4:7
The Corinthians may also have considered themselves better than other cities or nations, but they were not. They were the same as everyone else, as are we. We have all sinned. The good things we have, we have received from God, we did not earn it. When we boast, we act as if the gift was earned.
4:8
Paul now writes sarcastically. The Corinthians thought they had it all, one might even say they were “living their best life now”! Paul mocks their hubris. Now one day we will reign with Christ, but only after He returns (you can replace this with a post-mil equivalent if you wish). Today we still struggle with sin, and we are in the day of salvation. This means that we share in Christ’s sufferings. Yes, we do receive blessings as well, but we also work with Christ.
4:9
Paul then describes what life is like as an Apostle. Now we must note that Paul is writing polemically or rhetorically here, so what he is saying is not the whole story, but it is an important part of it. Apostles were at the “top of the tree”, yet it seems as if God has placed them at the end of the procession. Paul is using the image of a successful general leading his captors in procession. Elsewhere Paul will use this analogy in terms of Christ’s victory, but here it seems as if he is one of the captives. It seems as if everyone is mocking them and that they are destined for death.
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