In 1 Corinthians 4:1, is Paul talking about him and Apollos only and not also Cephas, as in 1 Corinthians 3:22. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul mentions only him and Apollos and not Cephas. What is your understanding regarding this?
1 Corinthians 4:1
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1 Corinthians 3:22
Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;
1 Corinthians 4:6
And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul mentions only him and Apollos, simply because of the following two reasons...
First of all, he and Apollos were the only ones of the group of three men mentioned in chapter 3:22 called by God to be stewards of the "mysteries"....1 Corinthians 4:1!
The issue in chapter 4 (yea, in all the chapters in 1 Corinthians, as well as all of Paul's epistles) is being a faithful steward of the mysteries (the unique, distinct truths of this present dispensation of God's grace), that differ from Israel's prophetic program, and that make up the overall preaching for us today called the mystery of Christ...
Romans 16:25
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Ephesians 3:1-6
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
2 Peter 3:15-16
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
And only Paul and Apollos, and not Cephas (when Peter is referred to as Cephas, it is to emphasize his Jewish apostleship), were ordained by God to preach it to these Jews and gentiles in the one body of Christ there at Corinth....
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
Paul and Apollos, and not Cephas, were actually sent by God to edify these new Jewish and gentile believers in the church, the body of Christ, there in Corinth in his grace message!
Secondly, Cephas was not a member of the church, the body of Christ, and God did not commission Peter to teach/preach to members of the church, the body of Christ. God commissioned him to teach/preach to Jews, particularly in Israel before Paul's salvation...
Luke 24:27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Acts 1:8; 2:14; 3:12
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
… and after Paul's salvation, the little flock scattered abroad (with an eye toward the future)...
Galatians 2:7-9
But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision [believing Israel].
1 Peter 1:1-2
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers [believing Israel] scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, [which are the] Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,…
But with that said, I do want to remind you of something. Something that we students of scripture must always keep in mind when reading God's word! One must study the word like Paul says—as a skilled workman, rightly divided!
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
When you do not, you'll be wise in your own conceits…
Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Proverbs 26:5
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.
You’ll understand neither what you say nor whereof you affirm...
1 Timothy 1:7
Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
You'll be proud, knowing nothing...
1 Timothy 6:3
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
You will wrest the scriptures to your own destruction....
2 Peter 3:16
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
And, you'll err and overthrow the faith of some...
2 Timothy 2:18
Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
But when you consider what our Apostle Paul says, the Lord will give you understanding of all things...
2 Timothy 2:7
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
Remember, that during the time of Transition in the book of Acts, as God's Law/prophecy/earthly program with the Nation of Israel is diminishing (this is the very time period that Paul wrote the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians), there was a lot of inter-mingling between both Jews and Gentiles because the Jews were scattered abroad. And some of these Jews that were dispersed among the gentiles were meeting in synagogues. [Acts 15:21; Acts 16:3] This was the case at Corinth as well [Acts 18:1-4].
Of these Jews that are among the gentiles, some of them were believers on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah (these Jews would have most likely lived among these gentiles all year long because of the dispersion)
John 7:35
Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
...and would have known about the Lord by hearing about him when they went back to Jerusalem to worship at the feast days and hearing a member of the Little Flock preach him.
Acts 2:5
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Or they heard about him from another Jewish believer who either lived, or traveled among them—as the Jews did travel among the gentiles a lot.
Those Jewish believers from that old Kingdom Program were still out there preaching the gospel of the kingdom—how that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead (to sit on David's throne). Therefore, if this was being preached after Paul's salvation (who is the first member of the church, the body of Christ...
1 Timothy 1:15-16
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
…then even those Jews who heard from a kingdom saint of our Lord's resurrection, that new believing Jew still would be going into the body, and therefore would need to know the mystery of Christ given by God to Paul for us today!
That is why Barnabas went for to seek Paul in Acts 11:19-26, because these new Jewish believers had to be edified in what God is doing today by grace, and Paul was the man to explain it to them!
But remember, when you deal with Acts (and those epistles written during that period), it is a lot of transition, and therefore confusing when you don't handle them as a skilled workman rightly dividing the word of truth! I say that because although God changed the program, and put Israel aside temporarily.
Romans 11:11-13
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
It not only took time for Jews to be aware of that, even among the believing kingdom saint Jews, but it took many years for even them to understand that fully. Peter himself proved that late in his own life when he wrote his second epistle
2 Peter 3:15-16
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Peter's audience were the Jews in general and, in particular, the Little Flock of his day (and in the future) who were out there scattered among the gentiles, evidently because of the intense persecution in the land of Israel [1 Peter 1:1] (just like today, Paul is the Apostle of all nations/gentiles in general (that includes Jews!), and yet, he is also the teacher, preacher of the Body of Christ in particular).
