Arrogance of an Unscathed Church

First Corinthians chapter four,
as we’ve seen these past weeks, even months, Paul was not above
criticism. It’s not that he’s bristling
under other people’s criticism. He faced many complaints and
reproaches. He’s dealing with some of that
here in chapter four, but the complaints were largely a smokescreen
hiding a greater problem. And Paul is addressing that problem
in this chapter. The very real challenge of having
people improperly elevate either he or Apollos. But an improper mindset toward
God’s servants was also attended with criticisms and harsh judgment. It wasn’t enough to elevate one.
They had to put down the other. And this is Paul’s concern. He
wasn’t jealous that some favored Apollos over him. He counted
his fellow worker as a gifted servant of God. No, Paul’s concern
was not for himself. It was for the worldly mindset
of the Corinthian church. The smoke screen was the discussion
about who was the better preacher, whose delivery was better, whose
outlines were more favorable, whose illustrations were livelier,
whose applications were more relatable. None of those things
would have concerned Paul. He would not have been jealous
if God gifted Apollos to be the greatest preacher of all time.
Well and good, Paul would say. But that was a smokescreen. The
real issue was that this all betrayed a worldly mindedness
in the Corinthian church. And this Paul could not tolerate. Paul has already addressed the
very abhorrent idea that some were favoring him and others
Apollos that factions had formed with each of these workers of
the gospel placed at these particular heads. And Paul dealt squarely
with that whole issue at faulty and childish thinking in the
first three chapters. And so as chapter four opens,
Paul turns to address the unspoken question of how the Corinthians
should even think of their leaders, whether Apollos or Paul or any
others. How should any church think of
their respective leaders in their midst? And Paul paints a picture
of the divine call to ministry in chapter four, verses one through
five. We saw this literally months
ago. We reviewed it last Lord’s day,
that this call to ministry is first and foremost a call to
humility. These leaders are servants. They’re servants of God, nothing
more. Secondly, it is a call not only
to humility, but to integrity. They are to be found trustworthy. A call to humility and integrity
and scrutiny. They will be examined. It’s a
matter, of course, that they’ll be examined by people. But Paul
says they will be examined by God himself. And as such, they
are accountable. It’s a call to accountability
as well. The Lord will judge. And if favorable, the Lord will
render praise. And we saw last week that suddenly
in verses six and seven, Paul takes the focus completely off
the leaders and returns the focus, the spotlight onto the Corinthians
themselves. This is because the division
that was being fostered in the Corinthian church was the result
of pride in the hearts of these believers. He’s already presented
himself and his fellow workers as models of humility. But that
humility, Paul goes on, is intended to go viral. Everyone in the
church is supposed to be humble. If the Holy Spirit is at work
in the hearts and lives of sinners, humility will be produced. And Paul, we saw, presented four
layers of argument last Lord’s Day. First, he intimates, that
is, he hints that everyone should be humble. Then he urges this
humility, and then finally he reasons toward humility with
those very probing questions that we considered in verse seven.
And that brings us to verses eight through 13 this morning. For the sake of time, I’m not
going to read the entire chapter, but I do want to take verses
eight through 13 in their prior context. Begin, if you would,
in verse one. As I read, let a man regard us
in this manner as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries
of God. In this case, moreover, it is
required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to
me, it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you
or by any human court. In fact, I do not even examine
myself, for I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I
am not by this acquitted. But the one who examines me is
the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing
judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who
will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness
and disclose the motives of men’s hearts. And then each man’s praise
will come to him from God. Now these things, brethren, I
have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes,
so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so
that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against
the other. For who regards you as superior?
What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive
it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already filled. You have
already become rich. You have become kings without
us. And indeed, I wish that you had
become kings so that we might also reign with you. For I think
God has exhibited us apostles, last of all, as men condemned
to death because we have become a spectacle to the world, both
to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake,
but you are prudent in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong.
