WHO ARE WE REALLY PUTTING UP ON A PEDESTAL?
1 Corinthians 4:8-21
Introduction:
“Don’t put leaders up on a pedestal!” Often times, this warning is expressed out of concern for the leader who is being promoted. When a leader is put up on a pedestal, it places enormous pressure and unrealistic expectations on that person and tempts him to become proud. Being put up on a pedestal is dangerous for the leader.
The warning, “Don’t put leaders up on a pedestal!” is also important for followers. We too find ourselves in danger of succumbing to destructive pride by this practice. When we find ourselves promoting our favorite preacher over other preachers, we need to ask, “Who are we really putting up on a pedestal?” Do we desire to lift up the preacher, or is self-promotion our real motivation? Do we think we are more spiritual than others because we follow a particular preacher?” A proud, self-promoting attitude was one of several problems in the church of Corinth and a source of significant quarreling and division in the body.
The Corinthians’ view of their preachers:
They take pride in their preacher of choice and elevate him over against the messengers of God others follow
They say, “I follow Paul; I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas.” They assert, “The preacher I follow is better than your preacher.” Their attitude is, “I am better than that person because my preacher of choice is better.”
The proper view of God’s messengers (4:1-7):
We are servants and stewards of God
We will be judged by God on the basis of faithfulness—it’s His evaluation that matters most
The basis for how we are judged in the future isn’t the approval or disapproval of our ministry by others or how people view us in comparison with other servants. The basis of judgment will be whether or not we are faithful in our administration of the resources God has given to us for His service and glory. God as our Owner and Master is the One who has the right to judge us in the matter faithfulness. It’s not our right to judge in this way. We should refrain from making judgments upon those things which God alone can judge and therefore should be left to Him alone.
The judgment that really counts isn’t the opinion of others, but God’s evaluation of us. His judgment is superior in that it goes beyond the outward appearances on which our judgments are based, penetrating to the motives of the heart.
There is no basis for taking pride in one preacher over against another.
No servant is superior to another
All we have has been given to us by God
We have no cause for boasting in ourselves
God gets all the glory
The Corinthians’ elevation of one leader over another wasn’t the real problem, but a symptom of a deeper issue.
The Corinthians’ inflated view of themselves (4:8):
They think they have arrived!
Paul makes statements of what some call “inspired sarcasm” to admonish the Corinthians for their proud attitude.
They say they are full, rich, and kings
“We are full”—We have all we want and are self-satisfied.
“We are rich”—We regard ourselves as being self-sufficient.
“We are kings”—We are triumphant victors on top of the stack, above the conflict.
As believers, we look forward to a day when we will reign with Christ and enjoy the blessings and benefits of Christ’s victory at Calvary. Paul wished that this day had already arrived, when he with the Corinthians would reign together as kings. While this day clearly hasn’t yet arrived, the Corinthians are acting as if it has. They are acting like they have reached their destination, like they have arrived at spiritual maturity, like they have no obvious need to grow. The Corinthians’ consideration of the apostles’ humble service, adversity, and suffering compared to the good life they are enjoying causes them to look down on the apostles.
The Corinthians’ condescending view of Paul (4:9-10):
They are convinced the apostles haven’t arrived!
The apostles are experiencing the tribulation our Lord said His faithful followers would encounter.
John 15:8-9- “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
John 16:33- “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
The apostles are going through the experiences Jesus predicted for His faithful followers, and yet the Corinthians proudly assert themselves as being better off spiritually because of the fact they are enjoying the good life.
They regard themselves as kings at the front of the line and the apostles as men condemned to die at the end of the procession
When a Roman general won a major military victory, he would celebrate by entering the city with his officers and troops marching behind him and behind them his conquered prisoners. The conquered prisoners were put on display at the end of the procession. They were under the sentence of death and would be taken to the arena to fight wild beasts. In the arena, the doomed gladiators were a spectacle for all to see and mock. While the Corinthians viewed themselves as kings, they looked at the apostles as if they were condemned prisoners of war.
They regard themselves as wise, strong, and honored and the apostles as fools, weak, and dishonored
By his comparison, Paul exposes pride as the root cause of the Corinthians’ raising one leader over against another
The Corinthians’ pride causes them to look down even on the apostles
Who do the Corinthians think they are? Not even the apostles, the very people over whom the Corinthians divided, lived up to the Corinthians’ boastful attitude of themselves. It’s easy to point fingers at the Corinthian church. Before we do, we need to evaluate our own hearts.
