Lessons #123 and 124
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Understanding the sufferings of the apostles (1 Cor 4:8-13)
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10 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! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
The message of 1 Corinthians 4:8-13 that we are considering is that You should endeavor to understand the sufferings of ministers of God’s word when they occur and respond properly. We previously stated that there are three factors that affect improper understanding of apostles’ sufferings among the Corinthians. The first is a feeling of spiritual and perhaps material self-sufficiency at any given time. The second is ignorance of status of the apostles as those who must suffer but with right attitude. This second factor is based on 1 Corinthians 4:9. We interpreted the first sentence it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena to mean that Apostle Paul perceived the suffering by the apostles as inevitable since that is their lot assigned by God due to their position as apostles. But then because of the phrase us apostles we asked the question regarding those Apostle Paul referred in the word apostles. To answer the question, we started to review our study in Ephesians where we dealt with the question of who the apostles were. We did not finish the review, so we complete it now before further consideration of the question regarding those Apostle Paul had in mind in the word apostles in 1 Corinthians 4:9.
Be that as it may, there is another issue to consider while we are dealing with the word “apostle;” it is whether apostleship is a spiritual gift or an office. This question is important for several reasons. There are those who consider it as a gift and so argue that it has ceased. Another reason is that it is associated with the word “prophets” in Ephesians 2:20 and we know that prophecy is a spiritual gift therefore it will be necessary to determine if apostleship is a spiritual gift or an office.
The word “apostleship” appears four times in the Greek NT and three of these by Apostle Paul. In all occurrences of the word, it refers to an office and not a spiritual gift. The first usage of the word “apostleship” was in connection with filling the position that was left vacant among the Twelve by death of Judas Iscariot, as we read in Acts 1:25:
to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."
The verbal phrase to take over this apostolic ministry of NIV is more literally to take the place in this ministry and apostleship. This is because the word “apostolic” of the NIV is translated from a Greek noun (apostolē) that refers to the role of one who has been commissioned and sent as a special messenger and so means “office of a special emissary, apostleship, office of an apostle, assignment.” It is clear from the context that Peter meant the office Judas left. When Paul first used it in his epistles to the Roman’s, the sense is either that of an office or assignment, as we read in Romans 1:5:
Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
In this passage, the Greek word translated apostleship may probably be better rendered “assignment.” In this way, Paul is asserting that he received grace and the assignment to preach the gospel to Gentiles. Similar understanding of the Greek word appears in Galatians 2:8:
For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.
The clause For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews of the NIV is more literally for the one who was at work through Peter for his apostleship to the circumcision. The literal phrase for his apostleship to the circumcision is better understood as for his assignment to the circumcision. The third usage of the word by Paul is in 1 Corinthians 9:2:
Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Still, another reason it is important to determine if apostleship is a gift or an office is because apostles were listed when Apostle Paul discussed spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28:
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
The mention of the apostles here may cause some to think that apostleship is a spiritual gift, but it is not. If you notice the first four items mentioned in verse 28 refer to persons. However, except for apostles, we can link each person to a spiritual gift associated with the person. For example, to a prophet we can associate gift of prophecy, to a teacher the gift of teaching and to workers of miracles to gift of miraculous power mentioned earlier in verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 12, where also the gift of prophecy was mentioned. Of course, the gift of teaching is not mentioned in the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians, but it is mentioned by the apostle in Romans 12:6-7:
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
The point is that because the term “apostles” was mentioned in connection with spiritual gifts does not mean that apostleship is a spiritual gift. So, to assert that the gift of apostleship has ceased is meaningless since there is no such gift to begin with. It is another thing to assert that apostolic office has ceased.
We have considered to some detail the word “apostle”, so we return to answer the question we posed in connection with 1 Corinthians 4:9 which is; who are the apostles in view in our passage? The answer is that the word “apostles” is used to describe all those special messengers who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ during the early period of the church but with emphasis on those who functioned in Corinth, namely, Paul and Apollos. This would be how Apostle Paul used the Greek word translated “apostle” in our passage of study. We can understand this interpretation because in the context of 1 Corinthians 4:9, Apollos and Paul have been identified as the ministers of God’s word among the Corinthians but both men were not among the Twelve but clearly, they were those that God sent to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In any case, the second factor that affects improper understanding of apostles’ sufferings among the Corinthians is, as we stated, ignorance of status of the apostles (and so all ministers of God’s word) as those who must suffer but with right attitude. There are two elements to this second factor: inevitable sufferings and right attitude. We have considered the element of inevitability of sufferings of the apostles as the interpretation of the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 4:9 it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. Therefore, we need to consider the second element of right attitude. The detailed treatment of right attitude of the apostles is given in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13 but that concept of right attitude is introduced in the second sentence of 1 Corinthians 4:9 We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. It is not apparent that this sentence is concerned with the right attitude of the apostles towards suffering and so we need to demonstrate that it is. But before we do, we should recognize that the second sentence is indeed a clause that although conveys the concept of attitude, but it gives the reason for stating in the first sentence of the verse that the apostles were destined to suffering. It is difficult to see this explanation based on the translation of the NIV since its translators did not translate a Greek conjunction that begins the sentence in the Greek. The Greek of this second sentence begins with a Greek word (hoti) that has several usages. It may be used as a marker of narrative or discourse content, direct or indirect, in which case it may be translated “that,” as Apostle Paul used it to indicate to the Galatians that the gospel he preached, is not something a human being concocted, as indicated in Galatians 1:11:
I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.
