Religious Affections: A Study of Paul&#039;s 2 Corinthian Correspondence

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2. Why Paul’s Absence Should Make the Corinthians’ Hearts Grow Fonder (2 Cor. 1:12-2:11)

Introduction

As a former school teacher and now a teacher of the Bible, I hear lots of lame excuses. A couple of years ago, I asked the congregation to share the weakest excuse they had ever heard. One father shared an incident with us about his son, who had a physical problem which required a very strict diet. We all know how difficult it is to regulate the diet of a growing teenager. Bob, the father, made a rule that the boy was never to get into the refrigerator. One night, Bob came downstairs to find the refrigerator door open and his son standing before it with his hand reaching inside. “Son, what are you doing?” Bob asked. What else would a boy be doing in the refrigerator late at night besides getting a little contraband to eat? Fully rising to the occasion, with hardly any hesitation, his son responded, “Oh, I was just cooling my hand.”

Though not compelling, the son’s excuse was at least creative and amusing. Our text, in effect, is Paul’s written excuse for being absent from Corinth. If the Corinthians follow Paul’s line of thought and respond as they should, their hearts will be drawn ever more closely to Paul. However, this text is not written just to those in Corinth but to all those in Achaia and most certainly to all saints today. Our careful attention to this text should help us learn from one of the greatest hearts and minds this world has ever known and cause us to ask God to give us this same heart for others, for truly it is reflective of the heart and mind of our Lord.

Paul’s Confidence and Pride
(1:12-14)

Our dealings with you have always been straightforward.

Now it is a matter of pride to us—endorsed by our conscience—that our activities in this world, particularly our dealings with you, have been absolutely aboveboard and sincere before God. They have not been marked by any worldly wisdom, but by the grace of God. Our letters to you have no double meaning—they mean just what you understand them to mean when you read them. I hope you will always understand these letters, as I believe some of you have understood me, and realize that you can be as honestly proud of us as we shall be of you on the day of the Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:12-14, Phillips).

We know Paul writes these words at a time of great relief, encouragement, and joy at the report he has just received from Titus, who has come to Paul from Corinth (2:12-13; 7:5-7). Nevertheless, this moment of great joy is preceded by great affliction and personal agony. Paul has suffered from false accusations, character assassination, persecution, physical afflictions, and even satanic attacks. The days immediately preceding the sending of this Epistle to the Corinthians are some of the darkest Paul has ever known:

5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more (2 Corinthians 7:5-7).

In times of adversity, we begin to second guess ourselves, and our thoughts are often punctuated with, “if I had only …” But Paul speaks of his “proud confidence”¹⁰in verse 2, and then indicates the basis for such confidence. The first is the testimony of his (literally, our¹¹)conscience, regarding his personal conduct in the unbelieving world in general and among the Corinthians in particular. Paul marches to the beat of a very different drum. He does not conduct himself in accordance with “fleshly wisdom,” but by the grace of God.

Consider this for a moment. Paul boasts in what causes some Corinthians to be ashamed, completely rejecting their “operating system” (forgive my “computerese”) in which some Corinthians take pride (see
1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 2:1-16; 4:9-10; 2 Corinthians 11). Paul boasts in conduct inspired by grace (the grace Paul receives from God in Christ), empowered by grace (through the Holy Spirit), and which is a manifestation of God’s grace. Fleshly wisdom knows nothing of grace. Fleshly wisdom depends upon the reasoning of the flesh and the power of the flesh, along with fleshly motivation.

In particular, the grace of God manifests itself in Paul’s conduct as evidenced by his holiness and godly sincerity. Godly conduct does not naturally flow from the flesh; it is supernaturally produced through divine grace. The New King James Version uses the two terms simplicity and godly sincerity. Both terms highlight a singleness of purpose and motivation—a godly focus. This godly single-mindedness is seen in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. His letters are written in a simple, straightforward way. He has no hidden agenda, no hidden meanings. He writes what he means, and he means what he writes.¹²

False teachers, especially those who pride themselves for their fleshly wisdom, always have a camouflaged message. They never really mean what they say. They speak of the deity of Christ, but it is not a fully divine Christ of which they speak. It may well be a Christ who is as god-like as we can become. They speak of resurrection, but not a physical, bodily resurrection from the dead. They speak of angels and salvation and eternal life, but they mean something far different from what the Bible teaches. They not only deceive with their own words, they also twist the very words of Scripture (see 2 Peter 3:16). Paul’s letters are meant to be taken at face value. Paul obviously lays a foundation here for arguments yet to be given. Some seem to accuse Paul of saying one thing and meaning another, in particular as it pertains to his coming to Corinth.

Paul’s boasting has a present dimension, which is the result of his clear conscience regarding his conduct in the world and among the saints. But he also speaks of a boasting that is future. Paul speaks clearly and simply, and many of the Corinthians understand him. He hopes they continue to understand in this way until the end (verse 13). If they do, they will understand that in the “day of our Lord Jesus,” the day of judgment when He returns to establish His kingdom, Paul’s boasting will be in them, just as their boasting will be in him.

This sends a strong message to those who are ashamed of Paul and those with him, those who take pride in leaders who operate only in accordance with fleshly wisdom. Do some pride themselves (boast) because of such leaders? They will not boast in the “day of the Lord!” Do some proudly identify with Paul and the gospel he preaches? They will most certainly boast in him in the “day of the Lord.” And he will boast in them. Here, as elsewhere, Paul’s reward is people, those whose spiritual life and growth he has had a hand in bringing to pass.

When we “lay up treasure in heaven,” we lay up that treasure in the form of people, people to whom we have ministered the grace of God.

9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9).

19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).

Before moving on to the next paragraph in our text, we shall pursue some of the implications of verses 12-14. I am personally convinced the principles conveyed in these three verses are of great relevance and importance to us, as well as to the Corinthians.

First, Paul’s words in this paragraph remind us once again that Christianity cannot be compartmentalized. Christian faith and doctrine must be lived out in a godly lifestyle. This lifestyle sets us apart from the world and the flesh, marking us as the children of God whose walk is characterized by divine grace. We are not to conduct ourselves one way on Sunday and in the church and another on weekdays in the world. We must not practice duplicity but simplicity, so that our words always convey the truth. In Jesus’ words, our “Yes” should be “Yes” and our “No” should be “No” (Matthew 5:37). One word our Lord uses frequently in His rebuke of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy says one thing and does another. Christians must “walk their talk” and “talk their walk.”

Second, Paul’s words indicate that there are no spiritually “elite,” those who understand what the masses do not and cannot understand. We readily see the “elitism” of the scribes and Pharisees as they proudly look upon themselves as the “knowers” of divine truth and look down upon the masses as ignorant and incapable of knowing God’s Word:

45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never did a man speak the way this man speaks.” 47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you? 48 No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? 49 But this multitude which does not know the Law is accursed” (John 7:45-49).

Throughout history, some have believed that they have an inside track on the truth. The scribes and Pharisees certainly thought they “owned” or had an exclusive franchise on the truth. The sad reality is they were experts at “straining the gnats” of God’s truth, while overlooking the “camels” (Matthew 23:23-24). They did not recognize that Jesus not only knew and taught the truth, but that He personified the truth as Israel’s Messiah. He who is the sinless Son of God, miraculously born through the work of the Holy Spirit, they rejected as an illegitimate child, the product of a sinful union, and a sinner Himself.

Those who seek to be among the elite set aside the plain meaning of Scripture, choosing a meaning not obvious to most. They focus on what is not said rather than on what is. Their methods major on speculation and inferential thinking. They love logic, connecting various segments of the Bible with each other by means of their own assumptions and preconceived conclusions. They love to set aside the simple, plain meaning of the text by calling it simplistic or naive, while they label their own interpretations with words like “spiritual,” “deep,” or “scholarly.” They take pride in holding and proposing interpretations others have never seen, rather than rejecting them as fanciful and off the wall.

Third, Paul’s words in this passage are most instructive about how we should interpret Scripture. Paul tells us his writings plainly express what he means for all to understand. We must begin by assuming that God has spoken fully and finally to us in His Son, with the canon of the New Testament being God’s last inspired revelation. We dare not focus on what the Scriptures have not revealed (Deuteronomy 29:29). We have every confidence that the Scriptures are absolutely sufficient for the spiritual sustenance of every Christian in every circumstance (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:1-4; 2 Peter 1:3-4).

We must realize that God’s Spirit not only inspired the writing of the Scriptures, but that the Spirit is God’s provision for illuminating the Scriptures so that the Bible is an open book to every Christian. One does not have to be a Hebrew or Greek student to understand the Bible. One does not need to be a scholar or even a seminary student to read the Bible and to practice and proclaim its message.

I must realize that because the message of the Bible is simple and straightforward, if my interpretations are new and unique, this is a danger sign and not a status symbol. God has spoken plainly through His word, and the message of the Bible has a consistency throughout the history of the church. Departures from the interpretation of the Bible, which godly saints have held through the ages, must be viewed with suspicion rather than embraced because they are new and novel. The Bible does not commend seeking after new and novel teaching (see Acts 17:21; 2 Timothy 3:6-7).

While there may be other implications and applications of a text, the plain meaning of the text is primary. Secondary meaning and applications of a text should never set aside the primary meaning; rather, they should supplement and support it. When I see something “new” in a passage, as I often do, I do not come away patting myself on the back for my depth of insight, but rather I marvel at how I could have overlooked something so obvious for so long.

Christians need to read these words of Paul and see their application to false teachers and false teaching, realizing that the “false apostles” (2 Corinthians 11) of Corinth and contemporary Christianity do twist the Scriptures, seeing in them what is not there. But we also need to see the application of Paul’s words to ourselves and our own circles. We have become very adept at setting aside statements and even commands our Lord and His apostles made. When Jesus instructed us to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), we quickly set this command aside, insisting it is relevant only to another dispensation. Let us remember that in the Great Commission Jesus commanded the apostles to “teach them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). I am amazed how many clear statements and commands of the New Testament (not to mention the Old) are set aside by contemporary Christians as though they do not apply to us. And we do so, not based upon clear biblical statements, but based upon our own sense of what we think ought to be. In this regard, we are no different from Eve, who knew God had forbidden that one fruit, but reasoned that disobedience was the better way.

Paul’s Change of Plans and His Personal Integrity
(1:15-22)

A change of plan does not necessarily mean fickleness of heart

Trusting you, and believing that you trusted us, our original plan was to pay you a visit first, and give you a double ‘treat.’ We meant to come here to Macedonia after first visiting you, and then to visit you again on leaving here. You could thus have helped us on our way toward Judaea. Because we had to change this plan, does it mean that we are fickle? Do you think I plan with my tongue in my cheek, saying ‘yes’ and meaning ‘no’? We solemnly assure you that as certainly as God is faithful so we have never given you a message meaning ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom Silvanus, Timothy and I have preached to you, is himself no doubtful quantity, he is the divine ‘Yes.’ Every promise of God finds its affirmative in him, and through him can be said the final amen, to the glory of God. We owe our position in Christ to this God of positive promise: it is he who has consecrated us to this special work, he who has given us the living guarantee of the Spirit in our hearts. Are we then the men to say one thing and mean another? (2 Corinthians 1:15-22, Phillips)

Ever since Paul’s first visit to Corinth and his first correspondence with them, some have arrogantly boasted that Paul will not return:

18 Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you (1 Corinthians 4:18).

Paul does visit again, and he will visit a third time as well. Those who boast that he will not come must change their attack on Paul. Instead of insisting he will not return, they criticize Paul for changing his plans about his coming visit. Paul mentions his next coming twice in 1 Corinthians:

19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power (1 Corinthians 4:19, emphasis mine).

5 But I shall come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia; 6 and perhaps I shall stay with you, or even spend the winter, that you may send me on my way wherever I may go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits. 8 But I shall remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; 9 for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries (1 Corinthians 16:5-9, emphasis mine).

We should first note that Paul’s plans to visit Corinth are not complete or set in stone, and they are contingent upon the Lord’s will. Paul tells the Corinthians what he hopes to do, not what he guarantees he will do. Paul’s journeys described in Acts demonstrate that God’s plans sometimes cause Paul to modify or set aside his own (see Acts 16:6-10). If the Corinthians dare to charge Paul with breaking his promise, they simply need to reread his words to discover that he made no firm promises. He speaks to them about what he desires to do, and generally about what he will do, if it is the Lord’s will (see also Acts 18:21).

Sometime after Paul writes 1 Corinthians, his plans change, as we can see in 2 Corinthians 1:15-16. Paul indicates to the Corinthians that rather than visit Corinth once, he would like to visit twice, once on his way to Macedonia and once on his way from Macedonia to Judea. Does this change somehow indicate a flaw in Paul’s character or in his relationship with the Corinthians? Paul puts it to the Corinthians directly, “Was I wrong to desire to come to you twice, rather than just once?” Of course not! Indeed, this change of plans should endear the Corinthians to Paul. He intends to bless them twice rather than once. His change of plans does not reveal a failure in Paul, but rather how full his love is for them. After all, those for whom we do not care, we do not wish to visit twice.

The charge of fickleness is a very subtle criticism of Paul which can potentially damage his standing with the Corinthians. The “false apostles” wish to reason in this way: (1) Paul said he would come in a certain way and at a certain time, and he has not done so. (2) Paul cannot be counted on to keep his word. (3) If Paul’s written word cannot be counted on, then all of his epistles are subject to question. (4) Paul’s letters should not be viewed as having apostolic authority. (5) Therefore, Paul’s letters can be rejected.

Paul first reminds the Corinthians that his first change of plans was favorably received by them as another evidence of his love (see above). Now he proceeds to defend himself against the charge of vacillating. He does so by linking his plans and promises to the plans and promises of God. Are some accusing Paul of saying “Yes,” but meaning “No?” This simply is not true, nor should it be, for Paul is a minister of the gospel and an ambassador of Christ. For Paul to promise one thing and mean another reflects adversely on God and His promises. All of Paul’s teaching centers on the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and every promise related to Christ is an unwavering “Yes” (verse 19). God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ, and so every promise of God is a “Yes,” because Christ has accomplished what God purposed and promised. In the words of our Lord, spoken on the cross of Calvary, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Christ is the final “Amen” to all of God’s promises. God appoints and establishes Paul and those with him in Christ. God gave evidence of this by the gift of the Holy Spirit, as a pledge that all His promises will be accomplished (verses 21-22).

What does this teach the Corinthians and us? It teaches us that all of God’s promises are sure, for they have been accomplished in Christ. God keeps His word, and so those who trust in Him and serve Him must also keep their word. They dare not make promises they fail to keep, for in so doing, they misrepresent the God who is ever faithful to fulfill all His promises. If we are obliged to keep all of our promises, we must certainly be cautious with regard to the promises and commitments we make. We must never make commitments we do not intend to keep or which we may not be able to keep. Those commitments we do make we should surely keep, even at great personal sacrifice. “In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt, and does not change” (Psalm 15:4).

On the one hand, we need to be very careful about presumptuously making plans in a way that presumes upon God and upon the future:

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit” (James 4:13).

Yet we should also be on guard that we are not rigid about the plans we make and refuse to change our course when it becomes obvious this best serves others. In the story of the Good Samaritan, no doubt the priest and the Levite had plans and stopping to help the wounded man forced them to set aside those plans. Many times I have found that I missed opportunities to minister to others because I had my own plan and I did not wish to change. Paul reminds us that plans may very well change out of love. I am suggesting that we may be unwilling to change our plans out of a lack of love for others and a selfish concern for ourselves.

Paul’s Reasons for Changing His Plans Were Benevolent
(1:23–2:4)

I have never wanted to hurt you

No, I declare before God that it was to avoid hurting you that I did not come to Corinth. We are not trying to dominate you and your faith—your faith is firm enough—but we can work with you to increase your joy. And I made up my mind that I would not pay you another painful visit. For what point is there in my depressing the very people who can give me such joy? The real purpose of my previous letter was in fact to save myself from being saddened by those whom I might reasonably expect to bring me joy. I have such confidence in you that my joy depends on all of you! I wrote to you in deep distress and out of a most unhappy heart (I don’t mind telling you I shed tears over that letter), not, believe me, to cause you pain, but to show you how deep is my care for your welfare (2 Corinthians 1:23–2:4, Phillips).

An expression popular today speaks of another person “being there for me.” This assumes that if another person really loves us, they will “be there for us” at our time of need. Love is therefore measured in terms of one’s presence; to be absent is to fail to love as we should. Paul challenges this mind set. He seeks to point out that one’s love for another may sometimes be evident by their absence, rather than by their presence. This may be the exception, but it is nevertheless a real possibility, and in Paul’s case, it is the true reason for his absence.

Paul has already been to Corinth twice. After his initial visit to Corinth, Paul feels compelled to make a hasty second visit. We know this because Paul speaks briefly of this “painful visit” and of his future visit as coming for the “third time” (2 Corinthians 2:1; 12:14; 13:1). Some ugly and painful things seem to have happened during this second visit. Paul has to deal severely with some of the saints. At this time, it seems a particular individual must have made some kind of personal attack on Paul, which brings a strong response from the church (2 Corinthians 2:1-11). Associated with this “painful visit” was a “painful letter,” which causes Paul, as well as the Corinthians, great sorrow (2:4). Now, in spite of Paul’s stated intentions to come for a more pleasant visit, he has not yet done so.

Paul is not “there for them” at the time of their perceived need for him. This must mean, some are saying, that Paul really does not care for them. Yet others are “there for the Corinthians” in their time of need. These, however, are the “false apostles” who are causing so much trouble for both Paul and the Corinthians (see 2 Corinthians 11). Is Paul’s absence proof that he did not really care for them as much as he said? Was his absence due to his lack of love and concern? Paul answers by asserting that his absence is a purposeful decision motivated by his love. In fact, his absence is an indication of his love.

Paul does not speak flippantly here. He calls God as his witness. As God is his witness, his delay in coming to Corinth was for their benefit, to “spare them” (1:23). Paul does not wish to “lord it over” their faith. He has confidence they will stand firm. Because of his confidence in God’s ability to keep them and bring about their growth and maturity, he does not feel the need to come, as though the church will get straightened out only by his being present. He has done his part by coming to them and by writing to them concerning needed corrections. Now, they need time to implement these corrective measures. Not enough time has yet passed for the Corinthians to fully demonstrate their commitment to obey Paul’s instructions. To come too soon will be painful for both Paul and the Corinthians. He will be obliged to point out what they have not yet done, and they will be pressured to do them by his presence. A delay gives the Corinthians time to do the right thing and means that when he comes, he will be rejoined to these saints in great joy once their obedience is complete. Paul delays to give the Corinthians time to complete their obedience.

The situation is similar to parents who have been away from home for a time, leaving the children in charge. While away, the parents receive a phone call from a friend, informing them that they “dropped in” to check on the kids and found the house in shambles. Dishes were not washed, dirty clothes were scattered all about; nothing had been done to clean up the place. The parents can cut their trip short and immediately go home only to find a terrible mess and the unpleasant task of rebuking the children. This will not be a happy reunion. Or, the parents can write or call the children, tell them about the bad report they have received, and remind the children of their responsibilities. They can then tell the children they plan to arrive within a few days and expect to find all the problems remedied. The children will have time to take corrective action and clean up the mess, and the parents have the pleasure of a warm welcome and a happy reunion, since all the problems have been corrected. The fact that the parents stay away should not be viewed as evidence of their lack of love or concern, but a demonstration of their love for their children and their faith in the children to make things right. Paul is doing this by delaying his visit to Corinth. He is not “there for them;” he is “not there, for them.” His absence is not his personal preference, because he loves these saints and wants to be with them. Paul’s absence is out of love for these saints, knowing it is for their best interest and his.

We must pause to consider this very important principle. Love is sometimes better demonstrated by keeping our distance from those we love than by being with them.

I still remember how traumatic my first day in school was for me. I know I very much wanted my parents to “be there for me.” I am sure my parents wanted to “be there for me,” but they could not, and indeed, they should not have been. I needed to learn to stand alone. Somewhere along the line, I had to begin to do the right thing without my parents being there with me. Paul visited many places and founded many churches, but the longest he ever stayed in one place was three years. He sent Titus, Timothy, and others out on their own, rather than keeping them at his side. Paul left churches to struggle and to survive without his presence, not because of his lack of love for them, but because he wanted them to learn to depend upon God’s Word and God’s Spirit. This was accomplished by his absence, as well as by his presence.

32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

I must hasten to remind you that even when Paul is physically absent, he is still present with the saints in spirit (see 1 Corinthians 5:3; Colossians 2:5). He writes to the churches and sends his representatives to these churches. He receives visitors from the churches (1 Corinthians 16:15-18) and constantly remembers the members of these churches in prayer (see 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). And let us not overlook that it is because of Paul’s physical absence that we have the inspired epistles he wrote to the saints.

There are times when we must demonstrate our love for others by our absence, even though this causes pain to us and to those from whom we are separated. We must sometimes let others fail rather than rush in to rescue them. At times, we must step back and allow others to face the consequences of their folly rather than seek to cushion the blows they have brought upon themselves. This is certainly true of our children, and it is also true for others. Sometimes we must physically separate ourselves from others because of their sin. I speak here of church discipline (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Our society teaches us “unconditional acceptance,” which implies that we never draw back from those we love. Our society does not know the Scriptures nor does it wish to obey them in this regard. Loving at a distance is painful, which is why most of us are unwilling to do so. But it is something we must do for the good of those we love and for our own good as well. Let us not overlook that our Lord is not physically present with us at this moment, but it is not because He has ceased to love us. He is not with us because that is better for us (see John 16:7f.).

An Exhortation and an Explanation for Paul’s Delay in Coming
(2:5-11)

A word of explanation

There was a reason for my stern words; this is my advice now. If the behavior of a certain person has caused distress, it does not mean so much that he has injured me, but that to some extent (I do not wish to exaggerate) he has injured all of you. But now I think that the punishment you have inflicted on him has been sufficient. Now is the time to offer him forgiveness and comfort, for it is possible for a man in his position to be completely overwhelmed by remorse. I ask you to show him plainly now that you love him. My previous letter was something of a test—I wanted to make sure that you would follow my orders implicitly. If you will forgive a certain person, rest assured that I forgive him too. Insofar as I had anything personally to forgive, I do forgive him, as before Christ. We don’t want Satan to win any victory here, and well we know his methods! (2 Corinthians 2:5-11, Phillips)

Some take Paul’s words in verses 5-11 to refer to the man who was “living with his father’s wife” as we find in 1 Corinthians 5. That is one possibility, but the more I consider this text, the less inclined I am to embrace this opinion. Let me summarize some of the reasons I believe Paul is referring to someone else.

(1) Nowhere does Paul specifically identify this person in our text with the person mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5. If his instructions concerned this individual, why does not Paul simply tell us so?

(2) Paul’s references to this person seem to be deliberately vague, as though he does not want anyone other than those at Corinth to know who he is. Paul seems to purposefully avoid naming names and being specific. Why then do we find it necessary to be specific by referring what Paul says to the only person who has been disciplined by the church?

(3) Nothing is really gained or lost by knowing exactly to whom Paul refers. The Corinthians knew who it was and what they should do. The rest did not know, and they did not need to know, but they could learn an important principle in the process of reading this epistle.

(4) Paul speaks of the disciplinary measure to be taken against the man in 1 Corinthians 5, as though the outcome will be physical death. The Corinthians may well have already attended this man’s funeral.

(5) It seems as though the person referred to has committed some offense against Paul, and the Corinthian church has taken up for Paul by censuring that person from their fellowship. It further seems, in the context, as though this offense against Paul occurs at the time of his “painful visit” and his “painful letter,” rather than at the time of the writing of his first epistle.

(6) In the case of the man in 1 Corinthians, the church appears to have done too little too late. In the case of the man in 2 Corinthians 2, the church seems to have gone too far, for too long.

The bottom line is that these appear to be two different individuals.

Paul hopes to come to Corinth twice, once on the way to Macedonia and once on his way from there to Judea. These hopes have not been realized, for Paul purposely delays his next journey to Corinth. This does not reflect a lack of love for the Corinthians or a desire to be with them. It is simply to give these saints time to deal with problems in the church so Paul can rejoin them with joy rather than further sorrow. One particular problem must be dealt with before his arrival, and this is spelled out in 2:5-11.

It seems that during Paul’s second hasty and painful visit, he takes an aggressive course of action which causes both him and the Corinthians great sorrow. Paul deals further with this matter in chapter 7. But somewhere in the course of that visit, it seems one individual reacts in an unseemly manner toward Paul and his apostolic authority. It looks as though the church rushes to Paul’s defense and censures this man by excluding him from their fellowship. The church seems to have exercised discipline on this man who in some way wronged Paul.

This is not like the situation in chapter 5. There, a man is committing a most serious offense by living with his father’s wife, a sin which shocks even the pagan Corinthians. But the church continues to accept and embrace this man, even with pride rather than shame. Paul must act personally and from afar, turning this man over to Satan and challenging the church to step up to its duty and do likewise. Now, in 2 Corinthians we find the church has taken strong action against someone who apparently committed a much lesser offense. The man seems to have repented, but the church has not yet forgiven him and received him back into their fellowship. Paul urges them to do so before he can come to visit them again.

If I understand Paul correctly, there is an important lesson for us to learn here from his example. Someone has sinned against Paul, and the church has taken disciplinary action against that person. The man has repented, but the church has not forgiven him and received him back into fellowship. Paul now mentions this situation in the context of his prolonged absence from Corinth. I believe it is Paul’s desire to forgive this man and be reconciled to him, but first the church must acknowledge his repentance and reverse their disciplinary action. If Paul were to return before the church restored this man, he would not be free to have fellowship with him because he would be bound by the church’s disciplinary actions against the man. When the church does restore the man, Paul can come and be reconciled and thus find joy and comfort in his reunion with him. The church must first act to restore him and then Paul can have a sweet reunion with him, as well as with the rest of the church.

For the church to fail to reinstate this man hinders Paul’s return, it hinders the unity of the church, and it makes the saints vulnerable to Satan’s attacks (2:11). Further, it places upon this man an excessive burden of sorrow, which is no longer necessary because of his repentance (see 2:6-7). Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), loves nothing more than to accuse, especially when he can do so through others, like the church.

Think about this for a moment. We sometimes may do things which seem to be spiritual but which in reality are counter-productive. The church disciplined this man, thinking that in so doing they were protecting the purity of the church. But they went too far by refusing to receive him back into fellowship, and they were actually endangering the church and this man. Going too far with a good thing can be bad. We see this also in 1 Corinthians 7, where Paul speaks to a husband and wife who decide to refrain from sexual relations. This may be beneficial for a short time, Paul tells us, such as when a couple sexually “fasts” in order to devote themselves to prayer (see 1 Corinthians 7:1-5). But sexual abstinence should not be maintained for too long a period of time, lest “Satan tempt them for their lack of self-control” (verse 5). Church discipline is necessary for so long a time as the sinning saint persists in rebellion against God, but once repentance has taken place, restoration should quickly follow. Failing to exercise discipline is dangerous to the whole church (1 Corinthians 5:6); to fail to remove discipline is also dangerous to the whole church (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

Conclusion

While we have considered a number of principles and their applications in this lesson, two final areas of application are critical to our understanding. First, notice that while Paul is absent from the Corinthians, he is deeply aware of the presence of God in his life and ministry. Paul practices the presence of God:

10 But whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:10, emphasis mine).

Paul may be absent from the Corinthians, but he is never absent from God. Paul seeks to practice the presence of God by living in a conscious state of awareness of God’s presence. He must certainly agree with the psalmist, who writes:

7 Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee (Psalm 139:7-10).

Second, 1 and 2 Corinthians together help to remind us that sin is dynamic and not static. You will remember that after Satan tempted our Lord without success, Luke’s Gospel tells us that after “the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Satan never gives up, and his temptations come in all sizes, shapes, and forms. I am particularly impressed with the way the Corinthians deal with sin.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul reminds these saints that he has previously written to them, instructing them not to associate with immoral people (5:9). The Corinthians misunderstand (or at least misapply) this instruction. They seek to separate themselves from the unbelieving world, while they continue to embrace professing Christians who live in a way pagans will not even accept. And so Paul must teach them to separate themselves from the man living with his father’s wife and to maintain some contact with the unsaved world, to whom they have the obligation to be witnesses.

Now in 2 Corinthians, we find the church has over-corrected their error. While they once failed to exercise church discipline where it was desperately needed, they are now reluctant to remove church discipline, when it is no longer necessary. My point is simply this: living the Christian life is like walking along a path (a common imagery in the Bible), and one can err by going astray on one side of the path or the other. I think that many times when we wander off the path in one direction, we often over-correct so that we then depart from the path in the opposite direction. Let us beware of thinking that once we have dealt with a particular problem, we will no longer struggle with it again. The same problem may, of course, recur. Or, in our zeal to avoid falling into the same sin, we may venture to the opposite extreme.

I look at the Christian life as a kind of sine wave. We have our ups and our downs, our peaks and our troughs. We will struggle with sin as long as we live, just as the Corinthians did over the course of Paul’s ministry to them. Christian maturity and spirituality are not the cessation of sin, but the gradual reduction of the extremes to which we wander. The ideal in this case would be to walk a straight line. We shall never do so in this life, but we can strive to avoid such hair-pin curves!

As Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthians continues, we see the dynamic nature of the spiritual life and the struggle with sin. We see some of the problems, still in embryonic form in 1 Corinthians, coming to full term and birthing before our eyes. We see other problems dealt with in such a way that new dangers arise. The struggle is life-long, and thus we suffer and groan, along with all creation, until sin is finally removed once for all.

Finally, I wish to focus on the fact that Christ is God’s “Yes” to every promise He has made to us. Everything good which God has promised throughout the ages is summed up in Christ. He is the consummation of God’s purposes and promises:

20a For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes (2 Corinthians 1:20a).

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)

16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:16-20).

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (Colossians 2:8-15; see also Ephesians 1:18-23).

If all of the promises of God are fulfilled and certain in Christ, there really is one key to obtaining all of God’s blessed promises or rejecting them. If we receive God’s gift of salvation in Christ, we gain every blessing, and we shall receive every promise He has made to us. But if we reject Him, either deliberately or by refusing to turn to Him in faith, all of the promises are forfeited. The ultimate question in life is this: “What have you personally done with God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ?” If you are “in Christ,” by acknowledging your sin and by trusting in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection in your place, then all of the promises are yours. If you are not “in Him,” none of the promised blessings are yours, but only the promised condemnation of which He has warned you. The Apostle John puts it this way:

10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (1 John 5:10-12).

Do you have the Son, my friend? If so, all of the promised blessings of God are yours, in Christ. If not, you dare not deceive yourself about receiving any of God’s blessings, for they come to us only through His Son, Jesus Christ.

10 The term “proud confidence” literally is “boasting,” as the marginal note in the NASB indicates. Boasting generally has a negative connotation in our time, but this term is used by Paul in both a negative (1 Corinthians 1:27) and a positive (1 Corinthians 1:29) sense. Here, it is clear that Paul’s boasting is the godly kind.

11 Paul speaks for himself, Silvanus, and Timothy, all of whom were ministering together (1:19). While I refer only to Paul, it is clear that his attitude is shared by those with him. No doubt these men encouraged one another in maintaining this attitude.

12 This is not to overlook or ignore the clear teaching of Scripture that apart from the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit, no one can understand or accept the mind of God as revealed in the Scriptures. I think it is safe to say, however, that the teaching of our Lord was not rejected because men could not understand what He was saying, but because they did understand and refused to accept it.

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Biblical Topics:

Fellowship

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Pneumatology (The Holy Spirit)

3. The Sufficiency of God Through His Spirit (2 Cor. 2:12-4:6)

Introduction

To grasp the relevance of our text in 2 Corinthians to our day, one need not look far. As I turned recently to the Religion section of The Dallas Morning News, I found two statements that relate to our passage directly. The first is from an article describing a recent pastors’ gathering in Atlanta, Georgia, sponsored by Promise Keepers:

The men [pastors of churches] said they are burdened with the world’s cares, tired of whining parishioners, worried about lack of time with their families. They said they are demoralized and discouraged about their lack of status.¹³

David Wells describes the same problem this way:

Ministers are among the homeless of the modern world. They have neither a place in secularized society nor, as it turns out, in the church. Because they are the purveyors of belief, the modern world shunts them to the margins of importance. Because the expectations of what a minister is and does have expanded mightily in the twentieth century, few satisfy their congregations for long and many burn out trying to do so. To find respite they flit from church to church like wandering itinerants, which they are not. They are thus strangely dislodged from both the church and society.¹⁴

The second newspaper article contains a statement by the man who produced Jesus Christ Superstar:

‘Jesus has got to have sex appeal and real star quality,’ says Andrew W. Lloyd Webber, who is ‘casting about for just the right actor for a revival of his 1970 musical Jesus Christ Superstar.’¹⁵

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 2:12–4:6 apply to both matters directly: (1) the cares and concerns of pastors who feel dangerously close to “burn out” in their ministries, and (2) the marketing mentality of a producer who feels the only way to attract attention to Jesus today is by “spicing Him up” considerably. The ministry of the gospel is not easy. In truth, it is not even possible—in our own strength. Thus, some grow weary and discouraged, as we see in the first quotation. Others give in to the temptation to adapt (corrupt) the message of the gospel, hoping that in so doing a greater and more favorable response can be obtained. In our text, Paul clearly corrects both of these improper responses to the difficulties of the gospel ministry.

One question summarizes the problems Paul addresses in our text, which then sets the stage for his teaching. The question is found in verse 16: “And who is adequate for these things?”

What is the answer to this question? No one is adequate for the gospel ministry. But God, in His grace, has made us adequate and given us the privilege of participating in this glorious ministry. Because of the glory of the ministry, and the adequacy we have in the Holy Spirit, we need not despair nor tamper with the gospel message. I must tell you that our text is one of the most difficult passages to interpret and one of the most fascinating and encouraging texts in the New Testament. Let us look to God’s Spirit to make the words and thoughts of this text clear to us, and then let us look to Him to give us the grace to believe and obey what our text teaches.

Troubled in Troas
(2:12-13)

The city of Troas, situated on the northwestern edge of Asia Minor, has considerable historical significance. Named after the ancient Troy, the original site was only a couple of miles distant. For the Apostle Paul, Troas held many memories, for it was here that Paul and his companions found themselves on his second missionary journey described in Acts 16. God had restricted Paul, and Timothy and others with him, from preaching the gospel in Asia or Bithynia, so they had come down to Troas. At Troas, the Holy Spirit gave Paul what is known as the “Macedonian vision” (Acts 16:9-10), which prompted him to cross the Aegean Sea to Macedonia. Eventually, Paul traveled through Macedonia to Achaia, which brought him to Corinth, where the gospel was proclaimed and the Corinthian church was founded (Acts 18:1ff.).

On his third missionary journey, Paul set out from his home base at Antioch, traveling north (Acts 18:22-23). Passing through the upper country, Paul arrived at Ephesus (Acts 19:1), where he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16:8, 19). Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was lengthy and effective. Paul performed many miracles there (Acts 19:10-12), so that Luke writes, “fear fell upon them [those in Ephesus] and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified” (Acts 19:17), “the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing” (Acts 19:20), and “all in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). The considerable resistance (Acts 19:9) in Ephesus finally precipitated a riot (Acts 19:23-41).

But Luke tells us nothing in the Book of Acts about the events which took place in Troas after Paul’s departure from Ephesus and before his arrival in Macedonia. The only information we have is from Paul himself, recorded in our 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 text and in more detail in 7:5ff. Paul’s brief description of his troubles in Troas is the setting for the entire section, beginning at 2:12 and ending (to some degree) in 4:6.

Paul’s words in verses 12 and 13 may be understood in several ways. They could indicate Paul’s ministry in Troas has been a miserable failure, which was my initial impression from reading the text. Paul has left Ephesus and arrived in Troas. Titus had been sent to Corinth while Paul was still in Ephesus. Once in Troas, Paul hopes to meet up with Titus and obtain a first-hand report concerning the Corinthian church he has just visited. God opens a door of opportunity in Troas, and people are not only hearing the gospel, they are responding to it. There easily could have been a revival in Troas, as there had been in Ephesus. But Paul is so troubled in spirit that he is unable to function as he should. He finally throws up his hands and leaves for Macedonia, his ministry in Troas a disaster, even though there may have been the possibility of a great revival.

Upon further reflection, it occurs to me that the interpretation of Paul’s words as indicated above is based on a number of assumptions which may not be correct. We should begin by reviewing what we do know for certain, based upon Paul’s statements:

Paul’s intention was to preach the gospel in Troas.
A door was opened to him in the Lord.
Paul did not find Titus when he reached Troas.
Paul was troubled while he was in Troas, having no rest in his spirit.
Paul left Troas and traveled on to Macedonia.

It seems that Paul must be having some success in preaching the gospel in Troas. How else does he know that a door has been opened for him in the Lord? I take it that Paul did have a successful ministry in Troas. Paul’s primary reason for being in Troas is to preach the gospel; his secondary goal is to find Titus and to learn how the Corinthian saints are doing. Not finding Titus troubles Paul deeply. Sooner or later, Paul leaves Troas and travels on to Macedonia, where we know from chapter 7 that he meets up with Titus and receives much encouragement. It is possible that Paul ends his stay in Troas prematurely (more preaching and revival could have taken place). We know, for example, that the Holy Spirit directed Philip to leave a successful ministry in Samaria to proclaim the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26ff.). We must at least acknowledge the possibility that Paul preaches with great success in Troas, even though his spirit is troubled. But we can hardly view his ministry as a failure.

I want to stress this point because it is so true to real life for preachers and for every Christian. On any given Sunday when I am preaching, I may currently be counseling someone considering suicide, dealing with a couple in the midst of a divorce, talking with a friend who is on his way to prison, dealing with a dying neighbor, and also rejoicing with a couple about to have their first child. In the morning, I may joyfully conduct a wedding ceremony and later conduct a funeral for a dear Christian who has died in a tragic accident. The Scriptures instruct us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). The problem for some of us is that we minister to all kinds of people in many different circumstances all at the same time. How easy it is to have a troubled spirit in the midst of ministry.

Consider our Lord. We could not characterize His life and ministry as one continual “high.” He was often deeply troubled over the unbelief and spiritual blindness of His opponents. He was distressed greatly by the spiritual dullness of His disciples. Our Lord did not suffer just at the cross, but throughout His ministry (see Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:14-16; 5:7-10). In the midst of great spiritual success, it is quite possible, even likely, that the one ministering may be undergoing great personal distress of spirit. And may I remind you that this is not ungodly “distress” but true, godly distress. Paul is distressed over his concern for the spiritual welfare of the saints (see 2 Corinthians 11:28-29). I must confess that sometimes I too have been troubled in spirit, but not over such spiritual concerns as Paul.

There must be a lesson here to help us put our “feelings” into proper perspective. I do not wish to minimize the role of emotions nor overstate the intellectual and academic aspects of our Christian life. But I must point out that, from what Paul tells us about his “troubled spirit” in Troas, we can hardly conclude that Paul discerns God’s will for him by his feelings. Frequently, I hear Christians justify their actions by asserting that they “have peace about it.” Does “having peace” about something mean it is God’s will, while not “having peace” indicates it is not the will of God? Paul would say no. Paul does not “have peace” while he ministers in Troas, and yet it is the will of God for him to be there preaching the gospel. What Paul has is the commandment of our Lord in the Great Commission and the indication by God that he has been called to proclaim the gospel far and wide (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 9:15-16; 22:21; 26:15-18). Obedience does not always feel good; indeed, obeying God when we do not feel like it is often the test of true obedience.

Triumphant and Truthful in Christ
(2:14-17)

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God (Phillips).

We may not know about the success of Paul’s ministry in Troas, but we do know that his spirit is greatly troubled while he is there—and all because of his great love and concern for the church at Corinth. In dramatic contrast to the distress Paul describes so honestly in verses 12 and 13, his tone in verses 14 and following is triumphant. How can a man so greatly troubled be so triumphant? The answer to this question is the same as the answer to Paul’s first question. “Who is adequate for these things?” (verse 16). Are Paul’s confident and joyful words his response to the arrival of Titus and his favorable report? Paul does not say so here, although he speaks more of this in chapter 7. Here Paul gives us the basis for his confidence and joy, which will sustain him even if Titus comes with a bad report. He points us in the same direction we can always expect from Paul—Christward.

“We are always led in triumph in Christ,” Paul tells us in verse 14. The victory we have in Jesus is always constant, not occasional. Christians are always victorious in Christ. As Paul points out in the verses which follow, the victory we have in Christ is not measured in terms of the number of those who are saved due to our proclaiming the gospel. The victory and triumph Christians experience are results of the faithful proclamation of the gospel, whether or not men believe in Christ.

It is possible that Paul is using imagery here which was familiar to the saints of his day but which is foreign to us. In those times, kings who had been victorious in battle marched through the city with their conquered foes trailing along behind in a victory parade. Incense was burned, or garlands of flowers scattered, dispensing a sweet aroma throughout the procession. The King James Version translates verse 14 in a way which indicates that Christ leads us to triumph. There is a sense in which this may be true, but the term is never employed in this way. The form of the verb indicates it is Christ who triumphs over us. For this reason, A. T. Robertson writes, “… [The] picture here is of Paul as captive in God’s triumphal procession.”¹⁶

While we are sharers in the victories of our Lord, the point here is that Christ is victorious over us. He has “taken us captive” by saving us from our sins. Paul paints a somewhat different picture than Robertson does. Is Paul so burdened with his cares concerning the Corinthian saints that his deeply troubled spirit hinders his ministry in Troas? Who is adequate for the gospel ministry when the minister’s heart is deeply troubled about truly spiritual concerns? God is! God is victorious over our weaknesses, so that He actually employs our weaknesses in a way which brings about His purposes—to His glory. He triumphs over our weaknesses; He triumphs in and through our weaknesses. Now we see how Paul can give thanks for the successful ministry he has in Troas, even though he is troubled in spirit at the time.¹⁷

Paul further explains how the preaching of the gospel (even by those troubled in spirit) is always God’s triumph in Christ. Through His saints, God produces a sweet aroma, the aroma of Christ. Have you ever noticed how godly saints exude a kind of Christlikeness? This is what Paul describes for us. He says that where Christians live out the life of Christ (which surely includes righteous suffering—such as Paul’s suffering in Troas), a sweet aroma ascends Godward. Godly living, which includes the proclamation of the gospel, manifests Christ to men, and thus, it brings pleasure and glory to God. The preaching and the living out of the gospel are sweet smells to God. We say, “That is like music to my ears.” Paul says, “Godly living and the preaching of the gospel are perfume to God’s nostrils” (compare Philippians 4:18).

Some Christians suppose that God is glorified only when unbelievers are converted by the preaching of the gospel. But this is not what Paul says. Paul says God is glorified (and pleased) by the preaching of the gospel, period, whether men believe or reject the gospel. And so, that sweet smell of the gospel (to God) is the smell of death unto death for those who are perishing in their sins, while it is the smell of life unto life for those who are being saved. The gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to unbelievers. Using Paul’s analogy here, the gospel “stinks” to them, smelling like death, which is the exact outcome of those who reject the gospel. But to those who are being saved, the gospel is like perfume, attracting them to Christ and leading them to eternal life.

We are not adequate for “these things,” as Paul makes clear in this text. What “things”? For what are we inadequate? We are not adequate to manifest Christ to a dying world. We cannot live like Christ, in and of ourselves. And we are not adequate to present the gospel in a way which convinces and converts sinners. Saving sinners is an impossible task. When Paul asks who is adequate for these things, he wants us to understand that no one is—in their own strength.

Verse 17 begins with the word, “for,” indicating that Paul is giving us an explanation of what he has just said. We are not adequate to save men because we must not employ humanly deceptive or persuasive devices to “con” people to faith in Christ. The gospel is offensive (it stinks) to the unbeliever. It is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23). When we proclaim the gospel, we should do so knowing that there is no human way unsaved men will receive the gospel and repent. Our only hope is that God will sovereignly intervene, bringing about conversions that would not happen in any other way.

In contrast to Paul and others who preach a straightforward gospel, there are those who “peddle the word of God,” (2:17).¹⁸ The gospel peddlers do not believe that salvation is the work of God, and they do not trust Him to give sight to the spiritually blind or to give life to those spiritually dead. They are, however, very concerned with results. They want to be successful, and their motivation for such ambition is questionable. If the gospel is offensive, and no one receives it out of human motivation, there is only one solution for the gospel hucksters: modify the message to make it humanly appealing to the flesh, so that men receive the gospel for the fleshly benefits it seems to offer (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:18-19). If parts of the gospel are offensive to potential converts, the gospel hucksters change them, or at least they do not mention them. If a straightforward presentation of the gospel is “ineffective,” then they employ the same methods Madison Avenue uses to sell soap and toothpaste. Do not tell people they are sinners destined for eternal torment; tell them that if they invite Jesus into their lives, things will go even better for them.

Paul and his fellow-laborers in the gospel are not gospel peddlers. They speak the truth of the gospel, plainly, and with purity of motive. They do not speak so as to please men and gain their approval and applause; they speak in the sight of God, seeking to glorify Him by accurately representing His Son, and thereby pleasing Him with the sweet smell of Christ.

Our Sufficiency Is Through the Spirit,
Our Glory Is in the Face of Christ
(3:1-18)

Only gradually in these two Corinthian epistles does Paul identity and expose the troublemakers in the church. In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks of the Corinthian schisms as groups of believers who follow a certain person like Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or “Christ” (1:12). We know from 1 Corinthians 4:6 that these are not the real leaders which divide the church, but that Paul has figuratively used his name and the names of Apollos, Peter, and Christ to conceal the identity of the real troublemakers. We know these church troublers are teaching a message different from the true gospel, one that does not focus on Christ crucified. Instead their message is one of worldly wisdom, and their methods are seductively persuasive (1 Corinthians 1:18–2:5; see also 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2). In the closing chapters of 2 Corinthians, these opponents of Paul and the true gospel are identified as false apostles (11:13), who are preaching a different gospel (11:4) for their own personal profit (11:7, 20). They are really messengers of Satan (11:14-15), who are authoritarian, if not authoritative (11:20). Paul also indicates that a good number of them are Jews, who seem to claim to have spiritual authority, and perhaps even have some official office or function:

Much (perhaps most) of the opposition against Paul and the gospel comes from those who are Jews. This does not mean that there is no Gentile opposition, for there is a great deal. But it is very clear, as one reads through the book of Acts and through the New Testament epistles, that Jewish opposition is prominent. The Jewish leaders quickly opposed the newly-born church in Jerusalem (see Acts 4:1ff.). The Jews are the ones who turn on Paul, once their ringleader in the persecution of the church (Acts 9:22-23). A Jewish false prophet, Bar-Jesus, seeks to hinder Paul’s preaching of the gospel to the proconsul, Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6-8). Jewish unbelievers resist and oppose Paul when he preaches Jesus as the promised Jewish Messiah in their synagogues, some following Paul from one city to another to oppose him (see Acts 13:45, 50; 14:1-7, 19). The Jews from Judea insist that if any Gentile is to be saved, he must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses (Acts 15:1, 5).

The Jews opposed Paul when he preached Jesus as the Christ in Corinth (Acts 18:1-6), and they accused Paul before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, a fact which neither escaped Gallio nor impressed him favorably (Acts 18:12-17). I believe that identifying Paul’s main opponents in Corinth as Jews fits his description of them generally. They felt superior to other saints, and surely we cannot overlook the fact that the Jews of the New Testament times (as at other times in history, including today)¹⁹ view themselves as superior to Gentiles. Why did John the Baptist warn the Jews that God could raise up seed to Abraham from the stones (Matthew 3:9)? Was it not because they forgot that God’s salvation is by grace? Did they not wrongly believe that they would possess the kingdom of God simply because they were the physical descendants of Abraham (see Romans 9:6)? Why did Peter cease to associate with the Gentile saints in Antioch and associate himself with the separatist Jews from Judea (Galatians 2:11-21, note especially verse 15)? Why did Paul find it necessary to tell us in Philippians 3 that, after he was converted to Christ, he came to regard the things in which he formerly took pride as a Jew as “dung,” in light of the cross of Christ? Why does Paul warn Gentile readers that Israel was like a branch, broken off the olive tree because of arrogance, and that this could happen to the Gentiles as well (Romans 11:17-21)? Why does Paul stress that when we are saved, not only the enmity between us (as sinners) and Christ is removed, but also the barrier and distinction between Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2)? Why does Paul strongly rebuke Peter’s actions in Galatians 2:11f. as a denial of the gospel, and why does he indict the Galatians for turning from Christ to another gospel (Galatians 1:6-10)? Why does the writer to the Hebrews regard turning back to Judaism a turning away from the faith?

When God made His (Abrahamic) covenant with Abraham, He promised to bless “all nations” through Abraham’s seed (whom we know to be Christ—see Galatians 3:15-16). The Jews began to believe that God’s blessings were only for Abraham’s physical descendants. When God gave the law to Israel through Moses, it was not to keep the light of salvation from the Gentiles; it was because God gave the Jews the duty and privilege of being a “light to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47; 26:23). The Jews ceased to think of themselves as stewards of the truth of the gospel and began to think of themselves as the exclusive possessors of the gospel. If a few Gentiles must be saved, then they must become Jewish proselytes to do so (Acts 15:1, 5). Even so, they were regarded by many as second-class citizens of heaven, rather than as the “children of Abraham” (Romans 4:16-17), and the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16).

I know this sounds harsh and judgmental, but I sincerely believe what I am about to say is true to the teaching of God’s Word. Even today, why are many Jewish converts to Christianity not willing to become members of our (largely Gentile) churches, but instead establish their own Jewish Christian congregations? When they teach and preach in the church, why do they seem to be unable to avoid reminding us of their Jewish identity and their status as God’s “chosen people,” even though all saints are referred to as His chosen (see Ephesians 1:4)? Why do they persist in referring to themselves as the “chosen people,” when for this period of time they are those whom God has called “not My people” (Hosea 1:9; see also 2:23)? At present, those who may legitimately call themselves “My people” (that is, God’s people) are those whom Judaism disdains as “not My people.” Only when the Jews acknowledge their sin and understand that they are “not God’s people” can they be saved (see Isaiah 65:1-7; Hosea 1:9-11; Romans 10:16-21).

If you are reading me correctly, you have understood me to say that throughout the Old Testament and the New, much of the opposition to God and those who were truly His people came from Jews. You have heard me say that the opposition to Paul in Corinth, and in the Corinthian church, was substantially Jewish. You have also heard me say that, just as Judaizers plagued the church in Paul’s day, they continue to do so today. They profess to know Christ as Savior, but they believe themselves to be superior to mere Gentile saints, and they may even corrupt the truth of God to put themselves in a more favorable light.

In our text, Paul does not identify his opponents in Corinth as Judaizers; that will come later. But he does identify the key issue over which Judaizers and those true to the gospel divide—the role of the old (Mosaic) covenant and its relationship to the new covenant. Those who “peddle the word of God” (2 Corinthians 2:17) are those who also feel adequate in themselves to do so, with all their worldly wisdom and persuasive methods (compare 2:16). And some of these gospel “peddlers,” from whom Paul seeks to distinguish himself, are Jewish false apostles, who exalt and glorify the old Mosaic covenant as though it were superior to the new covenant. Chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians is almost a miniature version of the Book of Hebrews, pointing out the superiority of the new covenant to the old.

Who is adequate for the new covenant ministry of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of God and the salvation of God’s chosen? Who is adequate to preach the gospel in Troas when their heart is torn with concern for saints who are far away in Corinth? How is the proclaimer of the gospel able to preach with clarity and simplicity, rather than with deceptive methods of persuasion, especially when no one is inclined or able to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ because of their fallen state and the blindness Satan imposes on them in their unbelief? The answer, recorded most beautifully in chapter 3, is that we are, we who have trusted in Jesus Christ, who proclaim the true gospel in simplicity, who are made bold by the sure hope of the glory of God in Christ, and who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Who Needs Commending?
(3:1-3)

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

From 2 Corinthians 2:17, it should be clear to us, as it was to the ancient readers of this epistle, that Paul distinguishes himself from the “peddlers of the Word of God.” I can almost see the rolling of the eyes of these false apostles as they sigh deliberately, “There he goes again. Paul is simply trying to use this letter to commend himself and to condemn us.” In part, this is true. But Paul reminds everyone in Corinth that, of all people, he should not need a letter of commendation to convince them of his integrity as an apostle.

Now letters of commendation were indeed very beneficial. Paul wrote a “letter of commendation” to the church at Rome on behalf of Phoebe (see Romans 16:1f.). When saints traveled from one place to another, it was important for those in the churches they visited to know something of the faith and character of those who met with them for worship and for instruction. This practice is also beneficial today to help protect the flock from “wolves,” and from those who have been placed under church discipline. But certainly Paul does not need such a letter to be received by the church in Corinth. He is not only known to the Corinthians, he is their spiritual father, through whom many have come to faith. Those who “come in” to deceive and “sell” their new gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:4) to the Corinthians come with some kind of “letter of commendation,” some credentials which at least the gullible Corinthians find impressive. Ultimately, it is not a letter which distinguishes a true apostle from a false one, but rather a kind of divine certification. Paul reminds the Corinthians of his accreditation and the kind of credentials which set the true preacher of the gospel apart from the false. And in so doing, Paul also begins to contrast the “letter” and the “spirit,” the old covenant and the new. Paul writes these first three verses assuming his readers recognize that his imagery is biblical, based upon the promise of the new covenant in the Old Testament, its fulfillment in Christ, and its preaching by the apostles.

