First Letter to the Corinthians -- Chapter 4
Having urged us to build all things faithfully on the foundation of Jesus Christ and not to look at the ways and wisdom of men, Paul continues on to explain the role God has chosen for His shepherds and servants. “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Paul wants his hearers to regard him and all those called into the fulltime ministry as servants of Christ who have been entrusted with shepherding God’s people with the Word of God. Therefore the shepherds that God calls must be held accountable for their teachings and must remain faithful to the testimony of Jesus Christ. God’s Word against careless shepherds is strong: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?...You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally…I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock” (Ezekiel 33:2, 4, 10). God has zero-tolerance for false teachers and shepherds who lead His people astray and down the path of eternal destruction. He doesn’t want us to follow just any man who claims to be a prophet, teacher, or shepherd, but he wants us to follow those who stand the test of God’s Word; that is, those who preach in accordance to the Scriptures alone.
Paul goes on to explain that God alone is judge and therefore His truth and doctrine are the only true standards by which we are to test our teachers. “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). Paul teaches here the importance of not trying to speak for God and not listening to those who dare claim to do so. We must be careful not to make our own judgments concerning the hearts and motives of men, including our own, and therefore we can only hold ourselves and others up to the immutable Word of God. Though we may think we are innocent and may think we proclaim God’s truth we must remember that God alone is judge and therefore we fall in humble repentance before Him at all times, relying on His grace, mercy, and working. Therefore it is imperative that we hold all teachers (including ourselves) up to God’s judgment, that is, His Word and testimony found in the Scriptures. “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day” (John 12:48). This is made especially clear when Paul tells us that even though our conscience is clear we are not necessarily innocent. Our conscience is not the voice of God. Though the believer has a conscience in the Spirit of God we must always remember that God’s Word in Scripture is alone sufficient to determine whether our conscience speaks the truth.
In light of this Paul continues on to explain that this is in fact what he has been trying to get at all along: “Now, brothers, 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’” (1 Corinthians 4:6). In these few words we have a bold testimony from Paul that once and for all squelches all the attempts of sinful men to look to what I call “extracurricular revelations.” As we have seen, the Corinthians were not satisfied with “just” the testimony of the Scriptures and “just” the message of the cross, they wanted something “more,” something more extravagant and wise by the ways of the world. It is for this reason that they followed men over God and were willing to pit one teacher against another. Paul therefore urges them to stop looking to men and other revelations and to simply stick to Scripture and not go beyond what is written. Paul is telling us very firmly that the testimony of the prophets and apostles is sufficient, they speak the message of Jesus Christ crucified for us, and that is all we need. We must not look to personal revelations, experiences, emotions, and feelings, we need to cling to the objective witness of the Scriptures alone. Some men think it is fine to add to the testimony of Scripture with their own “prophecies” and “revelations from God,” but God has spoken against these men: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of Yahweh…But which of them has stood in the council of Yahweh to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?...I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people” (Jeremiah 23:16, 18, 21-22). If men have stood in the council of God and heard His Word then they will proclaim His Word and not prophesies of their own devising. Those who have the Word of God will speak the message of the Scriptures, and this message alone. Paul clearly tells us the same when he says with no hesitation: “Do not go beyond what is written.” This means we speak only where Scripture speaks and we remain silent only where Scripture is silent. “Let the one who has my word speak it faithfully” (Jeremiah 23:28). Even though we may have the greatest intentions in the world we must not go beyond what is written in the Scriptures. Sometimes adding to and going beyond the Scriptures is as dangerous (if not more so!) as subtracting and removing things from the Scriptures.
Paul continues on to tell us why he is urging us so strongly to not go beyond what is written: “Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:6-7). Paul asks the Corinthians (and us too!) some pointed questions: Why do we dare think we are “special” enough to get a separate revelation that is different than everyone else? Do we think we have earned something or made a better choice than other men? Why are we not content with the testimony God has given us in the Scriptures? Is our faith so weak that we cannot simply take Him at His Word, and at His Word alone? Is not everything in our lives solely God’s work and His gracious gift? So why then do we not accept His gift thankfully and graciously? Paul continues on full of passion and answers: “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!” (1 Corinthians 4:8). We see here once again that Paul is urging, urging, urging the church at Corinth to be content with Jesus Christ alone. He wants them (and us!) to see that in Christ they have everything, so they must stop looking for “something more.” They have the Scriptures which tell them everything God desires, so they need to stop searching for something else. We have the cross of Jesus Christ, what more could we ever want or desire? Let us therefore pray that in light of the undeserved forgiveness we have received in Jesus Christ that we ourselves patiently wait on the Lord, being fully content and fulfilled with His Word and truth. “If you, O Yahweh, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in Yahweh, for with Yahweh is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins” (Psalm 130:3-8).
