New Life Bible Fellowship Church
4/12/2026

      • 1 Chronicles 16:8–11KJV1900

  • Come People Of The Risen King
  • Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me

      • Proverbs 20KJV1900

  • Introduction:

    For eleven weeks we have watched Paul dismantle Corinthian pride with relentless theological precision. He exposed the bankruptcy of worldly wisdom. He pointed to their unlikely calling as proof that God chooses the foolish and weak. He rebuked their spiritual infancy and warned about building with materials that cannot survive the fire. He asked the devastating question, "What do you have that you did not receive?" And three weeks ago, we saw the shocking catalog of apostolic suffering—hunger, thirst, beatings, homelessness—climaxing in Paul's stark admission: "We have become the scum of the world, the refuse of all things."
    After such withering critique, we might expect Paul to wash his hands of the Corinthians. They are arrogant, divisive, and spiritually infantile. They have criticized Paul's weakness while boasting in their own imagined strength. They have treated their spiritual father with contempt.
    But now Paul's tone shifts. The theologian becomes a tender father.
    "I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children."
    Beloved children. After everything—the sarcasm, the irony, the catalog of contrasts—Paul reveals his heart. He is not a detached critic hurling accusations from a distance. He is a father who loves his children and longs for their restoration.
    Today Paul shows us what apostolic love looks like—fierce in its truth-telling, tender in its motivation, urgent in its call to imitation, and serious about the consequences of disobedience. This is the heart of a spiritual father for his wayward children.

    Text: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21

    1 Corinthians 4:14–21 ESV
    14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 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. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

    Main Idea: Authentic spiritual authority flows from sacrificial love, not impressive words, and demands both correction and gentleness from those who lead.

    Background:

    In Roman Corinth, official inscriptions recorded Julius Caesar as the colony’s founding father, and the current emperor claimed the same title, establishing a recognized pattern of authority through foundational leadership. Paul deliberately adopts this cultural framework to position himself similarly within the Christian community.
    Thus, Paul concludes his four-chapter argument with a personal appeal grounded in his role as the Corinthians' spiritual father. Unlike the countless guides who may have contributed to their formation, Paul begot them through the gospel. The Corinthians must choose: will they repent and receive Paul with gentleness, or persist in arrogance and receive his discipline? The kingdom of God is not empty talk but transforming power—and Paul will test whether the puffed-up Corinthians have the power to match their words.
    As their loving, spiritual Father, we will see three important Fatherly traits exhibited by Paul:
    The Father’s Motive
    The Father’s Example
    The Father’s Authority

    I.The Father's Motive (vv. 14-15)

