1 Corinthians 4:15 - Paul Warns his Children

Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ
Paul uses hyperbole to emphasize the abundance of teachers or guides available to the Corinthians. In the Greco-Roman world, a "guardian" or "tutor" (Greek: paidagogos) was often a slave entrusted with the care and moral guidance of a child. This metaphor highlights the role of these guides as temporary and limited in authority. The term "in Christ" signifies that these guardians are believers, yet their role is distinct from that of a spiritual father. This phrase underscores the importance of discerning true spiritual leadership and authority within the church.

you do not have many fathers
Paul contrasts the multitude of guardians with the scarcity of spiritual fathers. In Jewish and early Christian contexts, a "father" was someone who played a foundational role in one's spiritual life, akin to a mentor or primary teacher. This reflects the unique and intimate relationship Paul had with the Corinthian church, as he was instrumental in their initial conversion and spiritual formation. The concept of spiritual fatherhood is rooted in the Old Testament, where figures like Abraham are seen as patriarchs of faith (Isaiah 51:2).

for in Christ Jesus I became your father
Paul asserts his role as a spiritual father through his ministry and the preaching of the gospel. The phrase "in Christ Jesus" indicates that this fatherhood is not based on personal merit but on his union with Christ and the authority given to him as an apostle. This reflects the transformative power of the gospel, which creates new spiritual relationships and communities. Paul's fatherhood is characterized by love, guidance, and correction, as seen throughout his letters to the Corinthians.

through the gospel
The gospel is the means by which Paul became a spiritual father to the Corinthians. This highlights the centrality of the gospel message in establishing and nurturing faith. The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, is the foundation of Christian belief and community. Paul's emphasis on the gospel aligns with his broader theological framework, where the message of Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18-24). This underscores the transformative and life-giving nature of the gospel, which brings believers into a new family under God.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the letter to the Corinthians, Paul is addressing the church in Corinth with a paternal tone, emphasizing his role in their spiritual formation.

2. The Corinthian Church
A diverse and often troubled congregation in the city of Corinth, known for its moral and doctrinal challenges, to whom Paul writes to correct and instruct.

3. Guardians in Christ
Refers to the many teachers or instructors the Corinthians might have, highlighting the difference between a teacher and a spiritual father.

4. Christ Jesus
Central to Paul's message, Jesus is the foundation of the gospel and the means through which Paul claims his spiritual fatherhood over the Corinthians.

5. The Gospel
The good news of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, which Paul preached to the Corinthians, leading to their spiritual birth.

Teaching Points

Spiritual Fatherhood
Paul emphasizes the unique role of a spiritual father, which goes beyond mere instruction to include nurturing and personal investment in spiritual growth.

Value of the Gospel
The gospel is the means by which spiritual fatherhood is established. It is through the message of Christ that believers are born again and nurtured.

Role of Teachers and Mentors
While many may teach, few take on the responsibility of a spiritual father. This calls for discernment in choosing mentors who genuinely care for our spiritual well-being.

Importance of Spiritual Heritage
Recognizing and honoring those who have played a significant role in our spiritual journey is crucial. It encourages gratitude and continuity in faith.

Responsibility of Spiritual Leaders
Those in leadership should strive to emulate Paul's example, investing personally in the lives of those they lead, aiming for their maturity in Christ.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from 1 Corinthians 4What defines a spiritual father's role?What defines a spiritual father's role?How can we effectively preach the gospel today?(Matthew 23:9) How is “call no man father” reconciled with traditions that use fatherly titles for clergy?

(15) For.--The reason why he has a right to address them as a father would his children. They may have had since their conversion a host of instructors, but they could have only one father who begot them in Jesus Christ. That father was Paul. "I have begotten you." I, emphatic as opposed to "many." The word rendered "instructors" originally signified the slave who led the child to school, but subsequently had the larger meaning, which we attach to the word pedagogue. (See Galatians 3:24-25.) There is a contrast implied between the harsh severity of a pedagogue and the loving tenderness of a father.

Verse 15. - Ten thousand; never so many. The word in Greek is used indefinitely, but here implies a touch of impatience at the itch of teaching which seems to have prevailed at Corinth. Tutors; rather, pedagogues, in a technical sense. We have no exact equivalent in English to the paidagogos, the slave who led boys to school. The word also occurs in Galatians 3:24, 25. The father loves most, and has the nearer and dearer claim. In Christ. So he says, "The Law was our paidagogos to Christ." These guides or guardians were such "in Christ," i.e. in the sphere of Christian life. Not many fathers. St. Paul felt a yearning desire that his unique claim as the founder of their Church should not be so ungratefully overlooked, as though it were of no importance (comp. 1 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 9:1, 2; Acts 18:11). I have begotten you. The word is here only used in a secondary and metaphoric sense, as in Philemon 1:10; Galatians 4:19. In the highest sense we are only begotten by the will of God, by that Word of truth (James 1:18), to which he alludes in the words "through the gospel." The "second birth" is, however a doctrine more dwelt on by St. John (John 3:3; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:1, etc.) than by St. Paul, who, as Mr. Beet observes, only refers to it in Titus 3:5. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Even
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

if
ἐὰν (ean)
Conjunction
Strong's 1437: If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.

you have
ἔχητε (echēte)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

ten thousand
μυρίους (myrious)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3463: Plural of an apparently primary word; ten thousand; by extension, innumerably many.

guardians
παιδαγωγοὺς (paidagōgous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3807: A boy's guardian or tutor, a slave who had charge of the life and morals of the boys of a family, not strictly a teacher.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Christ,
Χριστῷ (Christō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

[you do] not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

[have] many
πολλοὺς (pollous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4183: Much, many; often.

fathers;
πατέρας (pateras)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

for
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Christ
Χριστῷ (Christō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦ (Iēsou)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

became your father
ἐγέννησα (egennēsa)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1080: From a variation of genos; to procreate; figuratively, to regenerate.

through
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

gospel.
εὐαγγελίου (euangeliou)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 2098: From the same as euaggelizo; a good message, i.e. The gospel.

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1 Corinthians 4:15 Catholic BibleNT Letters: 1 Corinthians 4:15 For though you have ten thousand tutors (1 Cor. 1C iC 1Cor i cor icor)