1 Corinthians Chapter 4 in Simple English

Updated on October 1, 2026

Read 1 Corinthians Chapter 4

1This is how people should think of us: as servants of Christ, and stewards trusted with the mysteries of God.

2And what is required of stewards is that each one be found faithful.

3But it matters very little to me if I am judged by you, or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

4I know of nothing against myself, yet that does not make me innocent. The one who judges me is the Lord.

5So do not judge anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness, and he will show openly what the heart has planned. Then each person will receive praise from God.

6Brothers and sisters, I have applied all this to myself and to Apollos as a picture, for your sake. From us you can learn not to think of anyone above what is written, so that none of you is proud, taking one man's side against another.

7Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you were not given? And if you were given it, why do you boast as if you had not been given it?

8Already you are full. Already you are rich. You have become kings without us. I wish you really did reign, so that we might reign with you.

9For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on show at the very end, like men condemned to die. We have been made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to people.

10We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honoured, but we are despised.

11Right up to this present hour we are hungry and thirsty. We are poorly clothed, we are beaten, and we have no settled home.

12We work hard with our own hands. When we are insulted, we bless. When we are persecuted, we put up with it.

13When we are slandered, we answer gently. We have been made like the rubbish of the world, the dirt scraped off everything, to this day.

14I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.

15For even if you had ten thousand teachers in Christ, you do not have many fathers. In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

16So I beg you, follow my example.

17That is why I have sent Timotheus to you. He is my dear son, and faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

18Now some of you have grown proud, as though I were not coming to you.

19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing. Then I will find out, not what these proud people say, but what power they have.

20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of words, but of power.

21What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a gentle spirit?

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Explanation

1 Corinthians 4

In short

Paul tells the Corinthians to see him and his fellow apostles as servants entrusted with God's truth, not as people to judge or compete over. He uses sharp irony to contrast their comfort and pride with the apostles' hardships, then as their spiritual father urges them to follow his example and warns he may need to discipline them.

Context

Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, which has split into factions loyal to different leaders. Some in Corinth are judging Paul and boasting about other teachers like Apollos. Paul has already rebuked them for these divisions. Now he addresses the root problem: their attitude toward leadership and their own spiritual pride.

What the text says

Paul opens (verses 1-2) by saying people should view the apostles as Christ's servants and stewards of God's mysteries, and stewards must be faithful. He tells them his own standing before them matters little; God alone will judge him (verses 3-5). When that day comes, hidden things will be revealed and each person will receive praise from God.

In verses 6-7, Paul explains he has used himself and Apollos as examples so the Corinthians learn not to rank humans beyond Scripture's teaching, and not to boast as if they created their own abilities. Verses 8-13 are bitter irony: he says the Corinthians are already full, rich, and ruling like kings, while God has placed the apostles last, made them a spectacle, treated them as foolish and weak. Paul lists their actual condition: hunger, thirst, homelessness, hard labour, insults, and shame.

Yet Paul says (verses 14-15) he writes not to shame them but to warn them as sons. He has fathered them through the gospel, so he appeals for them to imitate him (verse 16). He is sending Timothy to remind them of Paul's ways (verse 17). Some are proud because they think Paul will not visit; he will come and test their words against their power (verses 18-20). The kingdom of God is power, not mere words. He asks whether to come with discipline or in love (verses 20-21).

Takeaways

The apostles' authority comes from being trusted with God's message, not from being superior judges of the Corinthians.
The Corinthians' divisions and boasting rest on a false comparison of themselves to leaders who suffer and serve.
Paul appeals to his relationship as their spiritual father and the example of his life to call them to obedience and humility.

1 Corinthians 4 - Simple English