BIG IDEA:
BOASTING IN PARTICULAR PROMINENT PREACHERS DEMONSTRATES ARROGANT PRIDE AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY
INTRODUCTION:
Christians often play the game of “Look at whose camp I am in! We are followers of Dr. John MacArthur; we are disciples of C. J. Mahaney . . .” Even though the Apostle Paul and Apollos effectively taught the truth and were not trying to develop a personal following, the example of the Corinthians shows that believers can make the mistake of rendering undue praise to the preacher. The resulting schisms become a source of pride and competitive boasting. People become self-sufficient and complacent in their intellectual understanding and preoccupied with their own gifts and ministries rather than transformed by radical obedience to the Word of Truth that is being proclaimed. Instead of becoming more Christ-like, they become more arrogant and judgmental. They look with disdain at the humble sacrifices of servant leaders that are not bearing the type of externally impressive results that might be consistent with the world’s benchmarks for success. Paul employs scathing sarcasm to expose their self-deception.
Gordon Fee: The section is dominated by two themes: their pride (vv. 6–8, 10) and Paul’s weaknesses (vv. 9, 11–13), the clue to which lies with the final, intentionally devastating question in the first paragraph, “and if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not”?
Mark Taylor: The intent of the lengthy discourse regarding the cross and human wisdom has been to bring the Corinthians into conformity with what the Scriptures say about human wisdom (1:19,30; 2:9; 3:19–20), to reject all tendencies to become inflated with pride in human leaders, which has led to their rivalries and divisions. The Corinthian problem of arrogance must cease.
In light of their proud stance toward human leaders and their love of human wisdom, Paul offers a stiff rebuke in the form of stinging sarcasm. Apostolic suffering stands in sharp relief to the Corinthians’ pride. There are things that they need to learn from Paul and other apostles. Since genuine apostleship is measured according to the standard of the cross, Paul compares the present realities of apostolic service over against the present state of affairs in Corinth and by doing so shows just how far they have missed the mark. From their own point of view, they are full, rich, and reigning (4:8)! But to this frame of mind Paul sarcastically retorts, “How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!” The apostolic perspective is radically different. A life measured by the cross holds to a profoundly different standard. God has put the apostles on display as men condemned to die. In a series of emphatic contrasts Paul sizes up the Corinthians to see how they measure up to the cruciform way of life (4:10). Apostolic life is far from the ease and comfort coveted by the world; presently the apostles “have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world” (cf. 2 Cor 11:16–30).
Paul Gardner: Paul and Apollos as Models to Imitate (4:6–21)
I. The Corinthians Are Arrogant (4:6–8)
- They Set One Person above Another on the Basis of Gifts (4:6)
- They Fail to See That All Have Received Gifts from God (4:7)
- They Think They Have Arrived (4:8)
II. The Apostles Have Been Humbled by God (4:9–13)
- They Are like a “Spectacle” of Those Sentenced to Death (4:9)
- They Are to Be Contrasted Dramatically with the Elitists (4:10)
- They Suffer in Many Ways (4:11–12)
- They Are Regarded like Scum (4:13)
I. (:6-7) EXPOSING ARROGANT PRIDE –
IN LIFTING PREACHERS UP ON A PEDESTAL AND BOASTING IN ONE AGAINST ANOTHER
A. (:6) Exposing the Prideful Practice of Preferring Specific Prominent Preachers
Paul Gardner: Paul has shown how he and Apollos work in Christian ministry together. Paul has even been prepared to put himself in the dock by way of example in 4:3–5, not because the Corinthians were so antagonistic to him but because he wanted them to see the broader eschatological context of his ministry. How he fulfills his calling and uses his gifts will be judged by his Lord. So Paul now urges the Corinthians to think again. They should look at Paul and Apollos and see a theology of the cross, a theology that is humble. They should see men who are sometimes humiliated and understand that this is true discipleship. Anything less goes far beyond what Scripture ever tolerates or points toward.
