Note 20 at 2 Cor. 6:8: Beginning with verse 8, Paul is now using nine pairs of contrasting terms to describe his ministry. By some he is praised and honored, by others he is denounced and spoken ill of. By some he is slandered, by others he's praised. Some count him as a deceiver, yet he is proved to be true.

Those who speak out for the Lord are continually misunderstood. Ministers have those who love them and those who hate them. But true ministers of the gospel seldom have those who are indifferent. Everywhere that Jesus and his apostles went, they either caused a riot or a revival, but they weren't ignored (see note 68 at Jn. 15:19, p. 497).

Even the false accusations leveled against those who preach the gospel validate the calling of true ministers of Christ, when one considers the source.