The apostle Paul settles a
controversy in the Corinthians church through the inspiration of the Spirit by
pointing out the source of the conflict: the selfish ambition of those in the
fight. People were taking sides in the church saying that one teacher was better
than another. Paul levels the field concerning the teachers emphasizing their
unity by asking, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom
you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” (1 Corinthians
3:5) 1 Corinthians 4 builds on this fact concerning the church leadership: “Let
a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God.” Here we find the first page of a photo album (if you will),
a series of snapshots picturing the Servant of the Lord.
The Servant of the Lord is (and
some points are worth deeper exploration):
- Servant of
Christ (1 Cor 4:1)
- Steward of
the mysteries of God (4:1)
- Trustworthy/faithful
(4:2)
- Examined/assessed/evaluated
by the Lord, not by men (4:3-4)
- Obedient to
The Master (4:5)
- “Does not
exceed what is written”; that is, he follows the job description written by
God. Why ask more of a man than God? (4:6)
- The least of
all (4:9)
- Condemned to
death (4:9)
- A spectacle
to the world, angels and men alike (4:9)
- Fool for Christ’s sake (4:10)
- Hungry and thirsty (4:11)
- Poorly clothed (4:11)
- Roughly treated (4:11)
- Homeless (4:11)
- Worker with the hands (4:12)
- Blesser, when reviled (4:12)
- Endurer, when persecuted (4:12)
- Encourager When slandered (4:13)
- Scum of the world, dregs of all things (4:13)
- Admonisher (4:14)
- Fatherly in the gospel (4:15)
- Model (4:16)
- Supporter (4:17)
- Teacher (4:17)
- Present, engaged (4:18-19)
- Conduit of Kingdom Power (4:20)
- Shepherd (4:21)