- Reviewing How Christian Ministers Should be Viewed
“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied
to myself and Apollos for your sakes”
- (1:17) as messengers sent by God to preach the gospel (not to baptize a band of loyal followers)
- (2:1-5) as those preaching Christ crucified rather than relying on superiority of speech or wisdom
- (2:13) as those speaking Spirit-revealed thoughts in words taught by the Spirit
- (3:5-10) as servants and farmers and builders
- (4:1-2) as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God
Paul still considers them as brethren despite all of their flaws;
His goal is to edify them – not to tear them down
Robert Gundry: the figurative application of “these things” refers to the application there to Paul and Apollos of farmwork and temple-building as figures of speech for their evangelistic labors.
David Garland: is clear from all of these arguments about the meaning of μετασχηματίζειν is that Paul wishes to avoid upbraiding anyone in Corinth by name. By applying the argument to himself and Apollos, he makes it to be applicable to all leaders in the church. Chrysostom has a better feel for what Paul is doing. Paul assumes that the Corinthians esteem both himself and Apollos, and by using himself and Apollos as examples, he helps them to accept the lesson. Had Paul said, “As for you who deem yourselves so worthy of admiration and examine and judge others,” there might have been a knee-jerk resistance to his reprimand. Paul explicitly says in 4:14 that he does not wish to shame them and instead admonishes them as his beloved children. By using aliases rather than fingering the real culprits and by stressing that his depreciation of the role of leaders as servants extends also to himself (“What, then, is Paul?” 3:5), he allays potential resentment and makes it easier for them to swallow the medicine (Chrysostom, Hom. 1 Cor. 12.1; cf. D. Hall 1994: 145). Paul has persons other than Apollos in mind when he warns about how other workers build upon the foundation he laid—some using good materials, and others, shoddy (3:10–17). The Corinthians have an example in the harmonious relationship between Paul and Apollos (“in us”) and need to adjust their attitudes toward one another accordingly. In sum, he uses the example of himself and Apollos to help them learn how properly to evaluate the stature of leaders in the church.
- Renouncing the Schismatic Pride of Party Loyalties
a. The Apostolic Example = Don’t Go Beyond the Scriptures
“so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written”
The Sufficiency of the Scriptures – Sola Scriptura;
Anything beyond that where you try to enforce man-made rules and your own opinions and preferences is legalism.
Gordon Fee: In other words, in case they have somehow missed it, he now expressly tells them that he has been carrying on the argument with its various images about himself and Apollos so that they might learn something, and as a result desist from their current “pride in persons.”
David Garland: A fifth approach interprets it as a reference to the OT. This is the most likely solution because Paul uses the verb γέγραπται (gegraptai) thirty times, excluding 4:6, to introduce citations from Scripture and never anything else. To be sure, it is an unusual way to refer to Scripture. Some explain that it was possibly a slogan cautioning against any departure from Scripture and was a rabbinic adage (Robertson and Plummer 1914: 81; Ross 1970–71: 217), a phrase coined by Paul (Hooker 1963–64b: 132), or a phrase known or used by the Corinthians (Brun 1931). It could be a general reference to the spirit of the OT (Edwards 1885: 102): “that you learn by us to live according to Scripture” (RSV). But it is best to regard the saying as referring to the five quotations from the OT, all introduced by γέγραπται, cited in the first three chapters: [1:19, 31; 2:9; 3:19, 20].
Mark Taylor: If the Corinthians would live within the boundaries of Scripture, then they would not boast in men, the specific point made by Paul in 3:21 following the use of Scripture in 3:19–20.
b. The Apostolic Example = Ministry Teamwork not Ministry Competition
“so that no one of you will become arrogant
in behalf of one against the other.”
We need each other; don’t become arrogant and puffed up in preferring one over another;
Plurality of elder system of church government and multiple gifted men involved in the public teaching ministry should help to promote this spirit of teamwork
John MacArthur: Arrogant (phusioo) literally means to “puff up (KJV), inflate, blow up.” The term was used metaphorically to indicate pride, which is having an inflated view of oneself. Paul uses that word four times to describe the Corinthian believers (see also 4:18, 19; 5:2) and three other times to warn them against pride (8:1; 13:4; 2 Cor. 12:20). The meaning of pride basically is “I’m for me.” When everyone is pulling first of all for himself, fellowship and harmony are torn apart in the process.
