“being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”
being defamed, we entreat.
When people dishonored the apostles by slander (defamed them), they entreated. To “entreat” means to plead, conciliate. They requested cessation of slander from men by conciliation. They were not petty or petulant and did not fly off the handle because of the diminishing of their reputation.
We have been made as the filth of the world,
The word “filth” means scum, that which is wiped off. They were treated as rubbish or refuse that had been thrown away.
the offscouring of all things until now.
The apostles were treated like scum, the rubbish of the world. The “offscouring” was the refuse left over after a thorough cleansing of a black pot.
PRINCIPLE:
Christians should rise above assault on their reputation.
APPLICATION:
Most of us seek some sort of fame. The idea of being defamed or slandered is a hard thought for some of us to take. A well-centered Christian does not fly off the handle because of someone undermining his reputation. He does not give others a piece of his mind. He lives his life out of a higher standard of inner nobility – nobility that comes from knowing God personally.
