Lessons #127 and 128
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+ 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. +
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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. To expound on this message, we indicated it implies that there are specific responsibilities you are to undertake. The first is guarding against factors that affect improper understanding of ministers’ sufferings as given in our passage of study. These factors are a feeling of spiritual and perhaps material self-sufficiency at any given time; ignorance of status of the apostles as those who must suffer but with right attitude; and improper contrasting of self and ministers of God’s word. The second responsibility that we considered in our last study is to understand that the sufferings of ministers of God’s word may involve physical deprivation and bodily pain. This responsibility we derived from the narration of Apostle Paul and his team’s experience of suffering physical deprivation and bodily pain. His experience of suffering is described as deprivation of the essential elements necessary to sustain the human body, that is, food and drink. The second experience is described in terms of the deprivation of protection for the body that consist of clothing and shelter. The third experience is that of physical pain inflected on the body from maltreatment that includes beating. So, we proceed to consider the third and the last responsibility you have regarding the message of this passage. But before we get to this, we should recognize that Apostle Paul states what follow that will form the third responsibility in an emphatic or surprising manner.
The reason we indicate the apostle states what follow in a surprising and even emphatic manner is that verse 12 begins with a Greek conjunction (kai) that is not translated in the NIV and many of our English versions probably to indicate that the apostle is beginning new topic. That notwithstanding, the Greek conjunction has several usages but two of these are possible candidates in our passage. It may be interpreted as connecting an additional idea to a previous idea in which case it may be translated “and” as done in some of our English versions. Another possible interpretation is to take the Greek conjunction as emphasizing a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy and so may be translated “and yet, and in spite of that, nevertheless.” Although none of the English versions that I consulted followed this interpretation, it is this second interpretation that was probably in the mind of the apostle. We say this because what he wrote next in verses 12 and 13 are things that one would not expect of someone who is homeless or someone who is being maltreated by others. It is for this reason that we believe the Greek conjunction is used to emphasize that what the apostle writes next is surprising and so worthy of note or emulation as we will examine shortly.
Be that as it may, the third and final responsibility that you have regarding the message of this passage is to imitate the attitudes of the apostles towards hardship and sufferings. There are two major attitudes that you should imitate: their hard work and their responses to mistreatments. We begin with their attitude towards work as stated in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 4:12 We work hard with our own hands. This sentence is concerned with the work ethics of Apostle Paul and his team and certainly that of the other apostles as well.
The apostle informs us that when he and his team work, they gave it all they had. This we learn from the statement We work hard with our own hands that literally reads we toil, working with our hands. The literal translation implies that the translators of the NIV combined two Greek verbs using only one verb in their translation. The expression “work hard” of the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (kopiaō) that may mean “to be weary/tired.” It is in the sense of being weary that the word is used in the offer of the Lord Jesus recorded in Matthew 11:28:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
It is with the meaning “tired” that the word is used to describe the physical exhaustion Jesus experienced from His travel, as stated in John 4:6:
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
It is in the sense of being tired but not to the extent of giving up that the word is translated “grown weary” in the Lord’s commendation of the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:3:
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
The Greek word may mean to exert oneself physically, mentally, or spiritually, hence, means “to work hard, toil, strive, struggle.” It is the sense of exerting oneself physically that the word is used to encourage believers to work hard to be able to help others in need, as stated in Ephesians 4:28:
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
It is in the sense of exerting oneself spiritually in the ministry of God’s word that the word is used in the instruction regarding the respect believers are to have for their ministers of the word of God, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:12:
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
It is in the sense of “to toil,” that is, “to do wearisome labor, or to labor unto extreme fatigue” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:12. Thus, the apostle indicates that he and others gave their best when at work. This is implied by the Greek that indicates that “toiling” is an activity that takes place at the same time as “working” takes place since a present tense is used in the Greek for the main verb “toil” and the participle “working” and so requires the interpretation we gave.
