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1 Corinthians 4:14
ESV I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
NIV I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.
NASB I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
CSB I'm not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.
NLT I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.
KJV I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

What does 1 Corinthians 4:14 mean?

In the previous verses, Paul has compared the lives and lifestyles of the Christians in Corinth with those of himself and the other apostles. While the Corinthians see themselves as self-reliant, acting judgmentally and seeking to gain wealth and status alongside the unbelievers in their culture, Paul and the others who minister to them live in poverty, foolish in the eyes of the world and mistreated for Christ's sake.

Now Paul declares that he hasn't described these differences in their attitudes and status to make the Corinthian Christians feel ashamed. In other words, Paul's goal in this letter isn't just to scold them and make them feel bad. He wants more for them than that. He wants them to change.

Paul compares himself to a father and his readers to his beloved children. He speaks to them this way because he cares deeply for them. His hope is that his words, though hard to hear, will provoke them to change the course of their lives.
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