1 Corinthians 4:6

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 4:6 Mean?

Paul addresses the Corinthians' habit of inflating their leaders: "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." The instruction is precise: don't think of human leaders beyond what Scripture says about them. The boundary for admiration of spiritual leaders is "that which is written." Anything beyond that is inflation. And inflation produces division.

The phrase "puffed up" (phusioō, to blow up, to inflate) uses the imagery of a balloon or bellows. The Corinthians weren't just admiring their leaders. They were inflating them—blowing them up to proportions that exceeded reality. And the inflation wasn't harmless: it produced factions, with each group puffed up for their leader against other leaders' followers.

Paul's solution is a textual boundary: "that which is written" (ta gegrammena, the Scriptures). Scripture provides the proper framework for understanding human leaders. They're servants (3:5). They're fellow workers (3:9). They'll be judged by Christ (4:5). Nobody is greater than what Scripture says a human leader can be. The moment you exceed the written boundary, you've created an idol.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Have you inflated any spiritual leader beyond what Scripture says they are? What does the inflation look like?
• 2.If the boundary for admiration is 'what is written,' what does Scripture actually say about the proper role of leaders?
• 3.Being 'puffed up for one against another' divides communities. Where do you see leader-inflation producing division?
• 4.How do you admire and follow spiritual leaders without inflating them into something Scripture doesn't authorize?

Devotional

"Not to think of men above that which is written." There's a boundary for how highly you can think of spiritual leaders: it's what Scripture says about them. Servants. Stewards. Fellow workers. Accountable to Christ. The moment your admiration exceeds that boundary, you've inflated a person into something they're not—and the inflation will produce division.

The Corinthians were puffed up—inflated with pride about their favorite teachers. My teacher is better than your teacher. My spiritual father is superior to your spiritual father. The admiration that was supposed to produce gratitude was producing arrogance. And the arrogance was tearing the church apart, faction by faction.

Paul's fix isn't 'stop admiring leaders.' It's 'stop inflating them.' The boundary is Scripture. What does the Bible say a leader is? A servant. A steward. A fellow worker. Anything beyond that—the celebrity status, the untouchable authority, the personality cult—is human inflation. It's air pumped into a balloon that was designed to be a person-sized container, not a parade float.

If you've been puffed up about a leader—if your admiration for a pastor, author, teacher, or influencer has exceeded the scriptural description of what a leader is—the air needs to come out. Not because the leader is bad. Because the inflation is dangerous. Leaders are servants. Servants are wonderful. But servants who've been inflated into icons produce the exact factionalism Paul spent four chapters addressing.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture