1 Corinthians 4:5-6 (ESV)
[5] Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the
Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will
disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation
from God. [6] I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your
benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written,
that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
The word in verse 6 translated
“arrogant” in the NAS and “puffed up” in the ESV is used 6 times in the first
letter to the Corinthians. There was division in the church over whom to
follow, Paul, Apollos, Peter, or Christ. Arrogance was the issue. There was
arrogance over sin that was being excused in the church. There was arrogance
regarding spiritual gifts. There was arrogance regarding who had the most
knowledge. “Puffed up,” is a good translation. The literal idea is exactly
that; to be puffed up, blown up; to think of yourself as bigger than you really
are; pride and arrogance. There is no room in the church for arrogance. There
is no place in the Kingdom of God for pride. As a believer in Jesus Christ I do
not have the right to look down my nose at a fellow servant of Christ. If
anyone had a right to be arrogant toward the Corinthian believers it might be Paul.
Certainly he should have been considered superior to the Corinthian Christians
and yet Paul did not display that attitude. He simply referred to himself as a
servant of Christ and a steward “of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor 4:1). Too
often we like to think of ourselves as purveyors of the mysteries of God, or leaders
and people of influence in the church of God. But here is Paul, a servant and a
steward. A steward is literally a subordinate executing official orders. Servants
are the ones in the room who gathers no attention to themselves. The Apostle Paul
does not view himself as someone of prestige or importance, but as a servant. In
Paul’s mind there is no room for arrogance. Ministry is not about attention and
importance. It is about Jesus.
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