1 Corinthians 4:13, commentary and pictures

Paul and his fellow apostles were slandered and reviled and treated as the filth and refuse and offscouring of the world for their gospel work in serving Christ, and this contempt continued to the time he wrote. When defamed they entreated, when reviled they blessed, and when persecuted they patiently endured, answering disgrace and contempt without retaliation as the pattern of his whole life. Those who bear Christ's sign and do His service are likewise hated without cause and counted as the refuse and offscouring of the earth, as Christ warned His disciples beforehand so that expected trouble would strengthen rather than shake their faith. The verse defines the position of a steward of the mysteries of God, for a faithful steward when defamed entreats instead of retaliating and accepts being made as the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things. Being widely reproached and regarded as the world's offscouring is not in itself proof of wrongdoing, but reproach caused by personal folly must be distinguished from suffering wrongfully.

Paul Defamed Yet Entreating

The verse describes Paul and his fellow apostles as defamed, reviled and slandered and made as the filth of the world and the refuse and offscouring of all things while serving Christ. That contempt came upon them because of their gospel work and ministry, and it continued unto the time he wrote. When defamed they entreated, when reviled they blessed, and when persecuted they patiently endured, answering disgrace and contempt without retaliation. This non-retaliating endurance was the pattern of Paul's whole life.

That patient response belonged to a life of frequent journeyings, in perils of waters, of robbers, by countrymen, by the heathen, in the city, in the wilderness, in the sea, and among false brethren. It belonged to a life of weariness and painfulness, of watchings often, of hunger and thirst, of fastings often, of cold and nakedness. Yet it was lived in joy found in service, as sorrowful yet alway rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. So at the close of a life of toil he could declare he had fought a good fight.

He bore insults, abuse, reviling, rejection, danger and many hardships for the sake of the truth and the salvation of others. He kept pressing on in the path Christ had trodden before him and continued his work despite them. His hardship and hand labor did not diminish his ministry, nor his care in warning the Corinthians as beloved children in the gospel.

God's Servants Scorned Today

Those who bear Christ's sign and do His service are hated without a cause as Christ was hated, and are counted as the refuse and the offscouring of the earth. Christ warned His disciples as evangelists beforehand that they would meet that hatred with its sufferings, trials and hardships in their work, telling them in advance so that trouble coming as expected would strengthen rather than shake their faith.

The verse describes the social position of the few who first embraced the truth when the cause began, a small and poor company, despised and treated as society's refuse while the work was being established amid hardship and scorn. At Spires the Reformers were likewise regarded as outcasts by their opponents and publicly scorned as the world's refuse, yet Christ would look upon and preserve His poor people. Sabbathkeepers are spoken against and counted among the offscouring of all things, in part because some professed believers act inconsistently.

At Gisborne falsehoods and insinuations led people through slander and prejudice to regard Seventh-day Adventists as the offscouring of all things, showing how contempt is produced by slander and prejudice. Hostile people use that offscouring label to portray God's people as contemptible and give others reason to avoid them, but such slander is not a true judgment of their worth. Being widely reproached and regarded as the world's offscouring is not in itself proof of wrongdoing, yet reproach caused by personal folly must be distinguished from suffering wrongfully, so the verse does not excuse conduct that gives occasion for evil reports.

Public confessions of disgraceful conduct risk leading unbelievers to regard Seventh-day Adventists as contemptible, bringing reproach and discredit on Christ's cause which Satan would welcome, so the verse's contempt is not a reason to publish secret sins. The verse defines the position of a steward of the mysteries of God: a faithful steward when defamed entreats instead of retaliating and accepts being made as the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things. Ministers of Christ and physicians are to make this their diligent study and ask where they stand in it, with great accountability in keeping the Master's goods in means or property in order, with a conscience void of offense toward God and fellow men, with no mean actions in dealing with other stewards, and with no effort to make one's own course appear as possessing great wisdom.