Imitate Me-1 Cor 4:14-21

1 Corinthians, New Testament, Sermons

Do you model and embody for others the meaning of the gospel? The goal of all Christians is to be so Chrislike and to so embody Christ that we can say [confidently and humbly] to other Christians, “Imitate me” (1 Cor 4:16). So…is there anything in your Christian life that you don’t want others to imitate, to know, or to see?

Who influences you? Who are your models? When I became a Christian in 1980, I admired those who love the Bible, teach the Bible and raise disciples. So I resolved to read the whole Bible once a year for over a decade, memorized many Bible verses and sought to meet and teach the Bible to many students at UIC for several decades. Fundamentally, after 4 decades, that is still my singular desire and passion: preach and embody Christ (Ac 20:24) and pray to influence the next generation to love Jesus and the Scriptures foremost (Ac 20:27) and to love others as themselves (Lev 19:8). The models who influence me today are theologians who love and embody Jesus.

Paul’s tone changes abruptly (1 Cor 4:14). He scolded them devastatingly. Then he reaches out to embrace them as his “beloved children.” When he says that he’s not trying to shame them, he means that his aim is not to disgrace them but to correct their behavior. Fatherly correction is deeply imbedded in Israel’s wisdom tradition: Fathers rebuke, reprove and chasten their children to bring them into the disciplined way of knowledge and obedience (Prov 3:11–12; 13:24; 19:18). The “rod” that Paul brandishes in (1 Cor 4:21), is the “rod of correction” that the OT sages believed a father should use to drive away folly from the heart of the immature (Prov 22:15; 23:13–14). Thus, Paul’s use of severe rhetoric has a fatherly purpose, and he now seeks to reassure them that he’s acting out of love and concern for them. He hopes that they’ll recognize the error of their ways and accept his welcoming gesture (1 Cor 4:14–15).

“Father” refers to his role as the founder of the community: “in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Cor 4:15). Paul originally brought the gospel to Corinth, bringing the community into existence. This unique relationship with them can never be supplanted by other teachers, no matter how many. Paul’s use of the word “guardians” [not “teachers”] makes the point that he refers to slaves charged with supervising children (cf. the different metaphorical use in Gal 3:24).

“Imitate me” (1 Cor 4:16) is Paul’s appeal based on his claim to have fathered them. If children are to grow into greater maturity they should observe and follow the ways of the parent. This exhortation strikes moderns as manipulative and arrogant, yet it’s based on an unimpeachable truth about the development of character: People learn from role models. We’re in urgent need of good role models. Thus Paul sends Timothy to remind them of what the Christian life is supposed to look like in the flesh. Since Paul is unable to return promptly to Corinth (1 Cor 16:8–9), sending Timothy is the next best thing, because Timothy is “my beloved and faithful [1 Cor 4:2] child in the Lord.” As a faithful child, Timothy has modeled himself on Paul, so that he can “remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus as I teach them everywhere in every church.”

The church at Corinth are inventing Christian life as they go, and have trouble doing so, for they have no established Christian tradition, no members who have been believers longer than 3 years at the most, no written gospels, and no authoritative Torah to regulate behavior. Thus, a living visible example of how to “walk” in the ways of the gospel is indispensable. Paul offers himself as such an example, appealing to their memory of him, and promises the coming of Timothy as a surrogate example. The exhortation to “imitate me” is Paul’s insistance that the meaning of the gospel must be embodied; the obedience of faith comes into focus only as we see it lived. [Timothy is sent not just to teach right doctrine but to exemplify Paul’s “ways in Christ.”] This is still true today. Paul’s words are a challenge to us not only to take his example seriously but to become, like Timothy, faithful disciples who can model for others the meaning of the gospel.

Imitate the father figure is employing a traditional patriarchal image. Yet, “He uses patriarchal rhetoric to make an anti–patriarchal point” (Dale Martin, Slavery as Salvation). He is calling on the strong and wise Corinthians to become weak, to renounce their positions of privilege. Paul–the “father”–has modeled the way of renouncing power and comfort for the sake of the gospel. Thus, Paul’s use of this traditional motif is charged with paradox and creative energy that seeks to overturn the status quo rather than underwrite it.

