"In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy!" (ESV says, "faithful"!)
Last week, in I Corinthians 3:16-23, the apostle Paul continued to exhort the Corinthian "brothers" about the jealousies and strife, and divisions and factions, that were occurring in the church of Corinth--things that were threatening to destroy the "church of God in Corinth," the church that Paul had founded, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ! "Do you not know," he asked, "that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" And that God jealously guards that which is holy, and that "if any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him--for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are"! So, he urged that they not follow the ways and wisdom of the world by living as they were, among other things, in "boasting in men" and favoring one leader over another, all of which was "foolishness to God"! Don't you know that "all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come! All things belong to you and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God"! MacArthur commented that, "In Christ not just some but all good and holy things are for the believer's blessing and God's glory"! And we noted how the apostle Peter (in II Peter 1:3) wrote, "Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence"! And Paul added, in Ephesians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in Him"! And so, the basis, and necessity, for them to be united together as believers and servants of Jesus Christ!
And with that, speaking of "servants of Jesus Christ," and setting the scene for our lesson last night on I Corinthians 4, where the apostle Paul begins by explaining more about what a true servant of Christ actually is, how he should live, what he must endure, and how he should be viewed by all of us!
"Let a man regard us (speaking of himself, Apollos and Cephas, and all fellow ministers), in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God"! The word "servant" in this passage, in the Greek, meaning "under rower"! Picturing large big-bellied, wooden ships which in those days had three levels of oars, with slaves at the bottom level of the ships known as the "under-rowers," or "galley slaves," following the captain's commands, and performing the most menial, and despised, task of rowing at the bottom tier of the boat!
A slightly different word for "servant" is used in II Corinthians 6:4, with the Greek meaning "table waiter"--where Paul writes, "...in everything commending ourselves as servants ( or "table waiters") of God"! And so, Paul pictures a "servant of God" in these passages as being nothing more than a third-level "galley slave," or "table waiter"! (Jesus used this same second word for servants, incidentally, in describing His disciples, in Luke's gospel!)
In that II Corinthians 6 passage noted above, Paul goes on (in verses 4-10) to describe some of the things that came along with being a true servant of God (or at least it did for him, and it's all but mind-boggling!): "in much endurance (he says), in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labor, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth; in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well known, as dying and yet we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things"! Wow!
But not only a "servant of Christ"! A "steward of the mysteries of God"! A "steward" typically describes a special kind of servant who is entrusted with the administration of another person's property, or estate, charged with looking after his master's interests, and being accountable to him for what happens! And "the mysteries of God" refers to divine revelation previously hidden! Paul wrote about this, you'll remember, in I Corinthians 2:7-9, where he said, "But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, but just as it is written: 'things which the eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those that love Him"!
And so the Bible is the unfolding of the "mysteries of God," and the faithful steward who is accountable to God will diligently attend himself to it! The apostle Paul exhorts Timothy, in II Timothy 2:15, to "be diligent in presenting himself approved to God as workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth"!
The apostle Peter writes (in I Peter 4:10), "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God!" And so, we too as believers are called as "stewards of God"!
Whew! The Bible Hub notes how I Corinthians 4 "portrays the paradoxical nature of apostle life as lowly in the eyes of the world but rich in spiritual blessing"!
MacArthur notes that the most important foundational virtue of a servant of the Lord--the "benchmark of a faithful servant"--is summed up with the word "humility"! And we see that quality consistently manifested in the ministry of the apostle Paul! Acts 20:19. for example, describes Paul traveling through Asia, "serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came to him through the plots of the Jews"! In Ephesians 3:8-12, he writes, "To me, the very least of all saints (note his own assessment of himself!), this grace was given to me, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery (there it is again!) which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This is in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore, I do not lose heart at my tribulation on your behalf, for they are for your glory!"
In verses 6-7, Paul returns to his concern about strife and factions in the church, noting how he had used himself and Apollos as "illustrations" for the Corinthians (as the Phillip's translation puts it) "so that they might learn from them how not to assess man above his value in God's sight, and thus avoid arrogance and the friction that comes exalting one teacher against another" (ESV says "becoming puffed up in favor of one against another"!)