    14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
    This verse reframes everything that preceded. The irony, the contrasts, the catalog of suffering—all were fatherly correction, not hostile attack. Remember the previous paragraph:
    1 Corinthians 4:8–13 ESV
    8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
    I do not write these things to make you ashamed -
    ταῦτα (tauta) — "These things" - What are "these things"? The immediate antecedent is the biting irony and catalog of suffering in verses 8-13. More broadly, it includes the entire argument of chapters 1-4—the critique of their factionalism, their worldly wisdom, their over-realized eschatology.
    ἐντρέπω (entrepō) — "To shame / To make ashamed"
    This verb means "to turn in on oneself," hence "to make ashamed, to put to shame." In the passive, it means "to feel shame, to be ashamed."
    The participial construction (ἐντρέπων) expresses purpose or manner: Paul is not writing with the purpose of shaming them.
    Paul's Clarification
    After the sharp words of verses 8-13, Paul clarifies his intent. The sarcasm and contrasts were not designed to humiliate but to correct. The goal is restoration, not destruction.
    This is important pastorally. Harsh words can wound without healing if the motive is wrong. Paul's motive is paternal love, not personal vindication.
    admonish you as my beloved children -
    νουθετέω (noutheteō) — "To admonish / To warn / To instruct" - This verb combines νοῦς ("mind") and τίθημι ("to put"). Literally, "to put in mind"—to instruct, warn, admonish, correct. It suggests verbal correction aimed at changing behavior and thinking.
    The word appears in contexts of parental discipline (Eph 6:4: "Fathers... bring them up in the discipline and instruction [νουθεσία] of the Lord") and pastoral care (Col 1:28: "warning [νουθετοῦντες] everyone and teaching everyone").
    The verse reframes everything that preceded. The irony, the contrasts, the catalog of suffering—all were fatherly correction, not hostile attack.
    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.
    For, let me explain…
    though you have countless guides in Christ -
    μύριοι (myrioi) — "Ten thousand / Countless" - The word μύριοι literally means "ten thousand"—the largest named number in Greek. But it is often used hyperbolically to mean "countless, innumerable, a vast number."
    though the Corinthians have countless guides (paidagōgoi) in Christ, they do not have many fathers, for Paul became their father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (1 Cor 4:14–15).
    in Christ - The phrase qualifies the παιδαγωγοί: these are guides in Christ—Christian teachers, ministers working within the community of faith.
    you do not have many fathers - Wealthy Corinthians employed guardians who accompanied young sons to school, but these protectors could not be called fathers—Paul assures the Corinthians they have many such guardians but only one father
    For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel -
    γεννάω (gennaō) — "To beget / To father / To give birth to" - This verb means "to beget" (of a father) or "to give birth to" (of a mother). Paul uses it for spiritual generation—he begot them, brought them to spiritual birth. The aorist tense points to a specific past event: Paul's founding ministry in Corinth (Acts 18). At that time, he preached the gospel, and they came to faith. He fathered them spiritually.
    ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (en Christō Iēsou) — "In Christ Jesus" - The sphere of this begetting is "in Christ Jesus." The new birth happens within the realm of Christ's lordship, through union with Christ.
    διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου (dia tou euangeliou) — "Through the gospel" - The instrument of begetting is the gospel. Paul did not father them through personality, rhetoric, or program. The gospel—the message of Christ crucified and risen—was the generative power.
    This echoes 1 Peter 1:23: The gospel is the seed that produces new life.
    1 Peter 1:23 ESV
    23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
    ἐγώ (egō) — "I" - The emphatic pronoun underscores Paul's unique role. Not Apollos, not Cephas, not any subsequent teacher—I (Paul) begot you.
    Paul's argument: Because I am your father—the one who begot you through the gospel—I have unique authority and unique affection. The other teachers are valuable, but none can replace the father.
    Not only do we see the Father’s Motive, but we see next…

    II. The Father's Example (vv. 16-17)

    16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
    I urge you, then - παρακαλέω (parakaleō) — "To urge / To appeal / To exhort / To encourage" - This versatile verb can mean "to call alongside, to encourage, to comfort, to appeal, to urge, to exhort." Here it functions as an earnest appeal—Paul is urging, beseeching, exhorting.
    οὖν (oun) — "then" - The conjunction draws the inference from verse 15. Because Paul is their father, therefore he urges them to imitate him. The command flows from the relationship.
    be imitators of me - μιμητής (mimētēs) — "Imitator" - This noun means "one who imitates, an imitator." It derives from μιμέομαι ("to imitate, to mimic, to follow as an example").
    γίνομαι (ginomai) — "To become / To be" - The present imperative suggests ongoing action: "Keep becoming imitators," "Be imitators continuously."
    μου (mou) — "Of me" - The genitive indicates the object of imitation: Paul. They are to imitate Paul.
    What Are They to Imitate?
    In context, imitation of Paul means adopting his cruciform pattern:
    Weakness rather than worldly strength (4:10)
    Suffering rather than triumphalism (4:11-13)
    Blessing when reviled, enduring when persecuted (4:12)
    Becoming "scum" and "refuse" for Christ (4:13)
    In 11:1, Paul clarifies: "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Imitating Paul is ultimately imitating Christ through Paul's example.
    17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
    διὰ τοῦτο (dia touto) — "For this reason / Therefore" - The phrase connects to what precedes. Because Paul is their father, because they should imitate him—for this reason he sends Timothy.
    ἔπεμψα (epempsa) — "I sent" - Given 1 Corinthians 16:10 (“10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.”), it seems Timothy may arrive around the same time as or shortly after the letter.
    my beloved and faithful child in the Lord
    ιστός (pistos) — "Faithful / Trustworthy" - This is the same word Paul used in 4:2 for the requirement of stewards: "It is required of stewards that they be found faithful (πιστός)." Timothy embodies what Paul requires—faithfulness.
    child ἐν κυρίῳ (en kyriō) — "In the Lord" - Timothy is Paul's child in the Lord—their relationship is spiritual, grounded in their common belonging to Christ.
    The Implicit Commendation - By calling Timothy "beloved and faithful," Paul commends him to the Corinthians. They should receive Timothy as they would receive Paul (cf. 16:10-11).
    to remind you of my ways in Christ
    ἀναμιμνῄσκω (anamimnēskō) — "To remind / To call to remembrance" - This verb means "to remind, to cause to remember, to bring to mind." The prefix ἀνα- adds the sense of "again"—calling back to mind what is already known.
    Timothy's task is not to bring new teaching but to remind them of what Paul already taught. The Corinthians have not forgotten Paul's doctrine; they have departed from Paul's pattern. Timothy will recall them to it.
    τὰς ὁδούς μου τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ (tas hodous mou tas en Christō) — "My ways in Christ"
    ὁδός (hodos) — "Way / Road / Path" - The plural ὁδοί ("ways") refers to manner of life, conduct, pattern of behavior. Paul's "ways" are his lifestyle, his ethical conduct, his way of doing ministry.
    τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ (tas en Christō) — "Those in Christ" - The attributive phrase qualifies the "ways": they are ways in Christ—Christian ways, ways consistent with belonging to Christ.
    What are Paul's "ways in Christ"? The cruciform pattern described in 4:9-13:
    Weakness rather than worldly strength
    Suffering rather than triumphalism
    Blessing when reviled
    Becoming "scum" for Christ
    as I teach them everywhere in every church -
    The Universal Pattern - Paul's ways are not unique to Corinth. He teaches the same pattern "everywhere in every church." The cruciform life is not optional or local; it is the universal Christian pattern.
    This also implies a gentle rebuke. The Corinthians are not special exceptions. What applies to all churches applies to them. They cannot claim exemption from the apostolic pattern.
    Timothy is Paul's personal representative. His mission is to call the Corinthians back to the cruciform pattern that Paul teaches universally.
    So we’ve seen the Father’s Motive, and the Father’s Example, now finally we see…

    III. The Father's Authority (vv. 18-21)

    18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
    Some Corinthians were acting as if Paul would never show up. Perhaps they thought:
    Paul was too weak to confront them
    Paul was afraid of them
    Paul's threats were empty words
    Distance would protect them from accountability
    The absence of apostolic presence emboldened some to arrogance. They felt free to dismiss Paul precisely because he was not there to confront them.
    19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
    But I will come to you soon, - Paul asserts that he will visit Corinth very soon, if the Lord is willing, and promises to assess not merely how the arrogant people are talking, but what power they actually possess. This statement establishes a fundamental distinction that drives the passage forward.
    if the Lord wills - The Qualification - Paul's plans are subject to the Lord's will. This is not mere formula but genuine acknowledgment of divine sovereignty (cf. James 4:15; Acts 18:21; Rom 1:10; 15:32). Paul intends to come soon—but God controls circumstances. The Corinthians should expect him, but the exact timing is in God's hands.
    I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people - The arrogant minority have apparently built their authority on rhetorical skill and impressive speech. Paul’s purpose will not be to admire the Corinthians’ speech but to inspect their effectiveness in life. He will examine whether their words translate into genuine spiritual transformation and maturity within the community.
    but their power - The arrogant ones have impressive talk—confident words, bold claims, perhaps rhetorical skill. Paul will test whether their words match reality. Do they have δύναμις—genuine spiritual power, transformed lives, fruit of the Spirit? These arrogant ones will face examination. Talk is cheap; Paul will look for power.
    20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
    For the kingdom of God - This phrase refers to God's reign, His saving rule, His transforming presence. The kingdom is not merely a future hope but a present reality that breaks into human life through the Spirit.
    does not consist in talk but in power - ἐν λόγῳ... ἐν δυνάμει (en logō... en dynamei) — "In word... in power"
    The prepositional phrases describe how the kingdom manifests:
    Not ἐν λόγῳ ("in talk")—mere words, rhetoric, impressive speech
    But ἐν δυνάμει ("in power")—effective action, transformation, the Spirit's work
    The Principle
    This verse provides the theological grounding for verse 19. Why will Paul test power rather than talk? Because the kingdom of God is not about talk but power.
    Anyone can talk. The question is whether talk corresponds to reality. The kingdom manifests in transformed lives, changed communities, Spirit-empowered ministry—not in impressive rhetoric.
    This verse summarizes a major theme of chapters 1-4. The Corinthians valued eloquent speech (1:17; 2:1, 4). Paul came in weakness, not rhetorical power (2:3-4). True spiritual reality is demonstrated by power—the Spirit's transforming work—not by impressive words.
    Romans 1:16 ESV
    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
    2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
    17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
    Galatians 5:22–24 ESV
    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
    21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
    What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod - Here the context clearly points to discipline. The "rod" is the instrument of correction—what a father uses to discipline disobedient children (Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14).
    Paul is not threatening physical violence but apostolic discipline—confrontation, rebuke, possibly excommunication (as will happen in chapter 5).
    with love in a spirit of gentleness -
    ἀγάπη (agapē) — "Love" - This is the characteristic Christian word for love—self-giving, others-focused, seeking the good of the beloved.
    πνεῦμα πραΰτητος (pneuma praÿtētos) — "Spirit of gentleness" - Given Paul's usage elsewhere (Galatians 6:1 “1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” ), understanding that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate source of such gentleness.
    πραΰτης (praÿtēs) — "Gentleness / Meekness" - This noun describes a gentle, humble, meek disposition—not weakness but strength under control. It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23).
    The Choice Is Theirs
    Paul is coming either way. The question is how he comes. If the Corinthians repent—humble themselves, abandon their arrogance, embrace the cruciform pattern—Paul will come with love and gentleness. If they persist in their puffed-up pretensions, he will come with the rod.
    A good father does both. He disciplines when necessary; he shows tenderness when possible. Paul embodies both—and the Corinthians' response determines which they receive.

    So What?

    Do we understand that we are to correct with love, not shame?
    Paul’s harsh words stung the Corinthians, yet his motivation was love—he warned them as a father concerned about their spiritual danger
    When offering correction, Church leadership must use moderation and avoid wounding people’s minds with excessive severity; they must make clear that their reproof flows from genuine care for others’ welfare.
    What we need to hear is that accountability within the church flows from relationship, not judgment. When we address someone’s sin or immaturity, we must examine our heart: Are we correcting to restore, or to shame?
    Do we understand that we are to imitate mature Christians, not impressive ones?
    The Corinthians were spiritual infants imitating other babies in the body, thinking they were full and rich; Paul called them to imitate mature Christians instead.
    Mature Christians bring unity rather than disunity, lack superiority complexes, allow others to be different, and aren’t puffed up.
    We must encourage one another to identify mentors by character and fruit, not by charisma or status. Who in our congregation embodies humility, sacrifice, and genuine faith?
    Do we understand that we must let our life match our words?
    Paul promised to investigate not the Corinthians’ puffed-up words but their actual power—whether their lives matched their talk. Christianity is not merely talking right; it is living right.
    We must examine the gap between what we profess and what we practice. Does our witness to Christ’s kingdom rest on impressive speech, or on transformed living?
    Do we understand that discipline flows from Paternal Authority?
    The choice facing the Corinthians was clear: either repent and receive Paul’s gentleness, or face his firmness when he arrived.
    While no one today possesses apostolic authority as a first century gift, we do have apostolic authority in the written Word of God, and therefore, believers still need to use this authority with concern for their brothers and sisters when the situation demands it.
    We must understand that loving discipline—not permissive silence—reflects genuine spiritual parenthood in the church.

      • 1 Corinthians 4:14–21ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:14ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:8–13ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:15ESV

      • 1 Peter 1:23ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:16ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:17ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:18ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:19ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:20ESV

      • Romans 1:16ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:17ESV

      • Galatians 5:22–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 4:21ESV

  • The Gospel Song
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
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