I Corinthians 4:7-21

“We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute” (v10). Somehow, the Corinthians had gone from being grateful for their salvation to being arrogant about it. They had forgotten that everything they had received were gifts from God (v7); instead, they were “puffed up” like royalty (v6-7). In contrast, Paul said Jesus-followers were marked not by arrogance, but humility: “when reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat” (v12-13).

“We are fools for Christ’s sake” (v10). True humility and self-sacrifice will always look foolish in a world that idolizes winning, yet it is the way of our King.