1Co 4:6-4:13 - Humility Versus Arrogance

Calvin (04/30/17)

4:6: That Paul applies these figuratively to himself and Apollos suggests to Calvin that it was not his people who were causing issues. He does what he does to allow the critique to be applied without seeming invidious. What is to be learned? Not to become proud and puffed up because of your teachers. Neither should you ‘abuse their names’ by making them the basis for factions. Note well that pride ‘is the cause and commencement of all contentions’. “What is written” may apply either to the Scripture as it stood at the time, or to Paul’s writings.
4:7: The sense of this is Paul calling out those who thought themselves superior, questioning on what basis they claimed this superior ranking. This calling out depends entirely from the order God appointed for His church. In His order, the members of His body are united together, each satisfied with his own rank and place. “If one member is desirous to quit his place, that he may leap over into the place of another, and invade his office, what will become of the entire body?” But, God Himself has placed us in the body as He intends, so that we may serve under one Head, and be mutually helpful to one another. To this cause arises the diversity of gifts, which are to be used in humility to promote His glory. Thus does Paul call these proud ones back to God, to whom alone each belongs. God, we are reminded, distributes His gifts to one end: That He alone be glorified. Augustine made much use of this passage in defending against Pelagianism, demonstrating as it does that all our excellence derives from God’s undeserved mercy, and cannot be thought to place Him under obligation to our fine efforts. “For there can be no doubt that Paul here contrasts the grace of God with the merit or worthiness of men.” The second clause confirms the first. “For what greater vanity is there than that of boasting without any ground for it?” Yet, no man has any excellency from himself. Ergo, the man who would extol himself ‘is a fool and an idiot’. Christian modesty founds itself on the clear understanding that ‘we are empty and void of everything good’, and therefore greater debtors to God’s grace. What Paul says of himself, all must say of themselves: “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1Co 15:10), and this follows from what he told us in the first chapter: “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (1Co 1:30-31). We boast in Him when we renounce our own glory. “God does not obtain his due otherwise than by our being emptied.”
4:8: Thus far, Paul has been simple in his assault on vanity, using no artifice of speech. Now, he applies irony to further beat down their confidence in self. His mockery encompasses the full course of time: Past fullness, future richness, and the added note of reigning throughout. The sense of this is to point up that they have nothing left to strive toward, for they are already kings in their own minds. There is also a tacit rebuke of their despising of those through whom they had obtained everything. They esteem Paul and Apollos as nothing, though they had brought the Corinthians everything that the Lord had conferred upon them. “What inhumanity there is in resting with self-complacency in the gifts of God, while in the meantime you despise those through whose instrumentality you obtained them!” Adding sting to the rebuke, Paul indicates his desire that they had come to a place of reigning with him. This carries the point that he never sought to reign over them, but ‘only to bring them to the kingdom of God’. [FN: Lightfoot speaks of the bitter taunt contained in these words. Yet, here they forgot those from whom they first received these ‘evangelical privileges’. They pronounced themselves filled with dignity and happiness, and Paul expresses desire that their pronouncements held truth such that he could rejoice together with them for their advancement.] Here is trouble for them. “The kingdom in which they gloried was merely imaginary,” and their glorying was ‘groundless and pernicious’. Such glory as befits the children of God belongs to all in common. The sum of this is to point up that, while they claim renown, “you can have no glorying before God in which we have not a share.” If they had glory from the Gospel, so much more the Apostles through whom it was received. “And assuredly, this is a madness that is common to all the proud, that by drawing everything to themselves, they strip themselves of every blessing – nay more, they renounce the hope of everlasting salvation.”
4:9: Though Paul sometimes refers to Apollos and Silvanus as apostles, Calvin prefers to take this reference in the more exclusive sense. The exhibiting that is in view here is that of captives led out during a Roman triumph, men being displayed before the people prior to their execution. The image is amplified by noting the way they are made a spectacle, such as those sent to gladiatorial battle, or to fight savage beasts for the entertainment of their conquerors. See the strength of Paul’s sense of God. He does not blame this state on the wanton wickedness of man, but recognizes it as the providence of God. That Paul brings heaven to bear as witnessing his situation does not require us to suppose that angels are amused by his sufferings, only that they are witnesses to it.
4:10: The irony continues. How unfit the Corinthians who, from their fleshly comfort observed the miseries of their spiritual father. Some have proposed that Paul means this as honest commendation, but that is an absurdity. They wished to have public acclaim and approval of their wisdom while their mentor was only able to promote the gospel by becoming a fool for Christ’s sake, and how could this be deemed appropriate? In plain point of fact, when he speaks of them being prudent in Christ, he is in fact deriding their desire to mix Christ and fleshly wisdom together. They were trying, in this, ‘to unite things directly contrary’. The same applies with the subsequent clauses. “You glory in the riches and resources of the world, [but] you cannot endure the ignominy of the cross.” How, then, is it reasonable that Paul should suffer so on their account? The reproach is the more cutting for their apparently widely known opinion of him as weak and contemptible (2Co 10:10). The sum is that in their vanity they have reversed the proper order of things; sons desiring to be esteemed as noble ‘while their father was in obscurity, and was exposed also to all the reproaches of the world’.
4:11: Paul now presents the picture of his own situation as an example by which to learn to lay aside lofty self-promotion and embrace the Cross. Advertising his weaknesses, the very ones they despised in him, he makes the more clear his fidelity and zeal for the gospel, thereby applying yet another tacit reproof to his rivals. They furnished no proof, yet desired the same esteem, if not higher.
4:12: Paul effectively says that he willingly abases himself when reviled and abused. Here is another stroke against the false apostles, so ‘effeminate and tender’ as to be unable to bear the lightest touch upon their person and pride. He notes not merely that he earns his own keep, but that he does so by manual labor.
4:13: There is reference here to one who took upon himself all the offenses of a town, as a means to cleanse the rest of the people, this being the sense in which katharmata is taken by the Greeks. [FN: It is reference to pagan practice of the time. Such men were sacrificed to the gods for a cleansing, in hopes of ending some calamity. The Romans also held to such practices.] By prefixing peri to the term, it seems Paul is looking to the rite itself, as these men would be led around the streets so as to carry away in their person, ‘whatever there was of evil’ and render the whole cleansing complete. To this he adds the offscourings. The picture is one of utmost degradation. This is in no way intended to suggest Paul offers himself as an expiatory victim. It is but an image of the degree of execration heaped upon him.

Matthew Henry (05/01/17)

