Evil is always evil (1.Cor 4:11-13)

To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now. (1.Cor 4:11-13)

What Paul is describing here is the application of a proverb that he also quotes in his letter to the Romans. Proverbs 25:21-22 says:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

Jesus commanded this in the sermon on the mount, when he said

You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt 5:38-45)

This is not optional behavior for particularly spiritual people. But it is a command, founded in who our Father in heaven is. We are saved today, because God is a God who blesses his enemies. We were enemies, and he blessed us to become his children. Now as children we are to be imitators of him. We are to bear his image in this world, and when we return evil for evil we are presenting an incorrect image of our Father.

Not only that but we make ourselves servants of evil. When we return evil for evil, what is the common thread? Evil! What wins? Evil. What’s missing? Good.

Our Father does good to everyone, and it is not in his nature to do evil. Some times when someone does something evil to us we might feel justified to return the disfavor with a similar evil. This is not of the Holy Spirit. Some times when we’re in a difficult situation we might feel like we have the right to try to solve it in a sinful manner. This does not come from the nature of Christ in us.

Evil is always evil, no matter how justified we might feel in it, and the fact that this is such a strange and foreign concept to us just serves to testify about how much evil still remains in our hearts even after God has redeemed us.

It's normal to suffer (1. Cor 4:11-13)

To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now. (1.Cor 4:11-13)

It is not abnormal for Christians to be hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless, toiling with their hands, being reviled, persecuted and slandered. It is nice not to be, but we must resist the modern idea that a healthy spiritual life involves being comfortable, and that any discomfort we experience is a symptom of a lack of faith or prayer.

so many preachers add to the burdens of their suffering brothers and sisters by preaching a gospel of ease and comfort if you’re only spiritual enough, or follow some legalistic steps in a book.

Christians don’t stand out from the world when it comes to the amount of suffering. Where we do stand out is in how we deal with it.

Will they cheer when we die? (1.Cor 4:8-10)

You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. (1. Cor 4:8-10)

When Paul says the apostles are exhibited last of all, as men condemned to death, the picture that would have formed in the minds of the original readers is the picture of a roman arena, and the grand finale of their gladiator show. He saw the world standing up and on the tribunes and cheering as the main attraction is dragged out by thick iron chains and released.They are prisoners, condemned to die a violent and gruesome death.

The world is not content just disliking, or being mildly annoyed with Christians. Throughout the history, in every part of the world, they have suffered persecution from Pagans, Muslims, Catholics, Atheists and everything in between. The relative peace that European and American Christians have enjoyed over the last few centuries is really an anomaly. So these verses seem strange to us. Maybe a little bit outdated. But both history and current developments with Islam and militant atheism would lead us to be prepared for times to get harder.

Christians have always been misrepresented and hated. If you read news you can hear the echoes of it. Evangelism is hate speech, teaching your children Christianity is child abuse. This is not new. And it is not extreme, compared to the accusations against Christians in atheist countries like China and North Korea, and Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

It is a rarity that the world in general does not cheer when we die. And we should not take it for granted.

Illusions of grandeur (1.Cor 4:8-10)

You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. (1.Cor 4:8-10)

Wait... Who put that picture here?

If Paul had had the common sense to end this section after his initial remarks, he could have been quite a successful mega-church pastor or TV-preacher. “You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings...” Just add something about turkey-bacon, and you’re pretty much set. But of course he has to go and ruin it, by saying he wished it all was true.

Of course, we don’t panic yet, because surely Paul will offer some kind of solution for this predicament? How to become filled, rich and reign as kings so they won’t be lacking all of this anymore? Perhaps they need to have more faith? Or maybe they haven’t been faithful tithers, and Paul will instruct them to sow their seed into his ministry? Do they need to pray harder, do a 40 day fast, or just speak it into existence? Because surely God wouldn’t want anything less for his servants.

To the contrary, dear fried. Look at how Paul contrasts his own christian walk to the proclaimed grandeur of the Corinthians:

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.

Paul is not complaining here. He’s setting forth himself and the other apostles as examples to be followed. If you want to follow Christ in the same way as the apostles, be prepared to be a weak, dishonored fool in the eyes of everyone else.

Impressing a deity

A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend two months in Kenya doing missions work. In the small town where we spent the main portion of our time, we decided to go for one of the nicer hotels. It was a relatively new establishment, with prices that by Norwegian standards were still very affordable.

In Norway, we have certain expectations when we enter into a nice hotel. For example, you'd expect that the steps in a staircase are of roughly the same height. Not so in Kenya. There each step was whatever height they felt like building it that day. When we entered into the bathroom we expected the tiles to be arranged into straight lines. There, the mere presence of tiles was plenty impressive. They would make the walls look nicer by painting the lower part in a different color from the upper part, and it took Norwegian eyes to even notice that the height of the lower part fluctuated wildly across the wall.

