I'm sorry I wasn't able to make a blog post on Sunday. I was having one of my vertigo spells and couldn't even look at the computer screen long enough yesterday morning to explain what was going on. Thankfully I only have these a few times a year and I feel better now. Today Paul warns his readers about comparing him and the other apostles with philosophers and false teachers. He speaks of not comparing himself with others, and we shouldn't compare ourselves with others either. He also reminds us that if we are to brag about anything, it should be to brag about what the Lord has done for us and through us.
He begins with a word of warning to those who think they can dismiss the instructions for godly living that he's given them. "And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete." (2 Corinthians 10:6) Some have mocked the Apostle Paul by saying, "He talks tough in his letters but he hasn't been back to visit us in a year. He isn't brave enough to scold us to our faces." That is not at all the case. Paul has been giving them time to repent. But when Paul returns to Corinth, those who have received the gospel but are living in disobedience will be dealt with face to face. So he's saying, "As soon as all of you who are willing to repent have repented, I will take to task those who are refusing to get back on the right track."
"You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, 'His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.' Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present." (2 Corinthians 10:7-11) The early church tradition says that Paul was a short bowlegged man with a bald head and a unibrow. When reading his letters I tend to picture him as a distinguished man of about fifty, tall and academic-looking, with a head full of graying hair and dressed in a nice suit. I know he didn't really look that way, but I can't help picturing him that way. I think the people of Corinth tended to picture him that way too when they read his letters, even though they knew he looked very different. So they say to themselves, "He sounds like a big deal in his letters, but in person he's not very imposing."
The intellectual people of Corinth were used to being visited by the very best philosophers, poets, and playwrights of their time. They were used to teachers who worked hard creating an impressive image of themselves and who made a big deal of themselves in the press, so to speak. Paul and the other apostles, in contrast, make a big deal only of Christ. They don't talk themselves up; they talk Christ up. So Paul says, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12) When we compare ourselves with the world, we probably come off looking pretty good because we who are believers generally live by higher morals than the world. But when we compare ourselves with the word of God, we can clearly see that we fall short every day. This ought to keep us humble and remind us that we have to lean on the Lord in order to live lives that honor Him. Paul says, "Your false teachers are comparing themselves with each other, which is not wise. If one false teacher is a better speaker than another or if he is better looking or has nicer clothes, he is no better off. A false teacher is still a false teacher, no matter what he looks like or sounds like."
"We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:13-14) Is it wrong for Paul to be proud the Lord chose him to bring the gospel to Corinth? No, because the glory for this goes to the Lord. Is it wrong for Paul and the other apostles who ministered to the Corinthians to rejoice about how many souls were saved at Corinth through their ministries? No, because the power of their ministries comes from Christ and not from themselves. These men labored a great deal to bring forth a harvest of souls in Corinth, and they have a right to rejoice that the Lord allowed them to partner with Him in this task.
"Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else's territory." (2 Corinthians 10:15-16) Paul was interested in taking the gospel to places where it had never yet been preached. He didn't want to step on another apostle's toes or take authority over another preacher. His calling in the Lord was to enter regions where the gospel had never been heard and to plant churches there. He helped churches get started and then he trusted them to grow. He trusted the Lord to call teachers and preachers out of those churches to minister to the people of those regions. He doesn't brag about what any other man has done. He can say, "Praise the Lord for what He's done in the regions where Peter has preached and where Apollos has preached!" But he can't take any credit for converts other men have made, and he doesn't want to take credit for that, and he doesn't want to move into another apostle's territory and take over another man's ministry.
We will never accomplish anything worthwhile for the kingdom of Christ in our own strength and we won't honor Him pushing aside another faithful preacher or teacher and taking over their work. Instead we must always keep in mind that we would be nothing without the Lord, that all the glory goes to Him for anything good we are able to do, and that we owe Him our gratitude for allowing us to partner with Him in bringing souls to the truth. "But, 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.' For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." (2 Corinthians 10:17-18)
Paul quotes the prophet Jeremiah in the paragraph above, and we will close with Jeremiah's words because they are good advice: "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Monday, October 8, 2018
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 24, The Divine Power We Have Through Christ
We are going to take a look at one of my favorite passages written by the Apostle Paul. He's already made it clear to us that we are not of this world. Because we are not of this world, the weapons we fight with are not worldly but spiritual. In Christ we can experience victories that we could never have without Him.