The Corinthian saints do not need a letter commending Paul; they are Paul’s letter. They are a letter written on Paul’s heart.²⁰ He cannot feel more intimately “connected” with them. Of greater importance, Paul’s preaching is written on their hearts. Paul’s preaching (unlike the legalism of the Judaizers) is not of salvation by law-keeping, but of salvation by God’s grace, through the sacrificial life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His message is not chiseled on stone tablets, but written on hearts of flesh, just as the Old Testament prophets had promised:

31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

19 “And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

Playing out the “letter” imagery, Paul goes on to say that these Corinthians are, themselves, a letter. They are the fruit of Paul’s service and of the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts, turning their stony hearts of unbelief into hearts of flesh. They are not little “clones” of Paul, but rather they reflect Jesus Christ to a darkened and dying world. Paul says the same of the Thessalonian saints:

4 Knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; 5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:4-7).

Why does Paul mention this word about commendation or accreditation? I believe it is because in Paul’s day, as in ours, many things which give one status in an unbelieving world do not offer status or authority in the church. The wisdom and persuasive methods of these false teachers impress some of the Corinthians. This should not be so. Today we have “letters” (a play on words), like “Ph.D.” and “Th.M.” which may impress some. Recently, the D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry) has been introduced in Christian institutions of higher learning. For a very challenging perspective of this recent phenomenon,²¹ I suggest reading David Wells’ excellent chapter entitled, “The D-Min-Ization of the Ministry” in the book, No God, But God.

I am not saying there is something evil about biblical and theological education. I am deeply indebted to Dallas Theological Seminary for the tools it gave me to better study and proclaim the Bible. Nevertheless, my degree from the seminary does not accredit me or my ministry. There are those who have graduated from this and other fine schools who have denied the faith and taught error. Here and elsewhere, Paul tells us what commends a Christian’s integrity in ministry. A Christian’s ministry is commended first by the practice of servanthood, rather than by an authoritative or authoritarian leadership style. Paul reminds the Corinthians in verse 3 that he “cared for” them. The marginal note in the NASB informs us that literally the word is “served.” Those whom God has certified are servants, not “lords.” Second, true laborers of Christ are marked by the integrity of their message and their methods. They are not “peddlers” of the Word of God, but those who simply, boldly, and truthfully proclaim the truth of God’s Word in such a way that men turn to God and depend upon His Word, rather than upon those servants who proclaim it (see Acts 20:17-32).²² Finally, true servants of God are evident when men are convicted and converted by the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and whose lives are so changed that the world cannot help but notice. True servants of God may or may not have educational diplomas, but the fingerprints of God are all over them and their ministries.

Christian Ministry Is
Marked by Confidence—In God Through Christ
(3:4-6)

4 And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul’s troubled spirit does not deprive him of his confidence in proclaiming the gospel. The gospel is not rendered powerful to save by Paul’s state of mind or by any persuasive methods he employs. It is the Christian’s duty to faithfully proclaim the Word of God (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 4:1-4); it is God who uses the preached word to glorify Himself by saving some and condemning others (see 2 Corinthians 2:15-17; Romans 9:6-23).

Like Paul, we can be confident as we obey our Lord’s command to proclaim the gospel to lost sinners. Our confidence must not to be in ourselves, but in God, through Jesus Christ. This confidence in God, rather than in ourselves, strikes a death blow to the “human potential” teaching which is so popular in our day. I concede quite readily that men have far more “human potential” than they will ever fully utilize. “Human” is the key word here. The preaching of the gospel in power, and the salvation of lost souls, are humanly impossible tasks. Human potential, no matter how great, is not enough. Our adequacy is from God, period.

Paul describes more fully in verse 6 the adequacy which God grants. God has made us adequate “as servants.” God does not empower us to “lord it over others,” but rather He empowers us to serve Him and others. Further, God empowers us as servants “of a new covenant.” The Judaizers were persistently emphasizing the old covenant as superior to the new. Our power is as servants of the new covenant. This power is provided through the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is the consequence of the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as the prophets foretold (Ezekiel 11:19), and as our Lord Himself promised (see John 7:37-39; 16:7-15).

The final words of 2 Corinthians 3:6 are important because they distill the reason for the superiority of the new covenant over the old: “… not of the letter,²³ but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”²⁴ The old covenant does not give life; it brings about condemnation and death. The Spirit of God, working in the dispensation of the new covenant, brings life. The following verses explain this in greater detail.

The Greater Glory of New Covenant Ministry
(3:7–4:6)

7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

To the Judaizers, the Old Testament is the high-water mark of biblical revelation. The standard against whom all others are compared are patriarchs like Abraham and prophets like Moses. The woman at the well asked our Lord, “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You … ?” (John 4:12), expecting the answer to be, “No.” She could not believe such a thing could be true. The unbelieving Jews who prided themselves on being the physical descendants of Abraham (John 8:33), asked our Lord, “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” (John 8:53). In these few verses, Paul summarizes what the entire epistle to the Hebrews teaches, namely that the new covenant is vastly superior to the old. Do the (Jewish) false apostles pride themselves for possessing and proclaiming the old covenant? Paul has confidence and courage in the fact that his ministry is one of much greater glory, for he has been appointed as a servant of the new covenant, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The old covenant (the Mosaic Covenant) was given on Mount Sinai with awesome evidences of God’s glory, such as thunder and lightning and trumpet-like blasts. No one was to get too close to that mountain, or they would die (see Exodus 19:16-26). The people were so terrified that they pled with Moses to intercede with God so He would not come to speak directly with them lest they perish (Exodus 20:18-21). Great glory was associated with the old covenant, even the Shekinah glory (see Exodus 16:7, 10; 24:16-17; 28:2, 40; 29:43; 40:34), but the glory of the new covenant is even greater. Our Lord’s incarnation revealed His glory (John 1:14). Men saw God’s glory at our Lord’s birth (Luke 2:9, 14). Jesus revealed His glory to His three disciples at His transfiguration (Luke 9:31-32) and by means of His miracles (John 2:11). When He returns to this earth, it will be in all of His glory (Luke 9:26; 21:27).

In verses 9 and 10, Paul shows that logically the glory of the new covenant must be greater than the glory of the old. The old covenant produced condemnation. The Law of Moses set a standard of righteousness which no one could meet, and thus it condemned men as sinners. The new covenant is the provision of God’s righteousness for unworthy sinners, through Jesus Christ. If the old covenant had glory, how much more glory the new covenant has!

Paul takes up some Old Testament imagery here to illustrate what he is saying, based on the events recorded in Exodus 34:

29 And it came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him (Exodus 34:29-35).

When Paul takes up the story about Moses’ shining face, he fills in details not found in the Exodus account, which fit perfectly and explain why Moses veiled his face after he spoke with the people. Exodus 34 informs us that when Moses met with God, his face glowed brightly. Moses was not aware of it the first time this happened. The people were afraid to approach him, but he called them to him. His face reflected the glory of God. Every time he was with God, his face would glow brightly. Moses would then come to the people to tell them what God had said. After he finished speaking to the people, Moses would veil his face. When he went to speak with God again, he unveiled his face and did not replace the veil until after he had spoken to the people.

A careless reading might cause us to explain Moses’ actions in a way that does not square with the text in Exodus or with Paul’s words in our text. We might conclude that Moses veiled his face so the people would not be overcome by the glow of his face. Putting on the veil in this case would be like dimming his high beam lights. The only problem is that we are told Moses left his face uncovered until after he spoke to the people. His face was only veiled from the time he spoke to the people (after his encounter with God) until the next time he again went into the presence of God. Why would he need a veil during this period of time? Paul tells us. It was because the “glory-glow” faded. The longer Moses was away from God, the more the glow on his face dimmed. Each meeting with God was like recharging the batteries which powered the facial glow of Moses. Moses did not want the people to see the glow of God’s glory dimming, and so he covered his face during that time when the glory faded.

Paul’s point is this: the glory Moses experienced in conjunction with the old covenant was a fading glory; in stark contrast, the glory which Paul enjoys in conjunction with the new covenant is unfading: “For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory” (verse 11, emphasis mine). Moses needed a veil because the glory of the old covenant, as great as it was, faded away. The messengers of the good news of the gospel need no veil at all, because the greater glory of the new covenant never fades: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (verse 18).

This new covenant glory is that which we see “in the face of Christ” (4:6). You may remember that Moses begged God to “see His glory” in Exodus 33:18. God made it very clear that Moses could see only a portion of His glory. Specifically, Moses could not see the face of God (Exodus 33:20, 23). This greater glory, which we enjoy along with Paul, is the glory we see “in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Indeed, the glory we enjoy is a greater glory.

The Spirit of God is the One who “lifts the veil” and enables us to behold the glory of God in the face of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the instrument by which the greater glory of Christ, and thus of the new covenant, is beheld. The Old Testament spoke of the new covenant (e.g. Jeremiah 31:31-34) and of the ministry which the Holy Spirit would play in turning hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (see Ezekiel 11:19). Paul now emphasizes that greater glory. Are there Jews in Corinth who are false apostles and who pride themselves because of their old covenant expertise and ministry? They are the ones who are mistaken and misguided—not Paul.

It is the glorious nature of the new covenant ministry which gives Paul and every other saint such hope. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14), who causes us to rejoice in the midst of our suffering (see Acts 7:55). It is the Spirit of God in us who mediates the presence of Christ to us, and Christ in us is the “hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). This glory we experience in measure now and in a greater measure than Moses. It is also a glory we shall experience to the full in eternity. This is why we are being transformed from (present) glory to (ultimate) glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This “hope of glory” gives us great boldness in our proclamation of the gospel (3:12). Whether men receive us and our message of the gospel, or whether they reject both the gospel and us, must never dampen our spirit or reduce our confidence in proclaiming the gospel. We know the gospel ministry is a glorious one, now and for all eternity. I think of Stephen, standing boldly before his Jewish opponents, who are about to kill him. His words have no note of concession. They cause the hair on the back of my neck to stand up when I read them. Stephen could speak boldly because, whether in life or death, he was certain of the glory of God, which is precisely what he beheld as they stoned him (Acts 7:55).

Allow me to give an earthly illustration of what Paul says here. Suppose that you are an employee in a company which is about to make massive cutbacks in its staff. You and your boss are not on good terms. Your boss calls you in and asks you for an honest appraisal of his leadership. Your boss is a very poor leader. How confident will you be in telling him he is doing a miserable job, knowing that tomorrow you may not have your job? Now, suppose you have already interviewed with another company, and they have hired you, starting tomorrow, at a significant increase in salary. In fact, your new employer is buying the company you are now working for, and you will be your boss’s boss the very next day. Now, does this not change the confidence and directness with which you speak to your present (for this day only) boss?

The Christian should have this kind of boldness in proclaiming the gospel. Our confidence and boldness are not based on the response of those to whom we speak. Even though our message is true, and even though it is glorious and proclaimed with enthusiasm, this does not mean that men will receive it. Paul tells us why, using the same “veil imagery” but altering its symbolism. Paul tells us that those who hear the gospel as unbelievers are veiled; they are blind to the gospel. As we see in 1 Corinthians 2, the wisdom of God is foolishness to the lost. Apart from the Spirit of God, men cannot fathom the wisdom of God.

This is true of the Gentiles and of the Jews. In our text, it is especially true of the Jews. The Judaizers plaguing the church at Corinth think they are experts in teaching the Old Testament. There are many of them elsewhere as well (see 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 3; Titus 3:10-11, 14). These folks seem to think that, because they are Jews, they “own” not only the promises of God, but also the ability to interpret the Old Testament. Paul tells us that they are the most blind of all to its message. The veil is over their faces, and their minds are hardened at the reading of the old covenant (3:14). That veil is only removed by faith in Christ, and this only occurs through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Even in Paul’s day, he says, a “veil lies over their heart” (3:15) when the Law of Moses is read. And so it is today as well. Liberty from this bondage comes in Christ through the Spirit. This is why Paul can speak so boldly and with such confidence. He knows that no one can, or ever will, believe the message of the gospel through the wisdom of the hearer or through the persuasiveness of the speaker. The only way anyone will understand and believe the gospel is if the Holy Spirit illuminates and quickens the unbeliever to do so. There is no reason to water down the gospel, because the Holy Spirit is the agent who miraculously brings the truth to life.

This gives Paul such great comfort that he does not lose heart. Does he feel he has done a poor job in Troas? Feeling differently would not make him any more effective. It is God who makes us adequate, through His Spirit. God does not just work in spite of our weaknesses; He works through our weaknesses. When we are weak, then we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). The key to Paul’s encouragement is not his skill, nor his persuasive power; the key is God’s grace. Notice that Paul says, “as we have received mercy,” in the first verse of chapter 4. Mercy is for those who are unworthy. God does not bless just those things we do well; in His grace, He shows us mercy when we are pitiful.

I have been preaching for a good many years now. I have yet to walk away from the pulpit thinking I really did it right. I have often walked away wondering if I should go back. I do think I have done a better job in some messages than in others. And yet, at moments when I have felt a failure in preaching, I learn later of those whose lives have been enriched and blessed by my miserable message. The God who has been gracious to me by saving me, an unworthy, undeserving sinner, is the God who continues to show mercy to me by using my words to enrich others and to bring praise and glory to Himself.

This assurance frees me from succumbing to my sense of inadequacy and enables me to reject all of those means and methods which are unworthy of the gospel. The gospel is not some broken down, used car, which requires much deception and deceit to sell to someone. The gospel is glorious, and the Holy Spirit is mighty to save. The gospel brings glory to God always and saves some when it is proclaimed in simplicity and truth, empowered by the Holy Spirit. My job is never to convince or to convert; it is only to convey the truth as simply and accurately as I can. I do not have to water down the message of the gospel, adulterating it so that it will be more palatable. The gospel is not palatable. People believe the good news and trust in Jesus as the Savior because they have been supernaturally quickened by the Holy Spirit. When they are divinely quickened, they can do nothing but believe. We see this in Paul’s conversion (see Acts 9:1-19). We must realize that Paul’s experience is not the exception but the rule. This is the way every unbeliever is saved—supernaturally. And thus, we only need to preach the truth, with no gimmicks or modifications, trusting in God to save the lost (to bring the spiritually dead to life, to give sight to the spiritually blind), by His grace and by His power.

If men do not receive and believe our message, there is a good reason. Not only are they naturally predisposed to reject the truth of the gospel, they are supernaturally blinded to keep them from seeing the truth. This is what Paul tells us in 4:3-4. Satan, the god of this world, blinds the minds of unbelieving men, so that they cannot and will not believe the gospel and be saved. Only God can overcome Satan’s blinding and override men’s blindness. But when men fail to believe, we should not assume automatically that it is because of a deficiency in our message or methods so that we are tempted to imitate the peddlers of the word. If it is true that men are saved in spite of their sin and our weakness, it is just as true that those who reject the truth are not lost due to our weaknesses, but due to their blindness to the truth.

Paul reminds us that when we preach the gospel as we ought, we are not preaching ourselves but Christ. Those who are converted through our ministry and message are not grounds for pride and boasting on our part. And those who are not saved through our preaching should not be a blow to our pride. We are but servants, preaching the gospel for Christ’s sake, for the glory of God and not for personal gain. Yes, there is a personal blessing when the lost are saved, but we must never preach out of selfish ambition (see Philippians 1:15-17).

God is sovereign in the salvation of men. At his best, Elijah could not convert the nation Israel. At his worst, Jonah could not prevent the conversion of the entire population of Nineveh. The God who gave us the Great Commission is the same God who called forth light in the midst of the darkness. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He is the One who has declared that the “light will shine out of darkness.” We are lights shining in a dark place, and God will use our light to bring others out of the darkness into the kingdom of light. He who causes others to see the light is He who has shone in our hearts and revealed His glory to us in the face of Christ.

Conclusion

In the Bible, over and over we are urged to recognize the distinction between appearance and reality, between outward appearances and the heart. We are to live this life not by sight (appearances), but by faith in the realities which God declares in His Word. The Jews, not unlike others, are guilty of judging on the basis of appearance rather than on reality (see Matthew 23:25-26; Luke 16:15). By appearance, Paul is a miserable failure. He is not wealthy. He has no multitude of followers. He does not dress like a successful man. He has no home to call his own, and he suffers greatly at the hands of men, of nature, and even by means of a satanic adversary. To some, it appears that Paul’s life is a failure and his ministry a flop. In reality, Paul is deeply aware that he is greatly privileged to be a minister of the gospel. His is a ministry of great glory, in his own lifetime and for all eternity. This reality gives him great boldness and encourages him as he speaks the gospel in simplicity and clarity, knowing that no one (humanly speaking) can or will believe.

Who among us has tasted anything of the resistance, the persecution, the weight of responsibility that Paul experienced? We wither at the raising of an eyebrow in response to our sharing the gospel. In the midst of our ministry, we feel like failures and long for a sense of success and status. You and I do not need an improved self-image, my friend; we need a clearer grasp of the glory which is ours as servants of the new covenant. As ministers of the new covenant, we are greatly privileged, even when distressed, even when opposed, or rejected, or persecuted. We must never lose heart and succumb to the pressure put upon us to tone down the message of the gospel or to jazz up its presentation to attract converts. Ours is an impossible task, but it is not dependent upon our own strengths and abilities. We are not adequate to be ministers of the new covenant, but God is, and He has given us all we need. He does not need our strengths so much as He overcomes and uses our weaknesses. Our problem may be that we are too good, too strong, too convincing, in the power of the flesh. God is sovereign in salvation. He will bring glory to Himself through the faithful proclamation of the gospel. He will be glorified by those He draws to Himself in salvation. And He will be glorified by those who reject His grace. Our calling is not to please men with our message, but to please God by proclaiming His message, using methods which honor Him. What a glorious privilege is ours to have a part in the proclamation of the gospel to the glory of God!

Our text serves as a word of caution to those waving the “seeker-friendly church” banners. Certainly there is no need or merit in being offensive in some non-critical area. Paul tells us he happily surrenders his rights when this enhances the gospel (1 Corinthians 9). But he is never willing to compromise the gospel to make it more appealing to the lost. Some disturbing tendencies exist in the “seeker-friendly” approach. The first is the assumption that there are “seekers” who might be won if only we remove some of the barriers to their belief. The Bible tells us that there are no seekers after God (Romans 3:10-11). Those who come to God are drawn to God by the Father, through the Spirit, to faith in the Son (John 6:37, 44; 8:43-47). None whom the Father chooses will fail to trust in Him. None whom the Father has rejected will come to Him. The seeker-friendly church places far too much emphasis on man’s role in salvation and far too little on the sovereignty of God in salvation. Second, the “seeker-friendly” approach places too much emphasis on pleasing the unbeliever, as a kind of potential customer, rather than on pleasing God. I am not saying that this movement has nothing to commend it, but there is much we should question and challenge.

What a word of encouragement to parents who agonize, like Paul, over the spiritual well-being of their children. Are your children now out of the nest, away from you and your supervision? Have you come to realize that you cannot force your children to trust in Christ, to desire His Word, or to live a godly life? Then you are seeing life as it really is. Let me ask you this question: When you are desperately concerned about others, and you are not in control of their response to the Word of God, who is adequate for these things? By the power of God, through Jesus Christ, we are. It is His Word, empowered and illuminated by His Spirit, that changes lives. Our task is to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, and then to pray, beseeching God to do that which we could never do in the first place—remove the veil of blindness from men’s eyes, bring them to a saving knowledge through faith in Christ, and lead them to godliness, so that they are an epistle of Christ to a lost and dying world.

13 “Seeking Revival in Clergy,” The Dallas Morning News, Saturday, February 17, 1996, section G, p. 1.

14 “The D-Min-Ization of the Ministry,” David F. Wells, No God But God: Breaking With the Idols of Our Age, ed. by Os Guiness and John Seel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), chapter 9, pp. 175-188.

15 The Dallas Morning News, Saturday, February 17, 1996, section G, p. 2, citing an unidentified article from Newsweek.

16 A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1931) IV, p. 218.

17 I am not alone in my understanding of this text. Philip E. Hughes writes, “The Apostle remembers how unfailingly he has been led in a progress of triumph at all times, and how the savour of the knowledge of Christ has been made manifest through him in every place … This means that he did not neglect to pass through the door that the Lord had opened for him there—that the suspense of those days did not succeed in inhibiting him from proclaiming the message of life with which he had been entrusted. That was indeed a triumph!” Philip. E. Hughes, Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), p. 77.

18 “… a huckster or peddlar, common in all stages of Greek for huckstering or trading. It is curious how hucksters were suspected of corrupting by putting the best fruit on top of the basket. Note Paul’s solemn view of his relation to God as a preacher (from God , in the sight of God , in Christ, ).” A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1931), IV, p. 219.

19 Can anyone dispute that Jonah believed the Jews deserved God’s blessings and the Gentiles deserved His wrath? Note the self-righteousness and spiritual pride in his “prayer” in the second chapter of Jonah.

20 Once again, I must point out that the pronouns are plural here (“we,” “our”), referring not only to Paul alone, but to his associates.

21 No God, But God, edited by Os Guiness and John Seel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), pp. 175-188.

22 We need to be very careful here about abuses of the biblical term “discipling” and the secular term “mentoring.” The work of the Spirit in the lives of those to whom we minister is not evidenced by the fact that they look and act just like us, but that they look and act like Christ.

23 It is probably worth noting that while the same English word “letter” or “letters” is used in verses 1-7, a different Greek term is employed in verses 6 and 7 than is found in verses 1-3.

24 Compare Romans 2:25-29; Romans 7:6.

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Biblical Topics:

Passage:

Suffering, Trials, Persecution

4. Distinguishing the Contents From the Container (2 Cor. 4:7-15)

Introduction

As a seminary student years ago, I sat in a class taught by Dr. Haddon Robinson, our homiletics professor. Dr. Robinson waxed eloquently on the need to be fresh and creative and to avoid getting into a rut. Rather than following our old patterns, he urged us to do something different. “When you drive home, take a different route,” he urged. After class, Bob Barlow, my friend and classmate, collected his books and lunch sack to go eat. “Why don’t you do something different today, Bob,” I teased, “like eating your lunch sack and throwing away your lunch?”

Eating the container rather than the contents might be better for one’s health in some cases. I remember reading about an experiment conducted to test the nutritional value of a certain breakfast cereal. One group of rats had been fed the breakfast cereal; the control group had been fed the box the cereal came in (ground up, of course). Sadly, the rats who ate the container were healthier than those who ate the cereal.

There is a marked difference between the “container” and the “contents.” Usually, the contents are far superior to the container. In our text, Paul addresses a very serious problem in the Corinthian church by contrasting the value of the contents of the gospel with the container in which they are stored and displayed, the saints, who are likened to clay pots. This is a humbling lesson, but one that desperately needs to be heard in our day and age. The truths of our text are essential to our Christian life and service.

Background

Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians gives us a fairly clear picture of the problems he is trying to address and correct at Corinth. Allow me to summarize those problems which Paul seems to address in our text:

(1) In 1 Corinthians 1:10-31, Paul indicates that there are factions in the church at Corinth. People are dividing themselves according to certain leaders, one of whom is the leader of each group. Their leader seems to be the one who baptized them. These leaders are revered as wise and powerful. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the gospel is foolishness to the lost, and that those who are saved are those whom the world disregards.

(2) Taking up this same matter in chapter 3, Paul reminds the Corinthians that those men whom they follow and revere are merely servants whom God has used to bring about blessings in their lives. It is God’s work through men so that no one should boast in men, but rather in God (3:4-7, 21).

(3) Paul and his fellow apostles (4:6-13) stand in contrast to these “super leaders,” who are so esteemed by some of the saints in Corinth. The Corinthians who have aligned themselves with the “super leaders” feel smug and superior to the other saints, including Paul. Paul and his colleagues have become “as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things” (4:13). They are looked down upon as an embarrassment to the church, while their new leaders give the Corinthians a sense of pride since they are so smooth, so persuasive, and so wise. In reality, these leaders, in whom all too many of the saints take pride, are “false apostles,” as Paul spells out in 2 Corinthians 11. Because these messengers are so attractive and winsome, some are only too happy to give up the gospel, as preached by Paul and the apostles, and to embrace whatever “gospel” these false apostles might offer (see 11:1-15).

Tracing the Argument of This Text
(4:7-15)

The easiest approach to our text is to follow the flow of Paul’s argument. The following points seem to capture the essence of Paul’s words.

(1) The gospel is the Christian’s true treasure (4:4-7); we who believe in Christ are merely containers of the gospel (“earthen vessels,” 4:7), and not glorious ones at that. In chapter 3, Paul makes much of the fact that the gospel ministry, the ministry of the new covenant, is a glorious ministry, one whose glory surpasses the glory of the ministry of the old covenant. The glory of this ministry should sustain us in difficult times, but it should not cause us to feel proud or superior to others. Paul therefore begins verse 7 with the word “but,” indicating that the glory of the new covenant ministry given to us is in contrast to the humble state of the Christian who is but a “clay pot,” a container of the glorious gospel.

The true treasure is the glory of God in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, as presented and proclaimed by the gospel. In contrast to this glorious treasure are the vessels which contain the treasure. Christians are merely “clay pots,” while the gospel is the treasure. Earthen vessels (clay pots) are common and cheap, ones like those red flowerpots we can buy today for very little money. Earthen vessels are also fragile and easily broken. I have broken a significant number of clay pots. Earthen vessels are “earthy” and “earthly”; they are of this world. (Remember that we were made of the dust of the earth—see Genesis 2:7.) Earthen vessels are fashioned by the potter, who creates them for his own purposes (see Romans 9:20-21). Clay pots have nothing in which to boast; they have no basis for feeling superior. The treasure gains nothing from the pots; if anything, the pots gain from the glory of the treasure.

When it comes to the gospel, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Christian’s “self-image,” Paul tries to put matters into their proper perspective. The false apostles in the Corinthian church think far too much of themselves, and they have duped a number of saints into thinking too highly of them also. Paul’s words give us the proper perspective. We who believe in Jesus Christ are merely clay pots, who have nothing to glory about in and of ourselves. We are the containers, and the contents have all the glory.

Paul’s words must have startled some of the Corinthian followers and even stunned their pompous leaders. If these men wish to represent themselves and their ministry as gold-plated, Paul informs the church that even the apostles are mere clay pots. Are these gold-plated frauds willing to forsake the gospel of Jesus Christ and replace it with a gospel which appeals to human wisdom? Paul reminds the church that the gospel is the treasure, and thus it had better not be put into the trash.

(2) Our lives are like earthen vessels, which, when broken by suffering, manifest the light of the gospel (see Judges 7:15-25; Matthew 5:10-16). Reading Paul’s words in verses 8-15 in the light of the “clay pots” imagery of verse 7, one cannot help but feel that Paul draws upon the imagery of Judges 7:15-25. In this text, Gideon’s tiny army of 300 men is about to do battle with the host of Midianites and Amalekites who have assembled against the Israelites. These 300 men are divided into three different companies, who surround their enemies at night with torches hidden within earthen pitchers, held by their left hands. At the blast of the trumpet, the pitchers are smashed, and the light of the torches is broadcast around the camp. Simultaneously, these 300 men blow the trumpets they are holding in their right hands. The enemy armies panic, turning on each other with their swords, bringing a great victory for Gideon and his men.

Paul may be employing this imagery in his letter to the Corinthians to make an important point, one that has never been very popular. We are like the clay pots of Gideon and his men; when we are broken, the light of the gospel is shed abroad. And when we are broken like clay pots, our strength or power is not seen, but God’s. When we are broken by adversity, opposition, and suffering, God’s power is revealed, and God’s work is accomplished in a way that does not glorify the “clay pots” but manifests God’s surpassing power and glory.

Here again is a most important lesson for the Corinthians. Men are brought to the light of the gospel not by the exaltation of the messenger, but by the exaltation of Christ. As we, the clay pots, are broken by suffering, men see the light. Several analogies come to mind. In a sense, we are windows whose purpose is not to be seen, but to be seen through. Men should not see the glass, but in looking through the glass, they should behold the majesty and glory of God, whom we have the privilege of proclaiming. We might say Christians are like the glass in a fire alarm box, which must be broken so that lives may be saved. Or we might compare the Christian to the piata, which is filled with various treats. As the piata is beaten and broken, the “treasure” within is poured out, much to the delight of those seeking it. It is not by the exalting of the messenger that God’s power and glory are revealed, but by the breaking of the container that the contents are dispensed.

(3) The suffering Christian’s experience may seem as though it will break us, but as intense as it may be, God never allows such intense suffering that it defeats or destroys us, or defeats what God purposes to accomplish through it. By means of suffering, we, God’s “clay pots,” are broken, so that the glorious light of the gospel and the power of God are evident. In the midst of our brokenness, it may appear that our suffering will utterly defeat and destroy us, but this is not true. Paul assures us in verses 8 and 9 that no matter what our affliction may be, and no matter how severe, God will not allow us to be destroyed by it. The Christian is afflicted in every way (verse 8), suffering the full orb of afflictions of mankind. In the context, it seems that our affliction arises from our status as Christians, who profess and proclaim Christ. Paul enumerates four forms of intense suffering; each followed by an assurance that our affliction will not result in complete failure or destruction. (1) afflicted — but not crushed; (2) perplexed — but not despairing; (3) persecuted — but not forsaken; (4) struck down — but not destroyed.

Paul says that he and other saints are “afflicted” (verse 8). This word is used for the squeezing or pressing in upon our Lord by the crowds (Mark 3:9). In spite of great external pressure, we may be assured that we will not be crushed, like a submarine which has descended to depths and pressures beyond its limits. We are “perplexed” but “not despairing” (verse 8). This word is used to describe Herod’s inner turmoil in listening to the preaching of John the Baptist (Mark 6:20). The Christian will face many unanswered questions, many perplexing circumstances. But while we acknowledge there are questions for which we have no immediate answers, we also stand assured that there is an answer, and that someday in eternity we will know what it is. Thus, we may be perplexed, but we do not despair as though there are no answers at all, as though there is no hope.

We are “persecuted” but “not forsaken.” If anyone knows persecution, it is the Apostle Paul. He is a man who dished out persecution as an unbeliever. He is a man greatly persecuted as a Christian. But while men may reject us and our message, as Christians we are never completely abandoned. Like Joseph in Egypt, or Daniel and his three friends in Babylon, the Lord is with us, even in the fiery furnace. Paul witnessed this in a dramatic fashion at the stoning of Stephen. In his dying moments, as he was rejected and persecuted by his fellow Jews, Stephen saw his Lord standing at the right hand of God, waiting to receive him into heaven’s glory (Acts 7:54-56). Even when it seems so, we are never alone, though the whole world seems against us and the message of the gospel we proclaim.

Finally, we may be “struck down,” but we can never be “destroyed” (verse 9). One can hardly think of a more dramatic illustration than Paul’s experience at Lystra described in Acts 14 (see especially verses 19 and 20). Paul was stoned and left for dead, but when the disciples gathered around him, he arose and entered the city. Paul is not assuring us that we will never die a martyr’s death, but that if we do die, we may be assured of our future resurrection. There is no suffering, no affliction, which God will allow to ultimately defeat and destroy us, for He causes all things to work together for His glory and for our good (Romans 8:28).

Not until we have reached the limits of our own capacity do we find it absolutely necessary to cast ourselves on God. God uses our suffering and adversity to take us beyond our own capacities, so that we will turn to Him for strength and survival. Thus, it is His power which sustains us, and it is He who must receive the praise and glory. God does not leave us with a full tank of gas, but with a tank virtually empty. As the gauge reads “empty” and the red warning light begins to flash, we must seek reserves which are not our own.

I am reminded of the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath recorded in 1 Kings 17:8-16. As Elijah arrives, the widow’s flour and oil are gone. She has only enough to prepare one final meal for herself and her son. Elijah promises the widow that if she provides for him, her flour and oil will never run out, but she will be provided for until the time the drought ends. God does provide for Elijah, the widow, and her son, but He never gives her a full barrel of flour. Instead, He continues to provide just enough for the next meal. The flour barrel is always nearly empty, but it never runs dry. God does not give a full barrel of flour, as He could do, because He wants this widow to trust Him daily. Is this not why our Lord prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11)?

(4) The suffering we are called to endure, which will never utterly destroy us, is the divinely appointed, irreplaceable means by which God manifests His life in our mortal bodies. Paul writes in Philippians 1, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” I have always understood these words to mean, “For to me, living is glorious, and dying is even better.” Just what does it mean to live Christ? Paul tells us in our text. But let us be very clear: he is telling us nothing new at all. Over and over again in the Bible, we are informed that to live Christ is to live out His life, experiencing the same things He experienced, and exhibiting the same responses and the same manifestation of God’s power.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12 Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:10-16).

21 But He warned them, and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.” 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:21-26).

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:18-20; see also Matthew 10:16-23).

These same men have written to us what Jesus taught His disciples: we live out the life of Christ by living righteously in a wicked world, thereby experiencing the rejection and persecution of those who want nothing to do with Christ and His gospel:

21 And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:21-22).

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. 25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me (Colossians 1:24-29).

5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6).

12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:18-25).

God chose to use us, His “clay pots,” because He wishes to display His power and His glory through our weaknesses and brokenness. As we mere “clay pots” are broken, God’s power and glory are revealed through us. The process of being broken is now referred to as “dying” (see 2 Corinthians 4:10-12). There is the once-and-for-all death of our Lord in our place, whereby our sins are forgiven as we are joined to His death and resurrection by the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 2:20). This once-for-all-death which we die in Christ is played out by our daily “taking up our cross” and dying to the flesh and its desires, our persecution at the hands of unbelievers, and perhaps even our martyrdom for the sake of Christ. In our daily living out the dying of Christ, we also live out His resurrection life and power.

As we first must reckon ourselves dead in our trespasses and sins, powerless to save ourselves by any work we can do (Ephesians 2:1-10), we must also realize that, even as Christians, we are powerless in and of ourselves to live a godly life. We, like Paul, must conclude daily, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). And as we die daily, the resurrection power of God works in and through us to produce His righteousness:

10 And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you (Romans 8:10-11).

We are not made righteous by trying to live for Christ, but by dying to self and to sin so that Christ’s life is lived out in us. This principle is absolutely crucial. Paul repeats it three times in our short text:

Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (verse 10).

For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (verse 11).

So death works in us, but life in you (verse 12).

Dying is not an option for the Christian. As unworthy sinners, we had to die with Christ and be raised with Him from the dead in order to be saved. As weak and powerless saints, to live out the life of Christ, we must die daily to the world, to sin, and to the flesh.

25 “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25).

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).

Paul says in our text that as clay pots, we must be broken for the light of the glory of Christ to be shown forth. He says that in order for the life of Christ to become evident in our bodies, we must die first. No wonder our Lord speaks of being “lights” in the world in the context of suffering and persecution:

Do some Corinthians take great pride in some of their leaders? Do they glory in their appearance, their homiletical style, their persuasive powers, their mind-boggling wisdom? Do they look down upon Paul, his physical infirmities, his apparent weaknesses, his simplistic message and methodology? Paul is weak, and he constantly lays down his life so that they might live. Paul is like Christ. What does this say to the Corinthians concerning those who oppose Paul, those “false apostles”? Paul’s words in our text spell out the fundamental differences between true apostles and false apostles. The very things for which Paul is disdained and rejected are those things which make him Christ-like, the very things which certify him as a true apostle (see 11:16-33).

(5) The suffering which breaks these “clay pots” should not result in our silence, but should become the basis for our proclaiming boldly the good news of the gospel. Peter speaks of a kind of silence which is godly in the midst of suffering as a saint (see 1 Peter 2:18–3:6). In the midst of our sufferings, it is all too easy to use our mouths to fight back. This we must not do, but neither should we become silent about our faith to avoid further persecution and suffering. Just as we have experienced the resurrection power of God in our salvation and daily walk, we should hope for our ultimate resurrection at the return of our Lord. If we will be raised from the dead, then men cannot take away our future hope, even by taking our lives. We need not fear death. And if we do not fear death, we need not become silent in times of opposition and danger. This is the intent of Paul’s teaching in verses 13 and 14.

Paul turns in verse 13 to the words of the psalmist to underscore that Christians can boldly proclaim the gospel in the face of opposition and danger, knowing that God will raise them from the dead. The words, “I believed, therefore I spoke” are virtually the same as those found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. Translations of Psalm 116:10 vary considerably in the way they render this verse.

In our text, Paul is not simply borrowing a phrase, he is establishing a principle. Psalm 116 is about the believer’s confidence in God, even in death. Verse 15 is a favorite for many Christians and a text often employed in funeral messages: “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15).

When the psalmist writes, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” he then goes on to write as his next words, “I am greatly afflicted.” I believe this psalm expresses the psalmist’s faith in God, a resurrection faith. He can call upon God when in great danger, knowing that God may rescue him from death, or that He may rescue him after death by resurrecting him from the grave. Strengthened and encouraged by his faith, the psalmist can face and endure persecution, adversity, danger, and even death. He need not be, and he will not be, silent about his suffering, for his faith sees beyond his suffering and death.

In this same spirit of faith, Paul says that just as he can be bold in his witness, even though it may bring persecution and even death, so can we. We need not hide our suffering and affliction or be silent about the good news of the gospel, for the life of Christ is manifested in our death. If the worst men can do is kill us, and if God has already promised to raise us from the dead, then what should we fear, and why should we keep silent? If suffering and dying are the divinely appointed means of revealing God’s power and glory in our lives, why should we seek to conceal our afflictions? There is little justification here for the “silent witness” approach. There are times when we do need to be silent, especially when our speech will not glorify God or edify others. But when the time comes for us to declare our faith and proclaim the gospel, we must speak (see Romans 10:9-10). When our silence is the result of our shame or our fear, it is evil (see Luke 9:21-26).

(6) Being broken as an earthen vessel means dying to one’s self so that we can serve others and glorify God. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul indicates that he and others can be bold in their speech concerning Christ because of the vastly greater glory of the ministry of the new covenant, the ministry of the gospel (see 3:12). Repeatedly, Paul speaks of the glory of the gospel ministry of which every saint is a part. The gospel is the revelation of the light of the gospel, which is the “knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (4:6). The glory is not ours, but God’s. The gospel is the treasure, and, as we are broken, we are but the earthly vessels God has chosen to contain and display His gospel. What marvelous grace and privilege God has bestowed upon these earthen vessels.

Some believe that we are to love ourselves first, God next, and others last. They are dead wrong. But many others believe we are to love God first, others next, and self last. Perhaps there is a sense in which this is true, but Paul does not present his argument this way in our text. Paul speaks of our being broken, our dying, so that others may benefit and God may be glorified. I am to die to the world, the flesh, and self-interest so that I may serve others and glorify God. Paul writes in verse 7 that God has entrusted the true treasure of the gospel to “clay pots,” so that the “surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.” There is no ground for boasting or pride here, other than that boasting and pride directed toward God.

As Paul concludes his argument in verse 15, once again his emphasis is on serving others and glorifying God: “For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.” Paul’s sufferings are the sufferings of Christ. They are his dying—dying to self-interest, fleshly desires, worldly ambitions and goals. They are like Christ’s sufferings in that they are for the blessing of others. Paul’s dying brings life to the Corinthians (verse 12). Paul’s suffering is for the Corinthians’ sakes (verse 15). And ultimately, as people are brought to faith in Christ and saints are strengthened in their faith, praise and thanksgiving are offered to God, to His glory.

Here is the perspective every believer should have. Here is where Paul and the true apostles stand apart from the false apostles. The false apostles are self-serving, seeking power, glory and personal gain for themselves. Paul and the faithful servants of Christ are, like Christ, sacrificing themselves for the good of others and the glory of God. The false apostles appeal to men on the basis of the flesh, focusing on the satisfaction of fleshly lusts. Like Christ, Paul calls upon the saints to take up their cross and follow Him. The gap between the true and the false apostles grows ever greater as Paul’s letter continues.

Conclusion

I believe Paul’s argument in this passage may be summarized in this way: As Christians die daily, by living righteously and boldly speaking forth the truth of the gospel, we live out the death and life of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the consternation of those who reject the gospel, to the benefit and blessing of those who believe, and ultimately to the glory of God.

This passage clearly distinguishes between the container (clay pot) and the contents (the glorious gospel). But at the same time it distinguishes between the true apostles and the false. Slowly, the veil is being lifted, and the false apostles are exposed. Are the false apostles gold-plated vessels? They think so. Is Paul a mere “clay pot”? He knows so, and he rejoices in the privilege that is his, as an unworthy vessel, to contain and display the gospel for the good of others and the glory of God.

This passage speaks not only to the Corinthians centuries ago, it speaks to us as well. There are many today like the false apostles of Paul’s day. They are something like Job’s friends in that they seek to rebuke the sufferer for his suffering, insisting that those who are godly must prosper. The sufferer is not encouraged to faithfully endure, and all the while to proclaim the gospel to a lost and dying world; the sufferer is subtly, or not so subtly, encouraged to keep quiet and look inward to discover what sins lurk within, causing him to suffer. False apostles are able to gather many followers because they disdain suffering and promote self-indulgence. True servants of God are not those whose faces have been frequently touched up so that evidences of age are concealed; they do not often live self-indulgent lives and promise peace and prosperity to those who follow them (contributing to their programs, of course). True servants of God make much of Christ and much less of themselves. True servants are much more scarce than the false. True servants are like Christ, often unrecognized and persecuted. They give their lives for the good of others and the glory of God.

One can hardly avoid mentioning the current fixation on “self-esteem” as the root of success and the cause of failure in our society. I do not like the term “self-esteem” (or its synonyms) because it is not a biblical term, and it is hardly a biblical concept. Some attempt to correct the error by telling us that our self-esteem is rooted in Christ. There is a measure of truth here, perhaps, but Paul’s words cause us to ponder much of what is accepted today by Christians on the subject of self-esteem. Let us remember that we, as Christians, are “clay pots,” meant to be broken, so that the glory of God may be displayed.

Another contemporary application to our text comes in the area of evangelism. I have been involved in prison ministry in past years, and I have a real heart for the men and women behind bars. But so often prison ministries come into the prisons to evangelize by bringing in the superstars. Highly talented, highly regarded men and women are brought in, often drawing large crowds and producing a number of professions of faith. These are the “Weekends of Champions,” and I do not doubt that some are genuinely saved as a result. But would the apostles have been invited as guest speakers to such events? For Paul to speak, there would have to be a “Weekend of Scum” or “Days of the Dregs,” for that is how he is regarded (see 1 Corinthians 4:13). If we want people to be saved, do we not also want them to become like Christ? And if they are to live out Christ, must they not also be rejected and persecuted and disdained by the world? Is a champion in the eyes of the world the model for the saint? These questions need more consideration, especially in light of Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians.

Finally, Paul’s words here underscore the on-going value of the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper, which we and many others observe every week. The celebration of communion is a reminder of Christ’s incarnation, His sinless life, and His sacrificial death by which we were saved. But it is also a reminder of what God expects of us, if we are to live out the dying of Christ to the glory of God. As the “bread” is without leaven, because our Lord was a perfect sacrifice, free from all sin, so our lives are to be godly as we die daily to sin. Ours will not be a perfect obedience, but that should be our desire and our goal. And as our Lord poured out His life, symbolized by the “wine,” we must die daily, becoming broken vessels so that the life of our Lord might be manifested in and through us.

Have you ever recognized that you are a sinner, dead in your sins (see Ephesians 2:1-10)? Have you ever cast yourself upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who died for your sins, who bore the guilt and penalty for all your sins, and who rose from the dead to give you life? This is the good news of the gospel. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for unworthy sinners, to forgive them of their sins and to give them eternal life to the glory of God. This can be yours, when you acknowledge that you are an unworthy sinner, and when you trust in what Christ has done on the cross of Calvary for you. And this is the pattern which should ever be before the Christian, who is to live Christ before a lost and dying world.

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Biblical Topics:

Sanctification

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Eschatology (Things to Come)

5. Death: No Longer a Foe, but a Friend (2 Cor. 4:16-5:5)

4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

Introduction

Stepping back for a moment to look at the overall context of Paul’s two Epistles to the Corinthians may be helpful in our study. There seem to be a number of individual problems in Corinth (such as a man living with his father’s wife in chapter 5, or one Christian taking another to court in chapter 6) which we might call “symptomatic problems.” In addition, there are a number of “root problems” in Corinth. Two of those “root problems” are the church’s leadership and doctrinal departure.

Paul introduces the leadership problem almost immediately in 1 Corinthians 1. There are divisions within the church, each with a small group of followers of a particular individual in whom they take great pride. These leaders are regarded as superior to the others, and even to the apostles. From chapter 4 (verse 6), we know these cult-like leaders are not Paul, Apollos and Peter, but deliberately unnamed persons, some of whom Paul hopes will repent and be restored. These leaders are seemingly wise and powerful, but under their leadership, Christians feel free to go to court against one another (chapter 6) and to live in immorality (chapters 5-7), even participating in pagan idol worship celebrations (chapters 8-10). The celebration of the Lord’s Supper (chapter 11) and the weekly meeting of the church (chapters 12-14) are disasters. In the closing chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul endorses men like Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus as the kind of leaders the church should recognize and follow. By the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of some of the Corinthian leaders as “false apostles,” who proclaim a different gospel, and who, in truth, are servants of the evil one (chapters 11 and 12).

Doctrine is the second major problem in the Corinthian church. Paul quickly contrasts the “wisdom of God” and the “wisdom of men” in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. Early on in his first epistle, he makes it clear that his message and that of his colleagues is Christ crucified, a message that is an offense to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (1:22-25). Paul’s message is humanly unattractive and his methods simple and straightforward (see 2:1-5). He shows in chapters 8-10 how human reasoning could justify the participation of Christians in pagan worship celebrations, and that in doing so, men blindly disregard their weaker brethren, and even that they unwittingly are sitting at the “table of demons” (10:14-22). The greatest doctrinal problem of 1 Corinthians is the denial of the bodily resurrection of the dead. And so Paul climaxes his first epistle with a thorough teaching on the importance and implications of the resurrection of the dead in Christian theology. It is obviously the denial of this doctrine which prompts the “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die” lifestyle in Corinth. It is no wonder that the subject of death and dying recur in 2 Corinthians and that it is the central theme of our text.

With the last of Paul’s two recorded epistles drawing to a conclusion, these two problem areas seem to converge as Paul’s argument and instruction comes to a dramatic and decisive conclusion in chapters 11 and 12. These cult-like leaders, who have divided the church into little competitive groups under whose leadership serious moral sins have flourished, are those whose message and methods are inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are thus in direct opposition to Paul and his faithful colleagues. In perverting the gospel, by denying the resurrection of the dead and other ways, and by opposing Paul, these men have shown themselves to be “wolves,” who are not “sheep” at all but “false apostles” who have come with a new gospel. It is time for the Corinthian church to recognize these men (and women) for what they are and to deal with them as the Scriptures require.

Two Crucial Questions

Two questions are crucial to the interpretation and application of our text: (1) To whom is Paul referring besides himself when he uses the plural pronouns “we” and “our”? (2) What does Paul mean by “death” and “dying” in our text? I must confess that I have changed my mind about the answers to both of these questions, and this has changed my understanding of Paul’s words to some extent. Let us begin by trying to answer these two questions before pressing on to tackle the meaning of the text itself.

Question 1: To whom is Paul referring by the terms “we” and “our”?

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:17–3:2,

17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God. 3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men (2 Corinthians 2:17–3:2, NASB).

Here, Paul seems to be speaking of himself, Silvanus, and Timothy as those who preached among the Corinthians (see 2 Corinthians 1:19). Paul contrasts their preaching of the gospel with the “peddling of the word of God,” which is being done by the false teachers and leaders at Corinth. The “we” speaks of those who preach the “apostolic message of the cross” in close association with Paul, as contrasted with those “false apostles” who come with a very different “gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:1-15; compare Galatians 1:6-10).

Paul clearly distinguishes himself and his colleagues in the gospel ministry from the Corinthian saints in 2 Corinthians 4:12: “So death works in us, but life in you” (2 Corinthians 4:12, NASB, emphasis mine).

All of this makes me reluctant to assume that whenever Paul uses “we” or “us” in our passage, he is speaking of all saints. I believe in 2 Corinthians 2:12–6:10 Paul defends not just himself as an apostle, but those who are true apostles while he exposes the false apostles. Paul is not just defending himself and his ministry, but the gospel ministry as proclaimed and practiced by the apostles and their colleagues in ministry, like Silvanus and Timothy. The things about which Paul writes in 2:12–6:10 using “we” and “our” are likely things pertaining to those in the gospel ministry, those who, like Paul (and often with Paul), go about from place to place proclaiming the gospel at great personal risk and expense. The same truths and principles apply to all saints generally, but originally they focus more upon Paul and the apostles. Our consideration of the second question will clarify this.

Question 2: What does Paul mean by his references or allusions to death and dying?

When one considers Paul’s statements about death and dying in 2 Corinthians 2:12–6:10, it is impossible to limit his meaning or application to the physical death which lies before each and every human being.

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you (2 Corinthians 4:11-12).

Notice these verses especially. We must recognize first that the context is affliction and persecution, not just martyrdom. Paul does not say that we die once (as, for example, we see in Hebrews 9:27), but that “we” die continually. Paul speaks of dying as taking place constantly, as a way of life, rather than merely as the termination of life. This “dying” is the means by which the “life” of Christ is lived out through the one who is dying. Death is a present, on-going process, not a once-for-all life-ending event.

I believe that in our text Paul speaks of dying as the on-going “dying” of those in the gospel ministry, those true apostles and their colleagues who pour out their lives in the preaching of Christ to an often hostile audience. Consider these texts as a definition of dying, as Paul means us to understand it here in our text:

3 Giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited, 4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things (2 Corinthians 6:3-10).

19 For you, being so wise, bear with the foolish gladly. 20 For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face. 21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am just as bold myself. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands (2 Corinthians 11:19-33).

To Paul, “dying” is something one does daily. It is the equivalent of “taking up one’s cross daily” by the denial of fleshly lusts, by the bold and clear proclamation of the gospel, by the bearing of our Lord’s rejection and persecution at the hands of men, and by experiencing the physical dangers and distresses of taking the message of the gospel to lost men. This “dying” is experienced more fully by the apostles, all of whom suffer in the flesh for their faith, and nearly all of whom suffer martyrdom. It is only partially experienced by others, and this is sometimes to our shame:

12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).

32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, 33 partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. 34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one (Hebrews 10:32-34).

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin (Hebrews 12:1-4).

The point of this observation—that death is a way of life more than just the end of life—will become evident in the exposition of our text. Keeping these background thoughts in mind, let us give attention to Paul’s words in our text to determine first how they explain his perspective and practice as an apostle, and then how they relate to the saints of every age, including our own.

Our Dying Produces Good for Others and Glory for God
(4:7-15)

Although we studied these verses in our last lesson, they relate very closely to the text of this lesson. Paul likens the apostles (and thus all saints) to clay pots who are broken so that the glory of God may be manifest through the revelation of Christ, who is the treasure contained in these clay pots. The breaking of the clay pots is the dying which the apostles experience in full measure. The result is that the dying of the apostles produces life for the Corinthian saints (4:12). The apostles boldly proclaim the good news of the gospel (4:13-14) for the benefit of those men and women who come to faith, whose praises and thanksgiving bring glory to God. What benefit is there in suffering righteously for the sake of Christ and His gospel? In part, the benefits are the blessings brought to those who believe and the glory brought to God.

Our Dying Produces Great
Good in the Present and in the Future
(4:16-18)

16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Once again, Paul reiterates the theme of this great section of 2 Corinthians—the confidence the apostles experience in the midst of great adversity and affliction, “dying” for the sake of Christ. “We do not lose heart.” This is the basis for Paul’s boldness and perseverance in the face of great adversity and opposition. The reason for his confidence is that while his (their) “outer man is decaying,” the “inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Initially, it seems Paul is speaking about the on-going natural disintegration of our physical bodies with which most of us are all too familiar. Those who have reached (or passed) middle age know that our bodies are sending us some very distressing messages. All of the proverbial “red lights” on our bodies’ dashboards are beginning to flash, indicating that trouble lies ahead. Our various body parts and organs are in rebellion. We are over the hill. Stuart Hamblen spoke of this phenomenon when he wrote and sang the song, “This Old House.”

While Paul’s words certainly encompass the natural decline of our physical bodies, this does not seem to be the thrust of his focus. Paul explains to the Corinthians why he and his associates (“we”) do not lose heart in the midst of their trials and tribulations as ministers of the gospel. Paul’s outer man, his physical body, is being destroyed²⁵ at an accelerated rate, due to the abuse it receives at the hands of Paul’s adversaries, of nature, and even Paul’s own lifestyle. This may not set too well with those who make much of “taking care of ourselves so they can minister more effectively.” While their point has some validity, there are far more Christians who indulge themselves in rest, relaxation, and recovery than those who burn themselves out for Christ.

Paul finds comfort in knowing that while his outer man—the physical body which can be seen and touched—is deteriorating, his inner man—his spirit—is being renewed daily. The deterioration of Paul’s body (and others’ who are preaching the gospel), is not simply the result of natural processes. If this were the case, Paul’s “affliction” (4:17) would be no different than that experienced by an unbeliever. Rather, Paul’s body is “dying” as he lives out the sufferings, and thus the life of Christ, in his earthly body.

If Paul’s body were a used car, it would quickly be wholesaled out by a dealer who ends up with it. The quality and value of a car are judged not only by how new or old it is, but by its mileage and how it has been used. Paul’s body evidences high mileage and hard use. His body is wearing out, due to the abuses it suffers as Paul dies daily for the sake of the gospel. We know that he has been beaten a number of times; no doubt, he has scars to prove it. He has been stoned and left for dead. I wonder if he also has a few teeth missing. His body is probably not a beautiful sight.

