Neville Goddard on 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Corinthians 4 in context

Scripture Focus

14I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

15For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

17For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

18Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

20For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

21What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

1 Corinthians 4:14-21

Biblical Context

Paul writes not to shame, but as a loving father to awaken you; though you have many instructors, true formation comes from the gospel's power, not mere talk, and the kingdom manifests as power in your life.

Neville's Inner Vision

Consider these verses as a map to your inner state. Paul speaks not to shame but to awaken a fathering presence in your consciousness, the I AM that governs your life. You have many instructors, yet true formation comes from the gospel’s birth of your awareness in Christ—an inner begottenness that changes what you assume about yourself. The invitation “be ye followers of me” is a directive to align your attention with a proven pattern of being, not to imitate a man but to inhabit a state. When Timotheus is sent, see him as the disciplined aspect of your own consciousness, faithfully guiding you back to your ways that are in Christ. The threat of a rod, or choosing love and meekness, marks a choice of states: you can argue from fear or awaken through power. The kingdom is not verbal chatter but demonstrated reality; when you assent to the inner fact that you are born of gospel truth, you activate power within your world—your life becomes a field where the Father’s manner of ruling is felt, gently but decisively.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Assume the feeling, 'I am the power of the kingdom,' and mentally embody the fatherly posture of correction in love; envision yourself restoring harmony rather than winning an argument.