Another thing the apostle says in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 4:12 is that his focus is on manual labor. The NIV conveys this fact using the phrase with our own hands although the literal Greek reads working with our hands. This is because we have a Greek verb (ergazomai) that may mean “to work,” that is, “to engage in activity that involves effort,” as the apostle used the word to describe his and his team’s manual labor to provide for their physical needs, as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 2:9:
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
The word may mean to do or accomplish something through work and so it may mean “to do, accomplish, carry out.” It is in the sense of “to do” that our word is used to encourage good works by believers in Galatians 6:10:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
It is in the sense of “to officiate at, to perform” that the word is used to describe those who work in the temple that should live by things associated with it in 1 Corinthians 9:13:
Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
The clause those who work in the temple is more literally those performing the holy services. It is in the sense of “to work,” that is, “to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:12. However, the apostle is concerned primarily with manual labor because of the phrase with our own hands. Apostle Paul was involved in manual labor since he was a tentmaker, as we gather from Acts 18:3:
and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
He used this skill of tent making to provide for his needs and those in his missionary team. He reminded the elders of the Ephesians about this fact in Acts 20:34:
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
Likewise, he reminded the Thessalonians of this fact in the passage we cited previously, that is, in 1 Thessalonians 2:9:
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
We should, of course, not think that Apostle Paul supported himself all through his ministry. No! He did not always work to meet his needs. In some situations, he was supported by other local churches. We know this because, he referenced the support he received from the Philippians even while he was in Thessalonica, as we read in Philippians 4:15–16:
15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.
This passage would indicate that the apostle received financial or material support from the local church in Philippi when he was in Thessalonica. He also received support from other local churches while he was in Corinth because of the apostle’s declaration in 2 Corinthians 11:8:
I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.
Thus, we know that it is the circumstance that the apostle faced that determined whether he worked to support himself and others in his team or not. That aside, the apostle conveyed that he had a strong work ethics when the situation calls for him to do so. He, in fact, worked hard to leave example to believers of the importance of hard work, as implied in Acts 20:35:
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
The point is that we are to imitate the apostles who worked hard despite their sufferings as they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Some people want to avoid work, that is, they want to live a life where there is no hard work. Such thinking or attitude is clearly in conflict with the word of God. Work is ordained by God. This, we know from one of His purposes for putting humans in the Garden of Eden, as conveyed in Genesis 2:15:
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
The fact work is ordained is also implied in the Ten Commandments, as given in Exodus 20:9:
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
The mention of “work” in the Ten Commandments should cause us to recognize that work is ordained by God. Furthermore, work is to be the normal routine of any one that is healthy to work since it is stated that Israel should work for six days and by implication that we should work for six days and take one day of rest. That work is to be a routine of life is also implied in Psalm 104:23:
Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening.
It is because work is ordained by God that the Scripture speaks against idleness and forbids eating of food by one who does not work, according to 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12:
10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
Work is not only ordained or commanded by God, but it has at least three purposes. First, work is necessary for an individual to be self-supporting and not depend on others, as we can gather from 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12:
11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Second, work makes it possible for a person to be generous, as indicated in Ephesians 4:28:
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Third, work is essential to finding self-fulfillment in life, as implied by the declaration of Ecclesiastes 2:24:
A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
A person who refuses to work would not only be restless, but the individual may have a sense of worthlessness. Thus, it is important to work. In fact, you should enjoy your work, as indicated in Ecclesiastes 3:22:
So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
We should emphasize that it is not only that you should enjoy your work but that you should work hard at whatever your work is. Hard work is quite beneficial in that it is through hard work that one becomes successful in whatever work the person is involved. This success could be evident in financial blessing or simply in result that attests to hard work. We see the result of hard work with athletes. Although I feel that they are over compensated but those of them that work hard are the best in their fields. Anyway, that hard work is beneficial is stated in Proverbs 14:23:
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Here profit may refer to financial gain or something that is worth achieving such as winning in sports or excelling in a profession. But more importantly, there is the gain in the spiritual life for those who work hard in their spiritual life. I have several times encouraged us to be devoted to the word of God in the sense of not only coming to Bible class but of going home to meditate and eventually to apply what one learns. Those who work hard at this achieve greater spiritual stability than those who do not. I mean that if you work hard in that you set time to meditate the lessons we go over or relisten to them and you do it with great devotion and never slack off then you will discover that you would gain greatly in your spiritual life. Thus, hard work is certainly paramount in the spiritual life. So, I ask you; do you have the same devotion to your spiritual life as work?
