Two Are Better Than One

2009-01-10 - 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-4:21

G. 3:18-4:17 THE IMPORTANCE OF APOSTOLIC MINISTRY

1. 3:18-23 GOD'S ESTIMATE OF THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD

a. 3:18a A WARNING

MeDEIS he-auTON e-xa-paTAto [1818].

Let no one deceive himself.

b. 3:18b LET NOT PHILOSOPHY HOLD BACK FROM TRUE WISDOM

ei tis doKEI [1380] soPHOS EInai en huMIN en to aiOni TOUto,

If any thinks he is wise among you in this :age,

moROS [3474] geNEStho, HIna GEne-tai soPHOS.

let him become a fool, that he become wise.

c. 3:19a GOD COUNTS WORLDLY WISDOM FOOLISH

he gar soPHIa tou KOSmou TOUtou moRIa [3472] paRA to TheO es-tin.

For the wisdom of this :world is foolishness with :God.

d. 3:19b-20 GOD SEES HUMAN WISDOM AS FUTILE

GEgrap-tai gar, Ho drasSOme-nos [1405] tous soPHOUS en te pa-nourGIa [3834] auTON:

For it is written, Who takes the wise in their :craftiness:

kai PAlin, KUri-os giNOSkei tous di-a-lo-gisMOUS [1261] ton soPHON,

20 and again, The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise,

HOti eiSIN MAtai-oi [3152].

that they are vain.

e. 3:21a A WARNING

HOSte meDEIS kauCHAStho[2744]en anTHROpois.

Wherefore let no one glory in men.

f. 3:21b-23 ALL MINISTRIES AND TIME ARE GIFTS FROM GOD

PANta gar huMON es-tin;

For all things are yours;

EIte PAUlos, EIte A-polLOS, EIte KePHAS, EIte KOSmos, EIte zo-E[2222],

22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or world, or life,

EIte THAna-tos, EIte e-nesTOta [1764], EIte MELlon-ta [3195]; PANta huMON;

or death, or thingspresent, or coming; all areyours;

huMEIS de ChrisTOU; ChrisTOS de TheOU.

23 and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

2. 4:1-5 GOSPEL MINISTERS: STEWARDS OF GOD

a. 4:1 TRUE MINISTERS ARE TRUSTEES

HOUtos heMAS lo-giZEStho[3049]ANthro-pos, hos hu-peREtas [5257]ChrisTOU,

Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ,

kai oi-koNOmous [3623]mus-teRIon [3466]TheOU.

and stewards of God's mysteries.

b. 4:2 FAITHFULNESS: PRIME REQUISITE OF TRUSTEES

HOde, loiPON, zeTEItai [2212]en tois oi-koNOmois,

Here, moreover, it is required in the stewards,

HIna pisTOS [4103]tis heu-reTHE.

that one be found faithful.

c. 4:3 PAUL DISREGARDS JUDGMENT OF OTHERS: EVEN HIS OWN

eMOI de eis eLAchisTON [1646] es-tin

But with me it is a very small thing

HIna huph' huMON a-na-kriTHO[350], ehuPO an-throPInes heME-ras:

that I should be judged of you, or of man's day:

alLA, ouDE e-mauTON a-naKRIno.

yea, I judge not my own self.

d. 4:4 THE LORD, NOT PAUL'S CONSCIENCE, JUSTIFIES HIM

ouDEN gar e-mauTOSUnoi-da [4894]; all' ouk en TOUtode-diKAIo-mai [1344]:

For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified:

ho de a-naKRInon me KUriOS es-tin.

but who judges me is theLord.

e. 4:5 SEEING THE LORD WILL JUDGE: WE CAN DISPENSE WITH PRESENT JUDGMENT

HOSte mepro kaiROU [2540], ti KRIne-te [2919],

Wherefore judge nothing before theseason,

HEos an ELtheho KUri-os,

until the Lord come,

hos kai phoTIsei [5461]ta krupTA [2927]tou SKOtous [4655],

who will both light up the hidden thingsof the darkness,

kai pha-neROsei [5319]tas bouLAS [1012]ton kar-diON;

and manifest the counsels of the hearts;

kai TOte ho Epai-nos [1868]geNEse-tai heKAStoaPO tou TheOU.

and then shall each have the praise from :God.

