Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.
- 1 Corinthians 4:6-13
Just before this passage, Paul talked about how we are to live as servants of Christ. We are not slaves; we do have the freedom to live how we want to. But as servants, we choose to be obedient to God and to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. Here, Paul shows the Corinthian church the contrast between how he and Apollos live in this way so that the people might learn from them.
Paul begins in verse 6 by explaining how he and Apollos are to be examples to the believers. He knows that the people will learn better through example rather than abstract teachings, so they have applied these concepts to themselves to the best of their abilities. But they are only examples; the people should still look to the Scriptures first – “Do not go beyond what is written.” This phrase in Greek contains the word commonly translated as “it is written,” which would imply the entire Old Testament as well.
If the believers do continue to follow Scripture, along with the examples of Paul and Apollos, then they will treat all equally, not treating one believer better than the other based on who they follow or how well they are living out the Christian life. They will not become prideful or conceited in their own Christian walk nor that of a teacher or leader that they are following. This is what Paul was talking about just before this in verse 5: “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”
Paul gives 3 rhetorical questions in verse 7. The Christians in Corinth were boasting about their talents, positions, etc. so Paul puts them in their place by reminding them that everything they have received came from God. Even if we have to work for things, our abilities still come only from God. Why do we boast as though we managed to do these things on our own without God’s help? Everything that we have is truly from God and we can’t take credit for any of it.
To emphasize this point further, Paul uses irony in verse 8 to highlight their boasting. The Corinthians think they have what they need and they think they are rich; they think they’re fully mature already rather than recognizing their need to humble themselves before God. They are acting like they’re in charge of things, which Paul identifies as “reigning.” Paul takes this one step further by sharing that even he and the other apostles aren’t even in that position yet! If the ones who are teaching them aren’t even that far along in their Christian walk yet, then the spiritually immature Corinthians are definitely not at that point.
In verse 9, Paul shares how it seems like God put the apostles on display as those who would be condemned to die in the arena. In the first-century Roman world, men condemned to death would be put on display and publicly killed in the Colosseum. The word Paul uses here translated as “spectacle” alludes to that, showing the level of humility that God has already given to the apostles. With the phrasing “us apostles” here, it is likely that Paul is including Peter, Barnabas, Apollos, and other prominent Christian workers associated with spreading their message.
Paul keeps the irony going in verse 10 when he lists a few strong contrasts: “We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!” Paul knows very well that he and the other leaders are much more spiritually mature than the Corinthian believers, though he is not boasting about that fact. Paul also knows that the Corinthians know they are less mature, which is why these statements are so powerful. If those who are actually wise are considered fools, how much more foolish are those who think they are wise but aren’t! The same applies to the contrasts of strength vs weakness and honor vs dishonor.
In verses 11-13, Paul makes sure that the Corinthians know the difficulties that he and the other leaders have gone through. He lists off physical discomforts they have experienced and then emotional ones, both of which are not easy for them to go through. For all of the verbal abuses they experienced – curses, persecution, and slander – he explains how they not only endure all of it but react in ways that are contrary to what the world says they should do.
This emphasizes that if your life is going well from an earthly perspective, that often does not come from following God. Being a believer and being obedient to God often cause what we see as difficulty in this life. Blessings do not necessarily indicate following God’s will, just as hardship and rough times do not necessarily indicate a lack of following God. Many who are still maturing in their faith often stop following God because they experience difficult times, but becoming “the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world” (verse 13) is how Paul knows that they are on the right track with following God. That resistance is the devil trying to stop them from fulfilling the mission that God has for them.
How is your life going? Are you prideful and boasting when you should be humble? Are you experiencing resistance in life because of living out the mission that God has for you? Do some self-examination this week and pray about how God is working in your life, and ask Him to correct your attitude where necessary so that you can be a better witness for Him.
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