1 Corinthians 4:1

Let a man so account us as the ministers of Christ, and the stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment... For I know nothing by myself, yet I am not hereby justified. But he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall every man have praise of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1–5)

How should the church regard its leaders—and how does God measure their success?

How Should We Regard Our Leaders?

In chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians, Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for their imbalanced view of themselves in relation to their leaders. They had splintered into factious groups, saying, "I am of Paul," "I am of Apollos," and so on. Paul showed such imbalance to be both destructive and dangerous to the church. The proper perspective is that we are disciples of Christ, not disciples of others within the body. He is the head. He is the leader.

If that is the case, then as we come to chapter 4 a question arises: how then do we classify those leaders God has ordained? If we are not to make ourselves subservient to them, how are we to regard them? Paul answers in verse 1: "Let a man so account us as the ministers of Christ and the stewards of the mysteries of God."

This matters because of the rhetorical questions Paul asked in chapter 1: "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" The first is key. The church was dividing according to different personalities, and that ought not be. God has ordained and appointed ministers within the body, but they ought never to be the basis for disunity. They are stewards of God, unified under His leadership.

Ministers as Under-Rowers

The word Paul uses for "ministers" literally means under-rower. It speaks of one who serves with his hands under the direct order of another. One of the best pictures of this is the epic film Ben-Hur. Early in that very long film, Ben-Hur, played by Charlton Heston, is taken captive as a slave and becomes a rower in a Roman galley—rower number 41. In the bottom of the ship, he rows to the beat of the drum, and that drummer follows the orders of the helmsman above. That is the image Paul gives: the ministers of Christ are under-rowers.

This is not the lowest term for a servant—Paul elsewhere calls himself a doulos, a bond-servant or slave. But it is certainly not a prestigious position. The under-rower acts under direction, asks no questions, and does what he is appointed to do without hesitation. The Corinthians were in the wrong because they were unduly exalting their leaders to a position God had not given them.

The Redefinition of "Minister"

In my opinion, the redefinition of the word minister has had a devastating effect on the church. The original Noah Webster Dictionary of 1828, drawing largely from Scripture, defined a minister as "properly a chief servant, hence an agent appointed to transact or manage business of another." Today, dictionary.com defines a minister as "a person authorized to conduct religious worship, a member of the clergy or a pastor."

Do you see the difference? Once the minister was understood as a servant—and Jesus said that whoever would be great in the kingdom must become a servant. Somewhere in church history, the minister became a professional position, based on intellect or ability rather than on servanthood. Paul wants to clarify, for the church at Corinth and for the church in the 21st century, that the minister is a servant.

Neither Idolize Nor Denigrate

Leaders do serve Christ by serving His body, but the church ought not hold them with an imbalanced view—neither a disproportionate admiration nor a disproportionate denigration. The problem is that many churches first idolize their leaders, then criticize them, and finally ostracize them. It is not to be a harmful admiration that says, "This minister can do no wrong," nor a hurtful denigration that says, "These characters can do nothing right."

Unfortunately, many make church swaps for exactly this reason. They leave one church saying, "These men can do no right," join another saying, "This man can do no wrong," and after a couple of years move on again. Paul says it ought not to be so. These are ministers of Christ.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

Paul also calls them "stewards of the mysteries of God." Jesus often used the illustration of stewards or managers in His parables. A steward is a household manager, entrusted and appointed by the owner to be responsible for the affairs of the estate. The master trusts him implicitly—often the owner doesn't even know all that is under his care because he has committed it entirely into his overseer's hands. But the manager must never forget that everything under his care is not his property but another's.

The minister is therefore responsible to dispense the secret things of God. Paul wrote earlier, "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7). The things hidden in the Old Testament are now openly revealed in the New, and we, as stewards, are given care of them. We are to govern them in a way that is both pleasing and profitable to the Master and His kingdom.

We see this in the parable of the talents. A master gave talents to his servants, departed, and on his return squared accounts based on how they had used what was given. The judgment was about whether they had used it in a way pleasing to the master and profitable for his kingdom.

Not a Platform for Worldly Agendas

The steward's primary task is to dispense the things of God's kingdom, so the words spoken from His church must have to do with His affairs. There are many today who would love to use this platform to advance a political agenda, a social plan, or some other cause—and it ought not to be so. Across our nation millions gather in churches each week, and many community organizers and politicians would gladly use that platform to spread their agenda. But we are not building the kingdom of man; we are part of the kingdom of God.

You might be surprised at the amount of mail, email, and notes that come to me asking, "Could you share this?"—things that have nothing to do with God or His kingdom. Please don't be offended when I don't share them, or when I don't take up a cause that interests you. This is a pulpit from which His Word, the mysteries of His kingdom, are to be dealt with. Even those involved in multi-level marketing sometimes hope to use the church to further their business. From such, turn away. We are servants of the Lord.