We should be careful to recognize that work comes in different forms in the time we live. In the agricultural economy of the ancient world, work was usually manual labor but today work takes on different forms and shapes. There are those who use primarily their hands and others who use primarily their mind. In effect, there are those whose work involves using their mind and voices. This would be true of those who preach the gospel and teach believers the word of God. They should work even harder than others. In other words, the ministry of the word of God should not be seen as an easy work. This view would be contrary to the example of the apostles, specifically Apostle Paul, who declared he worked hard in the preaching of the gospel and teaching of God’s word in Colossians 1:28–29:
28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Apostle Paul also referenced his hard work in the ministry of God’s word in 1 Corinthians 15:10:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Work may be in the form of ruling others; thus, those who run the government are involved in work as their work is ordained by God, as implied in Romans 13:6:
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
We should be people who work hard both physically and spiritually. We mean that whenever you work, you should give it your all. You should be mindful that the Lord expects you to glorify Him through your work; hence, the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
In any event, the first major thing we should imitate of the apostles’ attitudes regarding suffering is their hard work even in the face of suffering.
A second major thing we should imitate of the apostles’ attitudes regarding suffering is their responses to mistreatments. There are four responses to mistreatment of the apostles regarding suffering that are given in the passage we are considering. A first response is their graciousness, evident in saying good things or asking God to be good to those who abuse or insult them. It is this response that is given in the sentence When we are cursed, we bless. We have contrasting actions in this sentence. One action is given in the word “cursed” that is translated from a Greek word (loidoreō) that means to speak in highly insulting manner so means “to revile, insult, to slander” as it is used to describe the abuse or treatment Jesus received on the cross, as stated in 1 Peter 2:23:
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
The clause When they hurled their insults at him is more literally who when he was reviled. It is the sense of “to be reviled” or “to be abused (verbally)” or “insulted” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:12. The apostle did not specify those who insulted the apostles, but it is implied that they are those who oppose the gospel message.
Another action that contrasts the previous action of being cursed is given in the word “bless” that is translated from a Greek word (eulogeō) that may mean “to speak well of, praise, extol,” that is, to say something commendatory about a person as it is used to describe Zechariah’s speech about God once he was able to speak after the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:64:
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
The word may mean “to bless” in the sense of “to ask for bestowal of special favor, especially of calling down God’s gracious power as the word is used to specify the right action of believers toward their persecutors in Romans 12:14:
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
The word may mean “to bestow a favor, provide with benefits” as it is used to describe the spiritual benefits God has bestowed on believers although the word “bless” is used in Ephesians 1:3:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:12, it is used in the sense of “to bless,” that is, “to invoke (or enact) divine favor, often implying a positive disposition or kind actions toward the recipient.” Hence, Apostle Paul indicated that the apostles would say good things or invoke divine favor on those that abuse them. In effect, the apostle indicates that he and other apostles obeyed the Lord’s instruction regarding how to deal with those who insult or mistreat believers as stated in Luke 6:28:
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
The Lord not only taught us to invoke divine favor on those who abuse or mistreat us but He demonstrated this teaching in His response to those who crucified Him in that He pleaded for their forgiveness, as recorded in Luke 23:34:
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The first martyr of the church, Stephen, reflected the same response since he prayed for those who were stoning him to death, according to Acts 7:60:
Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Thus, it is incumbent on us to imitate such response of being gracious to those who abuse us evident in asking God’s favor on them and doing good to them as also the Holy Spirit commands through Apostle Paul in Romans 12:20:
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Anyway, a first response of the apostles regarding suffering we should imitate is their graciousness evident in saying good things or asking divine favor on those who abuse or insult them.
A second response of the apostles regarding suffering that we should imitate is their endurance of persecution. It is this response of the apostles that is stated in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 4:12 when we are persecuted, we endure it. The action to which the apostles respond is described with the word “persecuted” that is translated from a Greek word (diōkō) that may mean “to move rapidly and decisively toward an objective,” that is, “to hasten, run, press on,” as it is used by Apostle Paul to describe a goal of his spiritual journey in Philippians 3:14:
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Here in Philippians 3:14, our Greek word is translated “press on” so it is clear that our word is concerned with moving towards a goal which indicates that our use of the word goal is justified. The word may mean to harass someone especially because of the person’s beliefs and so means “to persecute” as in the warning of Jesus to His disciplines concerning their treatment, they should expect from the world of unbelievers in John 15:20:
Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
The state of affairs in our world today makes me wonder if we Christians believe what our Lord says here. I say this because, concerted efforts are being made on part of many to stop persecution coming to Christians. But such efforts belie what our Lord says here. Our efforts should be devoted to help those persecuted as the Scripture demands. That aside, the word may mean to follow in haste in order to find something that is “to run after, pursue.” It is in the literal sense of running after something or someone that the word is used in the Lord Jesus’ caution about false announcement of His Second Coming in Luke 17:23:
Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.