Implications For Us Today:
How might we be guilty of exalting one preacher over another as the expression of our own pride?
On the national level, each of us might have a favorite Biblical guru. While it is appropriate for us to value a certain preacher’s contribution to our lives spiritually and even extend an appropriate measure of respect and honor, it is wrong for us to take pride in our favorite guru over against someone else’s, who is also a man of God committed to Biblical ministry. It is an indication of pride when we say our favorite preacher on television, radio, or writer of books is better than all others with the same kind ministry.
On the local level, do we take pride in our senior pastor over against the senior pastors of other churches in our area, who also have faithful servants and ministers of the Word? Do we give the impression that we think we are better than the people in other churches because we follow Ralph?
On the church level, we have had a number of different men fill this pulpit. It is appropriate that we value the ministry these men have had in our lives. It is appropriate that we extend to them a proper measure of respect and honor, in recognition and appreciation for what God has done through them. However, it is wrong to take pride in one senior pastor over against another. It is an indication of pride when we say, “Ralph is better or Les is better.” It is wrong when we regard ourselves on a higher spiritual plane because we perceive our chosen preacher as better than everyone else’s.
On another matter, each of us might have a particular minister of the family that we especially appreciate. In fact, our choice of where our kids have gone to school, whether it be at a public school, a Christian school, or at home might have been influenced by their teaching and perspective. The way we discipline our kids and how we go about the process of training them might be the product of God’s work through a particular minister of the Word. It is fine for us to appreciate how God has used these men in our lives through their ministry of preaching and teaching, but it is proud and wrong for us to assert that we are better and more spiritual because we think our preacher, his ideologies, and methods are better than everyone else’s. Such a proud attitude causes division and conflict in the church. It is also harmful for us. If we follow a particular preacher in a proud, cult-like way, we often forgo the contribution other servants of God might have in our lives.
On yet another matter, there are some preachers and teachers of God’s Word on financial principles who approach their ministry in a particular way and other men of God who are equally committed to Biblical teaching who come at it with a little different approach, yet they emphasize the same principles. Both are servants and stewards of God. Both have the gifts and abilities they possess because God has given these to them. Both have nothing to boast in themselves. Likewise, we have no cause for boast because of the particular Biblical financial adviser we appreciate. It would be wrong for us to evaluate one over another and to say we are better because we follow so and so.
Paul goes on to describe the types of suffering he and the other apostles are going through for their faith in Christ. In so doing, he both makes the Corinthians aware of how inappropriate their pride is and he models the humility he hopes the Corinthians will emulate in place of their pride.
Paul’s model of humility by his response to mistreatment (4:11-13):
The apostles are left by the world hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless, and toiling in their work
How do they respond?
When verbally abused, they bless
When attacked with injurious, abusive words, they respond with words of blessing.
When persecuted, they endure
When persecuted, which often involved physical attack, they put up with it.
When slandered, they try to conciliate
When people defamed or attacked his character, ascribing evil deeds and motives to his ministry, Paul sought to work things out with these people.
They allow themselves to be regarded as scum and refuse
When we think of the scum that we scrape off the bottom of a dirty pan, this is a picture of what Paul and the other apostles allowed themselves to be regarded as. The apostles were perfectly willing to be last, bottom, humble servants of all.
As we consider the response of the apostles to mistreatment, Who else does this sound like?
“But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:20b-23).
Paul and the other apostles don’t make the same mistake the Corinthians are making. They don’t behave as though they have already received their reward. They properly understand, in keeping with the teachings and example of Christ, that suffering will proceed glory for His faithful followers. They conduct themselves in a manner that reflects that their chief concern is being humble and faithful servants, like their Savior.
The apostles are perfectly willing to be last place in the world—even if it means that they be regarded as scum and refuse. They have no time or interest in resentment, jealousy, or arguments about who is better. Paul and the other apostles exhibit, by their response to harsh treatment, the Christ-like humility he desires for the Corinthians to emulate in their lives.
Besides confronting the Corinthians’ pride by the apostles’ example of humility, Paul seems to confront their pride in another way by his accounting of the mistreatment he and the other apostles endured. Paul’s description of what the apostles are going through compared to the Corinthians begs the question “How can the Corinthians consider themselves better than others because they follow a certain leader when they aren’t in fact following that leader’s example and teaching?”
Do the Corinthians feel they are superior because they follow Paul?
Paul instructed Timothy, “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Do the Corinthians feel they are superior because they follow Peter?