You are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this very
hour, we are both hungry and thirsty and poorly clothed and
are roughly treated. and are homeless, and we toil,
working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless.
When we are persecuted, we endure. When we are slandered, we try
to conciliate. We have become, as the scum of
the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.” There was trouble
in Corinth. And we know that to be a great
understatement after reviewing the first three chapters. And
while Paul is surely concerned for this church, which he himself
planted, he has thus far kept his emotions in check. He has issued a mild series of
reproofs, general corrections for their errant thinking and
behavior, but nothing like this. What he says in verses eight
through 13. I remember back in the early
80s, scientists had been monitoring a rumbling mountain for months,
and there were many signs indicating that this dormant volcano was
becoming active. And then one morning, Mount St. Helens blew, killing dozens of
people, destroying hundreds of homes, wiping out hundreds of
miles of highway and nearly 50 bridges. Mount St. Helens is, to this date, the
deadliest and most economically destructive volcano in American
history. That eruption reminds me of Paul’s
eruption here in verse 8. And I feel like I have to warn
you. Because Paul resorts to a device
that, for the most part, we are warned Not to use. I’m speaking of verbal, the verbal
art of sarcasm. Sarcasm or as it is sometimes
called irony is speech that is designed to mock someone. Usually what is spoken is the
direct opposite of what is true. This particular type of language
is often employed as a not so subtle form of correction. Like
when someone spills something, a parent or a friend admonishes,
oh, nice job. If we trip over a crack or a
stone or a cord, there’s always seems to be someone near to cry
out, have a nice trip. See you next fall. We even use
sarcasm on ourselves, don’t we? When we drop something or break
something, we say, well, that was smart. And as I said, we’re
usually instructed not to utilize this rhetorical device. And I can tell you as a former
coach, sarcasm doesn’t work so well with teens. It can be perceived as juvenile
or even harsh or cutting. And so it comes as a bit of a
surprise to find Paul using sarcasm right here in Holy Scripture. See, sarcasm does have its place. And it can be extremely effective
as a rhetorical or literary device. And because of this, it’s a device
frequently employed by the prophets. As they rebuked men and nations. Perhaps the most noteworthy example
is that which Elijah spoke. Some of you will remember this.
First Kings 18, 26. The prophets of the false god
Baal were crying out to him and they were getting no answer.
And so mockingly, Elijah says to them, call out with a loud
voice. Maybe you need to call louder. For he’s a God, either he’s occupied,
maybe he’s in the bathroom, is the implication there. Maybe
he’s gone on a trip. Perhaps he’s asleep, he’s napping.
And it’s a similar situation here. Based on what Paul had
seen and heard and knew of the Corinthian church, he was willing
to pull out all the stops. He was willing to use even sarcasm
as a means of correcting this errant church. Again, it’s a
rhetorical device. And the use of it can be ornery
and even sinful. But it’s not inherently evil.
I love the way Charles Hodge characterized it. He said the
propriety of the use of weapons so dangerous depends on the occasion
and the motive. He pictures sarcasm as a weapon,
one of many in our arsenal. He says, if the thing assailed
be both wicked and foolish, and if the motive be not the desire
to give pain, but to convince and to convert, the use is justified. What Hodge was saying is that
this is a justifiable use of a very dangerous weapon. And
as such, Paul makes good use of it here for a good purpose. to sternly correct his errant
church. Please note the transition from
the word boast in verse 7 to Paul’s rebuke beginning in verse
8. They were boastful. They were arrogant. Paul has
established that. This was a proud church. They
were arrogant, high-minded, boastful, proud. They had long since forgotten
the giver of the gifts and they were beginning to live as if
the world revolved around them. This is a grave concern for Paul.
