2 Corinthians (Written)

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 2 Corinthians 6:4

The word “but” is based upon what he just said in the preceding verse. It was the aim of the apostles to give no offense in anything in order to keep the ministry from blame. Instead of allowing this to occur, he notes that in all ways they commended themselves “as ministers of God.”

The word “commend” isn’t meant in the sense of “a pat on the back” but rather “how to behave.” Their actions and behavior were constantly being subordinated to the importance of their ministry. It was as if they had a subprogram running in the back of their mind, constantly reminding them of the solemnity of their work. Therefore, they were always ensuring their behavior was kept in line with the expectations Christ would have of their ministry.

After noting this, he now begins a lengthy list of such expectations beginning with “much patience.” This is perfectly in line with what he said to the Corinthians in his first letter. In his great discourse on love in 1 Corinthians 13, he says that “love suffers long.” This is something then that would be expected of an apostle. The demonstration of much patience, especially with those who were lost in sin, was necessary to bring them from their darkened state to the light of Christ.

He next says, “…in tribulations.” This is the same word used in 2 Corinthians 4:17. It indicates a “narrow place that ‘hems someone in’; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, ‘without options’).” The apostles, particularly Paul, as is documented in Acts, faced such pressures as they ministered to others.

His next description of them is “in needs.” It indicates “calls for timely help, i.e. strong force needed to accomplish something compulsory (absolutely required). This kind of situation is typically brought on by great pain or distress.” Again, the life of the apostle was frequented with such hardships.

Finally, this verse ends with “in distresses.” As with the previous two words, HELPS Word Studies gives us a clue concerning what Paul is trying to relay. This word means “properly, a narrow place; (figuratively) a difficult circumstance – which God always authorized and hence only produces a temporal sense of confinement. Through Christ’s inworking of faith, internal distress (sense of pressure, anguish) is ironically the way He shows His limitless work – in our ‘limitations’!”

Such was the life of the apostle as they endeavored to keep their ministries free from scandal. It was their heart’s goal and desire to glorify Christ and not bring any scandal upon His glorious name.

Life application: We live in a world of comfort and ease. But should that end for whatever reason, let us remember our testimony as bearers of the title “Christian” and endeavor to never bring discredit upon that glorious title.

Lord God, my heavenly Father – I bear a name and a title which has the highest honor of all. I bear the exalted name of Jesus and the title of Christian. Help me to always endeavor to remember my place and to never bring discredit upon either. Rather, grant me the grace to always bring glory to my Lord and to the faith which I possess in Him. This I pray to Your honor and glory. Amen.

Monday, 24 August 2015

We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 2 Corinthians 6:3

The construction of this verse is in the participle form and thus it is a resumption of the thought from verse 6:1. Verse 6:2 then was a parenthetical insert. In verse 1, he had admonished his audience to not receive the grace of God in vain. After that came the parenthetical thought that implores acting on that grace today. And now, to bolster the thought that the apostles were pleading with God on our behalf (also from verse 1) he says, “We give no offense in anything.”

It would be futile to “plead” with someone over a matter while at the same time offending them. In fact, it would be contradictory to do so. In order to have their pleas responded to favorably then, they ensure that no offense was coming from them. The word for “offense” is proskopé rather than the more common word skandalon. This is its only use in the NT and it comes from another verb which indicates dashing something to the ground. The idea then is that they have determined no to allow anyone to fall because of their actions.

And the reason for this is then explained, “…that our ministry may not be blamed.” The purpose of their ministry was to bring people to a saving knowledge of the Lord and to properly train them in the ways of the Lord. If they were causing people to fall instead of being saved, their ministry would be blamed for its inappropriate handling of their responsibilities.

This word for “blamed” is mómaomai. It is used just twice in the NT, here and in 2 Corinthians 8:20. However, it comes from another similar word which is found in 2 Peter 2:13 when speaking of “those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority” (2 Peter 2:10).

The apostles’ desire was to be above reproach in all ways so that they would be effective ministers of the word of salvation and so that their ministries would be a light for others to see and draw near to. How good it would be if all pastors and teachers of the Bible were so motivated!

Life application: Though we are not apostles, each of us who bears the title “Christian” is a representative of the One who bestows that title on us. Let us remember this as we conduct our lives in the presence of others. Their perception of Jesus may be limited to how we present ourselves.

Heavenly Father, I cannot thank You enough for the great salvation You accomplished in me. And yet, I feel as if I let You down so often. When people see me, they are supposed to see someone who represents Christ who saved me. I know for sure this isn’t always the case. Help me to be a faithful minister of Your glory, giving no offense as I speak about the gospel. And help me to keep from bringing blame upon the glorious name of Jesus. Amen.

