1 Corinthians 4:21 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Corinthians 4:21

Comments

‘What do you want?’ says the apostle Paul. Here is the choice: ‘Shall I come unto you with a rod [to chastise], or in love, and in the spirit of meekness [gentleness]?’ The Christian life is a wonderful life, even though sin oppresses and distresses us. The world so often is acutely uncomfortable for us. Says the apostle Paul, and Christ says this to us, ‘What will ye [what do you want], shall I come unto you with a rod [to chastise], or in love, and in the spirit of meekness [gentleness]’, spreading assurance, giving you opportunities to count for the Lord? Do you want my visit to be the blessing of God to you so that you receive answers to your prayers, giving you an increased sense of nearness to him, enlightening you, guiding you in perplexity: the wonderful walk of the Christian with his Go?.We have a choice: we can respond when the conscience is moved, respond when the word puts its finger on some omission or some foolishness; or we can face discipline. But if we respond, oh the kindness of God. This is the faithfulness of God to his people, and the kindness of Christ toward those for whom he died.

Application

I was speaking to a man this week, who works on a building site, ‘in the ground’, as they say, foundation works. He is tormented hour after hour by crude and foul speech, and stories and so on. How painful it is in his particular situation in the world. There are many similar painful situations. We are in a battle; there is often much hostility against us. We can be disadvantaged. But the other side of the coin is wonderful: a changed nature. We know we are on the pathway to heaven. We have the smile of the Lord; all our providences are ordered by him, and we can trust him. We have a purpose in life; we have a ministry in life. We have so much answered prayer. We have insights. We understand why the world is as it is, why life is as it is. We have no fear of death. We have the assurance of salvation. We have the friendship of the Lord, and the friendship of the Lord’s people. There are so many wonderful things, which more than outweigh the hard things and the difficult things.

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1 Corinthians 4:21 Commentary and Bible Study