Paul's First Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 9, Paul The Father Of The Corinthians Through The Gospel

In Tuesday's study Paul reminded the believers at Corinth that it wasn't so long ago that they were lost without Christ. He preached the gospel to them and they believed, then other apostles and teachers came along to help them understand the Scriptures and to help them with their daily Christian living. Some of the Corinthians have become prideful about their own faith and gifts and are not regarding the apostles as having spiritual authority over them, but this authority was given to the apostles by God Himself. Today Paul reminds them that, spiritually speaking, he has been a father to them. Under his preaching they were born again by believing in Christ. Therefore they should respect his authority just as they would respect a father's authority. He needs to establish this fact today because tomorrow he is going to deal with the serious matter of sexual immorality in the church.

"I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children." (1 Corinthians 4:14) He says, "I haven't been scolding you because I want to put you down or make you feel bad about yourselves. I've been scolding you for your own good, as a father scolds his children."

"Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel." (1 Corinthians 4:15) The word translated "guardians" is the Greek "paidagogos" which means a servant who escorts his master's children to and from school each day. Paul is comparing himself to the father of the children and he is comparing the teachers who came after him to the one who escorts his children to and from school. Because Paul is the first person who preached the gospel to the people of Corinth, he feels fatherly toward them. Other teachers who are working with them now are helpful for their education in the Scriptures, but they are not the father of the Corinthian believers. Paul, as their father through the gospel, loves them in a way no other person can. And as their father in the gospel, he has the authority to chasten them when they need it.

"Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church." (1 Corinthians 4:16-17) Paul is setting an example for Christian living. Because he is now working at Ephesus he is going to send Timothy (who is not his biological son but who accepted Christ under Paul's teaching at Lystra) because Timothy knows exactly how Paul lives his life and can demonstrate that to the people of Corinth. 

"Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you." (1 Corinthians 4:18) Some of them are saying, "Paul writes tough letters to us but is afraid to come in person. He's going to send someone else to scold us to our faces instead of doing it himself."

"But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how those arrogant people are talking, but what power they have." (1 Corinthians 4:19) He intends to return if it is the Lord's will, but at the present time he is working to lead the people of Ephesus to the Lord. 

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." (1 Corinthians 4:20) Paul is especially gifted by God as an apostle to perform signs and wonders. Just as the believers at Pentecost spoke in languages that they had not learned, Paul will say later in this letter that he speaks in other tongues more than anyone. (1 Corinthians 14:18) Some of those at Corinth are big talkers and they are prideful about their own spiritual gifts, but if and when Paul returns he says they will understand his apostolic authority when they see the power of God displayed through him.

It is up to them to follow the instructions of this letter and have themselves straightened out before he returns. "What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?" (1 Corinthians 4:21) He asks them, "When I return would you rather I take you to the woodshed or would you rather I praise you for your obedience?" When we were children, what would we rather have had our fathers do? Give us a spanking or commend us for doing what is right? My father was a patient man and it took a lot to make him angry, but I was a stubborn child and there would usually come a point where I had pushed him too far and I always regretted it. Paul is asking the Corinthian believers not to push him to the point where, as their father in the gospel, he will have to discipline them. He would rather be able to commend them for their obedience. 

God the Father would rather commend us for our obedience too. He has had to take me to the woodshed a number of times. I am often thick-headed, stubborn, or self-centered enough that I don't catch on to what He is trying to tell me in time to avoid discipline. I wish that wasn't the case. I pray I am more sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit from now on so that I can obey faster and avoid the woodshed altogether. This is what Paul is urging the people of Corinth to do. He wants them to go ahead and be obedient now.