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What Do Our Attitudes Say?
Some Christians loved Paul so much they would have torn out their eyes and given them to Paul (Galatians 4:15). False teachers got to them and Paul became their enemy (Galatians 4:16).
Some enemies of the truth hated Paul. This led to drastic measures on their part, even stoning Paul leaving him for dead (Acts 14:19).
Strangely, some Christians hated Paul, at least to the degree that they maligned Paul to others. They perceived him as a challenge for the affections of others. They called his physical presence weak, and his speaking despicable (2 Corinthians 10:10). By running down Paul they could build up themselves, something Paul wouldn’t do: “For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding” (2 Corinthians 10:12).
We should find these vastly different opinions of Paul challenging. It wasn’t that Paul was kind to some, offensive to others, indifferent to even more. Paul didn’t change personalities. What changed was not Paul, but the other people. When we find ourselves changing attitudes, or see our attitude as vastly different than others, we need to look at ourselves first. What do our attitudes say about us?
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