You will recall that there are some citizens of Corinth who don't like Paul because of personal and petty reasons. That city is so sophisticated and so educated and so used to having illustrious philosophers visit them that there are those who turn up their noses at the very plain and down-to-earth apostle. He didn't come into town wearing the fine robes of a famous teacher, though he could have if he had not given up his high social standing and high income in order to become a traveling preacher (Philippians 3:8). He didn't enter Corinth and start bragging about his expensive education, though he could have because he spoke several languages and was educated by the well-respected Gamaliel. He didn't charge a fee for anyone to come and hear him preach the gospel, though he could have because the citizens of Corinth were used to buying tickets to attend appearances by philosophers and poets. Instead he worked at the tentmaking trade in order to supply his own needs and make the gospel free to everyone.
Paul has already warned us not to judge people by their outward appearance because it's what in the heart that counts. Paul belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ and that it what matters now and that is what's going to matter a million years from now. He is not of this world and should not be judged by worldly standards. We should not judge each other by outward appearance. We are the children of the living God; our worth and our status comes from who we are in Christ, not from our bank accounts or our wardrobes or our education. We are not of this world and must not judge or be judged by worldly standards. In addition, we don't wage war against sin or against spiritual attacks or against worldly opposition with weapons of the world but with spiritual weapons.
"By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you---I, Paul, who am 'timid' when face to face with you but 'bold' toward you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world." (2 Corinthians 10:1-2) We learned earlier in our study of these two letters to Corinth that some scoffed at the scolding they received from Paul for their worldly behavior. They said things like, "He doesn't have the nerve to come here and scold us to our faces. He talks big in his letters but we haven't seen him in a year now. He's afraid to come here in person and tell us. He's all talk and no action."
But Paul says in reply, "Didn't Christ come into the world with an attitude of humility and gentleness? Of course He did, and that's how I came into your city. Christ didn't stand on the street corner and scream at people about their sins and neither did I. Instead the Lord taught the truth in love, as I also did. But remember that Christ will return to the world someday and judge those who have heard the truth and have not taken it to heart. In the same way, do I not have the right to take you to task for hearing the truth and not living by it? I hope when I return to Corinth I will not have to say in person the things I have had to say in my letters, but I fear I will. I taught you the truth of the gospel and I taught you how to live as Christians. When I come I will be bold in correcting anything that remains to be corrected."
Now we arrive at one of my favorite passages. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) We face many obstacles in this world. Sometimes those obstacles take the form of opposition from our fellow man because they feel scornful toward us because of what we stand for. Sometimes obstacles are thrown into our path by Satan himself in an attempt to weaken our faith or turn us away from God's purpose for our life. At other times we place obstacles in our own path by negative thinking. But we don't overcome obstacles by waging war in the way the world wages it. We can read all the self-help books we want to read, but unless these materials are founded on the word of God they will have little impact on our success. We can attend seminars on positive thinking or go to mental health counseling or try to pull ourselves up out of despair by our own bootstraps, but unless the methods used are based on God's truth they are very likely to fail.
So what is the secret of our success and the reason we are able to keep getting up in the morning to face the world and to leap over the obstacles in our path? The Apostle John explains it better than I ever could, "You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
Through Christ we have become the children God and have received the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Satan cannot overcome us because Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33) and we belong to Him. Our own fearful minds don't even have the power to overcome us because we have the right as children of God to take captive every thought to Christ, as Paul says. We have the right to renounce negative and unholy thinking in the name of Christ our Savior. Sometimes we may catch ourselves thinking things like, "This is never going to work out. Things are never going to get any better. I must have heard God wrong about His plans for my life. I am not going to be able to do the things He has called me to do." But Paul says we don't have to tell ourselves such nonsense. Whenever we catch ourselves thinking such things, we need to renounce these thoughts and confess them to the Lord. Instead of focusing on negative things we ought to start praising the Lord for all the great things He's already done for us and for all the great things He's going to do for us. Like Jesus did when He was tempted by Satan, we should know and be able to quote Scriptures that refute the lies of our enemy. This will redirect our thoughts, just as Paul promises in the following verse: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
You will recall that there are some citizens of Corinth who don't like Paul because of personal and petty reasons. That city is so sophisticated and so educated and so used to having illustrious philosophers visit them that there are those who turn up their noses at the very plain and down-to-earth apostle. He didn't come into town wearing the fine robes of a famous teacher, though he could have if he had not given up his high social standing and high income in order to become a traveling preacher (Philippians 3:8). He didn't enter Corinth and start bragging about his expensive education, though he could have because he spoke several languages and was educated by the well-respected Gamaliel. He didn't charge a fee for anyone to come and hear him preach the gospel, though he could have because the citizens of Corinth were used to buying tickets to attend appearances by philosophers and poets. Instead he worked at the tentmaking trade in order to supply his own needs and make the gospel free to everyone.
