ordinary christianity for the world.
Corinth, A Church Divided, 1 Corinthians 4:6-16
Poetic Praise
Imitation
1 Corinthians 4:6-16
In these verses Paul sums up the theme he has belabored in this letter to the Corinthians to this point. That theme is the difference between the wisdom of God and the foolishness of the world. He has applied this difference in perspective to himself and Apollos. Why Apollos?
Apollos had first misunderstood the gospel when he had been instructed by the followers of John the Baptist (Acts 18:24). But under the tutelage of Aquila and Priscilla he came to a fuller understanding. Scholars speculate that Apollos was with Paul as he wrote this letter to the Corinthian church because Paul was commending Apollos to Christian ministry among the Corinthians. Consequently, he suggests that Apollos and he were of the same mind in their beliefs and teaching.
The point that he was making was that Apollos had originally misunderstood the gospel, but now understood it correctly. Apollos had been able to go from misunderstanding to understanding, from the foolishness of the world to the wisdom of God. Apollos had been "competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John" (Acts 18:24-5).
Apollos had all of the qualities that are exemplary for Christians. He was educated and articulate. He knew the Bible well. He had received Christian training. He had fervor — passion for the Lord. And everything he said about Jesus was accurate. For all intents and purposes, Apollos was an ideal Christian, except that he knew only the baptism of John.
What was the baptism of John? According to Mark 1:4, "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." According to Matthew 3:1-2, "John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, (saying) 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" And as we know, when John the Baptist was arrested Jesus picked up John's followers and his message. According to Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
The other thing that John is known for is water baptism because John water baptized Jesus. And remember that when Jesus was baptized John saw "the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him" (Matthew 3:16). So, we see that Apollos, prior to meeting with Aquila and Priscilla appeared to have everything right. Yet, Paul faulted him for knowing only the baptism of John, implying that there was something significant that Apollos lacked — some sort of baptism, or something related to baptism.
If we fail to see what Apollos was missing, we will fail to see the point that Paul is making in 1 Corinthians 4. So, we need to discuss baptism. Unfortunately, baptism is widely misunderstood in the church and that misunderstanding has divided the church for centuries.
(Please be aware that my comments about baptism do not reflect the historic position of the Westminster Confession of Faith, but neither are they contrary to it. It's not that I will lead you astray, but that I will discuss some biblical aspects of baptism that are not in the WCF documents. Just understand that the views that follow are my own views. What I am saying here is not official church doctrine about baptism, but simply reflects my best efforts to understand baptism from the Bible alone. For more information see my article on Covenantal Trinitarian Baptism on www.pilgrim-platform.org.)
First, Scripture speaks of three baptisms: water baptism, spirit baptism and fire baptism. We know about water baptism because the church has universally adopted it as the entrance ceremony for church membership. We are not concerned here about the mode of baptism — sprinkling, pouring or immersion, or the candidates for baptism — infants or adults.
John knew about the other baptisms and said to the crowds that followed him, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11 — note that the word you is not in the Greek, but is added to the English. Thus, the candidates for these baptisms are not specified.) The reason that this is important is that Apollos knew only the baptism of John — water baptism, and lacked the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Fire baptism is not for believers, and further discussion of it will take us too far afield at this point.
Contrary to Pentecostal belief, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not about speaking in tongues, but is about being radically changed by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word baptizo literally means to dip or dye, as in the dyeing or bleaching of cloth. Unfortunately, the passion to defend immersion as a the only legitimate baptismal mode has shifted the attention of well-meaning scholars from the purpose of baptism — dyeing, to the process — dipping. People have latched onto the meaning of the process of baptizo — to dip, and ignored the purpose — to dye.
If there is only one word that means both dip and dye, and I tell you that I'm going to dip/die my shirt, which meaning is the most natural? Obviously, dye. The process may involve dipping, but the purpose of dyeing material is to permanently change the color or character of the cloth. The process is important, and there are many possible dyeing processes. However, the purpose of dyeing is essential to the process. Purpose is always a primary concern for God. Therefore, because the ceremony of baptism does not cause the requisite change of character, we know that God is not limited to dipping, pouring or sprinkling. God's greater concern is the end product, His purpose for changing people in the first place, which is a change of character, a change of heart.
God has always been out to change the character of His people, to dye them, if you will, in various stages (covenant administrations) or baptisms, to bring them ultimately "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). In history there have been many biblical covenants or administrations, but God has always been working to produce only one change of heart, one baptism.