The meaning “that” may also be used as a marker of explanatory clause as Apostle Paul used it to explain his effort towards advancing spiritually in Philippians 3:12:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
The Greek word may be used as a marker of causality with the meaning “because, since” as it is used by Apostle John to provide a test for being saved in 1 John 3:14:
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:9, it is used in the causal sense so that it is used to provide reason or justification of the assertion of Apostle Paul regarding being like those condemned to death. In other words, the apostle used it to explain the basis of believing that God displayed the apostles as those who are condemned to death.
Be that as it may, the second sentence of 1 Corinthians 4:9 is intended to provide not only the justification for the apostle’s first sentence but also to introduce the concept of the right attitude of the apostles regarding suffering in the sentence We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. Literally, the Greek reads because we became spectacle to the world and to the angels and to men. On a surface reading, as we stated previously, it does not appear that this sentence introduced the concept of right attitude in suffering but that that is the case is to be ascertained by examining of the Greek words used.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
It is with the meaning “to be performed” that it is used to describe the healing of a crippled man, as narrated in Acts 4:22:
For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
The description in the NIV the man who was miraculously healed is more literally the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed. The word may mean “to be born” as it is used to describe the virgin birth in Galatians 4:4:
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
The word may mean “to happen, turn out, take place” which is the sense in which our word is used to describe the benefit of honoring parents in Ephesians 6:3:
“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
The verbal phrase may go well may be understood as may turn out well although literally the Greek reads may be well. The word may mean to experience a change in nature and so indicate entry into a new condition, that is “to become something” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to express his apprehension that his ministry among the Thessalonians should become useless, as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 3:5:
For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.
The Greek word may mean to come into a certain state or possess certain characteristics and so it may mean “to be, become, show oneself, prove to be” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to reference his and his team’s conduct among the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 2:10:
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
The clause we were among you may, according to the standard Greek English lexicon (BDAG), be translated we proved/showed ourselves … toward you. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:9, the word is used in the sense of “to become something”, that is, “to enter or assume a certain state or condition.” The thing Apostle Paul stated that the apostles have become is given in the NIV with the word spectacle.
The word “spectacle” is translated from a Greek noun (theatron) that is related to a Greek verb (theatrizō) that means “to put to shame, expose publicly” as it is used in Hebrews 10:33:
Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.
That aside, the Greek noun (theatron) used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:9 may mean “theater” as a place for the presentation of dramatic and other spectacles as well as for public assemblies as it is used to describe the place people rushed to seize Paul’s traveling companions, as narrated in Acts 19:29:
Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater.
The word may mean what one sees at a theater hence “a play, spectacle.” The Stoics used this meaning to express the thought that the sage or wise man in conflict with destiny is a spectacle for gods and men. It is in this second sense that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:9. The word reminds us of Job whose sufferings were a spectacle to angels and people. By human standard, the Greek word is not a proud one, but a sorry and contemptible one since it involves a brave man fighting misfortune on his own power or heroism to the pleasure of the gods. The apostle used the word similar to the thinking of his time. However, we should make a distinction between how the Stoics used the word and that of the Scripture. According to the TDNT, in the Stoics’ use, deity is a spectator of the battle with misfortune which man himself fights in the proud autonomy of his heroism. But in the Scripture, God is the author of the weakness of His apostles, which, because it is of God, is true, so that the spectators think they see something quite different from that which is really enacted in the theater of this world. Thus, those unbelievers who watch the sufferings of the apostles would not understand that their unflinching attitude in the face of suffering or persecution was not something that comes from them but from God who empowers them. They may observe that cheerfulness of the apostles as they struggle through suffering because of their faith but these unbelievers would not recognize that it is because of the enabling ministry of the Holy Spirit that they show the kind of reaction to their suffering that they observe. It is this observation of the cheerfulness of the apostles that enables us to understand the second sentence as being concerned with attitude. Anyway, the apostles handled their suffering well because they also understood that it is their lot to suffer for Christ. A good example of this is the rejoicing of the apostles when they were beaten because of preaching of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Acts 5:40–41:
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
We indicated that unbelievers would misunderstand the fortitude of the apostles in the face of suffering for Christ because they are part of the spectators to the suffering of the apostles although they would be unable to understand. However, the spectators include angelic beings. It is this inclusion that is conveyed in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 4:9 to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. Literally, the Greek reads to the world and to the angels and to men. The rendering of the NIV is quite good in that its translators imply that angels and men describe what is meant by the universe that form the spectators in the passage since they used “a comma” that could be taken as giving a pause to provide an explanation. Assuming that that was the intent of the translators of the NIV, we will demonstrate that their translation is good although needs further elaboration by considering the Greek words used.