4:6: Here is an example of ministerial caution in the course of issuing a necessary rebuke. Paul refers the issue to himself and Apollos so that they might assess his point more dispassionately. Thus may they learn not to over-value particular men. What is written refers to what Paul has been writing in this portion of the letter. Apostles were to be accounted as but gardeners, architects, or stewards – servants all. “And common ministers cannot bear these characters in the same sense the apostles did.” (Mt 23:8-10 – Don’t be called Rabbi. You have One as your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Don’t call any man your father, for One is your Father, and He is in heaven. Don’t be called leaders, either. One is your Leader: Christ.) Do not, therefore, transfer the honor that is His alone to any man. The Word of God is the fit standard for judgment, and its standard precludes us from such over-valuations. “Self-conceit contributes very much to our immoderate esteem of our teachers, as well as ourselves.” We tend to commend our own tastes, which leads us to ‘unreasonable applause’ and factious backing of our favorites. Remembering that our teachers are but instruments in God’s hand will help us avoid the problem of over-esteeming.
4:7: Cautions against pride and conceit continue. If there be any distinction to be made, it is all owing to God anyway. If there is difference it is because of His doing, not your inherent worth. With this, Paul is turning his eye upon those factional leaders who promoted themselves. What cause for glory if all is a gift from God? To do so would wrong the God who gave. “All that we have, or are, or do, that is good, is owing to the free and rich grace of God.” To boast is therefore foolish, and cannot but result in injurious theft of God’s rightful due. “Those who receive all should be proud of nothing.” (Ps 115:1 – Not to us, Lord, not to us! To Thy name give glory for Your lovingkindness and truth.) It is one thing to glory in your support, but to glory in yourselves for being supported by another? No. “Due attention to our obligations to divine grace would cure us of arrogance and self-conceit.”
4:8: Note the progression of this ironic assault on pride. From being sufficiently supplied, to being wealthy, to being royalty, the list proceeds; and all while dismissing any further use for the Apostles. Thus had their spiritual gifts been felt by them to set them beyond any interest in Paul. “See how apt pride is to overrate benefits and overlook the benefactor, to swell upon its possessions and forget from whom they came.” The conclusion crashes in: Would that your self-assessments were true! “Those do not commonly know themselves best who think best of themselves, who have the highest opinion of themselves.” Nothing is more detrimental to our progress than pride. “He is stopped from growing wiser or better who thinks himself at the height.”
4:9: The picture Paul now paints of the apostles is that of the blood sport of the Roman arena games: gladiatorial combats, exposing to wild beasts, and the like. Never was the victor in these games thereby allowed to escape with his life, except to compete again until he lost. The image of being last even here looks to the situation of the ‘meridian gladiators’, those who came out later in the day, and were the more exposed and least able to mount a defense. They were, as such, appointed to die. God had displayed the apostles in similar fashion as the emperor did his combatants, though not for the same purpose. What the emperor did for vanity and entertainment, God did to demonstrate His power and grace, confirming the apostolic mission and doctrine. The apostolic office was indeed honorable, but it was also hard and hazardous. Both angels and men are witness to their trials, and are therefore witness to their fidelity in the midst, knowing it can only be by the power of divine grace. “The faithful ministers and disciples of Christ should contentedly undergo anything for His sake and honor.”
4:10: His own situation is now contrasted with that of Corinth. The world can despise him as a fool, just so long as the wisdom of God and the gospel are thereby secured and displayed. They, by contrast, accept worldly accolades for their purported Christian wisdom. You pass for wise men, but I deliver the plain truth of the gospel plainly. (2Co 12:10 – I am well content in weakness, insult, distress, persecution, and difficulties, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak I am strong.) They, on the other hand, are operating from places of comfort. “All Christians are not alike exposed.” But, the standard-bearers in any army are the ones most struck at. Ministers being standard-bearers, will tend to take the brunt of persecutions. “Those are not always the greatest proficients in Christianity who think thus of themselves, or pass for such upon others.” Self-love makes it too easy to make such a mistake.
4:11-12: Paul lists some of the challenges of his service, and that of the other apostles. They had to work to feed themselves atop the work of ministry. They were men of no fixed abode, ‘driven about the world’, in service of their Master. This may seem poor pay for a prime minister, but then, the King fared no better. (Lk 9:58 – Foxes have their holes, and birds their nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.) Yet, so ardent was their desire to see souls saved that they volunteered for this poverty, feeling themselves abundantly rewarded for their service, even though treated as filth and off-scouring: Men not fit to live. This is likely a reference to heathen practices: offering men in sacrifice when pestilence or other calamity struck. They would be chosen from men of the lowest rank and character, and such were Christians accounted then. Indeed, by many, Christians were accounted the source of all public calamities; and thus the tendency to make them sacrifices to the local gods. As to the Apostles, “They were the common sewer into which all the reproaches of the world were to be poured.” (Col 1:24 – I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.) They suffered for Him and like Him. “Those may be very dear to God, and honorable in His esteem, whom men think unworthy to live, and use and scorn as the very dirt and refuse of the world.” (1Sa 16:7 – Don’t look upon his appearance or stature, for I have rejected him. God does not see as man does. Man looks at outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart.)
4:13: How do the Apostles respond to this ill treatment? With blessings and patience. Hold fast your integrity, whatever the opposition you face in the world. Whatever you may suffer at the hands of men, follow the example of your Lord. “Be content, with Him and for Him, to be despised and abused.”

Adam Clarke (05/02/17)

4:6: Paul points back to what he has been writing thus far. These, he says, were written as if he and Apollos were seeking to be heads of parties. No doubt, there were those who were taking advantage of the Corinthian penchant for inventive speech to gain disciples for themselves. Once again, Diotrephes is put forward as a likely suspect.
4:7: Now, the address turns to these party heads. Let it be supposed they were indeed so wise. Whence the wisdom? It came through Paul and his helpers. All that they could impart of wisdom had to have first been received, for unlike the Apostles, God had not come and spoken to them. The broader point some build on the basis of his verse holds, although the verse itself does not appear to hold that point before us: All we have of good is received as a gift of God’s mercy. Ergo, we mustn’t despise our neighbor for his lack in this regard. “He can have little acquaintance with his own heart, who is not aware of the possibility of pride lurking under the exclamation, ‘Why me!’ when comparing his own gracious state with the unregenerate state of another.”
4:8: The richness to which Paul next points considers both material and spiritual gifts. (1Co 14:26 – When you assemble, each of you has something: a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation. Let all be done for edification.) They felt themselves beyond need of Paul’s teaching, and Paul expresses the desire that it were so in fact, rather than being merely a conceit. Yet, the point is made with strong and stinging irony. “It is not an unusual thing for many people to forget, if not despise, the men by whom they were brought to the knowledge of truth; and take up with others to whom, in the things of God, they owe nothing.”
4:9: Roman spectacles are taken as the figure for the Apostles’ situation in life. Those who fought wild beasts in the morning were granted armor and means of defense so as to smite the beasts. But, in the afternoon, those who fought, fought naked and defenseless. These were, then, men appointed to death, the last to appear for the day’s entertainment. There is no victory in these battles, for to survive one is merely to meet another until finally comes a fight concluding in death. Thus are the Apostles exhibited to the world and to the heavens as men left as ‘lawful booty’ to all mankind. “Who at that time would have coveted the apostolate?”
4:10: The allusion continues, giving notice to the mockery such victims would endure. None of this was experienced by these claimants to superiority in Corinth. We return to the irony: You are wise and strong. We are feeble fools. “Nor were the Corinthians, morally speaking, wise, and strong, and honorable.” The descriptors are applied in the obverse. Reverse the application and they suit.
4:11: Hearing the nature of the office thus described, who would willingly pursue it except he was ‘filled with love both to God and man, and the fullest conviction of the reality of the doctrine he preached, and of that spiritual world in which alone he could expect rest’?
4:12: It was not even sufficient to earn a living, requiring other menial labors to earn support. Bear in mind that the Apostles were traveling to places with no established church. Once the church was established, yes, the minister had his upkeep, but in those initial days? No. [This may be where the modern conceit of church-planter as apostle comes into play. But, see earlier comments. Who would seek this, were the conditions the same?] The grace of Christ demonstrates most clearly in that the Apostles bore such injuries and returned only blessing.
4:13: Blaspheming is not applied to God alone, but also to man. In the case of God, it is to speak contemptuously of His attributes or in a manner contrary to His holiness, goodness, and truth. In the case of man, it is that which is said against character and conduct; ‘anything by which they are injured in their persons, characters, or property’. The filth of the earth refers to a purgative sacrifice, and offscouring to a redemptive sacrifice. Again, pagan custom is described. In the case of the purgative sacrifice, the man selected for this purpose was kept for a year before being led out to be sacrificed. Such were whipped seven times, burned alive, and their ashes thereafter thrown into the sea while the people mouthed pagan prayers that he be accepted as their propitiation. The Propitiation we have in Christ was ‘the peculiar sacrifice for all men’, and as such much more than what Paul speaks of in regard to the Apostles. The Apostles were treated thus. Christ was thus.