Then, beginning with verse 8, Paul resorts to using "sarcasm" to rebuke the Corinthians about how they viewed themselves spiritually, in their false way of thinking--likening them to the "lukewarm Laodiceans" (of Revelation 3) who John describes as those thinking of themselves, and presenting themselves before the world, as rich and wealthy and in need of nothing, not realizing that they were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked"! By contrast Paul notes how "God has exhibited us (again speaking of himself and Apollos) as last of all, as men condemned to death--becoming a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men...and fools for Christ's sake"! He goes on in his sarcasm: "You are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor! To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; and poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless! We toil, working with our hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now"! (Seeming to picture the apostles as being dragged into the Roman colosseum as a "spectacle to the world," like doomed gladiators in the arena!)
All this reflecting the kind of treatment the apostle Paul was willing to endure in order to proclaim the gospel! (Giving further credence to the Bible Hug's assessment, "portraying the paradoxical nature of apostolic life, as lowly in the eyes of the Lord but rich in spiritual blessing"!
Interestingly, Jesus, in Matthew 19:28, said to his disciples that "those who left everything and followed Him, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, would (one day!) sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel'!
So why did Paul write what he did (as noted above)? To shame the Corinthians? "I did not write these things to shame you," he says, "but to admonish you as my beloved children"--picturing himself as their "spiritual father," through the gospel! And for that reason, Constable notes, he became very stern with them and felt a tremendous sense of responsibility as a loving father to his children, to exhort them and set an example for them, and calling for them "to imitate him" as he sought to imitate Christ! And for that purpose, he said he had sent for Timothy, "his beloved and faithful child in the Lord," who he said would "remind them of my ways which are in Christ"!
And so, as Constable notes, Paul concluded this first major section of his epistle (chapters 1-4) "by asserting his apostolic authority, which led him to exhort and try to correct the Corinthian's shameful conduct and carnal philosophy, ending with a warning that if they didn't respond to his gentle approach (as a loving father!) to correct their problems, he would have to deal with them more severely when he returned to Corinth (speaking again as a "spiritual father")! We'll see!
I'm sure that Paul could relate, with all of us as fathers (whether just physical, or "spiritual" fathers), to the apostle John's words in 3rd John 4. "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth!"
"Rise up, O men of God, for you the church doth wait!" Sing it with me!
Lowell
Last week, in I Corinthians 3:16-23, the apostle Paul continued to exhort the Corinthian "brothers" about the jealousies and strife, and divisions and factions, that were occurring in the church of Corinth--things that were threatening to destroy the "church of God in Corinth," the church that Paul had founded, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ! "Do you not know," he asked, "that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" And that God jealously guards that which is holy, and that "if any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him--for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are"! So, he urged that they not follow the ways and wisdom of the world by living as they were, among other things, in "boasting in men" and favoring one leader over another, all of which was "foolishness to God"! Don't you know that "all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come! All things belong to you and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God"! MacArthur commented that, "In Christ not just some but all good and holy things are for the believer's blessing and God's glory"! And we noted how the apostle Peter (in II Peter 1:3) wrote, "Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence"! And Paul added, in Ephesians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in Him"! And so, the basis, and necessity, for them to be united together as believers and servants of Jesus Christ!
And with that, speaking of "servants of Jesus Christ," and setting the scene for our lesson last night on I Corinthians 4, where the apostle Paul begins by explaining more about what a true servant of Christ actually is, how he should live, what he must endure, and how he should be viewed by all of us!
"Let a man regard us (speaking of himself, Apollos and Cephas, and all fellow ministers), in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God"! The word "servant" in this passage, in the Greek, meaning "under rower"! Picturing large big-bellied, wooden ships which in those days had three levels of oars, with slaves at the bottom level of the ships known as the "under-rowers," or "galley slaves," following the captain's commands, and performing the most menial, and despised, task of rowing at the bottom tier of the boat!
A slightly different word for "servant" is used in II Corinthians 6:4, with the Greek meaning "table waiter"--where Paul writes, "...in everything commending ourselves as servants ( or "table waiters") of God"! And so, Paul pictures a "servant of God" in these passages as being nothing more than a third-level "galley slave," or "table waiter"! (Jesus used this same second word for servants, incidentally, in describing His disciples, in Luke's gospel!)
In that II Corinthians 6 passage noted above, Paul goes on (in verses 4-10) to describe some of the things that came along with being a true servant of God (or at least it did for him, and it's all but mind-boggling!): "in much endurance (he says), in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labor, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth; in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well known, as dying and yet we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things"! Wow!