Peter was persecuted and rejoiced in his suffering. Acts 5:41- “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
Peter taught, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participated in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13).
The apostles taught that suffering is a part of life for Christ’s faithful followers. The Corinthians look down on them in a condescending way because they are suffering. The Corinthians have no room to boast in themselves as followers of a certain apostle because they aren’t really following their teaching or example.
In the next section, Paul brings to a climax his denunciation of the Corinthians’ proud, divisive, and factitious spirit. Even though Paul is firm, he reflects both love and grace.
Paul approaches the Corinthians as a father (4:14-21):
He looks to admonish, not to shame
Paul states that his purpose in writing isn’t to shame the Corinthians. No father desires to publicly ridicule and embarrass his children. Paul wrote to admonish his spiritual children, finding it necessary for the their spiritual well-being. He can’t remain silent or indifferent about the things he observes that are wreaking havoc on the body. He has to warn them to reject their pride and allow God to work to repair their divisions.
He loves the spiritual children he begat through the gospel
Paul writes the Corinthians not as a “lord,” but as a loving father. He calls the Corinthians his dear or beloved children. Yes, they have a lot of issues and problems, but they are still and always will be his spiritual children and the recipients of his love.
Paul makes a special point of reminding the Corinthians how he, as the one who planted the church in Corinth through his preaching of the gospel, was instrumental in their new birth. He is more than just another minister to them. While they might have had multitudes of other various leaders and teachers instruct them after their conversion, Paul is unique in that he is their spiritual father.
He sets an example for them to imitate
Paul models for the Corinthians the pattern of life he desires for his children to follow. He doesn’t just say “do as I say,” but also “do as I do.” He exhorts them to imitate him. Just as children are instructed to follow the example of their fathers, Paul urges his spiritual children to imitate him.
Paul’s intent isn’t to cause his group of followers to become larger than that of Peter and Apollos. He doesn’t exhort them to follow him as the “of Paul” group. He exhorts them to imitate his example. All that they see that represents the work of Christ in Him, all they see in terms of Christ-like humility, is what Paul is concerned that they imitate. His exhortation here is similar to one he will make later in the book, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
In pursuit of the objective of encouraging the Corinthians to imitate his example, Paul sends Timothy, who is also a spiritual offspring and object of his love, to minister to the Corinthians. Paul wants to come and deal with the issues himself, but he is prevented from doing so. So he sends Timothy as his authoritative representative.
Timothy can minister in Paul’s place as he has allowed the Christ-like pattern in Paul’s life to become the pattern for his own life as well. When the Corinthians see Timothy, they will be reminded of Paul, and both men ultimately will remind them of the supreme example of Christ. Timothy is given the assignment of reminding the Corinthians of Paul’s way of life in Christ Jesus which agreed with what he taught everywhere in every church.
He holds them accountable and warns of discipline for those who err
Some have grown arrogant, thinking Paul won’t dare to confront them personally. Paul states his plans to come very soon. When he arrives, he intends to find out how these arrogant people are talking and what power they have. He expects to uncover no spiritual power in those who are arrogant. The kingdom of God, His rule and glory, is more than a matter of impressive words and speaking abilities.
The important thing is that God’s life-transforming power is behind what the messenger is saying. Paul knew God’s power was behind the words he spoke. He was confident the same would be absent in those who were remaining in their arrogant ways. Paul’s stated intention to come to the church soon should encourage the arrogant to rethink their attitude and correct their behavior, or else they will have to deal with him who ministers in the Spirit’s power.
Paul warns the Corinthians he will be as tough in disciplining them as he has to be.
The Corinthians have a decision to make. Will they respond positively and receive love and gentleness from Paul. Or Will they reject Paul’s message and receive the full demonstration of his apostolic authority in correction and discipline.
Implications For Us Today:
Warning: Pride causes damaging division in the body of Christ
The process for repairing division is to forsake pride and emulate Christ-like humility
We are held accountable for our response to God’s Word
As we consider our accountability in the matter of how we respond to Paul’s exhortation that we imitate his Christ-like humility and forsake pride, we are reminded of the sobering words of Scripture: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Paul warns he would come with a whip if the Corinthians reject his instruction. God opposes the proud. He warns in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17—“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” God opposes the proud. Pride isn’t a sin to take likely. As we find pride within ourselves, may we forsake it and trust God’s Spirit to help us emulate Christ-like humility in its place. When we respond in this manner, we have this encouragement—God gives grace to the humble.