Immature Christians often care far more about people’s opinions than God’s judgments, and they are quick to judge and condemn others. To grow and mature means to cease judging others, and it means laying aside our care about people’s judgments of us, for “our own Master will judge whether we stand or fall” (Romans 14:4).
Let’s notice this instruction from Paul to the Corinthians:
“As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. 5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. 6 Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. 7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?”
1 Corinthians 4:3-7 NLT
Question 1. Where do you see, from 1 Corinthians 4:3-7, that it is prideful to judge others and side with a particular leader at the expense of another?
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Paul makes it clear that the Corinthians statements about him “matters very little” to him. He isn’t concerned about how others evaluate his ministry or even how he, himself, evaluates it because God has called him to serve and minister to please the Lord. “It is the Lord Himself who will examine me and decide” (1 Corinthians 4:4).
Paul also declares that everything every believer has is a gift from God, and he uses this truth as a way to admonish the Corinthians about their pride: “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Growth and maturity happen when we feel no need to judge others and care very little about others’ judgments of us. We evidence our spiritual maturity as we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God, and we give Him all the glory as His gifts to us build up the body of Christ.
But how do we get there? By way of the gospel! Paul writes: "If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won't be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another" (1 Corinthians 4:6). In other words, if you take the time to examine the message of the cross in the Scriptures I quoted and pay attention to it, it will humble you out of judging others, free you from people-pleasing, and grow you up in your faith.
Here we see a man humbly ministering the gospel, teaching the whole counsel of God to the Corinthians, and doing so not to please them, but as a faithful servant of the mystery of the gospel. He is free from others' opinions, even from his own views of himself. The gospel of Christ set Paul free from judging others and enabled him to live and serve the Lord. He is mature in the Lord.
And Paul encourages us that we, too, can mature in this way. We do this by “paying attention to what I have quoted in the Scriptures” - the gospel!
The gospel of Jesus Christ will humble you, stop any disagreements and enable you to serve the Lord free from people's opinions of you or their judgments. Yes, to see Jesus dying for you will fill you with love and humility, grace and gratitude, free you from even self-judgment and enable you to live in love with others.
Question 2. Are you learning to "pay careful attention" to the gospel of Jesus Christ to grow and mature? What are your thoughts?
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