The Remedy to Pride

Paul has spent four chapters of 1 Corinthians dealing with the problem of divisions in the church at Corinth: he gives more space to this problem than than to any other problem at that church. In 1 Corinthians 4:6-21 he exposes the root cause of their divisions and strife: pride. He says in verse 6 that they were puffed up. They had an inflated view of themselves, which led them to think that they were superior to others. Finally, they began to think that they had rights which were not theirs. When people are concerned for their own rights, conflict occurs. Conflict is impossible between two people who are each concerned about the rights of the other person. Conflict is always results from competing interests and fighting for our rights. Proverbs 13:10 is a great verse to commit to memory as we struggle with pride and conflict: "Only by pride cometh contention."

Paul crushes the pride of the Corinthian believers with three questions in 1 Corinthians 4:7. In 4:8 he mocks their pride with several sarcastic statements and he shames their conceit in 4:9-13. Paul gives a withering account of the apostles' experiences and self image which is designed to shame the pride of the Corinthians. He compares their pride, their self-satisfaction, and their feeling of superiority with the life of an apostle.

In 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 Paul concludes the subject of divisions by giving the remedy to pride. He begins by saying, "I do not write these things to shame you." He is referring to the preceding words of irony directed at the Corinthians. His purpose in writing the biting irony was not only to shame them, although he had done that. His goal was to bring about a change of heart and manner of life in them: "but as my beloved children I warn you." In other words, Paul is saying, "I have repressed your conceit, derided your pride, and shamed your arrogance to warn you of something. The word that is translated warn is the Greek word noutheteo which is a very significant word. It is generally translated in our New Testament as admonish. Jay Adams bases his type of counseling on this Greek verb. In his book, Competent to Counsel, he proposes confronting people with the disobedience in their life through Scripture. The verb suggests the idea of confronting believers with the error of their way of life on the basis of the Word of God. That confrontation should lead them and guide them into a correct way of life. Paul has been confronting the Corinthian Christians with their wrong attitudes, wrongdoings, and everything about their lives that was completely contradictory to the Word of God. He has confronted them in hope of correcting their way of life. That is what the word admonish means. The tool to be used in admonishing is the Word of God as indicated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV):

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Scripture is to be used for doctrine which teaches us about God and man. It is to be used for reproof or conviction, showing someone his sin and summonning him to repentance. It is proving that charges made against someone are true. Correction is setting a person's life straight. Instruction in righteousness is disciplined training in what is right. The Scriptures have the power to change lives because they are the word of the living God. It is by the Scriptures that we are brought to maturity and equipped to serve God.

As a faithful servant of God, Paul admonished, or counselled, believers with the Word of God.

Acts 20:31 (NKJV) "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn [noutheteo] everyone night and day with tears."

Paul made it clear in his writings that the Lord expects every believer to be involved in the work of warning, admonishing, counseling others:

Romans 15:14 (NKJV) "Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NKJV) "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all."
2 Thessalonians 3:13-15 (NKJV) "But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother."

We are all to be aware of what is going on in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we should address their problems through biblical counsel. People rarely receive honest and accurate feed-back from others, so they often continue on the same sinful course, many times to destruction. Though it takes boldness, we must give one another counsel from God's Word.

Astisthenes, the Cynic philosopher, said, "There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself--an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly." God expresses it this way in the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 27:5-6 (NKJV) "Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Paul warned the Corinthian believers using the Word of God; all believers are to be involved in admonishing and counselling one another. This is also what parents are to be doing with their children according to Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV):

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Paul uses the noun from (admonition) of the verb noutheteo: it does not mean to punish or lecture children. Bringing children up in the training and admonition of the Lord means to confront them with their wrong way of life by the Word of God while praying that God use the confrontation to redirect their lives to be pleasing to Him. That is one of the responsibilities of parents; Paul acts as a parent to the Corinthians! He says, "As my beloved children I warn you." Clearly, they were not obedient, doctrinally sound, or mature. But they were unconditionally loved by Paul! Beloved is from the Greek verb agapao, which is the strongest kind of love, the deepest love. True loves warns and confronts when the beloved is not acting in accordance with God's standards. Agapao is a love that is determined and willful, with the one purpose of serving the object of love. Paul warns his children out of a deep love for them.

