Lessons #111and 112
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Stewards of Christ (1 Cor 4:1-5)
1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 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 is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 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.
The message of this section of 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 that we are considering, if you recall, is this: Be careful of how you prematurely evaluate the ministers of God’s word since that is the Lord’s function when He returns. We indicated that our exposition of this message involves three responsibilities that you have as a believer. We have considered the first which is that you should correctly assess ministers of God’s word, being mindful of what is required of them. To this responsibility we indicated that you should regard them as servants who belong to Christ and those who are responsible for communicating the truth of God’s word. Furthermore, we indicated that you should be mindful that they are expected to be faithful to the Lord implying that they should not teach the word of God to impress you or to dance to your whims. No! They are to teach God’s word since they have such responsibility given to them by the Lord to whom they must give an account regarding their assignment. This fact leads to our consideration of the second responsibility that you have regarding the message of this passage.
Your second responsibility regarding the message of this passage as it pertains to the minister of God’s word is this: You should understand that the Lord is their true judge and of all others. In expounding this second responsibility, there are three facts that you should know about ministers of God’s word, which they also should know. A first fact is that they should not care about human judgments or evaluation. I dare say that many of us who teach the word of God are either not aware of this fact or they ignore them. The reason I say this is because many teachers of the word of God teach to satisfy their congregations in the sense that they do not want any of them to criticize them or be offended by their teaching. Of course, such an attitude is one that plays into the reality of the time in which we live. The Scripture tells us that a time would come, and it has really come, when people would gather around those who teach what they want to hear, as predicted in 2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
People may love hearing those who teach in such a way that they are not made to feel the guilt of sin or failure, but such a teaching does no good. You see, a teaching that is useful to believers is one that enables us to live a life that pleases the Lord and so keeps us from being disciplined by Him because of failure to live according to truth. The teachers who do not teach in this manner are like the false prophets rebuked in Lamentations 2:14:
The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.
Anyway, we contend that when teachers of the word of God teach to please the audience instead of teaching truth that would convict or reprove people regarding their conduct, they do not understand this first fact that we have stated which, again, is that the ministers of God’s word should not care about human judgments or evaluation. This is because people have no right to judge them since they are the servants of the Lord. This being the case, believers have no right to judge them as per the question of the Holy Spirit though Apostle Paul in Romans 14:4:
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Anyway, a first fact is that ministers of God’s word should recognize is that they should not care about human judgments or evaluation.
This first fact we stated is derived from the statement of Apostle Paul’s attitude stated in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court. This statement is one that is intended to describe the apostle’s attitude considering what he stated in the previous verse regarding the importance of the ministers of God’s word being faithful to the Lord and so to carry out faithfully their responsibility of dispensing the word of God. The apostle having stated the general requirement of those who minister God’s word, used himself as an example since he began verse 3 with a Greek conjunction (de) used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation and so may be translated “and, but.” It may also be used for explanation or to resume a discourse that has been interrupted in which case it may be translated “that is, now.” In our verse, although not translated in the NIV, it probably has the meaning of “as for” since the apostle focused on his own attitude. The apostle in using the Greek conjunction in a sense, helps us to understand that being faithful in the ministry of the word of God requires that the minister should not be concerned with people’s evaluation as he should be concerned about pleasing the Lord.
Be that as it may, the apostle wrote I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court. This sentence is a way that the translators of the NIV conveyed what it is the apostle wanted to convey. We say this because, literally, the Greek reads But to me it is to very little thing that I be judged by you or by a human court. The literal phrase to me indicates that the apostle focused on himself to convey his attitude in the ministry that others who are serious in the ministry of the word should emulate although he did not say so in words. We are saying that for the apostle to say literally but to me, it is an emphatic way of saying to all ministers of God’s word that they should imitate him in his attitude towards criticism of people regarding their ministry of the word.