Barnes' Notes (05/03/17-05/04/17)

4:6: Paul transfers his points about these sect-forming teachers to Apollos and himself. The term speaks of change or transformation. (Php 3:21 – Who will transform our humble body to conform with the body of His glory… 2Co 11:13 – Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.) It is possible, then, that Paul, Peter, and Apollos were not actually set as heads of any of the parties in Corinth, and that Paul was simply using them as examples of how inappropriate such a thing would be. Alternately, he may simply mean that he applied these things first to himself and Apollos for the same purpose. If they were inappropriate party heads, how much more these other, inferior teachers? Clearly, there were parties (1Co 1:12-13 – Some of you claim to belong to Paul, others to Apollos, or Cephas or Christ. Was Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?) This would also seem to make clear that he and Apollos were indeed accounted as heads of parties, as well as Peter; which would lead us to lean toward the latter explanation. Had he gone after these lesser teachers directly, it would only have stirred up their anger, so instead, he leaves it as implied. This is done so as not to cause unnecessary offense, allowing the lesson to be learned. “What is written” most likely refers to the previous chapter, in other words, the rejecting of parties. It could however address the wider idea of humility and modesty. We should regard one another as brothers, and on one level with each other. Parties are ever inappropriate to the church, and Christians ought to view one another as equals, finding no brother an object of contempt.
4:7: Whatever we have is from God, ergo however grand the endowment, it cannot be the basis for self-congratulatory boasting. The gift is no cause for pride, being entirely a thing given by God. The same can be said of more mundane distinctions as to health, property, or opportunity. It is still God who makes the difference and arranges His providences. “Had not GOD interfered and made a difference, all would have remained alike under sin.” It is only by His love that any are saved. However, then, you may have obtained what you have, it remains the gift of God. The point is not to discourage effort, but only vanity. The one who seeks hardest to succeed will still know his success is due to God, and be grateful that he could make such an effort. This being as true of temporal things as eternal, if it is right and proper that we pursue that which in fact God gives in temporal matters, then the same reality ought not to discourage us from pursuing our salvation and sanctification with alacrity. “God governs the world on the same good principles everywhere.”
4:8: This verse launches us into an ironic, sarcastic rebuke of these self-confident teachers. It rebukes by contrasting their opinions and conditions to that of the apostles, showing up their vanity by demonstrating the self-denying reality of apostolic life. The inclusion of this passage makes clear that there is a place for irony, although its use should be rare. This can also be found in Elijah’s addressing the priests of Baal. (1Ki 18:27 – Elijah mocked them. “Try calling louder. Maybe your god has wandered off, or gone on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep, and you need to wake him up.”) The term translated, “you are full,” is generally used of a feast where all are sated. Here it indicates opinion as to their knowledge. They deem themselves sufficiently informed as to need nothing more. Likewise, the richness pertains to gifts. They had so much, they thought, that no more could be needed. Next, the climactic image of kings. They have been elevated, they suppose, beyond reach of others. Overall, then, the idea is being fully satisfied, both as to knowledge and power; therefore, they had come to disdain all outside influence, instruction, or restraint. They feel they can safely neglect apostolic authority and aid. Some take the ‘would to God’ portion as suggesting Paul wished they really did have such power and position, so as to offer him some protection, but it is far more likely that the irony has been dropped here, to allow the desire that they really had so advanced spiritually that he might rejoice together with them in the achievement. Who would not wish their brothers to be ‘truly happy and blessed’? But, the doubt remains that this is so. Paul’s preference would of course be to rejoice with them rather than to find this rebuke necessary. (1Co 4:19-21 – I will come soon, Lord willing, and discover the real power of these arrogant ones, whether it’s just words. For the kingdom of God isn’t a matter of empty words, but real power. What would you prefer? Shall I come with the rod, or shall I come with love, and a spirit a gentleness?)
4:9: Some see a return to irony here, but more likely Paul is quite serious as to what he says. He is talking about the reality of apostolic life, the things they faced in reality. And this is set against the self-congratulating, self-promoting lifestyle of these false teachers. How are they last? Some suggest it refers to their most humble state. This would fit the ironic interpretation. But, it seems more likely to refer to those brought out at the conclusion of the Roman spectacles in the amphitheater: Men forced to fight men with no chance of escape. The allusion would be one perfectly well understood by all. (1Co 9:26 – I run in such a way as not to be aimless. I box so as not to be beating the air. 1Ti 6:12 – Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 2Ti 4:7 – I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.) The image is continued by other terms used in the passage. They were men whose death was assured. “This is a very strong expression; and denotes the continuance, the constancy, and the intensity of their sufferings in the cause of Christ.” Their struggles are made public before many witnesses. The point is that all of this was appointed by God for His wise purposes. (Heb 12:1 – Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses around us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles us. Let us run with endurance the race set before us.)
4:10: There is a return to irony here, in speaking as if it were the apostles who were fools, and these lesser teachers who were wise. The sense is that these Corinthian teachers would not willingly be accounted fools by the world, being too proud of themselves. But, the Apostles, those who founded the church, are seen thus not just by the world, but by these very teachers. What folly there is in this boasted wisdom! The irony continues with the contrast of apostolic weakness and Corinthian daring-do. The reality was much different. These teachers were far more likely to be timid as they sought to avoid any sort of persecution for their views. The whole is designed to point up the absurdity of their exalted view of self.
4:11: The irony drops, and the reality is declared. The incessant trials of the apostles are recounted and these trials but reflect the way of their Master. “It is no dishonor to be poor, and especially if that poverty is produced by doing good to others.” Paul was not ashamed to appear poverty-struck, so long as his condition resulted from service to his Master. “Divine Providence had arranged the circumstances of his life.” How many ministers would be willing to take that same view? How many Christians would be ashamed to come to church in such condition? (2Co 12:7 – Because of the surpassing greatness of these revelations, so as to prevent me from exalting myself, a thorn in the flesh was given me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me – but so as to keep me from exalting myself!) These were men of no fixed address, dependent on hospitality from strangers and even enemies of the gospel. “All this was for the sake of the gospel; all to purchase the blessings which we so richly enjoy.”
4:12: Several passages describe Paul’s labor. The book of Acts also documents how Jew and Gentile alike jeered at the Christians as deluded followers of Jesus, pursuing superstition and imagination. Following the law of Christ, they responded to such treatment with blessings. The main point here is the treatment they endured, but there are also these notes of appropriate response to said treatment. Those come as an additive. Not only do we endure this stuff, we respond as Christ instructed, and now we instruct you by our example. This is the nature of the gospel ministry: To be reviled, and yet to bless, not seeking revenge.
4:13: Blaspheming has a base meaning of speaking abusively or reproachfully, and as such can apply to God and man alike. The response? Pray that they may be forgiven. Encourage them to repent from their sins and come to God. Probably, Paul’s point is nearer the latter. Don’t scornfully reject our message. Consider it candidly, and come. In being made, there is no suggestion of some outside agency making them such, but rather that they were in regarded as such. The perikatharmata is that which is collected and cast away during cleansing. It is the most vile, worthless, and contemptible object. The Greeks used the term to describe worthless men who were sacrificed to their gods to appease the anger of their gods when pestilence struck. They acted as purifiers for the nation. We cannot be certain Paul has this particular in view. It suffices to emphasize his point if we retain the more basic meaning instead: off-scoured filth, akin to the next word. Like perikatharmata, peripseema appears nowhere else in Scripture except here. The two are synonymous, this latter word speaking of what is scoured off by cleaning. Again, it depicts something utterly vile and worthless. Returning to the sacrificial motif, this term described those thrown into the sea as a purification of the people; offered to Neptune.

