1 Corinthians 4:8-13

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

Paul is speaking to the pride of the Corinthian church, comparing the willful humility of apostles to the haughtiness of lifting yourself up.

When I read verses 12 and 13, I take, “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure…” to mean, “When reviled, we have to bless; when persecuted, we have to endure…” and so on.

It seems as if Paul is viewing the pride of the Corinthians—how they view themselves akin to royalty—as a sort of baffled plea for a clear view of reality. As if he is saying, “You lift yourselves up against others while we have to bless people who revile us! You agree with the world, while we are persecuted and have to endure! You make friendship with sinners while we are slandered, then have to turn and entreat them! You view the Christian life like an avenue for self-ascension while we sit here the scum of the world, the refuse of all things!”

I think we all need to take a step back and view the condition of our hearts every so often. When God looks back on my life and judges my heart, will he say, “You did this and that, yes, but it was all to elevate yourself,” or will he say, “You endured for my name’s sake, well done”?