"Scum" probably isn't a word you would use to describe yourself. It sounds self-loathing and demeaning. So why would Paul apply it to himself? Albert Hung explains...Paul was writing to a group of early Christians living in a materialistic, hyper-sexualized culture, much like our own. These Corinthian believers gathered regularly to worship and pray and sit under the instruction of their pastors. They broke bread together in one another’s homes. In that sense, they had every appearance of go...
"Scum" probably isn't a word you would use to describe yourself. It sounds self-loathing and demeaning. So why would Paul apply it to himself? Albert Hung explains...
Paul was writing to a group of early Christians living in a materialistic, hyper-sexualized culture, much like our own. These Corinthian believers gathered regularly to worship and pray and sit under the instruction of their pastors. They broke bread together in one another’s homes. In that sense, they had every appearance of godliness. Yet in other ways, these Christians were no different than anyone else. They lived in luxury, comfort, and ease. They freely indulged in various forms of sexual immorality. As a result, they became smug, prideful, and spiritually lazy. “Look at how God is blessing us,” they boasted. “Truly, we are favored more than others."
In contrast, Paul and the apostles were poor, itinerant preachers, traveling from place to place spreading the gospel, despite the constant threat of imprisonment or death. The Corinthians wanted no part of this life.
It’s no wonder nobody takes Christians seriously when the only thing different about us is that we go to church, pray before meals, and tend to be more judgmental than the rest of the population. But nobody could accuse Paul and his compatriots of displaying this kind of shallow faith. They were fools for Christ. They were the scum of the earth. The Corinthians were clamoring for the top positions in life, Paul was working his way down.
Henri Nouwen says it well. "The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record – that’s what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us the rewards of money and fame. The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is the way to the Kingdom, the way Jesus took, and the way that brings everlasting life."
Jesus modeled this didn't he? He climbed all the way down to the gates of death and burst them open for you and me. He became nothing so we could become something. It's ok, go ahead and count yourself with Paul and Jesus. You're in good company!
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