Paul has already warned us not to judge people by their outward appearance because it's what in the heart that counts. Paul belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ and that it what matters now and that is what's going to matter a million years from now. He is not of this world and should not be judged by worldly standards. We should not judge each other by outward appearance. We are the children of the living God; our worth and our status comes from who we are in Christ, not from our bank accounts or our wardrobes or our education. We are not of this world and must not judge or be judged by worldly standards. In addition, we don't wage war against sin or against spiritual attacks or against worldly opposition with weapons of the world but with spiritual weapons.
"By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you---I, Paul, who am 'timid' when face to face with you but 'bold' toward you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world." (2 Corinthians 10:1-2) We learned earlier in our study of these two letters to Corinth that some scoffed at the scolding they received from Paul for their worldly behavior. They said things like, "He doesn't have the nerve to come here and scold us to our faces. He talks big in his letters but we haven't seen him in a year now. He's afraid to come here in person and tell us. He's all talk and no action."
But Paul says in reply, "Didn't Christ come into the world with an attitude of humility and gentleness? Of course He did, and that's how I came into your city. Christ didn't stand on the street corner and scream at people about their sins and neither did I. Instead the Lord taught the truth in love, as I also did. But remember that Christ will return to the world someday and judge those who have heard the truth and have not taken it to heart. In the same way, do I not have the right to take you to task for hearing the truth and not living by it? I hope when I return to Corinth I will not have to say in person the things I have had to say in my letters, but I fear I will. I taught you the truth of the gospel and I taught you how to live as Christians. When I come I will be bold in correcting anything that remains to be corrected."
Now we arrive at one of my favorite passages. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) We face many obstacles in this world. Sometimes those obstacles take the form of opposition from our fellow man because they feel scornful toward us because of what we stand for. Sometimes obstacles are thrown into our path by Satan himself in an attempt to weaken our faith or turn us away from God's purpose for our life. At other times we place obstacles in our own path by negative thinking. But we don't overcome obstacles by waging war in the way the world wages it. We can read all the self-help books we want to read, but unless these materials are founded on the word of God they will have little impact on our success. We can attend seminars on positive thinking or go to mental health counseling or try to pull ourselves up out of despair by our own bootstraps, but unless the methods used are based on God's truth they are very likely to fail.
So what is the secret of our success and the reason we are able to keep getting up in the morning to face the world and to leap over the obstacles in our path? The Apostle John explains it better than I ever could, "You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
Through Christ we have become the children God and have received the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Satan cannot overcome us because Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33) and we belong to Him. Our own fearful minds don't even have the power to overcome us because we have the right as children of God to take captive every thought to Christ, as Paul says. We have the right to renounce negative and unholy thinking in the name of Christ our Savior. Sometimes we may catch ourselves thinking things like, "This is never going to work out. Things are never going to get any better. I must have heard God wrong about His plans for my life. I am not going to be able to do the things He has called me to do." But Paul says we don't have to tell ourselves such nonsense. Whenever we catch ourselves thinking such things, we need to renounce these thoughts and confess them to the Lord. Instead of focusing on negative things we ought to start praising the Lord for all the great things He's already done for us and for all the great things He's going to do for us. Like Jesus did when He was tempted by Satan, we should know and be able to quote Scriptures that refute the lies of our enemy. This will redirect our thoughts, just as Paul promises in the following verse: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
Friday, October 5, 2018
Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 23, The Lord Praised Through The Generosity Of Believers
For several days now the Apostle Paul has been speaking on the subject of generous giving. Yesterday we learned that the Lord rewards the cheerful giver. Today we learn that the generosity of believers causes others to praise the name of the Lord.
We pick back up in Chapter 9 with Paul's assurance that the Lord will supply our needs. "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.'" (2 Corinthians 9:8-9) We could paraphrase verse 8 by saying, "God has blessed us so we can be a blessing to others." God doesn't bless us with money or talents just so we can sit back and enjoy them ourselves; He blesses us with these things so that our blessings can overflow into the lives of others. Paul quotes Psalm 112 in verse 9, a psalm that speaks of the blessings given to the man or woman who fears and obeys the Lord. He's telling his readers, "Your giving won't go unnoticed by God. Whether you've sacrificed money or time or talents for the sake of the Lord and His people, you will be blessed for it."
"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:10-11) I think we could rephrase these two verses like this, "God gave us the 'seed' (money, time, talents, etc.) to sow. Will He not also make that seed grow? Will He not also provide us a great harvest? God's economy works like this: He rewards us for giving by giving us more to give."