Paul wants us to know the basis for his encouragement and endurance when he continues to boldly proclaim Christ at the expense of his own body. His body is being destroyed at a rapid pace. Like most of the other apostles (and others), he will die a seemingly “premature” death. What comfort does Paul find in living in such a way that he will die sooner than others? Even though his body is being destroyed, simultaneously his spirit is being renewed day by day. Some churches have revivals once a year, which is probably not all that bad, but Paul’s spirit is revived daily, and he seems to indicate that our renewal should be daily as well.

This daily renewal of the spirit is not only simultaneous with Paul’s daily dying, it is the consequence of his daily dying. I may take my car to the airport and on the way be involved in an accident which does $350 in damage (in our dreams!). As I get out of my car at the airport, I may find an unmarked envelope containing $1500. After the money remains in lost and found for 30 days, it becomes mine. I certainly feel a lot better about my crumpled fender because of finding that envelope with the money. But the positive experience of finding money is not a direct result of having an accident. I certainly will not try to collide with someone else in the hope of finding more money!

A person who works out every day must have a great deal of discipline. Our body becomes hot and sweaty, and we must work very hard. This is the price we pay for seeing the scales go down and our body looking better. We are willing to pay a price if we gain something we believe is worthwhile. Paul tells us that our daily afflictions in the body are a part of the process by which we are being inwardly strengthened and renewed. We gain a present reward for suffering for Christ’s sake in a hostile world, and that reward is spiritual renewal and strengthening.

Realizing that God is spiritually strengthening us in spite of our afflictions for Christ’s sake is one thing, but realizing that God is strengthening us by means of our afflictions for Christ’s sake is quite different. God blesses us by strengthening our spirit as we undergo our bodily afflictions.

3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

There is also a future reward for bodily afflictions which are for the sake of the gospel. For the moment, Paul is vague about what constitutes this future reward. He simply refers to it as an “eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (4:17). When we compare our earthly afflictions for Christ’s sake with the future glory God has for us, there is no comparison. Our earthly and bodily afflictions are light; our future glory is heavy.²⁶ Our present suffering is temporary, short in duration; our heavenly reward of glory is eternal. When the price tag of discipleship is compared with the present and eternal benefits of discipleship, the price is minimal. No wonder Paul does not lose hope.

This brings to mind an important observation regarding heavenly rewards. If I understand the Scriptures correctly, our heavenly rewards are certainly related to our earthly faithfulness. But rewards are not mere compensation for our works. Like every other blessing of God, rewards are based upon grace, not works. We are not able to do anything worthy of God’s approval or rewards. He accomplishes in and through us that which He rewards. And the blessings are not commensurate with our faithfulness. How insignificant our earthly deeds will seem in heaven compared to the magnitude of God’s blessings. Paul’s words indicate that whatever price we pay will in no way be equivalent to the rewards we receive. Like every other blessing of God, rewards are by grace, and they far exceed what we deserve, for in reality we deserve nothing.

The ability to view our present bodily suffering for Christ’s sake as a “light” and “momentary” affliction is based upon a Christian perspective possible only for those who operate by faith, rather than by sight. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Paul says precisely this in verse 18 of chapter 4: “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

The only way a person can be joyful and confident in the midst of incredible bodily suffering is to “see” by faith the certainty of the heavenly blessings which await us, due to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. Faith enables us to see heaven as clearly as earth, to look forward to our future hope of glory while in the midst of great earthly tribulations. For the Christian, those things which are eternal are unseen; yet we know they are certain because our Lord has promised them to us. Our earthly afflictions pale in light of these certain, but unseen, eternal blessings.

Our Dying: The Means by Which
We Exchange Inferior Bodies for Superior Ones
(5:1-5)

In chapter 4, Paul likens our physical bodies to earthen pots and the gospel of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ as the treasure contained within. Now Paul changes the imagery to a different kind of “container.” Our earthly bodies are likened to tents which we inhabit for a time. Our heavenly bodies are likened to a “house”—let’s call it a mansion—which we inhabit forever once we leave these earthly bodies behind. Paul is not distressed by the “wear and tear” his body receives, because his earthly body is “disposable” and will be replaced by one that is far better.

These first five verses explain in greater detail the principle Paul sets down in 4:16-18. Paul and his colleagues have not lost heart in the midst of their earthly suffering because the inner man is being built up as the outer man is being destroyed. The apostles view the earthly afflictions they face as insignificant in the light of the glory which they know they will enjoy for all eternity. It is not the things we see which are eternal, but the unseen things. These “unseen things” have far greater value and influence than earthly things.

Now with respect to our own physical bodies, Paul explains that the bodies in which we presently dwell are really disposable and are to be set aside at the time of our physical death so that we can indwell glorious eternal bodies. These earthly bodies, these “tents” in which we presently dwell, are to be “torn down” at the time of our death, and it is then that we will be given new bodies—new houses—in which to dwell. These are not man-made, but dwellings made without hands by God. These houses are not earthly but heavenly, and they are not temporary quarters but permanent dwellings.

Is there groaning in this life? Yes, indeed. This groaning is not inconsistent with our faith but is an expression of our faith. Groaning is a necessary and realistic response to living in a fallen world:

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it (Romans 8:18-25).

There is something wrong with the world in which we live. There is something temporary and incomplete about these bodies in which we dwell. Our earthly groaning reminds us that we live in a fallen world, and that these bodies and this earth are to be replaced by something far better. Do we groan? We should. This groaning will be replaced by constant rejoicing, as we inhabit our new bodies in the eternal presence of our God.

For this reason, destruction of the earthly body does not distress Paul. Our earthly body will be replaced by a vastly superior body. And we come to possess our new bodies by the death of our old ones. It is something like the old Opel Kadett I once owned. Since I had a replacement for it, literally the old one was headed for the metal rendering plant. After removing all the parts I wanted to keep, I let the kids go out in the driveway with hammers and pound on it. They loved that, and I enjoyed watching them destroy it. Why should I care, when I had something better to take its place? And so Paul is not hesitant to boldly preach Christ, even though men will persecute him, and his lifestyle in ministry will take a heavy toll on his body. This only hastens the day when his better body will be given to him.

How are we certain of such things? Because we “see” them by faith (4:18) as we daily turn to the Word of God for perspective and instruction. In addition, we have an internal witness, the Holy Spirit of God, who indwells every true believer in Jesus Christ. The very same God who prepared us to possess our heavenly blessings, including our new and more beautiful bodies, is the God who also gave us His Spirit as a pledge or, as the marginal note of the NASB indicates, as a down payment. The Holy Spirit’s dwelling within us is a pledge of the certainty of our future blessings, which God has promised in His Word.

Conclusion

How can Paul be so confident, so bold in proclaiming his faith when doing so will almost certainly bring him physical affliction? His answers are right here in our text. Our “dying” in this life is the means by which the life of Christ is manifested in us, bringing about what is good for others and what is glorifying to God. God also uses our “dying” to bring about our own good, since it is by means of bodily suffering that God strengthens and renews our spirits within us. By the “dying” and putting away of these earthly bodies, we also obtain our heavenly bodies, which are far better than these temporary dwellings (tents) we now inhabit. And the certainty of all this is known by faith in God as we trust in His Word and as His Spirit bears witness to the certainty of our hope within us, where He dwells.

We have said that Paul speaks primarily with reference to himself and his colleagues in the ministry of the gospel. Paul speaks of both his and their confidence and encouragement in the midst of adversity, so that we might experience this same “heart” for sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. Let me conclude by suggesting some of the ways Paul’s words apply to us today.

We must view suffering as an expected part of our lives, as those who know Jesus Christ and live according to His Word. Some would have us think that being a Christian and living in obedience to God’s Word means that our lives will be happy, prosperous, and successful. They look to outward, material prosperity as the evidence of inward spirituality. We see this same error in the Pharisees of Jesus’ day:

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:14-15).

This error flawed the thinking of the disciples as well. Thus, when they saw a man who was blind, they concluded that someone must have sinned:

1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:1-3).

Physical suffering in the life of the Christian is not automatic proof of sin and divine judgment. This is where Job’s friends erred. Neither is material prosperity the evidence of spirituality, which is where Asaph had to have his thinking straightened out (see Psalm 73). Physical suffering can be the result of godly living, and it can also be the means by which we grow spiritually. The health and wealth movement so popular today in some circles is wrong fundamentally in its theology. Those who promote this movement need to give much more thought to Paul’s words in our text. If we are to live out the Lord Jesus Christ through our lives, it must be by our daily dying, and by His daily “living” in us as we die daily.

A friend of mine who lives in India once told me that we who live in the West know and speak too little of taking up our cross. I believe he is right. Jesus spoke much about taking up our cross, and so does the Apostle Paul. We must recognize that it is the world who speaks of “living,” and, in the process, is on its way to eternal destruction. We as Christians should think and speak much of dying, while in the process of being on our way to life eternal.

Paul’s words in our text surely should put our suffering into perspective. Many of us think we have “punched our martyr’s card” when we experience even a raised eyebrow in response to our witness. Our Lord’s suffering and dying serves as our example (1 Peter 2:18ff.) and our standard. Paul and the apostles suffered more than most of us can imagine, much less experience. When we begin to feel sorry for ourselves, let us remember these words from the pen of the writer to the Hebrews:

Paul’s teaching in this text should say something to those who feel obligated to have a “mid-life crisis.” More and more, I am inclined to think that modern psychology invents many of our maladies, encourages us to have one of them, and then treats us for them. The so-called “mid-life crisis” is one such malady.

I do not doubt that many men and women go through some kind of crisis at the mid-point of their lives. But it troubles me that it takes us half a lifetime to realize a truth so simple which we should have known earlier. We live in a fallen world, and our bodies are deteriorating. We have high hopes and ambitions in our youth; then as we reach the declining point of our lives, we realize we have not achieved what we had hoped, and that probably we can only expect things to get worse rather than better. If we view life as Paul does, we will not feel hopeless, but hopeful. The more the Christian’s body declines, the more his or her spirit should be strengthened. The closer the Christian gets to death, the closer we are to heaven’s glories, including a flawless body. How can we be depressed by these certainties? We must realize that our time on earth is limited, and thus we must be good stewards of the time, energy, and resources God has given us so that we can and will lay up treasure in heaven.

Our text has a word for those who might ever contemplate suicide. Suicide is tempting for those who are without faith, who falsely assume there is no judgment beyond death (see Hebrews 9:27). But suicide is also a temptation for the Christian who knows that at the time of our death, we enter into the eternal presence of God, free from suffering and sorrow and tears. I once took part in the funeral of a young Christian who killed himself as he knelt beside his bed, reading the last chapters of the Book of Revelation. Paul says that for the Christian, death is not a foe, but a friend. He encourages us to “die daily,” and even to hasten the day of our death (if necessary) by living a godly life and boldly proclaiming Christ. He does not encourage us to bring about our own death by our own hand by committing suicide. Suffering for Christ is a means to bless others and to glorify God, as well as to bring about our own blessing. To attempt to end our suffering by ending our own life is to act contrary to Scripture and contrary to our own best interests, the interests of others, and the glory of God. We are to die daily by setting aside selfish interests. We are not to end our own lives with our own hand, but to entrust our lives to God as we trust and obey Him. Suicide fails to act in accordance with the Word of God, especially in our text.

Finally, I must remind you that the reason death is no longer an enemy, but a friend, is because Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead. God told Adam that in the day he ate of the forbidden fruit, he would die. Death was, and is, a curse for those who are lost in their sins; death is a blessing for those who are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. God said that men who sin must die. This means that we are all condemned, for we are all sinners (Romans 3:23; 6:23). But the good news is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in the sinner’s place, bearing the penalty for the sins of all who trust in Him. Christians need no longer fear death because, in Christ, we have died and been raised from the dead. Christians now are privileged to die daily for Christ, so that He may live daily in and through us. Have you experienced this freedom from the fear of death? You can, by simply trusting in Him who died for your sins and who was raised from the dead so that you might be declared righteous and live forever in the presence of God (see Hebrews 2:14-15; Romans 3:19-26; 6:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20; Ephesians 2:1-10; Revelation 5).

25 I realize that many of the translations seem to be inclined toward the “corruption” or “decaying” sense. The word used here is found five times in the New Testament, and in every case the word speaks of a destruction from an external force, rather than from an internal source. Paul’s point is not that the body is deteriorating in and of itself (as it would do in the aging process), but that it is being destroyed from without. See the other uses of this same word in Luke 12:33; 1 Timothy 6:5; Revelation 8:9; 11:18.

26 In the Old Testament, the word for glory is one that means “heavy.” Paul seems to be making a play on words here based on his grasp of the Old Testament.

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Biblical Topics:

Spiritual Life

Passage:

6. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (2 Cor. 5:1-21)

1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Introduction

Someone recently gave me a copy of a book entitled, Grave Matters,²⁷ containing more than 500 actual epitaphs from grave stones and markers from all around the world. I found some of them especially interesting. These epitaphs were written with respect to one’s marriage:

Here lies Mary, the wife of John Ford,
We hope her soul is gone to the Lord;
But if for Hell she has changed this life,
She had better be there than John Ford’s wife.
Wilshire, England 1790²⁸

The children of Israel wanted bread,
And the Lord he sent them manna;
Old Clerk Wallace wanted a wife,
And the Devil he sent him Anna.
Ribbesford, England c. 1770²⁹

Charity, wife of GIDEON BLIGH
Underneath this stone doth lie
Naught was she e’er known to do
That her husband told her to.
Devonshire, England c. 1650³⁰

One epitaph which tickled me is this one:

Here lies the body of Mary Ann Lowder
Who burst whilst drinking a seidlitz powder;
Called from this earth to her Heavenly rest
She should have waited till it effervesced.
Bruleigh, New Jersey c. 1880³¹

These epitaphs certainly win the prize for honesty, if not tact:

Here lies the Body of RICHARD HIND,
Who was neither ingenious, sober, or kind.
Cheshunt, England c. 1800³²

JOHN YOUNG
Those who knew him best deplored him most.
[unverified]³³

This final epitaph wins the prize for what I would call with tongue-in-cheek, “political correctness”:

ROBERT HALLENBECK FAMILY
the family of Robert T. Hallenbeck
None of us ever voted for
Roosevelt or Truman
Elgin, Minnesota c. 1950³⁴

On this Easter Sunday, many versions of what I call the “P. C. Gospel” will be preached. I can only wish that “P. C.” stood for “Preach Christ.” Unfortunately, it stands for “Politically Correct Gospel.” There are many variations of the “P. C. Gospel.” To qualify as “P. C.,” it must be a gospel which does not offend anyone and does not state, suggest, or imply that there is but one true gospel, which, if rejected, will result in eternal condemnation. A “Politically Correct Gospel” is not determined by its truthfulness, but by its perception and reception. I hope and pray that the gospel I attempt to proclaim in this message can never be called “politically correct.”

God providentially arranged that on this Easter Sunday we should be studying in 2 Corinthians 5, a chapter which deals much with the meaning and applications of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. I am departing somewhat from my normal method of preaching in this message so that we may focus our attention on the gospel which the Apostle Paul preached in 2 Corinthians 5, in Paul’s epistles, and in the rest of the Bible.

It is important that I do this for several reasons. First, it is important to proclaim the gospel because undoubtedly there is someone listening who has never clearly heard or understood what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. If you are that person, I hope the Holy Spirit will enable me to speak clearly, and that you will understand and respond to the gospel Paul preached. Second, some of you may have heard the gospel a number of times, but you still have not recognized that you are a sinner, condemned to eternal destruction, and that you need to trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life. Third, we cannot celebrate Easter as we should unless we do so in the context of the gospel. To celebrate Easter properly, we must be able to celebrate the salvation which God has brought about in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Finally, we need to reiterate the gospel because there are those who seek to corrupt it, replacing some of its essential elements with false teaching, resulting in a false gospel. This was a danger in Paul’s day, and it is a danger in our own day as well (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-12ff.; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-9).

As we see in the very first chapter of his 1 Corinthians epistle, Paul is greatly troubled by the divisions in the church at Corinth. These divisions are based upon the personalities of those leaders followed by some of the Corinthians. By the time we reach the end of his second epistle, we realize at least some of these “leaders” are actually unbelievers who are “false apostles,” serving as messengers of Satan (see 2 Corinthians 11:1-15). These false apostles are preaching a false gospel, which a number of the Corinthians seem to accept without hesitation (2 Corinthians 11:4). I believe Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5 set down, once again, the pure gospel. This gospel is the standard by which all teachers and their teachings are to be judged.

Defining the Essential Elements
of the Gospel Which Paul Preached

Looking primarily at our text in 2 Corinthians 5, and then at other texts, consider these essential elements of the gospel as defined and declared by Paul and the other apostles.

(1) The gospel is the good news of God’s salvation for sinners. The last two verses of chapter 5 and other biblical texts emphasize that the gospel is God’s good news for sinners:

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isaiah 53:6).

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE. 13 THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS; 14 WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS; 15 THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, 16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, 17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE HAVE THEY NOT KNOWN. 18 THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES” (Romans 3:9-18).

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

For a person to be saved, he or she must first realize that they are lost. When Jesus came to the earth, He associated with “sinners,” thereby greatly offending the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. When challenged about this, Jesus had this answer:

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:29-32).

Do the self-righteous find our Lord’s association with sinners perplexing and even distressing? The reason He associates with sinners is that He came to save sinners. Our Lord has little time for the self-righteous, but He has much time for sinners. Jesus came to seek and to save lost sinners (Luke 19:10). The scribes and Pharisees are sinners, but they do not realize they are. Jesus’ ministry and message are “sweet music” to sinners, who know they need to be saved. But they are “sour notes” to the self-righteous, who do not recognize their sin or their need for salvation. No one is too sinful for God to save. Paul tells us that he takes “first place” among sinners as the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). There are many who are too righteous to be saved.

(2) There is nothing sinful men can do to merit God’s blessings or to earn their salvation. God does not grade on the curve. God’s standard for us is His own righteousness. All men fall desperately short of that standard:

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away (Isaiah 64:6).

Neither here in 2 Corinthians, nor anywhere else, does Paul speak of unsaved men winning God’s approval by their good works. Even our best efforts are tainted by sin. Nothing which we offer to God as a good work is acceptable or worthy of praise. Anything we think, say, or do which is pleasing to Him is brought about by Him (1 Corinthians 4:7). God works through our weaknesses, so we dare not boast in our strengths. And even these “strengths” are those God has given. It is by our faith, and not by our works, that we are saved. We are saved by what God has done for us, in Christ, and not by any works we have done:

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7).

When men asked our Lord Jesus what they should do, Jesus told them to believe:

28 They said therefore to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:28-29).

The law was not given so that men would keep it and, by so doing, be saved. The law was given to show us that we desperately need to be saved. The law reveals that we are sinners, helpless and hopeless before God, in need of grace, not of more effort on our part:

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:19-20).

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”— that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED” (Romans 10:4-11; see also Galatians 3:1-14).

Men do not need to do “something good” in order for God to save them. They need to acknowledge that they are incapable of doing anything good, and trust in what God has done for them in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Men do not need to go into heaven to persuade Christ to come down. Christ came in obedience to the Father’s will, in order to save us (see Philippians 2:5-8). No one needs to go down to hell to bring Christ from the dead. The Father has already raised Him from the dead. All we need to do is to believe the gospel, which is before us in the Bible, and the proclamation of those who preach the gospel in simplicity and truth, as Paul and his colleagues do.

Second Corinthians 5, along with the rest of the Bible, portrays God as the One who has provided salvation for sinful men. God saves sinners on the basis of His grace and not on the basis of our works. Those who acknowledge themselves as “sinners” are not the ones whom our Lord sternly rebukes and rejects; He rejects those who think they are saints, who take pride in their own righteousness (see Matthew 23).

(3) A day of reckoning is coming when all men must stand before Jesus Christ, who will judge them according to the deeds they have done in the body.

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Some might think that Paul’s words here in 2 Corinthians 5 leave room for us to conclude that salvation is by good works, but clearly this is not so in the light of other Scriptures. This 2 Corinthians statement must be understood in the light of what Paul has already written in 1 Corinthians 3 and 4:

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work (1 Corinthians 3:10-13).

2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God (1 Corinthians 4:2-5).

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul has only Christians in mind, not unbelievers. Those who faithfully minister³⁵ to the church, building properly upon the foundation Paul lays, will be rewarded for their faithfulness.

In this day of judgment, for the Christian the issue will not be one’s salvation but one’s reward as a steward of the gospel and the grace of God. Those who serve faithfully (in heart and in deed) will be praised by God. Those who are not faithful will see their “works” burned up, but they will nonetheless enter into the kingdom of God, “though as by fire,” by the proverbial “skin of their teeth.” This is the reason Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9 that his ambition, along with his colleagues, is to “be pleasing” to God.

Those outside of Christ, who have not trusted in His death, burial, and resurrection for salvation, must be judged according to their deeds. We are either saved on the basis of the work of Christ, or we are judged according to our works. Since our works apart from Christ cannot please God, and since men rely on them rather than on Christ, such works are really an offense to God and the basis for the condemnation of the lost. This is what John writes about in Revelation 20:

12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12-15).

This eternal “death” in the lake of fire is called the “second death” (Revelation 20:6, 14).

The resurrection of our Lord from the dead makes this future day of judgment possible:

38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And they also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:38-43).

30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

Christ’s resurrection from the dead proves that He is the Son of God (see Matthew 12:38-40; Romans 1:4). As the living Lord, Christ ascended to the Father, and He will someday return to reign upon the earth. His resurrection from the dead is the basis for the resurrection of all men, believing and unbelieving. Those who have not trusted in Him will spend eternity separated from Him; those who have trusted in Him will spend eternity with Him.

The teaching on the resurrection of the dead is a comfort therefore to those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation (see 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Thessalonians 4:18), but for the lost, it is a terrifying thought. In the second chapter of the book of Hebrews, the writer says that the Lord Jesus added perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, in order that He might deliver us from the fear of death:

14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Hebrews 2:14-15).

This fear of death plagues the unbeliever until the day that he or she comes to faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who not only died for their sins but was raised from the dead, thus changing death from a dreaded foe to a friend. This is what Paul has been writing about in the early verses of 2 Corinthians 5.

(4) Our sin has alienated us from God, but in His great love, He has accomplished reconciliation for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ and the offer of this reconciliation is made known through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation (Romans 5:8-11).

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 11 Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity (Ephesians 2:1-16).

18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister (Colossians 1:18-23).

Apart from Christ, we are dead in our sins, enemies of God, and alienated from God and His presence. Though we do not seek God, He seeks us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul says in Romans 5 that Christ did this while we were His enemies, demonstrating His great love for us and to us. Sinners are reconciled to God as they acknowledge their sin and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of eternal life. Those who know and trust God are given the privilege and responsibility of proclaiming the gospel, which is an appeal to sinners to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

(5) This reconciliation was promised in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, bore the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross of Calvary, was raised from the dead by the Father, and then ascended into heaven. The Old Testament Scriptures foretold the coming of our Lord, to live, die, and rise again:

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:44-48).

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven— things into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:10-12).

The Passover lamb of the Old Testament (see Exodus 12:1-20) was a prototype of Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God,” who died for lost sinners:

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth (Isaiah 53:4-9).

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

It was not just Christ’s earthly life (though sinless and marked with amazing signs of His divine power and nature) or His teaching (which was from God) which accomplished our salvation. These things qualified Him to accomplish our salvation through His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. This was the purpose for which He came and which He was determined to accomplish. By faith, all who trust in Jesus Christ are united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection:

3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God (Romans 6:3-10).

9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:9-14).

6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came, and He took it out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” 11 And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 5:6-13).

(6) This salvation, which God has accomplished in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, is available in no other way. We live in a pluralistic society, which means that our neighbors have the right to believe in and practice whatever religion they choose. I do not have the right to force my faith on others, nor do they have the right to force their religion on me. But “political correctness” demands more than this. Political correctness wants us to think that whatever religion one chooses is just as good as the religion of another. People do have the right to choose their faith, but they do not have a right to be right about that choice. The Bible does not offer men a number of ways to have their sins forgiven and to obtain eternal life; the Bible has but one way, and that way is Jesus Christ.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (John 1:12).

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).

14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:14-18).

12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

11 And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (1 John 5:11-12).

Put in blunt terms, “You may get to heaven God’s way (by faith in Jesus Christ), or you may go to hell any way you like.” There will be no one in heaven singing, “I did it my way.”

(7) We enter into the blessings of our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection as we personally acknowledge our sin, and place our trust in His finished work for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Some of the Jews actually believed that being Jewish was all that was necessary to be saved. John the Baptist quickly dismissed this error, and so did Paul:

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham” (Matthew 3:7-9).

1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED” (Romans 9:1-7).

Professing to know God and to be one of His children is not proof of possession, even when one is able to accomplish great things in the name of Jesus:

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Even believing essential truths about Jesus Christ is not enough:

19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? (James 2:19-20).

Jesus makes it clear that there will be those who are false believers, “wolves” who come in “sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), and only later they are recognized for what they really are:

24 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ And the slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn”’” (Matthew 13:24-30).

Paul indicates the same thing to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:29-31). It is apparent in Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians that some who profess to be saved are not really believers at all. Throughout most of 1 Corinthians, Paul gives his opponents the benefit of the doubt, although his teaching in chapter 15 on the resurrection of the dead makes it clear that anyone who denies this truth has departed from the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul begins to speak plainly to the saints at Corinth regarding an “unequal yoke” with unbelievers:

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Clearly, Paul labels some Corinthian leaders as false apostles in 2 Corinthians 11. Then, in his closing chapter of his second Corinthians epistle, Paul makes this very significant challenge to them: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The most dangerous thing in the world is to reject God’s provision of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. The most tragic thing in the world is to fail to trust in Jesus Christ because you assume you are already in the faith. Jesus’ words shocked not only the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees, they shocked His disciples:

20 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking upon them Jesus said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:23-26).

Jesus catches Nicodemus completely off guard when He says to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus is one of the prominent religious teachers of his day, and yet he has no clue what Jesus means. Jesus tells him it is not enough to know the Old Testament Scriptures well. It is not enough to have an academic knowledge about God. He has to be “born again.” Jesus is talking to him about the miracle of conversion, a conversion which requires not only faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, but a miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit, bringing about regeneration (a re-birth, being born anew).

Men can do nothing to gain their salvation; salvation is received as a free gift, by faith. Faith believes God’s evaluation that we are sinners, deserving of His eternal wrath. Faith understands that we cannot do anything to earn God’s favor or blessings. Faith not only believes that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but trusts in His death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. Saving faith entrusts oneself to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Saving faith does not just give mental assent to the gospel. It clings to the gospel, and acts upon it. Saving faith is entered into once for all, but it is practiced daily, as we live out the gospel by the grace and power of God, dying daily, and daily experiencing and expressing the resurrection power of Christ:

20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (Colossians 3:1-5).

As we conclude this message, I have these questions for you, my friend: Have you been born again? Have you acknowledged your sin and the fact that rightly you deserve to suffer God’s eternal punishment? Have you placed your trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life? If you die tonight, do you know for certain that you will go to heaven? If you are not certain about the answers to these questions, I urge you to consider the gospel which Paul and the apostles preached, to accept the gospel as God’s only way of salvation, and then to place your trust in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

27 E. R. Shushan, Grave Matters (New York: Ballantine Books, 1990).

28 Page 4.

29 Page 12.

30 Page 17.

31 Page 86.

32 Page 130.

33 Page 131.

34 Page 185.

35 I use the term “minister” in the general sense most often found in the New Testament, of that “service” to the body which each and every member is to contribute (see 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:12), and not in the more limited sense of “ministry” by a select few, known as the “clergy.”

Biblical Topics:

Crucifixion

History

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Regeneration, Justification

7. Out With the Old, In With the New (2 Cor. 5:1-21)

1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Introduction

From verse 7 of chapter 4 through the end of chapter 5, Paul has been writing about a matter of life and death. Paul and his colleagues really stand out in contrast to the false apostles who are also attempting to win the hearts and minds of the Corinthians. Paul seeks to establish the fact that true apostles are willing to suffer and die in this life; they are assured by the gospel of our hope of eternal life after our death, through faith in the person of Jesus Christ, particularly His death, burial, and resurrection.

In verse 7 of chapter 4, Paul begins by comparing himself and his fellow-laborers to clay pots, which contain within them the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ (see 4:6-7). When these “clay pots” are shattered by opposition and persecution, the glory of the Lord Jesus is broadcast to the world. This “shattering” should come as no surprise to us, for it is the norm for all who live out the dying and the resurrected life of Christ. Persistently, Paul and his colleagues experience in their bodies the dying of Jesus (see Colossians 1:24), so that the resurrection life of Christ is manifested through their “dead bodies” (4:10; see Romans 7:24; 8:10-11). The “death” Paul and others experience brings about “life” for the Corinthian saints (4:12). They do not lose heart in the midst of their trials and tribulations because they know their earthly afflictions are “light” and “momentary” in comparison with the glory which is certain to be theirs (4:16-18).

In chapter 5, Paul continues this theme of “dying” and “being made alive” in Christ. I especially wish to focus your attention on verses 14-18 in this lesson. These verses are frequently misunderstood and even misapplied. Briefly, I will summarize Paul’s argument through chapter 5 and then focus on verses 14-18, their interpretation and the practical implications which flow from them.

Verses 1-5

Summary: The Christian’s earthly body has been compared to a clay pot; now it is spoken of as a tent. Like a tent, our earthly body is temporary and far from perfect. At death, we shall put off this earthly body and be given a vastly superior “heavenly” body. In the meantime, we “groan” because of our imperfection and our desire for a more perfect body. Our possession of this better body is outwardly accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our assurance of heaven, and with it our glorious bodies, is inwardly attested to by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every saint and who is God’s pledge that His promises will be fulfilled.

Verses 6-8

6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Summary: Knowing that our earthly body is only temporary, and that we will be given a glorious heavenly body at the time of our death, we have great courage to live and boldly proclaim the gospel. If we hasten the day of our death by living courageously for Christ, we hasten the day we receive our better body. The moment we become “absent” from this earthly body by our death, we are present with the Lord—in our new and glorious body. We should not dread the shortening or losing of our lives in His service, but look upon it as the hastening of our wonderful hope. David experiences and expresses in his psalm the truth Paul speaks in these verses:

1 For the choir director; according to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me. 2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. 3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? 5 All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life. 7 Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God! 8 Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, 11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 Thy vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to Thee. 13 For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living (Psalm 56:1-13, emphasis mine).

Verses 9-10

9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Summary: The assurance that we will leave these “disposable bodies” behind when we enter into the presence of our Lord, clothed in our glorious new bodies, is no excuse for being careless about the way we live now. These bodies will perish, but the deeds we have done in them (whether good or bad) are the basis of our future judgment when we stand before our Lord. The resurrection of our Lord, which assures us of our future resurrection, also assures us of our Lord’s return to this earth to subdue His enemies and judge all men according to their deeds. As Christians, our desire should be to live in these earthly bodies in a such way that we will be pleasing to the Lord on that day.

Whether here in these bodies, or with the Lord, our desire should be that of Paul and his fellow-laborers in the gospel—to be pleasing to the Lord now and in that coming great day of judgment. When we must choose between pleasing men and pleasing God, we should always choose pleasing God. Those who merchandise the gospel corrupt and pervert the truth, seeking to win man’s approval and favor. The apostles seek to please God, which they do by proclaiming the truth of the gospel without modification and with honest and straightforward methods (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:1-2; also Galatians 1:6-10; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:4; Hebrews 11:6).³⁶

Verses 11-17

11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize³⁷ no man according to the flesh;³⁸ even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Summary: This coming day of judgment which motivates us to please God is one which true believers greatly desire. For the wicked and unbelieving, it is a day of dread. Knowing the fear of the Lord which the day of judgment should cause sinners, Paul and his colleagues seek to persuade men to turn to Christ to be reconciled with God. The apostolic method of “persuasion” is very different from that of the false apostles, who corrupt the truth to entice men to follow them. This persuasion is conducted in the sight of God, seeking His approval rather than men’s. Paul appeals to the conscience of the Corinthians, hoping they will acknowledge his apostleship and thus have grounds for boasting in the day of the Lord when he will be approved of God. If, in the eyes of the Corinthians, Paul is out of his mind, let them know he is this way to please God; if they think he is acting sanely, let them know it is for their sake. The love of Christ motivates Paul and his colleagues. They have concluded that the death of Christ is for every saint. Every true believer dies in Christ and is raised to new life in Him. And everyone who dies and is raised in Christ is given new life, that they might no longer live selfishly for their own benefit, but sacrificially in the service of Christ who gave Himself sacrificially for them. Every Christian is a new creature, and he is what he is in Christ. Every Christian was once dead in his or her transgressions and sins, hopeless and helpless apart from the grace of God in Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 2:1-3). Every Christian is saved by his identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Thus, every Christian is equal in his or her standing before God. This means we cannot practice discrimination within the body of Christ. We must view Christ differently in the light of His death, burial, and resurrection. And likewise, we must view differently all those who have identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We must not look upon them in terms of what they bring to their relationship with Christ but in terms of what they have become in Him.

The coming day of the Lord, with its judgment of all men, motivates Christians positively and negatively. Positively, it prompts us to live in a way which pleases God (5:9). Negatively, it should cause us to be fearful if we disregard Him and His Word, knowing that we will give account. Our salvation is not at risk here, but God’s approval or disapproval of our stewardship (see 1 Corinthian 3:10-15). In addition to this “fear of the Lord,” there is the “fear” which we sense on behalf of lost sinners who will spend eternity in hell. Apart from faith in Christ, we know they are eternally doomed. Knowing this fear, Paul and his co-workers are diligent to boldly proclaim the gospel, urging the lost to trust in Christ for salvation.

Paul is not opposed to persuasion altogether, but he is against those methods of persuasion which are unacceptable to God. God does not save men by appealing to fleshly lusts or by distorting the truth of the gospel. When Paul and his colleagues seek to persuade men, they do so “in the sight of God.” They are fully aware that their message, their methods, and their motives are evident to God as they preach the gospel to lost men. Paul knows that God sees all things, hidden beneath appearances, and these hidden realities are the basis of our future judgment (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 4:1-5; see also Matthew 6:4-6, 18; Mark 4:22; Luke 12:1-3; 16:15).

Paul is concerned therefore about the heart—not the outward appearance. He is not seeking to impress God by appearances; neither is he attempting to impress the Corinthians on the basis of appearances. Paul appeals to the consciences of the Corinthians, hoping that the motives of his heart are apparent to their hearts. Paul is not seeking their approval, per se, but he is seeking their benefit. To reject Paul and embrace the false apostles will prove shameful in the coming day of judgment. To embrace Paul and his colleagues and reject the false apostles affords them the privilege of taking pride in the Corinthians in the day of our Lord. And if the Corinthians are in tune with Paul’s heart, they will be proud of him now, and therefore have a response to those who attack him based only upon appearances: “How can Paul be an authentic apostle and have so much opposition, suffering, and deprivation?”

No matter how it appears to the Corinthians, Paul’s ministry and motives are pure before God. Do Paul’s actions seem like those of a man who has lost his mind (see Acts 26:24-25)? He has done so for God. And let it not be forgotten that even our Lord was considered out of his mind because of His commitment to His ministry (see Mark 3:21). Does Paul appear to be in his right mind? Then let the Corinthians know that his being so is for their sake. Whatever they may conclude about Paul, his ministry is conducted to serve God and men.

Unlike the motives of the false apostles, the love of Christ controls and compels Paul and his fellow-apostles. Paul’s perception of our Lord governs his perception of all believers who are in Christ. We see this played out in verses 14-17. Follow the argument of these verses carefully, for what Paul means for us to learn from them is quite different from what most of us may think.

Paul begins in verse 14 with this statement: “… one died for all, therefore all died.” There is no question as to who died for all; the question is who are the all for whom Christ died? This question divides theologians into two groups: those who insist that Christ died for all men, and those who argue that Christ died in order to save the elect. I do not wish to try to settle this debate here, but it is my opinion that Paul does not mean “all mankind, without exception” here, but rather “all those who are saved.”

Paul is dealing with a very serious problem at Corinth—that of factions and divisions. These divisions are not only on the basis of the various “leaders” whom the Corinthians are following (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:4; 4:6), but also the perceived higher status of some Corinthians above others. As previously pointed out, at least a segment of those who are “false apostles” (2 Corinthians 11:13) are Jews who consider themselves to be better than the Gentile saints (2 Corinthians 11:22; see also Galatians 2:15). Paul makes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ the heart of the gospel and the basis for our Christian hope. Here in our text, Paul makes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ the basis for how we view others. If all saints have died and been raised from the dead in Christ, then the identity of each and every saint is based upon their identity in Christ. If all saints have the same identity, then all saints must be viewed in the same way and on the same level. There are no “upper class Christians.”

Apart from Christ, we are all “dead in our transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1-3). As true believers, we have no status apart from what we are in Christ. As a result of the grace of God in Christ, every Christian has been reconciled to God by his identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. All who have been saved have the same general calling, “to live no longer for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf” (verse 15). As far as our standing before God, we are all the same, in Christ.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:23-29).³⁹

This equality of all believers in Christ is a foundational truth. It requires us to cease looking upon some as inferior to others and to stop regarding others as superior to the rest. Paul concludes (“therefore,” verse 16) that the truth stated in verses 14 and 15 must change the way we regard other saints: “Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.”

The “from now on” must mean “since Christ died, was buried, and was raised from the dead” (that is, since the inauguration of the new covenant—see chapter 3). Since Christ, in His death, burial, and resurrection stands in the place of every sinner who is identified with Him by faith, we dare not look upon fellow believers in any other way than God does: we must see each individual believer as one who has been reconciled to God through the work of Christ, and thus one who is absolutely equal with every other believer in his or her standing with God.

Paul writes that “even though we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer” (verse 16). How then must we now “know” Christ differently? This is important, because the way we view Christ determines the way we view those who are “in Christ.” I believe the Scriptures clearly indicate the change.

1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:1-4).

9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him (John 1:9-11).

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:18-23).

Whether in the prophecy of Isaiah 53, the accounts of the gospels, or in Paul’s epistles, it is clear that when the Lord Jesus came to this earth as the perfect God-man, men did not recognize Him for who He was. The Jewish religious leaders not only felt free to reject Him, they even referred to Him as an illegitimate child and one who performed miracles in the power of the devil (John 8:41; Mark 3:22). Even the disciples often failed to see Him as much more than a man. Their acknowledgments of Him as the Son of God were the exception, not the rule. Peter even felt free to rebuke our Lord (Matthew 16:22). The transfiguration was required to give the inner three disciples a momentary glimpse of His glory (Matthew 17:1-8). Not until after our Lord’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection did they see Him for who He was. The same John who once leaned on our Lord’s breast (John 13:23) is the one who fell at our glorified Lord’s feet (Revelation 1:17). Our Lord’s glory was veiled in His earthly life, but that veil is removed and all of His glory is now evident (see John 17:1ff.).

It is no wonder that people around the world enjoy the stories of Jesus’ birth, for Jesus appears to be a helpless infant who poses no threat to sinners. Likewise, for the most part, the “Jesus” of the Gospels is an unthreatening figure. At the time of His death, He appears to be a tragic, helpless victim, at least to those who wish to think of Him this way. But the resurrected Lord is really intimidating. It is this glorified, resurrected Lord whom Paul encounters on the road to Damascus, and the sight blinds him for three days (see Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11). Now no one dares think of Jesus as a mere babe in a manger or even as the humble son of a carpenter, who went about preaching the gospel and doing good deeds. While we no longer see Him in the flesh, He is exalted at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He is the mighty, risen Lord, before whom every knee will bow and whom everyone will confess as Lord of all. The fact that we do not see Jesus according to the flesh is compelling testimony to His glorious majesty and the truth of His teaching (see John 16:10). The absence of Jesus in the flesh is said to be better for us, because He has sent His Spirit to dwell within us (see John 16:4-15).

If we must view our Lord differently in the light of His death, burial, and resurrection, we must also look differently upon those who are “in Christ.” We dare not view men merely according to the flesh, according to outward appearances. This is especially true of those who have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Up until now, I have viewed Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17 in a way I now see as inconsistent with the context in which they are found. I have been wrong in two ways. First, I have been wrong in seeing this verse as applying primarily to me and my new identity in Christ. Do not misunderstand; I do not mean that this verse has nothing to say about my new identity in Christ. But the primary thrust of this verse concerns the way I view others who are in Christ by faith. Second, I have been wrong in assuming that the “old things” to which Paul refers are “evil things” or “sins.” It is true that, in Christ, my sins are forgiven, forever washed clean through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our church supports a man who works with Campus Crusade ministering to prisoners and ex-offenders. This man was convicted of committing a double murder. After he was saved, he received a full pardon and went to Wheaton College where he recently graduated. This man’s sins are wiped out by virtue of his union with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We dare not view him as a second-class Christian.

Though all of our sins are washed away when we come to trust in Jesus Christ, I do not think Paul is teaching us this in our text. Rather, Paul refers here to those things we think we bring with us into the faith, things we wrongly suppose make us superior to some other saints. The “old things” Paul refers to are “good things,” as men view them, which they suppose gives them some ground for pride or boasting. What kind of things might Paul have in mind? We see a good example in chapter 11, verse 22. Those who oppose Paul (whom Paul has just called “false apostles”) are proud that they are “Hebrews,” “Israelites,” and “descendants of Abraham.” They are proud of their Jewishness, as though this makes them superior to Gentiles. This attitude of superiority is very clear in the statement Paul makes in Galatians 2:15 “We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles.”

A number of the Jews feel they are superior to the Gentiles and believe they automatically possess their ticket to the kingdom of God. They reluctantly allow a few Gentiles to enter into the kingdom, but only by embracing Judaism. This is the why Jonah was so angry with God for sending him to preach to the (Gentile) Ninevites (read Jonah 1-4). This is why the Jews boast that they are physical descendants of Abraham (Matthew 3:9). This is the reason some Judaizers insist that a Gentile cannot be saved unless they are circumcised (Acts 15:1). It is the reason the Jews are so enraged by Paul’s statement that God has called him to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21-22). And this is also why the Jews of Nazareth are so incensed when Jesus says that He has come to save and bless Gentiles as well as Jews (Luke 4:16-30).

You may remember how shocked the disciples were when Jesus said that it is extremely difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, like a camel passing through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:24). A rich man is in danger of thinking that his riches contribute something to his salvation, when they do not (see Luke 16:19-31; 1 Timothy 6:17). By instructing the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-30) to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, Jesus is not suggesting that by so doing, he can earn his way to heaven. He is trying to show the rich man that his riches contribute nothing to his salvation. It is hard for a rich man to enter heaven because he may trust too much in what he possesses and fail to cast himself on the grace of God alone. This is why Jesus said that the poor are blessed (Luke 6:20); they have nothing to offer God and must look to Him alone for salvation by grace, not works.

I believe Paul says essentially the same thing in our text: the “assets” a man brings to the cross are not what saves him, but only the assets which God has provided in the cross. What a man was before his identification with our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection contributes nothing to his standing before God or men in Christ. When we are joined to Christ by faith, the old creation dies with Christ, and a whole new creation comes into being. What we were before our salvation—no matter how good or great it may appear to men—means nothing in regard to our status in Christ. Every Christian is on the same footing before God, and that footing is the work of Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection in the sinner’s place. There is absolutely no basis for pride in Christ, for what we are in Christ is due solely to His work on our behalf. Whatever we are, whatever we have, or whatever we do as new creations in Christ is the result of His grace. We dare not take credit for it as though it were our doing.

7 For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Corinthians 4:7).

No one knows this personally better than Paul, as he describes his radical change of heart and mind in Philippians 3:

1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:1-14).

Those Paul warns us about in this third chapter of his Philippian epistle are the “false circumcision” (3:2), those Judaizers who take great pride in their Jewishness. Paul then tells us that the “true circumcision” is not that which takes place in the physical body, but the “circumcision” which God brings about in the heart (see also Colossians 2:11). Such persons “worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (3:3). Paul then uses himself as an illustration of the change of heart and mind which genuine conversion brought about in him. Do these Judaizers take pride in their Jewishness and zealous works as Jews? He is a better Jew than they. These things which characterize Paul and give him a sense of spiritual superiority before his conversion are the very things he came to be ashamed of as a Christian. In fact, the things which were once “gain” (3:7) to Paul he now counts as “loss” for Christ’s sake. Those things in which he once took great pride have become as nothing but “dung” (or “rubbish,” verse 8). Paul gladly renounces his standing as an unbelieving Jew and boasts in his new standing in Christ alone. This is what we all must do. And when we see ourselves, and others, as we truly are in Christ, we will understand that we dare not view any person in the body of Christ as superior to anyone else in their standing before God.

Conclusion

It is easy to see how Paul’s teaching in this passage relates to the Corinthian church, to the false apostles who are there undercutting his authority and teaching, and to Paul and his relationship with the church. Paul says that the gospel puts all people on the same level. All unbelievers are equal in that they are guilty sinners, deserving of the penalty of eternal condemnation (hell). All believers are equal in that their only standing before God is in Christ. All of the cliques, quarrels and division which exist in the Corinthian church are centered around particular personalities in whom some take pride. To associate with a certain group of people based upon the assumption that their leader is somehow better than other saints is clearly inconsistent with Paul’s teaching in our text. To associate with a few saints, and separate ourselves from others, is to deny the equality of all saints in Christ and the unity we have in Christ which we are to manifest to the world:

11 Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Paul’s words therefore strike at the very heart of many of the problems he addresses in the Corinthian church.

But his words are recorded for our benefit, as well as the edification of the saints of Paul’s day. What does this text say to us? Let me first begin by reiterating the principle Paul sets down, and then we will move on to some of its practical implications. The principle is this: THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST MAKES ALL SAINTS EQUAL IN THEIR STANDING BEFORE GOD, AND SINCE GOD VIEWS US IN CHRIST, WE MUST DO LIKEWISE, WHICH PROHIBITS ANY POSITION OF SPIRITUAL STATUS ABOVE OTHERS. IN CHRIST, EVERY BELIEVER IS A NEW CREATION, WHO IS NEITHER SUPERIOR NOR INFERIOR TO ANY OTHER CHRISTIAN.

This principle condemns every form of spiritual status-seeking. Discrimination among Christians—racial, cultural, socio-economic—is forbidden. Let me now suggest some of the ways we practice discrimination in the church.⁴⁰ The practice of homogeneous grouping is called into question here. The principle that “birds of a feather more comfortably flock together” may appear to work on a human level, but it must not be tolerated in the church. Any church which represents a very small portion of the spectrum of age, sex, race, or socio-economic status misrepresents Christ. How easily we relate to and get along “with our own kind.” But this is not God’s way. God has called upon His church to be a representation of the body of Christ, a body composed of all nations, of all levels of society. This may be a lofty goal, but it is a biblical one. Homogeneous grouping (especially establishing churches which appeal to one particular segment of society) is a very popular concept in the church growth movement of today. It may seem to produce favorable results (“churches which are made up of similar people grow faster”), but it does not square with the principle Paul sets down in our text and elsewhere in Scripture (see also Romans 12:16; James 2:1-13).

Other “status segments” in Christian society must be considered. Is it true that those in “full-time Christian work” are more spiritual? Are those who have attended seminary, have a degree, or are ordained to be put in a separate class which divides the church into “laity” and “clergy”? Are those who have a public, visible ministry more spiritual than those whose ministry is less visible and more behind-the-scenes? Are pastors of fast growing churches more spiritual or more effective than those who labor in small, struggling churches? Are people who possess certain spiritual gifts really more spiritual than those who possess seemingly lesser gifts?⁴¹ Are women less spiritual than men, especially if the roles permitted them in public ministry seem to be less significant?

I suggest to you that the problems the Corinthian church faced centuries ago are the very same problems we face in the church today, and the same principle set down by Paul in our text and elsewhere, is the same standard for our thinking and actions. What a wonderful thing the cross of Christ is! Our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection are the basis for our salvation. They are also the basis for our equality and unity in the body of Christ. Let us see to it that we live up to this standard in a world which always seeks to see some people as better than others.

36 There is a sense in which we are to please men, and not ourselves, but this is not Paul’s point here (see Romans 15:1-3; 1 Corinthians 10:33).

37 To “recognize” (literally, to know) here means to “appreciate” or to “regard and submit to their leadership” (see 1 Corinthians 16:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:12).

38 “According to the flesh” here does not mean “in the power of the flesh,” as we sometimes see it, but rather “according to physical descent” (see Romans 9:8; 11:14).

39 In this passage, “you” refers to Gentile believers and “we” refers to Jewish believers. Paul’s point here, as elsewhere, is that in Christ, Gentiles become the offspring of Abraham, the very thing some Jews believe distinguishes them from Gentiles, and which they falsely suppose is the basis for their assurance of God’s blessings (see Matthew 3:9).

40 Please do not misinterpret my words to suggest or imply that discrimination outside the church is being advocated or condoned here. But Paul’s teaching here specifically relates to our attitudes and actions toward other Christians.

41 This was certainly the case in Corinth, as 1 Corinthians 12 points out.

Biblical Topics:

Sanctification

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

8. Authentic Apostleship (2 Cor. 5:20 - 6:10)

Introduction

We received a phone call one Saturday afternoon from a young lady who said, “Mr. Deffinbaugh, this is …” Because she pronounced my name correctly, I was sure I must know her. She had lost the directions to our house and asked if I could give her and her husband directions from where they were. After hanging up the phone, my wife Jeannette, who had been standing nearby, asked who was on the phone. I told her I couldn’t exactly remember, and I really didn’t know who the young woman was. I had assumed she was one of Jeannette’s tutoring students, or at least someone she knew. I really didn’t have a clue who she was; I had just told her how to get to our house. Jeannette couldn’t think of who it might be either. Our minds racing, we wondered, had we made an appointment for counseling we had forgotten? Had we invited someone to dinner and forgotten it and them? Was this all some terrible mistake, and someone we didn’t know was now on their way to our house for dinner?

The couple arrived, in two cars, with out-of-state license plates. The young woman greeted me warmly. Thinking to myself, “I must know who she is, but I don’t.” I finally swallowed my pride and asked, “Do I know you?” A terrible look came over the young woman’s face as she turned to her husband, realizing that she had made a most embarrassing mistake. The young woman was the daughter of some friends from the past, but we had known her only as an infant, not as a young married woman. She and her husband had just come to town, having made arrangements to visit other friends for dinner and to spend the night before coming to church the next day. They had forgotten they were to have dinner with the other friends, so when they became lost and needed directions, they called us by mistake. What a relief! I was not losing my mind after all. We had not made some terrible mistake. Fortunately, it was a happy reunion, even if we hadn’t planned on their arrival that afternoon. We were delighted to renew our acquaintance.

Mistaken identities are not always so humorous and enjoyable. The Corinthian church has a very serious problem with mistaken identities. In the church at Corinth, there is a problem of mistaken identity concerning spirituality. Some think they are spiritual because they feel free to participate in pagan idol worship (chapters 8-10). Some think themselves more spiritual than others because of the spiritual gifts they possess or because of the public nature of their ministry (chapters 12-14). Some criticize and look down upon Paul and his gospel, claiming they are genuine apostles when they are actually servants of Satan (2 Corinthians 11).

In our text, Paul defends authentic apostleship by defining what it is. 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:10 sets down those elements of authentic apostleship which distinguish it from the counterfeit. In his earlier First Corinthian epistle, certain things made the apostles distasteful, even shameful, to some Corinthians (see chapter 4, verses 6-13). Paul now returns to these “offensive elements,” to show that these very things authenticate true apostles and set them apart from the false. Paul defends not just himself, but his fellow-apostles as seen by his use of the plural pronoun (“we”), rather than the singular pronoun (“I”).

My understanding of the structure and argument of this passage stems in part from an observation concerning the expression, “we are ambassadors.” From the English translation, one would expect that there are three words in the original text: the pronoun, “we”; the verb, “are”; and the predicate nominative, “ambassadors.” Actually, the expression reads, “we ambassador.” Ambassador is a verb, not a noun. As I interpret it, this detail is important because it is the principle statement of the passage, and the others are supportive. “Ambassadoring” entails: (1) begging lost men to be reconciled to God (5:20-21); (2) urging saints not to receive the grace of God in vain (6:1-2); and (3) not giving cause for offense, but commending oneself as a servant of God (6:3-10).

Viewing the structure of our passage in this way helps to explain the emphasis we find in verses 3-10. The most lengthy portion of our text is all about the sufferings of Paul and his colleagues in the gospel ministry. What does this have to do with the whole passage? If, as I am contending, the main verb is “to ambassador,” then these three segments define what ambassadoring is. Ambassadoring is about preaching the gospel to the lost, urging saints to live according to the gospel, and suffering in a godly way for the cause of the gospel. Let us proceed with our exposition based upon this assumption concerning the structure of our text.

Ambassadors Beg Men on
Christ’s Behalf to Be Reconciled to God
(5:20-21)

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The “therefore” of verse 20 links these verses with what has just been written in the preceding verses:

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

I wish to highlight two things Paul says in verses 18 and 19 in relationship to his words in verse 20. First, I believe Paul speaks of the ministry of reconciliation as being given to the apostles in particular, and only secondarily to all believers. The “word of reconciliation” is the message of the gospel, as defined and declared by the apostles in their inspired and authoritative writings (i.e., the New Testament) and in their preaching. This is why, when they entreat men, begging them to be reconciled to God, they do so as though God were speaking and entreating through them. Their word is God’s Word.

Second, I believe Paul defines here what he means by reconciliation. Reconciliation is the restoration of lost sinners, alienated from a holy God, into fellowship and relationship with Him, by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection in the sinner’s place. It is possible to speak and think of wayward sinners being reconciled to God, but I do not think this is the sense in which it is used here. Indeed, the dominant meaning of the term reconciliation is the reconciliation of lost sinners. Reconciliation here is virtually synonymous with salvation.

