1Cor 4:17-21 - Walk Softly & Carry a Big Stick

17-21 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

As Paul wants them to live the Christian life like he does, he has sent them an example of what a disciple truly ought to look like. Timothy, Paul’s spiritual "son" in the gospel and the ministry is a chip off the old block. Under Paul’s close guidance, teaching and mentorship Timothy has been "brought up in the way he ought to be so that, when he is old he will not depart from it."

It goes without saying that it is not Paul himself that saved Timothy, nor yet Paul that conformed Timothy to a proper walk. It was God through the Holy Spirit, for Christ’s sake. Neither ought Timothy to take any of the credit. But both Paul and Timothy were involved. Paul was means, Timothy’s obedience was means - by which God was pleased to work in bringing this son to maturity.

And now Paul is ready to also be the means by which God chastises the unruly, dissolute and rebellious elements in Corinth, of which there appear to be many. Obviously some hold Paul in disdain. Maybe they were converted after Paul had departed, and had never met him. Possibly they were original proselytes who had a memory of him that paled next to the outwardly smooth and reasoned presentations of some of the teachers there. Out of sight, out of mind. Or it might be that Paul was no longer the next newest thing.

It behooves us to remember that, despite the ominous tone that Paul has now taken up, his motive is still grounded in the hope that they will repent, amend their behaviours and humbly be restored to a proper walk. This is love in action and it isn’t always pretty. It’s not very touchy-feely. It wouldn’t pass the test in many modern churches. Why - some people might actually leave the congregation! But would that be a bad thing? Outside, rebels can be lovingly evangelized. Inside, and undisciplined, all they can do is to create confusion, dilution and a poor witness.

So the unsophisticated, intolerant and unfeeling Paul takes a stab at some in the congregation by calling them "arrogant". Rather arrogant of Paul, don’t you think? What gives him the right to judge them? And why shouldn’t they judge him by the same standard? And that’s the point! We are all judged by the same standard - the revealed word of God, just as we shall be judged by the Word in that Day. Those who can withstand Paul are free to try. Those who want to call his meddling "arrogance" can give it their best shot. Some apparently already have.

It is not eloquence, nor physical appearance, nor sartorial elegance - nor yet a winsome personality that counts in the end. What counts is power. Who has the goods? Who is the real McCoy? We’re not talking about power in the Adlerian sense, nor in the Caesarian sense. We are talking about the power of God the Holy Spirit to convey the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who are walking in Him have the power because the Spirit is here to effect the will of God through them, as Christ’s true church. All the power of the infinite creator and sustainer of all that there is or ever shall be is behind the one who walks in the Spirit doing the will of God. He is prayed up, studied up, and offered up - for the express purpose of doing the will of God. He has died with Christ and is now a living sacrifice. No mere blather can possibly stand in the face of such power. No mere externals can resist or trump the truth, delivered through a surrendered vessel, who is committed in love to do the will of God.

So it is worth taking a moment here. I am sometimes accused of putting doctrine ahead of the Holy Spirit in my theology. Perhaps that’s true. But I do realize that talk alone means nothing. Many a theologian is roasting in hell right now. Theology and doctrine aren’t the be all and end all. They are a means. In the hands of the Holy Spirit they can be made effectual through a believer for God’s purposes. A person who knows what he believes can at least be exhorted to act accordingly. But a person who has no idea what he believes is likely to act randomly. God is not a God of disorder. At the same time, He cannot be put in a box by his creatures, and He occasionally makes that point by doing something outside of our normal expectations as a reminder. But He is generally orderly. He is, in fact, the most reliable, constant, unchangeable faithful God. If He says it, He does it.

In the end it is about a Person. Doctrine is about Somebody, not something. Doctrine and theology exist not so that we might just know what God is like - but so that we might know God Himself. And God has taken care of that by coming into us through regeneration to guide us in knowing Him. But the means He employs is the revelation He has given in His word. They witness to each other. We test the spirits by the Word and the Word testifies to the Spirit. One without the other is about as fruitful as trying to walk on one leg.

So Paul is confident in the power of the Holy Spirit because he knows the revelation of God. He knows the scriptures and has had them opened up to him by the Holy Spirit through study, prayer and contemplation. Knowing them, He knows God. And he doesn’t just know them in an ivory tower, university campus sort of way. He knows them in a practical way because he has read, believed and trusted what God has said in them throughout his arduous missionary life. He’s not just a hearer, but also a doer of the word.

So when he speaks of bringing a rod he is warning them that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. He is relying upon the God of heaven. What are they relying on? Oratory? Smooth speech? A big show? Mere intellectualism? Doctrines of men? If that is the case they should cut their losses before the showdown at the OK Corral. Paul has absolutely no doubt of the outcome because he is seeking and doing God’s will, for Jesus’ sake. And in case we hadn’t noticed, God’s will is always done, one way or the other.

But the preferred way of dealing with any of the brethren is always a spirit of gentleness and respect. The rod is there in the hope that it will not be needed. If there is a genuine repentance and a humbling of runaway egos Paul is more than ready to help them get back on the rails.