Paul-A 'Subordinate' and a 'Steward'

Paul was a prominent figure among early Christians, and understandably so.  In the course of his ministry, he traveled thousands of miles on sea and land, and he established numerous congregations. In addition, Jehovah blessed Paul with visions and the gift of speaking in foreign tongues.  (1 Corinthians 14:18; 2 Corinthians 12:1-5) He also inspired  Paul to write 14  letters that are now part of the Christian Greek Scriptures.  Clearly, it can be said that Paul's labors exceeded those of all the other apostles. -1 Corinthians 15:10.

Since Paul was in the forefront of Christian activity, some might expect to find him reveling in the limelight, even flaunting his authority.  Not so, however, for Paul was modest. He called himself "the least of the apostles,"  adding: "I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the congregation of God." (1 Corinthians 15:9)  As a former persecutor of Christians, Paul  never forgot that it was only by undeserved kindness that he could have a relationship with God at all, much less enjoy special privileges of service.  (John 6:44; Ephesians 2;8)  Hence, Paul did not feel that his extraordinary accomplishments in the ministry made him superior to others. -1 Corinthians 9:16.

Paul's modesty was particularly evident in his dealings with the Corinthians. Apparently ,  some of them were enamored of those whom they thought to be prominent overseers, including Apollo, Cephas, and Paul himself.  (1 Corinthians 1:11-15) But Paul neither solicited  the praise of the Corinthians nor exploited their admiration. When visiting them, he did not present himself "with an extravagance of speech or of wisdom." Instead, Paul said regarding himself and his companions:  "Let a man so appraise us as being subordinates of Christ and stewards of sacred secrets of God." -1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 4:1.

Paul even displayed modesty when he had to give strong counsel and direction. He entreated his fellow Christians "by the compassions of God" and "on the basis of love" rather than by the weight of his apost0lic authority.  (Romans 12:1, 2; Philemon 8, 9) Whey did Paul do this?  Because he truly viewed himself as a 'fellow worker' of his brothers, not as a 'master of their faith.' (2 Corinthians 1:24)  No doubt it was Paul's modesty that helped to make him especially dear to the first-century Christian congregations. -Acts 20:36-38. 

Next time: A Modest View of Our Privileges

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000