Conclusion: The Sending of Timothy and Paul’s Coming (1 Corinthians 4:17–21)

1 Cor. 4:17. For this reason I am sending Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere and in every Church.

“For this reason.” For what?—“That I indeed consider you as beloved children and care for you as a father” (St. Chrysostom). Or also this: because of my fatherly love toward you, but on account of the disorders that have arisen among you; so that ‘for this reason’ embraces all the previous section.

“I am sending.” When this epistle was being written, St. Timothy had already been sent to Corinth. This gives the thought of such a course of events. The household of Chloe informed St. Paul of the wrong things happening in Corinth. St. Paul himself would have hastened there, but affairs detained him, so he sent St. Timothy ahead, so that he might either correct or stop the evil until St. Paul himself arrived. This is the very sending of Timothy of which it is spoken in Acts 19:22, where it says that St. Paul, having determined in his spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, sent Timothy and Erastus ahead to Corinth. “See how noble is the soul of Paul, how it is more ardent and alive than fire! He wished to come himself to the Corinthians, who were in grave sickness and confusion, for he well knew how beneficial his presence was to disciples and what harm accompanied his absence. He wished to come and hastened to come; but since it was not yet possible to do so, he instructs them with the promise of his arrival, and meanwhile sends to them a disciple” (St. Chrysostom). When St. Timothy departed, messengers came from the Corinthians—Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (1 Cor. 16:17) with a letter; for which reason this epistle is written.

“I am sending Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord.” “To the Corinthians the Apostle showed his goodwill by sending Timothy to them; and to Timothy his love, by calling him his beloved child, and declared his other virtue, calling him faithful in the Lord” (Theodoret). St. Timothy was known in Corinth, for he was there with St. Paul when faith was first planted. But the Apostle thought it necessary to display his good qualities and his closeness to himself, for the reason that the Corinthians proved to be very forgetful, since they even forgot the dignity of their own Apostle. “Therefore with these words both he expresses his love to Timothy, and at the same time disposes the Corinthians to receive him with respect. ‘Child,’ he says, ‘beloved and faithful.’ Not simply ‘faithful,’ but ‘faithful in the Lord,’ that is, in the things of the Lord. If to be faithful in worldly affairs is praiseworthy, then all the more in spiritual matters. If he is faithful, then he will accomplish your affairs without reproach” (St. Chrysostom).

“Who will remind you of my ways.” Here both rebuke is heard and the voice of love, in every way trying to soften the word. Rebuke by this understanding: “He did not say that Timothy will inform them of his ways, but will remind them; this word, however, accuses them of forgetfulness, because they were eyewitnesses to Apostolic virtue” (Theodoret) and activity. Probably they heard how the Apostle acted everywhere; but this did not remain in their head, and they acted as though they knew nothing of it. Meanwhile it is enough to remember this to hold oneself in proper order. —The voice of love, softening the word, by this understanding: “He did not say: will teach, but ‘will remind,’ so that they would not grieve as though obliged to learn from him. But not even satisfied with this word, extending the discourse further, he adds: ‘my ways.’ Not his own ways, but ‘my’ ways. For Timothy was young” (St. Chrysostom). He will not speak in his own person and not about himself. He will be the representative of an authoritative person and act by his commission. Pay attention!

“My ways.” This word embraces the whole manner of apostolic action in planting Churches: both how he began preaching and how he conducted it, how he dealt with believers, what order he established, in what relation he placed believers toward their leaders. Therefore he says: “my ways in Christ,”—not my private affairs, but how I act in the work entrusted to me by the Lord—the preaching of the Gospel. “He, the Apostle says, will tell you how I act,—for he calls his manner of action ‘ways’” (Theodoret). “That is, arrangements, customs, laws, institutions, apostolic rules, and all else” (St. Chrysostom).

“As I teach everywhere and in every Church.” “Teach”—not teaching alone, or the imparting of truth, but in general instruction; and exhortation and the establishment of all order. When soldiers, recruits, are given to be trained by experienced soldiers, these do not merely tell them what they should do, but teach by deed how to act. So also here: I teach, that is, I train the Churches,—I impart truth to them, teach them to live, show how to perform the mysteries, and place the entire Church in order. By this the Apostle conveyed: I have taught nothing special anywhere and have introduced no different orders anywhere; as with you, so everywhere; so that this alone should have strongly rebuked them and instructed them: everywhere the same, why do you introduce such novelties among yourselves? “Be ashamed! not a single Church departs from my ways except you” (Theophylact).

