1 Corinthians 4:1

Contextual Overview

¹So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.¹ This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. ¹ So, don't look at Apollos and me as anything more than cowboys who've been put in charge of teaching you the mystery of how to ride for God. ¹ Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.¹Let a man consider us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ¹ Let us be judged as servants of Christ, and as those who are responsible for the secret things of God. ¹ Let a man so account of us as servants of Christ, and stewards of [the] mysteries of God. ¹ A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God's mysteries. ¹ So let a man think of us as Christ's servants, and stewards of God's mysteries. ¹ Let a man so account us, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

account: 1 Corinthians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 12:6

the ministers: 1 Corinthians 3:5, 1 Corinthians 9:16-18, Matthew 24:45, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 11:23, Colossians 1:25, 1 Timothy 3:6

and stewards: Luke 12:42, Luke 16:1-3, Titus 1:7, 1 Peter 4:10

mysteries: 1 Corinthians 2:7, Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11, Luke 8:10, Romans 16:25, Ephesians 1:9, Ephesians 3:3-9, Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 1:26, Colossians 1:27, Colossians 2:2, Colossians 4:3, 1 Timothy 3:9, 1 Timothy 3:16

Reciprocal: Numbers 4:16 - the oversight Isaiah 61:6 - named Joel 1:13 - ye ministers Matthew 20:8 - unto Matthew 25:14 - and delivered Luke 19:15 - that he Romans 15:16 - I should 1 Corinthians 9:17 - dispensation 1 Corinthians 13:2 - understand 1 Corinthians 15:3 - I delivered 1 Corinthians 15:51 - I show Ephesians 3:2 - the dispensation Ephesians 3:4 - the mystery Ephesians 4:12 - the work Colossians 1:23 - whereof Colossians 4:7 - a faithful Colossians 4:17 - the ministry 1 Thessalonians 2:4 - to be 1 Thessalonians 5:13 - esteem 1 Timothy 1:11 - which 1 Timothy 4:6 - a good Hebrews 13:17 - watch

Cross-References

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmityBetween you and the woman,And between your seed and her seed;He shall bruise you on the head,And you shall bruise him on the heel."

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

Genesis 3:15
I wyll also put enmitie betweene thee & the woman, betweene thy seede and her seede: and it shall treade downe thy head, and thou shalt treade vpon his heele.

Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. You will bite her child's foot, but he will crush your head."

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:15
Y schal sette enemytees bitwixe thee and the womman, and bitwixe thi seed and hir seed; sche schal breke thin heed, and thou schalt sette aspies to hir heele.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman, and betweene thy seed and her seed: it shal bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heele.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let a man so account of us,.... Though the apostle had before said that he, and other ministers of the Gospel, were not any thing with respect to God, and, with regard to the churches, were theirs, for their use and advantage; yet they were not to be trampled upon, and treated with contempt, but to be known, esteemed, and honoured for their works' sake, and in their respective places, stations, and characters; and though they were but men, yet were not to be considered as private men, and in a private capacity, but as in public office, and as public preachers of the word; and though they were not to be regarded as lords and masters over God's heritage, but as servants, yet not as everyone's, or as any sort of servants, but

as the ministers, or servants, of Christ; as qualified, called, and sent forth by him to preach his Gospel; as ambassadors in his name, standing in his place and stead, and representing him, and therefore for his sake to be respected and esteemed; and as such who make him the subject of their ministry, preach him and him only, exalt him in his person, offices, blood, righteousness and sacrifice, and direct souls to him alone for life and salvation:

and stewards of the mysteries of God; though they are not to be looked upon as masters of the household, that have power to dispose of things in the family at their own pleasure; yet they are to be regarded as stewards, the highest officers in the house of God; to whose care are committed the secret and hidden things of God; whose business it is to dispense, and make known, the mysteries of divine grace; such as respect the doctrine of the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, the union of the two natures, divine and human, in his person, the church's union to him, and communion with him, with many other things contained in the Gospel they are intrusted with.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let a man - Let all; let this be the estimate formed of us by each one of you.

So account of us - So think of us, the apostles.

As the ministers of Christ - As the servants of Christ. Let them form a true estimate of us and our office - not as the head of a faction; not as designing to form parties, but as unitedly and entirely the servants of Christ; see 1 Corinthians 3:5.

And stewards - Stewards were those who presided over the affairs of a family, and made provision for it, etc.; see the note at Luke 16:1. It was an office of much responsibility; and the apostle by using the term here seems to have designed to elevate those whom he seemed to have depreciated in 1 Corinthians 3:5.

Of the mysteries of God - Of the gospel; see the note at 1 Corinthians 2:7. The office of steward was to provide those things which were necessary for the use of a family. And so the office of a minister of the gospel, and a steward of its mysteries, is to dispense such instructions, guidance, counsel, etc., as may be requisite to build up the church of Christ; to make known those sublime truths which are contained in the gospel, but which had not been made known before the revelation of Jesus Christ, and which are, therefore, called “mysteries.” It is implied in this verse:

(1) That the office of a minister is one that is subordinate to Christ - they are his servants.

(2) That those in the office should not attempt to be the head of sect or party in the church.

(3) That the office is honorable as that of a steward is; and,

(4) That Christians should endeavor to form and cherish just ideas of ministers; to give them their TRUE honor; but not to overrate their importance.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER IV.

Ministers should be esteemed by their flocks as the stewards of

God, whose duty and interest it is to be faithful, 1, 2.

Precipitate and premature judgments condemned, 3-5.

The apostle's caution to give the Corinthians no offence, 6.

We have no good but what we receive from God, 7.

The worldly mindedness of the Corinthians, 8.

The enumeration of the hardships, trials, and sufferings of the

apostles, 9-13.

For what purpose St. Paul mentions these things, 14-16.

He promises to send Timothy to them, 17.

And to come himself shortly, to examine and correct the abuses

that had crept in among them, 18-21.

NOTES ON CHAP. IV.

Verse 1 Corinthians 4:1. Let a man so account of us — This is a continuation of the subject in the preceding chapter; and should not have been divided from it. The fourth chapter would have begun better at 1 Corinthians 4:6, and the third should have ended with the fifth verse. 1 Corinthians 4:5

As of the ministers of Christ — ως υπηρετας χριστου. The word υπηρετης means an under-rower, or one, who, in the trireme, quadrireme, or quinquereme galleys, rowed in one of the undermost benches; but it means also, as used by the Greek writers, any inferior officer or assistant. By the term here the apostle shows the Corinthians that, far from being heads and chiefs, he and his fellow apostles considered themselves only as inferior officers, employed under Christ from whom alone they received their appointment their work, and their recompense.

Stewards of the mysteries of God. — και οικονομους μυστηριων θεου, Economists of the Divine mysteries. See the explanation of the word steward in Clarke's note on "Matthew 24:45"; Luke 8:3; Luke 12:42.

The steward, or oikonomos, was the master's deputy in regulating the concerns of the family, providing food for the household, seeing it served out at the proper times and seasons, and in proper quantities. He received all the cash, expended what was necessary for the support of the family, and kept exact accounts, which he was obliged at certain times to lay before the master. The mysteries, the doctrines of God, relative to the salvation of the world by the passion and death of Christ; and the inspiration, illumination, and purification of the soul by the Spirit of Christ, constituted a principal part of the Divine treasure intrusted to the hands of the stewards by their heavenly Master; as the food that was to be dispensed at proper times, seasons, and in proper proportions to the children and domestics of the Church, which is the house of God.