Daniel Akin: (:6-7) — Paul continues to plead for unity in the church. His plea began in 1:10 and will conclude in 4:21. The Corinthians were in turmoil because they misunderstood the nature of the Christian message (the gospel of Christ and him crucified as the wisdom of God), the role of the Christian minister (a servant), and the attitude of the Christian minister (humility). Paul, one final time, will try to put the ministries of himself, Apollos, and the apostles in proper perspective. If he is successful, the church will unite for gospel advancement. If he fails, their witness will be compromised, and their future effectiveness will be fatally harmed.
Richard Hays: Having developed a series of metaphors for understanding the identity of the church and its relation to Paul and other leaders (3:5 – 4:5), Paul now shifts into a mode of literal explanation. No longer does he speak through figures; he explicitly discloses what he has been aiming at and confronts the Corinthians with the charge of behaving arrogantly. “The argument has reached the moment of truth” (Fee, 166).
Regrettably, the key transitional sentence (v. 6) contains several obscurities that have caused many readers to get bogged down and miss what Paul is saying. Presumably, the meaning was perfectly clear to the Corinthians; our problem is that we lack information that was taken for granted by Paul and his original readers. It is possible, however, to form a definite understanding of Paul’s meaning through a careful reading of the passage. . .
by speaking about himself and Apollos, Paul has been speaking metaphorically; in truth, he is driving at something else entirely. This is a critical point. It means that we will utterly misunderstand Paul’s argument if we think that the real problem at Corinth was a power struggle between Apollos and Paul. Everything Paul has said indicates in fact that the relationship between Apollos and himself is harmonious. Nor is there the slightest evidence in the context that Paul perceives any conflict with Cephas or his adherents. . .
The cumulative force of these [Scripture] citations is unmistakable: the witness of Scripture places a strict limit on human pride and calls for trust in God alone. What would it mean to go “beyond” (hyper) this witness of Scripture? It would mean, quite simply, to boast in human wisdom by supposing that we are, as it were, smarter than God. . .
The problem at Corinth is internal rivalry within the community, fostered by prideful claims about the possession of wisdom and rhetorical skill. The verb “puffed up,” a vivid image to describe the Corinthians’ problem with excessive self-esteem, appears here for the first time in the letter; we will meet it again in 4:18–19; 5:2; 8:1; and 13:4. (In the last two cases, the image is set in opposition to love). In Paul’s view those who are puffed up should be pricked and deflated by the witness of Scripture. Throughout the opening chapters of the letter, he has spoken with studied indirection about Apollos and himself as examples of authentic collaborative service, boasting only in the Lord, as Scripture teaches. The Corinthians should take the hint and “learn through us” what it means to live in accordance with Scripture. But just in case they have missed the point, Paul now makes it explicit (4:6–7): Stop boasting and competing with each other.
B. (:7) Exposing Underlying Attitudes of Arrogant Pride via 3 Simple Questions
Gordon Fee: The “for” that connects these questions with the beginning sentence (v. 6) indicates that Paul is about to give reasons — by way of rhetoric — why those who are “puffed up” against him are out of place. Their pride in persons reflects a lack of proper perspective, a lack of gratitude. The Fall has given us all too high a view of ourselves, with a correspondingly low view of others. Instead of offering humble thanksgiving for gifts received (see on 1:4), the Corinthians have allowed the gifts to become a sign of status and a source of dissension. With these questions, then, Paul is trying to help them regain perspective.
Richard Hays: The rhetorical questions in verse 7 ought to have a devastating impact on the wisdom-boasters.
- Attitude of Superiority
“For who regards you as superior?”
Mark Taylor: The sense of the phrase, in context, seems to be “Who elevates you to a place of rightful boasting? Who has given you the right to assume a position of such arrogance? Who makes these determinations about your exalted status?”
- Attitude of Ungratefulness
“What do you have that you did not receive?”
David Garland: Nothing is inherently theirs, so they cannot be arrogant and boastful (P. Marshall 1987: 205). They must learn to imitate Paul, who says, “What is Paul?” — merely a servant (3:5) who has been graced by God (3:10; cf. 15:10). Divine grace levels the ground for all and requires gratitude and humility in response. One cannot boast about being a worthy recipient of grace.