1 Cor. 4:18. As though I were not coming to you, some have become arrogant.

I am sending Timothy, and I myself will soon follow after him, he says, because some of you, on account of my not coming to you, have become arrogant.—Clearly St. Paul either promised when departing from them that he would come again, or warned someone that he would come. Seeing that he does not come, some have become arrogant, that is, began to act as their high opinion of themselves prompted them—with disrespect to others and with contempt for the ordinances and rules given by St. Paul, as in the Lord’s parable the servant (Matt. 24:48; Lk. 12:45). To this St. Paul hints. I see, he says, the cause of some disorders among you: that I delayed in coming. I will correct this omission. While Timothy does something among you, and then I will myself soon come.—Here is hidden strong rebuke of them. He speaks to them as if to say: how childish your understanding is! When I am with you, or there is fear that I will soon come, you are in order. But as soon as I departed and it seemed to you that I would not come soon, you immediately became forgetful, and disorders arose among you. You are like children, who in the absence of a teacher become careless and mischievous (Sts. Chrysostom, Theophylact). In what way and how did some become arrogant?—It is very probable that those among them who stood out from others because of learning, or wealth, and perhaps even Christian knowledge and deeds, and even spiritual gifts, began to think highly of themselves; to this vanity then attached itself, and since in the absence of an authoritative teacher—the Apostle no one could rebuke and correct them, they became completely arrogant (Oecumenius).

1 Cor. 4:19–20. I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not just the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.

As among children, when the teacher comes, order is immediately restored, so also for the restoration of order among the Corinthians, as the Apostle hopes, his presence alone is sufficient. “For as the presence of a lion frightens all animals, so the presence of Paul frightens those corrupting the Church” (St. Chrysostom).—“I will come,” he says, “soon.” His intention is resolute; but since the course of events is in God’s hands, he added: “if the Lord wills.” “He does not name a definite time,—since he could also delay,—in order to maintain watchfulness in them by the uncertainty” (St. Chrysostom), and so that they, knowing in advance about the possibility of delay independent of his will, would not interpret it wrongly, not for their building up—if it should actually happen.

“I will come” following the preceding “have become arrogant” already hints at a threat; but it would have remained very indefinite, and therefore perhaps would not have produced the proper effect, if St. Paul had not immediately added: “and I will find out not just the words of those who are arrogant but their power.” The first thought which these words suggest is that those who are arrogant glory in something not substantial. “Their pride was a consequence not of their own merits but of the absence of a teacher, which was also a sign of the base disposition of their soul” (St. Chrysostom). Substantial merits never lead to pride, but something accidental, phantom, deceptively valued—always. The Apostle proclaims that before his judgment this phantom arousing pride will disappear. But what is it?—In a word: “I will find out,” he says, “not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.” He makes known that they have words, but lack power, and that they glory precisely in words, but words have no significance before power, which they lack. What then is meant by words and what by power?

Theodoret and Oecumenius understand thus: ‘words’ means the ability to speak well about the matter of salvation, or to claim it for themselves by words without deeds, while ‘power’ means the very accomplishment of salvation by deed. Theodoret writes: “I will subject, the Apostle says, to examination not eloquence but the manner of action.” Oecumenius: “Perhaps some were ostentatiously presenting themselves as perfected in Christian spirit without being so in deed. The Apostle therefore says: I will come and learn whether you are justified in exalting yourselves. For to boast without deeds is an unworthy thing, but words must be answered by deeds. Words are not needed, but that you do the spiritual work (of salvation). Words without deeds will not lead into the kingdom of heaven, but rather, if you by deed yourself accomplish your salvation by doing deeds worthy of it.”