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." (2 Corinthians 9:12-13) Giving in order to help others is an admirable thing and we ought to do it, but there is an even greater reason for doing it than to solve a temporary earthly problem. Giving is able to solve an eternal problem as well because it brings glory to the name of the Lord we serve, thus leading others to Him. Even unbelievers often turn to the church or to church members for help in times of need, and this is because they know that those who serve the Lord have a heart for the needy. Who knows but what our generosity will bring unbelievers to the faith? Who knows how many lives may end up being changed because of our generosity, not just in the present generation but for generations to come?
"And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:14-15) Why is God such a fan of generous giving? Because He is a generous giver, which is why Paul praises Him for it. God gave the very best He had when He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to us. There is no greater gift He could have given us, so the very least we can do is give back to Him by helping our fellow man and by bringing glory and honor to Him in doing so.
We pick back up in Chapter 9 with Paul's assurance that the Lord will supply our needs. "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.'" (2 Corinthians 9:8-9) We could paraphrase verse 8 by saying, "God has blessed us so we can be a blessing to others." God doesn't bless us with money or talents just so we can sit back and enjoy them ourselves; He blesses us with these things so that our blessings can overflow into the lives of others. Paul quotes Psalm 112 in verse 9, a psalm that speaks of the blessings given to the man or woman who fears and obeys the Lord. He's telling his readers, "Your giving won't go unnoticed by God. Whether you've sacrificed money or time or talents for the sake of the Lord and His people, you will be blessed for it."
"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:10-11) I think we could rephrase these two verses like this, "God gave us the 'seed' (money, time, talents, etc.) to sow. Will He not also make that seed grow? Will He not also provide us a great harvest? God's economy works like this: He rewards us for giving by giving us more to give."
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." (2 Corinthians 9:12-13) Giving in order to help others is an admirable thing and we ought to do it, but there is an even greater reason for doing it than to solve a temporary earthly problem. Giving is able to solve an eternal problem as well because it brings glory to the name of the Lord we serve, thus leading others to Him. Even unbelievers often turn to the church or to church members for help in times of need, and this is because they know that those who serve the Lord have a heart for the needy. Who knows but what our generosity will bring unbelievers to the faith? Who knows how many lives may end up being changed because of our generosity, not just in the present generation but for generations to come?
"And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:14-15) Why is God such a fan of generous giving? Because He is a generous giver, which is why Paul praises Him for it. God gave the very best He had when He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to us. There is no greater gift He could have given us, so the very least we can do is give back to Him by helping our fellow man and by bringing glory and honor to Him in doing so.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 22, Reaping Abundantly
Paul continues on with the theme of giving generously to the offering being taken to Jerusalem, and he assures the contributors that God rewards generous givers. Today we look at the principle of reaping what we sow, but in a positive way, just as a farmer reaps a harvest according to how much seed he sowed in the ground.
"There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord's people. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action." (2 Corinthians 9:1-2) Corinth was the capital of the region known as Achaia, which is why he refers to them as "you in Achaia". Paul says to them, "When the subject of the offering first came up, you became very excited about the opportunity to help the Lord's people in Judea. I was so impressed by this that when I arrived in Macedonia I spoke of your willingness to give. This is why so many of them became excited by the idea, even though they are very poor."
"But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be." (2 Corinthians 9:3) In yesterday's passage we learned that Paul was sending Titus and two unnamed brothers to Corinth to make sure the collection was being prepared.
Paul's concern doesn't seem to be so much that the Corinthians have changed their minds, but that they won't have the funds in order when the collection time comes. It's one thing to say we intend to give; it's another to have the money set aside for that purpose. He doesn't want there to have to be a hasty and disorderly gathering of funds when the men arrive in Corinth to receive the offering. If the citizens have not already been setting aside this money, they may feel inconvenienced when suddenly called upon to contribute. It may come at a bad time for some of them, financially speaking, and they will feel very unhappy about it.. This is why it's best if they have been setting aside money a little bit at a time over the year that they've had to prepare their offering. "For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we---not to say anything about you---would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given." (2 Corinthians 9:4-5)
Imagine your church proposed taking up an offering to send to an area of the country that desperately needs aid, and imagine you offered to donate $100 to the cause. Suppose you are given a year to save up the $100, but you keep putting it off. Wouldn't it feel more difficult to hand over a $100 bill when the time comes than to set aside about $8.33 per month during the year you had to prepare? That is Paul's point to the church at Corinth. They apparently pledged a certain amount of money---an amount Paul considers very generous---and they've had a year to set so much aside each month in order to reach their goal. If Paul comes to collect the offering on his way to Jerusalem and it is not ready, people are going to feel pretty unhappy about having to reach into their pockets and pull out the full amount at one time. He says that will make them feel grudging about it, not joyful about it. He wants them to be able to feel good about their contribution.
