Paul was aware that some members of the early Christian church had begun to regard him, the other Apostles, and other early Christians such as Apollos and Cephas as “spectacles” (“spectacle…to men” in 1 Corinthians 4:9), but unlike the angels, they had begun to identify themselves as followers of these individual men, and not as followers of Jesus alone (1 Corinthians 1:12). These alignments led to divisions among the brethren, which led not only to disharmony but to feelings of superiority and pride. Paul reminded the brethren that all who follow Christ are one in him alone, and that wisdom, redemption, righteousness and sanctification came from God through Christ alone (1 Corinthians 1:23-31). Paul reminded his brethren that they all (Paul himself, the apostles, Christian teachers such as Cephas and Apollos, the church members of Corinth, even followers of Jesus today) were only “stewards of the mysteries of God,” not somehow originators or owners of them (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).  His words warned them against elevating any man to the status of a “spectacle” and reminded them that any who would serve God could only truly do so with a humble and loving heart (1 Corinthians 4:14). 

Paul further reminded his audience of the dangers of pursuing recognition and admiration from the institutions and people of the world (“spectacle unto the world” in 1 Corinthians 4:9). Consecrating one’s life to God necessitates the sacrificing of all of one’s worldly goals and ambitions, such that service to God becomes “that one thing we do” in life (Philippians 3:13-14). A life spent in service runs contrary to the world’s majority view of cultivating respect, wealth and power, and would thus be seen as foolishness (1 Corinthians 4:10). By reminding the church members that all the knowledge they had was given to them by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 4:7), Paul reminded the church members that their goal in their consecrated lives was not to become a great spectacle to be admired by the world, but to remain mindful of their fallen natures and humbly grateful to God for all the knowledge and blessings that they had received.

Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1075: “Am I an Arrogant Christian?”
Balancing humility and appropriate pride to combat arrogance
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CQ Rewind Show Notes