1 Corinthians 4:14-20--Paul’s Appeal and Warning

1 Corinthians 4:14-20
New International Version

Paul’s Appeal and Warning
14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

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These verses are very important before we move onto the next part of the epistle where Paul is going to deal directly with some serious sin issues in the church at Corinth--even to the point of telling them that they need to "expel the immoral brother" (excommunication).  It is important that we know that Paul isn't saying these things to condemn anyone (he just said that even though as an apostle he had the authority to judge them, he'd save that for Jesus, but he will teach that it is the the job of the church to judge those inside of the church for the good of the Body), nor to bring shame on the Church as a whole (though maybe it would not be wrong for some of the offenders here to feel some shame about what they were doing) and that he looked at this Corinthian congregation as his children--the same that he's talked about any other church that he planted or has helped to lead--though these children are wayward and rebellious children, it doesn't mean that Paul (or God for that matter) has stopped loving them.

Paul talks more of this relationship to say that they may have many "guardians"--those that are assigned to protect the child and get the child to and from school to learn the appropriate lessons, but only the parents care for their flesh and blood in a way that no guardian could.  Paul says that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, he had become a spiritual father to those that are truly saved (though he seems to imply in other parts of the book that not all of those that are reading this have been saved).  Because Paul cares so much for them, he urges them to imitate him (follow him as he follows Christ) so that they will stop making the mistakes that lead to pain and suffering in their own lives and in the lives of those around them, as sin is going to affect all of our relationships and the entire Body of Christ.  Since Paul was unable to go to them himself, he did the next best thing and sent Timothy, who was like a son to him, in his place.  Timothy was such a good reflection of Paul that to follow after Timothy would be to follow after Paul which would be to follow after Christ.  This is what we should strive for in Christian discipleship.  Timothy would remind them of the way they should live in light of the truth that they had learned and accepted from Paul--now that truth needed to be applied to their everyday lives so that they no longer looked like and acted like the world and their old selves.

Paul then said that some of the church members (remember, he's talking to them like they are his children) are becoming confident that daddy is never coming home to discipline them and think that means they can get away with anything they want and that he won't know what's been going on.  Not only does Paul know what's been going on, but he warns them that he's coming soon to deal with all of it, and it's their choice what kind of welcome they are going to get from him when he arrives, for those that have made themselves enemies of Paul and of the gospel in his absence will be dealt with accordingly and they will either need to "put up or shut up" when he arrives for their talk is useless if it is not backed up by the power of God, and Paul seems to indicate that there might be some kind of "Mount Carmel" contest like between Elijah and the prophets of Baal to see who is speaking the truth with authority and who is just speaking vain and empty words.  Until then, Paul will address the issues head on in the next several chapters and hope for repentance and that the church starts to engage in church discipline so that he doesn't have to come to them to deal with such things and they can look forward to his visit instead of being fearful of his return--a child who has been good has no fear of their father coming home, but the child who has been rebellious and been told "just wait until your father gets home" fears the coming of his or her father and learns to fear the news of his arrival and maybe even fear their father if this is all they know of him.  That's not the kind of relationship that Paul desires with his spiritual children, but it might be what is necessary for their good individually and corporately.