Paul goes on to say in verse 15, "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." Ten thousand is the Greek word murioi which is the highest named number. We could translate, "Though you have innumerable instructors, you only have one father." The word instructors is the Greek word paidagogos, from which we derive pedagogue. In Hellenistic culture, a pedagogue was either a household slave or a freedman who accompanied a child of well-to-do parents to and from school. He was appointed to tutor the child in proper conduct, chide him whenever necessary, guard him from danger and evil influences, and to give him an interest in correct speech, grammar, and diction. He helped a boy do his homework, nursed him when sick, and attended to his needs until the boy reached adolescence. The Corinthians had many spiritual tutors but they only had one spiritual father.

Paul says, "I am your father." By using that picture, he is saying, "I'm the one who brought you into your spiritual life. I was the one who came to Corinth and preached the gospel, and I brought you to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I laid the foundation. You are in the family of God, you are saved through my instrumentality, I am your spiritual father." Paul is not trying to take credit for their salvation: he says, "I have begotten you through the gospel." Paul knows that salvation is of the Lord and that a man is saved by the Holy Spirit of God through the instrumentality of the Word of God. Peter says this in 1 Peter 1:23 (NKJV):

"having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."

But Paul also knew that in most cases God uses human agents as His witnesses. (I say most cases because occasionally a person will come to know Christ through reading the Word of God.) Paul was their father in the sense that he was the one who had shared the gospel with them; he was the human instrument that God used in their salvation. A special relationship exists between a spiritual father and his spiritual offspring. We can see this bond between Philemon and Paul. Philemon was a friend of Paul. He had a fugitive slave named Onesimus who Paul led to the Lord. Paul's letter to Philemon illustrates the spiritual bonds:

Philemon 1:8-19 (NKJV) "Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you; being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ; I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account. I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay; not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides."

Paul had obviously led Philemon to the Lord so Paul reminds him that he owed his spiritual life to him, humanly speaking.

Are you a spiritual father? Have you produced spiritual offspring? Unfortunately, many believers have never led anyone to the Lord: they are spiritually sterile. All of God's children ought to be reproducers, but through pride, timidity or ignorance we are not. We should not just lead people to Christ but also train them and make disciples.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

Paul was used of God to bring the Corinthians to faith in Christ: he was their spiritual father. Because of that relationship, they needed to pay careful heed to what his next words. His exhortation contains the solution for the root cause of conflicts between God's people.

That exhortation is this: "Therefore I urge you, imitate me," (1 Corinthians 4:16). That is unquestionably the most important line in this entire chapter. Mark this in your bible--it is of the utmost importance. What is Paul saying? He is not saying, "Follow me (as indicated in the KJV) instead of Apollos, follow me instead of Peter." That would contradict everything that he has said in the first four chapters. He is not calling them to follow him in a party spirit against other teachers. The word follow or imitate is the Greek word mimetes from which we get our word mimic; it means to imitate. Paul is saying, "Be an imitator of me". That is the solution to the problem of pride.

How does imitating Paul solve anything? In 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 he presented the spirit, the attitude, and the self-image of the apostles which are all grounded in humility. Now he wants them to apply his example to their lives and he says, "That is my attitude; if you imitate me then you will hold yourself in low esteem. You will consider yourself to be far from sufficient. You won't look at yourselves as kings but as slaves. If you imitate my humble spirit and my humble attitude, then you will have the solution to the problem of your conceit."

Paul often downgraded himself: he spoke of his weaknesses and sufferings; he called himself a wretch; he identified himself as the "the filth of the world, the off scouring of all things until now." But at other times Paul looked away from himself to the throne where he was seated with Christ and he described his identity in Christ. He was a conqueror! He was a saint! He was able to do all things through Christ!

This is a vital principle. When you look at yourself, you must see your sin, your inability, your wretchedness. When you look away from yourself unto Christ, you see your new identity, your perfect righteousness. Your life in this world, your peace, your joy and contentment in not dependent upon "how" you look. It depends upon "where" you look.