Sunday, 23 August 2015

For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

In verse 1, Paul said that they (meaning the apostles) as “workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Now to show the importance of calling on Christ at the present moment, whatever that moment may be, he goes to Isaiah 49:8 to demonstrate that even the Old Testament showed there would be an acceptable time for both Jew and Gentile to reach out and be saved.

His quote is from the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), but even the Hebrew version carries the idea that he is conveying –

“Thus says the Lord:
‘In an acceptable time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;'” Isaiah 49:8

“For He says” then is speaking of the Lord, who is God. As Jesus is one and the same with the Lord of the Old Testament, it is again a note concerning the deity of Christ (as was explained in verse 1). It is He who says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you.” There was to be found a time of special grace upon the world. That time came at the advent of Jesus Christ. He, born without original sin, lived under the law perfectly, and gave His life up in exchange for the sin of the world.

His resurrection proved that this was so. Fifty days later, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all who believed. This is that acceptable time. It is a period of grace where man’s sins are not counted against them. As Paul continues, he writes, “And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Where we cannot help ourselves, Christ stepped in to help us. We already bear Adam’s sin and thus stand condemned before God. We cannot traverse time and undo what Adam has done and so we stand helpless to do anything about our miserable plight. But at the coming of Christ, and in the completion of His work, He has helped us. There is now a way of being reconciled to God. But there is something important attached to this that Paul informs us. He says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

The urgency of his words shows us at least two things –

1) There must be an obligation upon us. If not, then there would be no need to worry about God or the apostles pleading for us to act.

2) There is a point when this “accepted time” will end.

Christ’s offer is exactly that, an offer. It can be accepted and it can be refused. Further, it is not forced upon anyone. No person is “regenerated in order to believe.” Rather they are given an offer of peace and they must accept it. “The day of salvation” then is any day that we have. As we only have “today” (as Hebrews chapters 1-4 so minutely explains), then we need to understand that Today is in fact the day of salvation.

There is a day when we will die, or at least become incapable of choosing Jesus. At that point, Today is over and our fate is sealed. Paul’s words in this verse are a sobering reminder to all that our days are numbered, but that this set number is unknown to us. The first chapter of Proverbs shares the same thought with us –

“Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
²⁵ Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸ “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.” Proverbs 1:24-28

Life application: If you have heard His voice, don’t rebel against it. Receive Jesus Christ and be reconciled to God. Truly there is no Tomorrow that we can count on. Call on Jesus Today.

Heavenly Father, I remember seeing what happened on Sept 11, 2001. I remember seeing people make a choice, “Will I stay where I am and burn to death, or will I jump…” Watching those people jump to their deaths reminds me that we don’t know our last day. Not one of them thought, “I will go to work and die today.” Surely You called to each one of them. Some may have chosen Christ; some may have refused Him – only You know. None of us know our end and so I would pray for any who have never called on Jesus. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of Your favor. Turn their hearts to you Today. Amen.

Saturday, 22 August 2015

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 Corinthians 6:1

Again, as in 2 Corinthians 5:20, this verse clearly demonstrates the incorrect theology of Calvinism which excludes free-will. One has to read right over such verses, ignoring their intent completely, in order to develop such an unsound systematic theology (which then isn’t very systematic).

Paul begins the chapter with, “We then…” He is speaking of himself and the other apostles, as he has even from the first chapter of this epistle. As apostles and “as workers together with Him” his petition will be made. The words “with Him” are inserted, but they are implied based on the use of the compounded Greek oun, meaning “with” which is found in the word synergountes. The word sunergeó means “to work together” or “cooperate.” Therefore, when compounded with oun, it means “to work together with.”

The question some scholars debate is whether “Him” then refers to “God” or to “Christ.” The reason for this debate is because “with” is certainly referring back to verse 20 of the previous chapter –

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

It is actually a bit silly to argue this, but for clarity we should analyze it. Paul said in this verse that the apostles are “ambassadors for Christ.” An ambassador speaks for the one who sent them. However, it is “God” who is said to plead through the apostles. Therefore, either option is a possibility if one wants to divide Paul’s thought into two different entities. But if we understand that Christ is God, then the debate is unnecessary. God is pleading through Christ, because Christ is God’s revelation of Himself. Further, Paul says the same thing concerning God in the book of 1 Corinthians –

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:9

Understanding that we, as the church, are “living stones” in this temple (1 Peter 2:5) and that the church is Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:23), then we can see that these are ultimately one and the same. It then is the apostles, together with Him, who “also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” The grace of God he is writing about can be nothing other than the message of salvation, the gospel. It is the message of pardon leading to reconciliation with God which is found in the sacrificial giving of Christ for fallen man.

And so the question must be asked, “Why would God/Christ plead along with the apostles for us to “not receive the grace of God in vain” if free-will were excluded from the equation? One can see how dangerous this type of theology is. If someone is expected to make a volitional act of the will in coming to Christ, but they are told this isn’t necessary because God has elected them already apart from their free-will, then they could end up never making such a decision. Thus, they will be excluded from the very hope which God is pleading for them to possess.

