1 Corinthians 4:6-13 - The Apostles' Humility

⁶ Now, brothers, for your sakes I have applied all this to Apollos and myself, that from us as illustrations you might learn the lesson, "Never go beyond what is written," so that you might stop boasting in favor of one teacher against another. ⁷ For who makes you superior? And what do you have that you did not get from someone? But if you got it from someone, why do you boast as though you had not? ⁸ Are you satisfied already? Have you grown rich already? Have you ascended your thrones without us to join you? Yes, I could wish that you had ascended your thrones, that we too might join you on them! ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on exhibition at the disgraced end of the procession, as they do with men who are doomed to die in the arena. ¹⁰ For we have become a spectacle to the universe, to angels as well as men. For Christ's sake we are held as fools, while you through union with Christ are men of wisdom. We are weak; you are strong. You are held in honor; we in dishonor. ¹¹ To this very hour we have gone hungry, thirsty, poorly clad; we have been roughly knocked around; we have had no home. ¹² We have worked hard with our own hands for a living. When abused by people, we bless them. When persecuted, we patiently bear it. ¹³ When we are slandered by them, we try to conciliate them. To this very hour we have been made the filth of the world, the scum of the universe!