Just imagine what would happen in a conflict between a husband and a wife if they both had the same humble spirit that Paul had. Paul's humble spirit is demonstrated in the fact that he "labored with his own hands" (4:12-13). No Greek had that type of humility: a Greek thought and a Greek taught, but he did not toil. He is telling the Corinthians to have that same humble spirit so their conflicts could end. If a person reacted humbly, there would be no conflict. If, when someone reviled a believer, he blessed the one reviling him, what would happen? Revile is from the Greek word loidoreo which means to reproach or vilify. Paul responded to reproach with blessing (Greek: eulogeo: to speak well of a person, to eulogize them). Blessing someone is wishing him the best and desiring that God would pour out his mercy and grace upon him. How do you respond to reproach? Proverbs gives the biblical pattern:

Proverbs 15:1 (NKJV) "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger."

Put God to the test: does a soft answer really turn away wrath?

William Carey, sometimes called "the father of modern missions", always seemed to have a humble spirit. As a young man he had a job repairing shoes. As the years went by, honors were heaped upon him because of his many accomplishments, but this unassuming man would only accept positions and appointments that opened the way for him to do more work in Christ's service. Even at the zenith of his popularity, one of his most striking characteristics was his meek and selfless attitude. His humility is illustrated in an incident that occurred at a state dinner given in his honor. With a sneer, a jealous English officer asked the host, "Wasn't your great Dr. Carey once just a shoemaker?" Before the host could reply, the renowned missionary answered with quiet dignity, "No, sir, I was not that skilled. I only repaired shoes." It was impossible for Dr. Carey to be humiliated or drawn into conflict because of his humility.

Imagine what would happen if we blessed people who reviled us. Imagine responding to persecution with patience and endurance. That is not natural! It would be supernatural and it would put God on display. Anybody can retaliate, but it takes the power of God to endure persecution. When someone defames a believer, he is to invoke God's blessing upon the reviler.

David's godly response to Saul's persecution touched Saul's heart. Saul was determined to murder David, but when David had an opportunity to kill king Saul, he didn't do it.

1 Samuel 26:7-14,17-21 (NKJV) "So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. Then Abishai said to David, "God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!" And David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?" David said furthermore, "As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. "The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go." So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul's head, and they got away; and no man saw it or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them. Now David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great distance being between them. And David called out to the people....Then Saul knew David's voice, and said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" And David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king." And he said, "Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.' So now, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains." Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly."

In response to Saul's persecution David endured and Saul was convicted by David's humble spirit. For a time, the conflict between David and Saul ceased because of David's humility.

Paul is calling upon the Corinthians to imitate him. He is calling them to live supernaturally. Imagine what would happen to our conflicts if we all had the self image that Paul had! He saw himself as the Lord's galley slave and the off scouring of the world. Is that how you view yourself? The Christian who has that kind of image of himself is a Christian who will have no problem with ego, no problem with pride. If believers were not proud, then offending words wouldn't cause us to ruin our testimonies. Paul says, "Imitate me and my attitude of humility."

Doesn't Paul sound very proud when he says, "Be humble like me." That almost sounds arrogant, doesn't it? But 1 Corinthians 11:1 gives further understanding of his meaning: "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." He is saying what few preachers would ever dare say: "You imitate me because I am imitating Christ. And by your imitation of me you are imitating Jesus Christ." Careful examination of the ways in which Paul shamed the conceit of the Corinthians reveals Jesus Christ modeled in every one of them. Peter said of Christ Jesus,

"who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;" (1 Peter 2:23, NKJV).

These attitudes demonstrate the humble spirit of Jesus Christ. Paul's words are very helpful to the Corinthians: he had been in their presence and modeled the attitudes of Jesus Christ. As they imitated him they were imitating Jesus Christ in his humility. That type of humility is the solution to the problem of pride which is the root problem in every conflict. Jesus had every reason to be proud, but Paul wrote,

Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV) "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Christ-like humility eliminates the conceit that is the root problem of all conflicts. Paul's exhortation is pointed: be imitators of me and thus of Jesus Christ. Paul says he is sending Timothy in order to facilitate this:

For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Corinthians 4:17).

Timothy was one of Paul's spiritual children who had done exactly what Paul asked the Corinthians to do, he had imitated Paul, as we see in another letter of Paul's:

Philippians 2:19-22 (NKJV) "But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel."