Of course all of these superficial observations driven by western vanity have no true significance in the big picture. But they do point out an interesting facet of human nature; that two men can look at the same thing, and depending on what they're accustomed to one can be wildly impressed while the other will shake his head and snicker.

I know someone who from eternity past reigned with his Father in a kingdom that was flawless. A place where nothing had ever seen decay, and no object ever got a dent or a scratch. A place where every smallest detail was handmade by God, and every curve on every blade of grass reflected his endless glory. The kind of place where you could pick up a rock from the ground and be brought to tears by the mere perfection of it, and wherever you turn them, your eyes would be filled with sights so glorious that you would have a hard time holding back from singing improvised songs of praise and worship to the Creator of it all.

Yet this person that I know, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Can you imagine what it would be for someone who existed eternally in perfection to come down to this fallen earth? To lay down his omnipotence and subject himself to corruption and death? If the contrast between the wealth of Norway and the poverty of Kenya stood out to me, imagine how unimpressed he must be with even the finest this earth has to offer. Will he not look at everything I find magnificent and amazing and think to himself that it is only a faint shadow of what he once created it to be?

While the cross was the pinnacle of Jesus' sacrifice, we often miss that even being present on this earth would have been a sacrifice much greater than we could ever imagine. And when we do that, then at the same time we deprive ourselves of imagining the glory and the grandeur of heaven.

What do you have that you did not receive? (1. Cor 4:7)

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1. Cor 4:7)

Here, Paul makes it personal. They can’t hide their pride behind their preachers anymore. Paul demands an answer to what would lead them to see themselves as superior to anyone else. He does so with the piercing question “what do you have that you did not receive?”

No question could be more deadly to pride and arrogance. So you claim to have discernment, do you? Who did you get it from? So your preacher is better than his preacher? Who created your preacher? Who called him into the ministry? Who died on a cross to give him something to preach about? Was it you?

Try to think about the most evil and wicked human being you can possibly imagine. Someone who’s committed sins that would make the devil himself blush. Now ask the question. What separates you from him? Nothing but the grace of God. Left to yourself you’d not only be as bad as him. You’d be worse.

“Wait”, you say. “I’m not like that. I don’t have those same inclinations to sin.” That is right, and the reason you don’t is because of God’s grace. Even if you’re a first rank atheist, you still have some remnant of god-given grace in your life too keep you from going where you would go left to yourself. His grace is to some degree restraining even the most evil person you can think of.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (Rom 2:14-15)

So what do you have that you have not received? Name one thing you’ve earned by your merits, or created yourself from nothing.

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Becoming arrogant because of what you have received, is to take God’s gracious free gifts to you and turn them into something he detests. “But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord” (2.Cor 10:17).

Thank you Lord that I'm not like that Corinthian (1. Cor 4:6)

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. (1. Cor 4:6)

Yesterday, we saw how the Corinthian pride in preachers was really just a disguise for pride in self. So today is an excellent opportunity for us to shake our heads at the silliness of the Corinthians, and pat ourselves on the back for not being like them. Let’s go up to the temple and lift our eyes toward heaven and say “Thank you God that I’m not like those arrogant Corinthian sinners.”

Well maybe you, like the Corinthians, would be to humble to say that out loud. But you might very well still be susceptible to have the same proud thoughts and arrogant feelings enter your heart. If not about preachers, then about some other worthy, spiritual sounding cause.

“My doctrine is better than yours”. It goes without saying, for those of us who are conscious of what we believe about God, that we would believe those beliefs to be true. And that if someone then disagrees, they would be wrong. But who gave you your doctrine? Was it not a gift by God’s grace? Then why would you act like you were the one who invented God? Why would you think those who don’t see it your way are just stupid or difficult? Am I saying that we should just toss all doctrine out the door, and start watching nooma videos? Not by any means. But when we know that the doctrines we believe, the ability to understand them, and the will to accept them were gifts given to us from God, we tend to treat those who disagree with us with a little more patience and grace.

“My church is better than yours”. Yes, but you are not the rock on which the Church is built. (Neither was the apostle Peter, by the way, but I won’t get into that here). If you keep that in mind you will not be slandering the bride of Christ down the street. You will humbly seek to serve them and show them more fully the things they fail to see.

There’s a million things a christian can use as a cover for arrogance. Things like Bible translations, how or when or how much to pray, how to witness, what music to listen to, what music to play in church, and the list just goes on and on. It is all fine and dandy to have an opinion about such things, and seek to convince others that you’re right. That doesn’t make you arrogant. But that feeling of superiority when you discuss these opinions with those who disagree with you, that most certainly does make you arrogant.

