1 Corinthians 4:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

NIV: when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

NASB: when we are slandered, we reply as friends; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

CSB: when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.

NLT: We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash — right up to the present moment.

KJV: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

NKJV: being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

Paul has written that he and the other disciples have a specific strategy for how to respond when they are treated badly in their service to Christ. In short, they respond as Christ taught and did Himself when he was also mistreated (Matthew 5:38–48).

He has written, in the previous verse, that when the apostles are insulted, they give blessing in return. They don't let persecution stop them. They keep going. Now he adds that when they are slandered, meaning that people say false and hurtful things to damage their reputations, they respond with kindness.

Paul sums up how he and the other apostles are thought of by the unbelieving world. They are like the scum of the earth. They are like garbage, to be thrown away. It's not just that the larger world sees them as nothing. The world regards them as something detestable that must be removed.

It will become clear that Paul is not asking for pity from the Corinthians. He wants them to see that they should not expect a life spent in service to Christ to be one of great wealth or status in the world's eyes. In addition, he wants them to understand the sacrifice being made on their behalf by those who minister to them.

First Corinthians 4:1–13 begins with Paul's insistence that he is not concerned with anyone's judgment of him. The Lord will judge him, and that's what matters. The Corinthians have become arrogant in their judgment, forgetting that all the good they have is a gift. They feel self-reliant in their wealth and status while Paul and the other apostles live in poverty and under persecution, thought to be scum by the world. Still, they imitate Jesus by blessing those who mistreat them and continuing to serve Christ no matter the cost.

Paul continues to show why the Corinthian Christians must not be divided over loyalties to various Christian leaders. Only the Lord can judge His servants, including Paul. By making themselves judges, they are acting like they have all they need. They are proudly focused on reputation and status while the apostles live for Christ in poverty and under persecution. Paul writes as a father to little children. He urges them to change course and imitate his life. Do they want him to be gentle or come to them with the rod of correction?

First Corinthians 4 continues Paul's insistence to the Corinthian Christians to stop making themselves judges of each other. Only the Lord's judgment matters. They are living as if their wealth and status are all they need, while the apostles serve Christ in poverty and under persecution, imitating Christ. Paul urges them to change course and imitate his life. Paul will continue his increasingly stern tone in chapter 5, where he will confront appalling examples of sin in the church at Corinth.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.