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1 Corinthians 4 — Moreover It Is Required In Stewards, That a Man Be Found Faithful
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you. He that judgeth me is the Lord. Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come. We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake. Though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Some are puffed up — I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
— 1 Corinthians 4:2
- v.1-5 Stewards judged by the Lord
- v.6-13 Fools for Christ's sake
- v.14-21 A father's warning
Judge nothing before the time. Provisional verdicts now are premature. The full account comes at His coming.
Counsels of the hearts. Motives, not just actions, will be evaluated. The Lord sees the inner reasons no one else can.
Paul's self-portrait of apostolic life — defamed, scorned, treated as garbage. The verse contrasts with the Corinthians' self-image as already reigning kings.
The Christian life of public witness in a hostile world looks like this. Do not measure your faithfulness by the world's acclaim.
A measuring stick. The kingdom does not consist in clever speech but in transforming power. Big words without changed lives count for little.
A test for ministry. Are the people being changed? Is the power evident? Or is the noise loud and the fruit absent?
Verse 2 simplifies your ambition. Faithful. That is the verdict that matters. Wherever you are tempted to chase visibility, fruitfulness, or comparison, return to the single requirement. The Lord rewards faithfulness in His own time.
Christ is the Lord who will come and judge. The chapter's stewardship is of the mysteries of God; the mystery is Christ. Paul's suffering for the gospel is conformity to His. The whole chapter's Christianity is shaped by Christ's pattern and verdict.
The single qualification of a steward. Not gifted, not successful — faithful. The verse simplifies and toughens the standard at once.
A check on Christian ambition. The Lord rewards faithfulness, not flash. Aim for the one that will count at the end.