Wycliffe (05/04/17)

4:6: Paul says he has adapted these points to be applied to himself and to Apollos as illustrative of the situation pertaining in Corinth. The things he adapts are those laid out beginning in 1Co 3:5 – What then is Apollos or Paul? Servants through whom you believed as the Lord gave opportunity. It does not take us all the way back to 1Co 1:10 – I exhort you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to be agreed, with no divisions among you. Rather, be made complete in the same mind and judgment. The true culprits are not mentioned, thus avoiding the failure to hear due to resentment. The curative is: Live according to Scripture or ‘walk by the Word’.
4:7: Pride is pointless, as the passage makes clear. Augustine found God’s grace through the second question: What do you have that you did not receive?
4:8: The ‘already’ of this passage contrasts to the ‘before the time’ of 1Co 4:5. (Don’t pass judgment before the time.) That refers us to the judgment seat of Christ. The Corinthians acted as if this had already come about on their part. The ICC writes, “They (had) got a private millennium of their own.” This gives us some idea of Paul’s conception of the Kingdom.
4:9: The Kingdom contrast continues in Paul’s demonstration of how far the Apostles remained from arriving there, being in plain point of fact doomed to death as if condemned criminals. Whether Paul considers the entertainments of the Roman arena or the triumphs of their generals makes little difference. (1Co 15:32 – If I fought wild beasts at Ephesus from mere human motives, what profit do I have from it? If the dead are not raised, then, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’. 2Co 2:14-17 – Thanks be to God! He always leads us in His triumph in Christ, manifesting through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. We are a fragrance of Christ to God among those being saved and those who are perishing alike. To one we are the aroma of death to death. To the other we are the aroma of life to life. Who is adequate for these things?) The term we have as spectacle is the root of our own term, theater. Thus, the Apostles are a ‘vivid picture’.
4:10-13: We now get ‘a series of caustic contrasts’, with the design of admonishing believers to avoid over valuation of self or of teacher. “The new dispensation had not begun for the apostles!”

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (05/05/17-05/06/17)

4:6: The case Paul makes in regard to himself and Apollos is to be applied to all teachers. These other teachers go unnamed so as not to shame them. What is written may refer to the content of this letter. “Revere the silence of holy writ as much as its declarations; so you will less dogmatize on what is not revealed.” (Dt 29:29 – The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this Law.) The implication of the syntax here is that they are, in fact, puffed up in regard to their particular favorites.
4:7: If there is to be a ranking of believers, it remains to God to do it, not us. Gifts do not provide a basis for rank, for the gift glorifies the Giver, not the receiver.
4:8: The irony imparts the point: You act as if ‘ye needed no more to “hunger after righteousness”’, and had already reached the Kingdom. It is thus that they suppose they can do without the Apostles, their own spiritual fathers. (1Co 4:15 – However many tutors you may have in Christ, you have but not many fathers. In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.) But, the cross must come to every believer before there can be the wedding feast. (2Ti 2:5 – If one competes as an athlete, he won’t win the prize unless he competes by the rules. 2Ti 2:11-12 – If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also deny us. Rev 3:17-18 – Because you say, “I am rich, and have need of nothing,” and you don’t recognize that you are in fact wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich. Buy white garments from Me, that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness not be revealed. Buy eye salve from Me to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Hos 12:8 – Ephraim said, “Surely, I have become rich, and found wealth for myself. In all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, no sin.”) If there were truth to their claims, it would be wonderful, and those claims would redound to the Apostle as their father in Christ. (1Co 9:23 – I do all for the sake of the gospel so as to become a fellow partaker of it. 1Th 2:19 – Who is our hope, our joy, our crown of exultation? Is it not you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?) Then, too, if the time of reigning were come, Paul would be relieved of his present trials. (1Co 3:18 – If any one among you thinks himself wise in this age, let him become foolish so as to be truly wise.) That is contrasted with Paul’s thoughts about the apostles here. The Corinthians thought themselves esteemed. The apostles thought themselves humbled to the uttermost. They fared worse than the prophets had done. At least they were occasionally recipients of honor. Paul’s inclusion of Apollos as an apostle indicates he is using the term in its broader sense. (Ro 16:7 – Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, and were in Christ before me. 2Co 8:23 – Titus is my partner and coworker among you. As for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.) We see, then, the broader, more original sense of apostle as messenger. They are made theater, public spectacle. (Heb 10:33 – Being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and by becoming partial sharers with those so treated.) Thus were death row criminals displayed in public in that day, and set out as the last in the show, to fight wild beasts. (Eph 3:15 – From Him every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.) In other words, everything in creation sees them. (1Ti 3:16 – By common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.) Just so, we are a spectacle to angels, who take interest in the unfolding redemption. The apostles, then, though last in the world’s esteem are matters of intense regard to angels. (1Co 1:27-28 – God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong. God has chosen things the world despised as base, things that are less than nothing in their view, and through them nullified things that are esteemed.) The angels here may include bad angels who, like the audience in a Roman amphitheater, take delight in the suffering of those criminals. (Eph 3:10 – In order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places. 1Pe 1:12 – It was revealed that they weren’t serving themselves, but you, in the things announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit from heaven – things into which angels long to look.) The point being that ‘angels’ may encompass both good and bad. '
4:9
4:10: A return to irony. (1Co 1:21 – Since in God’s wisdom the world didn’t come to know God through its wisdom, God was well-pleased to save those who believed through the foolishness of the message preached to them. 1Co 3:18 – Don’t fool yourself. Any of you who think themselves wise in this age should become foolish so as to become truly wise. Ac 17:18 – Some of the Epicureans and Stoics were speaking with Paul. They said, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to speak of strange deities,” because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. Ac 26:24 – Festus, hearing Paul’s defense, said, “Paul you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.”) The Apostles were accounted fools because of Christ. The Corinthians were accounted wise, at least in their own estimation. (1Co 2:3 – I was with you in weakness, fear, and trembling. 2Co 13:9 – We rejoice when we are weak but you are strong, and even pray for this, that you may be made complete. 2Co 12:9-10 – He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Gladly, then, I would boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2Co 10:10 – They say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but in person, he is unimpressive, contemptible even.”) Because Paul did not use the tools of worldly philosophy and rhetoric as their other teachers did, they accounted those others superior in honor. (Gal 4:14 – The trial I underwent in my body you did not loathe or despise, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.)
4:11: An accumulation of evidence is given. (2Co 11:23-27 – I have been in far more labors, and imprisonments. I have been beaten so often I can’t count the times, and often to the point of risking death. Five times I received the thirty-nine lashes of the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. I was stoned once, and survived three shipwrecks. I spent a night and a day in the sea. I have been on many journeys, in danger from rivers, robbers, my own countrymen, and Gentiles. I have known danger in the city, danger in the country, danger on the sea, and danger amongst false brothers. I have known labor and hardship, sleepless nights spent hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and exposed. Ro 8:35 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or destress or persecution? Shall famine or nakedness or peril or sword? 2Ti 4:13 – When you come, please bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, along with the books, but particularly the parchments. 1Pe 2:20 – What credit is it to you to endure harsh treatment patiently when it comes as response to sin? But, to do right and suffer patiently for it finds favor with God. Ac 23:2 – Ananias commanded those standing beside Paul to strike him on the mouth. Mt 26:67 – They spat in His face and beat Him with fists. Others slapped Him. Mt 8:20 – Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.)
4:12: While there is no immediate record of Paul working to support himself in Ephesus, from which he writes, there is account of him working while in Corinth. (Ac 18:3 – Because he was a tent-maker, too, he stayed with them and they were working.) That said, we do have Paul’s last words to the leaders in Ephesus. (Ac 20:34 – You know that my own hands ministered to my needs, as well as to the needs of those who were with me.)
4:13: What the Apostles bear is the very opposite of the ‘self-assertive spirit of the world’. (Mt 5:39 – Don’t resist the one who is evil. If he slaps your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well.) Here is ‘a tacit reproof’ of the self-sufficient Corinthians. (Mt 5:10 – Blessed are those persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mt 5:44 – I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.) The image is of street sweepings, or of those sacrificed for ‘public good’. “Christ is the true Katharma, or cleansing expiation.”