After having implored the church at Corinth to not go beyond what is written, Paul continues on to discuss how he and his fellow workmen have become the laughing stock and refuse of the world thru their adherence to God’s Word. “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). Those who have been chosen to faithfully carry the message of the Cross to the world (according to the Scriptures) have been set up as the visible sign of Christ’s suffering in this life. This spectacle of suffering and persecution is raised before the world in order that thru our suffering we might bear witness to Jesus Christ. “We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body” (2 Corinthians 4:11). Jesus spoke very pointedly of the persecution, suffering, and betrayal that we would need to undergo in order that His Gospel may be made known. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18-20). Because we do not belong to the world we are hated by the world. If the world loves us then it is a sign that we are one of its own and a child of its sinful desires. Therefore those who faithfully proclaim Jesus Christ crucified will not only be betrayed by the world in general but also by those closest to us. “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life” (Luke 21:16-19).
In continuing on Paul illustrates the difference between those in the church at Corinth and the apostles of Christ. “We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!” (1 Corinthians 4:10). In proclaiming these polarities Paul is really trying to tell us two separate things. The first is that the apostles have lowered themselves in order to uplift those around them. In their ministry they have made themselves lowly in order to humbly bring the Gospel to the world. The second (and more biting) point Paul is making here is that the wisdom, honor, and strength that is so important to the Corinthians (and us!) is in reality a sign of their spiritual immaturity and worldliness. Paul is telling them that a true devotion to the Cross will result in foolishness, weakness, and dishonor before the world. The Corinthians (and so often we ourselves) on the other hand were busy trying to serve two masters (by seeking wisdom, strength, and honor in this life), both God and the world, and Paul wanted them to see that this is an impossibility. Christ said, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). Mammon in the Greek means treasure, riches, or wealth. Christ is therefore telling us that we cannot serve both God and anything else that we may hold dear and love in this life (and yes this even includes loved ones and our family). God alone must be our Master, and we must not somehow think we can balance serving both Him and the world or our flesh. Arrogantly attempting this balance will ultimately result in hatred of the cross.
Continuing on Paul bears witness to the struggles of the apostles in order to show us the humble path of service to God alone: “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world” (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). For the sake of Jesus Christ we are made the scum, refuse, and dung of the world. We are hated and despised more than all others so that thru our subsequent love in the face of suffering and hatred, we might point to Jesus Christ crucified. As he goes on Paul says very plainly that he writes all this not as an insult or to shame us, but in order to teach us and warn us about trying to love both God and the world. “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children” (1 Corinthians 4:14). We need to be warned so that we do not keep on in our love affair (and let us not think it is anything less!) with the sinful desires of this world. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Clearly, if we love the world then the love of the Father is not in us. If our focus and energy is on fulfilling our desires of the flesh and of living out the ways of society then our focus is not on the will of God for our lives.
In order to keep us from living for “me” Paul urges both us and the Corinthians to imitate him: “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:15-16). This imitation involves the foolishness, weakness, dishonor, suffering, and love that comes thru single-minded devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though we are not the apostle that Paul was, we still are called to live out our ministry thru God’s calling in this life. Whatever station, job, and place we have been called to is our God-given area of witness to the manger, cross, and empty tomb. Though we may not be traveling the Mediterranean and getting thrown in jail for the gospel, it is still our duty to become fools for the gospel, relying on the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord for all things. “For this reason I am sending 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. Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthian 4:17-20). In order to help those at the church of Corinth continue in the teachings and way of life of Jesus Christ and because he feared the complete denigration of their sound doctrine, Paul decided to send his understudy, Timothy, to them. Arrogant men had arisen in Corinth who were big talkers, claiming that Paul would never be back to help them. These arrogant men were also the ones leading others astray amidst controversies, false teachings, and a clamoring for a “more complete” gospel experience. In a last effort to warn them Paul says: “What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?” (1 Corinthians 4:21). Knowing the need for both law and gospel in his preaching Paul poses a rhetorical question about whether those at the church at Corinth would prefer a whip or gentle love when he comes to them. This question is meant to illustrate Paul’s boldness and willingness to discipline and proclaim God’s harsh law when necessary, showing that he wouldn’t back down timidly in the face of any intimidation and false teachings. Nobody likes to hear the harsh law over the gentle consoling of the gospel, but Paul saw that if things were as bad as he was hearing and suspecting that he would need to come in a whirlwind of the law, breaking down and shattering the sinful flesh of the Corinthians. Spiritual immaturity and worldliness is a real danger for all men, and it is in God’s work of constant repentance, turning away from the world and our sin (dying to self) towards the love of God that is found in the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we are rescued. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal” (Job 5:17-18).
