Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Corinthians 4:21

"What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?" — 1 Corinthians 4:21 (ASV)

What will ye?—I give you a choice. I am coming to you as a father in any case. But shall I come as a father comes with a rod (Isaiah 11:4), ready to inflict punishment with it (such is the force of the Greek, “in a rod”); or as a father would come when no faults on the child’s part need interfere with the perfect and unrestricted outflowing of his gentleness and love?

The pathos of these last few words sufficiently indicates what the Apostle himself would prefer. The choice, however, rested with them.

His love would be no love if, without any change on their part, it led him to show no displeasure where correction was absolutely needed for their sake. This is a great and striking example of St. Paul having the “mind of God.” He treats the Corinthians as God always treats His children.

This verse simultaneously concludes the first part of the Epistle, where the party spirit and its resulting evils in Corinth are addressed. It also naturally introduces the second topic for discussion: namely, the case of incest that had occurred.

This case was one of the things that would compel the Apostle to visit Corinth not in love and in the spirit of meekness, but with a rod.