Remember the children. 1Corinthians 4:14-21 A spiritual father holds authority in God's work and has the right and duty to address those who oppose the scriptural practices of a church of God’s people. Beloved children need guidance and correction regarding their behavior. Instructors may have all the right words but lack the emotional connection and genuine compassion that fathers have for their children.
A father's duty is to speak honestly and openly to his children. His manner of speaking often shows how much he cares and the importance of what he needs to communicate. As a steward, Paul the Apostle had to do whatever was necessary to fulfill his Master's will and ensure his work prospered. He endured the costs of following Christ and expected to face opposition and persecution from unbelievers who had their own interests at heart. What was unacceptable was the attitude of believers who had been saved by God's grace in Corinth. They needed to be reminded of who they were and their responsibility to Christ and the Gospel.
It is very easy to become focused on our new life and its blessings rather than on the One who gave us this new life and provides the blessings. When we are so engrossed in the activities of the church and all the programs it offers for singles, newlyweds, young, old, poor, missions, and local social concerns that we forget the Blesser and the messenger who first taught us, we risk being overcome by carnality. Both worldly flesh and religious flesh are still flesh.
When Samuel asked Saul, who had returned from defeating the Amalekites, "What means the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the cattle" that was supposed to have been destroyed, Saul replied that he had kept the best to offer to the Lord. He kept the best of what God hated the most. He said he kept it to offer to the Lord. He was more interested in what he was going to do than in what God wanted. Religious flesh - carnality — is as bad or worse than worldly fleshly desire.
Those people in the past needed to be reminded of who they were now and which family they belonged to. Paul initiated the work, and as a father, he had their best interests at heart. He was only an instructor who teaches truth, but he was their father who loved His children. His relationship with them was that of a responsible parent. He had been there when they were born again into God's family. So now, he had the right to correct them as a father corrects his children.
A teacher can have all the right answers without truly understanding the problem. We can learn many things from books and others, but unless we've experienced the hardships early in a task, we only possess theoretical knowledge of what that work involves. Going through the high and low points, the causes of joy and sorrow, the gains and losses, gives us practical knowledge and a "feel" for that craft that is unique to fathers, not just instructors.
Just as a son should follow his father’s good example, spiritual children should follow the example of those who brought them the Gospel, like Timothy follows Paul’s example. He knew Paul’s integrity, honor, and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ were genuine. He understood that for Paul, “To live was Christ and to die was gain.” Christ was his “life.” Paul wanted them to follow his example and imitate him to carry out the spiritual practices of an assembly. He was walking in the light with God, learning from God, and communicating with God, showing he was following Christ. He clarified what he meant by saying in chapter 11, "Even as I also am of Christ."
We don't need to imitate everything a spiritual father does but should emulate him as he follows Christ. Spiritual doctrines and practices must be learned from spiritual leaders. Principles applicable to specific situations need to be passed down by those who are spiritual fathers. Many churches have strayed from God's truth and replaced it with practices aimed at pleasing people, relying on human wisdom. Talking about living by faith is one thing; actually living by faith is another. Teaching truth in an assembly is one thing; embodying that truth in our lives is another. Knowing what is right is not enough; we must also practice what is right in our gatherings.
Timothy exemplified a faithful man of God who learned from his spiritual father and was able to pass on what he had been taught, knowing what was right. He trusted Paul, respected him, learned from him, and obeyed him because he knew he followed the Lord. The difference between Timothy and the arrogant Corinthians was very clear. Timothy recognized that Paul's teachings were consistent in every church he had established and understood what was expected of the believers in Corinth. For some reason, the Corinthians were proud even of their disobedience. Their words were boastful, and they talked about their power - but it wasn't theirs. Essentially, they were like children who brag about themselves without having achieved anything of real value.
“Puffed up” people see themselves as important but are really just full of hot air. The ability to speak with human eloquence and empty talk stands in contrast to the power of the Spirit of God to speak through those who live holy lives. Effective witnesses are those who live what they say, and this brings lasting results. Those who are in the kingdom of God live and serve by God's power, not by the eloquent words of men.
What is a spiritual father supposed to do to correct those who behave like disobedient children? There are various forms of spiritual discipline that a father and an assembly can use to correct the wrong behavior of God's children. Paul was a spiritual father with a tender spirit. He introduced the topic of discipline by telling them of his right to do so. Spiritual children can cause us a lot of heartache and grief, but discipline is necessary to bring them back to what God intends. He may have to be severe with those who are rebellious and self-willed. When a spiritual child is ready to do what is right and correct, and to forsake what is wrong, he or she can be approached in a gentle manner so that love melts their resistance and leads to the desired outcome of obedience to God. We need to show and give true respect, obedience, support, and love to those who genuinely care for us, just as a father cares for his children.
How does paternal love show itself to children? Is there a specific tone of voice or a way to express your affection while also awakening their sense of duty to the Lord Jesus, who bought them with His own blood? With common sense and Bible truth behind it, a gentle voice at times, and authoritative tones at other times, the urgency and seriousness of this matter can hopefully reach their conscience and motivate them to act.
When other voices speak with hermeneutical expertise, what is a caring, concerned father able to say compared to those who know all the big words and how they fit in a sentence? How can we bring them to a point where reality takes hold of their soul and influences their conscience? A true spiritual father cares about the welfare and well-being of his children. He may need to be firm and make corrections first, then follow up with what only fatherly wisdom can offer. Hopefully, he will reach a place in their hearts.
Even if the voices of teachers seem so wise and firm to the spiritually immature child of God, a father's example that has been genuine and consistent for a lifetime can triumph over the instructor who has resisted the truth of God we read in the Bible. A father who truly cares cannot, by anyone else, be replicated even when a strange teacher tries to introduce something new and attempts to make a learner believe that something is wrong with what the father teaches. A place in the heart of a true child of God and a mind to obey what is taught will give him the light of life.
When the child of God honestly listens to a father, from an open heart and mind, he will hear and heed the advice given. Then, from wrong teachings, he will turn away, cease, and stop paying attention to unsound words. A father "founds" the family, so he has certain rights. A father, as an example to his children, imparts his light. A father disciplines his children who thought that his was "bark worse than his bite," and he will claim a special place in their lives.
Instructors have a role to play. They often can provide reasons, types, and illustrations of truths that God intends to be real to us. To accomplish what God wants and then teach me how to do it correctly is what an instructor does. He can make clear to an inquiring mind the things that are difficult to understand.
When a father teaches, he takes personally everything he is teaching his son or daughter. He faces them, looks them in the eye, and lets them know that what he's about to say is important. Then, he precisely delivers what needs to be said. His emotional involvement is clear to the child. His genuine care for their understanding is reflected in his tone of voice, the pressure of his hand, and his facial expression. There is no doubt that he wants the child to understand and get it right. The form of a thing would have no value.