Mark Taylor: The second and third questions go together. Paul reminds them that there is absolutely nothing that they presently have that they did not receive. The question emphasizes the undeserved grace of God, which is the very ground of their existence in the first place. Everything they possess came from God (cf. 1:5; 3:10), which rules out all boasting. All that they have comes by virtue of their relationship to Christ (3:23). Paul has transformed the slogan “I belong to Paul” (1:12) to “Paul and others belong to you” (3:22) to “You belong to Christ” (3:23) to “You don’t have anything that you did not receive!” (4:7). The third question, “If you received it, then why are you boasting as though not receiving?” goes back to the heart of the issue of human wisdom and the theme of boasting (1:29–31; 3:21). To boast implies human achievement and fails to recognize the free grace of God.
- Attitude of Boasting in Self
“And if you did receive it,
why do you boast as if you had not received it?”
R.C.H. Lenski: The three questions asked in v. 7 are short and have the intention of puncturing their bubble of pride and the further intention of bringing the Corinthians down to the level of true Christian humility. But they needed still more.
Gordon Fee: In case they miss the point, Paul drives the second question home with a third, which assumes the answer “nothing” to the second: “And since you did receive it [i.e., it was neither deserved nor earned], why do you boast as though you did not?” Here is the telling word. Their “boasting” is sure evidence that they have missed the gospel of grace. Instead of recognizing everything as a gift and being filled with gratitude, they rather possessed their gifts—saw them as their own—and looked down on the apostle who seemed to lack so much. Grace leads to gratitude; “wisdom” and self-sufficiency lead to boasting and judging. Grace has a leveling effect; self-esteem has a self-exalting effect. Grace means humility; boasting means that one has arrived. Precisely because their boasting reflects such an attitude, Paul turns to irony to help them see the folly of their “boasting.
II. (:8-13) EXPOSING SELF-SUFFICIENCY –
THINKING YOU HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED WHILE DESPISING THE HUMBLE SACRIFICES OF GENUINE SERVANT LEADERS
A. (:8) The Delusion of Self-Sufficiency = A Wrong View of Their Own Condition — They Wrongly Thought They Had Already Arrived
Gordon Fee: As a contrast to the stance of gratitude and humility urged by the preceding rhetorical questions (v. 7), Paul now begins a series of antitheses between them and himself, to which shame is the intended and only suitable response. With three staccato sentences, the rhetoric punctuated by asyndeton, Paul goes straight to the heart of the matter. The words are full of biting irony, attacking their own view of themselves (cf. Rev. 3:17), which is at once true and false. It is true in the sense of what he affirmed in the opening thanksgiving (1:5) and will affirm again later on (12:13), that in Christ they have all drunk deeply of the Spirit and have been enriched with every kind of Spirit gifting. But such gifts must be forever humbling, since they finally lead to a discipleship that goes the way of the cross, not the way of a false triumphalism.
Daniel Akin: Paul is brutal in his sarcasm: “You are already full [ESV, “have all you want”]! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us.” But—and here is the brutal truth—Paul responds, “I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you!” (v. 8). He wished their perspective was correct. He wished the kingdom were present in all its fulness and glory. But it wasn’t. If they needed proof, they need only look at the apostles. Paul says, “For I think God has displayed [ESV, “exhibited”] us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die” (v. 9). The apostles were not first. They were last. They were not thriving. They were dying. And the deaths they were dying were not taking place privately or in secret, as what follows makes clear.