Their pride had taken them so far that they believed that their
gifts, including salvation, were inherently theirs and that they
had no need even of the teachers who had led them. Such leaders were no longer viewed
as humble servants for the benefit of the church and the glory of
God. They were only to be elevated. Either that or they were considered
as dispensable and even worthless. Those seem to be the prevailing
options at the moment. To them, their once beloved teachers
had become no more than practitioners of rhetoric so popular in Greek
culture. To them, this was only a matter
of who had better delivery, not the content of what was spoken,
just rhetoric, not the proclamation of divine truth, just something
to listen to. Whatever other Concerns Paul
might have had of this church, and he had plenty. At the core,
their sin was pride. And Paul will move to show that
this pride was made evident by a series of contrasts between
the church in Corinth and her God-given leaders. I would, I’ve titled this the
arrogance of an unscathed church. Corinth wasn’t troubled from
without. They were living in a society
that really could not have favored Christianity since their deeds
were much maligned by Christ. And yet here was the Corinthian
church planted in the midst of Greek culture and they were flourishing.
They were welcome. But there was a disparity that
began to show up between this church and her leaders. And Paul
wants to show us this disparity in four portions. First of all,
the contrast of their positions. Look, if you would, at verse
8, where this sharp note of irony or sarcasm first presents itself. You are already filled. You don’t
need anything. You’ve already become rich. You
become kings without us. It’s sarcasm. Paul makes these
three statements that alone should have served to awaken the Corinthians
out of their proud stupor. In establishing this first contrast,
Paul begins with the consideration of the Corinthians themselves.
First, he acknowledges you’re already filled. And this word
is typically used to refer to being filled with food. But not
here. Here it’s referring to spiritual
blessings. You are full. You don’t need
anything, nothing even from God. In their neophyte minds, the
Corinthians were full to the brim of grace and spiritual knowledge. And not only had these Corinthians
arrived spiritually, they were already filled. Paul adds that
they were rich. Why they were even kings. Paul
just says it three different ways, really. Spiritually full,
spiritually rich and spiritually reigning. And though these believers
were but a few years old in the Lord, Paul consents that based
on their own attitudes and behaviors. They had already arrived spiritually,
at least in their own minds. They were completely self-satisfied. They didn’t need anything more.
They had nothing left to learn. They had no use for these spiritual
teachers, except for entertainment value of the rhetoric they provided.
They had arrived. They were rich. And as Paul says,
rich already, even in their Christian youth. In no time at all, they
were spiritually wealthy, well off. Paul is without a doubt
here speaking of spiritual riches. It’s an echo of his first sentence. Most astoundingly, still, they
were royalty. Not just any royalty, there were
so many kings flaunting their wealth and whatever it brought
with it. Status, power. Can you imagine? being in a church
like that. They’re behaving as if they’re
already residing in God’s very kingdom, complete with its banquets
and blessings. They’re already partakers of
God’s glory. They were royalty. They fancied
themselves as already having been seated next to Christ, reigning
with their Messiah. Now, such is promise to believers,
as Matthew records. Jesus promised, blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. God is
calling us into his own kingdom and glory, but those promises
are to those whom Jesus calls poor in spirit, humble. And at present, the Corinthians
were hardly humble. At the end of his life, Paul
told young Timothy that if we endure, we will reign with Christ. But he also told Timothy that
if we deny him, he will deny us. And at present, the Corinthians
were moving in the wrong direction. Hence Paul’s concern. And whereas
the Corinthian church was called to be rich in good works, they
were far from that as well. And note, if you would, at the
end of that third phrase, Paul subtly adds that they had done
all this without us. That is, without any help or
aid from their spiritual fathers and teachers, they did it all
by themselves. They had arrived, or so they
claimed. One faithful and godly forefather
in the faith challenged this thinking. when he said, piety
is an insatiable thing. Let’s just stop right there. Piety is an insatiable thing.
