Motivations Will Be Revealed
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

One of the things I miss about living in a bigger city is the abundance of ice cream shops. On slow summer nights, it’s so nice to sit with a group of friends while eating ice cream and watching the sun go down. An ice cream shop does show us something about ourselves – we all have unique opinions. Think about it. Many shops have 20-30 different flavors to choose from. What’s the first thing you ask someone after they make their purchase? “What flavor did you choose?” Some people buy plain vanilla every single time, while others like to be adventurous and try all the flavors. We all have opinions, or judgments, about certain things. Many times, our judgments are harmless. It’s just reflective of our uniqueness that God gave each of us. But there are other times when our judgments move from neutral to either sin or obedience.
As Paul continues addressing the church at Corinth about his ministry, he warns them against judging servants and their ministries when he writes, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me,” (1 Corinthians 4:3-4, ESV). Paul isn’t simply saying “don’t judge” like we hear on social media all the time. Remember, in 1 Corinthians 2:15, Paul reminded the believers that Christians are supposed to judge all things. Later in chapter five, Paul himself will pronounce judgement on an immoral man – something the church should have already done. This isn’t a blanket statement of “don’t judge.”

Instead, remember the context of the passage. Paul is teaching the church how they should regard God’s servants. Even then, this isn’t an argument for another common phrase we hear – “don’t touch God’s anointed.” There is a time and a place where even the ministers of the Word should be examined or judged. Consider the Bereans in Acts 17. They listened to the message proclaimed by Paul and Silas, then they examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. The Bereans were called noble due to their diligence in examining the message proclaimed and comparing it with the Scriptures. They judged Paul’s words, and that was considered the right thing to do. This is an example of a righteous judgement of a minister and his ministry.

So what is Paul talking about in 1 Corinthians 4? Paul is saying that it’s wrong to judge the heart of the minister. Paul says that Jesus will come again, and He will reveal the motivations of the heart (1 Corinthians 4:5). As Christians, we have to examine the actions and words of ministers around us. We have to be discerning to understand if the message being proclaimed is Biblical so that we are not led astray. Furthermore, we also understand that the actions of a man begin in his heart (Matthew 15:18-19), so if what’s coming out is unrighteousness, it would be unwise to listen to his message. But what humans can’t examine rightfully are the motivations of the heart. We’re even poor judges of our own hearts (1 Corinthians 4:3).

But the Creator God who knows all and sees all is a good judge. What was the one requirement of God’s ministers from last week? It was faithfulness (4:2). When God reveals the motivations of the heart and examines His ministers, the basis for that judgment will be faithfulness. Faithfulness isn’t just outward actions and words; faithfulness is from the heart. And people can’t see faithfulness from the heart – only God can.

This is a warning to the congregation – don’t be so arrogant in your judgments. We cannot rightfully examine the heart, and we don’t know what God is accomplishing through His faithful ministers. He will bring everything to light when He comes again, whether good or bad. But to the minister, it’s both a warning and an encouragement. Be faithful in the work He has given you to do. Nothing you do is hidden from Him. But be encouraged that when He does come again, the motivations of the heart will also be brought to light, and those who are faithful “will receive his commendation from God,” (4:5, ESV).