In verse 8, by divine inspiration and enablement, Paul
virtually reads the minds of his audience and describes the
way they look on themselves. They are “already” filled; they
have “already” become rich. Indeed, they have become kings.
These Corinthians are much like the Laodicean of Revelation
3: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy,
and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are
wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked’”
(Revelation 3:17).
The Corinthians think that they have already entered into
the kingdom; they have already entered into the full
benefits and blessings of Christ’s work at Calvary. They are
not unlike a number of professing Christians today, who
argue that all of the blessings resulting from Christ’s work
on the cross are our present possession, and that all we
need do is have the faith to claim them. They claim to
possess them and look down upon all who do not. They also
claim that those who do not possess them suffer and are
afflicted in this life and do not experience success and the
good life here and now. Such thinking contradicts the clear
teaching of our Lord and of his apostles. Jesus clearly
speaks of suffering and adversity in this life, and the
glories of His kingdom in the next, as did all of the
apostles.
How can these Corinthians miss the fact that if we
identify with Christ in this age, we will suffer rejection,
persecution, and affliction, but with the assurance of
entering into the blessings of His kingdom when He comes?
The answer is quite simple. First, Paul has already told us
that these Corinthians need to learn not to “go beyond what
is written.” They are wrong because they have forsaken the
Scriptures as the only source of divine truth. Second, they
have twisted the Scriptures pertaining to prophecy and
future things. Like many others in New Testament times and
in the twenty-first century, they have distorted the
doctrine of the resurrection, future judgment, and the
blessings of Christ’s kingdom.
If the Corinthians, boasting in their worldly wisdom, think
they have arrived, they are equally convinced the apostles
have not. Judgmentally, they look down upon the apostles in
their suffering and humble service. Paul paints the picture
of the Corinthians, sitting “on high” looking down from
their lofty heights, disdaining the apostles who are a shame
and a reproach to them. Paul says God has exhibited the
apostles before the world as those condemned to die, as
those being led to their execution. They are a spectacle to
angels and to men. The apostles are fools; the Corinthians
are wise. The apostles are weak; the Corinthians are strong.
The Corinthians are distinguished; the apostles are without
honor (v 10).
Paul’s description of the apostles in verse 11 sounds
remarkably like a description of the lowest rung of our own
social ladder today. Even more amazing is the response of
Paul and his fellow apostles to the abusive treatment of the
world, and even some in the church. Paul labors with his own
hands. Those whom he serves do not support him; rather, he
supports them (Acts 18:3; 20:33-35; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23; 2
Corinthians 11:7-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:9). When the apostles
are reviled, they give a blessing in return. When
persecuted, they endure. When slandered, they seek to
conciliate. In spite of this—or perhaps, because of this,
they are regarded as the scum of the world, the bottom of
the social barrel.
The unholy leaders whom some find so appealing are
authoritarian leaders. They are men who lead in the same way
the pagans ruled over others. They push people around, and
their followers love it.
Paul’s words in verses 14-17 are a dramatic contrast to this
kind of leadership. He does not seek to shame them, or put a
guilt trip on them. Guilt is profitable when it is a
response to sin, and when it leads to repentance. Paul’s
epistle is not written to shame the Corinthians, but to warn
them of the direction in which they are heading, and to urge
them to turn around. Paul speaks to them not as a “lord,”
but as their father. While Paul cannot be present with the
Corinthians, he does send Timothy who will remind them of
what they have already seen and heard from Paul. He will
remind them of Paul’s conduct and of his teaching, which are
in Christ. Paul can not only say, “Do as I say,” but also,
“Do as I do.” Paul practices what he preaches. Timothy will
remind the Corinthians of these matters. Furthermore,
Timothy’s reminder of Paul’s teaching and conduct will be
exactly the same message as he and Paul teach in any other
church, this a very important statement. It contradicts all
those who tell us that Paul’s words to the Corinthian church
are uniquely fashioned for this one situation, but not for
other churches. That is not what Paul says. His teaching and
his practice are consistent in every church.