In other words, it’s never satisfied. No matter how godly you think
you are, that’s only an indication that you need to grow. Piety,
he says, is an insatiable thing, and it argues a childish mind
to imagine from just the beginnings that you have attained the whole.
and for men who are not even yet in the prelude of a matter
to be high-minded as if they had laid hold of the end.” He
says that describes the Corinthian church. They thought that they
had arrived, which really was an indication that they had hardly
begun. They had much growth to do. But the reality is that those
promised blessings reigning with Christ in glory, They’re for
all believers, not just a select few. And at present, Paul and
his co-laborers in the gospel were far from enjoying the blessings
of heaven. He’s going to give his testimony
next. Paul begins this contrast at
the end of verse eight. Glance at it if you would. Indeed,
I wish you had become king so that we might also reign with
you. I wish that we could be in your court. I wish I could
be one of your servants. But it hadn’t happened. Paul
is entertaining them. He’s toying with this idea. He’s
pointing out how arrogant they are. The very idea is thrilling
to Paul and to any believer, but it hadn’t happened yet. The
contrast consists of the presumptuous position of the Corinthians compared
with their actual position. The actual position of their
teachers were far from filled and rich, living as kings. Consider the reality of which
Paul speaks in verse nine. Glance at it if you would, for
I think God has exhibited us apostles last of all. As men condemned to death because
we had become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and
to men, compared to the Corinthians lofty status. Look at what Paul
admits of his own. Last, dead last, and condemned,
and condemned as a mere spectacle, the sport of those who would
look on. God, he says, has put he and his fellow gospel workers
on display. He has exhibited them for all
the world to see that the good news of Jesus Christ is well
worth the suffering that comes with it. That’s what Paul’s saying.
In the Roman Empire, it was commonplace to bring prisoners, especially
those who bore a death sentence, to bring them into the arena
for sport to fight wild animals, bulls and lions and such. Paul
says, That the the world has made such a show of preachers
of the gospel. Showing them off as spoil for
the sake of spectacle. A word taken from the Greek word
theatron, you heard it theater. Now at that time, the theater
was an outdoor arena, an amphitheater for watching some event or presentation. In other words, Paul says that
the world was using the apostles as a mere show, a macabre sort
of entertainment. Emperor Nero would soon unleash
his great persecution against the church. And the leaders and
proponents of Christianity were Nero’s primary targets. This
is likely what led Paul to express to this church near the end of
this letter that he and his companions were in danger every hour. In his second epistle, things
had seemingly gotten only worse. When he writes back to the Corinthians
in the opening chapter, he said that he and his workers were
burdened excessively beyond their strength so that we despaired
even of life. And yet, Paul says, that compared
to the Corinthians, this was his lot. It’s quite a contrast. And I would just tell you that
we need to be suspiciously watchful that we do not fall into the
trap of prioritizing and pursuing a path of ease in this life. We’re promised God’s grace in
this life, no matter our setting, but we’re never promised a trouble-free
life. Indeed, Christ warns of taking
the easy course of settling for the broad way of seeking riches
or honor to ourselves. Paul’s life was quite a contrast
to that which the Corinthians were living. But there are other
contrasts. Look, if you would, at verse
10, where Paul presents not only the contrast of their positions,
but secondly, the contrast of their judgment. In verse 10,
he says, we are fools for Christ’s sake. But you are prudent in
Christ. The second contrast presents
A familiar one in this epistle, fools, fools for Christ’s sake.
Paul has laid the groundwork in the opening chapter of this
epistle that the world considers the message of the gospel to
be foolish with its crucified Savior. Better, Paul counters,
to be a fool for Christ than to imbibe the so-called wisdom
of the world. Paul’s not afraid to be thought
as a moron. a fool for Christ. You might recall that the Greek
word for fool there is moros, moron. Paul wasn’t afraid as one who
had placed his faith exclusively in the message of the gospel,
forgiveness, salvation by the redemption that was accomplished
in Christ by his death on the cross, to preach such a savior,
to believe in such a savior, to suffer for such a savior,
the world counts as foolish. Ridiculous. When Paul was examined
by the Roman ruler Festus, upon hearing Paul’s testimony, he
chided him. Paul, you are out of your mind.