- Sarcastic Parody of Their Self-Sufficient Complacency
Laodicean Syndrome (Rev. 3:14-22)
Gordon Fee: The three verbs attack not just their pride in general, but specifically their view of spirituality, which reflects an “overrealized” eschatology. Paul’s perspective, which he shares with the rest of the NT writers, is one of “already but not yet” held in tension; theirs is one of “already” with little room for “not yet.” Having received the Spirit, they have already arrived; for them spirituality means to have been transported into a whole new sphere of existence where they are “above” the earthly, and especially “fleshly,” existence of others. Thus, “already you have all you want,” a verb that means to eat to the full. Not only do they boast in what is a gracious gift, but they are “satiated” with their gifts, including “wisdom.” “Already you have become rich!” (cf. 1:5), a second metaphor for spiritual giftedness. In both cases they are gifted indeed, but not in the way they think.
a. Resting in their satiated state – ignorant of their need
“You are already filled,”
b. Rich in their spiritual condition – blind to their poverty
“you have already become rich,”
c. Reigning in their own myopic millennium – deceived regarding their standing in the kingdom
“you have become kings without us;”
- Ultimate Goal = Co-Reigning . . . Not Lording it Over Others
“and indeed, I wish that you had become kings
so that we also might reign with you.”
Anthony Thiselton: It is no accident that in vv. 8-10 Paul employs a rhetoric of irony that takes up self-descriptions common to triumphalist, self-congratulatory, religious experience in a number of religious cults of the time. In Hellenistic-oriental cults converts could be overwhelmed by a new sense of power and status: “Many … felt that they could do anything: they were kings (1 Cor 4:8), they were in the Spirit, they were emancipated” (Nock, St. Paul, p. 174). That Paul is in fact using “biting irony” is demonstrated by his parenthesis, If only you did!
B. (:9-13) The Delusion of Self-Sufficiency = A Wrong View of the Ministry of Others — They Failed to Value the Apostolic Contribution
- (:9) Overall Summary: Dead Men Walking = a Spectacle for all to see
“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.”
Gordon Fee: The final sentence of the preceding verse sets up the contrasts of the rest of the paragraph, contrasts not only between them and himself, but also between their opposing views of apostleship—and discipleship. Paul has not in fact entered the time of reigning, and neither by implication have they. This latter point, however, is not his immediate concern. Rather, he first sets forth in its starkest form the evidence that he and the other apostles have not yet begun to reign. To do so he uses the figure of those condemned to die in the arena. We apostles are like them, he says, not like those who have the places of honor in the box seats.
David Prior: For people who, like the Corinthians, are concerned for their own status, reputation and popularity, authentic Christian ministry is immensely difficult to accept, let alone to embrace. The truth that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness gets through to us very slowly. To be a spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals (9) goes against the grain, because it means being constrained to live our lives under the critical, often scornful, scrutiny of all and sundry.
Adewuya: Paul continues the irony that began in verse 8. Paul replies that in his opinion — he speaks mildly, using the expression “it seems to me” — God has not placed the apostles in as great a position as the Corinthians think they themselves are in. The irony is that the Corinthians were trying to “reign,” while their spiritual fathers and examples were far from “reigning.” The Corinthian Church felt it had reached the pinnacle of spiritual attainment. The church was self-satisfied; so it was not aware of any spiritual hunger. They even thought that they have surpassed their teachers.
- (:10) Comparisons to Highlight the Difference Between Selfless Ministry and Ambitious Pride
Gordon Fee: The contrasts begun in the preceding sentences (vv. 8–9), in the context of eschatology, are now resumed in an extraordinary way. With three antitheses similar to those expressed earlier on (1:26), Paul sets the Corinthians and himself (and other apostles) in bold relief, again with total irony.
David Garland: “Wise” versus “fools” picks up the theme of the divine foolishness versus the foolish wisdom of the world (cf. 1:18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27). “Strong” versus “weak” picks up the theme of divine weakness versus the supposed strength of this world. Paul’s understanding of the relationship between weakness (1 Cor. 9:22) and God’s power emerges most clearly in 2 Cor. 11:30; 12:9; 13:4. Since Christ was crucified in weakness but lives by the power of God, those who are weak in him experience the same divine power (2 Cor. 13:4). The third antithesis, “esteemed” versus “dishonored,” recalls his assertion in 1:26–28 that God chose the dishonorable to shame the honored. The apostles’ spiritual status contradicts their sociological status (Schrage 1991: 343). If the Corinthians, however, are “wise,” “strong,” and “honored,” they must be kowtowing to the world’s standards, which brings into question whether they are truly Christ’s.