Why should they feel good about it? Because God generously rewards those who give willingly. The one who gives willingly will reap abundantly. "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) For an example of what Paul means, let's picture two farmers who live side by side. One farmer goes out into his field to sow wheat and only sows a few kernels. When harvest time comes, he's not going to reap a very good crop. The other farmer goes out and scatters seed quite heavily. He's going to reap an abundant crop. Anyone can see what a sensible principle this is, and Paul is telling his readers that God's economy works the same way.
Something I want to point out here is that we don't reap on the same day that we sow. Our reward from the Lord will come later, not on the day we sow, just as crops don't come up on the day we sow. We mustn't become discouraged if we've been giving generously but don't feel like things in our own lives are working out especially well right now. Our harvest is coming. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)
Another thing I need to point out is that neither the Lord nor Paul is asking anyone to put their own families in dire straits by giving to others while allowing their own families to do without. What they are asking is for Christians to give generously out of what they have left over after taking care of their own family's needs. Most of us have an excess of something, whether it's money or time or food or clothing. If we don't have any money left over after paying our own bills, we might have time that we could volunteer. If we don't have time to volunteer, we might have extra clothes in our closets that we don't like anymore or that don't fit anymore, so we could donate those. Or we may have more food in the pantry than we can use, and we could donate canned goods to food drives. No one is asking us to let our families do without while we give to others. But what we are being asked to do is to minister to others in the ways that we can.
The Lord has really brought home to me the principle of sowing and reaping lately. There have been times when my household was better off financially than it is right now. During those times I was able to give to others to help out with their veterinarian bills. I'm not saying this in order to say anything good about myself; it's just that there have been friends and acquaintances that I felt compelled (by the urging of the Lord) to help out when they were struggling to provide for their animals. On the surface this might not look like the type of giving Paul is talking about today, but helping the animals of my friends and acquaintances gave these people a sense of relief and joy. It helped to restore their faith in the goodness of others. It helped to give them a better impression of Christians overall. I didn't give because I was looking for a harvest, but I want to tell you that lately the harvest has been coming in. As some of you know, my husband was laid off work at the end of August because the company he worked for was bought out and the work was moved to the main facility in another state. This didn't come at a good time since my little senior dog is experiencing health difficulties and high vet bills. But some of our friends, out of the goodness of their hearts, have voluntarily donated to my pup's vet bills. I didn't ask for help; they just felt moved to help. The other day there was $400 in my pup's account at the vet, and I have been buying her medicines and supplies out of that account. What if I had not been obedient when the Lord moved me to help out my friends by helping their animals? Would I be reaping a harvest at this time? I think not. So if the Lord is telling you to volunteer time or money or resources for your friends and family or for your church or for your community---do what He says. He will make sure that your harvest comes in at just the right time.
So do we reap what we sow? My experience tells me that we do. Do we reap later than we sow? Of course we do, just as the farmer reaps later than he sows. So don't feel discouraged if you've been donating time or money or resources to good causes but feel like things are going wrong in your own life. A harvest is coming. You can count on it.
"There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord's people. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action." (2 Corinthians 9:1-2) Corinth was the capital of the region known as Achaia, which is why he refers to them as "you in Achaia". Paul says to them, "When the subject of the offering first came up, you became very excited about the opportunity to help the Lord's people in Judea. I was so impressed by this that when I arrived in Macedonia I spoke of your willingness to give. This is why so many of them became excited by the idea, even though they are very poor."
"But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be." (2 Corinthians 9:3) In yesterday's passage we learned that Paul was sending Titus and two unnamed brothers to Corinth to make sure the collection was being prepared.
Paul's concern doesn't seem to be so much that the Corinthians have changed their minds, but that they won't have the funds in order when the collection time comes. It's one thing to say we intend to give; it's another to have the money set aside for that purpose. He doesn't want there to have to be a hasty and disorderly gathering of funds when the men arrive in Corinth to receive the offering. If the citizens have not already been setting aside this money, they may feel inconvenienced when suddenly called upon to contribute. It may come at a bad time for some of them, financially speaking, and they will feel very unhappy about it.. This is why it's best if they have been setting aside money a little bit at a time over the year that they've had to prepare their offering. "For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we---not to say anything about you---would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given." (2 Corinthians 9:4-5)
Imagine your church proposed taking up an offering to send to an area of the country that desperately needs aid, and imagine you offered to donate $100 to the cause. Suppose you are given a year to save up the $100, but you keep putting it off. Wouldn't it feel more difficult to hand over a $100 bill when the time comes than to set aside about $8.33 per month during the year you had to prepare? That is Paul's point to the church at Corinth. They apparently pledged a certain amount of money---an amount Paul considers very generous---and they've had a year to set so much aside each month in order to reach their goal. If Paul comes to collect the offering on his way to Jerusalem and it is not ready, people are going to feel pretty unhappy about having to reach into their pockets and pull out the full amount at one time. He says that will make them feel grudging about it, not joyful about it. He wants them to be able to feel good about their contribution.
Why should they feel good about it? Because God generously rewards those who give willingly. The one who gives willingly will reap abundantly. "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) For an example of what Paul means, let's picture two farmers who live side by side. One farmer goes out into his field to sow wheat and only sows a few kernels. When harvest time comes, he's not going to reap a very good crop. The other farmer goes out and scatters seed quite heavily. He's going to reap an abundant crop. Anyone can see what a sensible principle this is, and Paul is telling his readers that God's economy works the same way.
Something I want to point out here is that we don't reap on the same day that we sow. Our reward from the Lord will come later, not on the day we sow, just as crops don't come up on the day we sow. We mustn't become discouraged if we've been giving generously but don't feel like things in our own lives are working out especially well right now. Our harvest is coming. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)
Another thing I need to point out is that neither the Lord nor Paul is asking anyone to put their own families in dire straits by giving to others while allowing their own families to do without. What they are asking is for Christians to give generously out of what they have left over after taking care of their own family's needs. Most of us have an excess of something, whether it's money or time or food or clothing. If we don't have any money left over after paying our own bills, we might have time that we could volunteer. If we don't have time to volunteer, we might have extra clothes in our closets that we don't like anymore or that don't fit anymore, so we could donate those. Or we may have more food in the pantry than we can use, and we could donate canned goods to food drives. No one is asking us to let our families do without while we give to others. But what we are being asked to do is to minister to others in the ways that we can.
The Lord has really brought home to me the principle of sowing and reaping lately. There have been times when my household was better off financially than it is right now. During those times I was able to give to others to help out with their veterinarian bills. I'm not saying this in order to say anything good about myself; it's just that there have been friends and acquaintances that I felt compelled (by the urging of the Lord) to help out when they were struggling to provide for their animals. On the surface this might not look like the type of giving Paul is talking about today, but helping the animals of my friends and acquaintances gave these people a sense of relief and joy. It helped to restore their faith in the goodness of others. It helped to give them a better impression of Christians overall. I didn't give because I was looking for a harvest, but I want to tell you that lately the harvest has been coming in. As some of you know, my husband was laid off work at the end of August because the company he worked for was bought out and the work was moved to the main facility in another state. This didn't come at a good time since my little senior dog is experiencing health difficulties and high vet bills. But some of our friends, out of the goodness of their hearts, have voluntarily donated to my pup's vet bills. I didn't ask for help; they just felt moved to help. The other day there was $400 in my pup's account at the vet, and I have been buying her medicines and supplies out of that account. What if I had not been obedient when the Lord moved me to help out my friends by helping their animals? Would I be reaping a harvest at this time? I think not. So if the Lord is telling you to volunteer time or money or resources for your friends and family or for your church or for your community---do what He says. He will make sure that your harvest comes in at just the right time.
So do we reap what we sow? My experience tells me that we do. Do we reap later than we sow? Of course we do, just as the farmer reaps later than he sows. So don't feel discouraged if you've been donating time or money or resources to good causes but feel like things are going wrong in your own life. A harvest is coming. You can count on it.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Paul's Second Letter To The Church In Corinth. Day 21, The Importance Of The Character Of Church Officers
We are going to find examples of how to choose church leadership in today's passage. Paul is going to have words of praise for his good friend Titus and also for two unnamed men because these men are eager to help the needy. As the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah, He desires us to, "Share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:7) These friends of Paul are not only eager to help the needy, but in every way they have proven themselves to be trustworthy officers of the church.
"Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you." (2 Corinthians 8:16) What is Paul's concern for the Corinthian church? When we left off yesterday he was asking them to give as generously as they are able, so he is concerned whether they will make a good showing when the offering is collected. He told them this would be the proof of their sincerity; in other words, he's asking them to "put your money where your mouth is". Both he and Titus want to be able to say wonderful things about the generosity of the church at Corinth. Paul has already said wonderful things about the church at Macedonia, which is remarkable when you consider how poor the people were. So naturally he expects the citizens of the modern and wealthy city of Corinth to donate generously to the needy.
