BIG IDEA:
THE JUDGMENT OF THE LORD IS ALL THAT MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO ULTIMATE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
INTRODUCTION:
We all are used to performance reviews at work. We are used to receiving them – might not like them all that much – if we supervise people, we are also used to giving them. We have a set of criteria that we use to measure performance. Some standards might be more objective and easier to evaluate . . . others are more subjective and take into account a variety of intangible attributes. The Corinthian believers had wrongly established themselves as judges over the effectiveness of the gifted preachers in their church. This had caused them to align with particular personalities in a manner that was divisive. Paul settles the issue decisively by pointing to the ultimate accountability of the Lord when He returns to evaluate the job done by His servants. Faithfulness will be the standard. And the scope of judgment will extend to “the things hidden in the darkness” and “the motives of men’s hearts.” There is the prospect of great reward and praise in that day; but let no one usurp the Lord’s prerogative of judging His own servants. Christians have an unhealthy bent towards being judgmental in critiquing those who are publicly ministering the Word of God by preaching and teaching. We are charged to be like the Bereans in making sure that the message is in line with the whole of Scripture. But we are not allowed to judge on the basis of motives or personality preferences.
He is not saying that Christian ministers have no earthly accountability within the governance of the local church. He is not saying that we should not examine our own hearts before the Lord and correct any deficiencies brought to light by our conscience as informed by the Holy Spirit. He is addressing the issue of ultimate accountability. How will one minister stack up against another at the end of the day? Why is it wrong for Christians to take it upon themselves to try to judge the ministry work of others when they have no oversight over those ministers? How can Christian ministers become complacent and overconfident if they put too much stock in their own self-evaluation of their own ministries? The one who examines us is the Lord = the one who knows all about us – even to the motives and hidden thoughts of our hearts. When He returns, He will give out the rewards that are appropriate.
Richard Hays: Paul reintroduces the servant metaphor here (cf. 3:5), but now with a different purpose. In 3:5–9, his point was that God’s servants are all serving a single common purpose; in 4:1–5, however, his point is that he and the other apostles, as God’s servants, are accountable to no one but God. The thing that matters is not whether they are winning popularity contests among the Corinthians but whether they are trustworthy (pistos, 4:2), that is, whether they are following their master’s instructions. Thus, their status as servants sets them free from having to court favor in the church. This may seem paradoxical to us, but within the social world of Paul’s time, his point was perfectly understandable: Servants or slaves of powerful masters often enjoyed positions of considerable delegated authority, being charged with major administrative responsibility for affairs of the household. Paul’s image of the steward (oikonomos, 4:1) evokes this picture of the slave-in-charge. (In a world where there are no longer slaves in charge of big households, we might think analogically of the foreman in charge of a construction crew or the chief of staff in the White House.) The same picture of the trustworthy servant appears in a parable of Jesus: “Who then is the faithful (pistos) and prudent manager (oikonomos) whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives” (Luke 12:42–43). To be a “servant of Chnst” (1 Cor. 4:1) is, in Paul’s symbolic world, a position of privilege and authority. Thus, Paul uses this image to assert his independence from the Corinthians’ judgments of him and his exclusive accountability to the Lord.
Mark Taylor: In 4:1–5 Paul recounts how human judgments are a very small matter to him. In saying this he is not trying to challenge the Corinthians in an arrogant way as though he is beyond human scrutiny, nor does it seem that his primary motivation is personal self-defense, a response to those in Corinth seeking to judge him.385 Rather, Paul’s chief aim is related to the command of 3:21, to persuade the Corinthian believers to cease from boasting in men, whether it be Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or their local leaders. Paul wants the Corinthians to become imitators of him as he imitates Christ (4:6–13,16–17) and to understand that the only examination that counts is God’s judgment on the Day of the Lord. God alone appraises and discerns accurately the motives of the heart. All human appraisals, including self-appraisals, always fall short. For this reason final judgments must be withheld until the Lord comes (cf. 3:13–17) when God will bring to light the secret things of darkness and will expose the counsels of the heart. The only “praise” that counts is the praise that comes from God.
I. (:1) THE ROLE OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER –
TWOFOLD JOB DESCRIPTION
“Let a man regard us in this manner”
How should Christian ministers want others to view them? What type of job description have the leaders of the church written for themselves? What are they trying to accomplish?
A. Servants of Christ
John MacArthur: Paul expresses his humility by using a word lit. meaning “under rowers,” referring to the lowest, most menial, and most despised galley slaves, who rowed on the bottom tier of a ship (9:16; see Luk 1:2; Ac 20:19).
Anthony Thiselton: The two Greek words are suggestive in emphasizing respectively the menial service that a relatively low-level slave may give to his or her master, and the management role that a slave who may administer a household, an estate, or a business on behalf of his or her master may equally provide. . .
Paul combines the two themes of the genuine honor of serving and of the need to be responsible and worthy of trust in handling the Lord’s affairs. This entails a faithful dispensing of what God has given, not a self-constructed theology of affirmation or self-glory. A chemist or pharmacist is required to administer whatever medicine is prescribed, not to substitute supposed “improvements.” Ministry may involve taking delegated responsibility to execute a given purpose.
Paul Gardner: Leaders are servants who work for Christ, and so they should be regarded in this way. “Servants” and “stewards” (4:1c) both introduce clauses in apposition to “us” (hence the accusatives in Greek). The word “servant” (ὑπηρέτης) is not used elsewhere in Paul’s writings. In 3:5 Paul used a more common word (διάκονος). The word here can simply mean “subordinates. But as the second phrase shows, Paul’s thought centers on serving Christ in his household.
Gordon Fee: Thus apostles are to be regarded as “servants of Christ,” reemphasizing their humble position and their belonging to Christ alone; at the same time they are “stewards of God’s mysteries” (NRSV), emphasizing both their trusted position and their accountability to God.
B. Stewards of the Mysteries of God
Doug Goins: Paul has already introduced us to the mysteries of God. In 2:7 he is talking about his teaching ministry in Corinth: “…We speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory….” This mysterious, hidden wisdom isn’t understood by the natural man apart from Jesus Christ. It can be known only through divine revelation. It is the Biblical deposit of truth that contains the secrets of life. So a teacher or a preacher in this household of faith is to take God’s revealed word and dispense it to the household. We’re to administer all of it, to hold nothing back.
James Boyer: The word “mystery” in the Bible denotes something which can be known only by revelation. It is not something that can be figured out from reason. It must be told. Christ’s servants have been entrusted with a treasure of great truths, previously not known to men but now made known in the gospel. It is their responsibility to administer these treasures according to the instructions and the will of their giver, God.
Craig Blomberg: “The secret things” (v. 1b) are “the mysteries,” as in 2:7—those aspects of the gospel once hidden but now revealed, and centering on the cross of Christ.
Paul Gardner: Paul seeks to achieve two ends at the same time. He must make it clear, firstly, that he and the other apostles or leaders are servants of Christ, and therefore people should not look to them as some form of guru who is to be followed because of their great giftedness or communication skills. They serve a “Lord” (vv. 4 and 5) and are answerable to him for their work. But, secondly, he must keep the way open to being able to exercise a genuine apostolic leadership among them. These two clauses taken together help Paul achieve that. They stress that he is a servant, takes orders, and is there to serve Christ and his church. Yet they also reinforce that, as in any household where there would have been many servants, Paul holds a position of oversight.
II. (:2) THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE CHRISTAIN MINISTER = FAITHFULNESS = THE ONE ESSENTIAL STANDARD OF MEASUREMENT
“In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards
that one be found trustworthy.”
A steward is responsible for the capable administration of the property of another; hence faithfulness is the primary standard of evaluation.
- 2 Tim. 2:2
- Acts 20:27
Gordon Fee: Not eloquence, nor wisdom (nor “initiative,” nor “success”—the more standard contemporary requirements), but faithfulness to the trust, is what God requires of his servants. For Paul this means absolute fidelity to the gospel as he received it and preached it (cf. 15:1–11). His intent, of course, is not to provide a general maxim for Christian ministry—although it is still the only valid criterion—but to set up the singular criterion by which God alone could be his judge and which would therefore rule out the Corinthian “examination” of him and his ministry.
III. (:3-4) THE REVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER:
A. By Other Believers — Inconsequential
“But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you,”
Ray Stedman: Stuart Briscoe says there are three kinds of congregational pressure —
- There is adulation, which swells the head;
- There is manipulation, which ties the hands; and
- There is antagonism, which breaks the heart.
Preacher needs to guard against getting prideful as well as getting discouraged by the comments of others.
Paul Gardner: The Corinthians, in line with their society, have been seeking after status and stature in the community that were based on deeply false assumptions about what it is to be spiritual. While they have looked to what grace-gifts leaders have received, to rhetorical abilities and the like, Paul has shown them another way, God’s way.
David Garland: He does not assume that the examination by the Corinthians will result in a negative fitness report. It also could be positive. His point, however, is that it makes no difference what the conclusion is, whether he is judged to come up short or lauded with praise. Neither verdict carries weight with God; and, consequently, it does not carry weight with him. He hopes that they will learn to share this attitude.
B. Any Element of Society – Inappropriate / Irrelevant
“or by any human court”
Society can be very unkind in their characterization of preachers.
C. By Self — Inadequate
“in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against
myself, yet I am not by this acquitted”
John MacArthur: Paul’s own sincere evaluation of his life did not acquit him of all failures to be faithful.
Paul Gardner: Paul’s self-awareness is not what finally counts. It is simply a guide as he seeks to be faithful. What counts is the judgment of God, and for that he must rely on God’s mercy and grace. It is interesting here and in the next verse to note that he uses the title “Lord.” As the covenant Lord who “comes” (v. 5), he alone has the authority to pronounce judgment.
David Prior: The essential ground for Paul’s clear conscience is the fact that God ‘justifies the ungodly’ (Rom. 4:5) by virtue of the cross of Christ. So, when Paul says in verse 4 that, because there is nothing on his conscience, he is not thereby justified, he is actually pointing to the only grounds of justification and the only source of a clear conscience – Jesus Christ and him crucified. No wonder he made that the kernel of his preaching.
D. By the Lord — Indispensable
“but the one who examines me is the Lord”
Daniel Akin: One of the most egregious aspects of judgmentalism is that we put ourselves in the place of God, who is the rightful Judge of us all. James 4:12 makes this clear: “There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” Paul develops this principle in light of how the Corinthians carnally evaluated the worth of different leaders in the church. Paul could not care less about any human assessment. Ultimately God will render an accurate and final judgment of each person’s service.
Paul places things in proper perspective when it comes to how others see him and his ministry for Christ and the church. First, “It is of little importance to me that I should be judged by you.” Paul knows what they say about him. He knows their opinion of him. He considers it, but it does not consume him. Second, it does not matter to him if he is judged by “any human court.” Their opinion doesn’t matter all that much either. Anticipating what Paul will say in verses 4-5, Mark Taylor writes, “A human ‘day’ in court is quite insignificant in comparison with the judgment day of God” (1 Corinthians, 114). Third, Paul boldly states, “I don’t even judge myself.” He explains what he means in the following verse: “For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges” (v. 4). Tom Schreiner writes,
Paul is not “conscious of anything against myself” (CSB), but his own subjective assessment of his ministry is not decisive, for it is the Lord who gives the definitive word, who assesses (anakrinō again) how faithful Paul has been in his ministry. Since the Lord assesses, it follows that he is also the one who “justifies” (dedikaiōmai) and acquits. Paul reflects, then, on the final day, the day when the Lord will judge ministers in terms of their faithfulness to their stewardship. The Corinthians, then, should not presume to render final judgment on the effectiveness of ministers or anyone else before the time of the final judgment — the day the Lord returns. The Corinthians are engaging in an assessment of ministers, but they must desist since their knowledge of others is limited and partial. (1 Corinthians, 99)
Paul seals his argument in verse 5 with a command and a theological observation. He commands, “Don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes.” Paul bases this command on a theological principle: It is the Lord “who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart.” Christians are not to make judgments now because they are the wrong judges and because they judge at the wrong time. The Lord is the only rightful Judge, and his second coming signals the right time. This principle also implies that record of our work for Jesus does not end at death! It continues into the future, for good or evil, by how our lives affected others. This realization is an especially somber reality for the servants and managers of Christ.
The theological principle gets to the core of Paul’s concern. Divine judgment, and only divine judgment, will accomplish two things: it “will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness” and “reveal the intentions of the heart.”
