Paul concluded this first major section of the epistle (1:10-4:21) by reasserting his apostolic authority, which had led to his correcting the Corinthians' shameful conduct and carnal theology. He changed the metaphor again and now appealed to them as a father to his children. He ended by warning them that if they did not respond to his gentle approach he would have to be more severe.
4:14-15 It was not Paul's purpose in writing the immediately preceding verses to humiliate the Corinthians. Other congregations would read this epistle. However, he did want to admonish them strongly as their father in the faith. They had many "tutors"or "guardians"(Gr. paidagogoi) who sought to bring them along in their growth in grace, but he was their only spiritual father.
"The paidagogoswas the personal attendant who accompanied the boy, took him to school and home again, heard him recite his lines', taught him good manners and generally looked after him; he was entitled to respect and normally received it, but there was no comparison between his relation to the boy and that of the boy's father."97
4:16 The Corinthians were to learn from Paul as a son learns by observing the example of his father.
". . . Paul's actual ethical instruction as it appears in his Epistles rarely uses the language of Jesus as it is recorded in the Gospels; but on every page it reflects his example and his teaching . . ."98
4:17 Timothy would serve as Paul's personal representative in Corinth soon (along with Erastus; Acts 19:22). Several factors point to the probability that Timothy had already departed from Ephesus but had not yet arrived in Corinth when Paul wrote this epistle (cf. Acts 19:22). One of these is Paul's lack of reference to Timothy in this epistle's salutation. A second is the tense of the verb translated "have sent"(NASB) or "am sending"(NIV; epempsa, aorist tense). A third is Paul's later reference to Timothy (16:10-11). Timothy was, of course, one of Paul's closest and most trusted fellow workers.
Paul's way of life here refers to the ethical principles that he taught and practiced.
". . . the Christian leader today not only must teach the gospel, but also must teach how the gospel works out in daily life and conduct. And that union must be modeled as well as explained.
"The need is evident even at a confessional seminary like the one at which I teach. Increasingly, we have students who come from thoroughly pagan or secular backgrounds, who have been converted in their late teens or twenties, and who come to us in their thirties. Not uncommonly, they spring from dysfunctional families, and they carry a fair bit of baggage. More dramatically yet, a surprising number of them cannot easily make connections between the truths of the gospel and how to live.
"A couple of years ago a student who was about to graduate was called in by one of our faculty members who had learned the student was planning to return to computer science and abandon plans to enter vocational ministry. The student was pleasant, with a solid B+ to his credit. But as the faculty member probed, it became obvious that this student had not put it all together. He could define propitiation but did not know what it was like to feel forgiven. He could defend the priority of grace in salvation but still felt as if he could never be good enough to be a minister. He could define holiness but found himself practicing firm self-discipline rather than pursuing holiness. His life and his theological grasp had not come together.
"Mercifully, this particular faculty member was spiritually insightful. He took the student back to the cross and worked outward from that point. The student began to weep and weep as he glimpsed the love of God for him. Today he is in the ministry."99
Paul gave another gentle reminder that it was the Corinthians and not he who had departed from the Christian way. What he reminded them of here was standard teaching in all the churches (cf. 1:2; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33, 36).
4:18 Some of the Corinthians who did not value Paul as highly as they should have had become puffed up in their own estimation of themselves and their ideas (cf. v. 6). They had done so as though they would not face him again. Evidently they felt he would not return to Corinth, and even if he did, they could overcome his influence.
4:19 However, Paul did plan to return if God allowed him to do so. Evidently he was not able to return for some time. In 2 Corinthians he responded to criticism from within the church to the effect that he had promised to come but did not (2 Cor. 1:15-18).
Paul knew that all the pretension to superior wisdom in the church was a result to viewing things from a worldly perspective; there was no reality behind it.
4:20 The apostle returned to his earlier contrast between words and real power (2:1-5). Real power is the power of the Holy Spirit working through humble messengers. The kingdom of God here does not refer to the future millennial kingdom but to God's present rule over His people in the church, as the context clarifies.
4:21 The Corinthians' response to this epistle would determine whether the apostle would return to them as a disciplining or as a delighted father. A spirit of gentleness also marked the Lord Jesus (Matt. 11:29), though it stood in stark contrast to the spirit of arrogance in Corinth.
Paul concluded this part of 1 Corinthians with a strong confronting challenge.
"Christian leadership means being entrusted with the mysteries' of God (4:1-7).
"Christian leadership means living life in the light of the cross (4:8-13).
"Christian leadership means encouraging--and if necessary, enforcing--the way of the cross among the people of God (4:14-21)."100
The depreciation of some of their teachers resulted in the Corinthians' not deriving benefit from them. It also manifested a serious error in the Corinthians' outlook. They were evaluating God's servants as natural unbelieving people do. This carnal perspective is the main subject of chapters 1-4. The Corinthians had not allowed the Holy Spirit to transform their attitudes.
"Paul's view of the Christian ministry as revealed in this section (1 Cor. 3-4) may now be summed up. The ministry is a divine provision which is responsible to Christ. It is a part of the Church given to the rest of the Church to be employed in its service. It comprises a multiplicity of gifts and functions, but is united by the unity of God and the unity of the Church. It serves the Church by itself first living out the life of suffering and sacrifice exhibited by the Lord on earth, thereby setting an example for the Church as a whole to follow."101
"Even though at times Paul seems to be weaving in and out of several topics, the concern throughout is singular: to stop a current fascination with wisdom' on the part of the Corinthians that has allowed them not only to boast,' but to stand over against Paul and his gospel. With a variety of turns to the argument he sets forth his gospel over against their wisdom' and tries to reshape their understanding of ministry and church. . . .
"The changes of tone in this passage reveal some of the real tensions that continue to exist in Christian ministry. How to be prophetic without being harsh or implying that one is above the sins of others. How to get people to change their behavior to conform to the gospel when they think too highly of themselves. There is no easy answer, as this passage reveals. But one called to minister in the church must ever strive to do it; calling people to repentance is part of the task."102
Perhaps Paul originally intended to end this epistle here.103This opinion rests on the fact that the first four chapters could stand alone. This view points out the unity of this section of the letter. However it is impossible to prove or to disprove this hypothesis.
"It becomes evident in chaps. 5 through 14 as specific problems in the Corinthian community are considered and as pastoral directions are given that at the same time something else is going on. With statements here and there, the epistemology presented in 1:18-2:16 is kept before the readers. They are nudged into viewing themselves and their congregational life in new and different ways, consistent with the message of the crucified Messiah."104