Servants—But Not the Congregation's Servants

So the congregation may rightly view its pastors and elders as servants. But it is unjustified for the congregation to view itself in the position of master. It is right to view the leaders as servants; it is wrong to view them as our servants with us as the masters. Christ is the head. He is the Master. He is the helmsman. We are the under-rowers.

The church should know who the servants are, and it should also recognize whom they serve. The pastors are servants first and foremost of Christ, their Master. Yes, they serve Christ by serving His people, but the congregation must never think itself the master, nor the elders, nor the pastor himself. Christ is the head of the church. If He says, "Row faster," we row faster. If He says, "Stop," we stop. Paul tells Timothy that we are like warriors in God's army, and He is the General who tells us what to do.

The One Requirement: Faithfulness

How do we measure the success of a steward? Verse 2: "Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful." The word required literally means to seek in order to find. There are scores of websites today offering job opportunities for wandering ministers, and their requirements usually emphasize personality, charisma, intelligence, education, creativity, innovation, and experience. Rarely will you see the requirement of 1 Corinthians 4:2 on those lists. It is faithfulness that God seeks.

God desires faithfulness: "Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his Lord has made ruler over his household?" (Matthew 24:45). God rewards faithfulness: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21, 23). And in Revelation 2:10, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

God also uses faithful individuals. Paul calls Timothy "faithful in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 4:17), Tychicus "a faithful minister" (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7), Epaphras "a faithful minister of Christ" (Colossians 1:7), and says of himself, "He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (1 Timothy 1:12). And in 2 Timothy 2:2, "The same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Time and again, the requirement put forth is faithfulness.

So what ought to be our focus? Personality can help, education is good, experience may matter—but at the end of the day, the most important thing is faithfulness in the work. Every few weeks people come by wanting to serve, and they're often given what looks like a menial task: sweep the parking lot, pick up trash, vacuum the sanctuary, straighten the chairs. They expected to be asked to teach a Bible study. But be faithful in the little things, and God will grant you other things as well. Remember Joshua, who gained his reputation among Israel by faithfully serving Moses.

How We Wrongly Judge Ministers

Verse 3: "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment." How do we typically judge ministers today? Often by the growth or size of the church—but that is foolish, because chapter 3 already showed that it is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). A pastor can faithfully plant and water, but God makes things grow.

We also judge by the giftedness of the minister. But did he create that gift in himself? It is God who, by His Spirit, gives gifts to men (1 Corinthians 12:11). We cannot boast in gifting that came from God. Or we judge by personality—but God is the one who fashioned each of us in our mother's womb and gave us our personality. (Any of you with young children have seen how quickly that personality emerges—sometimes scarily, like looking in a mirror.) We judge by earthly observation and human wisdom.

The word translated "judged of you" means to scrutinize. Paul counts it a small thing to be scrutinized by them. There is a place for scrutiny of leaders within the body, but it is so often done with the wrong standard. Are we judging by our own opinion, or by the standards of Scripture? Are we judging by faithfulness, or simply because we don't care for someone's teaching style?

"Who Is Paul?"

The Corinthians were in a wrong position when they said, in effect, "Who is Paul?" Here was the man God used to plant their church and bring most of them to faith—their father in the faith. Yet they looked down on him and questioned whether he was even an apostle. They could point to Peter, who was on the Mount of Transfiguration and walked on water. Yes—but Peter also wrongly wanted to build three tabernacles, also sank in the water, and also heard Jesus say, "Get behind me, Satan." Apollos was passionate and persuasive, and many came to faith through him, so people said, "I am of Apollos." Paul's writing ability seems to have far exceeded his in-person speaking—much like Warren Wiersbe, a great Christian author who is a far better writer than speaker.

No doubt some part of Paul's flesh stung when word came of what they were saying about him; I don't know anyone completely above the criticism of others. The danger comes when we are dominated by the praise or criticism of people. I guarantee that every week about 90% of you, in your flesh, didn't like something I said. As Pastor Pat shared at the men's breakfast, a hundred people can tell you the message was great, and the one person who says he didn't like it is the only one you remember all week. But it is a very small thing.

Why Paul Wouldn't Even Judge Himself

Paul says, "Yea, I judge not my own self." He is not talking about moral character. Romans 7 and Philippians 3 ("not as though I had already attained") show he knew well that he was not perfect. Nor does this contradict 1 Corinthians 11:31, "If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged," because that passage concerns examining ourselves before the communion table. Here Paul is speaking of judging his work and ministry.

