have the wisdom to pass judgment on them.
4:8-13. Vv.8&10 are meant as ironic sarcasm to mock their foolish boasting, as though they had run ahead of the apostles, and had already attained to the kingdom privileges that are only had now by faith. Meanwhile, the apostles are still stumbling alone behind Christ, bearing their crosses and the reproach of this world.
4:14-17. Like a loving father, the apostle encourages these children that he has admonished, so that they be not embittered by shame. They are to imitate him, just as he imitates Christ (16-17; cf. Luke 6:40; Mt.16:24).
4:18-21. Now to those children who have not yielded to his admonishment, but have become puffed up in their own conceit, the apostle warns that their boastful words are no match for the rod of power which he wields by Christ’s authority, and will use if need be when he comes.