3. 4:6-13 THE WAY FLESH TREATS APOSTOLIC MINISTRY

a. 4:6 IN JUDGING, KEEP WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF SCRIPTURE

TAUta de, a-delPHOI, me-te-scheMAti-sa [3345]eis e-mauTON

Now these, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself

kai A-polLON di' huMAS; HIna en huMIN MAthe-te [3129]

and Apollos for your sakes; that in us you might learn

to MehuPER ha GEgrap-tai;

the Not to go beyond the things written;

HIna meheis huPER tou heNOS phu-siOUSthe [5448]kaTA tou heTErou.

that you be not puffed up for the one against the other.

b. 4:7 ALL TALENTS COME BY GIFT, NOT SELF-ATTAINMENT

tis gar se di-aKRInei [1252]?

For who makes you to differ?

ti de Echeis ho ouk Ela-bes?

and what have you that you did not receive?

ei de kai Ela-bes,

but if you did receive,

ti kauCHASai [2744]hos melaBON?

why do you glory as if you had not received?

c. 4:8 A DELUSION: TO THINK WE ARE ALREADY REIGNING

Edeke-ko-resMEnoi [2880]esTE? Edee-plouTEsa-te​ [4147]?

Already are you filled? already are you become rich?

choRIS heMON e-ba-siLEUsa-te [936]?

have you come to reign without us?

kai OpheLON ge e-ba-siLEUsa-te,

yes and I would indeed you did reign,

HIna kai heMEIS huMIN sun-ba-siLEUso-men [4821].

that we also might reign with you.

d. 4:9 APOSTLES: THE LAST OF THE ARENA'S PROCESSION, FOR A SPECTACLE

doKO[1380], gar, ho TheOS heMAS tous a-poSTOlous [652]esCHAtous [2078],

For, I think, :God has set forth us the apostles last,

aPEdei-xen [584]hos e-pi-tha-naTIous [1935]: HOti THEa-tron [2302]

as doomed to death: for we are become

a-geNEthe-men toKOSmokai agGElois kai anTHROpois.

a spectacle unto the world and to angels and men.

e. 4:10 FOOLS FOR CHRIST'S SAKE

heMEIS moROI [3474]diA ChrisTON, huMEIS de PHROni-moi [5429]en ChrisTO;

We arefools for Christ, but you arewise in Christ;

heMEIS as-theNEIS [772], huMEIS de is-chuROI [2478];

we areweak, but you strong;

huMEIS ENdo-xoi [1741], heMEIS de Ati-moi [820].

you haveglory, but we dishonor.

f. 4:11-13 SCUM OF THE EARTH: WORLD'S ESTIMATE OF APOSTLES

ACHri tes ARti HOras kai peiNOmen [3983], kai diPSOmen [1372], kai gum-niTEUo-men [2852],

Unto the present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked,

kai ko-la-phiZOme-tha, kai as-taTOUmen ]790]:

and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place:

kai ko-piOmen [2872], er-gaZOme-noi [2038]tais iDIais cherSIN:

12 and we toil, working with our:own hands:

loi-doROUme-noi [3058], eu-loGOUmen [2127]; di-oKOme-noi [1377], a-neCHOme-tha [430];

being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

dus-pheMOUme-noi [987], pa-ra-kaLOUmen [3870]: hos pe-ri-kaTHARma-ta [4027]

13being defamed, we beseech: we are become as filth

tou KOSmou e-geNEthe-men, PANton peRIpse-ma [4067], HEos ARti.

of the world , offscouring of all things, even until now.

4. 4:14-17 FOLLOW PAUL AS AN EXAMPLE

a. 4:14 PAUL'S PURPOSE: TRUE COUNSELLING (nou-theSIa)

Ouk enTREpon [1788]huMAS GRAphoTAUta,

I write not these thingsto shame you,

all' hos TEKna mou a-ga-peTA [27]nou-theTON [3560].

but to admonish you as my beloved children.

b. 4:15 PAUL: A CHANNEL FOR SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST

eAN gar muRIous [3463]pai-da-goGOUS [3807]Eche-te en ChrisTO,

For though you may have ten thousand tutors in Christ,

all' ou polLOUS paTEras;

yet not many fathers;

en gar ChrisTO'IeSOU diA tou eu-ag-geLIou [2098]eGOhuMAS eGENne-sa [1080].

for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.

c. 4:16 PAUL'S EXAMPLE TO BE IMITATED

pa-ra-kaLO [3870] oun huMAS, mi-meTAI [3402] mou GInes-the.

