Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

"Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man`s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 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 4:1-5 (ASV)

Having rebuked the Corinthians for glorying in certain ministers, the Apostle now confronts them for looking down on other ministers. In this regard, he does two things: first, he censures their guilt; second, he concentrates on correcting them (verse 14). Concerning the first point, he does two things: first, he censures their rashness in judging ministers wrongly; second, their arrogance in looking down on ministers of Christ (verse 6). Concerning their rashness, he does two things: first, he shows how one should rightly regard Christ’s ministers; second, that they should not be judged rashly (verse 2).

First, therefore, he says: I have said that none of you should glory in men; nevertheless, each of you should recognize the authority of our office. We are mediators between Christ, whom we serve, and His members, who are the faithful of the Church, to whom we dispense Christ’s gifts. He refers to this when he says we are to be regarded as ministers of Christ, as in Isaiah 61:6: Men shall speak of you as the ministers of our God. He also refers to this when he calls us stewards of the mysteries of God, that is, of His secrets. These are His spiritual teachings—He utters mysteries in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:2)—or the sacraments of the Church, in which divine power secretly works for salvation. Hence, in the formula for consecrating the Eucharist, it is said: “a mystery of faith.”

Therefore, in governing their subjects, the leaders of the Church should seek to serve Christ alone, for the love of whom they feed His sheep: If you love me, feed my sheep (John 21:17). Furthermore, they should dispense the things of God to the people: I am entrusted with a commission (1 Corinthians 9:17). In this way, they are mediators between Christ and the people: I stood between the Lord and you at that time (Deuteronomy 5:5). This view of the Church’s leaders is necessary for the salvation of the faithful, for unless they recognize them as Christ’s ministers, they will not obey them as they would Christ: You received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus (Galatians 4:14). Again, if they do not regard them as stewards, they would refuse to receive gifts from them, contrary to what the Apostle says: What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:10).

Then, when he says, Moreover it is required, he shows that they should not judge rashly in matters concerning Christ’s ministers. In this regard, he does three things: first, he mentions the standard by which to judge the faithfulness of ministers; second, he shows that he is not concerned about this judgment but leaves it to God (verse 3); third, he concludes his prohibition against rash judgment (verse 5).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that some are faithful ministers and stewards of Christ, and some are unfaithful. The unfaithful ministers do not seek the people’s welfare and Christ’s honor when they dispense the divine mysteries: You have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (Luke 16:11). But the faithful ones seek the honor of God and the welfare of His members in all things: Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household? (Luke 12:42). Who the faithful ministers are will be disclosed in the divine judgment to come. But the Corinthians rashly wanted to debate which stewards were faithful and which were unfaithful. This is what he means when he says: moreover, now, that is, in the present time, it is required, that is, it is being discussed, that stewards be found trustworthy. For they judged that many were unfaithful, supposing that scarcely anyone was faithful: Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6).

Then, when he says, But with me, he shows that he has no regard for this judgment. First, he asserts that he is not concerned about the judgment of others on this point, saying: But with me, who am the least of the stewards, it is a very small thing, that is, I consider it a trivial matter, to be judged by you as faithful or unfaithful. But lest they suppose that he says these things out of contempt, as though he scorned their opinion as coming from worthless persons, he adds, or by any human court, that is, by the intellect of people judging in this time. It is as if to say: I am little concerned about your judgment or any person’s: I have not desired the day of man, thou knowest (Jeremiah 17:16).

It should be noted, however, that one should have regard for human judgment in two ways. First, in regard to others who are edified or scandalized by what is heard. For this reason, the saints did not regard it as a small thing but as very important to be judged by others, since the Lord said: That they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Second, in regard to themselves, and in this case they do not care much, because they neither desire human glory—Nor did we seek glory from men, from you or from others (1 Thessalonians 2:6)—nor fear human reproaches: Fear not the reproach of men, and be not afraid of their blasphemies (Isaiah 51:7). Hence the Apostle says significantly: But with me, that is, as far as it pertains to me. Nor does he regard it as nothing, but as a small thing, because temporal things, among which a good reputation finds a place, are not without value, but are very small goods, as Augustine says in his book On Free Will. Hence it is also stated in Wisdom 7:9: All gold in comparison with her is as a little sand.

Second, he shows that he does not even presume to judge himself, saying: I do not even judge myself. But this seems to conflict with a later statement: If we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31). Therefore, everyone should judge himself. However, it should be noted that everyone should judge himself with the judgment of self-examination, about which the Apostle speaks here, according to the spirit of Psalm 77:6: I meditate and search my spirit. One should also judge oneself with the judgment of condemnation and reproach in the face of obvious evils: I will reprove my ways in his sight (Job 13:15). But with the judgment of absolution, a person should not presume to judge himself innocent: Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse (Job 9:20). He gives the reason for this when he says: I am not aware of anything against myself, that is, I am not aware of any mortal sin—My heart does not reproach me for any of my days (Job 27:6)—but I am not thereby acquitted. That is, this does not suffice for pronouncing myself just, because certain sins can be hiding in me, which I do not know: Who can discern his sins? (Psalms 19:12); I am blameless; I regard not myself (Job 9:21).

Third, he concludes by stating to whom this judgment should be reserved, saying: It is the Lord who judges me. That is, it is God’s exclusive province to judge whether I am a faithful minister or not, because this pertains to the heart’s intention, which God alone can weigh: The Lord weighs the spirit (Proverbs 16:2); The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? I the Lord search the mind and try the heart (Jeremiah 17:9).

Then, when he says, Judge not before the time, he concludes the prohibition against rash judgment. In this regard, he does three things. First, he forbids them to anticipate God’s judgment, saying: Therefore, following my example—for I neither judge myself nor care about being judged by others, but reserve my judgment for God—do not pronounce judgment before the time, because every matter has its time (Ecclesiastes 8:6), before the Lord comes to judge: The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of his people (Isaiah 3:14). Hence the Lord Himself said: Judge not (Matthew 7:1). However, this must be understood of hidden things, because God has commissioned people to judge manifest things: Hear then and judge what is just (Deuteronomy 1:16).

Some things are manifest not only by the evidence of the fact, being notorious, but also by confession or by the proven testimony of witnesses. But God reserves hidden things for His own judgment. Things which lie in our heart or are done in secret are hidden within us. Of these it says in Psalm 4:5: The things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds. Hence a person is as rash in judging about these matters as a delegated judge who exceeds his mandate by judging matters not committed to him. Consequently, a judgment is rash when a person judges about doubtful matters, but it is perverse when he pronounces a false judgment. Now although judgment should not be made concerning persons, as when someone judges a good person to be evil, it is nevertheless more serious when it is a perverse judgment about things themselves, as when a person says that virginity is evil and fornication good, against which Isaiah 5:20 says: Woe to you that call evil good and good evil.

Second, he describes the completeness of the divine judgment to come, saying: the Lord, coming to judgment, will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, that is, will make clear and obvious the things done secretly in darkness; and will disclose the purposes of the heart, that is, all the secrets of the heart: He reveals deep things out of darkness, and brings up to light the shadow of death (Job 12:22); I will search Jerusalem with lamps (Zephaniah 1:12). This, of course, refers both to good things and to evil things that have been committed and covered over by penance, for Psalm 32:1 says: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Third, he mentions the fruit which good people will obtain from the divine judgment, saying: Then every man will receive his commendation from God, that is, every person who is good. This commendation will be true, because God can neither deceive nor be deceived: His praise is not from men but from God (Romans 2:29); It is not the man who commends himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends (2 Corinthians 10:18).