Article from the East Main Messenger, dated 5/25/2025.
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians opens with Paul telling the church at Corinth: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ…” (1 Cor. 4:1a). The apostle has spent the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians explaining why they should not divide the church by giving undue allegiance to those who had converted them to Christ such as Apollos, Cephas (Peter), or Paul himself (1 Cor. 1:10-13ff). The Corinthians should have viewed their preachers as nothing more than “servants of Christ,” and Christians today should view all who preach and teach in the same manner. We must never forget that the one who stands behind the pulpit every Sunday, the one who teaches the Bible class, and the person who sat down with you and showed you from the Bible what you must do to be saved is not Superman. He is a fellow servant of God, just like you. He has strengths and weaknesses, just like you. He will stand before God in judgment, just like you.
Paul also calls preachers and teachers such as himself “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1b). “Mysteries” (mysterion) literally refers to things which are hidden and secret. In ancient times the Greeks used the term mysterion to refer to religious secrets about which only the initiated and privileged knew, the secret will and counsels of the divine. Jesus used the term in reference to “the mysteries of the kingdom of God” which he shared with the apostles but gave to the crowds in the form of parables (Lk. 8:10). Paul likewise used the term in reference to his preaching of the gospel of Jesus, saying that it was “according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:25-26). Thus, the “mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1b) refers to the teachings of Christ and the apostles and prophets which make up the gospel and the New Testament (Eph. 3:3-5; cf. 2 Pet. 1:19-21).
The term “steward” (1 Cor. 4:1b), oikonomos in Greek, has to do with being a manager, usually of a household or an estate. In ancient times, a slave or indentured servant who was trusted and had shown himself to be a hard and responsible worker would be given this responsibility. For example, Joseph was given this charge by Potiphar and later by the head jailer of the Egyptian jail (Gen. 39:4, 22). In modern times, think of someone who would be given the position of head butler in a castle like the one on Downton Abbey, or a friend or family member who would be trusted to be the executor of your estate after you’ve passed on. People in such positions would be expected to run the household or estate according to certain rules and standards and to not deviate from those standards in any way. This is why Paul goes on to say, “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). Stewards must be “faithful,” pistos, trustworthy, “persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties” (Thayer).
By referring to himself and his fellow evangelists as “stewards of the mysteries of God,” Paul is pointing out that preachers and teachers of the gospel have the serious responsibility to manage, or take care of, the gospel of Christ and the Word of God. They are charged with preaching nothing but the Word of God and to not join those who would stray from scriptural precepts towards their own desires (2 Tim. 4:2-4). Anyone who takes upon themselves the serious responsibility of being God’s spokesman must prove themselves trustworthy to speak nothing but God’s Word in its entirety (Ps. 119:160a; Prov. 30:5-6; Gal. 1:6-10; 2 Pet. 2:1-22; Rev. 22:18-19). This is because souls are at stake. People are influenced to follow truth from God…or lies from Satan…every time a sermon is preached, a class is taught, or an article is read. This is why the Bible alone must be what is preached and taught.
–Jon
To read Jon’s series on 1 Corinthians from the beginning and many other articles, visit https://predenominationalchristianity.com.