1 CORINTHIANS 4:1–4
He who judges me is the Lord
(1 Cor. 4:4).
The preceding discussion on the responsibility of ministers leads Paul to the conclusion that people should not elevate ministers above the status of mere servants of Christ. The servant of God has no authority of his own and, therefore, should not be regarded as anything more than a servant, a subordinate to God Himself.
Ministers of the Gospel are stewards, which are slaves appointed as managers of a household. They are called to carry out the orders of the master and to dispense provisions to those under their care. As stewards, ministers proclaim and teach the truths of God that are undiscoverable by human reason, the “mysteries of God,” and they are to care for those God has entrusted to them by giving them good, sound, and trustworthy provisions from the Word of God.
“Ministers have no arbitrary or discretionary authority in the church,” Hodge wrote. “Neither have they any supernatural power, such as is attributed to them in the Romish church. Their authority is merely ministerial, limited by the commands of Christ, and, therefore, to be judged by the standard of those commands, which are known to the whole church. And secondly, they are not, like Aristotle or Plato, the originators of their own doctrines, or the teachers of the doctrines of other men, but simply the dispensers of the truths which God has revealed.”
Because ministers are called by God to serve, they are not to be judged by men. They are accountable to the Lord and will be judged impartially by Him alone. Only Christ will determine whether they have served faithfully, which is the great requirement of a minister. Christ will judge whether they remained faithful to His commands, whether they imparted the truth faithfully to the people even in the face of opposition and ridicule. It mattered little to Paul what the Corinthians thought of him. They had not sent him nor had they told him what doctrines to preach. Yet, so as not to be misunderstood, Paul insisted that he was not setting himself up as his own judge, accountable to no one. Paul knew that, though his conscience was clear that he had served faithfully, his own judgment was not final. For him and for all ministers, the only impartial, competent, and final Judge is the Lord Himself.
CORAM DEO
Numbers 36
Mark 12:19–44
Paul is not saying that there are not to be judicial proceedings against unfaithful ministers. But he is saying that congregations are not act as if pastors are accountable to them. Are you guilty of passing judgment on your pastor as if you were God Himself who alone can see into the man’s heart? If so, repent of being unduly judgmental.
For further study: 2 Cor. 3:1–6 • Eph. 3:1–13 • 1 Tim. 1:12–20
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