Are there those who will not heed Paul’s gentle plea for
repentance? Are there those who have somehow become bold in
Paul’s absence, convinced that they will never see him
again? With Paul gone, some Corinthian leaders are beginning
to reign roughshod over their followers. How bold they are
in Paul’s absence. For such folks, Paul has a stronger word
of warning he is coming to Corinth as quickly as he can. His
desire is that the members of the church have heeded his
written warnings and made right the things in which they are
wrong. If such is the case, Paul can expect to come and be
warmly received, forgetting the sins of the past. However,
if there is no repentance, if those who oppose him persist,
Paul will come in power, and he will then use his apostolic
authority to deal with them. The eloquent speech of these
leaders will not be enough when Paul arrives, for he will
expose their lack of real spiritual power. Paul is coming to
Corinth. How do they want him to come? Do they wish him to
come with love and a spirit of gentleness, made possible by
their repentance? On the other hand, do they wish him to
come with the rod of correction? The choice is theirs.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians are for us as well, and they
have much to say. We hear a great deal about leadership in
the church these days. Sadly, most of what we hear is from
the secular wisdom of this world. What we hear is usually
sugar coating of spiritual terminology, some passage taken
out of its context beyond its meaning or intent.
Paul attributes the leadership that many Corinthians
followed to the secular wisdom and power of the day. Paul’s
leadership is described as a radical contrast to this
worldly-wise leadership. We are told that a leader is “one
who has followers.” Leadership, by this definition, is not a
matter of divine calling or of Christ-like character. Paul
speaks of himself and the other apostles as servants and
stewards. Servants are submissive to their master. This is
exactly what we are called, and even commanded, to do.
Our task is not to succeed, but as servants to fulfill the
calling, that God has given us. Our work may not seem
successful, significant, or effective, but neither did our
Lord’s word win the approval of men. Paul too looks like a
miserable failure. However, today is not the time to judge
the results of our ministry, and we are not the ones to
judge such things. Let us leave these matters to God and
faithfully continue to fulfill our stewardship.
What we do in the present is very important, but only when
considered in the light of eternity. The Corinthians erred
in assuming that they presently possess those blessings God
provides and promises for the future. They fail to
understand that those who are men and women of faith must be
willing to suffer for Christ’s sake in this age, so that
they can enter into His glory in the next. The unbelieving
world, with its “wisdom” and “power” is all of this age. The
Christian’s “world” includes this age and the one to come.
We are to live in this age in the light of the next. The
unbeliever lives only for the present.
The church at Corinth had many problems; we have just as
many in our own church today. Paul could have wielded his
apostolic authority by naming names and calling out orders.
He could have gone straight to Corinth and “had it out” with
the problem people. Instead he exposed the problem and then
dealt it in principle, rather than in terms of
personalities. When he does name names, they are only
figurative analogies so that the real culprits remain
unnamed. Finally, Paul clearly exposes the problem: little
groups of arrogant Christians are proudly following leaders
who use secular means and who proclaim a secular message,
turning believers from the truths of the Word and the
simplicity of the gospel. These folks have come to think too
highly of themselves and too poorly of Paul and his
fellow-apostles, yet Paul admonishes them as their father,
seeking to bring about repentance and reconciliation without
the use of more aggressive means. Only as a last resort does
Paul threaten the use more forceful means.
There are many specific problems in Corinth that need
correction. The next matter Paul must address is incest in
the church (chapter 5). Paul did not deal with this problem
first, because the Corinthians sis not understand the Word
of God. The Corinthians must see that God’s Word is true
wisdom, and that God’s power is displayed through human
weakness. They must understand that the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the foundation for all life and ministry in the
church. Christ crucified is the foundation and standard of
all church life. The good news of the gospel humbles us and
breaks our pride and arrogance. Only when these matters are
set straight does Paul move on to address particular
problems.