However, it is in the figurative sense of “to pursue, strive for, seek after, aspire to something” that the word is used in the instruction regarding righteousness in 2 Timothy 2:22:
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:12, the word is used with the meaning “to be persecuted,” that is, “to be or become subject to systematic harassment and attack because of one’s religious beliefs.” Thus, the action the apostles respond in the manner described in the clause we are considering is persecution because of their faith in the Lord Jesus.
The response of the apostles to persecution is stated in the sentence we endure it. The word “endure” is translated from a Greek word (anechomai) that as a legal term may mean “to accept complaint” as it is used during Apostle Paul’s defense against Jewish accusations in Acts 18:14:
Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.
The word may mean “to regard with tolerance,” that is, “to endure, bear with, put up with,” as it is used in the instruction of believers’ attitude towards other believers in Colossians 3:13:
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
It is in this sense of “to accept as valid or true” although the NIV translated it with “to put up with” that the word is used to describe the attitude of people in later days regarding sound doctrine as stated in 2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
The word may mean “to undergo something onerous or troublesome without giving in,” hence means “to endure,” as Apostle Paul used the word to describe the attitude of the Thessalonians towards persecution in 2 Thessalonians 1:4:
Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
It is in the sense of “to undergo something onerous or troublesome without giving in,” that is, “to endure or bear” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:12. Hence, the response of the apostles regarding suffering in the form of persecution that we should have is to bear or endure it. The point is that the second response of the apostles regarding suffering that we should imitate is their endurance of persecution.
A third response of the apostles we should imitate regarding their sufferings is their kindness towards those who defame or slander them. It is this kindness to those that defame them that is given in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 4:13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. The action to which the apostles responded positively is slandering of them. The word “slander” is translated from a Greek word (dysphēmeō) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it involves attributing to someone bad reputation or denigrating a person so means “to slander, defame.” Slandering or defaming of the apostles was a common practice as indicated in the fact Apostle Paul used the present tense in the Greek.
The apostles also habitually practiced being kind to those who slander them as indicated using the present tense to convey their response to their slanderers. You see, the expression “answer kindly” is translated from a Greek verb (parakaleō) that has several meanings. It may mean “to ask to come and be present where the speaker is,” hence, it may mean “to summon to one’s aid, call upon for help,” as it is used in Jesus’ question to Peter to indicate He did not need for him to use the sword in His defense, as stated in Matthew 26:53:
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
The word may mean “to invite” someone, as the word is used to describe the invitation of the Ethiopian eunuch to Philip, the evangelist, to sit by his side in his cart to explain the Scripture to him in Acts 8:31:
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The word may mean “to urge strongly,” hence means “to appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage.” It is with the meaning “to encourage” that the word is used to describe Apostle Paul’s communication to the new converts in Philippi after his release from prison, as stated in Acts 16:40:
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
It is in the sense of “to urge” or “appeal” that the word is used to describe the appeal of Apostle Paul to Romans to dedicate themselves to serving God and pleasing Him in Romans 12:1:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
The word may mean “to comfort, cheer up” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what God would do for troubled believers as He did for him and his team in 2 Corinthians 1:4:
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
The word may mean “to make a strong request for something,” that is, “to request, implore, entreat” and so it is used of the request of the demons to Jesus Christ begging Him not to send them to Abyss, as narrated in Luke 8:31:
And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
The word may mean “to speak to in a friendly manner, appease” as the word is used by the officials to speak to Paul and Silas when they realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and should not have been put in prison without due trial, as recorded in Acts 16:39:
They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.
It is in the sense of “to speak to in a friendly manner” that our Greek word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:13. Again, the Greek uses present tense implying in this case that the apostles formed the habit of speaking in a friendly manner to those who slander or defame them. Thus, we believers should form the habit of being kind to those who slander or defame us because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A habit begins with a single act that is then repeated. So, if you have not formed the habit of speaking in a friendly manner to those who slander you, then begin with the next person that slanders or defames you. Of course, this requires that you become controlled by the Holy Spirit. When you hear that someone has slandered you the natural response is to become bitter or fight back. However, you must filter out of your soul the thought of being revengeful. When you do, the Holy Spirit will control you providing you the power you need to speak kindly to the one that slandered you; for after all, kindness is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit as stated in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
It is only when we have the disposition of kindness produced in us by the Holy Spirit that we would speak kindly to anyone including those who slander us. Anyway, the third response of the apostles we should imitate regarding their sufferings is their kindness towards those who defame or slander, that is, those who talk bad about them because of their faith in Christ.