FINAL WARNING to the Boasters (4:18–21). Given the turmoil and division in their community, Paul can’t end this section on a kind and encouraging note. He has received discouraging reports (1 Cor 1:11) not only that the community is divided but also that some of them, supposing that Paul isn’t coming back [gone for several years] have become “͙𝒂͙𝒓͙𝒓͙𝒐͙𝒈͙𝒂͙𝒏͙𝒕͙” (1 Cor 4:18) [͛“͛𝒑͛𝒖͛𝒇͛𝒇͛𝒆͛𝒅͛ ͛𝒖͛𝒑͛”͛ ͛(͛1͛ ͛𝑪͛𝒐͛𝒓͛ ͛4͛:͛6͛)͛]͛. Their arrogance is based on their pretensions to possess wisdom, but also explicitly 𝒓͟𝒆͟𝒑͟𝒖͟𝒅͟𝒊͟𝒂͟𝒕͟𝒊͟𝒏͟𝒈͟/͟𝒓͟𝒆͟𝒏͟𝒐͟𝒖͟𝒏͟𝒄͟𝒊͟𝒏͟𝒈͟ ͟𝑷͟𝒂͟𝒖͟𝒍͟’͟𝒔͟ ͟𝒂͟𝒖͟𝒕͟𝒉͟𝒐͟𝒓͟𝒊͟𝒕͟𝒚͟. They gained new ideas from other sources that they regard as being more spiritually sophisticated and rhetorically polished. In a bold conclusion to this section, Paul calls their bluff and threatens ominous consequences if they persist in their rebellion against his authority. When he arrives, there’ll be a showdown: He’ll “find out not the rhetoric [logon] of these puffed-up ones but their power.” The contrast is exactly the same as in 1 Cor 2:4–5—𝒓͟𝒉͟𝒆͟𝒕͟𝒐͟𝒓͟𝒊͟𝒄͟𝒂͟𝒍͟ ͟𝒂͟𝒓͟𝒕͟𝒊͟𝒔͟𝒕͟𝒓͟𝒚͟ or 𝒕͟𝒉͟𝒆͟ ͟𝒑͟𝒐͟𝒘͟𝒆͟𝒓͟ ͟𝒐͟𝒇͟ ͟𝑮͟𝒐͟𝒅͟. This is not an empty threat. Paul believes himself invested with God’s authority in such a way that he has “divine power to destroy strongholds … and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:4–5). So he’ll expose the superficiality and falsehood of their arrogant arguments, for “the kingdom of God consists not in rhetoric but in power” (1 Cor 4:20). Paul expects that if necessary God will unleash some manifestation of the power of the Spirit that will humble the arrogant ones. (Elijah’s triumph over the prophets of Baal [1 Ki 18:20–40] is a story that Paul elsewhere connects to his own apostolic vocation [Rom 11:2–4]). Paul disclosing the truth about their claims is also described in terms that anticipate and parallel the final coming of Christ in judgment.Paul uses “the kingdom of God” infrequently. 1 Cor 4:20 may be dictated by his desire to present a polemical rejoinder to their talk about already reigning as kings (1 Cor 4:8). So, the force of 1 Cor 4:20 reasserts that God alone is king, and that God’s kingdom operates in a way very different from what their boasters imagine. Besides threat, Paul also understands the kingdom of God in Rom 14:17 as “the kingdom of God is … righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”What will it be? Paul placed the choice back in their hands (1 Cor 4:21). If they continue boasting and resisting Paul’s authority, he’ll administer stern discipline when he appears in Corinth. But if they acknowledge his authority and repent of their boasting, he’ll come with gentleness. This letter gives them fair warning and allow them time to get their act together. Much will depend on how they react to the more specific directives in the rest of the letter.

Paul closes the opening section of the letter. He has exhorted them to turn away from their boasting in human wisdom and to seek to be reunified in the service of the one God to whom they all belong, who is ultimately their one judge. In the chapters that follow, he’ll seek to build on the foundation of these opening chapters in a way that will decisively reshape the community’s understanding of its identity in Christ—and, therefore, its behavior.

REFLECTION and important message FOR the church. Modeling our “ways in Christ.” Who are your models? Who influences you? If not Paul or Timothy, to whom do you look to embody the practical meaning of being in Christ? How are you modeling the gospel for your family, friends, peers and others less experienced in the life of faith and for those who are hurting in the world and who have suffered injustice and racism? The kingdom of God doesn’t consist in talk but in power. This should be evident in our lives and in the life of the church community unified in humble gratitude for what we have received from God.

Reference:

  1. Richard B. Hays. First Corinthians. Interpretation. A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. 1997.
  2. Gordon D. Fee. First Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the NT. 1987.
  3. Richard B. Hays. The Moral Vision of the N.T. A Contemporary Introduction to N.T. Ethics. 1996.

Sermon Divisions:

  1. 7/12/20: Always Thank God (1:1-9) [1 Cor 1:4].  Cosmic Epic Calling [1 Cor 1:2].
  2. 7/19/20: The Devil Divides, God Unites (1:10-17) [1 Cor 1:10]. All Agree. No Divisions. Perfect Unity.
  3. 7/26/20: The Cross—God‘s Way—is Dumb (1:18-25) [1 Cor 1:18]. The Cross Stumbles. The Cross is like a Cop Out. Foolish Cross.
  4. 8/2/20: What You Were, Who Christ Is (1:26-31) [1 Cor 1:26, 30]. The Necessity of Lack. No Boasting  [1 Cor 1:31].
  5. 8/9/20: Nothing but Jesus (2:1-5) [1 Cor 2:2].
  6. 8/16/20: Wise vs. Stupid (2:6-16) [1 Cor 2:6]. True Wisdom is Only for the Mature. The Mind of Christ [1 Cor 2:16].
  7. 8/23/20: You‘re NOT Spiritual (3:1-4) [1 Cor 3:1].  Spiritual, Yet Not Spiritual.
  8. 8/30/20: Merely Servants (3:5-9) [1 Cor 3:5]. Field Laborers.
  9. 9/6/20: Build with Care or Be Destroyed (3:10-15, 16-17) [1 Cor 3:10-11]. God’s Temple.
  10. 9/13/20: Deceived by Wisdom (3:18-23). All Belongs to Christ and God. Wisdom doesn’t boast.
  11. 9/20/20: When You Are Judged (4:1-5) [1 Cor 4:4]. Go Ahead…Judge Me!  Judged Only by God; Accountable Only to God.  Judging Others Blinds You.
  12. 9/27/20: When You Are Scum (4:6-13) [1 Cor 4:13]. Become Scum. Suffering Apostle amid Others’ Boasting
  13. 10/4/20: Imitate Me (4:14-21) [1 Cor 4:19]. Fatherly Admonition. Final Warning to Boasters.
  14. 10/11/20: Expel the Wicked Man (5:1-13). Incest.
  15. 10/18/20: I Say This to Shame You (6:1-11). Lawsuits.
  16. 10/25/20: Glorify God with Your Body (6:12-20). Prostitutes.
  17. 11/1/20; 11/8/20; 11/15/20; etc: West Loop Elders.
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