1 Corinthians 4:18

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 4:18 Mean?

"Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you." Some Corinthians have become ARROGANT — 'puffed up' — because they assumed Paul WOULDN'T come. The absence of the apostle produced the inflation of the ego. The distance gave them permission to swell. The assumption that Paul wouldn't show up created the conditions for unchecked pride. The puffing-up is directly CAUSED by the assumed non-arrival.

The phrase "puffed up" (ephysiōthēsan — they were inflated/puffed up/swollen) is Paul's REPEATED diagnosis of Corinth: the word appears SEVEN times in 1 Corinthians (more than anywhere else in the New Testament). The Corinthian problem is INFLATION — swollen egos, bloated self-assessments, puffed-up pride. The church's signature sin is thinking more of itself than the facts warrant. The puffing is the pathology.

The "as though I would not come" (hōs mē erchomenou mou pros hymas — as though I am not coming to you) reveals the CAUSE of the inflation: the arrogance grows in Paul's ABSENCE. The assumption that accountability won't arrive produces the behavior that accountability would correct. The 'as though' means they're BEHAVING as if Paul won't come — living as though the authority won't return, acting as though the teacher is gone for good.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What arrogance is based on the assumption that accountability won't arrive?
• 2.What does the puffing-up growing in ABSENCE teach about the connection between authority and humility?
• 3.How does acting 'as though I would not come' describe the behavior of people who think they won't be checked?
• 4.What 'return' — what accountability arriving — would deflate the arrogance?

Devotional

Some of you are puffed up — BECAUSE you assume I'm not coming. The absence of accountability produced the inflation of the ego. The distance gave you permission to swell. You're acting as though the authority won't return. And the acting-as-though is the cause of the arrogance.

The 'puffed up' is Corinth's SIGNATURE condition: the word appears more in 1 Corinthians than in the entire rest of the New Testament. Corinth's problem isn't ignorance. It's INFLATION — swollen egos, bloated self-assessments, the kind of pride that fills up with air and has nothing solid inside. The puffing is the diagnostic. The deflating is the prescription.

The 'as though I would not come' reveals the MECHANISM of the inflation: the arrogance grows in the ABSENCE of the authority. The assumption that Paul won't return creates the conditions for behavior Paul would correct. The logic is: if the teacher isn't coming back, I can do what I want. If the authority won't return, the rules don't apply. The 'as though' is the permission slip the Corinthians wrote for themselves.

Paul's response (verse 19 — 'I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will') is the DEFLATION announcement: I AM coming. The assumption that powered the arrogance is WRONG. The authority WILL return. The accountability WILL arrive. The puffing-up that was based on non-arrival will meet the arrival it didn't expect.

What arrogance in your life is based on the assumption that the authority won't return — and what happens when it does?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture