Today as we continue our processing though the book of 1 Corinthians, we’re turning to chapter 4 and the end of the first section of the book. The overarching idea of the letter is to refocus us, the readers, on what is supposed to be central in our lives.
In Corinth, the church had drifted from focusing on Christ to focusing on being impressive. And the symptom of not keeping Christ central was division. Paul is calling them back, not with guilt or punishment, but instead, as he says:
I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. (1 Corinthians 4:14)
Now the city of Corinth was, in many ways, a land of opportunity. It was a major crossroads and a port city, so it was an important center for trade with a huge commercial economy. It was a wealthy city with a highly diverse population. The city was also a place to build a career; there was opportunity for people with skills and ambition. Paul himself worked there as a tentmaker or leatherworker, alongside Priscilla and Aquila. And Corinth was full of a variety of temples, religious practices, entertainment, and public gatherings. It was a city where people were exposed to many competing ideas about God, morality, identity, and how to live.
The United States has also been called a land of opportunity, because it represented the possibility of building a better life through freedom, hard work, and opportunity.
We’re not going to have a political conversation, but in order to move us toward processing our text for today, I want to talk about the good and the bad about living in a “land of opportunity.”
Working as a table, list some of the positive and negative things about living in a “land of opportunity.”
With what you just wrote in mind, let’s talk about this:
What are some things a person or community should be acutely aware of and cautious about while living in a “land of opportunity”?
Think about this: just because someone looks put together and successful and even “blessed” doesn’t necessarily mean they are on the right track. God looks at faithfulness, not success.
Today, we’re going to process the unhealthy potential spiral that can come from thinking the opposite—that God sees success, not faithfulness. We’ll see Paul use some heavy questions and even a little sarcasm to give the people of Corinth a warning. He asks them this:
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? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
Paul says, Do you think you are better than everyone else? How did you, in your eyes, get to be so impressive? Why do you think all the good things you have are to your credit?
Wow, Paul, that’s pretty intense! But there’s more:
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! (1 Corinthians 4:8)
We are supposed to feel Paul’s sarcastic tone. Yikes! But then he drives it home:
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! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 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. (1 Corinthians 4:10-13)
But again, this was not just a moment of scolding. It was meant to be a moment of hope.
I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. (1 Corinthians 4:14)
Paul is calling out that God is looking for faithfulness, not success.
As we have pointed out several times in the last few weeks, in Corinth, being impressive was the point. It wasn’t just a thing—it was the thing. And this cultural issue had an impact on the church there.
Wanting to be impressive plus living in a land of opportunity led to this formula:
If:
Walking in God’s will = God’s blessing
Not walking in God’s will = separation from God’s blessing
Then:
Appearing blessed = must be walking in God’s will
Appearing unblessed = must not be walking in God’s will
Let’s process this.
What are the risks of being evaluated or evaluating others according to this formula?
As we’re thinking about this, I want to add a few “Jesus moments” into the mix. And remember, the goal of our processing today is not to build our skills in evaluating others! The goal of our processing today is to build our skills in refining our trajectory. We’re asking, Who is at the center? And we’re seeking to make incremental adjustments in trajectory toward making Jesus more central.
The first moment I want to highlight is the parable Jesus told in Matthew 25, about the bags of gold. In this narrative, He had been repeatedly talking about the coming of the end of the age, pointing towards His impending persecution and death and repeatedly reminding His listeners to be ready and faithful in the unknown.
Then He shares this parable of a master who is about to go on a journey entrusting his wealth to his servants. Two put what they received to work, while one buries his to keep it safe. When the master returns after a long time, he calls the servants to settle accounts. The first two, who doubled the amount of gold they had, were both told, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” receiving the same reward and affirmation despite having different results. But the third servant was called wicked and lazy, not because he had less than the other two, but because of what he did with the money he was entrusted with.
The master was looking for faithfulness with what he had given them.
It’s not about whether it’s better to have more or less. It’s about taking what you have been given and being faithful with it. Hold on to that.
The second moment is from Mark 9, when Jesus and the disciples were on the road to Capernaum, and Jesus asked them what they were arguing about.
