Paul then turns to the situation that gave rise to his remarks on wisdom, the tendency of some at Corinth to make comparisons between their teachers, to boost their favorite above the others, and to boast of their allegiances (1:12–17). Alluding to 3:5–9, Paul again asks the Corinthians to recognize that the truth lies in precisely the opposite direction. It is not the Corinthians who “belong” to Paul, Apollos, or Cephas; rather, along with all things, life and death, the present and the future (Rom. 8:38–39), Paul, Apollos, and Cephas “belong” to them, as servants of Christ and “as those entrusted with the secret things of God” (4:1).

The mention of the word “servant” leads Paul to allude to 3:10–15, and in 4:2–5 he applies the teaching of the former passage to himself and the church at…