Andrew Noselli: Do not presumptuously judge church teache3rs, Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 1:10 – 3:23 that the Corinthians should regard church teachers not as they would a rhetorician but as Christ’s servants. A master would entrust something to a servant, and the servant’s job was to faithfully manage that charge. Paul’s standard of success was not praise from others but whether he faithfully did what his Master commissioned him to do. The Corinthians should not self-righteously judge Paul, because the only judgment that ultimately matters is when God will flawlessly examine his servants after the Lord returns. Those who serve God are accountable only to God. It encourages God’s faithful servants to know that God will graciously praise them – unlike people who presumptuously judge them.
IV. (:5) THE REWARD FOR THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER =
COMES ULTIMATELY FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE LORD
A. Proper Time for Ultimate Accountability
- Not Now = Premature
“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time”
Mark Taylor: This, of course, does not demand the suspension of all judgment in the present so that there is no discernment whatsoever. Paul explicitly renders judgment against the incestuous man in the next chapter (see 5:3–5). He asks the Corinthians in 5:12, “Are you not to judge those inside?” And in 6:1–11 he scolds them for taking matters before the secular courts rather than before believers. In 4:1–5, Paul is speaking of the evaluation of one’s ministry, of faithfulness to the master in the assigned task. Even here there is the necessity of some discernment provided that due consideration is given to its fallible and limited nature before the final judgment.
- At Christ’s Return = Judgment Seat for Believers
“but wait until the Lord comes”
Adewuya: Paul shows the absurdity of the Corinthians’ eagerness to evaluate his work and that of his fellow workers. If Paul exercises such restraint in evaluating his own work, how much more ought the Corinthians to abstain from such rash judgments? Paul implies that the Corinthians were already judging. Therefore, Paul tells them to wait until the proper time — that is, the time of the Lord’s return. God has the right to judge, and he will do so. He will bring to light what darkness hides and disclose our inward motives. Those who have been faithful in the service of their Master will receive praise from him when he returns. Paul was confident. He does not think that the outcome of judgment will be negative. He has been faithful. When a minister can focus on the judgment seat of Christ, where he or she is confident of giving an account of his or her ministry before an all-knowing Lord, he or she can discount the tainted and biased criticisms of others.
B. Pervasive Scope of Ultimate Accountability
- Examining Private and Unknown Areas (as well as Public Ministry)
“who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness”
John MacArthur: Because Paul speaks here of each man’s praise, I do not believe things hidden in the darkness refers to sins or anything evil, but simply to things presently unknown to us. The passage emphasizes that every believers will have praise, no matter what his works and motives, because “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). All Christians will have some reward and some praise. Who will receive much and who will receive little only God knows. But once the wood, hay, and straw are burned away, the gold, silver, and precious stones will remain to be eternally rewarded.
- Examining Heart Motives
“and disclose the motives of men’s hearts”
Anthony Thiselton: What is hidden in the present is not only the value of supposed success or failure, but especially hidden motivations. The Greek more strictly states that what will be revealed is the wishes or acts of will that proceed from the heart. But heart regularly denotes the seat of desires that lie beneath the surface of the mind (our inward motives, REB). . .
That God alone judges human secrets constitutes both a reminder of human accountability before God and a liberating release from trying to make interim self-assessments on the basis of fallible judgments from the self and from others.
C. Personal Praise from the Divine Judge
“and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”
Richard Hays: Paul’s point is simply that they have arrogated to themselves the right to pass judgment on his work in a way that is inappropriate to their position and impossible for any human being on this side of the parousia. As C. K. Barrett notes (104), the most important words in the final sentence of the paragraph are the first and last: then (not now) each one will receive commendation from God (not from human judges). The business of praise and blame belongs to God.
David Garland: Paul now specifies what the reward is that he only alluded to in 3:8 and 3:14. It is praise from God (cf. Rom. 2:29; 1 Pet. 1:7). While some today with more materialistic longings might prefer something tangible, receiving praise was one of the highest goals in the ancient world (Kuck 1992a: 209; cf. DeSilva 2000: 24–27). It helped identify one’s place in society. Praise bestows honor; blame heaps dishonor. Kuck (1992a) cites many examples from Greco-Roman literature of persons longing for praise in the afterlife. In the Corinthian context, we may infer that the congregation went to extremes in bestowing praise on individual teachers or leaders for their wisdom while berating others. It resulted in the friction dividing the church. Paul intends to drive home the point that ultimate praise comes from God in the judgment, and it is the only praise that matters.