I beseech you therefore, become imitators of me.

d. 4:17 TIMOTHY: TO REMIND OF PAUL'S METHOD OF TEACHING THE FAITH

diA TOUto Epem-psa huMIN TiMOthe-on,

For this cause have I sent you Timothy,

hos esTIN mou TEKnon a-ga-peTON kai pisTON [4103] en KuRIo,

who is my beloved child and faithful in the Lord,

hos huMAS a-namNEsei [363] tas hoDOUS mou tas en ChrisTO 'IeSOU,

who shall remind you of my :ways which are in Christ Jesus,

kaTHOS pan-taCHOU en PAse ek-kleSIa diDASko [1321].

even as I teach everywhere in every church.

H. 4:18-21 APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY CORRECTS KINGDOM MISUNDERSTANDING

a. 4:18 A REALISTIC APPRAISAL

Hos me er-choMEnou de mou pros huMAS, e-phu-siOtheSAN [5448] ti-nes.

Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

b. 4:19 PAUL'S PROMISE

eLEUso-mai de taCHEos [5030] pros huMAS, eAN ho KUri-os theLEse [2309];

But I will come unto you speedily, if the Lord will;

kai GNOso-mai, ou ton LOgon [3056] ton pe-phu-si-oMEnon [5448], alLA ten DUna-min [1411].

and I will know, not the word of those puffed up, but the power.

c. 4:20 A STARTLING DISTINCTION IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

ou gar en LOgo he ba-siLEIa [932] tou TheOU, all' en duNAmei.

For the kingdom of :God is not in word, but in power.

d. 4:21 TWO POSSIBLE WAYS OF VISITATION

ti THEle-te? en 'RABdo[4464]ELthopros huMAS,

What will you? shall I come unto you with a rod,

een aGApe PNEUmaTI te praUte-tos [4236]?

or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

NOTE: It is important to see God's estimate of the Wisdom of this world: Statesmen, Politicians, Philosophers, Educators, Psychologists, Scientists, Religionists, etc. For individuals in these groups and others who are not committed disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ - they are bankrupt in the things of the Kingdom of God.

Then see 4:1-5. Here we read Spirit-inspired words through God's servant, the apostle Paul. All ministers of the Gospel are stewardsto God if they would be pleasing to Him. Dead to the self-life - identified with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion - alive to God in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. He like Paul who lives in this state, is abovethe judgment of this world. This is notjust the ideal! Thisis the state of normalChristianity, and normal ministry. Stewardshipto God is the key.

Now look at 4:6-13, and the way the world sees and treats true apostles. Whowants to be an apostle according to thisinsight? In the aftermath of 1948, a wave of carnal apostles arose, who did notmeet the standard set forth by the Holy Spirit through Paul as outlined here. Yet, this is the Plumbline that will be set down beside ministries at the “Judgment Seat (BEma) of Christ” following the resurrection of the first-born.

Paul then by revelation, sets himself forth as an example of a true minister and apostle. In another place he says, “Follow me as I follow Christ!”

God used him to write 14 of the 27 New Testament books. In 1 Corinthians 14:37 (14:37-40). “If any thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of what thingsI write you, that it is theLord's commandment.” - he witnessed that all his words were nothis words, but the words of the Spirit of Christ through him. Jesus said the same thing about His words as the Son of Man, in the Gospel of John. When you hear individuals say - “O, that's just Paul speaking!” Don't agree or receive it. Rebuke it and correct it by quoting to them 1 Corinthians 14:37. Such individuals are setting themselves up as judges of God, not Paul!

And lastly, consider 1 Corinthians 4:14. The Spirit has Paul use a most extraordinary word to set forth how he gently corrected and discipled the Corinthian believers. It is the word admonish(nou-theSIa). “Nous”is the word for the human mind, and “TIthe-mi” is the word “to place, establish or set.” Paul was bringing the human minds of the Corinthian believers into harmony with the mind of God, the Word of God, and the waysof God. He was helping them to fulfill Romans 12:1-2, to renewtheir minds, until they thought God's thoughts after Him, spoke His words, and acted out His ways. There is even a book written entitled “Nouthetic Counseling”.

Thisis what Oswald Chambers, George Muller, Rees Howells, H. A. Baker, Madame Guyon and countless other saints have done. What man hasdone, man cando!

1 Corinthians is a basic book to help us renew our minds in line with basic ABC's of the Gospel, the Foundation Truths of Hebrews 6:1-2.

Ed Hird of Vancouver BC recently mailed out lecture notes on Carl Jung, that he will be presenting in S. California in the near future. Jung is Gnostic in New Age garb, and his non-Christian teachings are slipping surreptitiously into the church. This is the thinking God saved the Corinthian church out of. Let us not be misled, and be led back into what Paul sought to fully deliver them from. - Jim Watt