The word “universe” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (kosmos) that may mean “earth, world” in contrast to heaven as Jesus used the word to describe His mission in John 18:37:
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
It may refer to the system of practices and standards associated with secular society (that is, without reference to any demands or requirements of God) hence means “world system, world’s standards, world.” It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used it in Galatians 6:14:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
It is this sense of a world characterized by sin and practices contrary to God’s word that the apostle used our Greek word translated “world” in Ephesians 2:2:
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
The Greek word translated “world” may mean “the universe,” that is, creation in its totality as in Philippians 2:15:
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
The word may mean “the world “as the habitation of humanity, as in 1 Timothy 6:7:
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
The Greek word translated “world” may mean “totality, sum total” as that is the sense of the word in James 3:6:
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The phrase a world of evil may be translated the sum total of iniquity. The word may mean that which serves to beautify through decoration, hence means “adornment, adorning” as it is used in 1 Peter 3:3:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
The word may mean “the world” as a reference to humanity in general as in 1 John 4:14:
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
Jesus Christ came to save humanity not the planet earth so that the word “world” in this passage refers to “humanity.”
We have noted the various meanings of the Greek word (kosmos) translated “world” in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:9, so the issue is to determine the sense of the word in our passage. It is used in the sense of to the sum total of all beings above the level of the animals, meaning the universe of intelligent beings. Of course, the meaning of “universe” of the NIV may refer to the place of residence of angelic beings and the earth as place of residence of humans. To be more precise, the Greek word should be understood to mean “universe” in the sense of describing intelligent beings of God’s creation above the level of animals.
The word “angels” in 1 Corinthians 4:9 is translated from a Greek word (angelos) that basically means “messenger.” It can refer to a human messenger serving as an envoy hence “an envoy, one who is sent or messenger” as it is used to describe those the Lord Jesus sent ahead of him to Samaria in Luke 9:52:
And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;
The messenger may be a transcendent being who is sent by God to carry out specific mission or task hence means “angel, messenger” as the being sent to rescue the apostles from jail, as recorded in Acts 5:19:
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
The word can refer to fallen angels as in 2 Peter 2:4:
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
In our passage, the word is used to describe all angelic beings both the elect and fallen although some interpret it either as refence to good (elect) angels or bad angels (fallen). We should comment briefly on angels because of our use the words “elect” and “fallen.”
The word “elect” that we used is one Apostle Paul used to describe angels in 1 Timothy 5:21:
I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
The use of the adjective “elect” would suggest that there were some angels that were not chosen by God to be in final association with Him and we will say more about them later but for the moment, our concern is with the elect angels. These are angels who are indeed obedient messengers of God as implied by the psalmist in Psalm 103:20:
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Thus, they are used of God to declare His will and purpose. Consequently, they functioned as mediators regarding the Law as we may gather from Acts 7:53:
you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”
Elect angles serve believers, as indicated in Hebrews 1:14:
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Although they serve us, but they fully do not understand our salvation, as indicated by their curiosity referenced in 1 Peter 1:10–12:
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
As messengers of God, the elect angels carry out several functions related to the plan and work of God. They may be dispatched to reveal God’s will as in the announcement of the birth of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 1:20:
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Elect angels could be used to provide deliverance as well as to deliver God’s message as in the time of the release of the apostles from jail in a previous passage, we cited partially, that is, Acts 5:19–20:
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
An elect angel was dispatched to give Philip, the evangelist, instruction regarding the Ethiopian eunuch he needed to present the gospel, according to Acts 8:26:
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
An elect angel was dispatched to provide encouragement to Paul as he and the passengers in the ship taking him to Rome faced ship wreck, as given in Acts 27:23–24:
23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’
It is true that elect angels are used in ways that are quite beneficial to the elect of God who are humans, but they also are used of God for judgment as in the two angels that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, as they testified in Genesis 19:13:
because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
Anyway, the Scripture describes some of the activities of the angels as it relates to them being God’s messengers, but we do not have much information about their existence in heaven other than they are many and two of the angels are mentioned in our Scripture. The archangel Gabriel is mentioned in Luke 1:19:
The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
The archangel Michael is mentioned in Jude 9:
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Hence, we should recognize that elect angels are real spirit beings God created.
