Judgment--Who and When, a Reflection on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Paul is writing to the Corinthians, a fractious community. They are critical of each other and also of Paul. We can read this letter historically to help us understand what Paul was trying to get the Corinthians to understand, and we can read it to help us to work through conflicts within our congregations.

Paul reminds them and us that, after all, it is not the congregation that determines how well and how faithfully he has served. Rather, the Lord is the one who does the judging. We may be reacting to what a minister is doing or saying today, but, in doing so, we should also reflect on the consequences of those actions. Some events are not immediately apparent.

Beverly Gaventa, Texts for Preaching:

For those Christians who find even the term "judgment" to be distasteful, Paul's comments stand as a powerful reminder that all human beings are God's servants and stand responsible before God for their behavior. No one escapes that accountability. For those Christians who, on the other hand, savor the prospect of judgment because they have already made judgments of their own, Paul's insistence that it is God who judges may cause the tongue to pause mid-accusation. Paul's not-too-subtle point is that God requires no help or recommendations about the judgments of others.

Or for a post that I wish I had written, see Nadia Bolz-Weber's take on this passage.