The apostle’s attitude towards criticism of people is conveyed in the literal sentence it is to very little thing that the translators of the NIV rendered I care very little. The word “care” of the NIV is how the translators of the NIV conveyed the sense of the Greek word used. The Greek word (eimi) used basically means “to be” with several nuances. It may mean “to live”, that is, to be alive in a period of time, as it is used by Jesus to put words in the mouth of the Jews of His time regarding their attitude towards the prophets of the past in Matthew 23:30:
And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
The clause If we had lived in the days of our forefathers is more literally If we had been in the days of our forefathers. The word may mean “to be, to come from somewhere” as it is used in questioning if anything good could originate from Nazareth in John 1:46:
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
The question Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? is literally Out of Nazareth is any good thing able to be? The meaning “to be” may mean “to exist,” as it is used by Apostle Paul to state the existence of many gods and lords in 1 Corinthians 8:5:
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
Of course, it is used in this sense of existence to describe the absolute existence of the true God in Hebrews 11:6:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The Greek word may mean to exist in the sense of “to be present, available, provided” as it is used in Acts 7:12:
When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.
The clause there was grain in Egypt may be fully translated as that grain was available. The meaning “provided” probably fits the use of our Greek verb in John 7:39:
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
The sentence the Spirit had not been given is more literally the Spirit was not yet since the word “given” is probably not in the original although some few Greek manuscripts have it but it is supplied in many of our English versions to avoid creating the impression that the Spirit did not exist prior to the point in view in the passage. The problem of it appearing that the Spirit was not in existence at the time involved may be avoided if the Greek word is translated “provided” so that the sentence will read the Spirit not provide yet in the sense of living in the believer as today. The word may mean “to belong”, as in Romans 8:9:
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The word figuratively may mean “to be controlled” as that is the sense in Romans 8:8:
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
The clause Those controlled by the sinful nature is literally those who are in the flesh. The Greek word may mean “to devote” as that is the sense Apostle Paul used it in his instruction to Timothy regarding devotion to God’s word in 1 Timothy 4:15:
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
The expression give yourself wholly to them may be alternatively translated devote yourself to these things. In some usages, the Greek word may have the sense of “to be of relative significance, be of moment or importance, amount to something” as in Galatians 2:6:
As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message.
The verbal phrase to be important is more literally to be something. The word may mean “to serve” as that is the sense of the Greek word in James 5:3:
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
The sentence Their corrosion will testify against you is more literally their corrosion will be a witness against you. The sense of the literal sentence is that corrosion “will serve” as a witness against the rich. Of the various meanings of the Greek word, it is the meaning “to be” that is intended in 1 Corinthians 4:3 with the implication of being of relative significance. We say this primarily because of the phrase very little.
The expression “very little” is translated from a Greek word (elachistos) that may mean “insignificant, trivial” as it pertains to being considered of very little importance as the word is used in the Lord’s teaching against worrying in Luke 12:26:
Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
The word may mean “least” as pertaining to being the lowest in status as Apostle Paul used it in describing himself as an apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:9:
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
The word may mean “very small, short” as pertaining to being relatively the smallest in a specific class or group as it is used to describe a rudder of a ship in James 3:4:
Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
It is in the sense of being of little importance, that is, “insignificant” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:3. Thus, the apostle states that something is insignificant to him which the translators of the NIV interpreted to mean that the apostle cares very little about something.
The thing the apostle indicates is insignificant to him is people’s criticism of him or their evaluation of him as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 in the NIV if I am judged by you or by any human court. The clause as it is translated in the NIV and some other English versions with the word “if” may suggest a conditional clause but that is not the sense of the clause unless, of course, the word “if” is understood to mean “despite being” or “even though.” The apostle states what may have happened, although he probably was unsure, not something contemplated, since literally the Greek reads that I be judged by you or by a human court.
