Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I Wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.
1 Corinthians 4:6-8
On the basis of what he said before this, Paul says what gives you the right to make such a judgement? That is, to be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. Do you see this is said in the light of what has gone before it and the notion of whose judgement really counts? Not what the Corinthians say, not what others say, not what Paul himself thinks but God’s judgement! It also takes us right back to the I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Kephas (Peter) attitude? Yes of course you do. It is clear and you are not slow to pick it up. I am merely focusing on it for emphasis. It is manifestly evident that Paul considers this a big thing. He has focused on this matter since 1:11 having heard about it from Chloe’s group. It must have upset them too to see what was happening in the Corinthian church, just like it upsets us when we see it happening in our church or someone else’s. It is a big deal and it is certainly a big deal to God. For that reason Paul handles this first issue from chapter one to chapter four.
He is using himself and Apollos to illustrate the point and develops the idea of the folly of attitude of making comparisons. Then Paul makes an interesting comment related to reigning. He uses the word three times. Effectively he said, “you think you are reigning, I wish you were reigning then we would be reigning with you. But ah, is it true? Not while you hold these attitudes because they disqualify you from reigning in reality”. Paul was saying wake up and take a sober look at yourselves because you are not where you think you are. Your foolish judgements are actually far from the truth. You ought to be reigning in Christ. That much is true. But your foolish attitudes to leaders and others are dragging you and the body of Christ down.
Don’t let that be true of you in this day and age.
My criticisms show my heart.
Fenelon
As we must account for every idle word – so we must for every idle silence.
Benjamin Franklin