a. Fools For Christ
“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ”
b. Enduring Weakness
“we are weak, but you are strong”
c. Foregoing Honor
“you are distinguished, but we are without honor”
- (:11-12a) Catalog of Apostolic Sacrificial Sufferings for the Cause of Christ
“To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty,”
“and are poorly clothed,”
“and are roughly treated,”
“and are homeless;”
“and we toil, working with our own hands;”
Robert Gundry: The apostles’ “hunger[ing] and thirst[ing]” contrasts with the Corinthians’ being glutted like kings, comparatively speaking, with food and drink. The apostles’ “go[ing] naked” contrasts with the royal attire worn by the wealthy kings to whom Paul likens the well-dressed Corinthians. The apostles’ being “pummeled” by persecution as slaves were pummeled by their masters (1 Peter 2:20) contrasts with the unpersecuted Corinthians’ reigning like kings over others. The apostles’ being “unsettled” contrasts with the Corinthians’ king-like settledness in a palace, their palace consisting of the prosperous city of Corinth. And the apostles’ exhausting manual labor, despised as it was by the elite, contrasts with the Corinthians’ king-like uppitiness (whatever their actual occupations).
Paul Gardner: His list of sufferings is revealing. Today, to talk of “suffering for the gospel” tends to refer to persecution or occasionally to privations that missionaries make as they travel. But here Paul puts together all the sufferings that are related to his life as an apostle. In other words, he does not distinguish between grades of suffering. For example, the beatings are not more significant than having to work for his own support. He describes the general unpleasantness of life that distinguishes him from the well-honored citizen of Corinth, who would not be beaten and would not have to work with his own hands.
Craig Blomberg: Some of these result from hostility to the gospel, some from the arduous lifestyle of an itinerant minister in antiquity (cf. 2 Cor. 11:23b–29).
Gordon Fee: With these concluding sentences Paul now abandons irony for straight talk. This tribulation list, which spells out in detail the “dishonor” that attends Paul’s apostolic ministry, reflects a common phenomenon in antiquity. Such lists can be found elsewhere in Paul himself, as well as in Stoic philosophers, Jewish apocalyptists, Josephus, the Greek biographers and historians, and the later Gnostics (cf. also Heb. 11:33–38). What Paul has in common with such lists is the phenomenon itself, plus an incidental use of language here and there. The content of this list is adapted both to his circumstances as a missionary of the gospel of Christ and to his struggles with the Corinthians. The great difference between this list and its companions in 2 Corinthians is the didactic purpose of this one. As the following explanation (vv. 14–17) will go on to say, this is a model in kind, if not in specifics, of what the Corinthians also are to be.
David Garland: Time references (“until the present moment,” 4:11; “until this very day,” 4:13) frame a list of six hardships, three responses to abuse, and the conclusion stating how such abused persons must look to the world. The present is a time of suffering, not glory. Paul likens apostles to maltreated strangers (P. Marshall 1987: 211) and the have-nots. Their hunger and thirst (Phil. 4:12) contrasts the Corinthians’ satiety. Being “naked” (Rom. 8:35; 2 Cor. 11:27) is a hyperbolic reference to being “wretchedly clad” (Seneca, De beneficiis 5.13.3). Being “cuffed about” refers to being struck like a slave (cf. Mark 14:65; 1 Pet. 2:20); the blows are those “offered as insults . . . and accompanied by verbal abuse” (Fitzgerald 1988: 143 n. 89). Being homeless (cf. Matt. 8:20/Luke 9:58) identifies them as wanderers. A man who works with his hands is assumed by the elite to be toiling in lowly tasks that exclude any attention to higher things (Plutarch, Pericles 2.1). The verb κοπιᾶν (kopian) implies exhaustive labor.
