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1 Corinthians 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
1 Corinthians 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Faithful Manager
4 A person should consider us in this way: as servants(A) of Christ and managers(B) of God’s mysteries.(C) 2 In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one of them be found faithful.(D) 3 It is of little(E) importance to me that I should be evaluated(F) by you or by any human court.[a] In fact, I don’t even evaluate myself. 4 For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified(G) by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord. 5 Therefore don’t judge(H) anything prematurely, before the Lord comes,(I) who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.(J)
The Apostles’ Example of Humility
6 Now, brothers,(K) I have applied these things to myself and Apollos(L) for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.”[b] The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another. 7 For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it? 8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! 9 For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ!(M) We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; 12 we labor, working(N) with our own hands.(O) When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.(P)
Paul’s Fatherly Care
14 I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.(Q) 15 For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can’t have many fathers. For I became your father(R) in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 This is why I have sent(S) Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful(T) son in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some are inflated with pride, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon,(U) if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod,(V) or in love and a spirit of gentleness?(W)
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 4:3 Lit a human day
- 1 Corinthians 4:6 The words in quotation marks could = the OT, a Jewish maxim, or a popular proverb.
1 Corinthians 4
New King James Version
1 Corinthians 4
New King James Version
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
4 Let a man so consider us, as (A)servants of Christ (B)and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human [a]court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 (C)Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to (D)light the hidden things of darkness and (E)reveal the [b]counsels of the hearts. (F)Then each one’s praise will come from God.
Fools for Christ’s Sake
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be [c]puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who [d]makes you differ from another? And (G)what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! (H)You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a (I)spectacle [e]to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are (J)fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! (K)We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 (L)And we labor, working with our own hands. (M)Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we [f]entreat. (N)We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Paul’s Paternal Care
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but (O)as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for (P)in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, (Q)imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent (R)Timothy to you, (S)who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will (T)remind you of my ways in Christ, as I (U)teach everywhere (V)in every church.
18 (W)Now some are [g]puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 (X)But I will come to you shortly, (Y)if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For (Z)the kingdom of God is not in word but in (AA)power. 21 What do you want? (AB)Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 4:3 Lit. day
- 1 Corinthians 4:5 motives
- 1 Corinthians 4:6 arrogant
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 distinguishes you
- 1 Corinthians 4:9 Lit. theater
- 1 Corinthians 4:13 exhort, encourage
- 1 Corinthians 4:18 arrogant
1 Corinthians 4
Lexham English Bible
1 Corinthians 4
Lexham English Bible
Christ’s Servant, God’s Steward
4 Thus let a person consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. 2 In this case, moreover, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But to me it is a very little matter that I be judged by you or by a human court,[a] but I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, but not by this am I vindicated. But the one who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord should come, who will both enlighten the hidden things of darkness and will reveal the counsels of hearts, and then praise will come to each one from God.
The Apostles’ Humility
6 Now I have applied these things, brothers, to myself and Apollos for your sake, in order that in us you may learn not to go beyond what is written, lest someone be inflated with pride on behalf of one person against the other. 7 For who concedes you superiority? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if indeed you received it, why do you boast as if you[b] did not receive it? 8 Already you are satiated! Already you are rich! Apart from us you reign as kings! And would that indeed you reigned as kings, in order that we also might reign as kings with you! 9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as condemned to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to people. 10 We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are prudent in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, but we are dishonored! 11 Until the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty and poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless, 12 and we toil, working with our own hands. When we are[c] reviled, we bless; when we are[d] persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are[e] slandered, we encourage. We have become like the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now.
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthian Believers
14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but admonishing you as my dear children. 15 For if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I fathered you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I exhort you, become imitators of me. 17 Because of this, I have sent to you Timothy, who is my dear and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 But some have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I am coming to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk of the ones who have become arrogant, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not with talk, but with power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 4:3 Literally “day”
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“receive”) which is understood as conditional
- 1 Corinthians 4:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“reviled”) which is understood as temporal
- 1 Corinthians 4:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“persecuted”) which is understood as temporal
- 1 Corinthians 4:13 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“slandered”) which is understood as temporal
1 Corinthians 4
New International Version
1 Corinthians 4
New International Version
The Nature of True Apostleship
4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants(A) of Christ and as those entrusted(B) with the mysteries(C) God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience(D) is clear, but that does not make me innocent.(E) It is the Lord who judges me.(F) 5 Therefore judge nothing(G) before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.(H) He will bring to light(I) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.(J)
6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.”(K) Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.(L) 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?(M) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!(N) You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die(O) in the arena. We have been made a spectacle(P) to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ,(Q) but you are so wise in Christ!(R) We are weak, but you are strong!(S) You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.(T) 12 We work hard with our own hands.(U) When we are cursed, we bless;(V) when we are persecuted,(W) we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage(X) of the world—right up to this moment.
Paul’s Appeal and Warning
14 I am writing this not to shame you(Y) but to warn you as my dear children.(Z) 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father(AA) through the gospel.(AB) 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.(AC) 17 For this reason I have sent to you(AD) Timothy,(AE) my son(AF) 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.(AG)
18 Some of you have become arrogant,(AH) as if I were not coming to you.(AI) 19 But I will come to you very soon,(AJ) if the Lord is willing,(AK) and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of(AL) talk but of power.(AM) 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,(AN) or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.