1 A person should think of it this way: You are like Christ’s assistants and God’s stewards over the mysteries. 2 In that context, the only thing that is sought in stewards is that they would be found to be faithful.a 3 So, to me, that makes it a small thing that I’m investigatedb by you or by those enacting any human “Day.”c In fact, I don’t even investigated myself. 4 You see, I’m not aware of anything against myself; however, that’s not why I have been found to be just. The one who investigatese me is the Lord. 5 So then, don’t settle on a judgment about anything before the right time, until the Lord comes when he will illuminate the things hidden in darkness and clearly show the intentions of hearts. That’s when there will be approval for each person from God.
6 Now, Family, I adapted these things for myself and Apollos for youf so that you could learn through us to apply the saying,g “not beyond what is written,”h to avoid you being self-important, each over the other. 7 Who is distinguishing between you? What do you have that you didn’t receive? And if you received it, why do you boast about it as if it weren’t received? 8 You’ve already had your needs satisfied.i You’ve already been enriched.j Without us, you became royalty. I wish you had literally become royalty so that we could reign alongside you. 9 You see, I think God distinguished us, the latest commissioned ones,k as doomed to die because we have become a spectacle to the world system and to messengers and to people. 10 We are consideredl nonsensical because of Christ, but you are savvym regarding Christ. We are powerless, but you are powerful. You are held in high esteem, but we are not treated with value. 11 Even now we are hungry and thirsty, insufficiently clothed, beaten up, and homeless. 12 We exhaust ourselves, working with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with well-wishes.n When we are harassed,o we stand tall.p 13 When people speak badly about us, we are supportive to them.q We have come to be treated like garbage by the world—treated by everyone like we’re scum—even now.
14 I’m not writing these things to shame you but, rather, to bring it to your attention as my beloved children. 15 You see, while you may have countless people who take responsibility to guide you regarding Christ, you don’t have many fathers because I became your father regarding Christ Jesus through the triumphant message.r 16 Therefore, I encourage you to imitate me.s 17 That’s why I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child regarding the Lord. He will remind you of my paths,t which are according to the standard of Christ, just like I teach everywhere throughout the wholeu Called Community.v 18 Some are self-important, as if I weren’t coming to you, 19 but I will come to you soon if the Lord is willing, and I will get to know not only what the self-important people are sayingw but also what power they have. 20 You see, God’s reign isn’t about words but about power. 21 Which powerx do you want? Should I come to you with a royal sceptery or with love and a gentle Life-breath?z
FOOTNOTES:
a Or ‘trustworthy’
b Or ‘examined’ or ‘questioned’ or ‘inquired into.’
c Nearly every other translation renders this word as ‘court.’ The only commonly used one that doesn’t renders it as ‘judgment.’ The problem is that it is the word hemera, which means ‘day.’ There are no instances inside or outside the Bible that use the word hemera to mean ‘court.’ It is being used here in the phrase ‘a human Day,’ which is capitalized to show the connection with ‘Day’ in 1: Corinthians 1:8 and 3:13. It’s not about a court, it’s about an event, a time of reckoning in which the world decides who is acceptable and who is not by its own standards and responds according to that decision. It is reflective of events like Nero’s persecution of Christians in Rome, of the Nazi’s attempting Jewish genocide in the Holocaust, and of any movement or event when people with power move to act to exterminate people who don’t fit their worldview or get in the way of their dominance. These are large-scale examples, but smaller-scale instances still fit, including the murder of Jesus and Stephen by the religious authorities and persecution experienced by the movement of those following Jesus, of which Paul experienced both sides as the persecutor and the persecuted.
d Or ‘examine’ or ‘question’ or ‘inquire into.’
e Or ‘examines’ or ‘questions’ or ‘inquires into.’
f Or ‘for your sake’
g “To apply the saying” is not in the Greek text. It is added for clarity because the Greek construction of what follows indicates it is quoting a common maxim or saying, not that it’s teaching them something new or that “not beyond what is written” is somehow describing the audience’s learning.
h “Not beyond what is written” is indicated to be a known saying by the use of the Greek word to or “the” at the beginning of it in a way that does not fit into the sentence meaning itself.
i The words “your needs” are added for clarity. The word “satisfied” means in the sense of having received enough, not in the emotion of satisfaction, or even the typical word for having eaten one’s fill.
j Or ‘made wealthy’
k Traditionally, ‘apostles,’ which means ones who are sent on a mission or with a purpose and was not originally a religious office.
l The word ‘considered’ is not in the Greek but is added for clarity. The oral culture used inflection and other ways to communicate rhetorical nuances. In English we do the same, such as using our fingers to make “air quotes” in a situation when we are using a word in a way that contrasts with what we actually understand. In writing, English writers use additional words to clarify the rhetoric or use quotation marks or italics to clarify intended meanings.
m Or ‘sensible’ or ‘thoughtful’
n The Greek word is phronimos, different from sophos which is the word translated as ‘wise’ throughout the past few chapters. This word has similar uses but is more focused on practical knowledge or prudent behavior and can be used of conscientiously and proactively taking steps to secure a positive outcome or it can be used of being focused on one’s own interests to the detriment of others. It could be translated as ‘knowledgeable’ or ‘prudent’ or ‘street smart’ in more colloquial language, or perhaps, in this case ‘you know how to work the system for your gain.’
o Or ‘persecuted’ or ‘pursued’ or ‘hunted’ or ‘harassed’
p Or ‘hold ourselves up’
q Or ‘we are encouraging to them’
r Traditionally, ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, which means ‘good story.’ The Greek euangelion literally means ‘good message’ and was used specifically of a message announced publicly, which fits the use of the word ‘news.’ The historical context comes from when rulers and military leaders returned to a city after victory in battle, and a herald would be sent ahead to announce the victory and the ruler’s impending arrival. The writers of the Bible took this word and applied it to Jesus’ victory of a different kind. The use of “triumphant message’ here is intended to communicate the full meaning of the word in context and not the narrow dictionary definition.
s Literally, ‘be imitators of me.’
t Or ‘ways’ or ‘roads’
u Or ‘in each’
v Traditionally, ‘church’ or ‘assembly,’ the word ekklesia is about a community of people called from within a larger society to respond to the needs of that society, such as a neighborhood association.
w Or ‘the words of the self-important people’
x The word dunamis (‘power’) is not in the Greek here but is implied by its occurrence in the previous two verses, so it is added for clarity in English.
y Traditionally, ‘rod’ here, but that English word is often interpreted as a metaphor for violent punishment, which has nothing to do with the meaning of the word or the context. The word is rhabdos, which refers to a staff or walking stick or a royal scepter as the two most common uses. It can also mean a spear shaft, or even a wand for magical practices. It can also be used to refer to a stripe or streak of color or a line of writing. The context points very clearly to power and royalty, which indicates ‘scepter’ as the most appropriate translation here.
z Traditionally, ‘Spirit.’ The Greek word pneuma could be used to refer to ‘wind,’ ‘breath,’ or an animating energy within people, thought to be perceptible in the breath. Hebrew and Latin also use the same word for all these concepts. In scripture, it typically calls back the image to Genesis 1 and 2: “the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2 NASB) and “the Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into [its] nostrils. The human came to life.” (Genesis 2:7 CEB). In this case, it refers to the breath that animates someone with the quality of gentleness that comes from God, including the breath involved in speaking to people, which is often in view when “a spirit” is discussed, whether positively or negatively.