So during the transition period of Acts, Peter's epistles were being circulated all around among those Jews in these gentile lands (just like Paul's were also [2 Pet 3:15-16] (in reference to the book of Galatians); and Colossians 4:16). Therefore, if a Jew who was lost came across a believing Jew in that day, and that believing Jew preached Christ to him (that He rose from the dead...either to sit on David's throne and/or as the head of the new creature, the body), that Jew would now be exposed to all these books written by these different Apostles—that’s why everyone had to rightly divided the "word of truth."
Ephesians 1:13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
James 1:18
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures
That is the case in Corinth. Paul first makes a case that the Lord Jesus Christ is both our—the Body's—Lord, as well as their Lord—the little flock's (many who were still alive [1 Corinthians 15:6]) [1 Corinthians 1:2].
By the way, we also know that there were times that Peter himself not only was known to these Jews (and gentiles) out among the gentiles through his letters, but you can make the case that some of these Jews actually met him, either back in Israel, or out somewhere among the gentiles because we know that after Paul was saved, Peter did travel to gentile lands [Acts 10]...and even after the Jerusalem counsel [Galatians 2:11].
And no doubt, while out there among those Jews and gentiles, Peter spoke of his risen Lord! And by speaking about him, there were some who believed on him. So whether it was through his epistle, one of his followers, or by his own mouth, Peter preached Christ's resurrection and some of those Jews among the gentiles in Corinth believed that from him and began to follow him [Peter] and not Christ through Paul...
1 Corinthians 15:11-12
Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
1 Corinthians 1:12
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
So, when you have a situation of transition like you have here—with multiple Jews, speaking multiple things, from multiple people—you will have confusion, and maybe even contention and divisions among believers in Christ! (That sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) That was the situation at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1:10-12
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Therefore God had Paul clear this up by giving those Jews and gentiles (now members of the body of Christ) in the Corinthian church, understanding about all this transition.
1 Corinthians 12:1-3
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Paul makes it clear that God did not desire to have all these different "sects" among them. Some said they followed [listening only to the teachings of] Paul; others only followed and listened to the teachings only of Apollos; others followed what Peter said/wrote; and others, what our Lord taught during his earthly ministry, and recorded already in the Gospels—hmmm, kinda sounds like the immaturity of saints today, yes?
Anyway, Paul lets them know that following what a particular man says and does is not the main issue...
1 Corinthians 1:13
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
…but rather, the issue was to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. However, Paul also lets them know, that in order to follow what Christ says today, in the present dispensation of grace, you must listen to Paul, not the man, but his apostleship
Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Romans 11:13
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1
Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Ephesians 38
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Philippians 3:17
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Every church will be held accountable by our Lord Jesus Christ at his judgment seat on how much they followed his teachings through Paul, his apostle to us…
1 Corinthians 4:17
For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
1 Corinthians 3:10-17
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
2 Corinthians 5:10-11
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
Romans 14:10-12
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
So in 1 Corinthians 4, Paul only mentions he and Apollos because they were the only ones of the three men mentioned in chapter 3 that God actually commissioned and called to minister directly to these saints in person about his grace message...
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
God both called and placed in the body both Paul and Apollos initially during the starting, founding and infancy of this church to preach his word rightly divided!
Acts 18:9-11, 24-28
Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
These two men knew both programs, therefore God has them do the bulk of the preaching and teaching to these saints, and these two were the ones that God wanted them to focus on because they would edify them through clear teaching and preaching, so that the Corinthians would have a clear understanding of God's word rightly divided and this new grace message!
And when Paul himself could not stay there in person because his calling as Christ's apostle was to go out and establish churches everywhere, he'd send back other faithful men whom he had trained to help out—like Timothy in 1 Corinthians 4:17—but Apollos stayed there most of the time and did the bulk of the preaching.
So that is why God has Paul focus only on him and Apollos in 1 Corinthians 4:1. The two of them, and not Cephas, were commissioned to teach the mystery, and the two of them, not Cephas, were actually in the body of Christ!
Lastly, with all that said, God still wanted the body saints to understand Peter's revelation of Christ, just like he does today. That is why we all need to rightly divide his word. By knowing both programs simultaneously, we understand God's manifold wisdom and then we can have the full assurance of wisdom, knowledge and understanding of Colossians.
Colossians 2:2
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
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