“1 Corinthians 4:14-21”

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church. Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?”

---End of Scripture verses---

Paul was not necessarily trying to shame the Corinthians into doing the right things (although he wasn’t above such measures). He was actually “admonishing” them as “beloved children”. To admonish is to “reprove” or “warn” someone to stop doing what is wrong, and it is a sort of “negative encouragement” to do what is right. He “disciplined” them out of a heart of love for them, as a sort of spiritual “father through the gospel” (verse 15). As a father myself, I never enjoy reprimanding my daughter, even though I know I must do that in order to teach and train her in the way that God’s expects her to go.

Paul wanted his “children” in the faith to be “imitators” of him (verse 16). It’s not that he was the perfect example for them to pattern themselves after. It’s just that he was doing his very best to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), and he wanted and expected them to do the same. This statement also serves as evidence for following “approved apostolic examples.” The inspired revelation of the Apostles’ actions serves as authority for us to repeat the same practices (obviously within the realm of those things which are possible).

Paul said he sent Timothy to the brethren in Corinth to “remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church” (verse 17). There were no “Christian” denominations in the first century that taught various teachings and diverse doctrines. There was only the church of Christ (Romans 16:16), and Paul taught the same things in every congregation that he took part in preaching at. And he did not teach “the doctrine of Paul” (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). He and Peter and Apollos and Christ all taught the very same things. The Apostles taught only the pure, unadulterated “doctrine of Christ” (2 John 1:9), under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

“The kingdom of God” (verse 20) was present and active and powerful, even in the first century. People who are anticipating Christ to return to this earth and establish an earthly kingdom are waiting in vain. The kingdom is not a physical “thing” or “place” that you can say “Look here it is!” or “There it is” and see it (Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God is a spiritual “entity” and “realm” and cannot be seen with the eyes located in the sockets of our skulls. The kingdom of God is “within”. It was prophesied that Jesus would come and establish His kingdom during the time period of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:36-45; 7:13-14), and that’s exactly what He did. The kingdom of God IS the church of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18-19).

Please read 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 for tomorrow.

Hope you all have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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