Your great learning is driving you mad. So be it, says Paul. He’s willing to be counted a
fool for Christ’s sake. In truth, Paul declared to the
Philippians that he was willing to count all things as lost for
the sake of Christ. But shockingly, not so the Corinthians. And here, too, there’s a contrast.
Rather than fools, they deem themselves to be prudent in Christ. You see, they saw things differently.
They desired to be wise in the world’s eyes. They didn’t want
to be seen as religious fanatics at odds with society, the Gentile
Greek culture in which they lived. And so they instead, they were
the real thinkers. They were the wise that carried
themselves shrewdly and sensibly in the midst of their enemies. But in reality, they were only
wise in their own estimation. Their affections were still on
the things of the earth. They had as they desired to have
a good relationship with the world. They placed great value
in pursuing worldly wisdom, so-called knowledge and power and influence. When Paul says that they were
prudent in Christ, he points to the fact that they were They
were willing to hold forth their Christianity only so far as it
would gain them a favorable consideration by others. They were held to be good people
and religious. He’s a religious guy. If this
were not so, why would Paul have said what he said in the opening
chapter? Would you turn back to chapter one just for a moment? Find verse 26. And let’s begin
there for consider your calling brethren. There were not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame
the wise. God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame
the things which are strong and the base things of the world.
And the despised God has chosen the things that are not so that
he may nullify the things that are back. If you would have chapter
four. They were entertaining the idea
of being wise and mighty and noble. All this before a world that
hated Christ. Jesus warned, didn’t he? Woe
when all men speak well of you. Christianity is supposed to rub
against the fabric of our society. And so they were just like those
about whom Paul speaks in Romans 11 and 12, wise in their own
estimation. They were doing it their way,
even if it wasn’t God’s way. But where was their labor on
behalf of Christ? Where was their commitment? Where
was their suffering? Where was their forsaking the
things of the world? People, we have to be ever watchful
that we are not slowly imbibing the so-called wisdom of the world.
We must regularly examine our priorities, our passions, our
affections, our thinking. Is it in light of scripture? I would say it this plainly. If we are not cultivating a biblical
mindset, then we are already adopting worldly wisdom. Still in verse 10, there’s a
third contrast. Would you glance? Not only a
contrast of their positions and a contrast of their judgment,
but a contrast of their stamina. We are weak, but you are strong. Paul leads off again by acknowledging
his own weakness and not only his, but of Apollos and their
fellow workers in the gospel, all of them. Early in chapter
two, Paul expressed his own timidity. That’s right. Paul was shy. Paul was fearful. Paul was weak. He said it this way, I was with
you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. What? That’s
not the Paul. Yes, it was. That’s the Paul
you know. We don’t think of Paul as a nervous
sort, do we? But that’s what he acknowledges
himself to be. Weakness, fear, even trembling. Whenever I’m encouraging someone
who is speaking in public for the first time, I tell them,
whatever you do, do not tell them you’re nervous. Typically,
the audience cannot detect much of that anyway. It doesn’t take away the nervousness
though, does it? So it was with Paul inside, he
was shaking, he was trembling on the inside as he preached
the gospel. But beyond basic human nervousness,
the preachers of the gospel were not in a position of strength.
They were not emotionally strong, politically strong, physically
strong. Their only source of strength,
real strength, was that which the Spirit of Christ provided.
