1 Corinthians 4:1

As Christ's servants. Paul goes back to the question of how much honor should be given to Christian teachers. Because of the almost divine honors which Greeks gave to the philosophers who were their leaders, Paul must tell them strongly that the apostles are only servants, not rulers. "Just clerks watching the store while the boss is away." But when he tells them this, he does not want them to misunderstand and think that Christ had not given them authority. Who have been put in charge. To understand this properly, you must know that in the ancient world, a man of wealth would have a family which included his servants and /or slaves as well as his children, and that he would appoint one servant to be in charge of and be responsible for the business affairs of the family. The servant would be given his instructions, which he would then carry out. Using this symbolism, Paul and the other apostles are put in charge (by Christ) of God's secret truths (the Good News, see 1 Corinthians 2:7-10), to give these to the members of the family.