1 Corinthians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Paul’s exposition about him and Apollos was given as an illustration, a parable of sorts, for the Corinthians to apply to themselves. He knew that there were issues other than factions going on in Corinth. There was a spirit of competitiveness and comparison that was causing disunity.
In the Corinthian Church, some people were pushing themselves forward because of the spiritual gifts that they had been given by God (1 Corinthians 12:21-26), and denigrating others who only had the “lesser” gifts. Others were pushing themselves forward because of their tolerance, seeing themselves as more holy than the rest (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). Others saw themselves as superior in wisdom and a sense of justice, even to the point of taking their fellow Church members to civil court over perceived wrongs done to them (1 Corinthians 6:1-5). Others saw themselves as so “above the law” that they were openly engaging in sin and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:12-13). And still others were pushing themselves forward as examples for the mature by brazenly eating food offered to idols, damaging the faith of some (1 Corinthians 8).
But Paul’s teaching in this letter so far, as well as his solid example when he was living in Corinth, shows clearly that this elevating of oneself and striving for recognition is not a sign of excellence or of spiritual maturity, but of immaturity and worldliness. As powerful and as productive as Paul and Apollos were, they recognized that they were mere servants of God, and that they had no power, no wisdom, no skill, and no knowledge of the kingdom of heaven apart from what they had received from God.
So, rather than being proud and puffed up, they lived and ministered and taught humbly and with a spirit of thanksgiving, rather than with a spirit of pride. And Paul recommended that the Corinthians recalibrate their own mindset and attitude according to that reality.
Father, it is easy when people praise us in some dimension of our lives to begin to believe that we really are remarkable. This is especially true in areas in which we have worked hard to progress. But even in those areas, our progress is due to Your grace. And in areas of spiritual gifting, everything we are able to do is only because of what we have received from Your hand, and not from innate abilities or developed skill sets. Help me to be humble today, Lord, just as Paul himself was humble, so that I never steal the spotlight from You, and always glorify You with my every thought, every word, and every deed. Amen.