Paul goes on to explain that God alone is judge and therefore His truth and doctrine are the only true standards by which we are to test our teachers. “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). Paul teaches here the importance of not trying to speak for God and not listening to those who dare claim to do so. We must be careful not to make our own judgments concerning the hearts and motives of men, including our own, and therefore we can only hold ourselves and others up to the immutable Word of God. Though we may think we are innocent and may think we proclaim God’s truth we must remember that God alone is judge and therefore we fall in humble repentance before Him at all times, relying on His grace, mercy, and working. Therefore it is imperative that we hold all teachers (including ourselves) up to God’s judgment, that is, His Word and testimony found in the Scriptures. “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day” (John 12:48). This is made especially clear when Paul tells us that even though our conscience is clear we are not necessarily innocent. Our conscience is not the voice of God. Though the believer has a conscience in the Spirit of God we must always remember that God’s Word in Scripture is alone sufficient to determine whether our conscience speaks the truth.
In light of this Paul continues on to explain that this is in fact what he has been trying to get at all along: “Now, brothers, 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’” (1 Corinthians 4:6). In these few words we have a bold testimony from Paul that once and for all squelches all the attempts of sinful men to look to what I call “extracurricular revelations.” As we have seen, the Corinthians were not satisfied with “just” the testimony of the Scriptures and “just” the message of the cross, they wanted something “more,” something more extravagant and wise by the ways of the world. It is for this reason that they followed men over God and were willing to pit one teacher against another. Paul therefore urges them to stop looking to men and other revelations and to simply stick to Scripture and not go beyond what is written. Paul is telling us very firmly that the testimony of the prophets and apostles is sufficient, they speak the message of Jesus Christ crucified for us, and that is all we need. We must not look to personal revelations, experiences, emotions, and feelings, we need to cling to the objective witness of the Scriptures alone. Some men think it is fine to add to the testimony of Scripture with their own “prophecies” and “revelations from God,” but God has spoken against these men: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of Yahweh…But which of them has stood in the council of Yahweh to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?...I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people” (Jeremiah 23:16, 18, 21-22). If men have stood in the council of God and heard His Word then they will proclaim His Word and not prophesies of their own devising. Those who have the Word of God will speak the message of the Scriptures, and this message alone. Paul clearly tells us the same when he says with no hesitation: “Do not go beyond what is written.” This means we speak only where Scripture speaks and we remain silent only where Scripture is silent. “Let the one who has my word speak it faithfully” (Jeremiah 23:28). Even though we may have the greatest intentions in the world we must not go beyond what is written in the Scriptures. Sometimes adding to and going beyond the Scriptures is as dangerous (if not more so!) as subtracting and removing things from the Scriptures.
Paul continues on to tell us why he is urging us so strongly to not go beyond what is written: “Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:6-7). Paul asks the Corinthians (and us too!) some pointed questions: Why do we dare think we are “special” enough to get a separate revelation that is different than everyone else? Do we think we have earned something or made a better choice than other men? Why are we not content with the testimony God has given us in the Scriptures? Is our faith so weak that we cannot simply take Him at His Word, and at His Word alone? Is not everything in our lives solely God’s work and His gracious gift? So why then do we not accept His gift thankfully and graciously? Paul continues on full of passion and answers: “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!” (1 Corinthians 4:8). We see here once again that Paul is urging, urging, urging the church at Corinth to be content with Jesus Christ alone. He wants them (and us!) to see that in Christ they have everything, so they must stop looking for “something more.” They have the Scriptures which tell them everything God desires, so they need to stop searching for something else. We have the cross of Jesus Christ, what more could we ever want or desire? Let us therefore pray that in light of the undeserved forgiveness we have received in Jesus Christ that we ourselves patiently wait on the Lord, being fully content and fulfilled with His Word and truth. “If you, O Yahweh, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in Yahweh, for with Yahweh is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins” (Psalm 130:3-8).
