1 Corinthians 4:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

NIV: My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

NASB: For I am not aware of anything against myself; however I am not vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord.

CSB: For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me.

NLT: My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

KJV: For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

NKJV: For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

Paul has described himself as a steward of God's revealed mysteries. A steward is a servant entrusted with managing something he does not own. That's why a steward must be found faithful as a person of high integrity.

Paul has insisted, though, that he does not worry about people's opinions of his faithfulness. It's not that he is arrogant. In fact, he said in the previous verse that he doesn't even judge himself. In essence, he is saying the only opinion that should matter to a servant is his master's opinion.

It's not that Paul has no self-awareness, at all. He thinks about how he is doing. He presumably follows his own advice to "test" himself (2 Corinthians 13:5). He reports that he is not aware of anything against himself, any lack of integrity or failure in carrying out his duties.

That doesn't mean he is innocent, though. Paul knows well the truth of Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things." His point in these verses is not that he's beyond reproach, or perfect, or that he thinks he's infallible. Rather, Paul is simply saying that no human being's opinion—even of themselves—matters in comparison to that of God. In the end, the only verdict of his work as a steward that matters is the Lord's, and Paul will wait for that.

First Corinthians 4:1–13 begins with Paul's insistence that he is not concerned with anyone's judgment of him. The Lord will judge him, and that's what matters. The Corinthians have become arrogant in their judgment, forgetting that all the good they have is a gift. They feel self-reliant in their wealth and status while Paul and the other apostles live in poverty and under persecution, thought to be scum by the world. Still, they imitate Jesus by blessing those who mistreat them and continuing to serve Christ no matter the cost.

Paul continues to show why the Corinthian Christians must not be divided over loyalties to various Christian leaders. Only the Lord can judge His servants, including Paul. By making themselves judges, they are acting like they have all they need. They are proudly focused on reputation and status while the apostles live for Christ in poverty and under persecution. Paul writes as a father to little children. He urges them to change course and imitate his life. Do they want him to be gentle or come to them with the rod of correction?

First Corinthians 4 continues Paul's insistence to the Corinthian Christians to stop making themselves judges of each other. Only the Lord's judgment matters. They are living as if their wealth and status are all they need, while the apostles serve Christ in poverty and under persecution, imitating Christ. Paul urges them to change course and imitate his life. Paul will continue his increasingly stern tone in chapter 5, where he will confront appalling examples of sin in the church at Corinth.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.