15 For even if you had ten thousand teachers in Christ, you have not more than one father: for in Christ Jesus I have given birth to you through the good news.
My children, of whom I am again in birth-pains till Christ is formed in you,
In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.
Do we seem to be again attempting to put ourselves in the right? or have we need, as some have, of letters of approval to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, whose writing is in our heart, open for every man's reading and knowledge; For you are clearly a letter of Christ, the fruit of our work, recorded not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in stone, but in hearts of flesh.
Because you have had a new birth, not from the seed of man, but from eternal seed, through the word of a living and unchanging God.
Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made.
My request is for my child Onesimus, the child of my chains, Who in the past was of no profit to you, but now is of profit to you and to me: Whom I have sent back to you, him who is my very heart:
To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
And every Sabbath he had discussions in the Synagogue, turning Jews and Greeks to the faith. And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was completely given up to the word, preaching to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they put themselves against him, and said evil words, he said, shaking his clothing, Your blood be on your heads, I am clean: from now I will go to the Gentiles. And moving from there, he went into the house of a man named Titus Justus, a God-fearing man, whose house was very near the Synagogue. And Crispus, the ruler of the Synagogue, with all his family, had faith in the Lord; and a great number of the people of Corinth, hearing the word, had faith and were given baptism. And the Lord said to Paul in the night, in a vision, Have no fear and go on preaching: For I am with you, and no one will make an attack on you to do you damage: for I have a number of people in this town. And he was there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it.
Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news.
If others have a part in this right over you, have we not even more? But we did not make use of our right, so that we might put nothing in the way of the good news of Christ.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Corinthians 4
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
In this chapter the apostle,
1Cr 4:1-6
Here,
1Cr 4:7-13
Here the apostle improves the foregoing hint to a caution against pride and self-conceit, and sets forth the temptations the Corinthians had to despise him, from the difference of their circumstances.
1Cr 4:14-16
Here Paul challenges their regard to him as their father. He tells them,
1Cr 4:17-21
Here,