When your heart is filled with anger against someone else, and you start thinking “I don’t need him anyways”. When your mind starts thinking up accusations against him, and your mouth starts speaking harsh and hurtful words. Then it doesn’t matter if you’re right and he’s wrong. God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. He doesn’t resist the wrong and give grace to the right. So even if he’s wrong, if he’s humble about it he’s still better off than you.

Hiding pride behind preachers (1. Cor 4:6)

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. (1. Cor 4:6)

Over the last few weeks we have seen Paul and Apollos as farmers, builders and stewards. Paul applied those word-pictures to himself and Apollos with a specific goal in mind. He wanted the Corinthians to humbly see themselves and their fellow servants in light of what is written.

In writing these things he emphasised three things in particular. First that their assignments were from God. Not from their own ambitions. Secondly, that it is a work of cooperation. And third, that they would be judged by God for their faithfulness.

This is Paul’s prescribed antidote to carnal Corinthian pride. But how does that work? Paul talked about his own and Apollos’ ministry, and their responsibilities to God. How does that cure the Corinthians of their arrogance?

By pulling their preachers down from their pedestals and pointing out that they are nothing but servants, Paul achieved two things. He set them up as examples of humility, and he took away the Corinthians’ possibility to hide their own pride behind them.

You see, pride in preachers is really just a disguise for pride in self. Of course, like other Christians, the Corinthians would have been very humble. Much too humble to be puffed up on their own behalf. They knew they couldn’t get away with that. But under this humble surface was a heart still filled with carnal arrogance, and it leaked out through the cracks. It sure looks much better to those around you to be puffed up on behalf of someone else, rather than on your own behalf. But Paul was not fooled. He knew that puffed up is puffed up, no matter how it’s disguised.

“My preacher is better than your preacher” is just another way of saying “I’m better than you” After all I am the one who is spiritual and smart enough to chose the right preacher over the wrong one. After knocking their disguise down, he goes on to address their real problem of a proud heart in the next verse.

This blog post has been proven by science

There are many things that annoy me. One of them is a vice that is as popular among Bible-believing preachers as well as atheist university professors. What is it?

Making unspecific claims to scientific support.

A claims to scientific support demands at the very least a footnote with a reference that someone might be able to look up. Preferably there should be a short description of how the study was conducted as well so that you can quickly discern whether it's applicable to the claim made.

Over the years I have adapted to attach no significance to such claims as "Science proves", "we now know", "studies have shown", or even more vague "studies suggest". Usually they just mean the author is just expressing his own opinion and trying to sound smart at the same time. At best he might be referring to some internet rumor or something that he at least feels ought to be proven.

It annoys me when atheists do it, but it infuriates me when Christians sink to their level. (Especially when they do it to perpetuate one of the 5 worst arguments for Christianity ever). Does not the ninth commandment forbid bearing false witness? Leave lying to the atheists. Leave vague unsupported claims to fictional evidence to those who have no truth.

When the master comes back (1.Cor 4:5)

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God. (1.Cor 4:5)

When Jesus returns it will not matter whether our fellow servants thought we were wrong or right. It won’t even matter if we ourselves in a moment of weakness started wondering whether we had gone crazy. What will matter is if our Lord is satisfied with our service to him.

On that day he will put everything right. Many who may have appeared to others to be doing poorly will be praised by God because they were doing exactly what he told them to do. Others who seem to be doing great will be rebuked, or even rejected by Him because of wrong motives, secret sin or disobedience.

Let’s live for that day, and those words out of our master’s mouth. Well done, you good and faithful servant.

The dangers of an indifferent conscience (1.Cor 4:4)

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. (1.Cor 4:4)

Paul is not aware of any past or present sin that he has not brought before God, and that is an exceedingly restful position to be in. However, cultivating godliness and intimacy with God is not the only way to get there. There is another way, properly labeled antinomianism. You know what anti means, and nomos means law in Greek, so the word would describe those who are against the law. Those who accuse anyone who is obedient to the commands of God of being a legalist.

The antinomian would say along with Paul, I know of nothing against myself. After all Jesus died to forgive me all of my sins, so I can indulge in whatever I would like. We’re free from the law. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (Rom 6:1) The  antinomian would say “sure, why not?” Christ shed his blood to free them from the power of sin, and they see it as an occasion to increase their sin.

So here we have Paul, the obedient servant with a good conscience, and the antinomian with a dead conscience, both making the same claim. “I know nothing against myself”. Are they thereby acquitted? “No”, Paul says.The one who examines us it the Lord. We can not acquit ourselves. We can not declare ourselves to be right with God because we feel like we are. God is our judge, and we need to withstand his scrutiny.