The fact that God's eternal covenant — Adam's covenant, Noah's covenant, Abraham's covenant, Moses' covenant, David's covenant — has come to Christians through Jesus Christ is shown in Galatians 3:14, "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." God's covenant of grace, given to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and others has, through Jesus Christ, been given to the Gentiles — to us.
How has it been given? Always by the power of the Holy Spirit. How has it been received? Always by faith in Christ, the Messiah. The Holy Spirit falls upon His people, brings them to faith through a change of heart, thus fulfilling God's covenant of grace, so that they may fulfill God's covenant by faith in Christ.
The real issue of baptism is not sprinkling, pouring, or immersion — but being permanently changed (dyed) by the power of the Holy Spirit. Surely, God is more concerned about purpose than process. And even when the process plays a role, we know that God's power is not mediated by the ceremony of baptism, however it is done! The power is not in the ceremony, but in God's Word. Nor is the result some outward affect, but a changed heart, a changed life, a changed perspective in the lives of individuals.
Surely, God can bring about the requisite change of heart, whether people are sprinkled, poured, immersed or none of the above. The real concern of baptism is the dyeing, the bleaching, the purification, the changing of one's character, the rebirth, the regeneration, the new life. God is always after this one thing — a new heart through baptism in the Holy Spirit!
And in Acts 18 Paul identified that Apollos was missing this one thing. In spite of the fact that Apollos had been nurtured by and educated in the essentials of Christianity, and had been teaching and preaching about Jesus in a correct and accurate way, he was still missing the central element of faithfulness — a changed heart or baptism by the Holy Spirit. Then under the tutelage of Aquila and Priscilla he was born again in Christ, though he had known about and had even taught about Jesus Christ for some time.
It is not that Aquila and Priscilla somehow caused the baptism of the Spirit to fall upon Apollos. We don't control or direct the Holy Spirit. Probably what happened was that Aquila and Priscilla were able to show Apollos that something was missing in his confession. Then through prayer and submission to Jesus Christ, Apollos was subsequently converted. And Apollos, being teachable, came to understand that though he had known all about Christianity, he had not been fundamentally changed by that knowledge.
Prior to his baptism in the Spirit he had been lost in the foolishness of the world. He had no doubt excelled in the Greek academy. No doubt he had been a fine scholar, had an exemplary character, and had tried to incorporate what he knew about Jesus Christ into his Greek worldview. He was even able to teach and preach about how Christ fit into his understanding of the world. But Paul saw through it. Paul saw that Apollos' application of worldly knowledge to Jesus Christ produced only foolishness that sounded Christian.
In verse 4 Paul said that he had applied all these things to himself and to Apollos for the benefit of the church, so that we "may learn not to go beyond what is written" (v. 4) in the Scriptures, that none of us may be "puffed up," to keep us from being in favor of one Christian's view of things over another's. Apollos had gone beyond Scripture by incorporating Greek philosophy (worldly wisdom) into his understanding of Christianity. Paul's minor point was that by doing so Apollos had turned Christianity into worldly foolishness.
His major point was that Apollos had recovered from this error and was now in a position — precisely because of his recovery — to serve as a genuine teacher and preacher of real Christianity, not the worldly imitation.
Paul warns us not to be puffed up. The Greek word (phusioõ) literally means proud. Intellectual Christianity is proud Christianity because it is built on the ability of the human intellect or human understanding, rather than upon the Word of God, which is beyond human understanding. It's not that we cannot understand the Bible. We can, by the grace of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. By grace, our understanding of the Bible is correct, but it is not comprehensive. We do not have a comprehensive understanding of God, nor of His Word. But by grace what we do understand is completely trustworthy because God's Word is infallible.
Paul's point in verse 7 is that all Christians have the understanding they have because they have been baptized by the Holy Spirit, and not on account of any abilities or skills they may possess in the flesh. All Christian understanding is received understanding, not acquired understanding. The truth of Scripture is not learned through study. If it were, we would have a works-righteous faith. Rather, the truth of Scripture is given by grace, and in obedience to the Lord of life we study Scripture to grow in grace and become more effective instruments for service to Christ.
Apollos was an example of a Christian who had not been baptized by the Holy Spirit, and consequently had failed to understand and preach Christianity correctly (or in the Spirit). But through submission to Christ received the baptism of the Holy Spirit Apollos went on to enjoy and teach Christianity correctly. Apollos, like Paul, had been moved from the foolishness of the world to the wisdom of God, and that was why Paul applied "all these things to himself and Apollos" (v. 4).
