1 Corinthians 3:4

For when one saith,I am of Paul; and another,. am of Apollos; are ye not men?

'For when one saith' -'For whenever any one says' (pr. sbj. of recurring contingency); every such utterance shows you to be "men".' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 787) 'Each instance is. case in point and proof abundant of the strife.' (Robertson p. 93)

'I am of Paul' -'It was. home-thrust. Paul would not even defend his own partisans.' (Robertson p. 93) 'Partisanship was consonant with the wisdom of men (the leading philosophical schools of Greece invoked the names of their founders and chief teachers).' [Note:. F.F. Bruce p. 43]

Points to Note:

1. 'The Corinthians may have expected. different kind of proof, for they may not have considered their contentions such. serious matter. For when they wrote to Paul they never mentioned. word on this subject (1 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 1:11). Paul's words must, therefore, have struck them rather forcefully. Really serious faults in the church quite frequently make little or no impression on the members while lesser failings stir them up (Matthew 23:23).' [Note:. Lenski p. 125]

2. 'This is extremely significant because it means that you can tell what. man's relations with God are by looking at his relations with his fellow men. If. man is at variance with his fellow men, if he is. quarrelsome, competitive, argumentative, trouble-making creature, he may be. diligent church attender, he may even be. church office-bearer, but he is not. man of God.' [Note:. Barclay p. 34]

3. We should note that Paul doesn't have. lot of patience with belief that doesn't issue in proper behaviour.

4. Modern Application: The "spirit" that Paul here condemns, still lives on in the church. There is nothing wrong in quoting from. human source. If. man said something insightful, then certainly give him the credit. But it is another thing to quote from human sources, thinking that such sources "establish" the truthfulness of. position."Angels straight out of heaven are to be tested by the word of God. (Galatians 1:6) Bereans heard an apostle speak and checked their Bibles to see if what he said agreed with the Bible (Acts 17:11). If what you say is biblical, stand on it yourself!" [Note:. McGuiggan p. 50]