The word “judged” is translated from a Greek verb (anakrinō) that may mean “to examine” in the sense of conducting a judicial hearing so means “to hear a case” as Pilate used it to describe his judicial investigation regarding accusations of the Jews against Jesus Christ as narrated in Luke 23:14:
and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
The word may mean to engage in careful study of a question hence “to examine, question” as it is used to describe the activities of the Bereans who examined the Scripture after Apostle Paul preached in their city, as recorded in Acts 17:11:
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
The meaning of the Greek word of “to question” is used by Apostle Paul regarding eating of meat in the house of an unbeliever that invites a believer to a meal, as in 1 Corinthians 10:27:
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
The verbal phrase without raising questions is literally questioning nothing. The word may mean to examine with the view of finding fault and so means “to judge, call to account, discern” as it is used in 1 Corinthians 14:24:
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all,
It is in the sense of “to be evaluated”, that is, to be subject to the critical scrutiny of another that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 4:3. The apostle used the aorist tense in the Greek that suggests an action that occurred but he also used the subjunctive in the Greek that represents a verbal action as uncertain but probable. Thus, the apostle probably felt that some of the Corinthians have criticized him, but others might not have. Likewise, the apostle might have considered the fact that he has been evaluated by human courts such as the Jewish religious court or the Roman court.
The adjective “human” used in the clause if I am judged by you or by any human court is translated from a Greek word (anthrōpinos) that means “human” so it is used to describe what is common to mankind in Romans 6:19:
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
The word is used for human institution that has authority and so should be submitted to, as we read in 1 Peter 2:13:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority,
The phrase to every authority instituted among men is literally every human authority. It is in the sense of “human” that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 4:3.
The word “court” in the clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 if I am judged by you or by any human court is translated from a Greek word (hēmera) that may mean “day,” that is, the period between sunrise and sunset as the word is used literally in Apostle Paul and his team’s working to support themselves so as not to be a burden to the Thessalonians, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 2:9:
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
Figuratively, the word “day” is used to describe Christians as children of light and day, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:5:
You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
The word may mean “day” in a sense of civil or legal day, including the night as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe the length of his stay with Peter in Jerusalem that included literal day and nights in Galatians 1:18:
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.
The word may mean “day” as a day appointed for very special purposes as in the day Herod was to deliver a speech to those, he had problem with, that was part of his undoing as narrated in the twelfth chapter of Acts but our word is used specifically in Acts 12:21:
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
It is in this special appointed day that the word is used to describe the day of God’s final punishment, as for example, in Romans 2:16:
This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
The word may mean “time”, that is, an extended period, as the word is used in Peter’s speech during the church council in Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15:7:
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
The phrase some time ago is literally former days. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:3, the word is used in sense of “court day,” that is, a day in which the courts were in session for deciding cases; often held on market days.
The apostle in speaking of a court day or human court could have had in mind his appearance before the Sanhedrin, as stated in Acts 22:30:
The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
The apostle could also have had in mind his trial before Roman governors such as Felix as we may gather from Acts 24:1–4:
1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.
In any event, the apostle was aware of him being scrutinized or evaluated by human courts as well as some believers in Corinth. The apostle would have been sure that some Corinthians have scrutinized him for otherwise there would have been no grounds for the partisanship that existed among the Corinthians based on the personalities of those who have ministered to them. Nonetheless, his attitude is that such criticisms have little or no effect on him.
Be that as it may, we are concerned that ministers of God’s word should imitate the apostle in not being concerned with people’s criticism or evaluation of them and so should you. Those who teach or preach God’s word are often the object of criticism or people’s constant evaluation. We can see this trend from the time of Moses. Moses’ leadership was criticized by some of the Israelites that led rebellion against him, as recorded in Numbers 16:1–3:
1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?”
The prophets were also criticized for their messages that the people did not want to hear, and some were killed. For example, Prophet Zechariah was not only criticized for a message that was not welcomed by people of Judah, but he was stoned to death, as in 2 Chronicles 24:20–21:
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’” 21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple.
Prophet Amos was criticized for his ministry of the word of God by Amaziah so that he was ordered out of the northern kingdom, as we read in Amos 7:10–13:
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying: “‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
The apostles were criticized for preaching Christ as indicated by the prohibition of the Jewish authority against preaching Christ and the apostle’s response recorded in Acts 4:18–19:
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.
The apostles did not stop preaching Christ simply because they were criticized and ordered not to do so. The point is that those who minister the word of God would be subjected to criticisms, but they should not succumb to these. They are not to water down the teaching of God’s word because they want to avoid criticism. Apostle Paul indicated that he was not perturbed by other people’s criticism or evaluation to alter the message he preached. The Jews criticized him for taking the gospel to the Gentiles since they did not want the apostle to preach to the Gentiles as he testified in 1 Thessalonians 2:14–16:
14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.
The Jews who probably did not criticize him for preaching the gospel message to the Gentiles most certainly criticized him for not promoting the rituals of the Mosaic law. It is certainly for this reason that the apostle indicated that because he was not the least perturbed in their criticism, he preached the gospel that did not include the ritual of circumcision as in the question he posed in Galatians 5:11:
Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
The point is that the apostle did not allow people’s criticism or evaluation of him affect his ministry of the word. Therefore, those who minister the word of God should not allow people’s criticism to affect them to the point of shying away from the teaching of God’s word. Of course, we should emphasize that since the apostle indicated that the criticisms he encountered, affected him very little, that those who minister the word of God should not altogether dismiss every criticism. Each criticism should be carefully weighed to determine if it is valid. If it is, then they should listen but if not, they should ignore it. In any event, a first fact that ministers of God’s word should recognize is that they should not care about human judgments or evaluation.
A second fact that ministers of God’s word should be aware is they may not even judge themselves as others do. We are saying that those who minister the word of God not only should they not be overly concerned about people’s criticism; they should even be careful in evaluating themselves. This is because Apostle Paul indicated that he did not judge himself as indicated in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 indeed, I do not even judge myself. The apostle in this clause contrasts what he does to that of those who would criticize him only he did it in an emphatic manner.
We indicated that the apostle was emphatic in contrasting his action to that of those who criticize him because of the word indeed used in the NIV. The word “indeed” is translated from a Greek word (alla) that may be used to indicate a transition from one clause to something different or contrasted so that the usage has the meaning “the other side of a matter or issue, but, yet” as the word is used in John 8:37:
I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word.
In the first clause, the Lord acknowledged the Jews as descendants of Abraham, but He transitioned to making a statement about killing Him that is not directly related to His first sentence except by way of contrast since Abraham believed in Him but not them. After a negative clause or sentence, our Greek word may be used to express a contrast and so means “on the contrary, but, yet, rather” as Apostle Paul used it to convey that Christians are not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer because of Him, according to Philippians 1:29:
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
The word may be used to indicate that what preceded it is to be regarded as a settled matter, thus forming a transition to something new and so may mean “additional consideration, but” as Apostle Paul used the word to indicate in an emphatic manner his feeling about things that were once profitable to him but now as a believer he considered nothing for the sake of Christ, as in Philippians 3:8:
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
The expression What is more is literally But on the contrary. In this specific usage, the word may have the sense of “indeed, surely.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:3, it has the sense of emphasis as reflected in many of our English versions that translated our Greek word with the phrase “in fact.” Of course, some of our English versions did not translate it. That notwithstanding, the apostle used it emphatically to state what he does not do in contrast to his critics.
It is important we understand what the apostle means in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 indeed, I do not even judge myself. We should be careful to recognize that the apostle is not saying that he does not conduct self-examination regarding his lifestyle or conduct. We say this because if the apostle meant that he did not evaluate himself in terms of his conduct then he would be contradicting his statement later in the eleventh chapter of this epistle, specifically, I am referring to what he wrote regarding proper self-evaluation before one participates in the Lord’s Supper as we may gather from 1 Corinthians 11:30–32:
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
A person who does not have a formal training in the Greek of the NT but consults an Inter-linear Greek text may say that the word “judge” the apostle used in 1 Corinthians 11:31 is different from the one he used in 1 Corinthians 4:3. It is true but the Greek word he used in 1 Corinthians 11: 31 is related to that he used in 1 Corinthians 4:3. The word “judge” in 1 Corinthians 11:31 is translated from a Greek word (diakrinō) that may mean to evaluate by paying careful attention to something, hence means “to evaluate, judge” as the word is used by the Lord Jesus to indicate that the Jews judged correctly the signs of the sky, as we read in Matthew 16:3:
and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
Here the translators of the NIV used the word “interpret” to translate our second Greek word. The clauses You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky may alternatively be translated You know how to evaluate correctly the appearance of the sky as in the LEB. The Greek word may mean “to recognize” as it is used in 1 Corinthians 11:29:
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
That the Greek word translated “judge” in 1 Corinthians 11:31 is related to that used in 1 Corinthians 4:3 may be seen from the fact that it also has the meaning of “to judge, decide” in a legal sense, as that is how the word is used in 1 Corinthians 6:5:
I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?