But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. (Mark 9:34)
Jesus challenges them, saying that whoever wants to be first must be servant of all. And then this is the next moment:
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” (Mark 9:38-41)
The disciples told an outsider to stop, because he was doing something that they thought was their job. Maybe they thought that what he was doing was detracting from what they were doing. But Jesus says, no. Even the most simple of acts of faithfulness are valuable.
“Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” (Mark 9:41)
Someone else being faithful doesn’t detract from your faithfulness. All faithfulness is valuable.
The third moment I want to highlight is from Mark 12. Jesus is in Jerusalem during the final days before His crucifixion. He has been confronting the religious leaders over their hypocrisy and self-interest, and He gives this warning:
As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” (Mark 12:38-40)
And then Jesus observes the people paying into the temple treasury.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)
Jesus so clearly shows here that faithfulness is not about scale, but about our hearts. Faithfulness is not connected to impressiveness.
Okay, let’s bring these things together:
Faithfulness is about putting what you have been given to work. (Matthew 25:14-30 • the parable of the bags of gold)
Your faithfulness is not diminished by other people’s faithfulness. (Mark 9:38-41 • people doing things in Jesus’ name that were not the disciples)
The beauty of faithfulness is not connected to how impressive it is. (Mark 12:41-44 • the widow’s offering)
Here are my questions for you:
What does it mean to be faithful to God? What does faithfulness to God look like?
How does a person know if he or she is being faithful to God? What are some signs that a person is being faithful to God?
Going back to 1 Corinthians 4, Paul drops a one-liner, that, outside of context, might be confusing:
Therefore I urge you to imitate me. (1 Corinthians 4:16)
This could sound awfully self-important, but let’s review the context. The people in the church in Corinth had become proud and self-satisfied. They were aiming at being seen as being wise, strong, honored, and successful, because they thought those things reflected their faithfulness. They were focused on being impressive (and in turn they were impressive). And Paul said:
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! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 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. (1 Corinthians 4:10-13)
Paul said that the people of Corinth were wise and strong and honored, which sounds amazing. But though they were impressive, Paul has been pointing out the issue of their division—the fighting, the jealousy, the looking down on others. As he wrote in chapter 3:
You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? (1 Corinthians 3:3-4)
They looked impressive, but they were still a mess, so they were immature.
Paul on the other hand described himself as foolish for Christ, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally treated, homeless, hardworking, cursed, persecuted, slandered, the scum of the earth, and the garbage of the world. Self defaming? Maybe. But he’s certainly making the point that it’s not about being impressive!
As we saw Paul say back in chapter 2:
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:2-5)
Okay, so as we wrap up this first section of 1 Corinthians, we’ve seen Paul addressing the divisions in the church at Corinth. His call from the beginning was:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10)
And in his final emphasis in chapter 4 is that unity in mind and thought is not going to work if you see yourself as being superior. Walk in humility. Aim at knowing Christ. Trying to be impressive only ends with selfish pride, divisions, arguments, and arrogance.
I am going to take Paul’s dialogue questions and nudge them a little. Paul asks:
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? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
What changes when we see everything we have as a gift rather than a tool for impressing others?
So we have spent five weeks walking though the unity issues of the church in Corinth. Paul is about to shift gears as we move into the next section, but before he does, I want us to end today by discussing this:
What is key in having unity in the church?
What is your part in that unity?
Take It Deeper Questions
Read Matthew 20:1-16 (Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard)
What is your favorite and least favorite household chore?
What was your first job?
Why is it easy to have “fair” or “deserved” be a moving target? What is the impact of that?
What does Jesus mean when He says “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”?
How are you challenged, encouraged, focused and/or confused by this text?
Bible Reading Plan
1 Corinthians 4 • Faithful Servants
1 Corinthians 5 • Confronting Sin
Luke 12 • Faithful and Ready Servants
Philippians 2 • Humility and Christlike Service
2 Corinthians 4 • Treasures in Fragile Vessels
1 Peter 5 • Humble Leadership