- (:12b-13a) Godly Example of Righteous Response to Persecution
“when we are reviled, we bless;”
“when we are persecuted, we endure;”
“when we are slandered, we try to conciliate;”
David Garland: Though apostles are reviled, persecuted, and slandered, they respond as Christ did, with blessing, endurance, and conciliation (cf. Rom. 12:14; 1 Pet. 2:23; 3:9, 15–16). Like their Lord, apostles are objects of contempt, and Paul concludes the list with two almost synonymous terms of abuse that sum up the world’s opinion of apostles. Περικαθάρμα (perikatharma) refers to that which is removed by cleaning—the filthy residue or scum (Thiselton 2000: 364). Περίψημα (peripsēma) refers to the scrapings that are scrubbed off something, and Thiselton (2000: 365) translates it as “the scrapings from everyone’s shoes.” These are popular forms of self-deprecation (cf. Ign. Eph. 8:1; 18:1; Barn. 4:9), but many have noted that the words were used for human victims in rituals designed to ward off evil through an expiatory sacrifice. Worthless persons, such as condemned criminals, were chosen to be sacrificed vicariously for the purity of a city (McLean 1996: 107; cf. Lietzmann 1949: 21, 173; Hauck, TDNT 3:430–31; Stählin, TDNT 6:84–93; Barrett 1968: 112–13; Hanson 1974: 32–36; P. Marshall 1987: 213). Stählin (TDNT 6:90–91) offers four arguments for this connotation in this context:
(1) the association of πάντων (pantōn, of all) with an individual or individuals perishing for a whole city;
(2) the connection of the verb γίνεσθαι (ginesthai) to the language of the formula pronounced over the victim to transfer guilt;
(3) the affinity of the image with the description of apostles being a public spectacle (4:9); and
(4) the idea of the accursed conveying a blessing to their persecutors.
The word picture would depict the apostles as looking like scapegoats and despised sin-offerings; but, in truth, they are bearers of reconciliation for the world and give their lives for the good of all persons. Hauck (TDNT 3:431) thinks that this image would suggest that they are an “expiatory offering, that which is contemptible, and that which is to be thrown out.” Conzelmann (1975: 90 n. 49) argues, however, that the phrase as “near death” cancels out this interpretation, since the apostles do not die, and that Paul simply applies common terms of abuse to the apostles. Frequently, it is impossible to know exactly what associations words might have had in the minds of authors and listeners. I translate these terms simply as reproaches but allow that Paul might have intended to evoke pictures of vicarious suffering for others.
- (:13b) Complete Rejection by the World
“we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things,
even until now.”
Gordon Fee: These concluding words hold together as a single piece, beginning and ending on the same note: “To this very hour/up to this moment.”
Craig Blomberg: Verse 13b introduces a measure of hyperbole. Ironically, the Corinthians’ view of Paul too frequently matches that of the non-Christian world. “Scum” and “refuse” both refer to that which is removed by a process of cleaning — dirt, filth, garbage. Some have tried to see allusions to sacrificial language of the Old Testament here but these are not demonstrable. “Up to this time” comes at the end of the sentence in Greek and closes this paragraph by implying that the fullness of the kingdom has not yet arrived, contrary to the claims of many in Corinth. In short, whereas the Corinthians think that their relatively prosperous conditions reflect God’s blessing, Paul points to his sufferings for the sake of the gospel as a more accurate measure of Christian faithfulness.
Mark Taylor: The world’s opinion of the apostles may be summed up in two phrases, translated by the NIV as “scum of the earth” and “refuse of the world,” terms used metaphorically for anything contemptible. Apostles were regarded by the world as the most detestable of all people, but, as such, the apostles incarnated the scandal of the cross.
John MacArthur: Verses 9-13 can be summarized by four words: spectacles, fools, sufferers, and scum. Those words describe Paul’s condition in contrast to what the Corinthians considered their condition to be. They thought they had everything in themselves; he knew he had nothing in himself.
Richard Hays: In a sense, Paul is throwing down the gauntlet for his readers. If you really want to belong to Christ, he says, look at me: this is where it leads, this is what it looks like. This is a powerful word for the church in our time. To belong to Christ is not a way of assuring success or a trouble-free life; quite the opposite. Paul had a successful life before he was called by God to his apostolic vocation; to become a proclaimer of Christ crucified meant giving all that up (cf. Phil. 3:4–11). The image of the suffering apostle should be held clearly before our eyes, and then we should ask ourselves: Are we sure we want to belong to Christ and share his way?