📅 February 22: 1 Corinthians 4, 5 - Stewards of God's Mysteries & Unequal Yokes

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February 22: 1 Corinthians 4, 5 - Stewards of God’s Mysteries & Unequal Yokes

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In our Bible journey today, we dive deep into 1 Corinthians 4 and 5 where Paul addresses the subjects of loyalty, judgment, wisdom, excommunication, and Christian purity.

Laboring like the Apostles

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul emphasizes his and Apollos’ roles as servants of Christ, entrusted with God’s mysteries. He acknowledges their humanity, yet with sheer humility insists that they are nothing more than farmers tending the Lord’s field.
“Let us be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” - 1 Corinthians 4:1

Confronting Immorality in the Church

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul fearlessly broaches the issue of a member living in outright sexual immorality. With a somber tone, he commands the church to excommunicate the guilty party to prevent the contamination of the whole community.
“Purge the evil person from among you.” - 1 Corinthians 5:13

Key Themes and Reflections

These two chapters bring to light two main themes:

1. We’re called to be faithful stewards of God’s wisdom. This calls for humility, submission, and dedication, not self-glorification.
2. Immorality within the church must be dealt with decisively. It’s a stark reminder of the seriousness of sin and the importance of maintaining a purified community.

Today’s Application

As believers, we are called to embody and reflect Christ’s values on earth. Stewarding God’s mysteries means spreading the Gospel and maintaining integrity. Furthermore, the issue of excommunication urges us to examine our ways on a personal level and keep our spiritual communities accountable.

Hidden Gem

Did you know that ‘leaven’ in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 is a consistent biblical symbol used to depict pervading sin or corruption? This reveals that just like a little yeast affects the whole dough, a single act of sin can impact the whole church.

Reflective Q&A:

How do I steward the mysteries of God in my day-to-day life?
A: This could be through sharing the Gospel with others, practicing love and service, or making choices that reflect God’s teachings.

How should we handle sin within our spiritual communities?
A: We need to tackle it with love, truth, directness for reconciliation, and restoration without endorsing or tolerating such behaviors.

What practical steps can we take to keep our communities pure, as Paul suggested?
A: Uphold God’s laws, address sin directly, promote confession, repentance, and forgiveness, and most importantly, pray fervently.

Join the Discussion:

How can we implement Paul’s teachings today? Let’s discuss it in our community.

See You Tomorrow in 1 Corinthians 6:
We’ll explore the powerful lessons from Paul about lawsuits amongst believers and the understanding that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

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1Corinthians 4,5
The Corinthian Ecclesia was wrought with difficulty and factions, from both within and without. The society of Corinth was so corrupt, like the world today, and this affected the ecclesia as well. The apostle Paul wrote to urge them to overcome personal grievances, and to establish a firm basis for continued service. Paul opens his letter to the believers pointing out their high calling in Christ (ch. 1:2); that they were saints, as indeed is our calling. Therefore as this ecclesia needed encouragement, admonishment and exhortation, so do we at the end of the days, since we can see the Truth being watered down and attacked from within and without. So ch. 4:1 tells us where to start: today, “Let a man so account” – the word ‘account’ means ‘take an inventory;’ in other words, to have a good hard look at ourselves, to see where we stand. The question then is in what light? The verse continues “as of the ministers of Christ.” Here the word used for ‘ministers’ is literally ‘under oarsmen,’ or under rowers. Many of the disciples were professional fishermen, and understood this term. The word ‘stewards’ is ‘house manager’ or ‘overseer’ and all in relation to the ‘mysteries of God’ which are the ‘hidden things of Yahweh’ in comparison to those ‘of darkness’ (v. 5; see Psa. 25:12-14; etc.). Chapter 4 goes on to show that we are, as Christ’s name-bearers (Acts 15:14), under the scrutiny of all around us and as such, we must show ourselves to be a separate people. Paul says in v. 16 “be ye followers [imitators] of me.” So Paul outlines: [1] True leaders are responsible only to God: vv. 1-7. [2] Apostolic differences are in submission to the divine will: vv. 8-13. [3] The apostles have authority to rebuke: vv. 14-21. • Paul provides three probing questions in ch. 4:7. These were designed to puncture the bubble of their own pompous stupidity! He strongly castigates their folly with an irony and sarcasm that they fully deserved, and which Christ even more sharply used in similar circumstances (Rev. 3:17). Paul mocks them in language which meant the very opposite of what he appeared to say! The first two statements of v. 8 are preceded with the exclamation [Gr. hede] “Already!” as though he said, “Consider already you are full… consider already you are rich!” They were acting as though they were in the Kingdom reigning! They assumed their own salvation, and thus considered themselves to be more righteous than was actually the case. They felt themselves much better than the apostles they professed to follow, who were often hungry, desperately poor, and appointed to persecution and death! Full satiety, riches and honour are blessings promised to those who hunger for righteousness, and are poor in spirit and persecuted (Mat. 5:3-12), but are reserved for the Age to come. • Chapter 5 talks of the dreadful things that had been reported of continuing amongst them, and in vv. 1-13 sets out the important principles to govern their actions. Verse 1 is a thumbnail sketch of the world at large today. Let us strive to make sure that it stays in the world and that we are not dragged down by such things as these, or indeed in allowing ‘a little leaven’ (v. 6) to develop. Actions should be governed by the principle of the unleavened bread at the Memorial Table (vv. 7-8), as representing the power of the Truth to convert the evil heart, and to uphold the divine righteousness. But let us be consistent in such matters; not condemning others when we are also guilty of worldliness (v. 10). Their “gloryings” (ch. 5:2, 6) were a mockery in face of glaring inconsistencies that were condoned. So [1] The ecclesia must expel continuing impurity: vv. 1-13. This was faithfully done, as the second epistle demonstrates, and the guilty redeemed. — Logos.