Birth through the Gospel (1 Cor 4:15)
In 1 Cor 4:15 Paul speaks of a father-son relationship between himself
and the faithful, because “he begot them through the Gospel”. This points to
the birth to the divine life, through the Word of God. Actually the πίστις in Gal 3:26 through which we become sons
of God is not much different from the concept of the ‘preached Word of faith’
in Rom 10:8, in as much as it is the expression of faith itself.
In Paul the word εὐαγγέλιον is used with διά 5
times in all. In the other 4 texts it is a means of salvation presented as a
life in and with Christ in its different aspects: ‘Glory of Christ’ (2 Thes
2:14), ‘life and immortality’ (2 Tim 1:10–11), ‘heritage’, ‘incorporation into
Christ’ (Eph 3:6), ‘salvation’ introducing the theme of resurrection with
Christ in the whole chapter (1 Cor 15:1–2). All these indicate that ‘to beget
through the Gospel’ means ‘to introduce to the new divine life in Christ’,
namely, to the life of Christian sonship. The formula ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ also refers to this birth to the
Christian sonship.
The occurrence of the word γεννάω here in the form of aorist has a parallel in Philm 10 where Paul
speaks of his son Onesimus, whom he begot in chains. In the light of 1 Cor 4:15
it seems to be interpreted as referring to the conversion of Onesimus by Paul
in his captivity. Gal 4:19 also forms a parallel to our text, as it speaks of
Paul begetting the faithful in pain until Christ be formed in them, though the
word used is ὠδίνω.
Hence 1 Cor 4:15 refers to a birth to the life of Christian sonship, which
takes place through the Word of God preached by Paul. (Matthew Vellanickal,
The Divine Sonship of Christians in the Johannine Writings [Analecta
Biblica 72; Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1977], 77)