After having implored the church at Corinth to not go beyond what is written, Paul continues on to discuss how he and his fellow workmen have become the laughing stock and refuse of the world thru their adherence to God’s Word. “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). Those who have been chosen to faithfully carry the message of the Cross to the world (according to the Scriptures) have been set up as the visible sign of Christ’s suffering in this life. This spectacle of suffering and persecution is raised before the world in order that thru our suffering we might bear witness to Jesus Christ. “We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body” (2 Corinthians 4:11). Jesus spoke very pointedly of the persecution, suffering, and betrayal that we would need to undergo in order that His Gospel may be made known. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18-20). Because we do not belong to the world we are hated by the world. If the world loves us then it is a sign that we are one of its own and a child of its sinful desires. Therefore those who faithfully proclaim Jesus Christ crucified will not only be betrayed by the world in general but also by those closest to us. “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life” (Luke 21:16-19).
In continuing on Paul illustrates the difference between those in the church at Corinth and the apostles of Christ. “We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!” (1 Corinthians 4:10). In proclaiming these polarities Paul is really trying to tell us two separate things. The first is that the apostles have lowered themselves in order to uplift those around them. In their ministry they have made themselves lowly in order to humbly bring the Gospel to the world. The second (and more biting) point Paul is making here is that the wisdom, honor, and strength that is so important to the Corinthians (and us!) is in reality a sign of their spiritual immaturity and worldliness. Paul is telling them that a true devotion to the Cross will result in foolishness, weakness, and dishonor before the world. The Corinthians (and so often we ourselves) on the other hand were busy trying to serve two masters (by seeking wisdom, strength, and honor in this life), both God and the world, and Paul wanted them to see that this is an impossibility. Christ said, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). Mammon in the Greek means treasure, riches, or wealth. Christ is therefore telling us that we cannot serve both God and anything else that we may hold dear and love in this life (and yes this even includes loved ones and our family). God alone must be our Master, and we must not somehow think we can balance serving both Him and the world or our flesh. Arrogantly attempting this balance will ultimately result in hatred of the cross.
Continuing on Paul bears witness to the struggles of the apostles in order to show us the humble path of service to God alone: “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world” (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). For the sake of Jesus Christ we are made the scum, refuse, and dung of the world. We are hated and despised more than all others so that thru our subsequent love in the face of suffering and hatred, we might point to Jesus Christ crucified. As he goes on Paul says very plainly that he writes all this not as an insult or to shame us, but in order to teach us and warn us about trying to love both God and the world. “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children” (1 Corinthians 4:14). We need to be warned so that we do not keep on in our love affair (and let us not think it is anything less!) with the sinful desires of this world. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Clearly, if we love the world then the love of the Father is not in us. If our focus and energy is on fulfilling our desires of the flesh and of living out the ways of society then our focus is not on the will of God for our lives.
In order to keep us from living for “me” Paul urges both us and the Corinthians to imitate him: “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:15-16). This imitation involves the foolishness, weakness, dishonor, suffering, and love that comes thru single-minded devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though we are not the apostle that Paul was, we still are called to live out our ministry thru God’s calling in this life. Whatever station, job, and place we have been called to is our God-given area of witness to the manger, cross, and empty tomb. Though we may not be traveling the Mediterranean and getting thrown in jail for the gospel, it is still our duty to become fools for the gospel, relying on the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord for all things. “For this reason I am sending 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. Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthian 4:17-20). In order to help those at the church of Corinth continue in the teachings and way of life of Jesus Christ and because he feared the complete denigration of their sound doctrine, Paul decided to send his understudy, Timothy, to them. Arrogant men had arisen in Corinth who were big talkers, claiming that Paul would never be back to help them. These arrogant men were also the ones leading others astray amidst controversies, false teachings, and a clamoring for a “more complete” gospel experience. In a last effort to warn them Paul says: “What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?” (1 Corinthians 4:21). Knowing the need for both law and gospel in his preaching Paul poses a rhetorical question about whether those at the church at Corinth would prefer a whip or gentle love when he comes to them. This question is meant to illustrate Paul’s boldness and willingness to discipline and proclaim God’s harsh law when necessary, showing that he wouldn’t back down timidly in the face of any intimidation and false teachings. Nobody likes to hear the harsh law over the gentle consoling of the gospel, but Paul saw that if things were as bad as he was hearing and suspecting that he would need to come in a whirlwind of the law, breaking down and shattering the sinful flesh of the Corinthians. Spiritual immaturity and worldliness is a real danger for all men, and it is in God’s work of constant repentance, turning away from the world and our sin (dying to self) towards the love of God that is found in the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we are rescued. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal” (Job 5:17-18).
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