Father Through the Gospel

Father Through the Gospel
Words of Faith 5-14-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Corinthians 4
[14] I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. [15] Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the Gospel. [16] Therefore I urge you to imitate me. [17] For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

     Paul had some tough stuff to deal with at Corinth. Before launching into some of the specific problems raised by leaders at Corinth, Paul had to deal with the fundamental problem of prideful arrogance.
     He had addressed the folly of arrogant believers and ministers with biting irony, but now he reminded them that his intention was not to "shame" them but to warn them.
     The word for "shame" means to "invert" in a negative sense, to bring down rather than reverence, to confound, disrespect, or disregard. This was not Paul's goal. He loved the believers at Corinth as dear children. His intention was not to wound or cut them with sarcasm. He was trying to get them to open their eyes... as a father speaking to dear children.
     We must remember that Paul spoke to the believers at Corinth from a unique relationship. Though they may have had ten thousand "guardians," they only had one "father" in the Lord. In Greek and Roman culture, a "guardian" was a slave who would accompany a child on his way to school. Although respected by the child and responsible to teach him manners, this guardian was not even a teacher per se. Although students might affectionately call and treat special teachers as "fathers," they were not the fathers.
     Paul pointed out to the Corinthians that he was their "father through the gospel." There may have been other guardians, but they had only one father in the faith. Many ministers might have advised and instructed the Corinthians, but only one had planted the seed that brought them life. That was a unique relationship.
     More than any guardian, Paul had their interests at heart. For that reason, he urged them to imitate him. This was a bold exhortation, but clearly, Paul was confident in his own walk with the Lord. Paul certainly made no claim of perfection, but he knew for sure that he walked with Jesus in faith and with a clear conscience. They could safely imitate Paul, knowing that he sought only to imitate the Lord Jesus.
     Toward that end, Paul was sending Timothy. Timothy was a very special young man. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare" (Philippians 2:20). Timothy could remind them by precept and example of Paul's way of life in Christ Jesus, which was in turn an imitation of their Lord.
     Timothy was a perfect person to come to Corinth. He was raised in the faith by his mother and grandmother. He was Jewish on his mother's side, but his father was Greek. He knew the issues of bridging cultures. Timothy traveled extensively with Paul and was active with him at Corinth and then at Ephesus, where Paul was writing.
     Though his temperament was completely different from Paul's, Timothy had surely imitated the character of Christ that he had seen his mentor and "father through the Gospel." Paul's choice to send Timothy reflects the importance of these issues and the significance of the church at Corinth.
     One of the things that we sometimes miss is that, from the beginning, the church has been deeply relational. This expedition we make as "called out ones" is not for Lone Rangers. We are made for relationship with God and with others. These days, we hear about churches that are entirely web-based or viewer-based. We hear about mass media's power and arena-style churches' growth. But in truth and reality, church is always relational. Even when new methods of communication are fruitfully used to proclaim the Gospel, we must find relationships, or the seeds will be snatched away.
     The truth is that we are born of the Spirit, but we are nurtured by spiritual mothers and fathers. We have spiritual sisters and brothers who encourage us and carry us as we encourage and carry them. We plant ourselves into the lives of spiritual daughters and sons. That is the way that God made us. That is the way that God grows us. We imitate Christ as we see Him in Scripture and the lives of those who have invested in us.
     None among us is perfect, but we look to those who planted and watered in our lives. We also seek to be the sister or brother, father, and mother to others coming along in their faith.

     Father God, help me to be connected. Connect me fruitfully with those who have planted into my life. Teach me how to care for those in my Gospel family. Show me how You want me to be planting in the lives of others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.