New Thoughts (05/06/17-05/10/17)

How Discipline is Done (05/07/17)

Matthew Henry starts off his coverage of these verses by noticing the fine example we are given for handling of church discipline. It’s not so much that Paul has been circumspect in his approach to the issues. Actually, he is quite forthright in identifying the problems. But, he does not go the next step and start naming names. Neither does he explicitly set himself above those he must rebuke, but instead chooses to use himself as the example. “I have figuratively applied these things to myself and Apollos.” The point is sufficiently made by such means. He doesn’t need to point out who they are that really deserve rebuke for their egotistical approach to ministry. They are well enough known to those in Corinth anyway. In fact, the immediate rebuke here is not to them at all, but to those who elevate them.

But, again, he doesn’t go at them directly until he has made the case by demonstrating how misplaced such high opinions would be even if they were applied to him. To be clear, the office Paul held was and is worthy of respect. The one who faithfully fills such office, or the office of minister is worthy of respect. But, the fact remains that whatever good there is in them, whatever gifts they may bring to the office, they operate as servants of Another, and in the power of Another. All the honor inevitably goes to God, for He has done it.

The Problem of Pride (05/07/17)

And so we come to the root issue. It is not just the root issue for Corinth. It is the root issue for mankind. What causes us to bristle when rebuked? What causes us to act in such fashion as to earn rebuke? What causes us to think ourselves fit judges of others, or to consider ourselves as more advanced? The answer to all these questions and more would be the same: Pride. It is pride that leads us to extol ourselves, and as Calvin points out, the man who would extol himself ‘is a fool and an idiot’. Calvin is not one to mince words. We would feel it necessary to couch this more politely. But, that is probably just pride in another guise.

Think about it, though. The very act of singing our own praises demonstrates our utter lack of worthiness for praise. Who would willingly seek to act in a fashion that not merely caused those around us to think us foolish, but actually established the point as fact? It’s one thing to speak humorously in such fashion. It’s quite another to establish our credentials as idiots by insisting that we are incredibly wise.

This critique might seem misplaced, given that Paul’s attention appears to be on those who chose their favorites rather than those who sought to be the favorites. Indeed, from the list given back toward the beginning, it’s pretty clear that in many cases, those being promoted as favorites had no interest in the game at all, and to the degree they were aware of it would have, like Paul, instructed these foolish Corinthians to knock it off. But, here’s the thing: it’s the same issue. It is pride demonstrating foolishness. How is this? It is because we all have that tendency in us to commend that which happens to accord with our own tastes. Thus, as Matthew Henry writes, “Self-conceit contributes very much to our immoderate esteem of our teachers, as well as ourselves.”

What is it, after all, that leads us to laud our particular favorites? We suppose it reflects well on us. See how wise I am? I prefer this one. But, why do you prefer him? Is it because he speaks truly, or because he speaks well? Is it because he aids your development or because he strokes your ego?

The issue in Corinth, as we see it laid out through the course of this letter was such that this business of evaluating and elevating teachers was but a symptom. The same disease of pride infected their use of gifts, to their dealings with sin, and to most everything else about church life. They relegated the matter of edification to the back burner, and brought style and appearance to the fore. What gifts were most valued? The most spectacular. What teachers were most valued? The most eloquent and stylish. What mattered most in dealing with sin? Appearing non-judgmental. How does all of this come to be the case? It seems the chain of ironic declamations that Paul strings together paints us the picture.

You think you’ve arrived. You think yourselves advanced in Christianity to the point of having left the Apostles behind! You think you’re already reigning in the kingdom of God! I’ve got bad news for you. It’s not just the Corinthians. Vast swathes of the Church today have the same, kingdom now, mindset. They read, “I have said ye are gods,” and are pretty sure that’s an understatement. They’re pretty sure they should be showing Jesus how to do things up right. After all, didn’t He say we’d do greater things than He did? But, this is not faith talking. It’s pride.

The Corinthians gloried in their kingdom now mentality, but as Calvin points out, “The kingdom in which they gloried was merely imaginary.” The sorts of behaviors that we find Paul having to correct leave no room for doubt on that account. They gloried in their great advancement, found the Apostles too stodgy for their present condition. But, such glorying was – again echoing Calvin’s words – ‘groundless and pernicious’. It was bad enough to be boasting groundlessly of their advances in the kingdom. But, such boasting must of necessity be pernicious as well, for it feeds the very pride and ego that cause the problem in the first place. It’s all more leaven fed into a lump already grown corrupt and fetid.

This may not immediately jump out at us as what was happening in Corinth, but it is there to be seen on reflection: The Corinthian issue was that they were convinced the kingdom had already come for them. The Wycliffe Commentary relays words from the ICC on the subject. Their opinion was that, “They (had) got a private millennium of their own.” Now, that’s ego! But, how does Paul deal with it? Does he take Calvin’s approach and denounce them as idiots? He may be thinking that, but he’s not saying it. Rather, he chooses an approach that might, just might, allow them to reach the conclusion on their own. Done this way, perhaps they will even undertake to correct themselves, which is eminently to be desired.

So, what does he do? He lays out a contrast between their purportedly exalted state and that of the chief ambassadors of that kingdom they felt they ruled. He lays out the reality of apostolic life over against the Corinthian’s ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ approach. Their teachers led a self-congratulating, self-promoting lifestyle. The Apostles led lives of utmost humility; accounted fools for Christ, suffering every ignominy if only the gospel might move forward. The Corinthians, on the other hand, preached a comfortable, and probably lucrative message. Whereas they acted like those who had no further need to ‘hunger after righteousness’ since they’d already arrived, the Apostles became a spectacle to heaven and earth alike, giving their all for the sake of Christ.

Misplaced Honor (05/07/17)

How do we cure this? For we can be quite certain that we share the Corinthian disease, if not to the same extent. We are by nature proud. We are by nature inclined to be far more certain of our doctrine than we ought to be. As my dear brother is fond of recounting, “I have held many theological positions in the course of my life, and all of them have been absolutely right, in spite of being absolutely opposed.” I know the feeling well. I recall the fervency with which I would insist that of course a believer stood at risk of falling away. We have to exercise utmost diligence to see to it that our faith remains strong. I might not slip all the way back into works righteousness, although the distinction is vanishingly small, but sure and I have to do something to stay on course toward heaven. Then came a dawning appreciation of the powerful significance of God’s sovereignty. If His Word does not return to Him without accomplishing His purpose, then am I really able to thwart it by my infidelity? If my arrival in heaven at the end of days depends on me, even in the slightest, is there really any hope at all that I shall arrive? Only foolish pride could suppose it a possibility! But, Jesus says it is finished. Jesus says He’s never lost a one. What? Am I to be the first? There is no first! But, I was just as convinced before as I am now. I was absolutely certain I had it right then. I am just as absolutely certain I have it right now, and was horribly mistaken then.

