Reflections on 1 Corinthians 3:4
“For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?” (1 Corinthians 3:4, NIV)
The Corinthians had slogans. One group said, “I follow Paul.” Another said, “I follow Apollos.” The Jerusalem Bible asks what could be more unspiritual than that. The Living Bible says it shows “how little you have grown in the Lord.” The Remedy, by Dr. Tim Jennings of Come and Reason Ministries, goes to the heart of it: the spirit of division and competition turns the mind away from Christ.
We are all to be followers of Christ.
That doesn’t mean we walk alone. The mature Christians are to stand as examples to those who have no idea what this life should look like, how we do our daily walk with the Lord. Seeing the Jesus in you will encourage those who are new to the faith to follow your example, the way a small child copies a parent, learning how and why life works as it does.
We are to follow the example of Christ shown us in our mentors and teachers. During our infancy in the faith, we have yet to connect directly with Christ. There is a time when it is healthy for a child to connect completely with the parent or caregiver. This is only for a short while, as the infant learns the ABCs of Love and can begin to express that healthy love to others.
A small child still needs a trusted parent to answer all the “why” questions. After the “why” age, they begin to express their own opinions, forming thoughts, not always correct ones, but they are thinking for themselves, putting facts together as they see them. Their vision is very narrow and concrete, so guidance is still needed. This is the age when many wise parents hand their kids the set of encyclopedias and say, “Look it up for yourself.” In the early teenage years, Christian parents introduce their children to Christ, supporting their growth as needed. By the time their brains mature in their early twenties, they are able to begin deciding the direction of their own lives.
Apply this to the newborn Christian. There will be a period of time when it is spiritually healthy to draw your understanding from your mentor, but the sooner you grow past this stage, the better. A good mentor will work from the beginning to connect you directly with Christ. As maturity comes, the need to draw support from a single mentor lessens as your ability to connect with Christ strengthens. You will find your answers coming from the Source of all Truth, and the fellowship of fellow believers becomes a place to share and grow as a community.
That is where Corinth was stuck. They were still clinging to a single teacher, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” long after it was time to grow past that stage.
We are to be a sermon in shoes. Our witness is not to be with words but with our actions: love acted out with each choice we make each day.
Saying “I trust in the Lord” is only words. Trusting Him means allowing Him to lead and letting His methods become your way of living: doing the best you can, then leaving the results in His hands. Not in a fearful way, but with confidence, because you have learned by experience that God can be trusted. He has never failed to bring about the best results. We don’t have to see how it will all work out to know that however it turns out, it will be the best.
That kind of trust is what Corinth was missing. When you trust the Lord yourself, you don’t need to rank His servants or line up behind one of them. You follow Christ, and let others see Him in your shoes.
