Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Corinthians 4:2

"Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." — 1 Corinthians 4:2 (ASV)

Moreover it is required . . .—Better, Moreover here (on earth) inquiry is made in the case of stewards in order that it may be found that one is faithful. The word “found” means “discovered,” or “proved to be” (Romans 7:10). The argument here is that, just as in the case of an earthly steward, inquiry is made into his character to determine if he is trustworthy, so it will be with those who are stewards of the mysteries of God.

That inquiry is, of course, made regarding an earthly steward by his master whom he serves; and so the Lord alone, whose stewards the Apostles were, will be the inquirer into their faithfulness. If we take 1 Corinthians 4:2 as it is in our English version, it would seem to imply that on this point of faithfulness the Church might prefer one steward to another. This would suggest that to some extent, therefore, party spirit might exist, which would be contrary to the whole argument from the beginning of the Epistle, and strikingly at variance with the remarks that immediately follow in 1 Corinthians 4:5. The rendering adopted above is a more literal translation of the best Greek texts, and also perfectly in harmony with the general sense of the passage.