There’s good cause for caution, isn’t there? The focus of many of the commentators here turns to the issue of gifts and talents. But, the same applies to doctrines and beliefs. “Those who receive all should be proud of nothing.” Matthew Henry again delivers words to stand on. It is true. It is true of our doctrine, for what we understand of doctrine, to the degree we do, is as much a thing received as the gift of tongues or the gift of healings. And, gifts are no cause for pride, because they are entirely a matter of God giving. We assuredly cannot find a basis for ranking one another based on these gifts.

That’s the Corinthian error, and it’s ours as well, although we may evaluate based on a different set of gifts. The fundamental point is unchanged. Whatever gifts you have, whatever skills you possess, whatever knowledge you can impart, it is all God’s doing. It is all gifts, things given rather than earned. The gift, dear brother, glorifies the Giver, not the receiver. That’s our most common error. We look at what we have been given and fall into a Smothers Brothers act, pretty sure that God liked us better.

I seem to be quoting Matthew Henry rather a lot today, but so be it. “See how apt pride is to overrate benefits and overlook the benefactor, to swell upon its possessions and forget from whom they came.” Today, in such churches as may practice the more sensational gifts, there is a tendency to say, “Seek the Giver, not the gifts.” Yet, the practice tends to be quite the opposite. No, no. Seek the gifts. And we can even find some support from Paul on this. By all means, desire that you might prophesy! But, don’t lose sight of the point, and by no means suppose that if you prophesy this makes you somebody special. You are not special. God is especially awesome.

Turn back to the Corinthians for just a moment, so that we may turn back to our own situation. The point Paul is making here is particularly poignant in that this is the very Apostle who had made God known to them in the first place who is speaking to them. And their opinion of him has demonstrably forgotten this rather salient point. The teachers they had come to prefer could at best do no more than to impart wisdom they had first to have received. And from whom did they receive this wisdom, if not from the Apostles? The Apostles had this absolutely unique position of having received directly from God. These other teachers in Corinth could make no such claim – not legitimately. And, much as many try and argue the point today, the fact remains true. The Apostles, the legitimate Apostles whom Christ personally appointed and sent out to establish His Church, had an absolutely unique claim to this authority of direct revelation. It was not something they could pass on to another. It was not theirs to give. Any claimant to such direct revelation today must be greeted with utmost skepticism and tested exhaustively against the revealed, authorized Word of God. I’ll stop short of advising they be rejected outright, but only just. I do think it a note of utmost arrogance to try and claim the apostolic title today. Perhaps in its broader application as ‘messenger’, it may apply, but in that case, I think the title of missionary or perhaps evangelist will suffice. There is too much of pride and ego in taking that mantel up, and also a complete lack of comprehension as to what the Apostolic office required of its officers.

OK. Before I move on, let us bring this back to application. We, like the Corinthians have nothing to boast of other than the righteousness of Christ. And even this gives us no cause to boast of ourselves, but only of Him. It is, after all His righteousness. He has given it to us, credited it to our account, but it’s a gift, just like everything else. It’s not wages earned. Death is wages earned. Righteousness is a gift given and upheld by Christ alone.

Today, the Church in many quadrants has reduced itself to pop psychology and self-help seminars. Feel good about yourself appears to be the message. Believe in something greater, and just love everybody. Let’s all get along! Maybe we can lift humanity above itself by our positive vibes. Of course, all of that is doomed to fail, but too many churches, and I apply the term loosely, have bought into it. Go back to Paul’s opening gambit. “I determined to preach nothing but Christ, and Him crucified.” How we need to have that same determination! Nothing else matters. There is no help for self except this: “Jesus paid it all.” As Margaret Becker sings this current passage, “What have I got that you did not give? There’s nothing that I can see.” He didn’t do this so that we could be entertained. He did this so that we might be saved, salvaged, and set free.

The Freemasons, having passed their sign outside of town the other day, like to promote themselves as Ancient, Accepted, and Free. I dare say, though, that they can at best claim one out of three there. They may indeed be an ancient organization, although just how ancient is up for debate. As to being accepted, the widest that can be applied is, I think, within their own ranks. As to free? No. Not even a little bit. They are bound by all manner of ritual bonds and misunderstanding of Truth. They are bound by pride. They are bound by the mistaken belief that all roads lead to God, and that somehow one can accept this and still be faithful to Christ. How this can be I do not know, other than to recognize that we are horrifyingly adept at self-deception and cognitive dissonance.

But, if we would truly be accepted and free, there is One who calls, One who teaches Truth that will indeed set us free from the bonds of sin and Satan. He has paid it all. There is and shall be no other.

Recognizing Providence (05/08/17)

One thing we must not miss is the powerful significance of what Paul is saying in verse 9. Notice where he attributes the origins of the things he has had to undergo. “God has exhibited us last of all.” It is God’s call. This is not to suggest that God is the author of their abuse at the hands of man, although we can be absolutely assured that He was fully aware that these events would transpire, even that they MUST transpire. But, all transpires as He intends, whatever the intent of those through whom they transpire. Whatever men might think of how the Apostles were treated and what they endured, this is what they themselves understood: All of this was appointed by God for His wise purpose.

What is said of the Apostles by the Apostle here we ought also to recognize as applying to our own life and circumstance. Is work hard on you? Do you find yourself faced with intolerable challenges? Do you suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune? Well, the answer to the last must be no, if taken literally as opposed to literarily. Fortune doesn’t enter into it. Providence, however, directs it with utmost certainty. Everything is proceeding according to plan, and we do well to never lose sight of this: God is the Planner. As He intends, so it must come to pass. What He has said must assuredly be true. He has said that all things are arranged to your true benefit if indeed you are one who loves Him and serves Him. This must be true. That being the case, then these events that transpire in your life must be arranged to your true benefit, however it is you perceive them to be in the midst of it.

This also has serious and abiding implications for the church. For, if God so superintends the events of the individual life, and if He appoints those who are chief architects of His Church, He also superintends the rest of that work. If you are in the body, you are in the body precisely where He desires you to be. You have a purpose in being there. You may not recognize that as fact. You may misunderstand your purpose. But, the fact remains that you have it. We all have our purpose, and our purpose has this much in common: What we are called to do we are called to do as serving under one Head, and we are called to do in such fashion as will be mutually beneficial. That is to say, what we are given to do we are given to do in service to our brothers, which is itself service to God.

As to the ‘dark providences’, such as were described in this weekend’s Table Talk, the more difficult and trying duties of leadership for example, or the unwanted afflictions of aging, take Paul’s example and stop blaming it all on the wickedness of man. To be sure, wicked events find their catalyst in wicked men. But, the simple fact remains for you who are in God: His providence oversees these things. His providence has arranged for these things, and has done so to your eternal benefit.

There is another aspect of this which the church of today could well stand to take firmly to heart. The disciple will never be greater than his teacher. The disciple will never even become his teacher. The Apostles understood this well, in all its several applications. The Corinthians, based on the evidence of this letter, did not. Jesus taught the point bluntly. They will hate you because they hate Me and you are Mine. If they did this to the Son, can you expect better treatment? We do, don’t we? We oughtn’t to do so, but we do.

The church in the West today is fully convinced that to be a Christian ought to result in the good life, where everything comes up roses. But, that was never to be found in the description of the church. “In this life you will have tribulations.” That’s the description of the church. It’s not much of a sales pitch, really, but it’s the reality. The reward into which you have entered isn’t one for this temporal, temporary world. It’s an eternal thing. But, on the way there, you remain in the world that you are no longer of. That’s not an easy assignment. But, don’t let that world convince you that you are even more deserving of its pleasures than others, because you now have Christ. Yes, you have Christ – the same Christ this world saw fit to spit upon and destroy.