"For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help." (2 Corinthians 8:17-19) Who is this "brother" Paul mentions? Bible scholars have speculated about his identity for a long time, but no one actually knows. He could be one of the apostles or teachers mentioned by name in the Bible. He could be someone whose name isn't written on it's pages. Whoever he is, it seems clear that he is so well known to the believers at Corinth that Paul doesn't even have to say his name. I actually think it's quite beautiful that we don't know his name, for as Paul says in verse 19, the purpose of the collection is to "honor the Lord Himself". This unnamed man wants all the honor to go to the Lord; he isn't interested in making a name for himself. He's one of the unsung heroes of the Bible. He is one of the great soldiers of the Lord who says to Him, "Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." (Isaiah 26:8b)
"We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man." (2 Corinthians 8:20-21) The men chosen to collect and deliver this offering are men whose reputations are above reproach. There is nothing in their past or in their character to cause anyone to suspect they might dip into the funds or that they might show partiality in distributing the funds. As ambassadors of the church and of Christ Himself, they must be the type of people no one can ever accuse of dishonesty. We should follow this rule in our churches today; those who hold positions in the church must be people who live in such a way that no one can accuse them of dishonesty or immorality.
"In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you." (2 Corinthians 8:22) The way this is worded indicates that Paul is speaking of yet another unnamed man. Whoever he is, he has proven his trustworthy character. This is another example we should follow in our churches. We can't just assume someone we place in a position of authority will be trustworthy. We must choose people who have proven they are trustworthy. As the Lord Jesus said, a person who can be trusted with small matters can be trusted with great matters. (Matthew 25:21)
"As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it." (2 Corinthians 8:23-24) It is so important that we choose wisely when selecting church leadership. The behavior of church members is judged by unbelievers, but those in authority will come under the most scrutiny. Paul has chosen men who bring honor to the church and to the name of Christ. We would be wise to do the same, whether we are choosing pastors and teachers or whether we are choosing janitors and office staff. Those who are employed by the church and those who volunteer at the church must be people whose lives can be said to bring honor to the church and to the name of the Lord Jesus. If we don't represent the Lord honorably, how will unbelievers be drawn to Him? And if unbelievers are not drawn to Him, they will remain in their unrepentant and unregenerated condition. The very idea of this ought to break our hearts.
"Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you." (2 Corinthians 8:16) What is Paul's concern for the Corinthian church? When we left off yesterday he was asking them to give as generously as they are able, so he is concerned whether they will make a good showing when the offering is collected. He told them this would be the proof of their sincerity; in other words, he's asking them to "put your money where your mouth is". Both he and Titus want to be able to say wonderful things about the generosity of the church at Corinth. Paul has already said wonderful things about the church at Macedonia, which is remarkable when you consider how poor the people were. So naturally he expects the citizens of the modern and wealthy city of Corinth to donate generously to the needy.
"For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help." (2 Corinthians 8:17-19) Who is this "brother" Paul mentions? Bible scholars have speculated about his identity for a long time, but no one actually knows. He could be one of the apostles or teachers mentioned by name in the Bible. He could be someone whose name isn't written on it's pages. Whoever he is, it seems clear that he is so well known to the believers at Corinth that Paul doesn't even have to say his name. I actually think it's quite beautiful that we don't know his name, for as Paul says in verse 19, the purpose of the collection is to "honor the Lord Himself". This unnamed man wants all the honor to go to the Lord; he isn't interested in making a name for himself. He's one of the unsung heroes of the Bible. He is one of the great soldiers of the Lord who says to Him, "Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." (Isaiah 26:8b)
"We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man." (2 Corinthians 8:20-21) The men chosen to collect and deliver this offering are men whose reputations are above reproach. There is nothing in their past or in their character to cause anyone to suspect they might dip into the funds or that they might show partiality in distributing the funds. As ambassadors of the church and of Christ Himself, they must be the type of people no one can ever accuse of dishonesty. We should follow this rule in our churches today; those who hold positions in the church must be people who live in such a way that no one can accuse them of dishonesty or immorality.
"In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you." (2 Corinthians 8:22) The way this is worded indicates that Paul is speaking of yet another unnamed man. Whoever he is, he has proven his trustworthy character. This is another example we should follow in our churches. We can't just assume someone we place in a position of authority will be trustworthy. We must choose people who have proven they are trustworthy. As the Lord Jesus said, a person who can be trusted with small matters can be trusted with great matters. (Matthew 25:21)
"As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it." (2 Corinthians 8:23-24) It is so important that we choose wisely when selecting church leadership. The behavior of church members is judged by unbelievers, but those in authority will come under the most scrutiny. Paul has chosen men who bring honor to the church and to the name of Christ. We would be wise to do the same, whether we are choosing pastors and teachers or whether we are choosing janitors and office staff. Those who are employed by the church and those who volunteer at the church must be people whose lives can be said to bring honor to the church and to the name of the Lord Jesus. If we don't represent the Lord honorably, how will unbelievers be drawn to Him? And if unbelievers are not drawn to Him, they will remain in their unrepentant and unregenerated condition. The very idea of this ought to break our hearts.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Paul's Second Letter To The Church In Corinth. Day 20, Generosity
The believers in various cities have been taking up a collection for the needy Christians in Judea. You will recall from our study of the book of Acts that while Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch a prophet named Agabus from Jerusalem predicted a severe famine in all the Roman-controlled territories. A decision was made to take up an offering to send to Jerusalem to help the believers of Judea. Today Paul talks about the great generosity he has seen as people willingly give to the collection.