I struggled with this conclusion, because it is clear in the context that the “you” in verse 20 refers to those in the church at Corinth. How can Paul beg people in the church to be reconciled to God if reconciliation is the salvation of lost sinners? The answer is not nearly as difficult as we might think. How can we possibly assume that every church member is saved? More specifically, how can we assume that every Corinthian church member is saved, especially in the light of the doctrinal and moral problems Paul has already exposed in his letters to this church? Paul does not assume that everyone who attends church is saved. He does not even assume that everyone who professes to be saved is saved. Paul assumes that in a church which has so many serious problems, it is likely that some who gather with the saints are not saved.

He assumes, for example, that there may be visitors who are lost:

23 If therefore the whole church should assemble together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you (1 Corinthians 14:23-25).

At the end of this epistle, he challenges the Corinthians to give serious thought as to whether or not they are truly saved:

5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5).

And so, my friend, if the Apostle Paul can appeal to those who gather with the Corinthian saints, begging them to be reconciled to God, is it not appropriate for me to urge you to be saved as well? This should certainly not offend anyone who is truly born again (John 3:1ff.), but it should give pause for thought to any who might not be. Just being with Christians does not make you a Christian. Even professing to be a Christian does not save you. What saves you is trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in your place, for the punishment of your sins, and for the gift of God’s righteousness in Christ. I beg of you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Ambassadors Work With God to
Urge Men Not to Receive the Grace of God in Vain
(6:1-2)

1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—2 for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU”; behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.”

I pass on, leaving behind the richness of verses 20-21 only because I have dealt with this text in previous messages. If Paul’s words in verses 20 and 21 are spoken to the lost, his first two verses of chapter 6 are addressed to those who are truly saved. These words are Paul’s admonition and exhortation to those who truly have been reconciled to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Once again, Paul speaks on behalf of God. He writes, “and working together with Him …” In the context, I believe it is clear he means, once again, that when he says these words to the Corinthians, he is speaking for God and with God (see also 1 Corinthians 3:9).⁴² Paul is not speaking alone; He is speaking for God, and he is also speaking with the apostles. He writes, “we also urge you …” (6:1). Thus, all of the apostles speak the same thing when they speak for God to men.

As authentic apostles urge unbelievers to be reconciled to God, they urge Christians “not to receive the grace of God in vain.” The question, of course, is what Paul means when he speaks of “receiving the grace of God in vain.” The expression, “in vain,” consistently seems to refer to any actions taken which do not produce their intended result. This may be one’s labor or ministry, which fails to produce the desired results (Isaiah 49:4; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 2:2; Philippians 2:16; 1 Thessalonians 3:5). It may even be one’s suffering, which proves to be of no benefit (Galatians 3:4).

I believe Paul speaks here of the danger the Corinthian believers face of having started well and then being led astray, so that their lives fall short of what the grace of God is designed and provided to produce in them. Paul warns the Galatians of this very thing:

1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:1-5).

7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7).

Here in Paul’s words to the Galatians is the same warning he sounds to the Corinthian saints. Jewish legalists have crept in among the Corinthians, supposing their Jewishness makes them superior to mere Gentiles who are in the faith. They advocate teachings and practices which they claim are a part of the old covenant and which they wrongly suppose are superior to the new. If the Corinthians buy this heresy, they will have been turned from grace to law, and they will fail to reach the doctrinal and moral maturity for which God made provision. Paul simply urges the Corinthians to press on toward the goal of their salvation—by the same means as they were saved—by grace (see Philippians 3:1-16; Colossians 2:1-23).

This is a very serious matter for Christians of all ages. All too often, Christians assume that once they are saved they have arrived. Salvation has three dimensions: past, present, and future. Salvation is the starting point, and salvation has a final goal. Having been saved, we must press on to maturity in Christ. We should not be like the Hebrews who became stagnant in their faith:

11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14).

Sinners are called to be reconciled to God, to be saved from their sins by faith in Jesus Christ. Saints are called to obedience, to grow up to maturity in Christ. And this growth is not done in isolation, but as a part of a body that is working together in unity and harmony:

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11-16).

No wonder Paul is concerned about the Corinthians! They are divided into little competitive cliques. Some are looking to their leaders or to their own gifts as a basis for boasting over others. Those at Corinth who are lost need to be saved, and those who are saved need to grow up in unity to maturity. If they fail to do so, they have received the grace of God in vain. They have been saved from their sins, but they have failed to reach the goal of their salvation by grace. The apostles’ task is to call the lost to repentance, to be reconciled to God. It is also their task to call believers to growth and maturity. And this is what Paul and his fellow-apostles are continuing to do. Those who claim to be apostles and do not do the same clearly are not authentic apostles.

Paul buttresses his appeal in verse 1 with a quotation from Isaiah in verse 2: “For He says, ‘AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU’; behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION.’” Paul appeals to Christians in verse 1 not to receive the grace of God in vain. He then quotes this text in Isaiah 49, verse 8. I believe we can only grasp Paul’s understanding and use of verse 8 if we look at the broader context of the chapter from which this is cited. Look especially at verse 4: “But I said, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God’” (Isaiah 49:4, emphasis mine).

As I understand this chapter, an interchange takes place in the meaning of the term “servant.” Sometimes, the “servant” is the nation Israel; at other times, it is the promised Messiah. Jesus, the Messiah, is the “Servant” who fulfills what Israel could not and did not fulfill as God’s “servant.” In verse 4, Israel protests that it has toiled “in vain” (the same Greek term Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 6:2) and spent its strength for nothing, for vanity. God speaks to disheartened Israel to assure her that her labors are not in vain. They are not in vain because He is sending the Messiah, upon whom all of Israel’s hopes are pinned, and through whom they are realized. God promises Israel that in “an acceptable time” and in a “day of salvation” He will bring about their salvation. This “day” will be a day of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles (see 49:1, 6-7, etc.).

That promised “day,” Paul says to the Corinthians, has come. The promised “Servant” is the Lord Jesus Christ. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, God has fulfilled His promise of salvation. That day has come. This means that all our labors, all our sufferings are not in vain. They are certain. Why then should we become slack and undisciplined, so that we receive the grace of God in vain by not striving toward the goal of our salvation? The doubts and fears expressed by ancient Israelites, because the promised day was distant, are not excusable, but they are understandable. However, for those upon whom the ends of the ages have come in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:11), there is absolutely no excuse for doubting the certainty of our future hope. Christ has come, the day of salvation is now. We have every reason to labor diligently, knowing our labor and suffering are not in vain. We have no reason to give up and every reason to press on in our relationship with Christ.

Ambassadors Give No Unnecessary Cause for Offense,
but Commend Themselves as Servants of God
(6:3-10)

3 Giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited, 4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.

There are four major dimensions to Paul’s words in verses 3-10. First, Paul purposes to give no cause for offense in anything. Second, he and his fellow-apostles are suffering greatly as servants of God. Third, in the midst of all this, they are manifesting godly character through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in them. Fourth, they are employing godly means and methods. Let us pause to consider each of these four dimensions.

True Apostles Give No Offense in Anything

Paul tells us that he and the true apostles “give no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited” (verse 3). It is very important that we understand what Paul does and does not say here. Paul does not say that he avoids offending unbelievers altogether. Paul says, in effect, that he is scrupulous to avoid offending anyone unnecessarily and in a way that adversely affects the gospel, which is the heart and soul of their ministry. Paul has already told us that the message of the gospel is offensive to the unbeliever:

22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).

The gospel does not flatter lost men; it condemns them as guilty sinners. Men do not come to faith through flattery and appeal to their egos; they come to faith in brokenness and humility. Paul does not and will not change the gospel to make it more appealing to lost sinners, and he strongly condemns anyone who does (see Galatians 1:6-10). Paul seeks to avoid offending men by his conduct and lifestyle, setting aside anything which hinders the gospel in any way. One of the best examples of Paul’s eagerness to avoid unnecessary offense to the gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 9:

15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things that it may be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. 20 And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. 23 And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it (1 Corinthians 9:15-23).

In this chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul goes to great lengths to demonstrate his right to be supported in ministry. In the verses just cited, Paul explains that while he has the right to be supported in his ministry, he sets this right aside so there is no unnecessary hindrance to his ministry. Some people then, as now, think that all preachers are in the ministry for the money. They can hardly accuse Paul of this, because he labors with his own hands, providing not only for his own needs but also for those of others:

5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. 7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8 Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:5-12; see also Acts 20:33-36).

What a contrast this is to the mindset and lifestyle of those who are false apostles. The false apostles more than willingly modify the gospel so it will not give offense to fallen men (see 1 Corinthians 15:12; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2; 11:1-4). They seem to be taken with themselves and are far from humble. They advocate assertive leadership, not servant leadership. They may be involved in some of the practices which even offend the pagans of their day (see 1 Corinthians 5:1). They do not seem to be the kind who surrender their rights as Paul and others do, but may well be among those who insist on their rights, even when their “rights” are wrong (such as participating in pagan idol worship ceremonies—1 Corinthians 8-10). The false prophets are “wolves” who feed on the sheep, while the true apostles are shepherds, who protect, guide, and feed the sheep at great personal sacrifice. Authentic apostles seek to avoid any offense which hinders the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True Apostles Suffer for the Sake of the Gospel

We know that suffering was the rule for the Old Testament prophets: “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become” (Acts 7:52). Jesus made it very clear to His disciples that He would suffer, and so would they:

21 From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day (Matthew 16:21; see also Luke 9:22; 24:26).

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me” (John 15:18-21; see also Matthew 24:9).

False prophets have minimized sin and its consequences throughout biblical history, and they have promised peace and prosperity to the wicked (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 3:3-7). When Jesus spoke to those who would follow Him, He made the cost of discipleship very clear (see Luke 9:57-62), and so did the apostles (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). The apostles know what it means to “take up their cross” in following Jesus. But the false apostles are not interested in paying a price for following Christ, because they do not know Him (see Jeremiah 23; John 10:10-13). They are motivated by greed and self-indulgence. Thus, one of the ways of discerning an authentic apostle is to see how much he has suffered for His Lord.

Before proceeding, it may be worth noting the structure Paul indicates and employs in verses 4-10. Verses 4-7a contain the repeated term “in.” In verses 7b-8a, Paul employs the term “by.” And finally, in verses 8b-10 Paul uses the form, “as … yet” There are then three separate categories. The “in” list of verses 4-7a is a listing of the various forms of suffering which Paul and his fellow-apostles have endured, as well as the godly character they evidence in their adversity:

“In” much endurance: ⁴³

in afflictions
in hardships (general trials)
in distress
in beatings
in imprisonments (persecution by men who oppose the gospel)
in tumults
in labors
in sleeplessness (self-imposed trials, from commitment to the task)
in hunger

“In” (godly character):

purity
knowledge
patience
kindness
the Holy Spirit
genuine love
the word of truth
the power of God

The “by” of verses 7b-8a enumerates the various means by which the gospel is proclaimed and practiced by the apostles:

the weapons of righteousness, for right and left hand (offensive and defensive?)
glory and dishonor
evil report and good report

In the final structural device (“as … yet”), Paul describes the popular perception of the apostles by unbelievers, contrasting it with the true perception of their standing and status in Christ:⁴⁴

PERCEPTION	REALITY
as deceivers	yet true
as unknown	yet known
as dying	yet behold we live
as punished	yet not put to death
as sorrowful	yet always rejoicing
as poor	yet making many rich
as having nothing	yet possessing all things

True Apostles Manifest the Character of Christ by the Way They Suffer

We have already seen that authentic apostles are those who have suffered Christ’s rejection and persecution, while the false apostles avoid suffering and persecution like the plague. False apostles are intent upon experiencing the “good life” for themselves and using it as bait for those whom they would lead astray. It is not enough for one just to suffer; an authentic apostle (as well as an authentic Christian) must suffer for the right reasons, and they must suffer in the right way. This is a point which Peter forcefully spells out in his first epistle:

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:18-25).

The last part of Paul’s “in” list in verses 6 and 7 contains those qualities evidenced in their sufferings, which mark the apostles out as those who are identified with Christ. They are guided by the Word of God, enabled by the power of God, indwelt by the Spirit of God, and characterized by the fruits of godliness: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, and love. How easily we justify our bad temper or our impatience in times of trial. God’s authentic apostles manifest Christ-likeness in the midst of their adversities. They not only bear His afflictions, they respond to them as He did.

Authentic Apostles Employ Godly Means and Methods

The false apostles are gospel hucksters (2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2). They modify the gospel to make it look good to men. They want to “sell” the gospel, appealing to the fleshly motives of men and, in the process, satisfy their own lusts. They try to make their “product” look good by making themselves look good. Authentic apostles refuse to dilute or modify the gospel message. They know that Christ crucified is not a popular message, but they rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to convince and convert men (see 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:16). Thus, in using the term “by” in verses 7b and 8, Paul speaks of the means God employs in defining and declaring the gospel through His authentic apostles. Here are the means God works through His authentic apostles:

by the weapons of righteousness,⁴⁵ for right and left hand (offensive and defensive?)
by glory and dishonor
by evil report and good report

The weapons authentic apostles employ are the “weapons of righteousness.” They are not like those of the false apostles:

1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:1-4).

The false apostles love glory. They boast in it. At times, God did manifest His glory through His apostles as a testimony that they were authentic:

12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12).

1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 2:1-4).

But God also used His authentic apostles in situations which are far from glorious. Stephen’s stoning was far from glorious, but it brought about greater evangelism (Acts 8:1) and eventually the conversion of Saul (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1ff.). Paul’s imprisonment was used by his opponents who claimed that by this he was disapproved and should not be taken seriously; yet his imprisonment actually furthered the gospel (Philippians 1:12-18). Paul’s imprisonment led to the conversion of many in the household of Caesar (Philippians 4:22). It was in his imprisonment that Paul spent much time in prayer for the saints and in writing his epistles to them, some of which we now study as the very Word of God! Authentic apostles are not those who always seem to succeed or who have men’s approval; they are those who are faithful to the God who uses them in their honor and dishonor, for the sake of Christ.

Conclusion

The line between authentic and counterfeit apostleship is being drawn, leading up to Paul’s climactic conclusion in chapters 11-13. The Corinthian cliques, which Paul first mentions in 1 Corinthians 1, are being led (at least in part) by men who employ fleshly methods, who appeal to human reason and motives, and who distort and dilute the gospel to gain a following. At the same time, they look down upon Paul and his associates and ridicule his gospel as simplistic and offensive. They belittle Paul and the other apostles because they are not highly esteemed in the world. In fact, they are rejected and persecuted. Authentic apostles have none of the outward appearances of the counterfeit apostles. Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 4 the things which he suffered, for which some of the Corinthians look down upon him:

6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. 7 For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 8 You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and I would indeed that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. 9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now (1 Corinthians 4:6-13).

Now, in 2 Corinthians 6, Paul raises these matters for which he is judged the “scum of the world, the dregs of all things.” These sufferings, trials, and tribulations of the Apostle Paul are now claimed as proof of the authenticity of his apostleship and that of his colleagues. Paul completely turns the tables on his opponents.

Is it not the same today? How do many professing Christians judge the authenticity of God’s servants, of the men (and women), of their message, and their methods? All too often, we judge on external standards, the very same standards employed by the world. Let us adopt the same standards Paul sets down, not only for those whom we will follow as our leaders, but as the standard for our own lives as well. Here in this text we learn not only what distinguishes an authentic apostle, but also that which distinguishes an authentic Christian. Let us live according to the standard of authenticity God Himself sets down for us through His apostle, Paul.

42 I hasten to say that the idea of “working together with his apostolic colleagues” is not foreign to what Paul is saying either.

43 One finds an even more complete but parallel listing of the apostles’ afflictions in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. It should also be noted that many of these afflictions are not recorded in Acts, which describes only the “tip of the iceberg” of the apostles’ afflictions.

44 These two columns could be applied to our Lord, as well as to His apostles.

45 See Ephesians 6:10-20.

Biblical Topics:

False Teachers

Passage:

Issues in Church Leadership/Ministry

9. Choosing Sides (2 Cor. 6:11-7:1)

11 Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. 13 Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also.

For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 THEREFORE, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18 And l will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Introduction

Throughout history, men have had to choose whom they will follow. In Numbers 16, Korah, Dathan and Abiram incite a good number of Israelite leaders to rebel against Moses, and all of Israel has to choose between following Moses or following these rebels. When the Israelites are given the Law by Moses, they must choose between life and death, between obeying God’s Law or disregarding it (see Deuteronomy 30:l5-20). Joshua challenges the Israelites to choose whom they will follow (Joshua 24:14-15). Throughout the Book of Proverbs, the two paths of life are described: the path of wisdom and life and the path of folly, death, and destruction. The “son” is urged to choose the path of wisdom and to shun the path of folly (see Proverbs 1:8-33).

We have now come to the time when the Corinthian saints must also make a choice, between the authentic apostles (including Paul), and the “false apostles,” who are present and influential in the Corinthian church. When Paul first arrives with the good news of the gospel, a number of the Corinthians trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of eternal life (Acts 18:1-18). But not long after Paul’s departure, things start to go wrong at Corinth. The church becomes divided into little cliques, centered around a particular leader which each group follows with great pride. These leaders have a more appealing message and more appealing methods than Paul and his colleagues. They use persuasive methodology, altering and adapting their message to suit the fancy of their listeners (l Corinthians 1:18ff.; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:1-2; 1:1-4f.). To at least some of the Corinthian saints, Paul and the other authentic apostles begin to look less appealing, even pathetic (1 Corinthians 4:6-13).

Serious moral and spiritual problems are quite evident in the Corinthian church. Christians not only divide into little factions, one man is living with his father’s wife, and others proudly embrace him as a part of their fellowship in spite of this shocking sin (1 Corinthians 5). Christians take other Christians before secular law courts, and some even engage in immorality and make use of prostitutes (1 Corinthians 6). Some engage in sexual immorality as though it were not a serious problem. There are those who refuse to fulfill their sexual duties to their spouses, and some disdain marriage altogether (1 Corinthians 7). A number of the saints in Corinth proudly participate in heathen idol-worship celebrations and look down upon other believers who cannot and will not join with them, as though they are “weak” (1 Corinthians 10). The conduct of the Corinthian congregation at the Lord’s Table is disgusting (1 Corinthians 11). Their worship is often drunk and disorderly and looks more like the revelry of the pagan idol-worshippers. A number of believers abuse the church meeting by grandstanding certain spiritual gifts, as though these gifts prove they are better than others who possess less visible and spectacular gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14). One of the most significant areas of doctrinal departure at Corinth is a denial of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15).

One finds it difficult to believe the “false apostles” who oppose Paul and his associates are not at the root of many of these moral and doctrinal departures from authentic Christianity. Up until the closing chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul deals with the problems at Corinth in principle. As yet, he has not named names. The use of “Paul,” “Apollos,” “Cephas,” and “Christ” is a literary device (1 Corinthians 4:6). He does name at least some of those men who should be regarded as leaders in the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 16:15-18. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul clearly unmasks some of the Corinthian leaders who oppose him as “false apostles” (verse 13), who really are “servants of Satan” (verses 13-15). In chapter 13 of 2 Corinthians, Paul challenges individual saints to give serious thought to whether they are truly saved (verse 5).

In our text, Paul presses toward the “bottom line” of this epistle. The Corinthian saints have been reminded of the gospel which Paul and his colleagues preach. They have heard, once again, why Paul’s message and methods differ from those who are considered worldly wise. The reasons for Paul’s willingness to suffer adversity, human deprivations, rejection and persecution have also been spelled out. Now Paul calls upon his readers to choose sides. They can no longer waver between the authentic apostles and the false apostles; they can no longer vacillate about the gospel or the nature of true spirituality. They have heard all they need to know, and Paul calls upon them to face up to things as they are and choose which gospel they will believe, and whom they will follow. It is time for the Corinthians to separate themselves from the false apostles and their counterfeit gospel.

The Problem:
An Alienation of Affections

Paul comes right to the point—the Corinthians have a serious problem regarding their relationships. They have distanced themselves from Paul and the other apostles, while at the same time drawing close to those who oppose authentic apostleship. The problem is not with Paul or with his associates in the gospel ministry; the problem is with the Corinthians. Paul and his colleagues have “opened wide” both their hearts and their mouths. Generally, when relationships are strained, communication rapidly deteriorates and diminishes. One expects silence from one who has been offended. But Paul points out that the apostles’ hearts have not been closed; they have been wide open to the Corinthians, as their mouths have been also. There has been no alienation on the part of the apostles with respect to the Corinthian saints.

Unfortunately, the reverse is not true. The strain in the relationship between the apostles and the Corinthian saints did not originate with the apostles, but with the Corinthians. The distance is on their part. The apostles have not distanced themselves from the Corinthians; the Corinthians have withdrawn from the former intimacy they enjoyed with the apostles. Is someone in the relationship half-hearted? It is not the apostles but the Corinthians who have chilled in their affections (verses 11-12).

Corresponding to the frosty relationship the Corinthians maintained toward the apostles has been a very warm and cordial relationship with certain church members who seem to have taken a leadership role, yet who are really unbelievers. This is apparent from Paul’s words in verses 13 and 14. When he writes, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers …” in verse 14, he implies that this illicit intimacy and partnership with unbelievers already exists. He is not warning them about entering into such a relationship; he is urging them to get out of such relationships.⁴⁶ The Corinthians have become partners with the wrong people.

The Solution:
Right Relationships

Once the problem is clear, the solution is simple, although not necessarily easy. The Corinthians need to reverse some of their relationships to make them right. First, they need to be renewed in their affections and fellowship with the authentic apostles in general, and then with Paul in particular.

13 Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also.

Paul urges the Corinthians to respond in kind to the apostles. The apostles feel warmly affectionate toward the Corinthians and have continued to communicate with them. The Corinthians need to respond in the same way to the apostles. Their hearts and affections should not be confined or restricted, and their mouths should be open wide.

Paul carefully chooses his words here so that the Corinthians are encouraged to restore and renew their relationship with him and the other authentic apostles. When Paul writes, “I speak as to children,” in verse 13, he in no way intends to be derogatory or demeaning. Most often, when Paul (and others in the New Testament) employ the term “children,” it is meant as an expression of warmth and affection:

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children (1 Corinthians 4:14).

1 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. 7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8 Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, now working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children (1 Thessalonians 2:5-11; see also 1 John 2:1, 12).

In the closing verses of this chapter, Paul concludes the promise of God’s presence among His people and His call to purity with the promise that God will be a Father to His people, and they shall be His sons and daughters, His children. To be called the “children” of God is not a rebuke, but a privilege. Paul speaks as to children, God’s children. In another sense, he speaks as to his own children, since many of the Corinthians have come to the faith through his ministry.

This warming toward the authentic apostles, which Paul encourages in our text, must take place concurrently with the Corinthians distancing themselves from certain relationships with certain unbelievers. Just why does Paul prohibit certain relationships? It is because our associations have a great impact upon our own thinking and actions, as Paul has previously indicated in his first epistle: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This warning is completely consistent with other similar warnings in the Bible concerning our associations. Proverbs, in particular, has much to say on this subject (see Proverbs 1:8-33; 14:7; 20:19; 22:24; 24:21; 27:17). The first chapter of Proverbs outlines two ways, the way of wisdom and of life, and the way of folly and of death. Evil associates characterize the way of death. Those with whom we choose to have the closest fellowship are those who have the greatest influence on our values, attitudes, and actions. One can only wonder if Judah would have gotten into as much trouble if he had not chosen to associate with his close friend, Hirah (see Genesis 38:1ff.).

It is very important to clearly define here to whom Paul refers as “unbelievers” and in just what context he calls for keeping at a distance. We should be very careful not to conclude that every association with unbelievers is forbidden:

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

Our Lord was also very clear that He purposed to associate with unbelievers in order to minister to them:

16 And when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they began saying to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2: 16-17).

With whom then are the Corinthian saints not to associate? In the Old Testament, the holiness of God and His people, the Israelites, was demonstrated by their physical separation from the heathen:

6 “Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 in order that you may not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them or serve them, or bow down to them. 8 But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. 10 One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. 11 So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. 12 For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you” (Joshua 23:6-12).

The Law of Moses was given, in part, to separate the Israelites from their pagan neighbors. Israel’s nearest neighbors, the Canaanites, were to be completely annihilated, including men, women, children, and all their animals. This was the ultimate separation.

16 “Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 in order that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).

The truth of the matter is that this kind of “separation” did not work. This “separation” was intended to keep the Israelites holy, by keeping them from learning the wicked ways of the pagans around them. It was never intended to keep them from the “light” of God’s salvation, for the Israelites were called to be a “light to the Gentiles” (see Isaiah 42:6-7; 49:6; 60:3). They were, however, to live in a distinct way and to demonstrate that they were God’s peculiar (unique) possession.

It did not take long for Israel to abuse her privileged status. The Israelites (much like Jonah, the prophet) disdained the Gentiles and had no intention of taking the light of the gospel to them. They used the Law as a pretext for discriminating against Gentiles and for looking upon themselves as a superior people. The Jews of Jesus’ day loathed the Gentiles and went into a frenzy whenever the evangelization of the Gentiles was mentioned (see Luke 4:16-31; Acts 22:17-22). The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the relationship of Jews and Gentiles forever. Peter was very slow to recognize that God had repealed the Jewish food laws, and that contact with unbelieving Gentiles and more intimate fellowship with believing Gentiles was now not only possible, but mandatory (see Mark 7:14-23; Acts 10-11; 15; Galatians 2:11-21; Ephesians 2).

A new era was inaugurated with the incarnation of our Lord. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Jews and Gentiles were not only being reconciled to God, but to each other. The church is a holy temple, made up of all believers in Christ, Jew or Gentile, without distinction. In fact, all such distinctions are done away with, so far as one’s standing before God (Galatians 3:23-29). Some Jews would not accept this and were aggressive in trying to convince Gentiles that being a Jewish Christian was superior to being a Gentile Christian. Some went so far as to insist that one could not be a Christian at all without being Jewish (that is, by being circumcised and becoming a Jewish proselyte—see Acts 15:1). Paul frequently attacks this error in his epistles, and he does so in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

Paul forbids the separation of Jewish believers and Gentile believers (see Galatians 2:11-21), and also any kind of discrimination based upon external appearances (2 Corinthians 5:16-17) or upon one’s social or economic status (see 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, esp. vs. 21; Romans 12:16; see also James 2:1-13). He does not forbid the “incarnation” of Christ through our lives, as we live in a godly way among the lost (1 Corinthians 5: 9-13). What Paul forbids is undertaking the work of God with those who are religious, but not Christians at all. I believe Paul’s focus here in our text is specifically on those who are in the church at Corinth, those who profess to be Christians and may even hold positions of leadership, but who, in reality, are “false apostles.” Jesus called such people “wolves”:

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” (Matthew 7:15-23).

Paul warned the churches of just such predators:

28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:28-32; see also 2 Timothy 3:1–4:5).

Peter also issued the same warning (2 Peter 2:1-3; 3:1-4, 14-18). False prophets and teachers have been a danger to God’s people from ancient times, and they continue to prey upon the saints to this very day. We must watch out for them, and be very careful not to associate with them in doing God’s work.

It is very important that we understand what Paul requires of us in 2 Corinthians 6:14 and that we not misapply his words in this text. Paul wants us to live in this fallen world having contact with the lost, so that they may see Christ in our lives, and so that they may hear the good news of the gospel. He does not forbid Christians to associate with unbelievers; he warns the church against allowing “wolves” into the church and attempting to carry out Christ’s work with their help and cooperation.

Let me now mention some of the ways in which Christians may be in danger of violating the teaching of our text. First, there is a very serious temptation for Christians to become partners in the work of God in the area of finances. This is done when we solicit funds from unbelievers to carry on the work of God. The Scriptures are clear that ministering to the needs of those who minister is sharing in their ministry. To support false teachers is to share in their propagation of error (2 John 1:6-11). To support those who minister in truth is to become partners with them and to share in their reward:

40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40-42).

5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers with the truth (3 John 1:5-8)

It seems clear to me that Christians should not ask or allow non-Christians to become partners with them in the Word of God by soliciting financial support from them. Do not misunderstand; I do not mean that every dollar put into the offering plate must come from a known believer, and that every donor must pass some kind of doctrinal exam. I am simply saying that many who profess to be Christian churches, and ministries, specifically target unbelievers as donors. Many who would give to “charitable” works may be willing to donate to “Christian charitable works,” but I do not think such funding should be sought. There are businesses and civic groups which will donate funds to Christian causes as well, but does this not make unbelievers our partners in God’s work? This, of course, raises serious questions about seeking and utilizing government funds. The answers may not come easy, but we dare not fail to ask the question, “Are we making unbelievers our partners in carrying out the work of God?”

Second, political action is another area for Christians to ponder in the light of our text. Some Christians still think they are a “moral majority.” I doubt it. Those who are godly are in a minority. And so how, as “good citizens,” should we seek to have a political impact and influence governmental decision making? It is generally accepted, I think, that Christians are justified in making political alliances with those outside the faith, but with whom we agree on certain moral issues, like abortion. Once again I believe Paul’s words require us to give very serious thought to any alliances we might make with unbelievers, in the name of godly morality. Do we really think God’s power is so limited that the only way we can impact government is by mustering enough votes? Daniel and his three friends made an incredible impact on Babylon and its kings, just as Joseph did with Pharaoh in Egypt.

A recent manifestation of this problem is the recent declaration, signed by leading Roman Catholic leaders and prominent evangelical leaders, declaring their essential unity in many areas and minimizing their differences. All of this seems to be in the name of social action, in which these evangelical and Catholic leaders feel they can engage as partners. I think not. The fundamental issue here is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Evangelicals and Catholics do not agree, or they should not. That is what the Reformation was all about. Evangelicals have a different gospel than Catholics (unless those Catholics reject the doctrines set down by the Catholic church). There can be no partnership with unbelievers, and especially religious unbelievers. It is one thing for various groups to individually pursue similar goals (e.g. legislation which bans or restricts abortions); it is quite another for groups to join together as partners in pursuing the same goal. Christians should not become partners with unbelievers in carrying out the work of God. Let us beware of making alliances with unbelievers on the assumption that this is the only way God’s work can be done.

Third, we must beware of being attracted to associations with so-called believers simply because they make an ecumenical appeal. There are, in fact, too many factions and divisions in Christianity today, just as there were at Corinth. It is sad when Christians cannot worship and serve God together. Having said this, there are those who appeal to Christians to unify and work together when there is no basis for such fellowship and partnership, due to doctrinal error or simple unbelief. There is no virtue in our being united with those who are not united with Christ. False unity, or unity based upon error, is no unity at all. Beware of those who promote unity at the expense of truth or purity. Like Daniel and his three friends, it is better to stand alone than to stand with the wrong folks.

Fourth, we must consider Paul’s words in the context of ecclesiastical associations. There are various “ministerial associations” to which I could belong. I know of men who join them thinking they can have a witness and an impact there. The problem is that these associations often sponsor certain activities and programs as a cooperative ministry of various churches. I have no problem with ministering to unbelieving religious leaders; my problem comes when Christians minister with them. I believe we should seek to associate ourselves with other believers and even other evangelical churches, but these associations must never create an unequal yoke, making us partners with unbelievers in the work of God.

In the past, I was asked to participate in a Memorial Day service conducted at a cemetery near our home. This “civic” event was to include “prayers.” A Jewish Rabbi was to pray, and then a Roman Catholic Priest, and finally I was to pray. I declined simply because I felt my actions might imply that all these prayers were offered up on an equal basis. From this, some might conclude that God would hear the Catholic prayer, the Jewish prayer, and mine, as though there was no difference. There is a difference, and so I could not become a partner in this religious event.

I believe this third category is the primary one in Paul’s mind. The Corinthian church not only embraces a man whose moral life shocks the pagans of Corinth (1 Corinthians 5), the church also embraces men who are not even “sheep,” but “wolves.” These are not mere attendees; these are some of the leaders of the church. Paul calls upon the church to identify these wolves and put them out of the church. They need to embrace Paul and his apostolic associates and break off their partnership with these religious unbelievers.

An Explanation:
Why We Must Separate From Unbelievers in Spiritual Ministry

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18 And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

Paul instructs Christians not to be “bound together with unbelievers,” and then goes on to give the reasons he requires this. From the middle of verse 14 through the first part of verse 16, Paul underscores why Christians and non-Christians cannot be partners in God’s work. He points out that Christians and non-Christians are worlds apart by giving five areas of contrast. Christians cannot be yoked together with unbelievers in God’s work because of their moral incompatibility. Christians are all about the pursuit of righteousness; unbelievers are sinners, whose common characteristic is lawlessness. Christians live in the light; non-Christians live in darkness.⁴⁷ Christians worship and obey Jesus Christ as Lord of all; unbelievers are knowingly or unknowingly followers of Satan (see 1 Corinthians 10:20-21; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:3, 13-15; Ephesians 2:1-3).⁴⁸ Believers and unbelievers have no common ground when it comes to their relationship with God in Christ. And finally, the “temple of God” has nothing in common with idols.

Christians are so far removed from non-Christians in spiritual matters that they have no common ground, no basis for a partnership in spiritual ministry. A Christian who is yoked together with an unbeliever in the work of God is like a fox and a chicken going into the egg business together.

In verses 16b-18, Paul picks up on the “temple” imagery, which he introduced in the first part of verse 16. He does so by citing a number of Old Testament “temple” texts which buttress his point. These “temple” texts have several important characteristics. First, these texts do not come only from the Law or the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), but from the prophets as well (see Exodus 25:8; 2 Samuel 7:14; Isaiah 43:6; 52:11; Jeremiah 31:1; Ezekiel 37:27; Hosea 1:10; 2:1).

Second, while all of these texts speak of God dwelling among His people, only a few of them speak of Him dwelling among His people in the tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem. Most of them speak of God’s dwelling in the midst of His people in the future, in a such a way that we recognize that the people of God themselves are the temple, rather than a mere building. This is what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 3:10-17.

Third, we see from the references Paul has cited or alluded to, that from the beginning, God’s plan was not to dwell among His people in a mere tent or building, but in a body. God dwelt among us in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ (see John 1:14), and now He dwells in the midst of His people through the church, the body of Christ and the temple of the living God:

11 Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Fourth, because God is indwelling His temple, the church (not a building, but the body of Christ), His people must be holy, separating themselves from all defilement which offends and dishonors God. If the people of God separate themselves from that which is defiling, God promises to dwell in their midst. The relationship God has is that of a Father and His children (verse 18). Is it any wonder that Paul has just said to these Corinthians that he speaks to them “as children” (verse 13)?

Verse 1 of chapter 7 is actually the conclusion to this argument, and the chapter division is one that proves unfortunate. These Old Testament texts to which Paul has just referred are actually prophecies, for it is only in the coming kingdom of God that they will be completely and finally fulfilled. Thus, Paul calls them “promises” (verse 1), because they are yet to be fully realized. Only when God’s kingdom is established on the earth will God fully dwell among His people:

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them” (Revelation 21:1-3).

The promises of God about His dwelling among His people are the basis for Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians, and to us, to put off all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Knowing that a holy God is dwelling in our midst (and will do so even more in the kingdom of God), we should fear Him in a way that prompts us to put off all sin. We should pursue holiness because He is holy. Any defilement, whether in spirit or flesh, should be cleansed. If God is holy and can only dwell amongst those who are holy, how can Christians become partners with unbelievers? The thought is inconceivable.

Conclusion

These Corinthians have become too cozy with the world, while at the same time they have drawn back from the apostles. The solution is for the Corinthians to warm up, to open up to Paul and his colleagues, and to draw back from those “spiritual leaders” who are servants of Satan. The Corinthians need to wake up to the fact that some of those whom they consider most spiritual are actually not even saved. And having seen these unbelievers for what they are, they need to dissociate themselves from them.

That is what Paul says to the Corinthians. But what does he say to us? Let me suggest some areas of application. There is a very important principle here which we all need to grasp: authentic Christianity is a world apart from unbelief and from every other form of religious belief.

Sometimes Christians who wish to “market” the gospel try to make it look as if it is merely something we “add” to our life, which does not radically change anything. This is a lie! Christianity is not something we add to our life; Christianity is something which replaces what we once were with something completely new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christianity turns our life upside-down. Christianity is not compatible with unbelief nor any other form of belief. When we turn to faith in Christ, we turn from all that we once trusted in, placing all of our faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Any representation of Christianity as an add-on is a misrepresentation.

A second principle underlies our text which is fundamental: There are, and will continue to be, counterfeit Christians who come into the church to lead men and women away from Christ to something or someone else. These people most often profess to be genuine believers, and they may even be religious leaders. The Old Testament, our Lord, and His apostles all warn us about such people. We need to be on guard, ever alert to the existence of such folks. And when we recognize them, we must disassociate ourselves from them. Evangelical Christianity is plagued with many such hucksters, and all too many believers are being taken in by them.

Our first choice is to turn from the world, from our own good works, and from our misplaced trust, and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the certain hope of eternal salvation. We must realize that when we do turn in faith to Jesus Christ, we are turning from that which we valued, from that which we trusted in the past. Following Christ means that we cannot, and we must not, follow anyone who leads us away from a simple, pure devotion to Him:

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ (Colossians 2:1-8).

We are to follow Christ by following the apostles. But the apostles are dead and gone. How can Christians today follow Paul and the apostles, and turn from false apostles? We follow the apostles by knowing and obeying the Scriptures, which they have written under the control of the Holy Spirit:

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:16-21).

1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 2:1-4).

27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:27-32).

13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:13-17).

Let us continue to look to the Holy Scriptures to lead and guide us so that we may follow our Lord (and His apostles) as we obey His Word. Let us not use this text as an excuse for avoiding association with unbelievers, so that we may live Christ before them, and point men to Christ. Let us obey this text as we recognize and shun those who claim to be followers of our Lord and are not. And let us look to the Holy Spirit to illuminate us so that we may be able to do that which this text requires us to do, in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.

46 The verb is an imperative, in the present tense. While it need not be translated, “Stop being bound together with unbelievers …,” it could be, and it sometimes should be. This appears to be one of those cases where the tense of the imperative is instructive.

47 For a much more complete explanation of this, see Ephesians 5:3-14.

48 Belial means “worthlessness,” and it is used to refer to Satan.

Biblical Topics:

Cultural Issues

Fellowship

Leadership

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Suffering, Trials, Persecution

10. Good Grief (2 Cor. 7:2-16)

2 Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged [acted unjustly toward] no one, we corrupted [seduced, mislead] no one, we took advantage of [“cheated,” NKJV; exploited] no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you; for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my confidence in you, great is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with comfort. I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you it was not for the sake of the offender, nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been comforted.

And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. 15 And his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.

Introduction

I think of but one thing whenever I see the expression, “Good Grief!”: Charlie Brown in the Peanuts comic strip. I really don’t know where the expression came from, but I do think there is a “good grief” and an “evil grief.” Paul distinguishes these two kinds of grief, or sorrow, in our text. Good grief is that which leads to repentance, and ultimately to life. Evil grief is that which leads to death. It is vitally important then that when we grieve or sorrow, we have the right kind of grief.

Charlie Brown’s expression, “O good grief!” is one we have come to expect from him. Paul’s response in our text is not what I would have expected, though I do think he is saying, in effect, “Good grief!” It took a few readings of the text before I realized a kind of uneasiness about the passage. I finally realized that, to my mind, it just does not seem to fit into the context. Here is Paul describing some very serious problems he faces at Macedonia as he writes this epistle. Paul has had his troubles in Macedonia, and he also has had problems with the Corinthian church. Some who are not even believers have arisen and managed to gain a following. But they are proclaiming another gospel and undermining Paul and the authentic apostles, claiming apostleship for themselves. Many of the Corinthians seem to be buying their “gospel.” Some of the Corinthians who boast in these false apostles are embarrassed by Paul and his colleagues, and they have drawn back from them.

How, with all these problems both in Macedonia and in Corinth, can Paul be so upbeat? How can he be as optimistic and encouraged as his words in our text indicate? How can Paul be so encouraged about the Corinthians and so confident about them, so much so that he boasts of them to others? Am I missing something? What enables Paul to think and write with such confidence when so many wrongs have been committed against God and against him? The answer to this question is the key to our text. Let us look more in depth at Paul’s words, seeking to learn how Paul can feel as he does toward those who have disappointed him, causing him sleepless nights and even drawing back from fellowship with him.

Tracing the Argument of the Passage

Paul’s Appeal (vss. 2-4)

2 Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you; for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my confidence in you, great is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with comfort. I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

Paul appeals to the Corinthians to “make room” for him and for the authentic apostles. As he has just said in chapter 6, the apostles have not closed themselves off to the Corinthians, but the Corinthians have withdrawn themselves from the apostles (see 6:11-13). Paul, speaking for all the authentic apostles, communicates their desire for the restoration of their relationship.

Paul then goes on to enumerate a number of evidences of his (their) love and affection toward the Corinthians, which should encourage them to “open up.” Paul first mentions some of the things he and the apostles are not doing, which show their great love for the Corinthians. The apostles have “wronged no one.” Literally, Paul claims that they have not acted unjustly toward them. They have “corrupted no one.” He means by this that they have not seduced or misled any of them. Neither have they “taken advantage of” any of them. The Corinthians have not been exploited or cheated (NKJV) by the apostles.

It would be one thing for the Corinthians to be “gun shy” toward the apostles if they knew they had been wronged by them in some way. Paul’s words remind and assure them that this has never been the case, nor will it ever be. The same cannot be said for the “false apostles” who have opposed the authentic apostles, their message, and their methods. False shepherds do not lay down their lives for the sheep; they feed off of the sheep:

7 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:7-15; see also Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 13:1-7; 34:1-6; 2 Peter 2-3).

In addition to the integrity of the apostles in their relationship with the Corinthians, Paul mentions that even in the writing of this epistle, he is not doing so to condemn them. He is not trying to “put them down,” as our kids might say. The Corinthian false apostles elevate themselves by putting others down. Paul elevates others by putting himself down, by subordinating himself and his personal interests to the interests of those whom he serves (2 Corinthians 4:5, 15; see Philippians 2:1-8, 19-24; 1 Peter 5:3).

It is not just the absence of negative feelings or actions which should encourage the Corinthians to “open up” to the apostles. Paul also summarizes the positive feelings which the apostles have toward the Corinthians. The “Corinthians are in the apostles’ hearts, to live or die” together with them (verse 3). “We are in this with you, through thick and thin, through life or death,” the apostle affirms. Paul is not half-hearted about the Corinthians and their chances of spiritual growth. Paul tells the Corinthians that he is so confident about them that he boasts of them to others, including Titus (verses 4, 14). Paul is not in despair over the Corinthians; he is filled with comfort and overflowing with joy (verse 4).

Joy in the Midst of Affliction (vss. 5-7)

This comfort and joy Paul describes is not due to the pleasantness of his surroundings in Macedonia. He enjoys comfort and encouragement in “all our affliction” (verse 4). In verses 5-6, Paul informs the Corinthians about his afflictions in Macedonia and how the report of Titus on their spiritual condition comforts and encourages him.

We have already heard from Paul about the circumstances which led to his departure from Troas and his arrival at Macedonia:

These words, in chapter 2, when compared with Paul’s words in our text, give us a different picture from the one I had in my mind. I had always thought things were very tough in Troas, and that a lot of Paul’s agony there was caused by his preoccupation with the situation in Corinth. Then, after Paul arrived in Macedonia, I assumed things were different. The way I now read chapter 7, things were very difficult in Troas. There were problems there, along with an open door for ministry, but in addition to his problems in Troas, Paul was preoccupied with concern over Corinth. But when he arrives in Macedonia, things are difficult for him there as well. Things really did not improve that much in Macedonia: “… even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within” (verse 5).

Paul’s trials and tribulations did not end when he left Troas; they were there to greet him upon his arrival in Macedonia. Both externally and internally, Paul is distressed. But in the midst of his distress while in Macedonia, “the God who comforts the depressed” comforts Paul (verse 6).⁴⁹ It is the way God comforts Paul which I find most instructive and encouraging. God encourages Paul through the arrival of Titus, and the good report Titus brings with him about the Corinthians’ response to Paul’s strong letter of rebuke and correction, referred to in verses 8-13a.

In summary, Paul tells the Corinthians that the return of Titus encourages him as he had become concerned that they had not met up with Titus as was originally supposed to happen in Troas (2 Corinthians 2:13). Titus’ arrival in Macedonia greatly relieves Paul, but the report Titus brings that he has been personally comforted by the Corinthians comforts Paul as well. Titus informs Paul of the Corinthians’ longing, a longing to restore their fellowship with Paul, I assume. He also speaks of the Corinthians’ sorrow, a sorrow which I can only understand to be an evidence of their genuine repentance. He tells Paul of the Corinthians’ zeal for Paul! Those who once were his critics, Titus says, are now his zealous supporters and defenders! Paul’s “comfort” at this news turns to rejoicing.

Paul’s Painful Letter (vss. 8-13a)

Paul has made several visits to Corinth and also written several letters, only two of which are preserved for us in the New Testament. Having read all the letters Paul has written to them, the Corinthians immediately understand what he is talking about when he refers to the “sorrowful letter.” That letter was sorrowful because it caused both Paul and the Corinthians to sorrow. Paul had his regrets in sending this letter, because he knew at the time the pain it would cause them. He no more enjoyed causing them pain by this letter than a parent enjoys watching a child suffer when he or she must be spanked. But he also knew that there was no other way to deal with their sin other than to expose and confront it with a letter of rebuke.

Paul’s sorrow turns to joy when he learns that his sorrowful letter produced its desired effect—repentance⁵⁰ on the part of the Corinthians. It was the will of God that they be caused to suffer sorrow from that letter, because it prevented them from suffering any loss through the apostles. What does Paul mean when he speaks of the possibility of the Corinthians “suffering a loss through Paul and his colleagues”? I believe Paul indicates that when a brother or sister is caught up by some sin, they are headed for “loss” if that sin is not rebuked and they do not repent of the sin. If we fail to speak up when we see a brother or sister caught up in sin, we become partners in their sin. We contribute to their downfall. They suffer loss because of our passivity and silence. We become accessories to their sin.

There is a sorrow which is according to the will of God, and that sorrow produces a repentance without regret. By law, if you buy a vacuum cleaner from a door-to-door salesman, you have three days to change your mind. If you buy a vacuum cleaner and then have second thoughts about it, you may change your mind and get your money back, assuming the three days have not passed. You don’t need three days when you repent, because the path of sin leads to death, and repentance leads to salvation and life.

Repentance is without regrets. Repentance leads to salvation, and salvation is never regretted. If I understand what the Bible teaches about heaven, there are no regrets there. There is no sorrow there, there is no death, there are no tears there (see Revelation 21 and 22). Hell is just the opposite. Hell is men living in eternal regret. Now men realize their own wickedness and sin and their foolishness in rejecting God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. In hell, men forever ponder the thought, “If only I had …” How blessed we are to know that godly sorrow leads to a repentance which knows no regrets.

How interesting in our text that Paul speaks of not two kinds of repentance, but only one. He does, however, speak of two kinds of sorrow. The first sorrow is “according to the will of God.” This godly sorrow produces a repentance without any regrets and leads to life. It does so by bringing about repentance, which turns our faith to Jesus Christ and His completed work of redemption by means of His death, burial, and resurrection. The sorrow of the world is very different, leading men to death. Worldly sorrow does not regret having sinned, because it offends a holy and righteous God. The one who sorrows wrongly is not sorry because of their sin, but because of the suffering their sin causes them. Worldly sorrow regrets having to “pay the fiddler” for the wrong they have done. Judas was sorry he had betrayed our Lord (Matthew 27:3), but his sorrow did not lead him to repentance. The same could be said of Esau, who regretted having sold his birthright (Hebrews 12:16-17). I cannot help but wonder how many of those who have committed suicide have done so out of ungodly sorrow. The sorrow that is according to God leads to repentance, a repentance with no regrets; this in turn leads to salvation, the deliverance from sin, guilt and its condemnation.

It is clear to Paul that the sorrow he caused the Corinthians was the right (godly) kind of sorrow, for it led them to repentance. This was evident by the “fruits of genuine repentance” which Titus reports to Paul. The Corinthians were earnest; they took his rebuke and the issues involved very seriously. Some of the “fruits of repentance” which Titus reported to Paul are listed in verse 11:

11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

The Corinthians do not casually brush Paul’s rebuke aside. They have a genuine sorrow over their sin and seek to vindicate themselves by making things right. They are incensed at their sin and have an appropriate sense of the fear of God (see also 5:11). Longing to see Paul and be with him, they become his zealous supporters and defenders. They take action to deal with wrongs they once overlooked or rationalized away.

Just what is the “wrong” Paul rebukes, for which the Corinthians repent? Verse 12 informs us in general terms and in a way that might surprise us. There is a specific problem in Corinth. I do not think it is the problem of incest Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians 5, but it is a specific sin committed by one individual (“the offender”) and against another (“the one offended”). If I understand Paul correctly, the Corinthians are aware of this sin and yet fail to act on it. Paul’s painful letter is to the church as a whole, rebuking them for not dealing with this sin. On receiving Paul’s letter of rebuke and reflecting on it, they realize that Paul is right, and they are wrong. In a word, they repent. And the evidence of this is their dealing with the offender appropriately. The letter Paul writes to the Corinthians is not primarily for the sake of the offender, or for the one offended, but for all those who passively stand by and look on without dealing with this sin. Paul’s concern is with the whole church. Once they repent of their sin of omission, he knows that they can, and will, deal with the specific problems evident in the church. In short, the Corinthians are seemingly soft on sin, and Paul’s letter brings them up short, leading to their repentance. For this, Paul greatly rejoices.

Rejoicing Over the Response of Titus (vss. 13b-16)

13 And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. 15 And his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.

Paul and his colleagues are greatly comforted and encouraged by the report Titus gives concerning the Corinthians. But his encouragement is even greater as Paul sets out to explain in these closing verses of chapter 7. In verse 7, he identifies two sources of comfort: “And not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.” Paul is comforted by the report Titus gives of the Corinthians and their repentance in response to Paul’s letter. He is also comforted by the comfort which Titus personally received as a result of his stay in Corinth. Things were difficult for Paul, as he indicates in 2:13-14. Things were likewise difficult for those associated with Paul, as indicated in 6:1-13, where Paul speaks not in the first person singular, but in the first person plural. Titus too had been put to the test, not only by outward difficulties, but by inward agonies as well. Titus went to Corinth with a heavy heart and a good measure of fear and trepidation. He comes back with his spirit refreshed as a result of having been among the Corinthians.

What a joy Titus’ change of countenance is to Paul. Even though Paul has massive problems to face, he is not oblivious or insensitive to the personal struggles of those who serve with him. He takes note of the struggles that Titus, his fellow-laborer, faces and also notes the tremendous refreshment Titus experienced in Corinth. The improvement in Titus is noted by Paul and becomes one more source of encouragement to him as he presses on in his ministry as a fellow-servant with Titus and the apostles.

The change in Titus especially encourages Paul because he has boasted to Titus about the Corinthians. Paul had told the Corinthians of his confidence in them (1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 1:7; 7:4), and it is apparent that he has also boasted of his confidence in the Corinthians to others like Titus. Paul’s boasting was “on the line” when Titus arrived with Paul’s sorrowful letter. Would the Corinthians live up to their calling and Paul’s confidence? The countenance of Titus tells it all. They certainly did live up to Paul’s expectations!

Because of this, Titus now feels toward the Corinthians as Paul does. His affection abounds toward them even more, and his heart is warmed by ever fond remembrances of his time spent among them. They received him with “fear and trembling,” with deep humility and a willingness to hear what God would say to them through him. Their obedience to Paul’s words (and, we would expect, those of Titus as well) was proof of their godly sorrow and repentance. Paul greatly rejoices because his confidence in them regarding all things has not been ill-founded. Titus is even more deeply in harmony with both Paul and the Corinthians. And this is the way it should be. If the false apostles produce competition and disunity, the true apostles produce just the opposite.

Conclusion

In reading this chapter in 2 Corinthians, I am reminded of the words of a celebrity, whose name and time I have forgotten, which go something like this: “It was the worst of times; it was the best of times.” The days Paul spends in Macedonia, from which this epistle is written, are very difficult days—the worst of times. And yet, in the midst of these terrible times, Paul is filled with confidence, with comfort, and with joy regarding the Corinthian saints. Paul’s joys come at a time when he is experiencing adversity and affliction to the full. What gives Paul—and every Christian—comfort, encouragement and joy?

We should quickly recognize that Paul’s circumstances are not what give him comfort and joy, but the report of Titus. Paul’s joy comes not as the result of his personal comfort or success or pleasure, but from the spiritual growth of the saints. So often it is not success but sorrow which is the instrument of promoting spiritual growth and maturity. Sorrow and pain are often the instruments God uses to draw us to Himself, by faith in Jesus Christ. No wonder our Lord could say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Through the sorrow produced by Paul’s painful letter, these Corinthian saints are brought to repentance. It may well be through sorrow that God will work in our lives. If sorrow and suffering bring us nearer to God, it is indeed a blessing to suffer.

In reflecting on this text, I realize that Paul is strong in two areas where most Christians tend to be weak. First, Paul is willing to endure the personal pain of rebuking saints who are giving in to sin. Paul does not enjoy being alienated from the affections of those who are his spiritual children. He does not delight in causing them pain by writing his letter of rebuke. But he does it anyway, because it is the right thing to do, and it is the divinely appointed means of correcting his fellow-believers.

Many Christian parents are unwilling to discipline their children, because they cannot stand the pain doing so creates. They can’t stand to see their child cry or suffer momentary rejection from them. The same is true for their relationships with fellow-believers in the church. When they know of sin in the life of a close Christian friend, they may inform an elder or a pastor or a leader, urging them to act, but they do not want to pay the price of doing so personally, even though this is what the Scriptures require (see Matthew 18:15-20). Let us learn from Paul that when rebuke and correction are required of us, it will cause us pain, but it is the right thing to do. And through this painful process of rebuke and correction, we minister to our fellow-believers in a way that leads to their repentance and spiritual growth. The end of this process, if received properly, is great joy.

