Sermon Podcast

But why we think this way is because we are seeing it from a human point of view i.e. through human wisdom, and not from the perspective of Paul. Because of our humanistic thinking, in which we are not living by the Cross, we would end up despising our spiritual authority just like the Corinthians.

However, to Paul, the refusal to acknowledge spiritual authority is a clear sign that the Church has lost its essence, and therefore ceases to be the Church. Hence, as small as it might seem, Paul must weed out this issue from the church.

One way by which spiritual authority collapses is through the careless judgement of leaders. Why we judge is because we forget that leaders are ‘servants of Christ’ (4:1) and not our servants, that we should dictate or scrutinise what they do. God’s servants are people who will not conform to the demands & opinions of members, but only to the will & plan of God. And as stewards entrusted with God’s mysteries (i.e. the Gospel; 4:1), they would not teach something that will appeal to people and their philosophies. They would not try to please men, but God (1 Thess 2:4; Gal 1:10). Ultimately, whether they have done wrong or not, only God has the right to judge them (4:4-5), not us.

The other reason why the Corinthians judged Paul was because they became arrogant (‘puffed up’), forgetting what they have received is from God (4:7). This caused them to “go beyond what is written” (4:6), that is, the foundations laid by Paul. As a result, they were deceived, thinking that they had arrived to a position of ‘reign’, even though they were still infants (3:1).

Paul corrects their understanding of the Cross, using Apollos & himself as an example for them (4:6). Even though Apollos was considered a ‘rival’ of Paul (being more eloquent and knowledgeable than him), Paul did not see him this way. He could honour him as a fellow servant of Christ because he had the Cross. Similarly, leaders ought to honour other leaders and not judge them. This is one of the steps towards restoring spiritual authority.

Why we critique the weakness of leaders like Paul, is because we fail to understand the meaning of the Cross, which entails weakness, suffering, dishonour & shame from the world (4:9-13). We still believe that accepting the Cross would lead us to have a good ‘victorious’ life. The truth is, it is in the place of suffering & seeming ‘defeat’ that people of God can truly “reign”, and manifest the Kingdom of God.

Lastly, the collapse of spiritual authority in the Corinthian church was because they could not accept Paul as their spiritual father and his discipline (4:15). Paul calls himself their ‘father’ not because he wants to dominate the church, but because he gave them the Gospel (4:15). And as such, he expects the church to obey his instructions & imitate his life of the Cross (4:16). For those that refuse to, he can only come “with a rod of discipline” (4:21). Consequently, we should aim to establish a father-child relationship with our pastors & leaders, and humbly accept their correction.

When the Church’s spiritual authority is restored, through members refraining from judging leaders (4:1-5), living the life of the Cross (4:6-13), and accepting leaders’ discipline (4:14-21), then we will see the Kingdom of God manifesting in power & authority (4:20), where the Holy Spirit could completely reign.