NOTES for Co1 4:5

Apostle Paul warns against the human judgment - quite as against the praises, people render to one another and expect from people, and quite as against condemnation. The human judgment claims to know what «the hidden things of darkness» are indeed. But in reality, we are not in position to see the counsels of the heart of one another. Only the Lord Jesus, according to the testimony of John the evangelist, doesn’t need to be informed about any man, for He Himself knows what is in the human heart (Jn. 2:25). Not less considerable in the context of the epistle, the fact that we cannot see what the Lord exactly accomplishes through men. At times, it seems to ourselves, that we are people far from God, quite as king Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus turned out to be God's instruments, and our good counsels turn out to be a paved way to hell. Being himself a participant (and not the last one) in God's works on earth, the apostle speaks emphatically about this work of God and about the participation in it of people as a secret. Only God brings to light the hidden things. And that’s why to give any judgment on another, as well as on oneself in this life – for us, means to appropriate of the glory of God, to put oneself in the place of God, and it is a vain work.

It is remarkable as the apostle does not leave even for one minute his pastoral care for Christians. Indeed, even here, speaking about his works and those of Apollos, he reminds to the Corinthian brothers that God will judge the counsels of the hearts and their purity will deserve His praise. And an immense and fortuitous hope is in this for all of us, because the fruits of our counsels are rather often very far from being perfect.