1 Corinthians 4:14-16

Scripture: 1 Cor. 4:14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

1 Cor. 4:15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

1 Cor. 4:16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

Teaching: In verses 11-13, Paul alluded to a powerful spiritual concept: the more we serve Christ, the more we become like Christ, and therefore, the more we experience what Christ experienced. In this case, Paul was experiencing the same hatred of the world, financial poverty, and hard labor in the face of ridicule that Christ experienced during his ministry (John 15:18-21). To the Corinthians, living this way would have been evidence of God’s disfavor rather than favor. But such a perspective was the result of their Greek worldview, one ruled by wisdom, sophistication, wealth, and power. No one in Greek society could command authority without some claim to it – and the only claims one could see are physical. However, Paul in this section is gently but firmly asserting his spiritual authority that had been given him by Christ (the only one who can) and the evidence is that Paul is experiencing more of what Christ did. Essentially, Paul was following closer in Christ’s footsteps and therefore, was receiving a similar reception from the world. Thus, the Corinthians needed to wake up and see their world in a new way.

This gentle but firm admonishment is meant to be like that of a father over a child, which is why Paul addresses the Corinthians as such in verse 14. In Greek society, there was no shortage of teachers and guides, those who would use their worldly wisdom and power to impress upon the next generation what it meant to be Greek and how to have what they had, and in doing so, gain more renown for themselves. Not much has changed today in Western culture. Paul had a similar goal, but instead of teaching how to have more of the world, he taught how to serve Christ and thereby, have more of Christ in their lives. How to be in the world but not of it. Thus, what he suffered for Christ, he says in verse 16, the Corinthians should imitate and in doing so, would also grow closer to Christ. His fatherly duties were not to see that his children prospered in the world but rather that they prospered eternally. Like a good father, Paul saw past today and had his eyes firmly set on tomorrow.

Takeaway: One of the most amazing aspects of Scripture is the fact that on countless occasions, God, the Creator of the Universe, all-powerful omniscient and sovereign, introduces Himself to us as a Father. Truthfully, it would be much more challenging, if impossible, to relate to or understand anything of God if He had not introduced Himself in this way. We know earthly fathers are not perfect, but they love and care for their children, teach them and guide them, prepare them for what is to come in their lives, and correct them when they wander astray, among other things. Our Heavenly Father does the same, and even his discipline is measured to guide us in the ways He wants us to walk (Heb. 12:7-11). In these verses in 1 Corinthians, Paul strikes a similar balance. He needs to admonish and correct the Corinthians as a father does for his children, but not in a way to discourage, break, or cause resentment in them. His goal is to encourage them towards the righteousness of Christ, the mind of Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit. We all need teachers and guides in life, but more than that we need fathers who love and care for us in this way. When we turn to Christ in faith, we become children of God, and thus, each of us has a perfect Father in heaven. In His grace, He gives us fathers on earth – whether biological, adoptive, or spiritual – to guide us, as well. It is important that we recognize fatherly authority, obey it, and praise our Heavenly Father for it.