Paul says, "I want you to imitate me so I am sending Timothy. He is just like me so that as you observe him you will see me, and you will see the Lord Jesus Christ." What a compliment this was to Timothy: he was a mature disciple, like his father Paul.

Some Corinthians asserted that Paul had sent Timothy because he dared not come himself:

Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. (1 Corinthians 4:18-19).

Contrary to what they hoped, Paul assured them that he planned to see them again soon. He knew better than to make plans that were not subject to the Lord, so he added, "If the Lord wills". When he does come, he says, "I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power." Those who were puffed up had words, they could speak and boast that Paul was not coming, but where was their power? In this context, he is not speaking of the power to perform miracles but the power of a spirit controlled Christian life.

"For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). What is meant by the kingdom of God? It means, quite simply, the rule of God. The kingdom of God is the reign of God. If God is reigning in a believer's life then he is living in the kingdom of God. Paul is talking about the present aspect of God's kingdom which has a present reality.

Luke 11:20 "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."
Romans 14:17 "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

The Spirit controlled life does not consist in external observances, but in inward graces. Any unregenerate person can make external observances.

The Lord's Prayer contains three requests which pertain to the kingdom of God: "Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:9-10). These three phrases mean nearly the same thing. "Hallowed be thy name" means "Let Your name be hallowed, or honored", or "Bring all people to respect and reverence You." "Thy kingdom come" means "Extend Your rule over human lives." "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" means "Extend Your rule over human lives here and now so that they will reverence and respect You." As we submit to God's rule, we are living in the kingdom, and God's power will be manifest in us. 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 pictures a supernatural life, a life of power.

This is what Romans 8:11 teaches us:

Romans 8:11 (NKJV) "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

The Holy Spirit dwells in each believer and the power that raised Christ from the dead is now available to overcome each believer's dead body. The life of God can be expressed through a body that is dead. Whenever you see a person living a Christ-like life, you are seeing a resurrection miracle and the power of God because that life is being lived out through a body that is spiritually dead. So it is a resurrection kind of life because it is expressed as a kind of triumph over death. That is power to overcome sin! The early church understood this resurrection power and it caught the attention of the world.

Paul continues speaking to the Corinthian church as a father in 4:21:

What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Paul is telling them that they have a choice: whether he comes in discipline or meekness depends on their response to his exhortation. If they begin to imitate him and humble themselves, he will not have to discipline them.

Paul's whole thrust in this paragraph is for the Corinthians to be an imitator of the humility of Christ by following Paul's example. How do we humble ourselves? By submitting to God:

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:6-7).

Jonathan Edwards said, "There is no man so much out of Satan's reach as a humble man." Humility is the result of right thinking: Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you." Right thinking only comes as we spend time in the Word of God and depend on God's power to apply it to our lives.

According to Deuteronomy 8 humility is dependance upon God. Only my pride makes me feel independent of God.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NKJV) "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."

It's appealing to feel I am the master of my fate; I run my own life, I call my own shots; I go it alone. But that feeling is dishonest. I can't go it alone. I have to get help from other people, and I can't ultimately rely on myself. I am dependent on God for my very next breath. It is dishonest of me to pretend that I am anything but a man, small, weak and limited. So, living independent of God is self-delusion. It's not just a matter of pride being an unfortunate little trait and humility being an attractive little virtue: my inner psychological integrity is at stake. When I am conceited, I am lying to myself about what I am. I am pretending to be God, and not man. My pride is the idolatrous worship of myself, and that is the national religion of hell.

An admirer once asked the famous orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein what was the most difficult instrument to play. He responded with quick wit: "Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second french horn or second flute, now that's a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony." When we are willing to play second fiddle by considering other better than ourselves, then we will have harmonious relationships.

One whale sounded the following caution to his dear mate: "Better watch it; when you get to the top and start to blow, that's when you get harpooned!" What's true at sea is also true spiritually:

Proverbs 16:18 (KJV) "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Humility is one of the Christian's loveliest virtues; may God help all of us to obtain that rare and crowning grace so that we can demonstrate God's power to a lost and dying world.