The Corinthians, in contrast, Paul says, are strong. They were strong in and of themselves. They were strongly opinioned. They were strong by means of
their relationship with the unbelieving world. They were strong in their
political power because of it. They were strong in their social
skills, strong in their self-confidence. Where? In what? Or in whom is your strength? There’s a tendency to lean on
anything and everything, but almighty God in prayer. We lean
on visa. We lean on our own physical strength. We lean on others. We lean on
social or political power. And at times we lean on anything
but God. There’s a fourth contrast and
we find it at the end of verse 10. not only the contrast of
their positions, the contrast of their judgment, their stamina,
but fourth, the contrast of their social standing. And for this
one, Paul reverses the order. He says, you are distinguished,
but we are without honor. This time, as I said, Paul reverses
the order. In the first contrast, Paul began
with the Corinthians. And the second and third, he
begins with the apostles. And here again, he reverts to
a considerations of the Corinthians first. You are distinguished,
he says of them. His fourth contrast could really
be considered a result of the previous three. Because you present
yourselves in so high a position, even as fully supplied rich kings. That’s how you carry yourself.
Because you esteem yourselves as possessing the world’s wisdom
and because you’re maintained in a place of strength. They’re
supporting you. Because of that, you’re distinguished,
you’re set apart. Luke cites Jesus as using this
word to warn about those who are splendidly clothed, honorable
in that sense. Paul uses the word in Ephesians
5 in a much more positive way to speak about the hope of Christ
who one day will be presenting his bride, the church, in all
her glory. And so the word here just speaks
of an honorable, even an ostentatious reception by the world. The world
sees you and responds favorably. You are those who enjoy the accolades
of the world. It’s a good church. Even in the
world’s eyes, that’s a good church. He’s a good man. After all, you become powerful
leaders and members of factions. You’re confident that your group
is foremost. And you carry yourself in the
utmost of self-assured poise. Everywhere in town, everyone
you meet thinks and speaks well of you. He’s part of that church. You’re
the subject of good conversation with all the recipients, great
respect, while you’re even celebrated, such as your reception by the
world. Here again, there’s a contrast, isn’t there? It’s not so for Paul and his
companions. We, Paul says, are without honor. There are no parties
for us, no warm greetings for us, no accolades, just the opposite. We are despised, usually chased
out of the city with stones. But before you back away from
such uncouth treatment by the world, You should probably recall that
Jesus himself was without honor, hated, despised, even in his
own hometown. If you don’t like that treatment, I would even add that you don’t
love Christ. But if you’re a humble saint,
truly saved, living in Corinth, you’re a member in good standing
of Corinthian Bible Church, you’re totally caught off guard by this
language, by these contrasts that Paul has levied at you.
Sarcasm? Paul’s blows have all found their
mark. And if you’re in Corinthian Bible
Church, you’re bewildered, you’re shocked, you’re alarmed, and
maybe you’re even a little bit convicted, but you don’t even
really know why. What would make the apostle say
such things? Where did he ever get the idea
that we have it so good? The answer is context. Context. All these believers had to do
is look and observe at what their fellow believers who were serving
God’s kingdom, what were they enduring? Look and acknowledge that they
were not suffering as their brothers suffered. And so, absent of any such recognition
by the Corinthian church, he informs them of the challenges
that he and his fellow workers faced. We find the heartbreaking
list in verses 11 through 13 just briefly this morning. Here
it is that Paul provides the proof for the prevalent disparity
between them. that the workers of the gospel
were spectacles, foolish, weak and dishonored. And he gives
them proof. Look at verses 11 through 15.
To this present hour, we’re both hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed,
roughly treated, homeless. We toil, working with our own
hands. When we are reviled, we bless.
When we are persecuted, we endure. When we are slandered, we try
to conciliate. We have become the scum of the
world, the dregs of all things, even until now. Now, not a lot
of that needs much in the way of comment. Just a brief comment
on a few. Paul first speaks of these difficulties and the sufferings
that they faced. We’re both hungry and thirsty.