Second, Paul is not only ready and willing to rebuke saints who are going astray, he is ready and willing to receive them back into fellowship when they repent of their sin. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul urges the Corinthians to exercise church discipline on the man living with his father’s wife. He does so by informing them that he has already turned this one over to Satan, even though far removed from Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul must now urge the Corinthians to receive a repentant brother back into their fellowship. Even after this person has repented, the Corinthians are reluctant to take him back. We see in our text that Paul is not only ready to rebuke those who are wrong, he is also ready to receive repentant sinners back into fellowship.

How easily we write off those who have done wrong, continuing to shun them even when they have repented. In our text, Paul is much like the father of the prodigal son described in Luke 15:11-32. He is also like our Heavenly Father, who calls for sinners to repent and return to fellowship with Him, through Jesus Christ:

20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me’ (Revelation 3:20).

Paul said it earlier, and it certainly applies here:

Have you never experienced the forgiveness of your sins and intimate fellowship with the Holy God? If not, you can do so by simply acknowledging your sin and by trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ on your behalf. He was punished for your sins. He died in your place. And He was raised from the dead so that you could be pronounced holy, not through a righteousness of your own, but through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I urge you, if you have never repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ, do so this very moment.

But perhaps you have come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ and have fallen into sin. God is a Holy and Righteous God, who hates sin. But He has made provision for your sin through the person and work of Jesus Christ. By repenting of your sin and turning back to a life of trusting and obeying Him, you can once again know the joy of fellowship with God. And by so doing, you can once again enjoy the fellowship of the saints. Just as you must turn from your sin and return to your Christian brothers and sisters, we are obliged to receive you back, as warmly as Paul did the Corinthians.

I should add an important point which my friend and deacon in our church, Bruce Beaty, pointed out to me as we discussed this text. The Corinthians had repented of a particular sin and had sought to make this matter right. They were not perfect. All of their sins were not seen by them, or repented of, but they were on the path of repentance. There was no willful rebellion against God’s Word, and thus they should be received back into that kind of fellowship where holiness and purity will be encouraged by fellow-believers. Let us beware of harboring those in the church who need to be put out (1 Corinthians 5), but let us also beware of refusing to receive those who have repented and who desire to live in a way that pleases God, even though imperfectly.

Paul sets the example for us in this text of how we can be a true brother or sister in Christ and a true friend to those who name the name of Christ. Real friends (and brothers or sisters) are those who are able to see the sin in our life and willing to risk our rejection by graciously, but firmly, dealing with it as they confront us with the truth of God’s Word. All too often we refuse to risk our relationship with those we love, and we ultimately fail to act in love by accepting what is unacceptable. I often hear the term “unconditional love” being tossed about in Christian conversations, but I must say that this is not a biblical expression, and I fear it can be used to justify a most unbiblical cowardice. We dare not accept a fellow-believer unconditionally, if they willfully persist in known sin. We must confront with biblical correction and rebuke. But when there is repentance, we must welcome the wayward home.

As I read this chapter, I cannot help but think of 1 Corinthians 13. Are we not seeing here in Paul a living example of what true love looks like? True love is willing to rebuke when it is required by sin, but it is willing to believe the very best when a wayward sinner repents and seeks to return to fellowship with God’s people. Let us consider 2 Corinthians 7 to be an illustration of 1 Corinthians 13.

There is a Proverb which says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Paul not only has great hope for the Corinthians, he gives hope to them as well. By his words in our text, he has shown them a way back and expressed his confidence that they will indeed experience full restoration.

Yet another lesson our text teaches is this: our attitudes and action have a very profound impact on our fellow-believers, for good or evil. Listen to these words written by Asaph centuries ago in the Psalms:

10 Therefore his people return to this place; And waters of abundance are drunk by them. 11 And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. 13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, And washed my hands in innocence; 14 For I have been stricken all day long, And chastened every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I should have betrayed the generation of Thy children (Psalm 73:10-15).

Asaph agonized that while God promised to prosper the righteous, the wicked seemed to be doing well in this life while the righteous (including Asaph) were suffering. While we do not have time to consider the entire psalm, let me draw attention to the psalmist’s words in verse 15: “If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ Behold, I should have betrayed the generation of Thy children.” Had Asaph thrown in the towel, it would not only have meant devastation to his relationship with God, it would have also negatively affected all those who knew him and looked up to him as a Christian leader. When a Christian falls, he or she hurts others, just as when Christians triumph they encourage and edify others (see 1 Corinthians 12:26). The repentance of the Corinthians and their heart-warming reception of Titus are great encouragements to Titus, to Paul, and to the others who heard of it. And it is a great encouragement to us as well. Let us seek to serve God faithfully—because it pleases God, it benefits others, and it benefits us.

49 It has been pointed out that Paul’s expression here is very similar to the words of Isaiah 49:13 in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. You will recall that Paul has already cited Isaiah 49:8 in 2 Corinthians 6:2. Second Corinthians 6:12 and 7:2 employ either the word or the thought of Isaiah in 49:19-20. One begins to get the feeling that Paul had his devotions in Isaiah while he was writing 2 Corinthians! The theology and terminology of the Old Testament prophets provided much of the fabric for Paul’s thinking and writing. Would that this were true of us as well.

50 There are three Greek words used in the New Testament to denote repentance. (1) The verb metamelomai is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas (Mt 27:3). (2) Metanoeo, meaning to change one’s mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This verb, with (3) the cognate noun metanoia, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. Evangelical repentance consists of (1 a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness; (2 an apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ; (3 an actual hatred of sin (Ps 119:128 Job 42:5,6 2 Co 7:10) and turning from it to God; and (4 a persistent endeavour after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments. The true penitent is conscious of guilt (Ps 51:4,9) of pollution (Ps 51:5,7,10) and of helplessness (Ps 51:11 109:21,22) Thus he apprehends himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares him to be. But repentance comprehends not only such a sense of sin, but also an apprehension of mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Ps 51:1 130:4). (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, in loc.).

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11. Learning to Be Liberal (2 Cor. 8:1-15)

1 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 Consequently we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. 7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 10 And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. 11 But now finish doing it also; that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. 12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality— 14 at this present time your abundance being a supply for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be equality; 15 as it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.”

Introduction

I can almost hear the groans as we reach chapter 8 of 2 Corinthians. Someone surely will say, or at least think, “There he goes, just like every other preacher I have heard … speaking about money.” You are right, of course; Paul does speak about money here in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9. The Bible has a great deal to say about money. The Old Testament talked about it, Jesus talked about it, and the apostles wrote about it as well. Paul is not raising funds for himself or his ministry here. He is not seeking contributions so the church can build an addition or pay its bills. Paul is not even seeking to raise funds for missions or evangelism. Paul is talking about one of the most important forms of giving in the New Testament, one not nearly as common today—giving to saints who are in dire poverty.

At first glance, one might think Paul’s words on money are introduced abruptly and out of place in the context. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Paul’s teaching on giving is directly related to the problems in the Corinthian church, which he has been addressing in his two recorded Corinthian epistles. These are words every Christian needs first to hear, and then to understand, and finally to put into practice. Let us take heed as Paul teaches us how to be more liberal when it comes to giving to our brethren in need.

The Setting of Our Text

When Paul first arrives in Corinth on his second missionary journey, he preaches the gospel, and a number of the Corinthians come to faith in Jesus Christ as the spiritual “children” of the Apostle Paul. It seems that in their joy and gratitude, like many other churches, they purpose to make a contribution to the poor in Jerusalem. Titus apparently has already been to Corinth to help them commence a plan by which a contribution for the poor in Jerusalem will be raised over a period of time. In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul gives some instructions to the Corinthians about their plan to give to the poor:

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. 3 And when I arrive, whomever you may approve, I shall send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; 4 and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me (1 Corinthians 16:1-4).

It appears from Paul’s writing here that the Corinthians have lost heart for this financial project, and fallen back in their regular contributions in preparation for sending this gift on to Jerusalem. It is not difficult to imagine how this could happen. First, Paul has been gone, and at least some of the Corinthians have begun to cool in their relationship with him and the other authentic apostles. This is largely due to the influence of the “false apostles” among them, but it is also due to their own spiritual dullness because of unconfessed sin. For example, it seems the false apostles have been teaching that there is to be no resurrection of the dead. If this is true, one need not fear a day of judgment when we will give account to God. If the dead are not raised, we had better “grab all the gusto we can get,” because there is only this life to live, and it should be lived to the full (see 1 Corinthians 15:32).

Paul has written a painful letter to the Corinthians, which causes both Paul and the Corinthians great sorrow (see 2 Corinthians 7). But now the Corinthians have truly repented. They yearn to see Paul and are zealous in defending him. They want him to come to them, and they look forward to his coming. But the next time Paul comes to Corinth, it is with other men to collect the gift they promised for the poor in Jerusalem. How embarrassing if there should be no generous offering to collect for the Corinthians, for those with Paul, and for Paul himself. It would not be the kind of reunion for which either Paul or the Corinthians hoped. Thus, Paul writes these two chapters so the Corinthians will complete the project they have begun, thereby paving the way for a joyful reunion.

The Marvelous Macedonian Model of Generosity
(8:1-7)

In these first verses of chapter 8, Paul introduces the subject of the Corinthians’ pledge to give a gift to the poor by describing the incredible generosity of the Macedonians, who gave liberally to the need in Jerusalem. The Macedonian churches included the churches at Philippi, Berea, and Thessalonica. The Philippian church seems to stand apart from all the rest in its generosity. From the very beginning, this was so. After coming to faith in the Lord Jesus, Lydia virtually insisted that Paul and his companions accept the hospitality of her home while they are in Philippi (Acts 16:15). Shortly after, the Philippian jailer begins to show Paul and Silas hospitality after he and his family come to faith in Christ (Acts 16:32-34). Not only do the Philippian saints participate in making a generous contribution to the poor in Jerusalem, they are also generous to Paul after he departs from them. Even while he is in prison, they send Epaphroditus to minister to Paul, along with a gift of money he carries:

25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need (Philippians 2:25).

15 And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs (Philippians 4:15-16).

It is noteworthy that the actual amount of the Macedonian contribution is not mentioned. I can recall only one instance where the amount of any gift is specified in the New Testament.⁵¹ The size of the Macedonians’ gift did not impress Paul as much as the liberality of that gift, since many other factors could have substantially reduced their giving. First, the Macedonian saints were facing a “great ordeal of affliction” (verse 2). Not only was Paul having a hard time in Macedonia (see 2 Corinthians 7:5), the Macedonians were also (8:2). They were facing a great deal of affliction as seen in Paul’s words to the Thessalonians:

6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7).

3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4).

In such times, one may suffer great financial losses due to one’s faith in Jesus Christ:

Second, the Macedonian saints were poor, a poverty so great Paul calls it “deep poverty” (verse 2). Paul does not need to warn this church about trusting in riches as he had the Ephesians through Timothy (1 Timothy 6:17-19). The Macedonians’ “great ordeal of affliction” and their “deep poverty” could have served as excuses for not giving to the “poor” in Jerusalem at all. I can hear someone saying in such circumstances, “Charity begins at home.”

Because of these circumstances, Paul does not expect much from the Macedonians in terms of a contribution for the poor in Jerusalem. It is clear that Paul’s expectations are considerably exceeded as he indicates in verse 5. I believe that here Paul provides us with the underlying basis for the Macedonians’ generosity. First, they gave themselves to the Lord. The Macedonian saints have been gloriously and graciously saved through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ gave Himself for their salvation; how could they not give themselves to Him? They are His servants, eager and willing to walk in His footsteps. If “God so loved the world that He gave … ,” how can they refuse to give to those in dire need? Second, the Macedonians have given themselves to the apostles, as our Lord’s earthly spokesmen. The apostles are deeply concerned about the poor, and rightly so (see Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-37; 5:1-11; 6:1-7; Romans 12:13; Galatians 2:10; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Hebrews 13:16; James 1:27–2:26). And so when the Macedonians gave themselves to the apostles, they were responsive to the needs of others, as the apostles point them out.

The Macedonians’ giving is exemplary in several regards. First, as we have seen, they gave generously at a time when they were poor themselves. Second, the Macedonians gave voluntarily. The term “voluntarily” fails to adequately express the spirit of the Macedonians. These people who were in “deep poverty” plead with Paul for the privilege of giving generously. One of the ancients observes that the only “begging” which took place here was the “begging” of the poor Macedonians, pleading with Paul for the privilege of sharing what little they had with those who had even less.

Third, the Macedonians gave gratefully. These folks gave generously to people whom they had never seen and likely would never meet. It would be one thing for someone in their situation to give to a relative in deep need, but to give to a stranger is something even more amazing. The gift of the Macedonians evidences their gratitude to God for saving them through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fourth, these Macedonians gave to those in Jerusalem who were their brothers and sisters in Christ. They gave to fellow-believers as an evidence of their unity in Christ.

Fifth, the Macedonians gave joyfully. Paul did not have to wrench the money from their hands; they readily and joyfully insisted on giving. They found great joy in what they were doing. In their affliction, the Macedonians experienced joy; in their deep poverty, they exhibited great generosity (8:2). This is truly an amazing group. Paul therefore points the Corinthians to the Macedonians as a model and standard for their giving. Let the Corinthians follow in the footsteps of their Macedonian brethren. To facilitate this, Paul will send Titus, who has already helped the Corinthians set up a system for giving to the needy in Jerusalem early in the life of that church (or so it seems). When Titus returns, the Corinthians are urged to finish up what they have purposed and promised to do in this matter of making a contribution to the saints. They have excelled in many ways—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in earnestness and zeal, and in love. Let them now excel in this gracious work of showing charity.

The Master Model: Jesus Christ
(8:8-9)

8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

The “false apostles” at Corinth are able to achieve their goals only by using a heavy hand with the Corinthian saints. They “use their authority” to get the results they want (2 Corinthians 11:20). Paul is not this way. He does not want to resort to his authority as the basis for the Corinthians’ giving. Paul makes it clear that he is not commanding them to give, but rather encouraging them to give as a proof of their love. Paul seems to be saying that the Macedonians have demonstrated the sincerity of their love by the sacrificial generosity of their gift to the needy saints in Jerusalem. That establishes a kind of human benchmark against which the Corinthians’ love can be measured. The earnestness of the Macedonians helps set the standard by which the Corinthians may prove the sincerity of their love.

There is, however, a much higher standard than this. The human benchmark of the Macedonians’ love and generosity is far surpassed by the divine benchmark for love and sacrifice to those in need. The ultimate example of gracious giving is our Lord Jesus Christ, by His sacrificial atoning work on the cross of Calvary. He was infinitely “rich” in the presence of His Father (see John 17:5; Philippians 2:6). He willingly “became poor” in His incarnation (Philippians 2:5-8). He was born in a very humble setting, having a cattle trough as a bed, and being born to parents who were far from rich. He left the “wealth” of heaven and took on the “poverty” of this earth in His incarnation. He who was rich became poor for the sake of those of us who were spiritually “bankrupt” in our sins. Through faith in His sacrificial work on the Cross of Calvary, He has made all those who trust in Him exceedingly rich.

Whatever we might do for those who are poor can never compare with the work of Christ on the cross. Our material wealth can never compare to His heavenly glory; and our sacrificial poverty can never compare to the “poverty” He endured in His incarnation. The person and work of Christ is the basis for our motivation, and it is the standard for our ministry. The cross of Christ, that message which seems foolish to the unbelieving (1 Corinthians 1:18-25), and certainly to the unbelieving “false apostles” (see 2 Corinthians 11:4), is the unending theme of all of Paul’s teaching. As he can never speak enough of the cross, we should never hear enough of the cross of Christ (see Colossians 2).

Finish What You Started
(8:10-12)

10 And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. 11 But now finish doing it also; that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. 12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have.

Paul’s words in verses 8 and 10 sound remarkably similar to 1 Corinthians 7:25. He clearly indicates that his words are not a commandment directly communicated to the Corinthians from God through Paul. He does not legislate how much the Corinthians should give. Having expressed that the opinion he holds is his personal conviction, Paul goes on to declare his conviction as such. Paul’s opinion is that generous giving is a desirable thing which works to the donor’s advantage. The Corinthians, after all, were the very first of the churches to make a beginning in this matter a year ago. If the Corinthians were the first to begin to give, and they are not yet ready with their contribution (as other churches are), then it is most certainly time to finish this matter. The desire to commence this giving should be accompanied by the same desire to complete it.

In a year’s time, some things surely must have changed. Perhaps some suffered unexpected losses and are no longer able to give as much as they had intended. Unlike the hucksters who urge people to give what they cannot afford, Paul does not lay a guilt trip on the Corinthians. They should simply complete what they started, but only within the means they have to do so.

Over the years, I have seen some who wanted to do something great for God, something big and significant. For whatever reason, this was not possible. But rather than doing what they could do, they do nothing at all, waiting for a time when they can do all they want. Paul urges those Corinthians who have suffered setbacks to do whatever they are able to do now, thus completing their giving so their contributions can be collected and sent to those in dire need.

The Principles of Equality and Reciprocity
(8:13-15)

13 For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality—14 at this present time your abundance being a supply for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be equality; 15 as it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.”

Paul has just written an encouragement (not a commandment) to the Corinthians to complete what they have purposed and promised regarding their contribution to the poor. He now concludes his exhortation with the statement, “it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have” (verse 12b). Paul urges the Corinthians to keep their commitment according to their ability to do so. He now further clarifies himself by setting forth two governing principles: (1) the principle of equality and (2) the principle of reciprocity. Let us briefly consider each of these, as Paul seeks to demonstrate from the Old Testament.

First, the principle of equality should govern our giving to those in need. In the secular world, there is a principle which directly opposes the principle of equality: “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” When a person has wealth and prosperity, he has power over those with limited means. The “borrower,” the Proverb tells us, “is the lender’s slave.”

7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave (Proverbs 22:7).

The rich have the ability to gain even greater wealth at the expense of the poor because they have the power to do so. The ungodly seek to increase the gap between their wealth and the poverty of those around them. They have the advantage, and they use it to their own ends. The Bible presents an opposite picture. In the Old Testament and in the New, political or economic power (to mention just two forms of power) should be employed for the good of those who are weak and powerless. Power must not be used to oppress the helpless, but to help the helpless. When I have more than my neighbor, I need to consider how to best use the resources of which I am a steward to enhance the life of the one who is poorer. It is not a matter of how much wealth I possess as much as the fact that I have more than my needy brother.

I want to be very clear about what I am saying here. I am not saying that the Bible teaches us to practice some form of communism. With communism, the state owns property, not the people. With Christianity, people own property, but they do not selfishly claim it as their own: “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them” (Acts 4:32). While every believer possesses private property, they must not selfishly claim its ownership and use it for only themselves, but for those in need. We say, “What’s mine is yours.” By saying this, we mean that we are willing to give up our possessions for the benefit of another.

In teaching the principle of equality, Paul does not suggest that people give up their right to own private property; neither does he indicate that everyone must live on exactly the same standard. All Christians do not need to drive the same year and model of car, nor own precisely the same home as everyone else. But when one believer has more than the one who is in dire need, he or she should seek to narrow the economic distance between them, rather than to seek to widen it.

The Old Testament is full of indications that God does not want the rich to get richer while the poor become poorer. That is why the Israelites were not to make loans to their fellow-Israelites at interest. This is why all properties must revert to their owners at the Year of Jubilee. In the New Testament as well as the Old, the desire to accumulate and hoard great wealth was condemned, while charity was praised. The bottom line is this: when we realize that a brother is in dire need, and we have the resources to alleviate that need, we should generously and joyfully do so. Equality, not inequality, should be our desire.

The second principle is that of reciprocity.⁵² In more contemporary terms, this principle may be summed up by the expression, “What goes around, comes around.” Paul says that while we may have more today so that we can help our brethren in need, there may very well come a day when “the tables are turned” and the “shoe is on the other foot.” Generosity we show now toward a brother in need may become generosity from that same brother to us when we have a time of need.

Paul illustrates what he has said by turning us back to an event described in chapter 16 of the Book of Exodus (citing verse 18). The Israelites had come out of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, and were now in the wilderness where there was almost no food. God provided for Israel’s nutritional needs by giving them manna to eat. When God first gave manna to the Israelites, He tested them by instructing that only enough manna should be saved as was needed for that day—an omer per day, per person (Exodus 16:16). Paul reminds us that when the time came to measure out what each had collected, it always came out right. Those who gathered little had enough, and those who gathered much did not have too much. Everyone ended up with just what they needed.

How could this happen? Was this some kind of miracle that God performed? That is possible, but I don’t think Paul understood it that way. I believe the people went out to gather manna and then returned to measure it out to see how much they had collected. Measuring the manna with a one omer container showed that some had more than they needed, and others less. Those with more manna than needed gave to those with less, and so everyone had just what they needed. This is the kind of equality for which Paul wants the Corinthians to strive. Some earn more money than others. Those who have “more than they need” should share with those who have less than they need.

God does not prosper His people so that they may indulge themselves; He prospers some so that they may share with those in need. In so doing, they demonstrate their brotherhood as those who trust in God. In effect, this is what Paul writes to Timothy.

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Is this not what our Lord teaches as well?

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Conclusion

This text is amazing. It is also one which should sound quite foreign to many Christians. This poverty of the Christians in Judea and the believers in Macedonia is something of which Western Christians know little. There are exceptions, but as a rule, Western Christians are rich and can hardly identify with the poverty Paul describes. In spite of our great wealth as a nation and as individuals (comparatively speaking), this kind of generosity is also foreign to us. A number of Christians give trivial amounts out of their wealth, and many give nothing at all. Of all the things to which Christians give today, an incredibly small portion of our giving is to the poor saints in other parts of the world. I suggest to you that this text is foreign to us not because it doesn’t address conditions in the world and the church today; it is foreign because Christians are oblivious to the needs of their poorer brethren around the world.

Then, as now, often those whose resources are limited are the most generous. Those Christians who joyfully and generously give out of their poverty will most certainly not lose their reward. Those who have done without are often the most sensitive to the needs of others who are doing without. Giving to the poor is not about being rich or having much; rather it is about having more, more than our brother or sister in dire need.

One reason the teaching of this text is difficult for us to apply is that as wealthy as we are—as a nation and as individuals—we are often “broke” when it comes to available cash. We are so deeply in debt with our credit cards that we have little or nothing to give, unless we do so by the use of our credit cards. It is thus little wonder that some Christian organizations take donations by credit card. To be free to minister to the needs of others, we would be well advised to stay debt free to do so.

Notice that Paul assesses the “measure of a church” not by its size, but by its sacrifices. The church growth movement all too often seems to operate on the assumption that churches which are growing numerically are the churches most blessed of God, churches who are “doing it right.” Thus, churches which are growing the fastest are analyzed to determine what they are doing which makes them successful and growing. Paul never measures the spirituality or success of a church by its numbers, whether that be the number of attendees or the numbers pertaining to their offerings. Paul holds forth the Macedonian church, which is hardly prosperous or successful by some standards. If we wish to assess the success or spirituality of a church (something I’m not sure we should try to do—see 1 Corinthians 4:1-5), then let us look for its sacrifices. Let us not seek to encourage self-indulgence, but self-sacrifice.

Notice in our text the emphasis Paul places on grace. The root term for grace is employed eight times in this chapter and six times in our text. Paul does not seek to employ guilt as the motive for giving, but gratitude in response to the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us now consider the principle thrust of our text, as I understand it. The meaning and application of our text comes in the answer to this question: “Why does Paul bring up the subject of giving now in this context?” At first glance, it appears that Paul’s teaching on giving here comes as a bolt out of the blue. But further consideration indicates that Paul’s words here are right on target. There are several answers to the question which we will briefly address.

First, Paul speaks of money here because it is a very little thing. Our Lord taught this in the Gospel of Luke:

9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 “If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:9-12).

The Corinthians need to take “baby steps” because of their spiritual immaturity (see 1 Corinthians 3). They need to deal first with the “little things,” and money is one such thing. When they have dealt rightly with money, they can take on bigger matters. Money is the first step, a starting point. No wonder we see new Christians and new churches immediately responding to needs in generosity.

Second, money is one way of becoming partners with other believers. Paul has just warned the Corinthians about being unequally yoked with unbelievers in chapter 6 (verses 14-18). The Corinthians had been unequally yoked with unbelievers in many ways, some of which we have discussed earlier. But while we are not to establish an unequal yoke with unbelievers, we are to be equally yoked with fellow-believers. Chapters 8 and 9 describe one of the ways Christians in one place can be linked with their brothers and sisters far away—by giving to their financial needs. Here is a “yoke” we may need to seriously consider.

Third, this matter of the Corinthians’ gift to the poor is directly linked to problems Paul has been addressing at Corinth. In many ways, it is the first step in dealing with many of the wrongs Paul has pointed out in the Corinthian church. Are small, competitive cliques and factions in the church? Let the saints all join together in giving to the larger body of Christ. Here is a great step in the direction of maintaining Christian unity. Are the saints taking one another to secular law courts? It is probably due to greed. Let the Corinthian saints practice sacrificial giving and begin to experience the joy of generosity. Are some selfishly indulging themselves at the Lord’s Supper, leaving nothing to eat for those who need it most? Let these Corinthians begin to show concern for the brethren in Judea and for their hunger. Are there those who teach that there is no resurrection from the dead? Let them begin to lay up treasure in heaven by investing in the material needs of fellow-believers. Let them make sacrifices in time, looking for their ultimate reward in eternity. Are there Corinthians who look down upon Paul because of his poverty and humble circumstances, as though piety and prosperity always go together? Let them recognize that the saints in Jerusalem and Judea are suffering because of their piety, and so too the Macedonians. Let them gladly give to the needs of the brethren in Jerusalem, and they will begin to view material prosperity differently.

Fourth, fulfilling their promise to give to the poor in Jerusalem paves the way for a happy reunion with Paul and his fellow-apostles. Paul had hoped to visit the Corinthians sooner than possible. In chapters 1 and 2 of this epistle, Paul has explained the reasons for his delay in coming to Corinth. The sins which required Paul to write his painful letter were a barrier between Paul and the Corinthians. But now that these saints have responded positively to Paul’s letter and the coming of Titus, Paul is eager to come to them. There is a potential problem, however. The Corinthians promised a gift to the poor a year earlier, but Paul knows their giving toward this project has ceased, or at least been greatly reduced. How embarrassing for Paul, for the Corinthians, and for those who came to collect this offering if the gift is small. Chapters 8 and 9 are intended to exhort the Corinthians to fulfill their promise in a way that will facilitate a grand reunion with Paul and his companions.

Fifth, following through with their promise to give toward the needs of the saints in Jerusalem is an opportunity for the Corinthian saints to demonstrate their repentance. Repentance is evidenced by the “fruits of repentance” (see Matthew 3:8). Every evidence is that the Corinthians have repented. Repentance, as I understand it, is not like a “mulligan” in golf. (By the way, I am a lousy golfer, who uses many mulligans.) A “mulligan” is just a euphemism for cheating. When I hit the ball way out into the brush, if I can find it, I pick it up and throw it back onto the fairway. If I were playing by the rules, it would be very different. I would have to play the ball as it lies.

I think some Christians wrongly believe that you can sin, then “repent” as if you were taking a mulligan, and then forget your past sins, rather than make them right. Let me illustrate what real repentance looks like by calling your attention to Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10. When he came to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, he repented of his sins. After he believed, he told the Lord Jesus that he intended to give half of his possessions to the poor and that he would pay back anyone he defrauded four-fold. He did not go his merry way, claiming forgiveness while keeping money that had been fraudulently obtained. Zaccheus went back to the sins he had committed and sought to make them right.

I believe this is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians about their promise to give to the needy in Jerusalem in chapters 8 and 9. The Corinthians had made a commitment to give to the poor in the early days of their faith. For various reasons, they began to renege on their commitment. Paul now urges the Corinthians to go back to the point of their failure, to go back to their sin, and to make matters right. The Corinthians promised to help their poor brethren, and then sinned by not following through with this promise. If they repented of their sin, they would go back to their promise and fulfill it. Paul’s exhortation facilitates complete repentance. It points the way back to the place where they departed.

I must ask you before we close, is there something you have done which you know is wrong, of which you have not repented? Confess it as sin, as the Corinthians did. Then go back to the place where you departed from obedience to the truth, and make whatever wrong you committed right. It may be that you have never repented of your sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Repentance requires the acknowledgment of your sin against God, and your trusting in Jesus Christ as the One God sent to bear the punishment for your sins, to provide the righteousness which God requires for you to enter into His kingdom. This repentance unto salvation is accompanied by a changed heart, a changed mind, and the kind of generosity we see new believers exercising in the New Testament. Once you have tasted of the grace of God in salvation, you will find grace and generosity to be not a pain, but a privilege.

51 There is the case of the widow’s two copper coins in Luke 21:1-5. The amount is mentioned not because of its great size, but because it shows the depth of this widow’s poverty and reveals God’s pleasure in this woman’s sacrifice in contrast to the large amounts given by others which were not sacrificial.

52 We might call the principle of reciprocity the principle of long-term equality. When we help a brother in need today, and then he helps us in our need tomorrow, over the long haul there is an equality. It all balances out in the end.

Biblical Topics:

Fellowship

Finance

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

12. Keeping Your Commitments (2 Cor. 8:16-9:15)

Introduction

I have been thinking about Ananias and Sapphira, the couple whose death we read about in Acts 5. When the church was born in Jerusalem as the result of Peter’s great sermon at Pentecost, there was an almost immediate response to the needs of the poor among the believers. Men like Barnabas sold property which they did not need and gave the money to the apostles so they could minister to the needs of the poor of the congregation. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of their property as well, and gave a portion of the proceeds to the church. The problem with this couple’s action was not that they kept back a portion of the proceeds of this sale for themselves, but that they lied about the amount they gave to the apostles. Both of them testified that what they gave was the entire amount they had obtained from the sale of their property. And for this, they both died. This was a lesson to the whole church, and it certainly made quite an impression.

I have been rethinking the account of Ananias and Sapphira in relation to our text in 2 Corinthians. I believe the two texts are somewhat related. Let me suggest a purely hypothetical account of the early verses of Acts 5, which make the actions of this couple seem far more natural and reasonable, and shows us how we could do something similar.

Let’s suppose that in Jerusalem there is a great need among the poor saints, and consequently men like Barnabas sell unneeded properties to obtain funds to give to the apostles so they can distribute funds to the poor. Ananias and Sapphira determine that they will sell a piece of property too, and so they call an appraiser to determine the value of this property. Let’s say he gives them a figure of $10,000. As others come to the apostles with their contributions, Ananias and Sapphira come and inform them that as soon as they sell their property, they will be giving $10,000 to the church for the poor. The next week, before the property has been sold, plans for a new shopping mall are announced. The new mall is adjacent to the property of Ananias and Sapphira. A businessman sees the added value to their property and offers them $15,000. It takes a few weeks for the deal to close, and no one but the couple and this businessman know about the price they have been paid.

It is at this same time that Ananias and his wife learn of a great deal on some land some distance away. This land can be acquired for a mere $5,000.00. One or the other thinks of a plan. They could donate $10,000 to the church and keep $5,000 to use in the purchase of the new land. They would still be giving what they promised, and yet they would be able to make money for a nest egg in the future. Somehow, in the course of events, the question is asked of them, “Did you get the $10,000 you were asking for the land?” The couple responds that they have. Soon, almost without knowing it, they are caught in the lie, and this lie is the death of them.

My point in this hypothetical account is that we seldom premeditate such lying and deceit as that seen in Ananias and Sapphira. Sin often “evolves,” if you will pardon my use of this term. We don’t plan for things to go that way, but they do, often because of seemingly insignificant choices along the way. The problem at Corinth seems similar to my fictional version of Ananias and Sapphira. Further, I believe we are guilty of the same kind of sin today, and we too are hardly even conscious of it until Paul’s words in our text begin to come to life.

When Paul comes to Corinth with the gospel, a number respond by trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation. Like new converts everywhere, these believers respond to the report of poor saints dwelling in Jerusalem and Judea. They want to help and promise to do so. The need is so great that it will take time to accumulate a gift as large as the Corinthians want to give, and so a plan is agreed upon which will give them time to raise the funds. For some, it might take time for property to be sold. For others whose means are limited and who have nothing to sell, it means saving up funds over time so they can contribute. In any case, it will take time to come up with their intended contribution.

Some, it seems, may have had a bad year farming or in business (fishing is poor this year), and their ability to give may be diminished. Some may have lost heart and decided that since they can only contribute a fraction of what they promised, they might as well do nothing. Others may have been swindled by their Christian brother and thus unable to give much. I can imagine the person who took his fellow-believer to court may have “borrowed” from his personal benevolence fund, salving his conscience by convincing himself that when he gets the money back he deserves, he will give that amount and more. Another family may have been through a very difficult year and determined that “for the family’s sake,” they will use their contribution to take a much needed vacation. Another family may have decide to use their contribution to begin a business, certain that God will prosper them, and they can give much more over a longer period of time. Others were offended by Paul’s failure to come to them as soon as they had expected. They know he will come to collect their contribution, and it looks as though this will be later rather than sooner. They decide to use what they had accumulated and then begin to set money aside for the poor as soon as they can afford it.

We don’t really know the details of why the Corinthians are in danger of failing to keep their initial commitment to give to the poor. What we do know is this: In the first blush of their faith in Christ, the Corinthians genuinely purposed and promised to contribute to the poor in Judea. They have even been setting funds aside. Now, as the time for Paul’s return begins to draw near, Paul has sufficient reason to fear that their contribution will fall considerably short of what they have promised. Paul’s return will prove embarrassing for all. Paul boasted to others of their generosity, and now that boast may prove to be empty. Some Macedonians will be going with Paul to collect the Corinthian contribution, and they will be embarrassed at how small the Corinthian donation is. And the Corinthians will be the most embarrassed of all. They will have failed to do what they promised, with no acceptable excuse. Paul’s words and actions, recorded in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, are intended to prevent embarrassment, by seeing to it that the Corinthians keep their commitments for their own good, for the good of others, and for the glory of God.

Trusted Colleagues Who Will Precede Paul
(8:16-24)

16 But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; 19 and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, 20 taking precaution that no one should discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; 21 for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent, because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. 24 Therefore openly before the churches show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

Paul is coming to Corinth. There is no doubt about that. But he is not coming immediately. Instead, he is sending this epistle along with several of his most trusted associates. Paul names one of the delegation he is sending to Corinth, a name which they will immediately recognize and rejoice over—Titus. Titus has already been to Corinth on what appears to be more than one occasion.⁵³ Paul speaks very highly of Titus. It is true that Titus is coming to Corinth (probably bearing this epistle) at Paul’s request and others (note “our appeal” in 8:17). But Paul wants them to know that the coming of Titus is his desire as well. He is not coming begrudgingly dragging his feet all the way. Titus is as eager to come personally as Paul and others are to send him.

In a momentary aside, I want to draw your attention to the wonderful picture Titus provides us of the willing service of the Christian. Just as Paul sends Titus on this mission, God instructs us by His Word. He gives us orders, as Paul and his colleagues instructed Titus to go back to Corinth. This “duty” is also a “delight” to Titus, as our “duties” should be a “delight” to us. When “duty” is a “delight,” we find our service not burdensome, but a source of great joy.

Titus is not the only one who is being sent to Corinth. Along with him, there is “the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches” (verse 18). As you might expect, there is a fair bit of speculation as to who this “brother” might be. Luke is one suggestion. I would think Apollos might be another. It is clear that God did not want us to know who this man is, and it does not matter in the least. What we do know is that this man’s qualifications are impeccable. All the churches know of him and regard him highly. By the description Paul gives us, this man seems to be a teacher of the Scriptures. From what we know of Titus (see the Book of Titus as well), it seems this is his role also.

Yet another man is referred to in verse 22, the “brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things …” Most commentators see this as a third member of the delegation. I am at least inclined to wonder if this fellow is not Titus, who is once again named in verses 23 and 24. Titus certainly was “found diligent in many things” (verse 22), and after his return from Corinth was “even more diligent” (verse 22; compare 7:13-15). Regardless of whether there are two or three men in this delegation, it is apparent that all of them are men of the highest caliber and reputation. To use the greeting card company’s expression, Paul “cared enough to send the very best.”

One cannot help but wonder why this delegation was sent ahead of Paul. Why is such an esteemed group necessary? It seems the purpose is at least two-fold. First, these men are sent to facilitate the financial follow-through Paul calls for in chapters 8 and 9. Paul urges the Corinthians to complete what they have purposed and promised to give, which they have actually begun to set aside. These men are sent to help the Corinthians do so. This is likely done by teaching and exhortation, which at least two of the men are gifted to do. Further, if the Corinthians’ failure in following through with their initial commitment is due to the false apostles’ erroneous teaching, these teachers of the truth will correct the errors and thus bring the Corinthians back to the truth, back to the gospel, and back to the grace of God which motivates grace giving.

The second role this delegation plays is to insure the integrity of this financial transaction. It is safe to say that the “false apostles” in Corinth are lining their own pockets. (This is probably where some of the absent funds are going.) Paul and his apostolic colleagues are absolutely scrupulous about money matters. They want to give no opportunity for any questions to be raised, any doubts to be created as far as how the funds are collected, kept, and distributed. How often money is the reason a given ministry or minister becomes discredited. Paul does not leave this matter to chance. These men are of the highest reputation, so that all will know the funds are all being used as promised and purposed.

A number of Christian organizations have joined organizations like the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (EFCA), a group which sets standards for its members to assure the donors to its member organizations that their monies are being used wisely. The Elders of CBC have given thought to joining this organization, but have decided otherwise, simply because we are not a large organization and because the costs and some procedures are prohibitive. We would say to you, however, that we have given very careful thought to our financial procedures and practices to avoid any appearance of sloppiness or misuse of funds. It was pointed out to us that only one person counts the offering each Sunday. We now have the offering counted twice, by two different people. This is not because we distrust anyone. (In fact, this is why we never thought of having two people count the offering.) But by doing this, we protect those who handle our funds from any accusation, and we protect the integrity of our ministry.

Lest anyone think this delegation is only representing Paul and his colleagues, Paul adds that these men were “a glory to God” and “messengers of the churches” (8:23). I wonder if this delegation was not a kind of team which met various needs in the Corinthian church. I am inclined to think that at least one of these men had some accounting skills. We know that one of the men was appointed to accompany the gift collected in Corinth and the other churches to Jerusalem (8:19). Thank God for such people, who are so meticulous in knowing where and how monies are spent. I am tempted to think that as these men “went over the books” of the Corinthian church (if indeed there were such books), they found serious discrepancies. If and when such discrepancies were discovered, the action which Paul calls for in the next chapter would be more than apparent.

But mainly, I believe Paul sent the best men available so the Corinthian saints would have every possible advantage to follow through with their earlier commitment. I do not believe Paul’s only motive was the “great need” which existed in Jerusalem. (Indeed, it is noteworthy that Paul, unlike many fund-raisers today, did not even describe the need in Jerusalem in this epistle.) I believe Paul greatly desired a generous gift from the Corinthians because of the blessing it would be for them. Because it is truly “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), then facilitating a generous gift on the part of the Corinthians is seeking their highest good. How different this attitude is from the religious hucksters, who view the saints as “easy victims” who deserve to be parted from their money.

Paul’s Reason for Sending This Delegation
(9:1-5)

1 For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints; 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I have sent the brethren, that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, that, as I was saying, you may be prepared; 4 lest if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to speak of you) should be put to shame by this confidence. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, that the same might be ready as a bountiful gift, and not affected by covetousness.

In one sense, it is unnecessary for Paul to write to the Corinthians about making a contribution. After all, he is not trying to sell the idea to them, because the Corinthians have been committed to making a contribution for at least a year. While Paul has written to the Corinthians of the Macedonians’ generosity, it is not as though the Corinthians are so reluctant to give that Paul has to use the generosity of these poor saints to spur the church at Corinth into action. In fact, Paul has spoken to other churches concerning the Corinthians’ generosity, just as he has written to the Corinthians concerning the Macedonians.

That, indeed, is a good part of the problem. Paul has actually boasted to other churches about the generosity of the Corinthians, based upon their initial enthusiasm of making a contribution to the poor. Corinth is a major city of the region of Achaia. When Paul spoke to the other churches of Achaia about the generosity of the Corinthians, they also promised to make a contribution. And their contributions have already been collected, awaiting the arrival of Paul and/or others to transport the monies to Jerusalem. This creates an embarrassing situation for Paul. The churches of Achaia have their offerings ready to collect, but the church he uses as a good example of generosity is not ready with their contribution. The Macedonians who will be coming with Paul to collect the Corinthian contribution will be appalled, Paul’s boasting will prove to be vain, and both he and the Corinthians will be embarrassed.

This is the reason Paul takes the decisive action of sending the delegation to Corinth ahead of him. He does not want the Corinthians to fail in this area. They have already repented of other wrongs; now let them make good on their promise to give to the poor. Time is short, but with the encouragement and facilitating gifts of this delegation, the Corinthians still have time to make good on their promise.

Guiding Principles to Counter Greed
(9:6-15)

6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. 7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ABIDES FOREVER.” 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the proof given by this ministry they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, 14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

The last words of verse 5 inform us of one of the principle problems at Corinth (and elsewhere) which adversely impacts grace giving: covetousness. Here, Paul says he has sent the brethren so they can assist the Corinthians in arranging beforehand their previously promised gift, which is not affected by covetousness. Covetousness is the illicit desire to have what belongs to another. Generosity is the godly desire for others in need to have what I possess. One cannot be covetous and generous at the same time. And so Paul turns our attention to those guiding principles concerning generosity which counter covetousness in the closing verses of chapter 9.

The first governing principle of sowing and reaping can be stated very simply: The way you sow is the way you reap.

There is a sense in which we should “give away” our excess material possessions to the poor and expect nothing from them in return. It is also true that when we do so, we know we will be rewarded by our Lord for our generosity in heaven:

17 He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed (Proverbs 19:17).

12 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. 13 But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-14).

In introducing the principle of sowing and reaping here in our text, Paul informs us that giving away some of what we have is the means by which God provides more for us to give. The one who sows sparingly, reaps sparingly. The one who sows bountifully, reaps bountifully. According to the principle of sowing and reaping, to give generously is the way to have an abundant return. The key to sowing bountifully is to delight in doing so. The reason we sow sparingly is because we sow begrudgingly. What we enjoy doing (giving generously), we do more abundantly. What we dislike intensely, we avoid. And so Paul urges the Corinthians to give generously, out of a heart filled with gratitude and joy.

Some people simply do not enjoy being generous. It causes them great pain to give up more of what they possess in order to bestow it upon someone who needs it more than they do. Once I suggested to a friend who was dying that she give away some of her possessions while she was alive, so that she could enjoy the act of giving while she was still alive. I had seriously misjudged the situation. This woman did not want to give anything away before she died, because she found no pleasure in giving. Only after her death, when she could keep her possessions no longer, would she reluctantly will them to someone else. How sad.

Giving generously is not only to be an act of joy, it must also be an act of faith. Let’s face it, when we give generously to the poor, it would seem there is no way we will ever see anything in return. But Paul introduces a second principle of giving: When we sow generously, God allows us to reap bountifully, so that we may be able to give even more.

Giving generously is giving graciously. When we show grace to others by giving generously, God replenishes our grace, so that we have yet more to give (verse 8). God graciously provides for us to be gracious, as we exercise grace toward others in generosity. It is He who “supplies and multiplies our seed for sowing” (verse 10).

Like most spiritual principles, this principle is just the opposite of what we would naturally think and practice with regard to generosity. We believe we can show generosity to others only after we have obtained all that we think we need for ourselves. I am willing to give to others, once I am assured that I have enough for myself. But I never quite reach the point where I think I have enough for myself, and so I keep postponing my generosity to others. Paul tells me that I must first be generous to others, and then after I have sown generously, God will cause me to reap in abundance, so that I may give even more. I must give joyfully and in faith, looking to God to provide for my own needs, as well as for my continuing generosity to others.

As I consider this principle of sowing and reaping, I am reminded of the story of Elijah and the Gentile widow of Zarephath, as recorded in 1 Kings 17. This woman was not given an abundance of food and then instructed to feed Elijah. She was virtually out of food and was instructed to give first to the prophet, and then to trust God to provide for her and her son. This woman’s provisions were always running out. She seemed to be taking food from the mouth of her child in order to first feed Elijah. But in generously giving to Elijah, she found that God provided for her needs and those of her son. We must not wait until we have plenty and then give to those in need, but we must give what we have to give, trusting God to provide for our own needs.

In verse 9, Paul cites Psalm 112:9: “He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness abides forever.” This psalm describes the righteous man’s generosity as sowing or scattering seed abroad. It is the basis for the imagery Paul employs in 1 Corinthians 9:6. This Psalm speaks not only of the righteous man, but of The Righteous Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This psalm, like so many others, moves from the godly man to The Godly Man. Only our Lord Jesus Christ is righteous. And so in the midst of describing what a righteous man looks like, the psalmist turns to the Lord Jesus Christ, showing Him to be the standard-bearer for generosity to the poor. Whatever Paul has called upon us to do with regard to the poor, it is in the final analysis only imitating our Lord.

The imagery of sowing and reaping is further refined by this third principle: When we sow generously, what we reap is far more than monetary.

Frankly, the religious hucksters are not entirely wrong in what they say or imply. When we give generously to God, God is generous to us in return. But the hucksters are wrong when they imply that God prospers us so that we may indulge ourselves. Paul indicates that God is generous to us so that we may be able to give generously to others. Paul also differs from the “good life gospeleers” in that he does not speak only of material benefits and blessings. Paul teaches us that we reap God’s blessings in a number of forms.

We reap God’s blessings as a harvest of righteousness (verse 10). Giving to the poor is not only what God does (Psalm 112:9, cited above in verse 9), it is what God requires and desires of us (see Romans 12:13; Galatians 2:10; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Hebrews 13:16; James 1:27). When we give to those in need, it is regarded by God as a spiritual sacrifice, pleasing in His sight (Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:16). And thus, gracious giving not only demonstrates the grace of God, it is regarded by God as an act of righteousness, inspired and enabled by His grace.

Furthermore, generous giving to the needs of the saints produces the fruit of praise and thanksgiving to God. When needy saints receive a generous gift from fellow-believers, whom they do not even know by name, they recognize that God is the ultimate source of the gift. And so they respond with thanksgiving and praise to God for His grace in their lives (verse 11). Gracious giving does far more than just meet a physical need; it is the source of many thanksgivings to God. Now that, my friend, is reaping abundantly!

Generous giving did something else for the recipients which was very important. Those in need were not just “the poor”; they were the poor in Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 24:17; see Acts 11:27-30; Romans 15:24-27). These were the Jewish saints who had great difficulty accepting the fact that Jesus Christ came to save both Jews and Gentiles to make them one in Him (see Luke 4:16-30; Acts 10-11; 22:22). The generous contribution of Gentile saints is proof that their profession of faith is genuine, and that their unity in Christ is real. Because of this, these Jewish saints glorified God.

Giving to the needs of others produces spiritual blessings for the giver as well (verse 14). This financial gift bonded the Jewish saints in Jerusalem and Judea with the Gentile saints abroad. Because of this, the prayers of the poor Jewish saints not only expressed praise and thanksgivings to God, but also petitions for the well-being of the Gentile saints who had given to them.

I would have to say from experience, both as a giver and as a recipient, that giving to those in need creates a very special bond. I graduated from seminary a good number of years ago now, and I think it is safe to say that those relationships which continue are often those which involved the exchange of money. It is no wonder that the Greek term koinonia is used for the sharing of funds in the New Testament (see, for example, Romans 12:13; 15:27; Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:15). What a way to demonstrate our unity—by sharing with the saints.

The final and fourth principle regarding generosity is recorded in verse 15 and may be summed up this way: No matter how generous our giving to others might be, it pales in insignificance when compared to the ultimate generosity of God, who saved us through the sacrifice of His Son. Paul is never far from the cross of Christ, even in a matter which seems as mundane as money. The gift of the Corinthians is but a drop in the bucket when compared to the gracious gift of salvation. The gift of salvation should never cease to produce awe, wonder, and gratitude. Our gifts to others should be a kind of commemoration of the gift of God in Christ. Our generosity is rooted in the generosity of our God in the person of our Savior, Jesus Christ:

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Conclusion

I am amazed at the lengths to which Paul is willing to go to promote godliness in the Corinthian church. How easy it would have been to write this bunch off as a bad investment. Instead, Paul has written them on a number of occasions, he has sent others to minister to them, and now he is sending a delegation of men to help the Corinthians do what they should do. Giving to the poor is not only good for the poor, it is good for those who give to them. Paul wants what is best for these saints, and he is willing to sacrifice personally in order to facilitate their good. You may remember that these were very difficult days for Paul in Macedonia, and the presence of those with Paul is a source of great comfort and encouragement (see 2 Corinthians 7:5-7). Rather than keep these men by his side to comfort and encourage him, he sends them on to Corinth to promote their godliness.

This text says much to those who are would-be donors, but it also speaks to those who may be the recipients of financial gifts from fellow-believers. First, it should remove any feelings of guilt or embarrassment for receiving from others. Giving is certainly intended to be a blessing to the recipient, but it is also to be a blessing for the donor. Have you benefited from the generosity of the saints? Be grateful for it. Praise God for it. Pray for those who have given to you. And don’t feel guilty for being a source of blessing to those who have given to you.⁵⁴

Our text says a great deal about the way we should raise funds and the way funds should be handled by the church. Paul’s appeal for funds is done in a way which does not appeal to the flesh, but rather in a way that depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. He does not employ guilt or greed as motives for giving, but rather the grace of God. The way funds are raised, handled, and distributed should mark the Christian apart from others and must avoid any questions concerning propriety. It is my opinion that much of the fund-raising done by religious organizations today falls far short of the standard set in our text.

I am impressed, once again, by Paul’s “team” approach in ministry to the Corinthians. There is a saying that goes like this: “If you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself.” Paul does not believe this at all. I sincerely believe Paul sent the delegation described in our text because he was certain they, as a team, could do a better job than he could have done alone. Paul had done what he could. He had written them a letter, he continued to pray for them, and he sent the team of men best suited to do the job which was needed in the Corinthian church. Paul was not a “one man army,” as were the “false apostles” at Corinth, who wanted to “own” their own group of devotees.

We should also learn a lesson from our text concerning the currently popular concept of “accountability.” Paul is very careful to hold the Corinthians accountable for the things they have purposed and promised. Paul holds their feet to the fire to complete the collection for the poor. He does all he can to encourage and facilitate their completion of this ministry. He also sees himself and the other apostles as accountable to the churches regarding the raising, collecting, and distribution of funds for the poor. The interesting thing to me is that the church at Corinth, as a church, is accountable not only to Paul and to the other true apostles, but to the delegation Paul sends. Paul sends a delegation of outsiders to Corinth to expose problems, to teach the Scriptures, to complete a collection, and to supervise the transfer of funds. In our day, when individual local churches pride themselves for being “autonomous,” we may need to step back and re-think our position. Here is a local church, accountable to the apostles and to a delegation which is sent to help them deal with their problems. There may be things wrong in our church which are obvious to an outsider, but to which we are blind. Let us give serious thought to how we practice our accountability to the larger body of Christ.

This text has something to say to those who excuse their failure to give because they think they do not have enough funds to give to others. First, giving to the poor is not just for those who have much to give, but for all those who have more. To use an analogy our Lord employs, when we see a brother who has no coat, we don’t have to own a coat factory; all we need is two coats (see Luke 3:11). The reason we may not have the means to give to the poor is because we have not sown from that which we have in order to reap more to give. We, like the widow who cared for Elijah, may need to give first to those in need, and then look to God to supply our needs. There is a difference here between faith and folly, but to the unbelieving, all faith is folly.

Finally, our text has some remarkable parallels to the second coming of our Lord. Paul has been to Corinth, where he has proclaimed the gospel and many have come to faith. In his absence, he has written several letters and sent others to minister to them. He has promised to return to them, and his return appears to have been delayed. Now, he is soon to come, and he does not want the Corinthians caught by surprise, not really ready for his return, and thus embarrassed by his coming. This is the reason Paul writes to them and sends this delegation to prepare the way for his return. He wants his return to be a joyful reunion.

Our Lord has come to this earth and proclaimed the gospel. He has departed by His resurrection and ascension, but He assures us that He is coming again. He does not want us to be caught unaware and unprepared. He wants us to be ready for His return so that our reunion will be a joyful one, rather than an occasion for embarrassment. And so He has left us with His Word and with other gifted saints, all of whom are to encourage and equip us to live godly lives, so that when He returns we will be found ready. What a joyful time that will be if we are ready and waiting. Are there things which need to be done beforehand? Then let us tend to them now, quickly, before He returns, so that our reunion may be a joyful one.

If you have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life, you are not ready for our Lord’s return. The time for repentance is now. Now is the time God has allowed for you to turn in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf, so that your sins might be forgiven and you may receive God’s gift of eternal life. Do not delay! Time is short! Trust in Him for salvation, and then live in a way that you will not be ashamed at His return.

53 Titus was there a year before to help the Corinthians “make a beginning” in their gift to the poor (8:6). He was also just there and had recently returned to Paul with a good report about them (7:6-7). These seem to be two different visits, and it is possible there were others. The return of Titus to Corinth would therefore appear to be his third visit to this city.

54 There are those who abuse the generosity of others, and there are texts which deal with this sin (see 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15), but that is not the topic of our text.

