1 Corinthians 4:4–5
Memory Verse
For I am aware of nothing against me, but I am not justified by this. The one discerning me is the Lord. Wherefore, do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, Who also will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will manifest the determinations of the heart. And then the praise of each one will come from God (1 Corinthians 4:4–5).
Paul, regarding himself as the least of the apostles due to his persecution of the Church (1 Corinthians 15:9), reminds us that only the Lord is the true Judge. He encourages us to lay aside our past lives before salvation, entrusting the judgment of our works to the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:13). While we may judge actions, we are not to judge motives (1 Corinthians 6:1), and the faith we possess is to be directed toward the Lord, not people (Romans 14:22).
Therefore, let us examine our works, ensuring they are being done out from faith, not by law as a means to justify ourselves before God or men (Genesis 6:4). Similarly, let us examine our faith, ensuring we are basing it upon God’s word and not according to the persuasive words of wisdom that are based upon man’s philosophy (2 Corinthians 13:5; 1 Corinthians 2:5). Let us also not be those who are shortsighted, forgetting we have been cleansed from our former sins (2 Peter 1:9). If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20).