1 Corinthians 4:14-21

(1 Corinthians 4:14-21)

I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.  Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.  But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.  For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.  What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

The Corinthian Church was founded by Paul while staying in Corinth for about a year and a half during his second evangelistic trip. At that time, Corinth was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire and was a huge commercial city, so it had a large population, so the Corinthian Church was a church that had numerous problems both morally, socially, and religiously. The apostle Paul writes the reason for writing the letter, conveying biblical teachings on the numerous problems inherent in the Corinthian church: 『I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 』
Paul mentioned that the purpose of writing the letter was not to embarrass the problem of the Corinthian church by highlighting it, but to encourage it as a beloved child. 『Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. 』

 

The apostle Paul, who had left the Corinthian church, sent Timothy to them to remind them of the Word. 『For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 』 Timothy was the prophet of the apostle Paul. Timothy was taking the place without the apostle Paul. As they watched Timothy, the members of the Corinthian church were thinking of the apostle Paul.

 

Paul sent Timothy, hoping that the members of the Corinthian church were always awake spiritually, but some of the members of the Corinthian church became proud of themselves because the apostle Paul was not with them. 『Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 』

『What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? 』The uproar against the members of the Corinthian Church was caused by words without actions. To those members of the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul declared that the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power. In John 13:8-10『Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 』

 

To be one with God in Christ is to die on the cross with Jesus Christ. In Romans 6:3-4, ``Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 』
Just as God resurrected Jesus, who died on the cross, God resurrects the dead with Jesus. So, the saints become one with God in Christ. Those who do not die with Jesus cannot become one with God. God's righteousness is like in Romans 6:7, "For he that is dead is freed from sin. 』In the end, the dead become one with God.

What can confirm that the saints become dead on the cross with Jesus? To love your brother. Brothers here include not only physical brothers but also spiritual brothers. Because Jesus came to this world to save the lost sheep. That is why even if a brother becomes an enemy, he must preach the word of the gospel to save the lost lamb (dead spirit) in this world.

 

In John 13:14-15, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 』 The reason Jesus washed the feet of his disciples was to make them wash each other's feet. And Jesus said in 13:16-17, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 』 If you don't know why Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, it's not a blessing. Blessing means salvation. Washing your feet is what builds a relationship with Jesus. “Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 』Here 『thou hast no part with me. The meaning of the word "" means that you do not become one with me.