In verses 8-13 we find Paul using irony and sarcasm to show the Corinthians that their concerns about and charges against him amounted to nothing more that foolishness. Paul noted that the Corinthian church had grown large and fast, and prominent members had risen to take credit for the growth and success of the church. But Paul saw in them the same problem that he had seen in Apollos. They looked like Christians and talked like Christians, but they boasted about their worldly success and wisdom like pagan Greeks. Their pride in the growth of the church revealed that their essential human character had not been changed. They were boasting in the flesh, proud of what they had accomplished, which demonstrated to Paul that they were not in the Spirit.
Paul acknowledged the accomplishments of the Corinthian church in verse 8. They had indeed become rich. They had a large budget. They had become like kings. They had substantial political power. Paul even wanted the church to have substantial political power because it would aid the proclamation of the gospel. Yet, there is a tone of irony in Paul's voice. The irony was that they thought that they were responsible for the growth of the church, that their superior knowledge, administration, faithfulness, perspective — whatever — had produced the growth. They thought that their worldly wisdom was responsible for the success of the Corinthian church, and they were eager to teach that worldly wisdom as if it were an element of Christianity.
In verse 9 Paul contrasts his success with the success of the Corinthian church. He suggested that men like himself and Apollos were treated as if they had been sentenced to death, like they had become a spectacle or embarrassment to the church and to the world. Why? Because they preached that the foolishness of Christ was greater, stronger and smarter than the wisdom of the world. He preached that the wisdom of Christ was opposed to the wisdom of the world, opposed to the wisdom of worldly scholarship and philosophy.
It is important to note that Christianity is not opposed to scholarship and philosophy per se, but to scholarship and philosophy that tries to function apart from or independently of God and His Word. God is not opposed to intelligence. He created it. What He is opposed to is intelligence that suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, that tries to hide the fact that all people are responsible to God for their behavior and beliefs.
Verse 10 draws a stark contrast between worldly success and gospel faithfulness. "We are fools … you are wise. We are weak … you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute" (v. 10). The difference is not subtle, but stark. Paul and Apollos were poor, buffeted (beaten) and homeless. And they worked with their own hands, as did the lowest social strata in Greek society. They were everything that was despised by successful Greeks.
But in spite of all outward appearances they were not defeated. Their mission was to rebuild human culture from the ground up. They remained focused on their mission. "When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things" (vs. 12-13). The point is that God's ways are not our ways, that what God treasures is not what people treasure — and again the difference is not subtle but stark. Paul has thrown this list of stark differences between himself and those who opposed him, those who had brought accusations against him. He had been trying to show the difference between the perspective of God's wisdom and that of worldly wisdom (or foolishness).
In verse 14 he tells the church that he has not written these things to shame them, but to warn or admonish them. A synonym for admonish is discourage. Paul was discouraging the saints in the use of worldly wisdom, which he also called foolishness. It is important to see that Paul engaged in discouragement as a method of teaching the gospel. Faithfulness involves not believing and not doing the wrong things as much as it does believing and doing the right things.
Paul was able to admonish the Corinthian believers because he considered himself to be a father to them. "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (v. 15). Paul falls back upon the character of the family to describe his relationship with the church. He does not consider himself to be a CEO or an administrator or a captain or king or counselor or a guide, but a father. A father loves his family. A father has an obligation to care for his family, to teach them what is right and to point out what is wrong, to encourage them, but also to discipline them. A father has authority, responsibility and accountability within the extended family structure. A father doesn't work for the benefit of his family in order to get paid. Being a father is not a job. A father works for his family without consideration for his own benefit. A father is there in good times and in bad times, to encourage and to discourage, to point out the truth and the lies.
Finally, said Paul, "be imitators of me" (v. 16). Don't forget the context of this verse. Paul has been telling them about the differences between those who live according to the wisdom of the world — which he also calls foolishness, and those who live according to the wisdom of God. He has essentially told the Corinthians that the success of their church has come from their commitment to worldly wisdom. He will continue to admonish the Corinthians throughout this letter, and the next, because of their worldliness and sin. They were engaged in worldly thinking and outright sin — all in the name of Christianity! He told them that they were proud of the success that their church enjoyed — it's wealth and political power — because they were worldly minded and unfaithful to Christ. Their pride in their church was an expression of their faithlessness and their misunderstanding of the gospel.
In contrast to what they were believing and doing, Paul said, "be imitators of me" (v. 16). He wanted them to imitate real faithfulness rather than to faithfully believe in imitation Christianity. Like Apollos before them, they were trying to incorporate what they knew about Jesus Christ into their Greek worldview. They succeeded in making Jesus fit comfortably into Greek society, and the church had grown drastically as a result.
May we hear the wisdom of God's Word and live our own lives accordingly. Amen.
