Under Gods Command
PAUL ADDRESSES CHURCH PROBLEMS (1:1-6:20)
1 Corinthians 4:6-7 Now, brothers, 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 take pride in one man over against another. 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?
How easy it is for us to become attached to a spiritual leader. When someone has help us, it’s natural to feel loyalty. But Paul warns against having such pride in our favorite leaders that we cause divisions in the church. Any true spiritual leader is a representation of Christ and has nothing to offer that God hasn’t given him or her.
Lets Bring it Home: Don’t let your loyalty cause strife, slander, or broken relationships. Make sure that your deepest loyalties are to Christ and not to his human agents. Those who spend more time debating church leadership than declaring Christ’s message don’t have Christ as their top priority.
Under Gods command 