Thus, it should be clear that when the apostle used the word “judge” in 1 Corinthians 11:31 it is in the sense of “to evaluate correctly”, that is, in the sense that believers should correctly and truthfully evaluate their lifestyle or conduct so that they confess their sins to God. Therefore, when the apostle wrote in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 indeed, I do not even judge myself he does not mean that he did not evaluate his lifestyle or conduct. For he certainly did, otherwise, the apostle would not have referenced his self-discipline to ensure that he does not lose his reward in 1 Corinthians 9:27:
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Furthermore, the apostle encouraged believers to be involved in self-examination that involves a person’s spiritual condition or state as we may gather from the instruction in Galatians 6:4:
Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
To test one’s actions is to conduct self-examination. The apostle’s message is that we should always engage in self-examination of our actions to see how they line up with God’s word. But here in Galatians 6:4 the emphasis is that we should evaluate our actions to see if we are bearing each other’s burden. For the apostle, unless one could demonstrate that he has carried other’s burdens and so have demonstrated love he has no basis for being satisfied with the thought that he is spiritual as that is what the apostle means in the clause of Galatians 6:4 he can take pride in himself. The point is that the apostle does not mean that he did not evaluate his personal conduct.
We have explained what the clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 I do not even judge myself could not mean; so, what does the apostle mean? The apostle probably meant that he does not sit around and evaluate his ministry’s activities so as to commend himself. In other words, he does not spend time checking if he is perfectly carrying out the ministry of the word since he knows that he is doing what he believed God called him to do. He strives to preach the word, but it is not up to him to truly evaluate the effectiveness of his ministry. He knows that he is hard-working as he conveyed to the Corinthians. He did this in his first epistle to them because some were criticizing him as perhaps not being an apostle, so he wrote in to refute that and stated how hard working he was in 1 Corinthians 15:10:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
He made the same statement of hard work regarding the ministry of the word of God in his second epistle to the Corinthians, that is, 2 Corinthians 11:27:
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
The apostle’s focus was to carry out faithfully the ministry of the word of God that was assigned to him as to the best of his ability as he implies in Colossians 1:28–29:
28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
The point is that Apostle Paul meant to convey to the Corinthians in the clause of 1 Corinthians 4:3 I do not even judge myself that he did not waste time evaluating his performance in the ministry of the word of God in a way to commend himself for the reasons he specified later. Instead, he was focused in carrying out the ministry given to him as faithfully as the Lord enabled him. The implication of the apostle’s statement is that ministers of God’s word should not be overly concerned with evaluating the effectiveness of their ministry as they should with being faithful in discharging their duty. They should be mindful that they could not possibly commend themselves as being effective no matter what people say. Such evaluation is left to the Lord as the apostle indicates in the passage that we are considering. There are many who judge the effectiveness of ministers of the word of God, but their judgment does not carry weight. Again, it is the Lord’s judgment that is important. Anyway, Apostle Paul explained the reasons he did not spend time in evaluating his ministry as to its effectiveness but that does not mean he was not aware of the impact of his ministry for he was, as we may gather from his various statements in his epistles that speak to the impact of his ministry. Take for example, what he said in his encouragement to the Philippians about maintaining their spiritual devotion in Philippians 2:16:
as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
In the same manner, a minister of God’s word may see the impact of his ministry on others but that should not cause him to think of himself highly or to evaluate himself as being effective. He should leave the scrutiny of his performance to the Lord as the apostle conveyed in the passage we are considering. Let me end by remind you of your second responsibility of the message we are considering. You should understand that the Lord is the true judge of minister of God’s word and also your judge.