St. Chrysostom, St. John of Damascus, and Theophylact oppose to ‘words’ the ‘power’ of signs. Here is the speech of St. Chrysostom for all of them: “But why do you not want to regard ‘words’? Not because I am poor in ‘words,’ but because our work is in power. As in war those who speak much do not prevail but those who act much, so also here victory belongs not to those who speak but to those who act. You glory, he says, in eloquence. If now were the time and place for orators, you could justly glory in it; but since now is the time of Apostles proclaiming truth and confirming it by signs, why do you glory in a superfluous deed, one that amounts to nothing and can bring no benefit now? For can eloquence serve to raise the dead, to cast out evil spirits, or to accomplish any other such miracle? But now this is necessary, and through it our work is established. Therefore he also adds: ‘the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.’ We overcome, he says, by signs, not by eloquence, and the greatest proof that our teaching is divine and that we proclaim the kingdom of heaven is the signs which we accomplish by the power of the Spirit. Thus, if those now exalting themselves wish to be great, then when I come, let them show whether they have such power, and not present to me eloquence and grandeur, because this are serves us for nothing.”

This is the true meaning of the ‘power’ manifested in the kingdom of Christ the Lord. The holy Church was founded on the preaching of the holy Apostles, “the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it” (Mk. 16:20). The holy Church by the power of God’s Spirit dwelling in her is what she is. By the power of God’s Spirit simple people become Christians; by the same power they remain so and ascend to the highest degrees of Christian perfection, when it begins to manifest itself in them obviously and perceptibly—so that the essence of Christianity consists in the manifestation of the powers of the Spirit. Their absence exposes the falsehood of those glorying in the word of truth, or the moral falseness of those appropriating to themselves true Christian perfection. St. Chrysostom touched here upon the power of the Spirit insofar as it manifested itself in the initial planting of the Church on earth; but in other places he expounds with equal persuasiveness the truth that in the life of Christians, if anything substantial and valuable exists, all of it comes from the Spirit. At this point the first opinion can be reconciled with the present one, that is, to understand by power life or the accomplishment of salvation, and all that is substantial in a Christian, adding to this: insofar as all of this is fruit of the power of God’s Spirit.

1 Cor. 4:21. What will you? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

With these words he impels the guilty to repentance and correction. He has already pointed out their sin, exposed the emptiness of their pride, said that in God’s kingdom it is intolerable, for it expels from itself all that is phantom and stands only on what is substantial. To hold the Churches and believers thus is his apostolic work. It follows from this of itself that if the guilty, when rebuked, do not acknowledge and correct themselves, then he, on coming to them, will have nothing left but to pronounce upon them a strict judgment, but if they repent and correct themselves, he will receive them with love. Since correction of themselves or lack thereof is in their power, it also depends on them what kind of Apostle he will be when he comes to them—gentle or stern. Therefore he says: “What will you?” Do you wish me to come to you with a rod? Remain in your pride; but if you do not wish this, cast off your pride and I will appear to you as a father full of love.

Saying “with a rod,” he, as it were, ascends to the seat of a judge and from there pronounces a word with full authority. The rod signifies the sternness of authority, but it can also signify the punitive power by which Ananias and Sapphira were punished (Acts 5:9) and Elymas (1 Cor. 13:11) (St. Chrysostom, Theodoret). The Apostle used it also among the Corinthians, delivering the fornicator to Satan. It is not surprising that here too, foretelling the sternness of judgment, he had in mind to use such power in action if the good of the Church required it.

Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love? “And was coming with a rod not a sign of love?—It was a sign of love; but one who loves strongly does not easily incline to punishment, therefore he speaks thus. Speaking of punishment, he did not express himself as about gentleness. Here he says: ‘with a spirit of gentleness,’ but there: ‘with a rod’; although this too was the work of the Spirit, for there is a Spirit of gentleness and a Spirit of strength (sternness)—but he does not wish to call Him by this name, but attributes to Him actions more gentle. And see the wisdom of Paul: having authority in his hands, he offers them both as choices and says: ‘What will you?’ This depends on you, just as it depends on us ourselves—to fall into hell or to receive the kingdom, because it pleases God thus. ‘See,’ he says, ‘I have set before you fire and water: stretch out your hand to whichever you wish’ (Sir. 15:16); and again: ‘If you are willing and obey, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword’ (Isa. 1:19–20)” (St. Chrysostom).