Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 4:5

"Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God." — 1 Corinthians 4:5 (ASV)

Therefore. In view of the danger of being deceived in your judgment, and the impossibility of certainly knowing the failings of the heart.

Judge nothing. Pass no decided opinion .

The apostle here takes the opportunity to impress upon them an important lesson—one of the leading lessons of Christianity—not to pass a harsh opinion on the conduct of any man, since there are so many things that contribute to his character which we cannot know, and so many secret failings and motives which are all concealed from us.

Until the Lord come. The Lord Jesus at the day of judgment, when all secrets will be revealed, and a true judgment will be passed on all men.

Who both will bring to light .

The hidden things of darkness. The secret things of the heart which have been hidden, so to speak, in darkness. The subsequent clause shows that this is the sense. He does not refer to the deeds of night, or those things which were performed in the secret places of idolatry, but to the secret designs of the heart; and perhaps means gently to insinuate that there were many things about the character and feelings of his enemies which would not fare well under the revelations of that day.

The counsels of the hearts. The purposes, designs, and intentions of men. All their plans will be made known in that day. And it is a most fearful and alarming truth, that no man can conceal his purposes beyond the day of judgment.

And then shall every man have praise of God. The word here rendered praise, epainos, denotes in this place reward, or that which is due to him: the just sentence that ought to be pronounced on his character. It does not mean, as our translation would imply, that every man will then receive divine approbation—which will not be true—but that every man will receive what is due to his character, whether good or evil. So Bloomfield and Bretschneider explain it. Hesychius explains it by judgment, krisis. The word must be limited in its meaning according to the subject or the context. The passage teaches:

1. that we should not be guilty of harsh judgment of others.
2. The reason is, that we cannot know their feelings and motives.
3. that all secret things will be brought forth in the great day, and nothing be concealed beyond that time.
4. that every man will receive justice there. He will be treated as he ought to be. The destiny of no one will be decided by the opinions of men, but the doom of all will be fixed by God. How important is it, therefore, that we be prepared for that day; and how important to cherish such feelings and form such plans, that they can be revealed without involving us in shame and contempt!