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Issues in Church Leadership/Ministry

13. Contrasting Christian Leaders With the Cultists (2 Cor. 10:1-18)

I, Paul, personally urge you in the meekness and gentleness of Christ to help me so that I won’t have to be bold when I come. The fact is that whether I am bold or meek depends upon you, and how you respond to what I am saying here. (By the way, I know that some criticize me, saying that I am bold when absent, and tough when I write!)

Let me go ahead and address the criticism those of us who are authentic apostles face from those who are not apostles at all. They actually accuse us of not being spiritual, of walking according to the flesh. We do live in the real, physical, world, and live “earthier” lives than they, but our warfare is not with fleshly weapons. Our weapons (which I talk about elsewhere, such as in Ephesians 6) are divinely empowered. We are not really at war with men, but with spiritual forces who promote falsehood by turning men away from the truth of the Word of God. We authentic apostles are seeking to destroy such speculations and heady philosophies which have no basis in the Word of God, and in fact are opposed to it. To some, such speculations appear to be insightful and wise, and they puff up the egos of those who devise and embrace them. We, however, want to be certain that our every thought has been subjected to the knowledge of God which we obtain from the Scriptures, and thus inclines us to obey Christ’s commands. And we are ready and willing to deal decisively with every form of disobedience which is introduced or practiced in the church. We hope, however, that we will not have to take the initiative in correcting the problems in the church when we come, but that you will deal with the errors now. Consequently, we are delaying our return long enough for you to be obedient to God by dealing with the disobedience of some in the church. When I come, I can then rejoice in the fact that you have done the right thing in regard to the trouble-makers who are among you.

One reason for the troubles you are having is that you are currently looking only at things as they appear to be. I said earlier that some accuse us of not being spiritual enough. Some take this criticism to extremes, denying that we are even in the faith. Does one of my critics feel confident that they are a Christian? Fine, but let them also be quick to recognize that we belong to Christ as well. How quickly the cultic mindset inclines us to presume that those who differ with us may be defective not only in their knowledge, and in their spiritual life, but also in their faith.

I know I have been talking a great deal about the authority which I share with my fellow-apostles, but even if I do, it is because I have it, and this is not to make life hard for you, but so that you might be strengthened in your faith. When I write to you and say hard things, it is not something I enjoy doing. I know that some are quick to criticize me by saying that my letters are dogmatic, while in person I am not nearly so awe-inspiring, either in my appearance or in my manner of speaking. But I want those who criticize me to know that I am not inconsistent in what I say and do. What I say in my letters is what I will say and do when I come to be with you. They only hope that in my appearance I will not be as hard on them as I have been in my letters. Their fears are well-founded because when I come, they are the ones with whom I will deal most severely.

Do they accuse us for being bold in what we write? We may seem bold, but in many ways we are not as bold as they are. We who are authentic apostles do not dare to appraise our importance the way they do. They compare themselves with each other. And since these folks write their own press releases to make themselves appear to be better than their peers, they really have to talk themselves up and others down. In doing this, they only reveal their own ignorance of how ministry in the body of Christ works.

We who are authentic apostles do not boast in things that are not ours to boast about. Some of these fellows who are false apostles come along and lay claim to you, boasting that you are the fruit of their labors, the result of their ministry. This simply isn’t true. We came to you first, preaching Christ, and you were saved through the gospel we preached. We are not overreaching when we claim you as our spiritual children, the fruit of our labor and ministry. In fact, as we continue to minister to you and as you continue to grow in Christ, our boasting in you should increase further. But we are not content to stop with you. Our desire is to press on to other places where we can preach Christ to those who have never heard of Him, and thus bear more fruit. We don’t want to claim the credit for what others have done, but simply to do what God has given us to do, and rejoice in the fruit He gives. We who are the authentic apostles do not and will not boast beyond what we should. In fact, the only boasting we do is to boast in the Lord. It doesn’t matter how much we commend ourselves, it only matters how much our Lord commends us. It is His commendation (and not men’s) that we seek.⁵⁵

Introduction

Because I have almost come to expect it, I am seldom shocked by what I read in the paper concerning some who profess to be evangelical Christian leaders. The list of “fallen” religious leaders is becoming quite long. Yet another article appeared recently in the newspaper concerning a Dallas-based televangelist, who is in the process of divorcing his second wife (another evangelist). The newspaper article raised all sorts of questions, not only about his morality, but also about his conduct in legal matters, such as tax evasion.

It is very easy for us to point our finger at such men (and women) and shake our heads in disgust, since they are not a part of our church. The frightening thing is that a future cult leader may indeed be a member of our congregation. In speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus, Paul warned that savage wolves would join their congregation, and that some of the elders he was addressing would arise, “speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). Harold Bussell, in his excellent little book, Unholy Devotion: Why Cults Lure Christians, describes some of the characteristics of a cult, and then shows that these same characteristics can be found among evangelical churches and Christians. In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul distinguishes himself and the other authentic apostles by contrasting the characteristics of the cultist leaders of that day with the doctrine, attitudes, and practice of the true apostles. These characteristics are just as true of leaders today as they were in Paul’s day, so let us be very attentive to his words.

Characteristic #1:
Paul Is Meek and Gentle, Unless Forced to Act Otherwise

Paul makes his appeal to the Corinthians in “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (verse 1). That is, Paul is meek and gentle, like Christ. Just what is this “meekness” and “gentleness” like? It is important for us to know because surely we too should demonstrate this Christ-like character. This meekness of our Lord was prophesied in the Old Testament, fulfilled by our Lord in the New, and required of those who have trusted in Him:

1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not be disheartened or crushed, Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law” (Isaiah 42:1-4).

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My load is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

5 “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE,⁵⁶ AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN’” (Matthew 21:5).

12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you (Colossians 3:12-13).

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (James 3:13-18).

As I have studied and pondered this very difficult-to-nail-down term, “meekness,” I have concluded that it is a term employed to describe those in authority, those who are leaders. Initially, I wondered how meekness and leadership could be compatible, but now I realize that meekness is one of the necessary attitudes of a Christian leader. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, He fulfilled Zechariah 9:9, which prophesied the coming of Israel’s King, her gentle and meek King.

As I currently understand the biblical concept of meekness, there are at least three dimensions which relate to leadership. The first dimension is humility. A leader who is meek realizes that his or her position is divinely given and divinely empowered. There is no pride, because our leadership is rooted in God’s goodness and grace and not in anything we can claim as our own, independent of God. The second dimension of meekness in leadership is gentleness. It is very easy for a leader to “lord it over” his followers, because he has the power and the authority to do so. Meek leadership does not push people around, but gently leads (see Matthew 20:25-27; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Peter 5:1-5). The third dimension is that meek leaders are not defensive, constantly reacting to their critics or retaliating to their criticism, but looking to the Lord to defend and to vindicate them. This is especially evident in Moses:

1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2 and they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) (Numbers 12:1-3).

The meekness and gentleness of Paul not only identifies him with Christ and his fellow-apostles, it also clearly distinguishes him from the false apostles:

These “take charge” folks are willing and eager to push people around, and their followers seem to love it. Paul dramatically and decisively distances himself from such leaders.

I must say to you that many Christians foolishly regard bullies as “spiritual leaders,” and they are tragically wrong. Assertiveness does not make one a leader. I fear that all too many pushy people are placed into leadership roles simply because they are aggressive and assertive. I am not saying that an aggressive person cannot ever be a leader. I am saying that their aggressive bent will have to be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. I am saying that there may be many very capable, quiet leaders whom we have overlooked because we equate leadership with certain aggressive, assertive personality types.

I will go on to say that I have watched a number of single women be “swept off their feet” by the aggressive, assertive types, assuming that because of their assertive personalities their suitors must be “spiritual leaders.” All too often (and usually too late), they come to realize that the one they married is not a “spiritual leader” but a dictator. Beware of cultural stereotypes when it comes to leadership.

In verse 2 of our text, Paul pleads with⁵⁷ the Corinthians to deal with the situation there so that he will not have to “play hardball” with the trouble-makers when he arrives. He does so indicating to them that he knows the criticism of some, that he is “meek when face to face with them, but bold when absent” (verse 1). Do they really think Paul will not be as strong in a face to face confrontation as he is when writing them from a distance? If so, they are wrong!

There comes a time when meek and gentle leaders must get tough. While I would agree that one can exercise aggressive leadership and still be meek, and even gentle, I do not think meekness and gentleness are always needed or appropriate. Our Lord was meek and gentle when challenged by the scribes and Pharisees. He was meek and gentle in dealing with guilty, but repentant, sinners. He was meek and gentle while He hung upon the cross of Calvary. Our Lord’s first coming was characterized by His meekness and gentleness. But His second coming will be vastly different, when He returns to defeat and punish His enemies (see Matthew 26:64; Acts 2:32-36; Revelation 19:11-18).

Meekness and gentleness characterized our Lord in His first coming and in His relationship to His own, but this will not be the case in His second coming in relationship to His enemies. Likewise, Paul deals meekly and gently with the Corinthians in his letters, but when he returns he will take whatever measures are required to straighten out those matters the Corinthians have not dealt with in his absence. If the Corinthians deal with these things before he comes, he will not have to come in this “take charge,” “throw the rascals out” manner. Paul can come to them in meekness and gentleness, or he can come to them “with a rod” (1 Corinthians 4:21). The choice is theirs.

Characteristic #2:
Paul’s Spirituality Is Vastly Different From That of His Critics

I entitled the series taught on 1 Corinthians, “True Spirituality” for good reason. Paul’s Corinthian opponents think of themselves as super-spiritual (see 1 Corinthians 4:7-8; 12:1ff.; 14:37-38). They are so arrogant and self-deceived that they regard Paul as unspiritual, as he indicates in our text:

2 I ask that when I am present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:2).

The “super-spirituality” of some of the Corinthians is the exact opposite of “true spirituality.” But they are so arrogant and self-deceived they do not see it. And so some Corinthians are proud because of their divisions, when they should be ashamed (see 1 Corinthians 1:10ff.). Some Corinthians are proud of the fact that they embraced a man as a part of their fellowship, even when his immorality shocked the pagan Corinthians (1 Corinthians 5, esp. v. 2). Some feel super-spiritual for participating in pagan idol-worship meals, looking down upon those brethren who will not do so as though they are “weak” (1 Corinthians 8-10). Some Corinthians take pride in persuasive techniques, in merchandising methods which are inappropriate for the gospel, and in their prosperity and popularity, while looking down upon Paul and the other authentic apostles as shameful (1 Corinthians 4). The list could go on and on.

Paul wants the Corinthians to know that he does not apologize that his life is much more earthly than some of his critics’ lifestyle, and that his spirituality is evident in his view of what spiritual warfare is really about, and how it is waged. This will be the next point of contrast between the Corinthian cultists and the authentic apostles.

Characteristic #3:
Paul’s View of Spiritual Warfare Differs From That of His Critics

Paul does not spell out all of the ways his critics err in their view of the spiritual war, but I believe there are indications. It is obvious that certain spiritual gifts have been wrongly elevated above other gifts (1 Corinthians 12). The spectacular gifts are valued more highly than the apparently mundane gifts, but Paul challenges this way of ranking the gifts. Tongues are valued more than prophecy, and it seems that speaking gifts are valued more than serving gifts. I imagine then that the spiritual warfare of Paul’s opponents focuses more on the spectacular elements (such as casting out demons, a “ministry” which even an unbeliever can perform—see Matthew 7:15-23), than on the spiritual disciplines of godliness.

Paul sees spiritual warfare in more earthy terms. In 1 Timothy 4, he identifies false teaching concerning marriage and meats as the “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1-5). In our text, Paul sees the spiritual warfare as being waged against two great evils: (1) any doctrinal departure from the revealed Word of God, especially regarding the nature and character of God Himself and (2) any practice which is disobedient to the commands of Christ.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, NASB).

There are those who explain their spirituality by saying something like: “Oh, we don’t worship doctrine, we worship Jesus.” That sounds really spiritual, but Paul would not buy it for a moment. “Just what Jesus do you worship?,” Paul would ask. “Is your Jesus born of a virgin, truly God and truly man, the sinless Son of God, whose shed blood is sufficient to save lost sinners?” It is doctrine that defines the “Jesus” whom we trust for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life. A doctrine is simply a definition; doctrine defines what we are talking about, what we believe in.

First and foremost, for Paul, for the other authentic apostles, and for orthodox evangelicals down through church history, the only authoritative source of doctrine is the Word of God. Paul tells us that when he wages spiritual warfare, it is against any doctrine which goes beyond that which the Bible reveals, or which goes against the Word of God. The “super-spiritual” false apostles of Corinth find Paul’s gospel too simplistic, too foolish, and not intellectually appealing. They promote a new gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Paul informs us that spiritual warfare is a battle for the truth of God’s Word, against the heady philosophies and theories and speculations of the false apostles. The battle for truth at Corinth is the same as the battle for truth elsewhere (see Matthew 7:15-23; Acts 20:28-32; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 2:8; 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:5-7; 4:1-5; 6:3-5, 20-21; 2 Timothy 2:14-17, 23-26; 4:1-4; Titus 1:10-14; 3:9-11; Hebrews 13:9; 2 Peter 2:1-2; 3:1-4, 14-18; Jude 1:3-4, 16-22). There were those who came with more “spiritual” teachings, based upon a distortion or a denial of the Scriptures, or upon theory and speculation with little or no biblical basis. Paul sees the spiritual warfare as a battle for the truth. His weapons are the Word of God and the Spirit of God. He denounces any claim to spiritual truth not founded on the Word of God, and particularly that which distorts or denies the biblical teaching concerning the knowledge of God (verse 5).

For Paul and the apostles, the source of revelation is very restrictive. God spoke finally and fully through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). Our Lord spoke only that which the Father gave Him to speak (John 3:32; 5:30-40; 8:25-29, 40). And the things which Jesus spoke to the disciples, He sent the Holy Spirit to bring to the disciples’ minds and understanding after His departure (John 14:25-31; 16:1-15; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16). And the disciples (the apostles) were commissioned by God to communicate these truths to us through the written Word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Peter 2:1-12-21). No wonder Paul and his colleagues in the gospel ministry are so concerned with preserving and promoting the Word of God as it had been conveyed through the Scriptures.

Paul is not just concerned about preserving and promoting the truths of Scripture as a basis for doctrine, but as the basis for practice as well. And so Paul says secondly that the spiritual warfare is conducted in terms of obedience to the Word of God. Paul writes that he seeks to bring “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (verse 5). I take it that Paul means this: the final test of truth is whether it results in obeying Christ’s commands. If you remember the Great Commission, Jesus said to His disciples:

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, NASB).

I have heard a lot of very carefully reasoned expositions and explanations of certain biblical texts, which result in saying Jesus did not mean for us to do what He seems clearly to have commanded us to do. The only truth Paul wants anything to do with is that truth which prompts men to obey our Lord’s commands. Truth which turns us from that which is clearly and emphatically taught about God in the Bible, or that which turns us from obedience to the commands of Scripture is best considered falsehood. For Paul, this is what the Christian’s spiritual warfare is all about.

I want to pause here to press home the words of Paul as they apply to hermeneutics (a fancy word for the science of interpreting Scripture). Paul touches on areas where all Christians are vulnerable and where many doctrinal deviations and heresies begin. The Bible is our text, our only source of doctrine and instruction. Doctrines that do not come from the Scriptures must be seen as dubious at best, and dangerous and even damning at worst. We should be very careful that our process of interpreting the Scriptures is not overly dependent on inference and human reasoning rather than upon clear, categorical declarations and propositions. The more inferential our interpretation is, the more dangerous it is. The more we have to see between the lines, the more suspect it should be to us. The more heady and philosophical we become in our handling of Scripture, the more we are depending upon our own reasoning and not on revelation. As I understand Ephesians 4:17-24, our natural bent is to deny or to debate God’s Word and His way of thinking. We are to saturate our minds with the truths of the Word of God, and then we shall have our thinking transformed, so that we begin to think God’s thoughts after Him. When we come to the Scriptures through the grid of our natural minds, we tend to distort the truth, in accordance with the fallen mindset of this world. But when we immerse our minds in the Scriptures, our thinking is transformed, so that we begin to think as God does.

In some Christian circles, the more “spiritual” an interpretation of Scripture sounds, the more “spiritual” it is assumed to be. Thus, the interpreter appears to be “spiritual” as well. But “spiritual” interpretation is just a nice term for fanciful, fictional, allegorical interpretation. Let us beware of twisting the Scriptures, to cause them to conform to what we have always been inclined to want or to think. As Paul has written in 1 Corinthians 2, the things of God are foreign to us. Our natural minds would not and could not grasp the thoughts of God. The Holy Spirit enables us to think God’s thoughts. But God’s spiritual thoughts must not be equated with spiritualized, mystical thinking. Often, those interpretations represented as “spiritual” may indeed be “spiritual,” but from the wrong “spirit.” One of the characteristics of false teaching is that it is speculative (see Romans 1:21; 1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:23; 4:4; Titus 1:14). Orthodoxy is precise, declarative, and definitive.

Have you ever noticed that cult leaders attract a following because they have some “new” insight into truth, insight which all others have missed? Does this not tell you something? If what I or anyone else teaches as the truth is new and novel, you should raise serious questions of how such a “truth” could have been overlooked by so many for so long, if indeed it is so clear and so vital.

Paul tells us that a crucial test of truth is whether it produces or promotes obedience to the clear commands of our Lord. Does our interpretation of the Word of God result in our obedience or in our disobedience? I have heard some very fancy reasoning, whose end result is that we do not need to do what God has commanded, or that we really need to do something He has not commanded. The spiritual warfare Paul fought was one aimed at learning, practicing, declaring, and defending the truths clearly, emphatically, and repeatedly taught in the Bible. Let us be people of the Word, as Paul urges, and in so doing, fight the good fight of faith.

If the test of truth is that it must square with the Scriptures and promote obedience to the commands of our God, then these tests also distinguish authentic apostles from counterfeit apostles, and true teachers of the Word of God from the false teachers. It is the Scriptures which judge men, and not men who judge the Scriptures.

Characteristic #4:
Paul Differs From the Cultists on the Basis for Judging Spirituality and Success

In our passage, Paul points out how his cultist opponents differ from him in the way they judge spirituality or success. He first writes in verse 7: “You are looking at things as they are outwardly.”⁵⁸Then in verse 10, he gives us the words of his opponents who criticize his personal appearance and preaching style: “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive, and his speech contemptible.” Finally in verse 12, Paul criticizes his opponents for measuring themselves against themselves.

Paul is criticized by his opponents because he refers too often to his apostolic authority (verse 8). In fact, Paul’s authority was given to him for the edification (building up) of the churches and not for doing them harm. The most important thing Paul says about his authority is its source: “which the Lord gave …” (verse 8). Paul’s authority came from God and not from men. His critics could not make the same claim. They promote themselves and commend themselves, or as rendered loosely from above, they “write their own press releases.” They promote themselves by frequently making comparisons with others. This is why Paul tells us that the authentic apostles would not “class or compare themselves with some of those who commend themselves.” The counterfeit apostles “measure themselves by themselves,” and “compare themselves with themselves.” These men seek to elevate themselves by misrepresenting their own accomplishments and minimizing the accomplishments of others. No wonder there are cliques in Corinth with all this competition taking place! Paul’s ministry is not self-promoting but self-sacrificing, and his goal is not the building up of his own reputation, image, and power, but the building up of the church.

How foolish (note, “they are without understanding” in verse 12) and evil this competitive spirit is to the church. These men must have spoken mainly in the first person singular (“I,” “my”), but Paul often speaks in the first person plural (“we,” “our”). These men are not team players, because they dare not give anyone credit for anything. (Can you imagine a Democratic politician giving his Republican opponent credit for anything in an election year? Or vice-versa?) Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3 now make even more sense to me:

4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:4-9).

The cooperative (body) model of ministry is vastly different from the competitive (Corinthian) model of ministry. Paul’s ministry is of the cooperative type.

Characteristic #5:
Paul’s Critics, the Cultists, Are Exclusivists

The false apostles are not team players at all, but exclusivists. They cannot even give credit to their fellow false apostles with whom they are in competition. On the one hand, these fellows represent themselves as being “like,” or as being “one of,” the apostles. They claim apostolic authority for themselves and want to be regarded as the authentic apostles (see 11:12). But conversely, they do not really wish to share authority with Paul and his colleagues, and so they continually criticize and attempt to discredit them, as we see in our text and throughout the Corinthian epistles.

It is amazing to see how far they are willing to go with this. I can see them criticizing Paul for his humble lifestyle, for his suffering and afflictions, and even for his appearance and preaching style. But it is very difficult to see how they can work up the courage to accuse Paul of being “unspiritual” (10:2). It is even more difficult for me to grasp how they can insinuate that Paul is not even saved, and yet this appears to be his meaning in verse 7:⁵⁹

7 You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.

The cultist never thinks inclusively; he always thinks exclusively. The cultist mindset looks down on others as being less spiritual. Then, almost inevitably, they become exclusive. If you are not a member of the church of ________, then you are not saved. Unless you have been baptized by ________, you are not a genuine Christian. Unless you are a member of this man’s organization … Unless you have spoken in tongues, you cannot be …

Having said this, I want you to know that I am not in any way suggesting that all church members are saved and going to heaven. What I am saying is that the cultist is unwilling to accept anyone as a believer, based upon their profession of faith in Christ, alone. The cultist tends to say that you can be saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and _________. The Judaizers in the New Testament granted that a Gentile could be saved by faith in Christ (see Acts 11:18), but they also insisted that these Gentiles, in order to be saved, must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1-5). The “Christian cultist,” that person who is a cultist and claims to be a Christian, grants that people are saved by trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but they also want to add something else, like baptism or belonging to a certain church, or following a certain leader. All others are less spiritual or not saved at all, they say, or at least lead us to infer.

There is a bit of the cultist in every one of us. In our church, we attempt to follow the Scriptures very closely. We might even suppose that we follow the Scriptures more closely than some other churches do. I hope this is true, and that we do take the Scriptures very seriously. But there is a way in which this can lead to pride, so that we begin to look upon those in other churches (even Bible churches) as less spiritual. This is essentially a cultic mindset, rooted in pride, and it must be rooted out.

Our convictions are also our distinctions. They make us unique and cause us to stand out from other believers. We need to have convictions as a church which set us apart, but we need to be careful that we do not think this sets us above others, just because it sets us apart from others. Let us remember that it is in the fundamentals that we agree with our fellow-believers, and it is in the incidentals (usually) that we differ. But churches can become competitive, just as seminaries and Christian organizations can do. When we find ourselves competing, we will soon see that we are holding up our convictions as those distinctions which make us better than others. Then comes pride and the cultic mindset. Let us beware of this devastating mindset of the cultist.

Characteristic #6:
Paul’s Critics, the Cultists, Prey Upon the Sheep

There is a sense in which the cultists are not truly evangelistic, in that many of their “converts” are not pagans who have never heard of or named the name of Christ, but those who have, and may continue to, profess Christ as Savior and Lord. I have heard, for example, that Southern Baptists are the most likely converts to Mormonism. This is certainly not a criticism of Southern Baptists, but a simple pointing out of what allegedly is a statistical reality.

The Corinthian “false apostles” are not suffering as Paul is, as we can see by reading 1 Corinthians 4 and elsewhere. They are “present” in Corinth while Paul is absent. Why is this so? The answer is not that difficult. They stayed in Corinth, laying claim to the converts of Paul’s ministry, while Paul was out on the cutting edges of civilization, attempting to win more pagans to Christ. The “false apostles” are where it is comfortable, where they can live off the fat of the land. Paul is out on the frontiers, paying the price for preaching the gospel. The cults often prey upon those who have already professed faith in Christ. They are not “winning converts” as much as they are perverting the gospel and turning believers from the truth they first learned. They are “sheep stealers” (see John 10:1-18), who seek to turn men from following Christ to following themselves (see Acts 20:30).

Characteristic #7:
Paul’s Critics, the Cultists, Are Thieves

The cultists of Corinth seek to make personal followers of those who are saved through Paul’s ministry and who have come to trust and follow Christ. They take credit for Paul’s ministry. They boast in things for which they should never take credit. They boast in that which God has done. They boast in what God has done through others than themselves. They boast in the labors of others. Paul reminds the Corinthians of his labor among them, and that many of them are his children in the faith. He also indicates that he and his colleagues continue to minister to them, and as they continue to grow, there will be even further reason for them to be “enlarged” by these Corinthians.

Paul’s desire is not to rest on his laurels, but to press on, preaching to those even more distant. He hopes that the Corinthians will help send him on his way to do this, and thus become partners with him in this ministry. Paul, like our Lord, is not a sheep-thief, trying to steal the fruit of another man’s labors. He is a good shepherd, laying down his life for the sheep.

Characteristic #8:
The Cultists Seek the Approval of Men Rather Than of God

The Corinthian cultists are those who take credit for ministry that is not their own. They even compete with one another and criticize Paul and his fellow-apostles. They appraise spirituality and success by external appearances. They take pride in that for which they should not take credit. In the end, it is apparent that they are more interested in gaining the approval of men than of God. Paul concludes this chapter by setting this matter straight: “But HE WHO BOASTS, LET HIM BOAST IN THE LORD. For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:17-18, NASB).

In order to think of himself (or herself) as superior to others, the cultist must compare himself with others in a way that makes him look superior. In the end, Paul’s opponents are boasting. Paul reminds all who minister that their ministry is God-given, just as the fruit of their ministry is God’s work (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 12:1-11). If there is any boasting to be done, let it be boasting in God and what He has done through us (and often in spite of us). If there is any approval, any commendation to be sought, let it be His commendation. Let us labor so that He will say to us in that day, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Conclusion

Our text is about leadership. The leadership problem in the church at Corinth is precisely the same problem our Lord addresses constantly with His disciples in the Gospels.

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” 24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:20-28).

It is the same problem Peter addresses in his first epistle:

The interesting thing about the way Paul addresses this problem with leadership at Corinth is that he does not really address the leaders, but the church as a whole. The introductions of both 1 and 2 Corinthians have no reference to the leaders of the church, as we find, for example, in Philippians 1:1. Paul cannot call upon the leaders at Corinth to deal with the problem because they are the problem. The solution is to remove these leaders, and we can hardly expect that they will remove themselves.

The leadership problem in the Corinthian church is very serious. Paul begins dealing with this problem very cautiously in 1 Corinthians, giving his adversaries every benefit of the doubt, but in 2 Corinthians 11, the veil is lifted, and Paul’s verdict is declared: these leaders may not be Christians at all, and they certainly are not authentic apostles. These are “messengers of Satan,” who have introduced a “different gospel.” It is now time for the Corinthians to deal with this problem decisively, or Paul will be forced to do so when he arrives. Better for them that they deal with it than that Paul does.

Just how should the Corinthians deal with this problem? Do you notice that Paul does not name those who should act, nor does he precisely prescribe the process by which the problem should be solved? Why not? I think the answer is illustrative of Paul’s (biblical) leadership style, as contrasted with an authoritarian leadership style. Many Christians want “a strong leader, who will tell them what is right and what is wrong,” and who will “tell them exactly what they should do.” Did you notice that Paul has not done this? Paul sets down biblical truths (such as the doctrine of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15) and biblical principles (such as those governing the eating of meats offered to idols in 1 Corinthians 8-10). He purposely avoids naming the names of those who are cultists in Corinth. He wants the Corinthians to discern this, based upon the truths he has set down. He wants to see who will stand up to these false apostles and how they will deal with ridding the church of them.

I believe Paul expects that the leadership crisis in Corinth is the occasion where godly leaders will emerge. This seems to be the inference of Paul’s earlier words:

1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God. 6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. 7 For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Corinthians 4:1-7)

17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part, I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you (1 Corinthians 11:17-19).

15 Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), 16 that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors (1 Corinthians 16:15-16).

Authoritarian leadership must always “take the bull by the horns,” and “handle things personally.” Paul sets down the biblical doctrines and principles which apply to the situation, points out some of the problems, and looks to the Corinthians to make matters right. And as they do, godly leadership will emerge and be recognized for what it is.

If I understand the spiritual gifts correctly, the gifts are not given to the church so that others can avoid their obligations in this area. Those who have the gift of giving are not placed in the church so they can give and the rest of us can take (or at least avoid giving ourselves); those gifted to give are given to help us learn to give more and to give better. Those gifted to teach should not only teach us to learn, but should teach us to teach better. And those gifted to lead should not take over, expecting us only to follow. Gifted leaders lead in a way which makes all of us better leaders, in our homes, in our jobs, and in our church. Paul is this kind of leader. His leadership promotes the leadership of others. Paul is not just out to undermine his critics; he is out to expose false apostles and to encourage godly leaders in the Corinthian church to step forward and deal with these “wolves” themselves. This is biblical leadership—not only leading, but building leadership.

A word should be said here about ecclesiology (a fancy theologian’s term for the doctrine of the church). The structure of the church has a significant impact on this matter of cultic leadership. A church with a “top down” structure is most vulnerable to authoritarian leaders. One man is at the top, determining and declaring what is true and what is not, what is best and what is not, who the other leaders will be and who they will not be. When this man is godly, things may go well. The problem is that his power may go to his head, and he may become authoritarian. And when this man passes off the scene, he may be replaced by an ungodly leader. And since the “top down,” “one man at the helm” church is accustomed to having the “man at the top” determine truth and error, good ministry and poor ministry, the whole church blindly follows him into error.

The church at Corinth is not this kind of a church. In fact, none of the New Testament churches are structured this way. They are not led by one man, whom they call their pastor; they are led and governed by a group of men called elders (see Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17-19; Titus 1:5-9; Philippians 1:1). This plurality of leadership tends to keep authority and power from being centralized in just one man. The open, somewhat free-form format of the church meeting, described in 1 Corinthians 14, does give self-seeking and self-asserting men a forum, but it is expected that the rest of the church will keep such men in check, correcting and even removing them when necessary.

We at Community Bible Chapel have endeavored over the years to imitate and emulate the New Testament church, as we see it defined and described in Acts and the Epistles. We do so because we believe that we should follow God’s instructions regarding His church, and also because we believe that the New Testament structure of the church is that which best avoids the glorification of men and most promotes and enhances the glory of God.

We all fail. There is a little of the cultist in every one of us. We believe that when the church functions as a body, one member will not be exalted above the others. We believe that even those who have dynamic gifts should recognize their needs and deficiencies, and depend upon the rest of the body of Christ to minister to them. And when we fail, as we surely will, we look to God to raise up those who see our error, and who will, with meekness and gentleness, point this out. It may well be that, in the context of our problems and failures, God will raise up new leaders who will further enhance our worship, our witness, and our ministry.

Let me close by once again pointing out that Paul holds the entire church accountable for recognizing false teaching, false apostles, and error. He holds the whole church responsible for dealing with such problems and making things right. Allow me to suggest a couple of ways that you, as an individual member of this body, may contribute to this great task.

If Paul is not impressive in his personal appearance or in his speaking style, we would surely agree that the church should listen to him anyway, even though it may take more effort on the listener’s part. If the cultists of Corinth are good looking, smooth and winsome in their teaching style, we should all realize that the Corinthians should not listen to their teaching, no matter how much human appeal they have in their teaching. Are we not sometimes inclined to assume that those with the “gift of gab” have the “gift of teaching”? Based upon our text, I must wonder why we make such an assumption. A gifted teacher is one who communicates the truth in a way that brings glory to God and edification to the church. We must be a little careful in assuming that “a good teacher” and “a gifted teacher” are one and the same. Is this how some of the Corinthian cultists rose to prominence and power? Neither the style of the teacher nor the size of the audience may be indicative of spiritual gift. We need to think on this matter.

When a man speaks in the meeting of the church at Community Bible Chapel, it may be for a number of reasons, and not all of these reasons are always good ones. The way we respond to those who speak (and thereby exercise leadership) plays a crucial role in the development of Christian leaders and in the development of cultic leaders. Let us be careful that in attempting to “encourage” those who speak that we do not flatter them. Let us not say we are blessed when we are not. Let us not accept error when it is taught. Those who speak should be encouraged for speaking the truth and for promoting godliness and worship. Those who speak too often should be cautioned, perhaps even rebuked. Those who speak in error should be corrected. At times, those who speak error publicly must be corrected publicly. This is the way to encourage godly leadership and to deal with self-assertive leadership. And this is not just the job of the elders and deacons. It is the responsibility of every believer.

When we seek to identify and develop new leaders, let us beware of seeking out or appealing to those who “desire to lead.” Ambition and compulsion are not traits which characterize godly leaders. If you want to find a good Christian leader, find a good Christian follower, one who is both willing and able to serve. These are the kind of people who, when asked, will submit to serving God by leading, but who do not have to lead to feel significant. The church has too many folks who want to lead, and too few folks who want to serve. Those who should lead are those who can and will serve, who do not need to lead in order to feel significant or successful. Let us not seek to create new leaders by appealing to those motivations which characterize the cultist. Let us not appeal to their pride (“I don’t know anybody as good as you are …”) or to the lust for power or position, but to obedience in serving our Lord.

In the end, we are to lead like Jesus led and continues to lead His church, with meekness and gentleness. We will never learn to lead better than by dwelling on Him who is our Leader, Jesus Christ. Let us follow Him, and as we do, challenge others to follow Him as well. We are not to seek our own followers, but to challenge others to follow Him. Let us, like Paul, exemplify the Lord Jesus Christ in all of our leadership, and let us, like Paul, speak out against that leadership which lures men from following Christ, rather than submitting to Him and serving Him.

55 I would not even dare to call this a paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 10. It is my attempt to capture, for my own study and benefit, the flow of the argument of this chapter, as I currently understand it. If this effort helps you better understand the text, then it has been worth it. In any case, once you have read this synopsis, I would spend the rest of my time studying a good, literal translation. You may find that writing your own paraphrase helps you to understand a passage by summing it up in your own words. Try it.

56 The term “gentle” here in the NASB is rendered “meek” in the King James Version.

57 While I am a strong advocate and defender of the NASB, I do not think the word “ask” is the best choice of terms to translate the original term. The term Paul uses is listed 22 times in the New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance. It is rendered “ask” only once, and that in our text. Elsewhere, it is rendered “beg” six times and is used of prayer eight times. It is a term which exemplifies Paul’s meekness and gentleness.

58 There are different ways to render this sentence, as other translations (and the marginal note in the NASB) indicate. It seems to me that the rendering of the NASB is best and most consistent with other statements elsewhere, such as in 5:16.

59 Some, perhaps even most, students of the New Testament would not go as far as I have, in concluding that Paul’s salvation is being brought into question. Nevertheless, this appears to be what the text says, and it is really quite true to life, as my comments above suggest.

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14. The Father of the Bride Exposes the Master of Deceit (2 Cor. 11:1-15)

Reluctantly, I am going to attempt to commend myself, following the same approach as those who oppose me when they commend themselves. I know this is foolishness, and I regret having to do it, but I hope that you will tolerate me as I engage in such foolishness. What am I saying? In some of your minds, you’ve been tolerating me and my foolishness for a very long time, haven’t you?

There is a very good reason why you should cut me a little slack and allow me to make a point here, even if foolishly. Let me remind you of the relationship I have with you, and the deep obligation I feel concerning your relationship to Christ. When I came to Corinth and preached the gospel to you, you came to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life. I became, as it were, your spiritual father. And you became my virgin daughter, as it were. Through the gospel I proclaimed to you, I arranged your engagement to Christ, to whom you are to be married, when He returns for you. And now, as your father, it is my duty to keep you in a state of purity and innocence toward Christ, until the day of your marriage. My problem is that I have good cause to worry about your purity and devotion to Christ. The danger to which I am referring can be seen at the very outset of human history, when Satan led Eve astray. Satan (the serpent), cunning creature that he is, deceived Eve with all his smooth talk. In the same way, I fear that false apostles in Corinth will lead you astray from a simple and pure commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ with their silver-tongued oratory. Satan, our arch-enemy, is behind all this, and he will attempt to seduce you by using the very same tactics he successfully employed with Eve.

It is evident that Satan has already gained a foothold among you, indicating that my fears concerning you are well-founded. This is demonstrated by several forms of “intolerable toleration” on your part. If one comes to you preaching about a “Jesus” other than the biblical Jesus of whom we have written and spoken, you are very tolerant indeed. And when the Holy Spirit is rejected and replaced by another “spirit,” you don’t even seem to notice the change. Furthermore, the gospel that we preached is being corrupted and distorted, so that it is really another gospel, and yet you are ever so gracious to these heretics, tolerating them and their heresies without so much as a word of protest.

Now I know that you think you have good reason to question the role that I should play in your lives, and this is why I must defend myself against some of the charges leveled against me. One of them is that I should not even be ranked among the “super apostles.” The reason given is that my presentation doesn’t seem to be as smooth, as persuasive, or as forceful as the eloquent speech of others. All right, so I am not like them in style. (Some of this may be by choice, and not just a matter of ability. You should look at what I have said elsewhere, such as in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 3:1-3; 2 Corinthians 1:17; 4:1-2.) But set aside the eloquence factor for a moment, and at least acknowledge that while I may fall short of others in this regard, I am not inferior to them in terms of the truths God has given me to reveal (such as the “mysteries” I have mentioned in Ephesians 3:8-10). This is knowledge I have taught you, so you can’t be ignorant of the unique contribution I have made as an apostle, which other apostles were not chosen to reveal.

I know another reason why some have very little regard for me as an apostle. My opponents (like their pagan peers) judge the value of the speaker by the size of the fee he charges to deliver an address. By this standard, I would seem to have nothing worth saying since I often refuse to be remunerated for my teaching (as I have already pointed out in chapter 9). Sometimes I earn my own keep by working with my hands. On a few occasions I may minister to you free of charge because of the generous support I receive from other churches, like those in Macedonia. Is preaching free of charge such a great offense to you? Was I wrong to do this, and did I rob other churches when I allowed them to support my ministry to you? My actions were prompted by my desire not to be a burden to you. I would rather be like Christ, sacrificially giving of myself to bring about your good. This is something I will not cease doing, because such sacrifices (unlike my opponents, who boast in their honoraria) are the basis for my boasting. Don’t you see that this is further proof of my love for you?

There is another reason why I will not live off of your contributions. By finding my financial support elsewhere, I am able to distinguish myself from my opponents in Corinth and elsewhere, who really try to represent themselves as functioning on a par with me. They want to be regarded as having the same ministry and the same authority as I do, along with my colleagues. They want to claim an equal status with those of us who are authentic apostles, and they do so by boasting in a certain matter, which they believe makes them equal with us.

I might as well come right out and say it, because it should now be obvious. These men are not really apostles like us at all! These men are deceitful in their representation of themselves and their ministry. They are only apostles in disguise, and by deliberate intent. This should come as no surprise, for Satan himself operates in the same way. Satan does not come to us as the arch-enemy of God, the ultimate evildoer. He comes disguised as an angel of light, not as one who promotes evil. He would rather look like Mother Theresa than Charles Manson. If the arch-enemy of God operates by deceit and disguise, why should we expect his underlings to be different from their master? They, too, come to us disguised as servants of righteousness, or as Jesus said, as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15). These fellows will get what they deserve, because their final destiny will be determined in accordance with their deeds (and not the appearance of their deeds, but the reality of them, as I have just exposed them).

Introduction

Our passage reminds me of my favorite scene from one of my favorite movies, “Return to Snowy River.” Jim Craig is the young man whose ranch is located in a remote spot in the mountains. His home is looked upon as a kind of “Australian Appalachia.” In a previous movie, “The Man From Snowy River,” Jim has fallen in love with Jessica Harrison, the daughter of a rich and well-born rancher. Her father disapproved of Jim, because he could not offer Jessica the (affluent) kind of life to which she had become accustomed, and so Jim went off to earn a start for them by raising horses.

Jim returns to the Harrison ranch to rekindle his relationship with Jessica. A large crowd gathers for a social event, which culminates in an equestrian exhibition of military skills on horseback. Jessica now has another suitor, Lieutenant Patton, who is much more to her father’s liking than Jim. (Of course, we can tell right off that this young man is not the kind of person Jessica should marry.) Lieutenant Patton takes advantage of the opportunity to show his military prowess on the “skill at arms course.” At the end of a well-performed exhibition, Lieutenant Patton presents Jessica with a banner—with an engagement ring attached.

When Jim arrives at the ranch, he is promptly informed by the Lieutenant that he is over his head, socially speaking, and that he should go away, permanently. Jim is ready to punch out this arrogant officer, but a wise man with a cooler head (who later becomes good friends with Jim) suggests to him that there are better ways to make his point. Jim begins to ride off, and then pauses. You can see a look in his eyes which indicates that what is about to take place will be worth watching. Jim then proceeds to run the same “skill at arms course,” but without the fancy equipment the lieutenant employed in his exhibition. Instead of a spear and a sword, Jim begins with a bull whip, and then what looks like a piece of his bridle. He finishes up, not with a sword, but with a stake, which he plucks from the ground. When all is said and done, what the young lieutenant accomplished with the finest of weapons, Jim surpasses, using basic, primitive implements. This, of course, is all carefully noted by Jessica.

In our text in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul is the Jim Craig of the story, and the false apostles are the Lieutenant Pattons. They come dressed to the hilt, smooth and sophisticated, looking down their noses at Paul, saying in effect, “Why don’t you go away to the backwoods where you belong?” Paul says with a twinkle in his eye, almost like that of Jim Craig on his horse, “No, I don’t think so.” We find Paul saying in our text, “Okay, if that’s the way you guys want it, bear with me. I will accept your challenge and compete with you on your apostle’s ‘master at arms’ course.”

This lesson covers verses 1-15 of 2 Corinthians 11. We will look first at Paul as the father of the bride, focusing on his authenticity as an apostle, in contrast to the false apostles. We will then go behind the scenes as Paul unveils the real power and forces at work within these false apostles, and exposes Satan as the master of deceit.

Bearing Up Under Paul’s Foolishness
(11:1)

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me.

Paul does not like to boast, and certainly not in anything other than in Christ. He has just said in verse 17 of chapter 10: “he who boasts, let him boast in the lord.” But now he is up against a group of men who commend themselves and compare themselves with others in an attempt to make themselves look good. In effect, Paul responds, “All right, I’ll play your game for a moment. I’m sorry I must do so, as it is foolishness, and not at all the way I like to conduct myself.”

Compared to the false apostles at Corinth, Paul seems to fall short of the mark. The problem with this is that their “mark” is the wrong one. Paul sets out here to show that his grounds for boasting are exactly the opposite of those used by his adversaries. Paul does boast as a man, but he boasts in those things he finds commendable about his ministry, as opposed to those things in which the other teachers and false apostles boast. He asks them to bear with him and allow him to be foolish for a moment. Then, almost with a twinkle in his eye, he seems to say, “I’ve been asking for you to bear with me. But then you are bearing with me, aren’t you, because otherwise you wouldn’t be reading what I am saying? What am I doing asking you to put up with my foolishness? That is what you have been doing for the entire time you have known me!” Paul is merely tolerated by some, like we “tolerate” the babbling of children or the ramblings of one who has lost their mind.

It is not just the false apostles at Corinth who look down on Paul. There also seem to be a number of “disciples” of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who are beginning to look down upon Paul in the same way. Not only are Paul’s words in this chapter foolishness to them, Paul himself is foolish in their eyes. From Paul’s words to the Corinthians in his first (recorded) epistle, we know that some of those Paul led to faith in Christ have begun to follow false teachers and to look down upon their spiritual father (see 1 Corinthians 4:1-13). They are so wise, so eloquent, so persuasive and convincing. Paul, on the other hand, is not physically attractive, nor is his speech winsome. His teaching is not appealing (to the flesh) either.

Paul probably feels the same way most parents do when their children become teenagers. All of a sudden, in the eyes of our children, we become the dumbest people on the face of the earth. We are so embarrassing to be with, and we certainly dare not kiss (or be kissed by) them in public. Teenagers don’t even want to be seen with us— just drop them off somewhere out of public view so that no one sees there is some connection between them and their parents. This seems to be the way the Corinthians feel about Paul. He is indeed a parent to them, and yet they are ashamed of him.

The key word here is translated bear in the New American Standard Version. I prefer the NASB here because it uses the same English word each time it translates the same Greek term. Thus we read, “Would you bear with me” (verse 1), and “you are bearing with me” (verse 1), and (verse 4) “you bear beautifully.” Then in verse 19 Paul writes, “For you, being so wise, bear with the foolish gladly. For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you …” The Corinthians are better able to bear falsehood and false apostles than Paul. When you see the word “bear,” I suggest you think of it meaning “to tolerate,” for it is the same idea. When Paul says we are to “bear” with one another, he means we are to tolerate or put up with each other. There will always be things we find distasteful and exasperating about each other. We all put up with one another in different ways. We “bear” with, we tolerate, each other.

Paul and the other true apostles teach that we ought to put up with things in other people that we find irritating. But the Corinthians will simply not put up with (or tolerate) things that should be tolerated. Yet at the same time, they are more than willing to tolerate things which are biblically intolerable. In 1 Corinthians 5, they willingly tolerate a man who lives with his father’s wife, yet they aren’t willing to tolerate any differences of opinion or any loss of profit, so they take each other to court (see chapter 6). Over and over again, the Corinthians find certain things intolerable that they should tolerate, and other things tolerable, like immorality and doctrinal falsehood, which they should not tolerate. Here Paul appeals to the Corinthians for some of the same tolerance the Corinthians have shown toward others.

The Father of the Bride Knows a Snake When He Sees One
(11:2-15)

2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. 5 For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve you; 9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.

In verses 2 and 3, Paul presents himself as the “Father of the Bride.” The apostle tells the Corinthians there is a very good reason why they should allow him to make a point here, even if foolishly:

Let me remind you of the relationship I have with you and the deep obligation I feel concerning your relationship to Christ. When I came to Corinth and preached the gospel to you, you came to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and for the gift of eternal life. I became, as it were, your spiritual father, and you became my virgin daughter. Through the gospel I preached, I arranged your engagement to Christ, to whom you are to be married when He returns for you. And now, as your father, it is my duty to keep you in a state of purity and innocence toward Christ until the day of your marriage. My problem is that I have good cause to worry about your purity and devotion to Christ. The danger I speak of can be seen at the outset of human history when Eve was led astray by Satan. Satan, the serpent of old, cunning creature that he is, deceived Eve with all his smooth talk. In the same way, I fear that the false apostles, with all their silver-tongued oratory, will lead you astray from a simple and pure commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan, our arch-enemy, is behind all this, and he will attempt to deceive you by using the very same tactics he successfully employed with Eve (my paraphrase).

Elsewhere in the New Testament the church is referred to as the bride of Christ (see Ephesians 5). The imagery of the church as the engaged “bride” of Christ, which Paul employs here, is neither new nor novel. What is new is that Paul presents himself as the father of the bride. On other occasions Paul speaks of himself as a spiritual father, for instance, to Timothy. But he never speaks of himself as the spiritual father of a church, which is Christ’s bride, as he does here. This imagery of the proud father of a beautiful young woman wonderfully conveys Paul’s love and zeal toward the Corinthians.

As the father of five lovely young women, I can certainly identify with Paul here. On one particular occasion when one of my daughters was asked out, I required this young man to come and ask me if he could take my daughter out. He came with great fear and trembling, and rightly so. He and I sat on the front porch while he endured a fairly substantial quiz about who he was and what his intentions were. I said to him, “I am responsible for the purity of my daughter. Can I trust you, when you take my daughter out, to be committed to that same goal?” As a father, I was very concerned about protecting the purity of my daughter. So too Paul is concerned about the Corinthian church as his spiritual daughter. Some in Corinth are intent upon corrupting the church, turning the attention and affection of this “bride” toward someone other than Christ. They are, in one sense, trying to break up the engagement.

Can’t you just see Paul sitting on the front porch of the Corinthian church with his shotgun across his knees, saying, “Do you Corinthians think I am overly protective? Do you think I’m tough to deal with? You’re absolutely right! When I came to Corinth, I didn’t come to sell something like a fish monger does when he is attempting to pawn off old fish. I came to you with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and when I introduced you to Him, I really introduced you to Him in a way that arranged for your future marriage. I arranged your engagement by preaching the gospel, and you consented to that by placing your faith in Jesus Christ. The marriage ceremony is yet to come, when our Lord returns to this earth to take His bride (see Revelation 19). Until that marriage takes place, I am committed to guarding and protecting you as my ‘daughter,’ you the church at Corinth.” Paul sees himself as the father of the bride, whose task it is to protect the purity of his virgin daughter until the time of that marriage. When this father walks down the aisle and hands his bride off to her husband, he can say to himself, “I have done my job, and that job is to preserve my daughter’s purity.”

While we do not want to overwork this imagery, it does seem that although innocence and naivet are not synonymous, they are at least related. There is a sense in which innocence brings with it a kind of naivet. This is probably conveyed by the word “simple” in Proverbs. There, “simple” does not mean stupid; simple means nave, gullible. An intelligent two-year old child turned loose in front of the church may run out into the street after a toy without even looking. The child is not stupid, but nave, inexperienced, and unaware of the danger posed by passing automobiles.

By referring to the Corinthian church as a new bride who needs the protection of her father, Paul is indicating that new Christians are vulnerable to those who would deceive and corrupt them. A new Christian is pure and innocent, but he is also vulnerable. Paul has a responsibility to such folks at Corinth because he is their spiritual father. When the Corinthians ask why they should cut him any slack, with great zeal Paul responds, “Because I am your father! And because I brought about this engagement, and it is my responsibility to see that your purity is protected.”

In verse 3, Paul indicates that his fears are not merely parental paranoia. There is a “clear and present danger” here for the Corinthian saints. Both history and experience demonstrate the danger of spiritual seduction, so he is not just imagining a problem; the problem is very real. He turns first to the beginning of human history in verse 3, and then in verse 4 points to circumstances in the Corinthian church, showing that his concerns are valid, that the danger is real. “I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your mind should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Paul simply looks back in history to the unfallen condition of a perfect garden and a perfect environment. Even there in the midst of all that, an innocent and naive (not in a demeaning sense) woman is led astray because of the cunning of the one who opposes her. He is afraid that Satan is repeating itself in Corinth. Essentially verse 4 says, “If you think I am whistling in the wind, let me point out some of what is already happening in your midst, which proves my point.”

4 If one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Paul pleads with them to tolerate him: “Some of you are pathetically tolerant, as can be seen in these three areas: first, you are tolerant when another Jesus is preached.” Probably one of the greatest questions of our day is, “Who is Jesus Christ?” Many believe in Jesus, but the question is, “Which one?” The Jesus of the New Testament is virgin born. The Jesus of the New Testament is He who fulfills all of the Old Testament prophecies pertaining to the Messiah. The Jesus of the New Testament is truly God and truly man. The Jesus of the New Testament literally died and rose from the dead and is literally returning again to possess His kingdom and judge His enemies. That is the biblical Jesus. Now there are many Jesus’ that are not the real Jesus. We are told, for example, that there is a Jesus of love and acceptance and tolerance, who accepts all men as they are, without judging or condemning them. Many are those who believe in a “Jesus the way I like to think of Him.” But this is not the Jesus Paul preaches. It is not the Jesus of the Gospels. Paul says that if someone comes with another Jesus, the Corinthians accept that, and if someone comes with a different spirit they have not received, they accept that as well. It is little wonder that Paul is distressed.

One of the best Bible commentaries I have seen on any book of the Bible is D. A. Carson's, From Triumphalism to Maturity: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 10-13.⁶¹ Carson does a beautiful job on these particular verses in chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians. It is an excellent work. I only disagree with him when he concludes that the word “spirit” here means something like disposition, a different attitude or demeanor. I believe Paul is saying, “When you were saved, you received the Holy Spirit, yet some of these hucksters have come along, and you have failed to realize that some other spirit has come with them.” The context is about Satan and his messengers, the false apostles. When we look back in the Old Testament, we are told very clearly that the Spirit of God left King Saul, and another (evil) spirit came upon him. I believe Paul is saying that those who come as ministers of Satan are spirit-filled. When men receive these messengers and believe their message, they receive this “other spirit.” Just as these false apostles do not preach the same Jesus, neither does the same spirit accompany their message. Many in Corinth are so tolerant they don’t even recognize the change in the message or the change in the spirit. Does Paul have good reason to be concerned for the purity of his daughter-bride that he wants to present to Christ? Yes! And these concerns are all evidences of his love and his care, not his pride or his hunger for power.

In verses 5 and 6, Paul turns his attention to some of the objections being raised against him by his opponents:

5 For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things.

Some of the greatest scholars and writers are very poor public speakers. This may appear to be the case with Paul. I don’t know how eloquent Paul might have been if he really tried to be eloquent. I do know from what he has already written that Paul purposely set aside some methods because they were fleshly, rather than spiritual (see 2:17; 4:1-2). Paul is not seeking to defend himself by implying that he could be a lot better than he appears to be, if he so desired. Paul grants his opponents their premise, that he is not a powerful, persuasive speaker. Setting methodology aside, how does Paul’s content compare with that of the other true apostles? On the one hand, his content is perfectly consistent with that of his colleagues. On the other, God used Paul to reveal a number of mysteries, truths hinted at in the Old Testament, but clearly revealed by Paul and the other apostles in the New.