He exposes their sins. It cannot be otherwise, when Purity stands in the midst. You are His, and as imperfectly as you reflect that reality, the reflection of His purity remains a part of you. The same problem arises, if in lesser degree. Sin is exposed, and nobody likes that. There will be a reaction. If you attempt to exercise godly discipline, don’t be surprised when those on the receiving end choose to revile rather than to repent. And yet, dear child of God, though these things hurt, though they wound you, even if it should come to pass that they wound you materially, physically, yet all things proceed according to the perfect plan of your loving Father, and they proceed for the sole purpose of achieving what is for the good of those who love Him and serve in His purpose.

Now, though Paul makes use of sacrificial imagery in this passage, we can rest assured that he in no way saw himself as an expiatory victim. The Apostles may have been called upon to suffer in a fashion not unlike their Master. They may have even accounted it a great honor to do so. But, there is one thing they would never suppose: That their death could have any bearing on eternal life for others; that their death had redemptive, atoning power. That belonged exclusively to the One they loved and followed, and whatever grandiose ideas they had had when following Him around Galilee and Judea, those had long since been dispelled. They could not be Him. He was the unique, only Son of God. They could follow, and seek to emulate. They could never replace, nor would they wish to.

The calling of the Apostolic office was an eminently honorable calling. It was also, simultaneously a singularly hard and hazardous calling. This is a matter I will be pursuing more fully in the next section, but as a transitional thought recognize this reality. The Apostles, as they undertook to fulfill the duties of their office, could not help but be clear on the reality of the situation. They could also look to their Master, the Head, and recognize that however hard and hazardous their own call, it paled in comparison to what He had undertaken to do. Whatever trials and sufferings they must undergo in establishing the Church on a sound footing, they could rest on that fact: Their suffering would never begin to compare to what He had experienced. Even as they were called to suffer unto death, still it did not compare. Peter, sentenced to be crucified, requested to be hung upside down, rather than upright, so that he would not be tempted to think he had done as Christ had done. By that point, I don’t think Peter was at any risk of developing a Messiah complex, but humility demanded that he avoid even the appearance.

Today we are in an age of Apostolic wannabees. If ever there was an exercise of ego in full excess, this is it. If ever there was an exercise of near total ignorance of what is being claimed, this is also it. But, let me save that for tomorrow.

So, You Want to be an Apostle? (05/9/17)

When I consider this effort to restore the apostolic office, I find myself feeling somewhat the irony that Paul expresses here. Would that you were apostles! Then there would be something to celebrate about you, seeing God doing great things. But, as it stands, what is there to be seen is fleshly pride and what the authors here have repeated labeled self-conceit.

I am put in mind of something the elders of our church presented at a ministry fair several years back. It was along the lines of a “What’s your spiritual gift” questionnaire, but it came with a twist. Rather than giving all these positive indicators and questions that would lead one to look forward to using that gift with relish, the questions tended to focus on the hard side of the matter. You think you might have been given a gift of prophesy? Well, let us consider what the prophets had to undergo in the pursuit of their gift and office. Is that something you are ready to face?

I don’t recall them including the apostolic office or gifting (if one can find evidence of such a thing) in that questionnaire, and rightly so. But, look at what Paul is laying out here. You want to be seen as worthy of an Apostle’s respect? Let us consider the calling. Here’s what the Apostles have been required to endure in pursuit of the kingdom. We are tired and hungry, homeless laborers despised by all. We have been caused to seek the lost through the foolishness of preaching, and are seen, more often than not, as the cause of curses rather than the purveyors of hope. We are made fun of, made spectacle of, slandered and accused of every sort of evil for preaching the Gospel. This is what the office entails. Remember Who it is we preach: Jesus, the Son of God, the Suffering Servant who gave His very life in most humiliating fashion to save our sorry selves. It is He who taught us that the student never outstrips his teacher, the servant is never more honored than his master.

And so, we find ourselves as we do: exhibited to the world and to the heavens alike as men left as ‘lawful booty’ to all mankind, as Mr. Clarke fashions it. We are paraded into the arena of world-opinion like those who will fight at the end of the day, unarmored and unarmed; surviving, if we do, only to fight again until death takes us. This may be said figuratively, although barely so, as history tells us that indeed, the Apostles underwent almost exactly this sort of death, and those who followed in the next several centuries met such an end more exactly. Even to our own day, we know that in other nations those who would truly serve the kingdom of God amidst a heathen population do so at risk of crucifixion, beheading and worse – if there can be worse.

Clarke looks at this litany to the Apostolic life and asks the obvious question: “Who at that time would have coveted the apostolate?” Who, in our own time, were they to recognize that to undertake the office is to accept exactly this prospect, would still wish to make so much of their shiny new title? It is often pointed out in regard to the prophetic poseurs of today that it would be well if they were required to face the same penalty for prophesying falsely as applied under the Old Covenant. This may be said sarcastically, but it carries a great deal of validity nonetheless.

I could consider the passage we were looking at from Galatians 3 in Sunday School last Sunday. The Law, Paul reminds us, did not and could not invalidate the previously established covenant. Surely, the same must be said of the New Covenant in regard to the Old. It does not invalidate the Old. It restores and enhances. That being said, what was required of the prophet in the Old is still required. It is still a heinous crime against a holy God to claim His authority in regard to words He never asked you to speak. It should be a matter most terrible to us to be required to preface our declarations with, “Thus says the Lord.” It does no good to couch that with, “I feel the Lord is saying.” That’s the same game the Pharisees played by making their oaths with reference to the temple, or some other close approximation of God, as if that left them room to skip out on the oath should they so desire. Their word games didn’t alter the nature of oath. Your word games don’t alter the nature of claiming God’s voice behind your own imaginings.

Likewise, however one may attempt to redefine the apostolic office, or claim its authority without its qualifications, the nature of the office is unchanged. The requirements of office are unchanged. The risks and dangers of the office are unchanged. So, then, if it is asked how I can so swiftly discount the claims of those who insist they are apostles in our day, I say in response that there are many grounds for doing so; not the least the simple fact that the requirements laid out by Scripture cannot possibly be met. I know that those with over-active imaginations like to think that maybe Jesus does come back in the flesh to visit these folks and impart the commission to them, but this simply is not the case. The office is too important to be handed out in such a non-confirmable fashion. Even Paul, while not seeking the approval of the other Apostles, did in fact go see them and confirm that the gospel he had received was indeed the same.

The point is this: The establishment of true Scripture, true Revelation, and the True Church was a task specifically assigned to this office and this office alone; carrying on in the work begun by the prophets of the Old Covenant. Here is the foundation. It has been laid. There can be no other. What part of that do you not understand? It is plainly enough stated. This is really the single, defining point of the Apostolic office. Yes, they were out planting churches, but being a church planter doesn’t make you an apostle. Yes, they oversaw many churches as the church grew, but overseeing many churches, or even entire denominations, does not make you an apostle. What defined the apostle is this: They had their doctrine directly from Christ. They had their orders directly from Christ. When Paul asks, “What do you have that you did not receive?” the immediate concern is not to remind them that all their gifts come from God, but that all their doctrine comes from God’s appointed men: The Apostles.

You want the honor of the office? Take up the ignominy. You want the authority of the office? Bear it as a servant to all, a steward of that which has been entrusted to you, if indeed it has been entrusted to you. You want the glory? It only comes with the suffering. It only comes with the cross of Christ. If what you’re looking for is the fine opinion of men and the approval of your brothers, you are not looking for apostleship. You are sorely mistaken about its nature.

