1 Corinthians 4:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

NIV: I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.

NASB: I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

CSB: I'm not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.

NLT: I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

KJV: I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

NKJV: I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.

In the previous verses, Paul has compared the lives and lifestyles of the Christians in Corinth with those of himself and the other apostles. While the Corinthians see themselves as self-reliant, acting judgmentally and seeking to gain wealth and status alongside the unbelievers in their culture, Paul and the others who minister to them live in poverty, foolish in the eyes of the world and mistreated for Christ's sake.

Now Paul declares that he hasn't described these differences in their attitudes and status to make the Corinthian Christians feel ashamed. In other words, Paul's goal in this letter isn't just to scold them and make them feel bad. He wants more for them than that. He wants them to change.

Paul compares himself to a father and his readers to his beloved children. He speaks to them this way because he cares deeply for them. His hope is that his words, though hard to hear, will provoke them to change the course of their lives.

First Corinthians 4:14–21 focuses on Paul's role as spiritual father to the Corinthians, since he is the one who led them to Christ. He urges them to change their attitudes and behaviors and to imitate his example in living out the gospel. He sent Timothy to show them what that looks like, and he hopes to come himself to confront their arrogant talk with the power of God. Do they want him to come with the rod of correction or in love with the spirit of gentleness?

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 12:23:40 AM