Is Paul inferior to the other (true) apostles? No! Indeed, it was frequently through Paul that God has revealed His mysteries. I cannot think of any other apostle who was given such a ministry in the area of mysteries. Mysteries are those things that had been sealed up and hidden in the past, such as the mystery of the way God would bring together both Jews and Gentiles into one new man (Ephesians 2:11-22). There is the “mystery of Christ,” referred to in Ephesians 3 (see verse 4). In Ephesians 5, Paul speaks of the mystery of Christ and His church, as symbolized by Christian marriage (see verse 32). In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul speaks of the transformation of the believer at the return of our Lord as a mystery (see 15:51). Paul revealed these mysteries, regardless of whether they liked the style in which he revealed them. He is not saying he is better than the other apostles, but he is insisting that he is their equal, for he has played a unique role amongst them in the revelation of God’s mysteries.⁶²

But the real problem the Corinthians seem to have with Paul is unveiled in verses 7-11:

7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve you; 9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

Some measure the significance of the messenger and his message by the size of the fee he is able to collect. This does not apply to antiquity alone. Rather repeatedly I hear someone involved in a Christian ministry say they would gladly minister for free, but people do not appreciate something if they don’t have to pay for it. That sounds good, and it may contain an element of truth. But it is based upon the dubious assumption that the value of a given ministry can be judged by what people are willing to pay for it. How many people were willing to pay for our Lord’s ministry (see Luke 8:1-2)?

There has long been the tendency to equate spirituality with material prosperity. This stems, in part, from a misconception of the promises of God to the nation Israel. In the Old Testament, it is clarified in texts like Psalm 73. Jesus set His listeners on their ears when He completely overturned their thinking. He said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20b). He told the story of the rich man and Lazarus, and in this story it was the rich man who went to hell, while poor Lazarus went to eternal bliss (Luke 16). Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions and give them to the poor (Luke 18:22). There was no direct link between prosperity and piety, so Paul’s spirituality and the quality of his ministry was not to be measured in monetary terms.

Based on the faulty premise of Paul’s opponents that ministry can be measured in terms of money, Paul’s ministry must have been considered a miserable failure. Paul ministered free of charge (see 1 Corinthians 9:1-23), and now in chapter 11, Paul makes it clear that this was actually an offense to some Corinthians. Can you believe it? By this standard, the hucksters and charlatans of our time would be well regarded and received in Corinth. Paul’s practice of not being supported by the Corinthians was a matter of conviction, even though he had the right to be supported (1 Corinthians 9). He set aside this right and supported himself with his own hands, so that the gospel might be proclaimed with fewer hindrances.

Not all the churches felt Paul’s ministry was worthless. We know Paul accepted gifts from the churches in Macedonia (see Acts 18:1-5; Philippians 4:15). They were eager to support Paul’s ministry to those at Corinth. If Paul’s ministry is worthless, then he is guilty of defrauding the Macedonian churches that sacrificially supported him. Paul is no freeloader. He does not want to become a burden to those to whom he ministers. And so instead of being supported by them, he often labors to support them, to contribute to their financial needs (see Acts 20:33-35; 1 Thessalonians 2:9). Paul considers this sacrificial lifestyle a privilege, and he does not intend to give it up in order to impress some. This sacrifice on his part is grounds for boasting, not shame, and he plans to persist in his practice.⁶³

Should Paul’s practice be interpreted to mean he does not care for the Corinthians? Not at all! He loves them greatly, and his sacrificial lifestyle is evidence of his love for them. What Paul is doing—and fully intends to keep doing—is to distinguish himself from those who are frauds, those who are simply into ministry for the money. Paul will do everything he can to set himself apart from those who want to be considered his equals, but who are really false apostles. One thing he knows for sure—they are not going to minister free of charge. This is one area in which they will not attempt to look like Paul. By his selfless, sacrificial lifestyle, Paul sets himself apart from the greedy hucksters who take advantage of others by pretending to be servants of God. Do Paul’s opponents boast? Let them boast in ministering free of charge, or let them realize they are nothing like Paul.

No More “Mr. Nice Guy”
Paul Exposes the Masters of Deceit
(11:3, 12-15)

3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. … 12 But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.

Some, no doubt, think Paul is paranoid for having the fatherly fears he expresses. Why is Paul so up tight over what is going on in Corinth? Paul has worked his way around the problem up to this point. He has raised some very disturbing questions about those who oppose him. But from now on there will be no more “Mr. Nice guy.” He is going to unmask his opponents and expose them for who they really are.

Paul’s opponents are deceivers. Paul uses several terms to convey that his opponents are deceivers. He uses the terms false (verse 13), deceitful (verse 13), disguise (verse 15), disguises (verse 14), and disguising (verse 13). Could anything be clearer than the fact that Paul portrays his opponents as deceivers? They appear to be what they are not. They appear as “angels of light,” when they serve the “prince of darkness.” These people wish to be regarded as true Christians. They represent themselves as having the same authority Paul and the true apostles possess. They claim to be able to speak for God and to reveal new truth. They expect the Corinthian Christians to submit to their authority and to follow their teachings and instructions. As Jesus said, they are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15).

Paul’s opponents, the false apostles, are seeking to turn the Corinthians from their faith and devotion toward Jesus Christ (verse 3). It is true that these false apostles are attempting to turn the saints from true apostolic teaching and authority. But their final goal is to turn the Corinthians from Christ (as the apostles have taught them about Him) and from simple devotion to Him alone. Do some Corinthians regard these hucksters as super-spiritual? They are not, and they do not promote spirituality in their followers either. No matter what they say they are seeking to accomplish, their hidden agenda is to turn people from trusting and obeying Christ.

These false apostles are cunning and crafty, using the most devious, deceptive methods possible to achieve their goals. In verse 3, Paul informs the Corinthians that he knows they are gullible and vulnerable to the ultimate evil, Satan himself, as he employs his craftiness to deceive them and to turn them from Christ, without their even realizing it has happened.

Paul does not spell out just how these false apostles are seeking to deceive the Corinthians, other than to indicate that their methods are similar to those Satan employed when he deceived Eve. Let us pause for a few moments to reflect on how Satan achieved the downfall of Eve, and of her husband, Adam. To do this, let us look at the Genesis 3 account as it parallels 2 Corinthians 11:1-15.

The advertising industry is all about temptation—tempting the consumer to buy something he or she very often does not want, or need. Their task is to somehow create a sense of need in the heart and mind of the buyer. I need that car, so that I can drive in comfort and status. I need this brand of TV dinner, so that I can cut down on my time preparing the meal, yet also win the approval of my guests. I need this brand of toothpaste, because it will make my teeth look much whiter (and all the good looking girls will flock around me, like they do the actor in the toothpaste commercial).

Imagine the challenge Satan faced in trying to turn Adam and Eve from trusting and obeying God. They had no unmet needs. They lacked nothing. They lived in a perfect environment. They had no predisposition to sin (sin nature). God had provided everything they needed. They were indeed blessed. So just what could Satan possibly do to turn them from trusting in God and obeying His one prohibition (not to eat of the forbidden fruit)? What Satan did to Eve and Adam is precisely what he has been doing ever since, what he was doing in Corinth through the false apostles. Let us consider some of Satan’s strategies, focusing upon those characteristics of Satan and his deception of Eve that parallel the Corinth situation.

(1) Satan comes to Eve, not to Adam, apparently because he believes she is the most vulnerable. Paul makes a very strong point here in verse 3 and in 1 Timothy 2:14 that it was Eve who was deceived by Satan, not Adam.⁶⁴ Thus, when Paul uses the first fall as an illustration of Satan’s wiles, he does so by calling our attention to the fact that Satan deceives today as he first deceived Eve. Satan preys upon the weak and the vulnerable (see 2 Timothy 3:6-7).⁶⁵ The false apostles who oppose Paul and the gospel likewise are preying upon the most vulnerable members of the Corinthian congregation. It seems Paul writes to those who are stronger in Corinth, urging them to stand up to these messengers of Satan.

(2) Satan seeks to bring about the disobedience and downfall of Adam through the deception of his wife Eve. Both Adam and Eve sinned, but while Eve was deceived, Adam was not. Eve obeyed Satan (and disobeyed God) because the serpent deceived her. Adam listened to the voice of (i.e., obeying) his wife (Genesis 3:17), even though he knew it to be wrong (Genesis 3:17; 1 Timothy 2:14). Satan does not need to deceive everyone, he need only deceive those who can and will lead others to follow them in their sin. The deceivers who have come to Corinth to lead the church astray are also those who themselves are deceived: “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). I wonder how many of the Corinthians recognized the error of the false apostles, but went along with those who were enamored with them, much as Adam went along with Eve.

(3) Satan brings about Eve’s disobedience by first gaining her trust in him, and then, on the basis of this trust, she disobeys God. Satan first gained Eve’s confidence, and then, having done so, he is able to lead her into sin. The first deception is that Satan is a friend who can be trusted. Are we surprised to find that the Corinthians have become attached to certain men who gain their devotion and allegiance? From the very first chapter of 1 Corinthians, this is evident (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-17).

(4) The serpent does not reveal his true identity to Eve. Satan’s name is never mentioned in Genesis 3. He is always called the serpent. Paul says in verse 3 of chapter 11: “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). Certain texts assure us that the serpent indeed is Satan (see, for example, Revelation 12:9; 20:2). The point here is that Satan does not come to the woman as Satan, the arch-enemy of God. Satan comes as a serpent. Satan does not care to be seen;⁶⁶ he seems to find special delight in bringing about evil through instruments that appear to be good.

Satan seldom comes to us as he is. Satan even used one very close to our Lord—Peter (Matthew 16:21-23). He, of course, also used Judas (John 13:2, 21-30; 18:1-5). The one time in the Bible he does directly attack is at the temptation of our Lord (see Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-12). Just how does Satan, the deceiver, deceive Him who not only knows all truth, but who is the Truth? Jesus knew who he was and what he was about. So also in Corinth, Satan comes to deceive the saints and to lead some to disobedience. He comes in the form of winsome, charming “ministers,” who deceive some into thinking they are angels of light and apostles of Christ. The Corinthians ought not expect the false apostles to identify themselves as such, for they wish to appear to be what they are not. They will have to expose them themselves, as they consider their doctrine and deeds.

(5) Satan comes to Eve as one who is winsome and wise, whose only goal is to help her. In Genesis, Satan is introduced in this way: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden”?’” (Genesis 3:1). The translation “more crafty” makes Satan to be sneaky, sleazy, a charlatan. He may be all of these things, but the word employed here more often means wise or prudent.⁶⁷ I believe Moses intends for his readers to look upon Satan as the most intelligent of all God’s creatures. If one were to seek knowledge from any of God’s creation, it would be from the serpent. In addition to being highly regarded as prudent, the serpent was also exceedingly beautiful. This we learn from the Book of Ezekiel:

12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared”’” (Ezekiel 28:12-13).

Whose deceptions would be more welcomed than those of the serpent? He was striking in his appearance and highly esteemed for his wisdom. I believe the same can be said for the “messengers of Satan” who prey upon the Corinthians. In terms of appearances, they surpass Paul by far:

9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).

The trouble with the Corinthians is that they judge on the basis of external appearances, and not on character or doctrine. Because the false apostles look and sound good, some Corinthians accept their message without question. Paul simply reminds them that Satan’s strategy in Corinth is no different than his strategy in the Garden of Eden. Satan is consistent. Let the Corinthians learn from the first temptation and sin, and let us learn as well.

(6) Satan comes to Eve with an arrogant confidence and air of authority, which makes his lies more convincing. Pride and arrogance are Satan’s attributes (see Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:17; 1 Timothy 3:7). This arrogant pride is evident in the serpent’s words to Eve in Genesis 3. He does not hesitate to question God’s character or His commands. He even has the audacity to call God a liar. He assures Eve that she (and Adam, presumably) would not suffer the penalty God declared for disobedience to His one prohibition (not to eat of the forbidden fruit). The same arrogance is seen in Satan’s temptation of our Lord (see Matthew 4:1ff.; Luke 4:1ff.). It is also evident in his demand to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31).

There are those who are attracted to such arrogance and authoritarian leadership style. Some of the Corinthians are attracted to this leadership style, so evident in the false apostles:

19 For you, being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. 20 For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face (2 Corinthians 11:19-20).

How could someone so good-looking, so smart, and so self-confident be so wrong? It is easy. These false apostles are exactly like their master, the devil. Paul wants the Corinthians to see the similarity. How often dictatorship, accompanied by some kind of religious faade, passes for “spiritual leadership.”

(7) Satan attacks God’s character and His Word. By his questions and his statements, Satan demeans God’s character. He convinces Eve that God is not seeking her best interests, but is holding her back from her full potential. And then, having successfully (in Eve’s thinking) attacked the character of God, Satan calls God a liar, assuring Eve that she will surely not die for disobeying God. According to Satan, God is not giving us all the good He could, and He will not bring upon us all the judgment He said He would.

It is not difficult to see that the false apostles in Corinth are attacking the character of the Apostle Paul, as well as his authority and his message. They belittle Paul and arrogantly assert themselves. Personal attacks upon Paul are the first step in undermining his authority and his teaching in Corinth. Once again, Satan’s servants are like their master.

(8) Satan makes good look evil, and evil look good. The Bible says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20; see also verses 20-21). By using his tactics, Satan is able to undermine Eve’s belief in the goodness of God. She began to look upon God with suspicion. Now, in the midst of a perfect creation, Eve has become discontent with all that she has. “There must be more,” she thinks, prompted by Satan’s questions and innuendoes. The “evil” of partaking of the forbidden fruit now appears as the “good” God has unfairly withheld from her.

(9) Satan deceives Eve by persuading her to look to him rather than to Adam, her spiritual head. God apparently told Adam not to eat of the forbidden fruit before Eve was created (Genesis 2:16-17). Eve was aware of this command, although her understanding of the command was somewhat distorted (3:3). Whether this was due to Adam’s failure to communicate clearly, her failure to listen carefully, or Satan’s ability to distort the truth, we do not know. We do know that Eve acted independently of her husband. While she should have listened to Adam rather than the serpent, Adam is rebuked by God for listening to Eve (3:17). Satan has successfully rearranged the chain of command. Satan disregards any authority other than his own, and he incites others to rebel against authority also. (Ironically, it is by this means that he enslaves his victims to his authority.)

As I think about 2 Corinthians and the false apostles, the question is: “Who will the Corinthians heed?” Here are two different messengers and two different messages: Paul and the authentic apostles and the false apostles. To whom will the Corinthians listen, the authentic apostles or the false apostles? Paul tells the Corinthians he fears they will be deceived just as Eve was. How was she deceived? She was deceived by thinking Satan was the authoritative source of revelation. She was deceived because she believed his words as truth as opposed to God’s truth conveyed to her through Adam.

(10) Satan deceived Eve by mixing error with truth. As we look at the account of the fall of man in Genesis 3, we see that most of what the serpent said was right. At first it was just in seemingly “little things” that Satan departed, but eventually this was followed by the big lie: “You surely shall not die.” That is his conclusion. But what is his premise? His premise is: “Because your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” Is that a lie? It certainly is not because that is what God says at the end of chapter 3:

22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken (Genesis 3:22-23).

What the serpent told Eve was true, not in the same way they hoped it would be true, but it was true in a certain sense. Satan quoted Scripture when he tempted our Lord (see Matthew 4:4, 6). The Scriptures he quoted were true, but Satan misapplied them, employing them in a way that made disobedience to God seem justified. The most cunning and dangerous false teachers are those who seem to embrace the Word of God, but subtly undermine it.

(11) Satan deceived Eve by changing her perception of reality. In verse 6, we are told the woman “saw” that “the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise …” This is an interesting statement because this is a conclusion Eve reached before her eyes are opened (3:7). Eve “saw” in the sense that she perceived that the tree was good. The strange thing about this is that we already know this: “Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9).

God did not forbid Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of this one tree because it was poison. It was a test of their obedience. The tree produced the very fruit its name indicates. There was no reason not to eat of that tree other than that God did not want them to have such knowledge. Yet Eve now perceives this tree to be good, even though God had forbidden them to eat from it, even though God had pronounced the death penalty on anyone who did eat from it. Satan whetted Eve’s appetite for this forbidden fruit, and so it is that when he seems to offer her a way to eat of it without penalty, she jumps at the chance to do so.

(12) Satan succeeded at focusing Eve’s attention and desire on the one thing God had forbidden rather than on the abundance of things He had provided. Is it not interesting that in the time Adam and Eve were in the garden they never once ate from the tree of life? Here was a tree that would have given them eternal life, a tree whose fruit they were encouraged to eat. Yet they never touched it, and perhaps no other tree, either. The only tree they ate from was the one tree that was forbidden. Satan has a way of fixing our attention on what we don’t have, rather than on what we do have.

Is this not what Satan is doing in Corinth in the area of spiritual gifts? Certain gifts are falsely appraised as having much more value than others. Those who have them flaunt them. Those who do not have them seek to get them. And when they do not get them, they feel they have nothing to offer, despising the gift(s) God has given (see 1 Corinthians 12). Is it not true that the Corinthians are deceived into focusing on the “knowledge” God has not revealed through the apostles, rather than on the “true knowledge” that has been revealed by them? The “knowledge” Paul conveys is a simple message of Christ crucified; the false apostles have other “knowledge,” which goes beyond Christ and His cross. Once again, Satan succeeds in causing those who have all that is necessary for life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:1-4) to look elsewhere for more knowledge.

(13) Satan deceived Eve so that she concluded her most important need was for the knowledge God had chosen not to give her and her husband. The serpent had convinced Eve that what she needed more than anything else was the “knowledge” which would make her “like God.” She wanted to be more than she was, more than God had made her to be. That is what Satan wanted, too. He wanted more than God had given to him. It was not enough for him to be in second place, God’s highest appointed angel. He wanted to be “like God” (see Isaiah 14:13-14). Is this not exactly what was happening in Corinth too? These false apostles came with their apparent wisdom, offering more knowledge than Paul provided, a higher knowledge. This “knowledge” would make those who possessed it better, more spiritual than the others. It is this pursuit of illicit (and false) knowledge that the false apostles promote. Paul’s message is too simple. They can offer something better, something “deeper,” or so they claim.

(14) Satan caused Eve to be dissatisfied with her status, even though this was the way God created her. Satan led Eve to be discontent with her humanity and to desire the higher spirituality and status of deity. It is true that we will someday be like God: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). It was neither God’s time, nor God’s way, for Eve to become God-like by disobeying His command and eating of the forbidden fruit.

The Corinthians are guilty of a similar desire—to be now what God had purposed and provided for them to be then in heaven. They want to be more “spiritual” and virtually set their humanity behind (including things like “weaknesses” and “suffering”). The false apostles are quick to offer them this higher level of existence, an offer they cannot fulfill.

Conclusion

As we conclude this lesson, we can see several ways in which this text speaks to us, as well as to the Corinthians of old.

(1) Satan has not really changed over the course of human history. He sought to deceive the church at Corinth in much the same way he first sought to deceive Eve. The Bible gives us ample evidence of Satan’s methodology: “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). Satan’s goals, as well as his methods, are well documented in the Word of God. We should read the Scriptures carefully and prayerfully, knowing that to be forewarned to his schemes is to be forearmed.

(2) We should not expect Satan to attack directly, but indirectly, often through those who appear to be spiritual leaders. Satan uses people to undermine the faith and obedience of others. He used Eve to get to Adam. He used Peter in an attempt to get to our Lord (see Matthew 16:21ff.), and later on, to get to some of the believers, including Barnabas (see Galatians 2:11-13). Paul warned that Satan would employ some of the leaders of the church at Ephesus to lead others astray (Acts 20:28-32; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1–4:8). The apostle John also has some very appropriate words for us concerning this matter: “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18).

These false teachers come along and give the false impression that they alone have the key to the doorway of the truth. They have knowledge others apparently cannot get for themselves that is somehow mediated through them (as it is with the apostles’ teaching—1 Corinthians 2). They claim to possess what I have come to call “expert power.” They let it be known to the masses that some truths are “too high” for them, and that only experts (like themselves) are able to ferret them out. I too sometimes fall into the trap of saying, “The Hebrew text says …, or the Greek text says …,” and I usually feel guilty when I do. It is not that this is necessarily wrong, or that the insight is not helpful. But doing so conveys the impression that I know something you don’t know, something you can’t know. It suggests to you that you are dependent upon me (or some other apparent “expert”) for understanding the Bible.

If I imply that I have some special access to the truth you do not have, then the message I am conveying is: “If you really want the truth, you’ll have to get it from me.” This is what the cultists and false teachers do. Unfortunately, it is what true teachers also do. The tragedy is that Christians lose hope in their own ability to study God’s Word and find the answers to daily Christian living. The truth is not so secret that some select, elite group needs to tell it to you. God says it is right there in black and white. The truth is simple. The problem is when some scholars come along, especially false ones, who say, “Oh, it is really much more complicated than that.” Paul says his fear is that the Corinthians will turn from the “simplicity of following Christ.” The gospel is simple; it is the false teachers who want to go beyond it. “Deep teaching” is the motto of the false apostle: “‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you’” (Revelation 2:24).

The apostle John has some very interesting (and encouraging) words of instruction for us:

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him (1 John 2:26-29).

John is telling us that those who try to deceive us are those who want to be our teachers, those who will lead us to believe that we must understand God through them. John is telling us here that God has given us (not just the experts among us) the means to study, interpret, and apply the Word of God. We need teachers who will enhance our study of the Bible, but we do not need teachers who will do our study and our thinking for us. Is this not where Eve was deceived? She let the serpent do her thinking for her. She listened to what he said about God rather than what God Himself had said to Adam. Beware of those who supposedly have some inside track to the truth. The truth is found in God’s Word, and God has given us His Spirit to make that truth known. Let us not let others do our thinking and our studying for us.

(3) Our text has something to say to us about present day apostles and prophets. There is a movement within evangelicalism today which holds that there are present day apostles and prophets. Generally, those within the conservative side of this movement hasten to assure us that present day apostles and prophets are not bringing any new revelation in addition to the Bible. That sounds good, but I must ask you, from what the Bible says about apostles and prophets, what should we expect them to do? Teachers instruct you what has been written in the Bible. Apostles and prophets have a higher authority, and a part of their function in the New Testament was to speak directly and infallibly for God. Their words have the authority of Scripture. I must conclude one of two things when I hear evangelicals teach that apostles and prophets exist today: (1) Such offices must be understood as the Bible has defined them; or, (2) These offices have been redefined, in a way that the Bible does not define them. I am very uneasy about the claim that such offices exist today, and especially when I am told that these are not the same thing as apostles and prophets in the Bible. Let us beware of those who come to us with apostolic authority, of those who claim to speak for God. And let us beware of those so-called apostles and prophets who tell us that they speak for God as apostles and prophets, but not with the divine authority of biblical apostles and prophets.

What is our protection from false apostles? We have several, and one of them comes from Ephesians 4:10-15:

10 (He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:10-15).

Our first defense against error, Paul says, is growth and maturity. This is not just individual growth, but corporate growth as a church—growing up as a church into maturity. How does that happen? It happens as the church stands together in unity. And what is Corinth like? Disunity is everywhere. Does that have the fingerprints of Satan all over it? I think so. Divide and conquer. And God says that each member of the body needs to be dependent upon the other members of the body for the strength they provide. In Corinth, one member of the body says, “I’m so great, I don’t need any of you.” Another says, “I’m so puny, I don’t even belong in the body.” This is exactly what Satan desires, rather than a body of believers growing together in unity unto maturity.

Our second defense is what we might call “practiced theology.” Listen to what the writer to the Hebrews has to say on this point:

11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14).

This is an absolutely incredible text when viewed from the context of the fall in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve had been commanded not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Is it possible that God wanted them to learn to discern good and evil, but not by the quick and easy method of taking a piece of fruit. From the Book of Proverbs, we learn that wisdom is to be obtained by searching, by hard work:

1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways (Proverbs 2:1-15).

Wisdom is attained by giving heed to God’s words, by treasuring His commandments (verse 1). Satan had an easier and quicker way—disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit. Heeding God’s commands would have kept Adam and Eve on the right path and guarded them against Satan. Heeding Satan led to disobedience.

Now back to Hebrews 5. The writer to the Hebrews rebukes these immature saints for their lack of understanding. How are they to gain such wisdom and knowledge? By heeding false apostles, by following self-proclaimed wise men? No! They learn to discern between good and evil (the very thing Satan promised the easy way) by growing in maturity, and this they are to do by putting into practice the things they learn from the “word of righteousness.” Obedience leads to maturity and to the discernment of good and evil. Satan deceived Eve so that she acted on the premise that such knowledge of good and evil came as the result of disobeying God, rather than treasuring His commandment. Obeying the truth that we know is the key to obtaining wisdom and knowledge. Here is the kind of practical theology we all need, theology that is put into practice, as we keep His commands.⁶⁸

Our third defense against the deceptions of the devil is a biblical knowledge of Satan and his schemes. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul says, “For we are not ignorant of his devices.” When Paul says in chapter 11, “as Satan deceived Eve,” he is saying that we all know from the words of Moses in Genesis 3 (and from similar instances of Satan’s deceptions elsewhere) how Satan works to deceive us. We should be aware of Satan’s method of operation.

Our text teaches us that it is time for Christians to become intolerant about the things God does not tolerate. Paul talks a great deal about tolerance. In our current fetish for political correctness, intolerance is intolerable. Intolerance is the one thing the world will not accept. Paul says there is a point at which Christians need to get intolerant—intolerant to false doctrine, intolerant to false apostles, intolerant to a false spirit and a false gospel. We Christians need desperately to become more tolerant to sincere believers, who are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ but who just don’t fit into our mold. This is the tension I wish to bring before you—the desperate need for tolerance and the desperate need for intolerance. We must be intolerant about those things contrary to the gospel. But we must be tolerant toward those things that are just individual differences, preferences, or convictions. Earnestly seek to learn the difference, for the sake of the gospel.

My prayer is that God will help us to continue to contemplate this text to get a feel for the Apostle Paul and his commitment to this church, a commitment such that he will not walk away or forget those whom he has led to Christ in initial faith, those he will present to the Father, he hopes, as a pure bride. May God help us in our evangelistic zeal and efforts to do better at sharing our faith and leading others to Christ, and help us, like Paul, to understand that this is not the end of it all, but the beginning. May God help us with those who have come to faith in Christ to recognize their vulnerability, their naivet, and to see our role in presenting others to the Father as pure and faithful brides. Our prayer should be that God will help us realize how susceptible we are to Satan’s deceptions, as he brings those within the church who seem so spiritual, who are eager to pass their secrets of success along to us, and in the process, who come with a different message, another Jesus and a different spirit and a different gospel. God help us to recognize that this still happens today, and that He will enable us to be on guard against it and respond as Paul did when we see it.

60 The translation above is a paraphrase I have done to give you my sense of Paul’s argument. I can just see my seminary professor, Dr. Bruce Waltke as he looks at the New American Standard and says, “That is the most accurate translation.” Then he looks at the New International Version and says, “That’s the most readable translation.” Then Dr. Waltke looks at my translation and says, “What in the world is this?” My translation is sort of a paraphrase, but it gives you my sense of the argument of Paul as he works his way through these first 15 verses.

61 Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.

62 For Paul’s references to mysteries, see Romans 11:25; 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 15:51; Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-4, 9; 5:32; 6:19; Colossians 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:9, 16.

63 I hasten to point out that when Paul speaks of his future plans to preach beyond Corinth and says to the Corinthians, “that you may send me on my way wherever I may go” (1 Corinthians 16:6), he hopes the church at Corinth will do for him somewhere else what the Macedonians have done for him in Corinth. But they must not equate the value of his ministry to them with his paycheck. This is the thing he is trying to correct.

64 You will note that in Genesis 3:13, Eve seeks to defend herself on the basis that she was deceived by Satan.

65 What I am saying here is that Satan perceived Eve to be the weaker link, due in part perhaps, to the fact that she may not have heard God’s command, except second-hand, through Adam. I am not saying that women are less intelligent or more vulnerable than men.

66 In many instances, we would not know it was Satan at all, unless we were informed (compare 2 Samuel 24:1ff. with 1 Chronicles 21:1).

67 The word occurs eleven times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Eight times it is rendered “prudent” by the King James Version, twice “crafty,” and once “subtle.” Seven of the eight times in which the word is rendered “prudent,” all are found in the Book of Proverbs (12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8, 15, 18; 27:12).

68 This is not just for the Old Testament saint, but for the disciple of our Lord (see Matthew 28:18-20).

Biblical Topics:

Satanology

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Issues in Church Leadership/Ministry

15. The Reluctant “Fool” (2 Corinthians 11:16-29)

16 Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, that I also may boast a little. 17 That which I am speaking, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also. 19 For you, being so wise, bear with the foolish gladly. 20 For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face. 21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am just as bold myself.

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;

27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? (2 Corinthians 11:16-29)

Introduction

My daughter is about to graduate from college, the last of five daughters to graduate with a teaching degree. The college she attends is out of state, and throughout her training, she vowed never to teach in the state where she attended college. Resumes have been sent to various parts of the country, particularly those areas where the climate and scenery are spectacular and salaries are better.

My daughter is not present today because she has accepted a job offer out of state and has gone to locate a place to live. She will be teaching in the one place she said she would never teach. There is a perfectly good reason for my daughter’s change of mind … a young man, who still has a year of college left, at the same college and in the same state where my daughter was a student. The introduction of one special person radically changed my daughter’s plans, causing her to do something she vowed she would never do.

It is the same with the Apostle Paul, as we shall see in 2 Corinthians 11:16-29. In chapter 10, Paul has just distinguished himself and his colleagues from those who are so bold as to compare themselves with themselves (2 Corinthians 10:12). Now, Paul does precisely that—he compares himself with those who are his critics. He does so in three ways. First, in verses 16-21a, Paul compares authentic apostles with the false apostles in the way they treat those under their authority. In this comparison, the authentic apostles fall far short of the authoritarian, high-handed tactics of their adversaries. Second, in verses 21b-22, Paul compares himself with those who take pride in their Jewishness. In this comparison, Paul comes out their equal. Finally, in verses 23-29, Paul compares his service with that of his opponents in terms of the price he has paid to minister to others. Here, Paul leaves his opponents in the dust. They cannot even begin to compare themselves by his standard of personal sacrifice.

We find here a most revealing comparison, one that Paul does not want to make. Paul’s words are very relevant to us as well, as we shall attempt to demonstrate at the end of this lesson.

Paul’s Reluctance
(11:16-19)

Paul does not really want to boast, but his Corinthian adversaries have forced him to this point. For a number of the Corinthians, boasting comes easy. But for Paul, only boasting in Christ is easy. Paul now finds himself boasting, and he admits that he does not like it. Boasting does not come naturally to him. But seeing the necessity to do so, to show the folly of those who continually practice boasting, Paul engages in boasting by comparing himself and his colleagues with the false apostles. And when he makes such a comparison, the false apostles come out looking very bad. The first three verses of our passage are Paul’s effort to persuade the reader that he knows what he is doing is foolish, and he really regrets having to employ the method which he uses here. He simply asks the Corinthians to show him the same tolerance they show the false apostles. These foolish folks are tolerated well, and so Paul hopes the Corinthians will tolerate his “foolishness” too.

Paul “Fails” the First Comparison
(11:20-21a)

20 For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face. 21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison.

When it comes to their use (or rather abuse) of authority, Paul and the other authentic apostles simply cannot hold a candle to the false apostles. These folks lead the way the Gentiles do, the way Jesus forbade His disciples to do:

25 But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28; see also 1 Peter 5:1-4).

Aside from their love of power, from the feeling of exhilaration that some of the Corinthian false apostles gain from pushing people around, I think I can understand why they feel such an assertive and authoritarian leadership style is required. Listen to these statements recorded in the Book of Proverbs:

17 He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit. 18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:17-18).

23 The poor man utters supplications, But the rich man answers roughly (Proverbs 18:23).

The “poor man” dares not speak harshly to others. He cannot order people to show charity to him; he can only appeal to others for mercy. The rich man does not feel he needs anything from others, but he does feel that others need him, and so he speaks roughly to others. Because these folk judge on the basis of appearances, they speak and lead in a high-handed manner, as though this clearly establishes their superiority over others.

This kind of harshness is found in churches which are regarded as sound and evangelical. This week I downloaded a sermon from the Internet by Ray Stedman on our text in 2 Corinthians. He illustrates exactly the kind of thing Paul condemns:

I attended a service in another state a few years ago where there were probably a thousand people present; most of them were in their 20’s and 30’s. The pastor, who had a reputation as a Bible teacher, was teaching from a certain passage of scripture. I could not quite see what happened, but evidently a young woman sitting in the front rows reached up and patted her hair. This Bible teacher interrupted his discourse and said to her, ‘What are you doing? This is a Bible study, not a beauty parlor. That’s the trouble with you flaky females, and flaky is a good adjective for females,’ he said. He went on and just ripped into her. She sat there, red-faced and embarrassed, but uttered no protest, and no one else did. Then he resumed his study. After a bit he spotted a man in the back row (sitting very close to me actually), who was thumbing through his Bible, checking a reference. The teacher said, ‘There’s a man back there who’s not reading where we are.’ He said, ‘We’re in the New Testament and if you are in this Bible study you will be in the New Testament. If you don’t have time for what we’re studying here you can just get up and leave.’ Again the whole congregation sat there. Nobody said a word. Evidently this was normal fare for them. I was amazed at what arrogance and what insult people would endure when they were under the spell of somebody teaching falsely from the Word of God.⁶⁹

D. A. Carson, in his excellent little book on 2 Corinthians 10-13, sums up this first comparison between the authentic apostles and the “intruders” (Carson’s term, and I like it):

Failing to discern the profound distinctions between the lordly authority of the intruders and the self-sacrificing devotion and Spirit-entrusted authority of the apostle, they chose exploiters as their leaders and models, and blindly reveled in their own wisdom. Paul does not even want to be compared with such power-hungry exploiters. With biting irony, he contemplates their abuse of power and writes, ‘To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!’⁷⁰

Finally, a brief word about sarcasm. I think it would be very difficult to deny that Paul uses sarcasm in our text. Like the comparisons Paul makes, this is not his preference. To those who might say that sarcasm is always out of place, I would simply say this:

1. Paul employs sarcasm in 2 Corinthians.

2. Paul employs it reluctantly.

3. Paul employs it sparingly.

There are at least a few times then when those who oppose the gospel should not be taken too seriously and may deserve the use of sarcasm.

Paul’s Second Comparison in Which He Will Not Be Outdone
(11:21b-22)

But in whatever respect anyone else is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am just as bold myself.
Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I.
Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul speaks of the factions which exist in the church:

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:10-12).

From 1 Corinthians 4:6, I knew the real divisions are not led by Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or Christ, and I assumed that the leaders are men (and perhaps women) with names Paul chose not to reveal, so that the Corinthians would figure this out on their own. I am now inclined to think that at least one group of people in Corinth is led by Judaizers, who prompt their followers to boast, and “I am of Abraham,” and “I am of the Jews.” Another group may have boasted, “I am a servant of Christ.”

One can hardly do anything other than reach the same conclusion as Carson:

The exact shape of the false message the intruders preached is unclear. The best guess, judging from the emphases in the surrounding chapters, is that it was some form of Judaizing … The false apostles made much of their Jewish heritage (2 Cor. 11:22), and to this added a parade of virtues they felt made them superior Christians; or perhaps they even argued that some of these advantages were necessary requirements for true Christianity. Paul detected in their pretensions exactly the same danger that Judaizers with slightly different emphases introduced into the churches of Galatia. The result of their additions is that another Jesus is being preached (11:4; cf. Gal 1:8-9).⁷¹

Certain advantages and privileges were associated with being a Jew:

4 Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen (Romans 9:4-5).

Having said this, being a Jew does not make anyone better than anyone else. At times, some of the Jews forgot or willfully denied this:

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?” … 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham” (John 8:33, 39).

The Judaizers recognize rightly that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the great equalizer of men. All men are equally dead in their transgressions and sins, and thus equally deserving of God’s eternal wrath. All those “in Christ” by faith are equally saved. The Judaizers did not like this equality and sought through various means to revise the gospel to accommodate their arrogance. They resist the evangelization of Gentiles (Acts 10-11, 22:22) and insist that those Gentiles who do come to faith in Christ must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15). Their smug sense of superiority to the Gentiles is evident in their actions and words: “We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:15; see also Acts 11:15-18; 22:21-22).⁷²

This line of “superiority thinking” may sell among some Gentiles, but Paul refuses to buy into this, branding it elsewhere as heresy (e.g. Galatians 1). In Philippians 3, Paul reminds us that he himself once boasted that he was a “Jew of the Jews and could thus make the same boast as the Judaizers who are opposing him in Corinth”:

4 Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless (Philippians 3:4-6).

Do some of the false apostles in Corinth take pride in their Jewish origins? Do they think it makes them first-class citizens in the kingdom of God, while Gentiles are second-class? Did they want to be regarded the same as Paul? If so, then they need to remember the verses which immediately follow in Philippians 3:

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:7-9).

Those things in which the Corinthian Jews seem to boast, Paul has equal grounds to boast. But when Paul is marvelously saved by the grace of God, he comes to see his ethnicity in its proper perspective. He now sees that being a Jew is a privilege which brings great responsibility, but it in no way is intended to elevate Jews above Gentiles or Gentiles above Jews. Ephesians 2 has much to say concerning this matter. If some Corinthian Jews think their Jewishness makes them superior to Gentile saints, they are the fools for thinking in this way.

The Third Comparison: Paul’s Hall of Shame
(11:23-29)

I am reminded of the story of a motorcycle policeman in pursuit of a teenager in a souped-up hot rod. The young man had been driving a little too fast and knew he was in for a ticket. He tried to elude the policeman with no success. Finally, on a straight stretch of road, the young man put the accelerator to the floor. The policeman disappeared from the youngster’s rear view mirror. The young fellow really was not a bad sort, and so he began to wonder if something had happened to the officer. Turning his car around, he went back to look for him. He found the officer sitting beside the road several miles back, a little roughed up, but his motorcycle in shambles. The young man inquired about the officer’s condition and then ventured to ask, “What happened?” “Well,” the officer replied, “I was keeping up with you right along, and then suddenly you left me as if I were standing still. I thought something had gone wrong with my motorcycle, so I got off to see what it was.”

Paul reluctantly plays the fool by comparing himself (and his fellow authentic apostles) with the false apostles. The first leg of the race really makes Paul look “bad.” He and his colleagues cannot even begin to compare with the false apostles in terms of the way they are able to push people around and get away with it. The second leg of the race is an even match. Paul is able to hold his own when it comes to his Jewish credentials. And now, in the third and final leg of the race, Paul leaves his opponents behind, as if they are standing still. The basis for Paul’s comparison in this third leg of the contest is that of servanthood and suffering. Paul gives his readers a most impressive list of his sufferings for the sake of the gospel.

Time does not permit exploring every instance of suffering Paul enumerates for us. Frankly, there is nothing much one could add to what Paul says. Every one of his afflictions is clear and easy to understand. While we may not know exactly when, where, or how these happened in Paul’s life, we do find it rather easy to believe that they did. A few general comments about this section as a whole may be helpful. The following observations come not only from Paul’s words in our passage, but from the broader context of Paul’s words elsewhere in his epistles on the subject of suffering.

First, we must recognize that all of the items Paul lists here are examples of his personal sacrifices and sufferings in the cause of proclaiming and advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are not the success stories his adversaries would include in their press clippings. In fact, these are some of the very things the false apostles point out as good reason to look down upon the authentic apostles. The things Paul’s adversaries consider shameful and discrediting are the very things for which Paul boasts. Here is where Paul really makes his point. His opponents are into the “good life.” They are self-indulgent, and they offer the same lifestyle to those who would follow them. Paul and his colleagues are selfless, paying a very high price for the privilege of proclaiming Christ.

Second, the afflictions Paul enumerates are those he could rather easily avoid if he had chosen to do so. We have seen that Paul’s sufferings and trials are those he receives for preaching the gospel. If Paul had chosen to just back off and play it safe, he would not have suffered as he did. Paul lives the kind of life and engages in the kind of ministry which he knows will bring him adversity. This is made clear to Paul at the very outset, at the time of his conversion:

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16).

Third, this list of Paul’s sufferings for the sake of the gospel is much more extensive than the list recorded in the Book of Acts. Did you notice that the Book of Acts is only the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the sufferings and hardships Paul personally endured? Some of the sufferings and afflictions enumerated here in 2 Corinthians 11 are recorded in Acts, and Paul may have alluded to them earlier in 1 Corinthians 4 or chapters 2, 4 and 6 in 2 Corinthians. But a great number of Paul’s afflictions he mentions in chapter 11 are not mentioned elsewhere. This is the most detailed account of Paul’s sufferings in the Scriptures. If we think of Paul as a great sufferer for Christ because of our reading of the Book of Acts, let us now recognize that Paul suffered far more than Luke tells us in Acts.

Fourth, the sufferings Paul enumerates in 2 Corinthians 11 do not even include all the sufferings recorded in Acts. I have said above that Paul’s sufferings recorded in 2 Corinthians 11 are far more than those described in the entire Book of Acts. Now, I am saying that many of the “sufferings” we might think Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 11 have not yet happened to Paul, as recorded in Acts. By and large, we can safely say that the events in Paul’s life and ministry Luke describes in Acts are depicted chronologically. In Acts 8, we learn that Paul had a part in the stoning of Stephen. In Acts 9, we read of Paul’s conversion. Later in Acts, we see the various missionary journeys of Paul, all in chronological order. If we were to read 2 Corinthians 11 in relation to Paul’s ministry as recorded in Acts, we are only in chapter 20! This means that Paul has not yet been arrested in Jerusalem. It means he has yet to make a defense to his own people (Acts 22), to the Sanhedrin (Acts 23), to Felix (Acts 24), to Festus (Acts 25), to Agrippa (Acts 25 and 26), or to Caesar. Paul has not yet survived the incredible storm at sea (Acts 27). In other words, the list of Paul’s sufferings as enumerated in 2 Corinthians 11 is incomplete, with the worst yet to come in some instances.

Fifth, the sufferings and sacrifices Paul enumerates in 2 Corinthians 11 encompasses the whole spectrum of suffering and hardship. Paul includes hard work (labors), at least two forms of beating, imprisonments, dangerous situations, exposure to the elements, and deprivations (of food, shelter, sleep). In addition to these afflictions of the body, there are the mental and spiritual burdens he bears for the saints. He personally identifies with the weaknesses and sins of the saints who are in all the churches.

Sixth, the sufferings Paul enumerates are those every Christian should expect, although we may experience them to a lesser degree. Paul tells those to whom he preaches the gospel that suffering is a part of the Christian life, and that they should expect it. Suffering is not an anomaly; it is something every Christian should expect. Peace and prosperity are the anomaly.

12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).

Seventh, suffering and adversity are an expected part of this life and also a part of the process of our sanctification and ultimate salvation when we enter into the presence of God in His kingdom.

Eighth, in spite of the intensity of the sufferings of Paul, he considers them to be “light and momentary.”

Ninth, Paul actually rejoices in his sufferings, because these are evidences of his identification with Christ, and a means by which he came to know Christ more intimately.

10 That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Philippians 3:10).

Conclusion

This text has much to say to us as it did to the Corinthians of old. Let me conclude by suggesting some of the applications this text for us today.

First, this passage says a great deal to Christians about spiritual leadership. Throughout the gospels, we see that the disciples share the same definition of leadership as their culture. They argue among themselves as to who is the greatest (Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46; 22:24). They want to call down fire upon a Samaritan city (Luke 9:54). Peter rebukes our Lord when He talks about His own suffering and death (Matthew 16:21-23). Jesus presents a very different concept of leadership, one which differentiates Christian leaders from Gentile leaders:

Spiritual leadership is not manifested by dictatorial autocrats who push their followers around. This is the mark of self-serving leaders.

1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD. 3 “Then I Myself shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and shall bring them back to their pasture; and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD (Jeremiah 23:1-4).

12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; 15 forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:12-22).

16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. 17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit (Jude 1:16-19).

Spiritual leaders are not always marked by success, and they certainly are not characterized by an authoritarian, dictatorial leadership style. Spiritual leaders should be characterized by a spirit of servanthood, a sacrificial spirit which enables them to endure suffering for the cause of the gospel and for the sake of the flock of God, and a stamina or staying power which enables them to endure far more than natural men would tolerate. That is the kind of leader Paul was. That was true of all the authentic apostles. It was not so with the “intruders,” the false apostles who were in Corinth long ago, and who are in churches around the world today. Rather than recognizing such intruders, they should be removed. That is what Paul wants the Corinthian saints to do, and it is what congregations who wish to obey God’s Word should do when their leaders are not authentic, but only authoritarian.

Second, this text exposes a fundamental error which existed in Paul’s day and continues to exist in our own. This error is often the reason Christians are attracted to counterfeit Christian leaders. Donald A. Carson calls this error “triumphalism.”⁷³ Triumphalism is a distortion of Christian doctrine, particularly the doctrine of heaven and future rewards. The Lord Jesus, and then His apostles, taught that those who follow Jesus as His disciples must endure suffering and affliction in this life in order to fully enjoy the blessings of the next. In the fewest words possible, triumphalism wants to immediately enter into the blessings of heaven now, while doing away with pain and suffering in this life. Paul exposes this triumphalism in 1 Corinthians 4:8, where the term “already” is crucial:

8 You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and I would indeed that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you (1 Corinthians 4:8).

The Bible teaches that we must endure the sufferings and groanings of this life in order to enter into our eternal blessings:

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:16-23).

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. 10 And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come” (Matthew 24:4-14).

24 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26 But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. 27 For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:24-27).

19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me” (John 15:19-21).

10 But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me! 12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:10-13).

1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you; 5 but they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-6).

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? 19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right (1 Peter 4:12-19).

The Scriptures are clear: those who wish to reign with Christ for all eternity must be willing to suffer for Christ in time. There is no setting aside of the sufferings of this life, no shortcut to glory. Triumphalism is a cruel hoax which false leaders “sell” to those gullible enough to believe it. The suffering and sacrifice Christ endured, we must endure for His sake. Paul has shown us the way. Apart from Christ, no one has suffered as much as Paul. He paid the price of spiritual leadership. His opponents did not. Let the Corinthians judge between them, as to who they should heed.

Finally, note that no matter where we find ourselves in the writings of Paul (or anywhere else in the Bible), we are never far from the cross. The cross of Christ was predicted by the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Psalm 22; Isaiah 52:13–53:12). It was foretold by our Lord and then fulfilled by Him (Matthew 16:21; 26:20-32; 27). That cross is the means of our salvation, and it is also the pattern for our own lifestyle:

22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.” 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:22-25).

13 “And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:13-16).

It is that cross, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that Paul preaches. It is through the death of Jesus Christ on that cross that our sins are punished, in Him. It is through faith in Christ and His work on the cross on our behalf that we are saved once and for all. It is the message of the cross that Paul preaches and vigorously defends. Those whom Paul labels as “false apostles” he identifies as “enemies of the cross.” And the cross by which we are saved is the prototype of the “cross” we must bear for Christ. This is the message Paul and the apostles all preached:

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. 18 For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:17-18).

14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).

16 And might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity (Ephesians 2:16).

18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18).

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:19-20).

13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (Colossians 2:13-15).

2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:21-25).

Have you received the gift of the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life through the work of our Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary? If not, why not receive Him by faith today? And if so, let us never wander far from that cross. It is Christ’s work on the cross we commemorate in communion. It is by taking up our cross that we enter into a deeper level of communion with Him. And it is that cross which is the pattern, the paradigm, by which we are to live day by day. After we receive what God has done for us in Christ, on the cross of Calvary, then we are privileged to take up our cross, a cross of suffering and persecution, and follow Him, assured that there will be many blessings for us in our trials and tribulations in this life, and every promised blessing when He returns to establish His kingdom on earth.

69 A quotation by Ray Stedman cited in his sermon on 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 entitled, “The Cost of Love,” p. 2, as downloaded from the Peninsula Bible Church web sight on the Internet.

70 Donald A. Carson, From Triumphalism to Maturity (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984), p. 112.

71 Carson, From Triumphalism to Maturity, p. 88.

72 The arrogance which plagues the Jews is just as serious a danger for Gentile saints, as Paul’s words in Romans 11:11-24 indicate.

73 Carson entitles the chapter on 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 “Triumphalistic Qualifications.”

Biblical Topics:

Leadership

Passage:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

16. The Window, the Rope, and the Basket: Boasting in Our Weakness (2 Cor. 11:30-12:10)

Introduction

I cannot read Luke’s account, or Paul’s, of his being lowered down the wall of Damascus without smiling to myself. Years ago, I attended a seminary alumni luncheon for graduating students being formally inducted into the alumni association. One of the professors, who has since died, gave the message based on this incident in our text of Paul being let out of a window, then lowered in a basket suspended with a rope. The speaker used a spiritualized interpretation of the text rather than a literal exegesis. As I recall, his message went something like this:

The window speaks to us of our outlook on the world. How we need to see the world as lost and dying. The basket is our support system, that which keeps us safe and which protects us from the dangers of this life. The rope … Oh, how we need men and women to ‘hold the rope,’ to stand behind us, supporting us financially and in prayer. …

In terms of the ideas taught, the message was not all that bad. But truthfully, it was not all that good either. When the speaker finished, it was the senior class president’s turn to speak. He was an exceptional fellow, who was confined to a wheel chair. He was very bright, and when he spoke, he picked up on the “window,” “rope,” and “basket” theme by saying something like:

Boy, does it feel good to have made it all the way through seminary successfully, and now to have graduated. Sometimes I really needed that ‘window’ to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. Frankly, I was ‘at the end of my rope,’ and I felt like ‘a basket case.’

Perhaps you can understand that I will never forget the “window,” the “rope,” and the “basket.” In fact, Paul could not forget these either. In our passage, the Apostle Paul gives us the “bottom line” of both his First and Second Corinthian epistles. Paul does not mention this incident in passing, but to make a very important point. Giving careful attention to the apostle to see what he makes of the “window,” the “rope,” and the “basket” will also help us see the bigger point Paul makes, with which he concludes the major argument of his Corinthian correspondence.

The Window, the Rope, and the Basket
(11:30-33)

30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

Verse 30 introduces the dominant theme running through our passage. Paul begins this passage with the words, “If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.” And in verse 10 of chapter 12 Paul writes, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” This is not to say that Paul is finished with this theme of “weakness,” for it will come up again in chapter 13 as Paul concludes this epistle.

Before Paul gives his first illustration of “boasting in weakness,” he puts himself under oath. Donald A. Carson explains the significance of this oath in these words:

The proper function of oaths is not to erect special situations in which truth-telling is important, by contrast with other situations in which truth-telling does not matter; rather, they function to enhance the credibility of the speaker before skeptical hearers. Paul’s credibility has been questioned; he takes this oath, appealing to God’s omniscience, to ensure the Corinthians will hear him out and be more inclined to believe him (for other Pauline oaths cf. 2 Cor 1:18; 11:10-11; Rom 9:1; Gal 1:20; 1 Tim 2:7).⁷⁴

I am not so sure how the ordinary person might respond to such an oath as Paul has given, but I do believe an oath did have special significance to a Jew. We should remember that the opposition Paul unveils in chapter 11 is clearly Jewish (see 11:22). You may recall Matthew’s account of our Lord’s trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin:

59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; 60 and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You make no answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes, saying, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; 66 what do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death!” (Matthew 26:59-66).

When the high priest says, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us …,” he is putting Jesus under oath. In so doing, he believed that Jesus could not refuse to answer, and that He could speak nothing but the truth. An oath meant something to a devout Jew. And this is why Paul employs an oath in verse 31 of 2 Corinthians 11. As I understand it, Paul’s oath applies not only to what he is saying about his escape from Damascus in the final verses of chapter 11, but in what he will say about his heavenly vision at the outset of chapter 12.

It is most interesting to compare Paul’s version of the events which occurred at Damascus with the account given to us by Luke in the Book of Acts:

19 Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. 23 And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket (Acts 9:19b-25).

Luke makes no mention of the ethnarch, or of Aretas, the king who places him in authority over Damascus. An interesting footnote on this point is made by D. A. Carson.⁷⁵ Obviously God wants us to remember this event in the light of both accounts, and not just the one.

First, let us approach these differences with the assurance that both accounts are accurate and true, and that no irreconcilable differences exist. The problem for us is that there are details not included in either account which would help us understand the event more clearly. Neither Paul nor Luke wanted us to know everything there is to know about this incident. Each has a particular point to make, and each includes those elements of the story which contribute to that point.

Luke’s emphasis is upon the Jewish opposition to Paul’s preaching that Jesus was indeed the promised “Christ” of the Old Testament. Paul speaks of this incident as an example of his weakness, so that he may be able to boast in something which is personally shameful to him but glorifying to Christ. It is one thing for Paul to have distressed his fellow-Jews. He was once one of them, their hero, hunting down “Christians” as criminals, and then putting them in prison or worse. Now Paul has become one of “them,” as the story of his “escape” from Damascus illustrates. Paul does not focus on his Jewish opponents in Damascus, but rather on his civil and political adversaries who have declared him to be a criminal, and who sees to arrest him. Paul is being hunted down as a criminal, just as he has hunted down other Christians as criminals. This “shame” is now his grounds for boasting, thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul, the great apostle, has to sneak out of town as a wanted man and be lowered down the wall in what some believe to be a fish basket:⁷⁶

The toast of high rabbinic circles, this educated and sincere Pharisee, this man who had access to the highest officials in Jerusalem, slunk out of Damascus like a criminal, lowered like a catch of dead fish in a basket whose smelly cargo he had displaced.⁷⁷

Paul’s mentioning of being lowered down the Damascus wall may have a special meaning to those who lived in antiquity:

He will boast, if he must, of his weaknesses. But if it is realised that everyone in antiquity would have known that the finest military award for valour was the corona muralis, for the man who was first up the wall in the face of the enemy, Paul’s point is devastatingly plain: he was first down.⁷⁸

So why the “boasting” over this incident? I think it is for several reasons. First, it sounds a good deal like the way the Jews and Gentiles joined together to do away with Jesus. At face value, it is no honor to be branded a wanted man and have to sneak out of town, but when one’s rejection is “like” that of our Lord’s, then it is an honor:

Second, while Paul is branded a criminal and has to flee for his life in a most humiliating way, some in Damascus were saved as a result of hearing Paul preach Christ. In his account, Luke mentions those who were “his disciples” (Acts 9:25), indicating they were the fruit of his ministry. Third, this is Paul’s first public ministry after his conversion, and it is a prototype of Paul’s ministry from that time on. The response to Paul’s early preaching in Damascus is an evidence of how things are going to be throughout his ministry. The reason for this response to his preaching is given by Paul himself in 1 Corinthians:

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. … 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25, 30-31).