This was common with poverty. They didn’t have enough money
to eat. Poorly clothed, whatever clothing they had literally means
they were inadequate. They weren’t bare to the skin,
but they lacked a coat, they lacked a cloak, they lacked something
to keep them warm, Second Corinthians 1127, Paul recites that he’d
been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights and hunger
and thirst, often without food in cold and exposure. Well, that’s
quite a contrast to what the Corinthians were doing there
in the fair city of Corinth. They were roughly treated, Paul
says, physically assaulted. That’s what the word means. The
word is used of the treatment that our Savior received when
the arresting mob beat him with their fists. It’s the same exact word that’s
used in First Peter 120. What credit is there if you sin
and are harshly treated? You endure it with patience,
but when you do what is right and suffer for it, and you patiently
endure it, this finds favor with God. They were hungry. They didn’t have adequate clothing
and now they’re being punched in the face for preaching the
gospel. Homeless. I mean, that kind of
goes with it, doesn’t it? No fixed address, just wanderers,
vagrants, like their savior who had nowhere to lay his head.
Look at verse 12. We toil hard. Physical labor
is what this word means. And that whole thing was unseemly
to the Greeks. They wanted clean fingernails.
They didn’t want rough hands. Hard work was for slaves. Not for so-called leaders of
a church movement. Acts 18.3 records that Paul was
tent making. In Acts 20, he testifies to the
Ephesian elders, you yourselves know that these hands and I picture
him holding up his rough, ugly hands. These hands ministered
to my own needs and to the men who were with me. That’s a lot
of tense. Paul continues by speaking of
the response to some of these sufferings. How do they deal
with it? Look at verse 12 again. When
we are reviled, that is, when we are abused to our face, spit
upon, hit in some cases, called out in others, railed at, when
we are reviled, we bless. Huh? I’m just here to tell you
we don’t do that. We don’t do it enough. It’s the
same treatment that Christ endured in his arrest, isn’t it? Peter
says that while being reviled, he did not revile in return. Instead, Paul says we bless. Just as Christ said, pray for
those who persecute you. Do good to those who hate you. Look at the next line. When we
are persecuted, we endure. We overcome evil with good. When
we’re harshly treated, physically abused, we call out for God’s
grace, and we just put one step in front of the other. Well, to the Greek mind, this
would end it all. If somebody came in and presented
themselves as a religious leader, And they were just toughing it
out, just barely hanging on, not enough groceries, ragtag
bunch of men wandering into the city. Look at verse 13. When we are slandered, when people
say harmful lies, when they defame us, we try to conciliate. We
try to find peace. We try to find a place of reconciliation. We do not respond in kind. At the end, Paul just says that
we become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things,
next to nothing, worthless. I worked in the yard last week
and had a muddy shovel at the end of it. You ever had one?
In the Colorado clay, you dig in the mud long enough. It’s
clumped onto the shovel, and you can spray all you want. It’s
not coming off. You’re going to get down and
wash it off by hand and scrub it off with a tool. Paul says
that’s what we’re like. We’re the scum of the world.
We’re a muddy shovel. It’s bad enough that a man should
have to endure all of these things, poverty, abuse, hard labor, but
to do so willingly? For the sake of the gospel. That really brought down the
scorn of the world upon what they deemed as foolish. These are the sure indicators
of one of God’s servants, Paul says, not arrogance, but humbling
life experiences. The Corinthians faced and felt
none of that. And therein lay their problem.
This was the course that they were choosing. They were choosing
the easy way, the trouble-free path, the road of non-conflict. They were not weeping as their
brothers wept. They did not feel their pain.
They didn’t know implicitly their burdens. They didn’t labor with
them in prayer. They didn’t give sacrificially.
They didn’t endure what the gospel workers endured because they
did not want to do so. They preferred a life of ease.
They preferred a life of bliss. They preferred to fly under the
radar and not rock the boat, to work with the world, not against
her. Woe to the church that does likewise.
Jesus says that this world is not a friend to God or to his
people. To the contrary, Mark records
Jesus as saying, you will be hated by all because of my name.
Luke presents it even more fully. Blessed are you when men hate
you and ostracize you and insult you. and scorn your name as evil
for the sake of the Son of Man. If that’s your lot, you’re blessed. We may not ever face the full
fury of the world’s hatred, but we must never try to escape it.