We are not impartial judges of our own work, but God is. In our flesh we tend to be both too easy and too hard on ourselves—too easy when we skate by without diligently searching the Scriptures, and too hard when, after our very best, we feel we have barely scratched the surface. Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, said, "I never preached a sermon about my Lord which came anywhere near my ideal of His merits. I always am dissatisfied when I have done my very best. I have often wished that I could rush back to the pulpit and try to preach Him better, but I am kept back by the fear that I would probably fail even more conspicuously."

I actually get the chance to rush back, since I teach three messages on a Sunday—and many Sundays I leave in a funk, a little grumpy, certain I did terribly. It doesn't matter if fifty people say it was great; I'll get in the car convinced I bungled a verse. We are not impartial judges of ourselves.

"He That Judges Me Is the Lord"

Verse 4: "For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified." Concerning his faithfulness in ministry, Paul had a clear conscience. As he told the Ephesian elders, "I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:26–27). Even before the magistrates he could say he had a clear conscience. Yet he adds: that clear conscience does not acquit me. Just because I cannot find anything against myself does not mean I am guiltless—"He that judges me is the Lord."

In light of that, my scrutiny of myself and others is a very little thing. The criticism of others has no eternal power. Someone's praise may make us feel good for a moment, and someone's criticism may make us feel bad for a moment, but neither carries eternal value. Notice, too, that "man's judgment" can be read literally as "man's day." There is the day of man, when our work is judged by people, and there is the day of the Lord, when our work will be tried by fire to see what sort it is (1 Corinthians 3:13). I am far more concerned about the day of the Lord than about yours, Paul says, because God is the judge.

Judge Nothing Before the Time

Verse 5: "Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." A day is coming when the Lord will expose the hidden motives of our hearts and the materials our lives and ministries were built with. Some who have a beautifully veneered exterior of stubble will be shown to be nothing.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in exactly this way: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones... Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matthew 23:27–28). On the outside they had a great veneer, but their lives were built with wood, hay, and stubble. Men marveled at their righteousness, their gifting, their spirituality—and man's judgment was largely wrong.

What did Jesus counsel? "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). Unless your righteousness goes deeper than what men see, you have no chance. Hearts must have sunk on that mountainside—but the point is that it must be the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

Wood, Hay, and Stubble

When the Lord returns and the fire of His holiness blows through, the wood, hay, and stubble will be burned up, and only the gold, silver, and precious stones will remain—works done righteously unto the Lord, in His power, to His glory and not our own. Be certain that every one of us will have a certain amount go up in smoke. None of us will stand there and have everything remain. The question is: how much will remain to the glory of the Lord?

So our focus and our judgment ought not to rest on what we see right now, based on our own opinions and wisdom. "Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing" (Matthew 24:46). Will He find us faithfully doing what He called us to do? The statistics are staggering—100% of those who live, die. We will stand before the Lord, and when we do, will He find us faithfully completing the task He sent us to do?

Hebrews 4:12 tells us the Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God's Word deals with us at the level of motive. And verse 13: "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Nothing is hidden.

The Hound of Gellert

The application is this: judge nothing before its time. There are people we look at and say, "How spiritual, how gifted, how wonderful"—and yet it is a veneer over wood, hay, and stubble. Our judgment is often wrong, and we must be careful.

I came across a story this last week from a little town in northern Wales called Beddgelert—"the grave of Gellert." In the 13th century, Llewellyn, prince of northern Wales, went hunting without Gellert, his faithful hound. On his return the hound came to him stained and smeared with blood, joyfully springing to meet his master. Alarmed, the prince went into his house and found his infant son's cot empty, the bedclothes on the floor covered with blood. The frantic father drew his sword and plunged it into the dog. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry. Llewellyn searched and found his boy unharmed—and nearby lay the body of a mighty wolf that Gellert had slain. The prince was so filled with remorse, it is said, that he never smiled again, and he buried Gellert there.

Judge nothing before its time. When we judge, out of time, those things not committed into our care, we wrongly plunge the sword into the side of the innocent. So let us seek the Lord to help us judge with righteous judgment as He does—for He sees what we don't see, hears what we don't hear, and knows what we do not know. Our judgment bears nothing upon eternity, because He is the Judge.

Closing Prayer

Lord, I thank You that through the prophet Isaiah You said You do not judge according to the seeing of the eyes or the hearing of the ears, but You judge with righteous judgment. We look on things, we observe evidence, we listen to testimony, and we make judgments that are oftentimes wrong—but You judge the motive of the heart. I pray for each of us individually, that we would recognize this as we serve You: that the opinions of others bear nothing upon eternity. We serve You. You are the helmsman, the Lord, the Master. Help us to be servants of You and stewards of the mysteries of Christ. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.