June 16 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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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.

Today we will continue our study of Paul's rebuke of the Corinthian believers. He has used irony and sarcasm with them in verses 8-10. He now moves away from the sarcasm and shows the reality of what the apostles' lives were like. He closed verse 10 by saying that they were despised. In verse 11 he gives a list of problems that he, and others faced for the cause of Christ. He writes that they were hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, and basically homeless. The verb tense used indicates that this was their continual experience throughout their ministries. In II Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul enumerates his own experiences:

"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."

Verse 12 states that in spite of these difficulties the apostles continued to labor. Not only did they labor in ministry, but they also labored with their hands. They were willing to do physical work to support themselves. Paul tells the believers in I Corinthians 9:6 that he and Barnabas had the right to be taken care of by the church (Galatians 6:6), but chose to support themselves through their own work so that no one could accuse them of taking advantage of those they preached to (II Thessalonians 3:8). They were often reviled. "Revile" means to verbally abuse, vilify, or speak in a highly insulting manner. It implies an abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred. Once again, the verb tense indicates that this was an ongoing occurrence in Paul's life. However, when they were reviled, they responded with blessing. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 5:44,

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

"Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously".

"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not" (Romans 12:14).

Verse 13 adds that the apostles were defamed. The Greek word used here is the word for "blasphemed". People spoke evil against them. When this happened, rather than return evil for evil, they "intreated". The word translated "intreat" is normally translated "comfort" or "exhort", or "beseech". It is the word for the "Comforter", Who is the Holy Spirit. The apostles tried to console and pray for those who said evil things about them. They did not try to defend or justify their actions, but committed the slanderers to God. And they undoubtedly exhorted them to receive Christ as Savior. Paul concludes by stating how the world viewed him and the other apostles. "Filth" refers to refuse or garbage, and "offscouring" is that which has been scraped off of a plate. They were considered to be the dregs of society and the scum of the earth. Yet they persevered. Why? Paul tells us in Philippians 3:8:

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."

What are you willing to endure in order to serve Christ?