June 15 Click on verses for Full Scripture

previous - - - - - - - - - - next

Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 4:8-13 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

We began looking at this passage yesterday. We saw that Paul is using sarcasm with the Corinthians; telling them that they are full, rich, and reigning as kings when in fact they were immature and prideful. Their condition is similar to the church at Laodicea, to whom God said in Revelation 3:17,

"Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

In verse 9 Paul seems to be alluding to the Roman gladiatorial games. The phrase "hath set forth" was used by the Romans to describe bringing a man into the arena where he was going to die. Men such as these were usually criminals and captured prisoners, and were considered to be the dregs of society. Paul then writes that the apostles were set forth "last, as it were appointed to death". John MacArthur wrote,

"This imagery is of condemned prisoners brought into a Roman arena to fight and die; the last ones brought out for slaughter were the grand finale. In His sovereign wisdom God chose to display the apostles figuratively before men and angels during the present age as just such worthless and condemned spectacles. Like doomed gladiators, they were ridiculed, spit on, imprisoned, and beaten; yet, God glorified His name through them as He used them to build His kingdom."

In verse 10 he writes that he and the other apostles were considered to be fools because they followed Christ. His sarcasm returns when he writes, "but ye are wise in Christ". The Corinthians saw themselves as possessing all the wisdom that they needed and, as we have seen before, much of that was worldly wisdom. Paul then speaks of how weak he and the other apostles were when compared with the strength of the Corinthians. In the eyes of the world Paul was weak, and thus it mistreated him. The Corinthians saw themselves as strong. Yet the truth is that the apostles were the strong ones. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 12:9-10,

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

We will continue looking at this passage tomorrow. But for now, who finds you wise, strong and honorable; the world or the Lord?