1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Having shown the great and glorious work of the church, Paul returns to the idea of the ministers who work to serve the church. This passage echoes 3:10-15 in that it deals with the individuals who serve the church. But here, Paul makes it very personal, regarding himself specifically and how he viewed his own work and his own responsibility regarding the Corinthians church. This is a personal passage, but the main point is not the personal testimony. Paul is using his own attitude as an example of how Christian workers ought to behave. Remember the general context—Paul is still dealing with the problem of sectarianism. And this whole attitude—the attitude of competition and vainglory—the exaltation and idolization of individuals—that attitude is incompatible with the attitude of a Christian worker—or at least, the attitude a Christian worker ought to have. In the last chapter, Paul spoke of the relationship between the minister and the church—he compared the church to a farm and the