But not only a "servant of Christ"! A "steward of the mysteries of God"! A "steward" typically describes a special kind of servant who is entrusted with the administration of another person's property, or estate, charged with looking after his master's interests, and being accountable to him for what happens! And "the mysteries of God" refers to divine revelation previously hidden! Paul wrote about this, you'll remember, in I Corinthians 2:7-9, where he said, "But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, but just as it is written: 'things which the eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those that love Him"!
And so the Bible is the unfolding of the "mysteries of God," and the faithful steward who is accountable to God will diligently attend himself to it! The apostle Paul exhorts Timothy, in II Timothy 2:15, to "be diligent in presenting himself approved to God as workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth"!
The apostle Peter writes (in I Peter 4:10), "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God!" And so, we too as believers are called as "stewards of God"!
Whew! The Bible Hub notes how I Corinthians 4 "portrays the paradoxical nature of apostle life as lowly in the eyes of the world but rich in spiritual blessing"!
MacArthur notes that the most important foundational virtue of a servant of the Lord--the "benchmark of a faithful servant"--is summed up with the word "humility"! And we see that quality consistently manifested in the ministry of the apostle Paul! Acts 20:19. for example, describes Paul traveling through Asia, "serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came to him through the plots of the Jews"! In Ephesians 3:8-12, he writes, "To me, the very least of all saints (note his own assessment of himself!), this grace was given to me, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery (there it is again!) which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This is in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore, I do not lose heart at my tribulation on your behalf, for they are for your glory!"
In verses 6-7, Paul returns to his concern about strife and factions in the church, noting how he had used himself and Apollos as "illustrations" for the Corinthians (as the Phillip's translation puts it) "so that they might learn from them how not to assess man above his value in God's sight, and thus avoid arrogance and the friction that comes exalting one teacher against another" (ESV says "becoming puffed up in favor of one against another"!)
Then, beginning with verse 8, Paul resorts to using "sarcasm" to rebuke the Corinthians about how they viewed themselves spiritually, in their false way of thinking--likening them to the "lukewarm Laodiceans" (of Revelation 3) who John describes as those thinking of themselves, and presenting themselves before the world, as rich and wealthy and in need of nothing, not realizing that they were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked"! By contrast Paul notes how "God has exhibited us (again speaking of himself and Apollos) as last of all, as men condemned to death--becoming a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men...and fools for Christ's sake"! He goes on in his sarcasm: "You are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor! To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; and poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless! We toil, working with our hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now"! (Seeming to picture the apostles as being dragged into the Roman colosseum as a "spectacle to the world," like doomed gladiators in the arena!)
All this reflecting the kind of treatment the apostle Paul was willing to endure in order to proclaim the gospel! (Giving further credence to the Bible Hug's assessment, "portraying the paradoxical nature of apostolic life, as lowly in the eyes of the Lord but rich in spiritual blessing"!
Interestingly, Jesus, in Matthew 19:28, said to his disciples that "those who left everything and followed Him, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, would (one day!) sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel'!
So why did Paul write what he did (as noted above)? To shame the Corinthians? "I did not write these things to shame you," he says, "but to admonish you as my beloved children"--picturing himself as their "spiritual father," through the gospel! And for that reason, Constable notes, he became very stern with them and felt a tremendous sense of responsibility as a loving father to his children, to exhort them and set an example for them, and calling for them "to imitate him" as he sought to imitate Christ! And for that purpose, he said he had sent for Timothy, "his beloved and faithful child in the Lord," who he said would "remind them of my ways which are in Christ"!
And so, as Constable notes, Paul concluded this first major section of his epistle (chapters 1-4) "by asserting his apostolic authority, which led him to exhort and try to correct the Corinthian's shameful conduct and carnal philosophy, ending with a warning that if they didn't respond to his gentle approach (as a loving father!) to correct their problems, he would have to deal with them more severely when he returned to Corinth (speaking again as a "spiritual father")! We'll see!
I'm sure that Paul could relate, with all of us as fathers (whether just physical, or "spiritual" fathers), to the apostle John's words in 3rd John 4. "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth!"
"Rise up, O men of God, for you the church doth wait!" Sing it with me!
Lowell
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