The fallen angels are spirit beings who sinned against God as implied by the fact that God charged them of sin or error in Job 4:18:
If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error,
The fallen angels are led by Satan and so they are described as his angels in Matthew 25:41:
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
These fallen angels although not explicitly stated are the beings described as “demons” or “evil spirits” in the Scripture, as for example, in Mark 7:26:
The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
These fallen angels are those who are in constant spiritual warfare with the elect of God, as conveyed in Ephesians 6:10–13:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Many of these fallen angels are for the moment free to roam the universe but others are being held in a temporary prison, as implied in Jude 6:
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
These fallen angels would eventually be thrown into the lake of fire with all the other fallen angels as implied by throwing of Satan in the lake of fire, as stated in Revelation 20:10:
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
It is true the word “evil spirits” or “demons” is not used in this passage in Revelation but it is implied that the demons or evil spirits would also be thrown into the lake of fire based on the previous passage we cited in Matthew 25:41 where we are informed that Satan and his angels would be in the lake of fire. That aside, it is our interpretation that the angels mentioned in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 4:9 to angels as well as to men should be understood as referring to both the elect and fallen.
The word “men” is translated from a Greek word a Greek word (anthrōpos) that may mean “a human being” without regard to gender, as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that he and his apostolic team did their best to commend themselves to the conscience of every human being or person specifically in Corinth, as recorded in 2 Corinthians 4:2:
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
The word may mean a male person, that is, “a man” as Apostle Paul used it in his recommendation regarding marriage in 1 Corinthians 7:1:
Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
The word may mean “a person, someone” although some English versions used the word “man” in their translation as Apostle Paul used it in referencing justification by faith in Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
Justification is for both men and women so that the phrase a man is to be understood as “a person,” hence the NRSV simply used the phrase a person. The word in some contexts is used in idioms with several meanings. For example, it may mean “self” when it is used with a Greek adjective (palaios) that means “old” in describing a pattern of behavior as Apostle Paul used it to instruct believers to behave differently than they did as unbelievers in Ephesians 4:24:
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The phrase your new self is literally the new man. Likewise, it may be used to describe the inner being of a person so may mean “being” as the apostle used it in Ephesians 3:16:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
The phrase inner being is literally inner man. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:9, the Greek word is used in the sense of a human being, that is, a person.
Be that as it may, Apostle Paul in the literal Greek sentence became spectacle to the world and to the angels and to men meant to convey that the spectators that were watching the sufferings of the apostles and their attitude towards them is the entire world of angels and humans. Recall that we indicate that the Greek word that literally means “world” in 1 Corinthians 4:9 has the sense of the universe as reflected in the translation of the NIV although we indicated that it is to be understood as the sum total of all beings above the level of the animals, meaning the universe of intelligent beings. This being the case, the apostle proceeded to explain the beings that constitute the universe of spectators as consisting of angelic beings and human beings. That the phrase of 1 Corinthians 4:9 to angels as well as to men in the NIV is to be understood as explaining or defining what the apostle meant in the Greek word means “world” or as we have indicated “universe” is provided by the conjunction and in the literal translation that was not translated in the NIV. The conjunction “and” is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) that is often translated “and” in the English. However, the word has several other usages. It may be used as a marker to introduce a result that comes from what precedes the clause that follows it and so it may be translated “and then, and so.” The word may be used as a marker to indicate an additive relation of a clause that is not of equal significance with the clause or sentence which precedes it and so means “also, likewise.” It may be used as a marker of explanation of what precedes it in which case it may be translated “that is, namely.” It is in this sense that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 4:9. In other words, as we have indicated, the apostle wrote the word “world” as being involved in observing the apostles’ sufferings but that may not be clear as to what he meant so to explain what he meant, he mentioned the spectators that consist of the world he meant, that is, that he meant the spectators consist of angelic beings and humans. In any event, the second factor that affects improper understanding of apostles’ sufferings among the Corinthians is, as we stated, ignorance of status of the apostles (and so all ministers of God’s word) as those who must suffer but with right attitude. Their problem could apply to us if we do not properly understand the suffering of those who preach the word of God when they are persecuted or when the face unusual challenges associated with their function as ministers of God’s word. It is a mistake to think that those who are ministers of God’s word should be free of sufferings or troubles of this life. In fact, in some cases, they may suffer greatly and be killed because of their ministry of God’s word. Read about pastors in many parts of the world that are suffering and are killed because of their faith as reported in various missionary magazines such as the Voice of the Martyrs and you will understand that it is lot of these minister to suffer for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.