Life application: If you have never simply received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, calling on Him as Lord, then do so today. The choice is an eternity-deciding decision and the choice is yours.

Heavenly Father, I am thankful that I live in a time when the word of God was spoken often enough to me that I finally realized I had to do something in order to be saved. I realized that the choice is mine and that I had to call on Jesus. I thank You first for the offer of pardon, and I thank You also that You gave me the sense through multiple callings to make the free-will decision to receive it. You certainly are a gracious and patient God! How I love You. Help me now to continue to speak to others about this wonderful offer of peace and reconciliation. Amen.

Friday, 21 August 2015

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

From time to time, it is recommended by the commentator that a verse should be memorized and ready to be repeated at all times. This is one of them. In grasping the words of this verse, we find what the significance of the cross truly is. The order of the words in Greek show an emphasis which is lacking in our translations – “Him that knew no sin He made sin for us.”

God sent Jesus on a definite mission in order to redeem fallen man. He was born without inherited sin and He lived His life perfectly under the law, God’s standard for man. This is testified to on numerous occasions in the New Testament, such as John 8:46, John 14:30, Hebrews 7:26, 1 Peter 2:22, and etc. In being perfect and sinless, Jesus was thus qualified to become a sacrifice of atonement for those who otherwise had no hope.

It is important to note that the words “to be” are inserted by the translators, but are not in the Greek. Instead it says “He (has) made him sin.” Does this merely mean a sin-offering, or does it literally mean He was made sin? The answer is to be found in the Old Testament sacrificial system.

An innocent animal was brought before the Lord and the offender laid his hands on it and confessed over the animal. In this act, the sin was transferred to the animal. Thus the animal became not just the sin offering, but the sin itself. The transfer was made in accordance with the law and therefore God viewed the offender as having been purified and the animal as being sin-filled. The “sin-offering” does not mean that the sin was offered to God, but that the animal which was “the sin” was to be killed because “the wages of sin is death.” The life of the offender (the recipient of the transfer) was offered in order to remove the sin.

For this reason, the sin offering was to be wholly burnt; none of it was to be eaten. If the sin-offering was consumed, it would in essence be a “taking in again” of the sin which was transferred to the animal.

However, the book of Hebrews shows that this was only a picture of faith in the greater work of the Lord because, “…it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). These Old Testament sacrifices only looked forward to the work of Christ. And this is exactly what Christ did for them (looking forward), and for us (looking backward) on the cross.

God sent Him on this mission – perfect, pure, and spotless. He went to the cross bearing sin – our sin. The transfer is from the offender to the innocent and so He literally became sin. As the “wages of sin is death,” then He had to die in order for the sin which was transferred to Him to be removed. But, something more incredible occurred. Because He had no sin of His own, He died not “in” sin, but “for” sin. Without His own sin, it was not possible for Him to remain dead (Acts 2:24). Thus, He rose from the dead.

Therefore, sin was judged in Him – our sin. Once such a judgment is rendered, it can never be made again. And so an exchange was made at the cross. God made Him “sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” As our sin has been judged, then there is only righteousness left. In God’s eyes, our sin – past, present, and future – has been judged in Christ. Without any sin, we have become the righteousness of God in Christ.

This concept spoken of here is similar to that of Galatians 3:13 –

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)…

The law stood against us and testified to our sinful state, but Christ who fulfilled the law condemned that sin through His marvelous work. Again, Paul speaks of this in Romans –

“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh…” Romans 8:3

This “righteousness of God” is something that we cannot do without if we are to be reconciled to Him. Either we possess it, or we can never enter into His presence. As Charles Ellicott notes –

“The ‘righteousness of God,’ as in Romans 3:21-22, expresses not simply the righteousness which He gives, nor that which He requires, though neither of these meanings is excluded, but rather that which belongs to Him as His essential attribute.”

As incredible as it seems, Christ Jesus was seen as our sin there on Calvary’s cross. At the same time, we were (and are even now) viewed as Christ’s perfection. Because of His work, we take on a new nature in God’s eyes.

Life application: Because God views us as sinless, isn’t it right that we act as such? The cost of our sin was the life of our perfect, sinless Lord. As He died for us, let us endeavor to live for Him.

Heavenly Father, I cannot get my mind beyond the cross of Christ. Jesus went there for my sin, taking it upon Himself. And at the same time, I was given His righteousness. With that thought always before me, I would pray for the strength and the wisdom to live my life according to Your word, knowing that my coming judgment is not for salvation or condemnation, but for rewards based on my walk in Christ. As He died for me, help me to live for Him. This I pray that you will be glorified in this life I live. Amen.