The fourth response of the apostles we should imitate regarding their sufferings is their acceptance of mischaracterization of their status by unbelievers. This response is derived from the last clause of 1 Corinthians 4:13 Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. Apostle Paul conveys the view of the world about the apostles. His description is similar to the complaint of the Lamenter in Lamentations 3:45:
You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
The word “scum” is translated from a Hebrew word (seḥî) that appears only here in the Hebrew Scripture that means “offscouring, refuse, dung” but the sense here as applied to people refers to worthless people conceived as trash or scum so that it refers to a people of low status. However, it is not the Greek equivalent of this word (really there is no Greek word that translates the Hebrew word) that is used in the description Apostle Paul gave in the clause we are considering. The word “scum” in 1 Corinthians 4:13 is translated from a Greek word (perikatharma) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it is used in the Septuagint with the meaning of “expiation, ransom”, as in Proverbs 21:18:
The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.
Such meaning assigned to the word in the Septuagint is because of the secular usage of the Greek word in a religious sense. This notwithstanding, the Greek word in secular Greek is used in three ways. It is used in expiatory offering involving human sacrifices where the victims were sacrificed probably by throwing them into the sea for warding off public calamity. Because it was believed that the effectiveness of the sacrifice depends on volunteering offering of the victims, those involved were well cared for prior to being sacrificed. Consequently, those offered were usually those in need, the hungry, and the crippled. This leads to the second usage of the Greek word. The second usage of the word is as a term of contempt or insult for the unworthy and destitute. A third usage is as a term that describes what is thrown out after purification with water. In other words, the word is used for the wash-water and scrapings from dirty dishes, which are thrown out after washing or purification, thus the word refers to “any kind of uncleanness or filth.” These three usages are applicable to Apostle Paul. Thus, our word may mean “dirt, refuse, off-scouring.” The sense of the word in our passage of 1 Corinthians 4:13 is “scummy water,” that is, “the dirty water left over after a person’s cleansing; usually contained anything (such as dirt or skin) scraped, rubbed, or scoured off by the tool used to remove the (olive) oil on their skin.” The word is related to the next word used in the description the apostle gave, that is, “refuse.”
The word “refuse” is translated from a Greek word (peripsēma) that is similar in its usages to the Greek word that we considered previously that we indicated has the sense of “scummy water” and so the word means “that which is removed by the process of cleansing,” hence, means “dirt, off-scouring.” According to the Theological Dictionary of the NT, it has an additional meaning of “scapegoat,” “expiatory offering,” with a strong undertone of scorn. So, both Greek words are similar in meanings. Nonetheless, the sense of the word in 1 Corinthians 4:13 is “dirty scrapings,” that is, “anything (such as dirt or skin) scraped, rubbed, or scoured off the skin during a person’s washing; scraping usually being necessary due to the (olive) oil on the skin used for washing purposes.”
In any case, the apostle in using the two related terms of “scum” and “refuse” indicates that the world perceived the apostles as trash or worthless human beings because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle could have remembered the response of the Jews when he defended himself before them in Jerusalem as narrated in Acts 22, specifically, Acts 22:22:
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
The only way to consider the apostle not fit to live is that the apostle’s opponents have concluded he was trash or garbage that should be disposed. Thus, the apostle understood that his opponents viewed him as one who is worthless and should be disposed of. When the apostle described the view of the world towards the apostles using the word “scum”, he meant to say that unbelievers consider them as the lowest in status among people. This, he said, the apostles endured. They were not regarded that way until they believed in Christ and began to preach the gospel of Christ. The implication is that no matter what high status you occupy in the society but once you become a Christian, unbelievers would undervalue you. They would think you have gone mad to accept the gospel message or the preaching of the cross that is foolishness to them. Hence, we should be willing to accept that we are viewed as the lowest in status in the society because of our faith in the Lord Jesus. In any case, as we end our study of 1 Corinthians 4:8-13, let me refresh your mind of the main message we have considered which is You should endeavor to understand the sufferings of ministers of God’s word when they occur and respond properly.
03/15/19