What made Paul such a hero to his fellow-Jews that he could have been awarded a “key to the city” on his entrance into Damascus as the old Saul? And what now turned this hero into a villain, an enemy not only of the Jews, but also of the government and even the king? It is not just that he has been saved, though this is the great turning point in Paul’s life. It is that Paul began preaching Jesus as the Christ rather than blaspheming against Him. Paul’s “weakness” and “foolishness” is the “weakness” and “foolishness” of the gospel by which he was saved and which he now proclaims openly. Paul can rightly “boast” in his “weakness,” because his “weakness” is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the “power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

The “window,” the “rope,” and the “basket” are all reminders to Paul of the life to which he has been called, as pointed out by Ananias at the time of his conversion (Acts 9:15-16), and then dramatically illustrated in Damascus when he first began to preach Jesus as the promised Messiah. These symbols of humiliation and weakness are reminders of our weakness and foolishness as we preach the gospel to lost souls, and they are also reminders that those who are gloriously and powerfully saved by such preaching are saved by the power of God, to His glory. We boast in our weakness because it is this very weakness that God chooses to use in saving lost sinners.

Paul’s Heavenly Vision
(12:1-6)

1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5 On behalf of such a man will I boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. 6 For if I do wish to boast I shall not be foolish, for I shall be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one may credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

Before we actually begin to consider Paul’s amazing words in this text, let us remind ourselves of several important facts. First, we should remember that Paul is accused of being unspiritual.

2 I ask that when I am present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:2).

Second, those who accuse Paul of being unspiritual are those who think themselves to be spiritual (see 1 Corinthians 4:6-10; 5:2; 8:1; 12:20-25; 14:37-38). One of the proofs of super-spirituality, claimed by false prophets and apostles, is that of having received visions and revelations:

18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind (Colossians 2:18; see also Jeremiah 23:32; Lamentations 2:14; Ezekiel 13:9, 16, 23; 22:28; Zechariah 10:2).

The way the Corinthians drove Paul to this particular topic for boasting is best explained by supposing that the false apostles not only claimed superiority in such things as rhetoric, eloquence, ability to command fees, leadership, and knowledge of the truth, they also claimed spiritual superiority. In support of their claims they could recount a continuing array of visions and revelations they were receiving. A confident ‘The Lord told me this morning …’ may not only enhance one’s reputation as a man or woman of God, but may prove wonderfully coercive. Few will stop to ask in what way the Lord said this or that (By an audible voice? By quiet, personal conviction? By tongues?), or point out that the authority status of such revelations in the New Testament is less than is commonly believed. Fewer still will pause to remember that not every supernatural power is divine. Certainly the triumphalists won’t raise questions of this sort; their first reaction will be that such questions quench the Spirit. And so the claims of spiritual prowess are paraded out, and personal authority grows with the ‘sharing’ of each vision.⁷⁹

Third, Paul does have a number of visions and revelations from God during his life, but in the New Testament he is not the one who usually speaks of them. Most of Paul’s visions that we know about are recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts (see Acts 9:12; 16:9-10; 18:9-10; 22:17-21; 23:11; 27:23-24). Paul speaks of his vision of the resurrected Christ because it plays a vital part in his conversion experience and because it also qualifies him as an apostle (see Acts 1:22; 1 Corinthians 9:1). He is not inclined to speak of the details of his other visions.

With these more general observations in mind, let us move on to observations which arise from Paul’s account of his glorious vision in our text.

(1) Paul speaks of a vision he personally experienced. In verse 6, Paul says that his boasting with regard to this vision is in truth. In verse 7, Paul indicates that his “thorn in the flesh” is a result of his vision, so that he will not exalt himself. Paul speaks of his own glorious experience.

(2) Paul describes his experience in the third person (“a man”), rather than in the first person (“I”), as we would expect. Carson explains Paul’s description in this way:

The answer can only be that he is so embarrassed to have to boast at all that the closest approximation he can manage to the conduct he finds so despicable is to write of himself in the third person. And even so, he writes not of a great apostle but of a man in Christ, so that when his readers discover a few verses later that Paul is really talking about himself, they will not place him in a super-Christian class, a cut above the common herd.⁸⁰

(3) Paul speaks briefly of his vision. Many books are written by those who claim to have an experience similar to that of the apostle Paul. Paul uses but a handful of sentences to describe his vision in the most abridged fashion possible.

(4) Paul speaks vaguely of his vision. In many ways, Paul’s description raises more questions than answers. At the beginning, we are not even sure Paul is talking about himself. This becomes clear a few verses later. We do not know what the occasion or setting is for Paul’s vision.⁸¹ Paul twice says that he does not know whether this experience happened in the body or out of the body. He tells us that what he heard (and, it would seem, what he saw as well) is inexpressible. I take it that he is not permitted to tell all, and that even if permitted, he would not have the words to do so since he entered into another dimension. Nothing on earth could be used to accurately compare with the things of Paradise.

(5) Paul speaks reluctantly of this glorious vision. It takes Paul fourteen years to even tell of this incident in his life, glorious as it is. People who claim such visions today cannot wait to get their accounts in print. Paul is finally forced to boast fourteen years after the event, and the context makes it clear that he does not really enjoy telling this story even now. And when Paul does boast, it is not in the vision which he sees, but in the weakness which accompanies it.

(6) Paul speaks of this one glorious vision as but an example of a number of visions he received. We see that Paul had a number of visions recorded in the Book of Acts, but I take it there were even more. In verse 1 of chapter 12, Paul says that he will “go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” In verse 7, Paul once again speaks of “revelations,” using the plural rather than the singular. This vision to which he refers may be the greatest, but it is the greatest of several (or more) visions and revelations.

(7) Paul’s glorious experience is not about what he saw in Paradise, but about what he heard in Paradise that he cannot repeat. In light of what we see throughout Paul’s two epistles to the Corinthians, this is significant. The Corinthian “intruders” seem to constantly criticize Paul’s speech, as being decidedly inferior to their own (see 1 Corinthians 1:17; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 10:1, 10; 11:6). It seems from 1 Corinthians 12-14 that some of these “intruders” speak in tongues. I can hear them boasting about their “heavenly language.” Paul certainly tops them here. He says that what he heard in heaven was so incredible it is inexpressible (2 Corinthians 12:4). They boast in the heavenly language they speak, while Paul speaks of heavenly language too wonderful to repeat. This may have left his opponents momentarily speechless.

(8) Paul is very concerned that others not judge his spirituality and standing before God on the basis of his glorious experience in receiving this vision. Here is another example of how different Paul and his fellow-apostles are from the false apostles—the intruders, as D. A. Carson likes to call them. They cannot wait to make their public proclamations of glorious spiritual experiences. Paul can hardly be forced to speak or write about them. Why? Why does Paul not wish to tell the Corinthians about his wonderful vision? I think the reasons are clear and simple. First and foremost, telling of his experience would draw attention to himself, rather than to Christ. Paul preaches Christ crucified. He refuses to change his message or his methods so that the messenger becomes more prominent than the message, and especially the Messiah. Second, telling of his experience is impossible, since the words (and the visible images he saw) are inexpressible. Third, telling of his experience detracts attention from the gospel. Paul is concerned that people hear the gospel and be saved, not that they hear his experience and try to replicate it. Fourth, making much of his experience emphasizes the sensational aspects of the Christian experience, rather than the normal Christian life. It might lead some to conclude that spirituality and significance are linked to such spectacular experiences, when the more accurate test is suffering unjustly for the sake of the gospel, and our Lord, of whom the gospel speaks. The Corinthians are already caught up with the sensational and disinterested in the painful aspects of the Christian life. Triumphalism is all about the sensational, and maturity is all about steadfast perseverance in the midst of adversity and suffering, and stability in the face of false teaching (see Ephesians 4:10-16). Fifth, Paul’s experiences are personal and impossible to verify or test. Visions cannot be verified; only the teaching or message they are said to convey can be tested by Scripture.

… Paul is genuinely concerned lest others think too highly of him. This might simply reflect a brutal honesty: he knows his own heart well enough to realize that, apart from grace, it is capable of the most appalling abominations in God’s eyes (cf. Rom 3:10-20). But in fact it is more: it is the typical attitude displayed by this apostle, who is always concerned to insist that people should focus on the gospel and on the Savior, not the messenger. He will be a more effective witness to the message of Christ crucified if he draws little attention to himself and to his grace-empowered victories, being all the while unafraid to endure suffering, privation, and disgrace.⁸²

(9) I believe we can safely conclude that Paul’s spiritual experience is not so much for the benefit of others, but for Paul’s personal benefit. It is not for public consumption. When Paul feels forced to tell of it, he refuses to give the kinds of details which would enhance his own standing and status in the eyes of others. Put differently, Paul does not consider his personal experience to be edifying for the church. Would that we had this same discernment. If we look at the bookshelves in Christian bookstores, a very significant percentage of the new books being written are those which describe someone’s spiritual experience. I am not suggesting all such accounts are wrong. I am suggesting that if Paul is reluctant to publicly disclose his glorious vision, we should be a little slower to tell others of our (glorious) experiences, especially in a way that suggests others may imitate or reproduce them.

(10) Finally, Paul links this sublime event of his glorious vision with the humiliating experience of his “thorn in the flesh.” This we shall see in the next verses.

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
(12:7-10)

(1) Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a direct result of his numerous glorious revelations (plural, see vs. 1). It is apparent from Paul’s words in chapter 12, verse 1 (“visions and revelations”) and in verse 7 (“revelations”), that he can “boast” about more than this one vision to which he refers in verses 2-4. This is but the tip of the iceberg. Other visions and revelations are described in Acts, but even these do not seem to be all of the visions and revelations Paul received. Do some Corinthians boast in their speaking in tongues? Paul can say that he speaks in tongues more than any of them, in fact, more than all of them (1 Corinthians 14:18). Do some Corinthians boast in the visions they claim to have had (see Colossians 2:18)? Paul seems to tell us here that he has more than any of his opponents.

(2) Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a substantial infirmity, which may not only have affected his body but also his spirit. Paul tells us that his affliction is a “thorn in the flesh,” which seems to indicate that it is a physical or bodily infirmity. Paul’s words here imply that it is hardly a mere irritation, but a nagging, persistent, painful problem which can never quite be put out of mind. It may be a malady which affects his appearance (some maladies are not pretty), perhaps causing embarrassment. It must also affect his spirit. Afflictions of the body also impact one’s attitude and outlook.

(3) Paul’s thorn in the flesh is never specifically identified. Paul is reluctant to go into detail about his glorious experiences, such as his heavenly vision briefly mentioned in verses 2-4. Paul is just as reluctant to give us great detail concerning his afflictions. He has spoken of them generally before in various categories. But when it comes to his “thorn in the flesh,” Paul never bothers to indicate exactly what it is. In this sense, Paul is unlike many Christians who wish to give us all the gory details concerning their physical infirmities. We may do this “so that others may pray more intelligently,” but Paul does not do it. Perhaps Paul’s way is better.

(4) Paul’s thorn in the flesh has a satanic source. Paul tells us that his “thorn in the flesh,” in effect, is Satan’s messenger or angel. Satan is the greatest of all hypocrites. On the one hand, Satan seeks to entice men to indulge their fleshly lusts. On the other, Satan eagerly takes advantage of every opportunity he is given to destroy our fleshly bodies (see Job 2:1-10; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20). Satan has a hand in Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” and Paul knows it.

(5) Paul’s thorn in the flesh is divinely ordained and purposed. As we can see from Job 2:1-10, Satan cannot afflict men without God’s permission. While Satan is the immediate cause of Paul’s affliction, ultimately, God is in control, using not only this affliction but Satan himself to bring glory to Himself and to bring about what is good for the Apostle Paul. Some think God is able to use only good people—the ones who trust in Him, who pray, and who obey His Word—to accomplish His plans and purposes. God is sovereign; He is in total and complete control of every part of His creation. He is in control of Satan and his activities. Satan can only act within the limits God sets on him. God uses not only good men and women, but evil people and evil acts as well to accomplish His glory and man’s good (see Genesis 50:20).

(6) Paul does not desire his thorn in the flesh and fervently prays for God to remove it. Paul is no masochist who enjoys suffering for suffering’s sake. As our Lord did not delight in the prospect of His agonizing death on the cross of Calvary, and asked that “this cup” be removed from Him (Matthew 26:36-46), so Paul does not delight in his thorn in the flesh and asks that it be removed.

(7) God does not remove Paul’s thorn in the flesh in spite of Paul’s prayers to the contrary. In spite of Paul’s spirituality, in spite of Paul’s fervent petitions that his “thorn” be removed, God does not remove it. This is not because Paul lacks faith, or because of sin in his life, but because God has a higher purpose for Paul and a better solution for his thorn in the flesh.

(8) Paul’s thorn in the flesh is given by God to prevent him from becoming puffed up with pride, based upon the spiritual privileges he has been granted. Here is an amazing thing, which we should consciously note and accept: Paul is susceptible to spiritual pride. Paul recognizes that God has given him his thorn in the flesh to prevent him from becoming spiritually proud. As I read the text, if Paul had not been given this “thorn,” he would have become proud. This is the very reason it could not be taken away. This “thorn,” though painful, is better than the pride it prevents. Paul’s thorn is humbling to him, and this is precisely what Paul needs, lest he become puffed up with pride over his glorious visions.

(9) Rather than remove his thorn in the flesh, God gives Paul sufficient grace to sustain him in the midst of his affliction. The same God who gave Paul this affliction gave Paul the grace to endure it victoriously. If this was good enough for Paul, why is it not good enough for us today? Why do some saints insist upon God taking away their trials, rather than petitioning God for the grace needed to endure them? God’s revelation to Paul is, “My grace is sufficient for you” (verse 9a). That is, for Paul, a clear answer to his prayers that God remove his thorn. As far as the removing of his affliction, it is a “No,” but for meeting his need in the midst of his affliction, it is a “Yes!”

(10) Paul’s thorn in the flesh is actually the occasion for God’s power to be demonstrated. Paul’s thorn in the flesh is much more than a problem which needs fixing, if not by removal, then by the addition of grace. Paul’s affliction is not only a preventative (of spiritual pride on Paul’s part); it is a prerequisite for even greater things. Paul’s thorn in the flesh is an evidence of Paul’s weakness, and this “weakness” becomes the basis for God’s manifestation of power through Paul’s weakness. This takes us back to a very foundational principle Paul set down in his first chapter of 1 Corinthians:

26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 that no man should boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

God purposes to bring glory to Himself, which He does through using those things which are “weak” and “foolish” in the eyes of the world. This way when God does something truly great through “weak” and “foolish” instruments, it is clear that God, not men, receives the praise and the glory. Paul’s thorn in the flesh makes him weak, and thus qualifies him to be an instrument of God’s power. His weakness does not prevent him from ministering for God; rather, it qualifies him to minister for God, in His power. This is so because “His⁸³ power is perfected in weakness” (verse 9).

(11) Paul’s thorn in the flesh becomes the basis for Paul’s boasting. Now, Paul sees his “thorn in the flesh” in an entirely different light. At first, his “thorn” is a problem, which he prays that God will remove. Now, it is not just a preventative action but a gracious provision, opening the door for God’s added grace and power to be demonstrated through Paul’s life. Now Paul ceases to petition God to remove this thorn and praises God for giving it to him.

(12) Paul’s thorn in the flesh becomes the basis for Paul’s rejoicing, enjoying, and boasting in all of his afflictions which make him weak, thus occasioning God’s grace and power. Paul now sees the principle behind his problem. He understands that God’s grace is showered upon us, and His power is demonstrated through us when we are weak. It is not just this one, unnamed thorn in the flesh which makes Paul “weak”; it is every affliction and adversity in his life. Thus, Paul sees that every affliction, every adversity, is the occasion for a manifestation of God’s grace and power in and through us. Because of this, Paul now rejoices in every one of his weaknesses. The various categories of weakness which Paul summarizes in verse 10 are virtually the same as those he spells out more fully in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. Every affliction, every difficulty, is an occasion for God’s grace and power in our lives. Every weakness we experience for the sake of Christ is the occasion for God’s strength to be seen in us. Far from begrudging these things, Paul now boasts in them.

Conclusion

I believe Donald A. Carson is precisely on target when he identifies the principle Corinthian problem as “triumphalism.” Triumphalism is that frame of mind which seeks to twist the gospel into the promise of heaven on earth. It seeks to rid the Christian life of suffering, trials, and groaning, when our Lord and His apostles taught that following Christ means taking up our cross to follow Him:

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

The triumphalists are not unlike those Jews of Jesus’ day who would not hear of a “king” who would endure the suffering of a cross:

39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” … 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we shall believe in Him” (Matthew 27:39-40, 42).

The triumphalists do not want to hear of suffering and shame, borne for the sake of Christ and His gospel. They want to hear of health, wealth, and the good life. To do so, they must minimize the cross of Christ, and this Paul will not do. Paul’s words in our text are a devastating blow to triumphalism in several areas. Allow me to mention a few with some applications for each.

True Spirituality, Triumphalism, and Satan

The triumphalists are those who claim immediate and complete victory over Satan. Peter tells us that “they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties” (2 Peter 2:10, see also verse 11). Those who are most daring in their taking on of Satan are not even true believers, it would seem (see Acts 19:13-17). I hear some preachers mock Satan, speaking of him as though he has no power at all. I hear a great deal of “spiritual warfare” talk, in which Satan is rebuked, bound, hedged about, and so on, but when I look at Paul, I see a very different response. Paul takes on Satan reluctantly, as we see in the exorcism of the fortune-teller in Philippi (Acts 16:16-18). Triumphalists take Satan on quickly and easily. They seem to seek “prayer cover” by obtaining the support of fellow-saints. It is as though they feel they must gain enough warriors to convince God to join with them in the battle against the evil one.

If some look at spiritual warfare as a great cosmic struggle with the outcome yet to be known, Paul sees it in a very different light. He views Satan as a defeated foe, ultimately, but a powerful enemy in this present age. Satan’s final doom is sealed, having been accomplished on the cross of Calvary, but he is presently seeking to oppose the people and the purposes of God. What he does not seem to know (and Paul does) is that God is actually using Satan and his opposition to the saints to further His purposes. God is not battling it out with Satan to see who will win; God has won the battle. Satan cannot touch one of God’s children without His permission, as we see in the second chapter of Job. When Satan does afflict one of the saints, it is always by divine permission, and in order to fulfill a divine purpose. Satan, the prince of pride, is used of God to produce humility in Paul. Without knowing it, Satan weakens Paul only that God might manifest His power through him. God uses Satan’s opposition, his deceit, his attacks on the flesh, to bring about His divine purposes.

The triumphalists look down upon Paul for not rebuking Satan and for not delivering himself from his physical affliction. Paul does not seek to take on Satan to be delivered from his “thorn in the flesh,” but he does petition God to remove it. And when God’s answer (“No.”) is made known to Paul, he joyfully accepts his satanic affliction as a gracious gift from God. Triumphalists want quick and easy victories over Satan. Paul accepts his satanic attack as having been given to him from God. Triumphalists only see Satan as standing against God. Paul sees God standing behind Satan, using his rebellion and opposition to bring about His plans and purposes.

Suffering

Triumphalism wants nothing to do with suffering and adversity. The triumphalists believe that Christ’s work on the cross of Calvary assures us of deliverance from such things, if we but have the faith to believe it. No wonder the triumphalists of Corinth are proud and puffed up. They seem to be prospering, popular, and effective. Conversely, Paul is looked upon with considerable disfavor by a number of people. Paul’s body is afflicted with his “thorn in the flesh.” His life is a litany of difficulties and suffering. His ministry is under fire, and his apostleship questioned. A triumphalist can hardly be comfortable with a man like Paul around. Paul’s suffering, and his teaching about suffering, is in direct opposition to the teaching and lifestyle of the triumphalists.

For the triumphalist, suffering is a flashing warning light, a sign that something is wrong. Job’s friends (as seen in the Old Testament Book of Job) are triumphalists at heart, and they conclude from Job’s afflictions that he must have done something terribly wrong, because they know God always blesses the faithful. Paul told us earlier that his suffering is voluntarily self-imposed. It is something Paul could have avoided, but did not, for the sake of the gospel. Now Paul tells us that even though his suffering has a satanic origin, it has been given to him by God for the purpose of humbling him and keeping him from becoming spiritually proud. Beyond this, Paul informs us that suffering is a God-given weakness, which becomes the occasion for God’s power and grace to be demonstrated in our lives. Suffering then is not a curse, but a blessing, if it is suffering for the sake of Christ.

This insight from Paul’s pen is monumental. It answers some crucial questions raised by suffering. Asaph, the author of Psalm 73, believes that “God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart” (Psalm 73:1). Consequently, he is perplexed that the wicked are prospering more than the righteous (73:2-14). How can God “bless” the wicked, while allowing the righteous to suffer? The answer is simple: It is in our adversity, in our affliction, that our weakness is apparent, and our need for grace is most obvious. God’s grace not only sustains us in our suffering, it draws us much nearer to God. We not only enter into a deeper level of intimacy with God in our suffering, we also are assured of entering eternally into God’s presence when we die:

23 Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. 24 With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works (Psalm 73:23-28).

On various occasions, I have been asked why God sometimes does not bless His people for their righteousness, as He promised. There are a number of answers to this question, but I would like to focus on the answer Paul gives in our text. If God were to bless us in accordance with our works, the blessings would not be that great. God would be dealing with us on the principle of works. But when we are weak and needy, then God deals with us on the basis of grace. Grace deals bountifully, in accordance with God’s generosity, rather than in accordance with our merit. Grace also deals sovereignly, independently. Consequently, God bestows His grace on us in His time, and not necessarily in accordance with our preferences or desires. This is why so many of the Old Testament psalms cry out to God, asking Him how long it will be before He deals bountifully and graciously with His people (see Psalm 4:2; 6:3; 13:2; 35:17; 74:9-10; 79:5; 80:4; 89:46; 90:13; 94:3).

Triumphalists want God’s blessings now, based upon their merits and strengths. True apostles, and true servants of Christ, are willing to suffer now for the sake of Christ and wait for God to deal with them graciously in their time of need, in their weakness. The self-righteous hate grace, because it is a form of charity, something which does not flatter the one who is blessed.⁸⁴ Grace gives the one blessed no grounds for boasting, other than in Christ, the Source of all blessings.

Power Versus Weakness

Triumphalists are fascinated and fixated on power. They are bent upon representing themselves as powerful, or upon following those whom they believe to be powerful. They are repulsed by any sign of human weakness. The recent book, Power Religion, focuses entirely on exposing the error of this kind of thinking, and yet we see it everywhere we turn in evangelical circles (not to mention the rest). Unbelievers and believers alike are drawn to performances of power, whether it be world-class athletes or some other manifestation of human power. Christian motivational speakers speak and write extensively about the power within us, which can be tapped by positive thinking or some other methodology. The message of human potential is all about us. I do not doubt that there is a measure of truth and perhaps some good that such talk does, but I also have no doubt that Paul denies the concept entirely when it comes to God’s grace and power working in our lives. God does not manifest His power through the humanly strong, but through the weak. It is in weakness that God’s power is perfected. Let us never forget it.

Prayer

In all too many churches and Christian circles, prayer is viewed as the way we manipulate God. All we need do is to have someone agree with us in prayer, or have enough people praying with us, or have enough faith as we pray, and God will do whatever we want. It is almost as though prayer gives us some kind of power over God. I believe Paul views prayer in a very different way. Paul prays to the Lord that his “thorn in the flesh” might be removed. He does not demand that Satan be bound or that the devil depart from him. He pleads with the Lord to remove the “thorn in the flesh” which He (God) has given to him. And when that petition is denied, Paul accepts God’s answer: His grace is indeed sufficient, and His power will be perfected in Paul’s weakness. Prayer is not the proof of Paul’s spiritual strength, but the evidence of his awareness of his great weakness. I think this is why so many of us pray so little today. Why pray when you have no need to do so? Why seek God’s strength when you feel strong in and of yourself? Prayer is an outward measure of our own sense of self-sufficiency, apart from God’s grace and power.

What Is Your Thorn in the Flesh?

I wonder if God hasn’t given every Christian some kind of “thorn in the flesh.” I have known a number of well-to-do Christians, and I have observed that many of them have physical or other infirmities which money cannot cure. I have seen a number of Christians who appear to have it made, to have life easy. But as I have gotten to know them better, I find that they have problems in their life, in their family, in their business, in their community, from which they cannot find deliverance. It may well be that the one thing you have most wanted to be rid of, God wants you to have. It may be that the thing you think has kept you from a ministry is the key to your ministry. And so, as I close this message, I urge you to consider what your “thorn in the flesh” might be, and then ask God to use it in your life to manifest His grace and power, to His glory and for your good.

Paul’s Word and Our Ego (Pride)

God always works in ways that humble men and exalt Himself. God is not in the business of glorifying men, but in bringing glory to Himself as He works through those who are weak and foolish. If we would be in harmony with God and His way of working on this earth, then we must acknowledge our weakness, our ignorance, our foolishness, and cling to Him for power, wisdom, and grace.

1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 5:1-11; see also James 4:1-10).

One Final Thought

It occurred to me after I finished this message that what Paul teaches us on an individual level is also true on a corporate level. There is the perception, I fear, that bigger, faster-growing, or more financially prospering churches are able to do more than smaller, struggling churches. “It takes money to minister,” we are told. I do not think there is anything intrinsically wrong with bigger churches. Bigness is not wrong, nor is smallness right. But “bigness” does not automatically mean that a particular church can do, or is doing, more for God than other churches. The “power church” mentality is sometimes closely linked with the “mega-church” mentality. If it is through weakness that God’s power is perfected in the lives of individuals, why is it not also through corporate weakness that God’s power is perfected in the churches? It seems to me that this is precisely what we see in the New Testament. The churches which supposed themselves to be strong were not “setting the world on fire” for Christ. And those churches which were hanging on by the skin of their teeth were instructed to “strengthen what remained” (see Revelation 3:1-6). It is not through the triumph of the church that God’s power will be manifested, but through the weakness and dependency of the church that God’s power and grace will be demonstrated.

74 Donald A. Carson, From Triumphalism to Maturity (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984), p. 126.

75 D. A. Carson, From Triumphalism to Maturity, fn. 4, pp. 126-127.

76 I am not sure the evidence is compelling here. It may simply be a large basket. The term Paul uses is found only in our text, and the term Luke uses is found in Matthew 15:37; 16:10; Mark 8:8, 20; Acts 9:25. In each of the four instances in the Gospels, the “basket” is that one used to gather up the fragments from the feeding of the 4,000.

77 D. A. Carson, p. 128.

78 E. A. Judge, “The Conflict of Educational Aims in NT Thought,” Journal of Christian Education 9 (1966), 45, as cited by Carson, p. 128.

79 D. A. Carson, From Triumphalism to Maturity, p. 134.

80 D. A. Carson, p. 136.

81 I have always supposed that Paul’s “near death” or “after death” experience happened when he was stoned and left for dead in Lystra (see Acts 14:19), but there is no compelling reason to reach this conclusion. Indeed, if this event happened 14 years before, it would have been before he had commenced his public ministry, before he had taken his first missionary journey. Carson writes: “Whether we reckon up the ‘fourteen years’ inclusively or not, this puts the visionary experience into the silent decade of Paul’s ministry, roughly A.D. 35-45, years about which we know almost nothing save that he spent them in Syria and Cilicia (Gal 1:21). Doubtless Paul was already discharging the responsibilities the Lord laid on him at his conversion …” D. A. Carson, pp. 136-137.

82 D. A. Carson, p. 143.

83 If you notice the marginal note in the NASB, some manuscripts add the word “My,” making very clear that which should be clear anyway, and that is that God’s grace is given to us as His power when we are weak.

84 I have taught on this matter elsewhere, particularly in the series on the Book of Jonah. Jonah was, I believe, a typical self-righteous Israelite, who not only hated Gentiles, but he hated God’s grace, supposing that God was actually obligated to bless the Israelites because of their merit or superiority to the Gentiles.

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17. Paul’s Closing Argument, Appeal, and Blessing (2 Cor. 12:11-13:14)

11 I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. 13 For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

14 Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 And I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less? 16 But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit. 17 Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? 18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps?

19 All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.

13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. 2 I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again, I will not spare anyone, 3 since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? 6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we should appear unapproved. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. 10 For this reason I am writing these things while absent, in order that when present I may not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me, for building up and not for tearing down.

11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Introduction

All avid “Perry Mason” fans know how things work in the courtroom, or so we think. Just before the jury goes out to deliberate a case, the defense attorney and prosecutor have an opportunity to make their closing arguments. At that time, each tries to press home the viewpoint for which they laid the groundwork throughout the trial. In one sense, this is precisely what Paul does in our text. Beginning with 1 Corinthians and concluding with 2 Corinthians, Paul deals with certain problems in the Corinthian church. Strife and division are in the church; some are living in sexual immorality, and others are taking their fellow-believers to court. Some are failing to relate their new faith to their marriage, while still others are participating in pagan idol-worship feasts, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper leaves much to be desired. Spiritual gifts are either neglected or abused. The roles of men and women in worship are confused. Intruders have arisen in the church; they are really “false apostles” who wish to be regarded as having apostolic status, but their gospel is not the true gospel. Paul’s apostleship is being challenged, and thus his message and ministry.

All along, Paul addresses these problems. At 2 Corinthians 10, Paul feels compelled to answer the accusations of his adversaries by “boasting.” Now, in our text, Paul gives his closing argument, and it is much shorter than we would expect. After what appears to be his defense, Paul takes the offensive, pointing out that he is not really trying to defend himself. He also points out the sins which must be corrected before he can come joyfully to Corinth. In these closing verses of 2 Corinthians, his adversaries are the ones sitting in the “hot seat” rather than Paul. His words are meant for us today as well as for the ancient Corinthians.

Paul’s Closing Argument
(12:11-18)

From the very outset of 1 Corinthians, it is apparent that the Corinthians look up to certain leaders in the church, while looking down upon Paul and his apostolic colleagues. Paul’s message (“Christ crucified”—1:23) and his methods (2:1) do not appeal to the worldly wise. The suffering and adversity of the apostles do not conform to the triumphalistic outlook of many Corinthians either (see 1 Corinthians 4:6-13). The “intruders,” who seek to establish their own authority as apostles (when in fact they are false apostles—see 2 Corinthians 11:12-15), do so by challenging the authority of Paul and his authentic apostolic colleagues. Virtually forced to do so, Paul reluctantly compares himself with these false apostles by “boasting” over certain aspects of his identity and his ministry. He boasts in the privilege God has given him to be an apostle to the Corinthians (10:8, 13, 16). He boasts that he has not been a burden to the Corinthians (11:7-12), that he is as Jewish as his opponents (11:16-22), and he boasts in his sufferings as Christ’s servant (11:23-29). He boasts in his visions and revelations (12:1-6) and finally, in his weaknesses (11:30-33; 12:7-10). In verse 11, Paul once again begins by referring to his boasting, reminding them that they forced him to boast by challenging the legitimacy of his apostleship and ministry.

These Corinthians virtually ask Paul for his resume when they should be his letter of reference. In Paul’s words, instead of being challenged, he “should have been commended” by them (verse 11). Paul boldly claims his ministry is not one bit inferior to the highly renowned apostles in any area. While making this claim of complete equality with the most esteemed apostles, he quickly indicates he is all too aware that in and of himself, he is still a nobody. His standing as an apostle is not a matter of merit, but of divine grace.

Verse 12 gives specific evidences of his apostleship. God performed signs, wonders, and miracles through Paul while he ministered among the Corinthians. Paul claims that these are “the signs of a true apostle.” In the Old Testament, God’s prophets are set apart by being able to perform certain accrediting miracles. If the things these prophets promise to do are not accomplished, it is sure proof that they are false prophets (see Deuteronomy 18:21-22). There were accrediting miracles as well in the ministry of our Lord and His chosen apostles:

1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will (Hebrews 2:1-4).

Paul reminds his Corinthian readers that they are witnesses of these accrediting miracles, and that these are no less impressive or convincing than those performed by the most highly regarded of the apostles. Paul writes that these “signs of a true apostle” were performed among the Corinthians “with all perseverance.” What does this mean? How are the “signs of a true apostle” performed with “all perseverance”? I believe Paul’s words to the Thessalonians give us the explanation:

1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. 3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts. 5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— 6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. 7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. 8 Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 13 And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost (1 Thessalonians 2:1-16).

7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; 9 not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).

If I understand Paul correctly, he is saying that his perseverance is endurance in the face of hardship, hard work, and intense opposition. When Paul went to Thessalonica, he did not accept funds from the Thessalonians. Instead, he labored with his own hands, meeting his own needs and those of others. This was not easy, for it required him to work night and day as he labored to support himself and preach the gospel. Paul persevered in all this, even though it was not easy. Not only did he endure hardship and hard work, Paul also persevered in the face of intense opposition to his preaching.

Paul is not like the religious hucksters of his day or of ours. He will not go about “missionarying,” as Mark Twain described this type of religious swindling. Paul does not set up a large tent, promising dazzling miracles, then perform magic tricks to the wonder of his audience—followed by a collection. Paul performs the “signs of a true apostle” before an audience which includes many skeptics and hecklers. He does not have a controlled setting, where tricks can be played on a gullible audience. Paul’s signs are performed in the most difficult setting with the most skeptical observers watching, looking for any hint of falsehood or deception. In this most difficult setting, Paul is shown to be a “true apostle.” I believe the same words can be said of Paul’s ministry in Corinth, and that this is what Paul means when he writes of performing “the signs of a true apostle” with all perseverance.

But Paul’s apostleship is not challenged simply for having failed to perform the “signs of a true apostle.” There is yet another totally illogical reason, as he now shows: Paul refuses to accept pay from the Corinthians for his ministry among them. The Corinthians reason something like this:

1. Virtually all of the other apostles are supported by those to whom they minister (see 1 Corinthians 9:1-14).

2. Paul will not be supported in the manner the other apostles are.

3. Therefore, Paul must not be a genuine apostle.

If careful thought is not given here, this kind of logic does have a certain ring of truth. But it is a fallacious argument. Being an apostle (or one who ministers the gospel) does give one the right to be supported (1 Corinthians 9:3-5). But having the right to be supported does not prove one is an apostle, since all who proclaim the gospel have the right to such support (1 Corinthians 9:14). Furthermore, many religious hucksters are supported who are not even Christians, much less apostles. The choice not to exercise the apostolic right to support does not discredit one’s status as an apostle. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 9 that foregoing this right of support is the basis for greater reward (9:16-18). Thus, declining support does not make Paul less of an apostle, but more a volunteer who can thus expect a reward for his voluntary sacrifice.

In verse 13 then, Paul brings the matter of his declining the Corinthians’ support to the surface. Does he treat the Corinthians as inferior to the other churches (who support the apostles who minister to them) by not taking money from them? Is Paul doing them a disservice by not becoming a burden to them? If this is his great offense against the Corinthians, then Paul asks their forgiveness, with a strong note of sarcasm.

At verse 14, Paul takes up the recurring theme of his third visit (see also 1:15ff.; 13:1). Do some look down upon him because he refuses to be supported in his ministry? Then let them know that when he comes for the third time, he will not change his practice. Let them prepare themselves for more of the same. There is good reason for this, in addition to enhancing Paul’s reward (see 1 Corinthians 9:16-18). As earlier, Paul speaks of himself as the Corinthians’ spiritual father (1 Corinthians 4:14ff.). Children, Paul writes, are not expected to save up for their parents, but parents should save up for their children. Parents gladly make sacrifices for their children. Parents gladly support their children. Paul, as their spiritual father, gladly “pays the bill” for his own ministry to them. Paul gladly spends himself for the good of his “children” at Corinth as he ministers to their souls. This is not a good reason to criticize Paul’s ministry, but rather a very good reason to commend it. If Paul loves them more than one expects, is this good reason for the Corinthians to love him less than he expects? Once again, Paul is criticized for the very thing for which he should be commended by the Corinthians who know the truth of this matter better than any.

In verses 16-18, Paul extends his refusal to be a burden to the Corinthians to include those with whom he ministers, those whom he sent to Corinth in his place, such as Titus. Paul’s opponents, the intruders, paint him as a “crafty fellow,” a con artist who fleeces the flock as a huckster. In verse 16, Paul presses the Corinthians to acknowledge the foolishness of such charges by asking how a con artist ends up giving what he has to others rather than taking from others. His only offense is in giving his life sacrificially for the spiritual benefit of his children. This is no con artist!

Those whom Paul sends to Corinth are the same caliber of men. In verse 17, Paul asks the Corinthians whether he has taken advantage of them through any of the men he sent to them. For example, did Titus take advantage of the Corinthians when he visited on Paul’s behalf? Paul and those with whom he serves are all servants of God who sacrifice themselves for the good of the Corinthians. How can this possibly be used as evidence that Paul is not a genuine apostle? Their accusations are not only false, they are insipid.

Paul Needs No Defense; The Corinthians Do
(12:19–13:4)

Here Paul really turns the tables on the Corinthians. They believe his efforts are all aimed at his own defense. Paul is not a man-pleaser (see Galatians 1:10). He and his associates are concerned with God’s approval, and thus they conduct their ministry “in the sight of God,” “speaking in Christ” (verse 19). The goal of their ministry (unlike their adversaries in Corinth) is not to build themselves up and feather their own financial nest (see earlier), but to build up the Corinthians. Paul speaks only on his own behalf as an apostle, because rejecting his apostleship will be devastating to their spiritual lives.

Here Paul changes from a defensive posture (which is really for the Corinthians’ sake) to an offensive posture. Paul is not on trial; the Corinthians are the ones on trial. Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ, and as such, he sets down truths the Corinthians should accept and abide by. Those who are doing wrong are not Paul and his associates, but a number of the Corinthians who use their opposition to Paul’s apostleship as a smoke screen to cover their own sins. Paul now brushes the smoke screen aside and presses his own attack. It is the Corinthians who must prove themselves, not Paul.

Paul does not fear that the Corinthians will fail to approve of him, but that they will not respond adequately to his rebuke and thus be found continuing in sin (verse 20). Paul fears that when he does arrive at Corinth—for the third time—he will find them other than he wishes. Consequently, if Paul is not happy with what he sees when he arrives, they will not be happy to see him. Paul knows the kinds of things he is likely to find of which he will not approve: “strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, and disturbances.”⁸⁵ In addition to these, Paul has every reason to expect that he will find “impurity, immorality, and sensuality.” He has good reason to expect these things, for they are the very things he found it necessary to rebuke in his first epistle, specifically or more generally. These are the sins he exposed and rebuked in the past, and he fears some may not have repented of them. Even more distressing, these are also manifestations of the flesh as opposed to the fruit of the spirit:

19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).

If this is the case, they will find Paul a man in mourning (verse 21), deeply grieved over the sin in their midst. They will find more than this, however, for they will find Paul a powerful accuser. In verse 1 of chapter 13, Paul once again speaks of coming to Corinth for the third time, but this time with a different twist:

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.

It is very apparent that Paul links the text he cites from Deuteronomy 19:15 with his third coming to Corinth, but many students find this link difficult to explain. I think the link is really more simple that it seems. In Deuteronomy 19:15, we read these words:

15 “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.”

For obvious reasons, the Law forbade convicting anyone on the basis of only one person’s testimony. The Law required two or three witnesses for another to be found guilty. How does the need for two or three witnesses relate to Paul’s three visits? Quite simply, as seen in our Lord’s words in the Gospel of Matthew:

15 “And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED” (Matthew 18:15-16).

The brother who sins is first confronted by the one who has learned of his sin. He is the first witness, and he rebukes the wayward brother. If the wayward one repents, the matter is settled. If not, the first witness—the accuser—takes one or two more with him. They do not go on their own, but with the accuser. On each of Paul’s visits, it is safe to assume that he was not alone. We know that Priscilla and Aquila were with him in Corinth on his first visit (Acts 18:1-4). We are not sure who accompanied him on his second, “sorrowful,” visit, but we know that Paul hardly ever traveled alone. On his third visit, we know that there will be a number of men there, because Paul has already mentioned them (2 Corinthians 8:16-24). When Paul arrives in Corinth for the third time, he will be joined by those whom he has sent ahead, not to mention any who travel there with him.

Paul sees his three visits to Corinth as the fulfilling of the requirement of Deuteronomy 19:15. Paul is the Corinthians’ accuser. He will have made three visits, each time accompanied by at least one witness. So by the time he has come the third time, he will have fulfilled the Law’s requirement, and rightly the accused parties will be found guilty. This means that when Paul comes on this third visit, things can and will happen that could not and did not happen on the first or second visits. Do some charge that Paul is impressive in his letters but unimpressive in his personal visits (see 2 Corinthians 10:10)? This perception is partly true, because these are only his first and second visits. The third time, however, “will be a charm.” The third time will be different from the first two visits. The witnesses will have verified Paul’s accusations, and the time to punish will have come. And so Paul warns those who take his threats with a grain of salt, “If I come again, I will not spare anyone” (verse 2).

Do some want to see proof of Paul’s apostleship, just as the Jewish religious leaders challenged our Lord to prove that He was the Messiah? They will get it! Our Lord’s first coming was in weakness. His resurrection was in power. His second coming will be vastly different from the first. And so it will be with Paul’s third visit to Corinth. If they wish to see power and strength, they will! The Corinthians must not be deceived by Paul’s reticence to take strong action in his previous visits. They should expect his next visit to be very different, if necessitated by their persistent sin.

Paul’s Final Challenge and Closing
(13:5-14)

7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we should appear unapproved. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. 10 For this reason I am writing these things while absent, in order that when present I may not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me, for building up and not for tearing down.

Paul closes his second epistle with several challenges. The first challenge is that Paul’s readers test themselves to see whether they are in the faith (verse 5). It is obvious that Paul challenges the Corinthians to test themselves to learn whether they are truly saved. Several conclusions can be drawn from this challenge.

It is good for this question to be raised and for every church member to seriously consider it. Some would discourage anyone questioning the reality of their faith, as though this might raise unhealthy doubts. Paul does not hesitate to challenge the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. Those who are saved will not be harmed by the process, and they may find the exercise very helpful. Those who are lost will certainly not be led astray by encouraging them to assess their true spiritual state. As I read my Bible, in heaven there will be no surprised saints, saved but not knowing they were. But there will be many who thought themselves saved who are shocked to find themselves in hell (see Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 16:19-31).

It is assumed that some members who profess to be born again believers are not. It is apparent that some in the Corinthian church are actually regarded as having apostolic authority, and yet Paul’s words describe them in such a way that we must wonder if they are even saved (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). Elsewhere, the apostles make it even clearer that there are those in the church who profess salvation but do not possess it (see 2 Timothy 3:1-9; James 1:19–2:26; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 2:18-19; 2 John 6-11; Jude 17-19). As far as outward appearances are concerned, the difference between a disobedient Christian and a professing unbeliever may be very slight.

It is possible to test ourselves regarding our salvation and know whether we are saved. Paul’s challenge that the Corinthians test themselves to see whether they are in the faith implies it is possible for one to know if they are saved. Why would Paul urge the Corinthians to take a test which is inconclusive? It is assumed one can know for certain that they are saved, and that questioning one’s salvation leads to a sense of assurance about salvation.⁸⁶John writes to saints so that they might know they are saved (see 1 John 5:13f.).

There are both Arminians and Calvinists who are not convinced that they can know, with assurance, that they are saved. Arminians believe they can lose their salvation by sinning, and thus if they were to die with unconfessed sin, they fear they will perish eternally. Calvinists rightly (in my reading of the Bible) believe that their salvation is the result of God’s prior election (choosing them for salvation). But some Calvinists fear that they can never know if they are one of the elect, and so they go through life agonizing over their lack of assurance. Paul says we can test ourselves, and the inference is that we can know.

Paul’s words also suggest that those who are unsaved, but sincerely desire to know their spiritual state, can know they are lost and thus come to saving faith. When Paul challenges the Corinthians to “take the test,” he is indicating that one can determine if they are lost just as surely as they can determine if they are saved. Now those who are lost, whose minds have been blinded by the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), will not think it necessary or proper to take the test. But those who sincerely wish to know the truth about their eternal state can know. Our Lord Himself said that the Holy Spirit would “convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8-11). I wonder if any Corinthians accepted Paul’s challenge and “took the test” only to learn they were lost, and then came to a true and saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul does not specify what the “test” is to know whether you are saved. I have a confession. In preparing to preach this message, I prepared a list of questions to serve as the “test.” I was then forced to make a disturbing observation. Paul himself did not supply us with the “test” but only a challenge to take the test. I think there is good reason for this. One who is willing to accept Paul’s challenge and “take the test” is reminded of what constitutes being “in the faith” or “out of the faith.” Paul speaks of those who are “in the faith” as those of whom he can say, “Christ is in you” (verse 5). The problem at Corinth is that some find the gospel Paul preaches (“Christ crucified”—1 Corinthians 1:23) too simplistic and not very appealing. Some came with a new gospel, and at least some Corinthians did not even recognize the switch that had occurred (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). When the “gospel” becomes “Christ or …” or “Christ and ….,” it is not the gospel Paul preaches, but a “gospel” which keeps us from ever knowing for certain that we are “in the faith.”

This is because the new “gospel” requires something of us.

The old gospel Paul preaches is Christ only. Apart from Christ, we are sinners, deserving of God’s eternal wrath (hell). In Christ, we are dead to sin and its penalty, alive to righteousness, awaiting our eternal hope of heaven. When you test yourself, does your salvation depend upon you, upon your status, your performance, your works, or upon Christ? If you recognize that apart from Christ, you are “dead in your trespasses and sins,” and that you are saved by faith—not by your good works—and that you are now “in Christ” (see Ephesians 2:1-10), then you know you are saved. Nothing can change this, for your salvation depends only on Christ and what He has already accomplished on the cross of Calvary and in His resurrection from the dead.

If the Corinthians do “examine [themselves] to see if [they] are in the faith,” and find assurance of their own salvation, they can hardly question the salvation of Paul who first brought the gospel to them, through whose ministry they were saved. This is the reason Paul says in verse 6 that he trusts they will realize that he and his colleagues in ministry have not failed the test either.

In the midst of Paul’s final exhortations and instructions, verses 7 through 10 are found, almost parenthetically. In these verses, Paul speaks of himself and his attitude and actions toward the Corinthians. He tells his readers in closing that he is praying for them. He is praying they will do no wrong. This is not so that he and his colleagues will look good; it is in the best interests of the Corinthians as they do what is right.⁸⁷Paul’s words in verse 8 seem puzzling: “For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.” It seems as though he is saying. “I, as an apostle, proclaim the truth and contend for the truth. I am an advocate for the truth. I cannot work against the truth. Thus I further the truth, not only by proclaiming it, but by praying for its outworking in your lives.” In addition to praying that the Corinthians cease in their sin, he prays that they will grow in their Christian faith and walk and “be made complete” (verse 9).

Along with his prayers, Paul writes these epistles to the Corinthians while absent from them. His absence, like his prayers and epistles, is intended for the good, the building up, of this church which he loves (“beloved,” 12:19). He does not wish to deal severely with them, even though he has the authority to do so. To forestall a severe coming, Paul purposely stays away for a time, writing to them and praying for them in the hope that they will repent of their sin, cease from doing wrong, and be made complete in their faith.

Now having once more assured the Corinthians of his benevolence and genuine love, Paul returns to his final exhortations:

11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Notice several things about these instructions:

These are all commands, not mere suggestions, or even exhortations. These verbs are imperatives.

All of these commands are applicable in the context of suffering and adversity. Paul addresses the problem of triumphalism—the belief and expectation that Christians should here and now experience all the blessings God has stored up for us in heaven. Every one of Paul’s commands has a very direct relationship to the life of self-sacrifice and suffering to which every Christian is called.

Paul prays for the Corinthians about those things which he commands. Does Paul command the Corinthians to “be made complete” (verse 11)? He also prays for this (verse 9). Paul knows that apart from the enabling of the Holy Spirit, these imperatives are impossibilities, and thus he prays that God will enable that which He requires.

Some of these commands are passive (“be comforted,” “be made complete”), indicating that we are required to cooperate with God so that He may bring about His work in us. We often struggle with “God’s part” and “our part.” Paul’s commands, expressed in the passive voice, indicate that we are to have a part in that which God does in us. God does not depend upon us; we depend upon God. But God does expect us to obey by cooperating with Him in the work He is doing in and through us. Are we troubled and afflicted? God comforts us. But we must accept and embrace that comfort which He promises and provides. It is God who will complete what He has begun in us (see Philippians 1:6), and yet we are to “be made complete.”

The commands Paul gives here are solutions to the problems he exposed earlier. There are factions and divisions in the Corinthian church. Some of the saints are suffering for their faith. There are doctrinal deviations from the truth. If these commands Paul sets down are obeyed, these problems will be resolved.

Finally, these commands are linked to a promise for those who obey them. Paul ends his instructions with the words, “… and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (verse 11). The presence of God is promised to those who trust and obey Him in the midst of their trials and tribulations.

Paul urges the Corinthians to greet one another with a holy kiss. This does not allow for divisions and factions or dissension. The Corinthians are not told to “greet one another with a Hollywood kiss, but with a holy kiss.” They are to openly demonstrate to one another their love, affection, and unity in Christ. Paul then greets the Corinthians on behalf of all the churches, further reminding them that they are a part of a much bigger “body” than their actions and attitudes might sometimes indicate. Paul then closes with a blessing, which reminds the Corinthians of their union with the Holy Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and the blessings which flow from that union—grace, love, fellowship.

Conclusion

As we conclude not only this message but this series, three things come to mind by way of application. First, here is a great lesson for those who are parents. Several times Paul speaks of himself as the Corinthians’ spiritual father. As such, he is a model parent, one from whom we can learn important lessons in parenting. As a loving parent, Paul knows when to “let go” of his “children,” when to leave them the freedom to deal with life on their own. This is why Paul does not rush in to correct the Corinthian problems with his presence. He communicates with his “children” without specifically naming the culprits and without listing every sin. He uses himself and others as the leaders of the factions, speaking metaphorically (1 Corinthians 4:6), so that they can develop their own discernment in identifying the real false apostles. He mentions only sample sins, so that they can discern the rest. Paul teaches, he warns, he encourages, and he prays. In the end, if they fail to act as they should, Paul can and will get tough, but he is certain of the charges he has made, and he gives them ample opportunity to first deal with their own problems themselves. Paul is not concerned about his reputation as a parent, but with the conduct of his children. He does not ask his children to “make him look good,” or try to make them feel guilty by reminding them of how badly their conduct reflects on him. His concern is their relationship with his Father. All of these things have something to say to us as parents. Let us ponder Paul, the parent.

Second, Paul is still under attack today for the very same reasons. Why is Paul looked down upon and criticized by the “false apostles” and others in Corinth? Why is Paul accused of wrong doing and even of being unspiritual? It is because people in Paul’s day did not like what Paul taught. They did not like his version of the gospel, so they made up their own “new” gospel and criticized Paul and his gospel. They did not like what Paul taught about godly living, especially about persecution, and so they began to teach and market triumphalism. The very same thing is going on today, not just in apostate churches, but in professed orthodox, evangelical churches. Do people not want to hear what Paul has to say about spiritual gifts (positively or negatively)? Then Paul will be attacked or at least ignored. Do we not wish to hear what Paul has to say about the meeting of the church, the Lord’s Supper, the exercise of spiritual gifts, or the role of women in ministry? Then, once again, Paul will be accused and attacked, at least on these points. Now, as then, we would rather put Paul to the test than put ourselves to the test, subject to the truths he sets down in his epistles as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Finally, we too find ourselves awaiting a return visit, and we should be making preparations. The Corinthians await Paul’s third visit to them and are very critical of his not having yet arrived. There is the feeling that Paul will not be nearly as harsh with them in his physical presence as he is in his letters, and so his letters are somewhat disdained. Paul assures his readers that his third coming will be one they will not forget. It can be a very happy reunion, or it can be an ugly confrontation due to their unrepented sins.

We do not await a physical visit from the apostle Paul, but we do await the second coming of our Lord. Some have become lax about His coming, assuming either He is not coming or that it will not be all that bad when He comes. He is coming again, and His delay, like Paul’s, is out of graciousness (see 2 Peter 2:1-13). Our Lord gave us His written revelation, the Bible. Our Lord currently intercedes for us with the Father. And He is waiting for us to prepare ourselves for His return. We will all do well to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, for His coming is a day of judgment for the unbelieving. And we who believe will do well to deal with our sins and be made complete, so that we may be found doing those things which He commands. Let us eagerly wait and work toward this coming, so that it may be a joyful reunion. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

85 As I have reflected on Paul’s words here, it is possible he is saying that his third visit will result in these kinds of phenomenon if the Corinthians have not corrected the problems he has pointed out. His coming will stir up a hornet’s nest.

86 I am not saying here that Christians will never again have doubts and that their level of assurance will be constant. Neither am I saying that there will not be those who are very much assured as to their salvation, while very much lost. In the final analysis, my assurance of salvation is not what saves me, nor my doubts what condemn me.

87 This same selfless spirit of Paul’s can be seen in Philippians 4:10-19, where Paul rejoices over the contribution the Philippians sent him. He does not rejoice over their gift for what it will do for him, but rejoices rather for what it will do for them (verse 17).

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