“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and 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 by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:1-4).
In our text Paul reveals himself as a servant of Christ. Christ had given him a specific stewardship. As an apostle, it was his responsibility to reveal God’s mysteries. His efforts enraged some. For example, the Judaizers in the early church despised the great apostle’s ministry among the Gentiles. It didn’t bother him in the least. He didn’t care. It was a “very small thing.”
We too are stewards. God has given each of us responsibilities. Some responsibilities are common to us all. Jude called upon every Christian to, “contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (3). Some responsibilities may be unique to the individual, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Regardless, Paul’s statement is true, “it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
Paul indicates that the Lord is the one who judges whether our stewardship is righteous. Such recognition carries with it certain ramifications. The first one is that your judgment of me and my judgment of you is irrelevant. That’s why Paul called it a “very small thing.” That doesn’t mean that we are free to disregard admonition. That’s not Paul’s point. The Hebrew writer says, for example, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). Paul himself called upon the Corinthians in the very next chapter both to judge and to reject an immoral man. In fact, Paul said, “For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed” (1 Corinthians 5:3).
Here is the point. Men may judge incorrectly. They may make mistakes. If they do, their judgment in no way impacts whether a person gets to heaven.
Which brings us to ramification number two! It also doesn’t matter what I think about my own stewardship. This is the greater problem. Men commonly claim that what matters is what “they” think about “their own” decisions and actions. Consider the woman’s claim as she aborts her child, “My body, my choice!” In fact, Paul noted that one’s own opinion has no bearing on his salvation. “For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this…”
Since Jesus is the sole judge, “He who judges me is the Lord”, it seems important to know by what standard He judges. He has made it clear. “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak” (John 12:48-50).
As always, it comes back to the New Testament scriptures! While religious people today want to disregard what the Bible says, our eternal Judge says it is the standard that will determine whether we go to heaven or to hell.
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