I will say to, in regard to these modern claimants, that insomuch as they seek to add to the body of doctrine, they already demonstrate their falsity. It is one thing to build faithfully upon the foundation God has laid down through the Prophets and the Apostles. It is quite another to stack up your own pile of bricks and claim that He has led you to establish this new Addition to the Church. How is this any different than the LDS? How is this any different than every other heretical movement that has come to plague the Church over the centuries. It is not one whit different! Do you quote the Scriptures in pursuit of your new order? Good for you. So does the Devil. Do you take the least care to see if your purported revelations accord with what God has long since established as Truth? Or do you write off the authors of the New Testament as benighted products of their time, insisting that you now have a greater, fresher revelation for a more enlightened age?

Let us consider these new spokesmen. Are they, like Paul, like Peter, like John, setting aside all worldly comfort and reputation, working with their own hands to support themselves that the Gospel may go forth? Or are they, like the Corinthians to whom Paul directs his attention, living comfortably at home, welcoming the accolades and prestige; accepting donations in some cases, charging fees in others? It is an interesting thing, I think, to find a purported apostle charging for his services. I recognize that Paul does say he could seek to have his upkeep from the contributions of those he ministered to, but he says this as one who has rejected the idea. In plain point of fact, he speaks of this because it is the practice of the false apostles who were disturbing the Church. The true Apostles, so far as can be discerned, had no such practice. The ostentation of church officeholders would have to wait for a later age, when the papacy replaced the apostolic order – and on much the same grounds as the modern-day apostles. They, too, laid claim to an authority that was never theirs; claim it to this day. These new imposters are no different, and no better.

You want to be an Apostle? Then, live like one, act like one, cling to the true, revealed word of God like one. Perhaps then, there might at least be a bit of credibility to your claim. But, then, such credibility must certainly lead to a repenting of any such claim.

The Upshot (05/10/17)

Reading through the text again this morning, something struck me that I don’t believe I had seen in the same light previously. While it is clear that in verse 8, Paul is laying on an ironic assault, demonstrating the superlative view these leaders had of themselves, it is not so clear that this is what’s happening in verse 10. The commentaries are pretty much agreed that this is a return to irony, but it seems to me Paul dropped that at the end of verse 8. He’d made his point in that regard. He has then moved on to describing what life as an apostle is really like, and in the midst of that, he turns back to compare their condition with that of the Corinthians.

The contrast ought to be the more stunning for being accurately declared. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ. If taken as a statement of fact, it sounds almost complimentary to the Corinthians, doesn’t it? But, that prudent, phronimos, is not pointing particularly at wisdom, which is where our thoughts go in seeking an opposite for fool. It has this sense of one who is discreet, cautious. If he were going for a sense of wisdom, Paul would have turned to sophos. The contrast he is drawing is not between fool and wise man. It is between all-out commitment to Christ at all costs, and a presentation of Christ that is cautious, testing the currents of popular thought, seeking to be inoffensive and well thought of.

That distinction continues to be emphasized in what follows. We minister from utmost weakness, but you insist on working from strength. We go without in order that the Gospel may go forth. You make it a profit center. You do all you do to build your prestige, seeking such honors as men will bestow upon you. We are dishonored, and we might add, by you first and foremost. This isn’t irony anymore. This is convicting declaration of the truth. It is a stark contrast between the ministry for show that was happening in Corinth, and the ministry of the Gospel which produced real fruit.

The real deal isn’t as glamorous. The real deal doesn’t try and sell itself. It just puts the offer out there, explains your situation, presents the plan of God, and leaves the result to Him. So, if we are possessed of this marvelous plan, and recipients of God’s mercy, what are we to do? Well, let’s face it: He has told you, O man, what is good for you. Do what’s right. Love kindness. Walk humbly with Him. (Mic 6:8). How shall we thus walk? Herein lies the most beautiful aspect of the Law. It demonstrates the pleasing Way. And, to the degree that we seek Him with all our hearts, we can be assured that He will fill all our hearts. Indeed, even to the degree we fail to do so, we can have that same assurance, but there is something wonderful about discovering in ourselves a desire to please Him. There is something joyous in finding that we can make the attempt.

There is something utterly heartening in learning that we do indeed persevere, albeit not in our own strength. No. He grants us the strength to persevere. This is ever present in Paul’s litany of weakness. Look at us! We are broke, hungry, homeless wanderers with nothing on offer but the Gospel. We are not eloquent orators. We are plain-spoken foreigners from a largely despised people. And yet, look what the Lord has done with so worthless a tool! God is great, and that’s the point. Were it about Paul, were it about Peter, were it about any man living, the ministry would be futile. The MOST that could be hoped for is that whoever it was about made a reasonable living from it. So soon as he passed from the stage, so would his following be returned to their old lives, no better for the experience, and most likely worse off.

But, we know ourselves imperfect in our desire to please God, and to persevere. Even as we seek to remain constant in His service, we know ourselves faltering. We can relate all too well with the assessment Jesus had of the three who went aside to pray with Him at the end. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Mt 26:41). Indeed it is, and how sadly well we know it. We are committed in principle. We trust God in theory. The question is and ever will be whether we are so committed and trusting in practice. There is a pretty good chance that we, in our moments of clearest self-examination, will acknowledge doubts in this regard. We want to be that committed and trusting, but we’re not real certain that we are.

I think about the point Pastor Dana was making in last week’s sermon, regarding the steadfast faith displayed by Christians in places like Lebanon, like Egypt. There is something marvelous in their demonstrable, life-risking commitment to Christ. There is something troubling, as well, for in honest assessment, we simply don’t think we would be able to do the same. The funny part is, these folks who so inspire us think the same of themselves. It’s not their strength, after all, that carries them steadfast. It is His! That is where trust must come in to empower commitment.

We don’t need to face life and death situations to require His strengthening of our resolve. Every day, every moment of most days, we are challenged as to whether we shall be a people of integrity, or whether we, like these Corinthians, shall choose to be ‘prudent in Christ’, cautious of letting our faith be known. Oh, that hurts, doesn’t it? But, it’s true! We have been conditioned to caution. In the workplace, we are informed that this is not what we get paid for, and anymore, it’s pretty much a minority opinion anyway, and ill-thought of. We celebrate diversity, here, but not yours. If there are Muslims and Hindus around, you must be respectful of their beliefs, sir Christian. And, in our view, the only way for you to be respectful of their beliefs is to shut up about yours. But, no such requirement shall be set upon them because they are merely providing us with demonstration of their culture. How to respond? Hold fast your integrity! Whatever the opposition you face in this world, remain proud of the Gospel.

Look: We all know (or at least we should, if ego hasn’t blinded us) that we shall forever be falling short of the measure of God. That, after all, is the true end of the Law, isn’t it, to demonstrate the utter futility of trying to walk in perfect obedience? It’s not in us fallen children to do so. But, for the elect, for those whom God has gratuitously chosen to call His own, there is this: HE is forever drawing us nearer the mark. On our own, we are always wide of the mark. It would be hard to convince anybody that we could even see the mark, let alone come close to hitting it. But, we are not alone. He is at work in us, to will and to work according to His good pleasure (Php 2:13). He has already accounted for our shortfall. He has already made amends for our failures. And, He has given us the indelible promise that when we reach the end of days, we shall be found – manifestly demonstrated as being – righteous in Him. Whatever our failures in life, whatever the opinions of man, He shall have done it, and the glory shall go to Him.

Just look what He made of that Jeff guy! Amazing. Who could have imagined that he would be counted as righteous? Who could have imagined that he would produce anything good? Well, he didn’t. But, God sure did. What a mighty God he serves!

In the meantime, we do as best we may to hold fast our integrity. We strive, though constantly falling short, to live according to Scripture, to ‘walk by the Word’. We pray daily to be restored to God’s design, returned to proper form. We pray because we know that apart from God, we can do nothing. We pray in the confidence that with God, all things, even our obedience, are possible.