"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." (2 Corinthians 8:1-2) The Macedonians had little money but had compassion in their hearts for the people of Judea, so they gave to the offering.
"For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people." (2 Corinthians 8:3-4) Verses 3 and 4 seem to indicate that Paul did not ask the Macedonians to give to the offering due to their deep poverty. Instead they volunteered to take up money for the needy Jewish Christians.
"And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us." (2 Corinthians 8:5) The believers of Macedonia put the Lord first in their lives, and because they put Him first they loved and respected His apostles. They wanted to be a part of the work the apostles were doing, and this included giving to the offering that was being taken to Jerusalem.
Since the poor of Macedonia were so willing to give, Paul expects the believers of a wealthy city like Corinth to be willing to give. "So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything---in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you---see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:6-9) Titus has been Paul's messenger to the church at Corinth while Paul ministers in other areas of the Roman Empire. We will learn in a minute that the previous year the people of Corinth promised to give to the collection. Now Paul urges them to keep their promise. This will prove to him that their repentance has been sincere and that they are not holding a grudge against him for the necessary harshness of his first letter.
"And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have." (2 Corinthians 8:10-12) The Lord goes by what is in the heart, not by how much a person gives. A wealthy person may be able to put a lot into the offering plate, but if the giving is not sincere it doesn't count for much in the Lord's eyes. A poor person may not be able to put much in the offering plate, but the Lord esteems the offering highly because He knows it took an act of faith. It's the reason behind the giving that matters to Him, whether the offering is coming from the wealthy or from the poor.
"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality." (2 Corinthians 8:13) Paul is not teaching communist doctrine; he's simply pointing out how unseemly it is that Christians in some areas of the world are thriving financially while Christians in other areas can scarcely put food on the table. The church of Christ is one big family, and we all ought to be concerned about the poverty that is being experienced by our brothers and sisters in Christ. Would we let our biological brother or sister starve to death? Of course not, and we should not allow our spiritual brother or sister to starve either.
Paul doesn't ask anyone to give beyond what is reasonable. He is saying something like, "I don't want you to put yourselves in jeopardy to help those in need. I'm just asking you to give what you are able. If you have more than you need, give out of what is left over." What he wants is for everyone to have enough. He wants every Christian to have food on the table, clothes on their back, and a roof over their heads. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: 'The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'" (2 Corinthians 8:14-15)
He quotes Exodus 16:18 regarding the manna the Lord sent to feed the children of Israel in the wilderness. They were told to gather what they needed according to how many people were in their family. Those who disobeyed and gathered extra found that the excess rotted. So I think Paul is asking the Corinthians, "Why have so much that you can't even use it all? Why have so much money in the bank that you can never spend and enjoy it? Why have so much food in the house that some of it ends up going bad? Use it for good to help your brothers and sisters who are in need."
"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." (2 Corinthians 8:1-2) The Macedonians had little money but had compassion in their hearts for the people of Judea, so they gave to the offering.
"For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people." (2 Corinthians 8:3-4) Verses 3 and 4 seem to indicate that Paul did not ask the Macedonians to give to the offering due to their deep poverty. Instead they volunteered to take up money for the needy Jewish Christians.
"And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us." (2 Corinthians 8:5) The believers of Macedonia put the Lord first in their lives, and because they put Him first they loved and respected His apostles. They wanted to be a part of the work the apostles were doing, and this included giving to the offering that was being taken to Jerusalem.
Since the poor of Macedonia were so willing to give, Paul expects the believers of a wealthy city like Corinth to be willing to give. "So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything---in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you---see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:6-9) Titus has been Paul's messenger to the church at Corinth while Paul ministers in other areas of the Roman Empire. We will learn in a minute that the previous year the people of Corinth promised to give to the collection. Now Paul urges them to keep their promise. This will prove to him that their repentance has been sincere and that they are not holding a grudge against him for the necessary harshness of his first letter.
"And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have." (2 Corinthians 8:10-12) The Lord goes by what is in the heart, not by how much a person gives. A wealthy person may be able to put a lot into the offering plate, but if the giving is not sincere it doesn't count for much in the Lord's eyes. A poor person may not be able to put much in the offering plate, but the Lord esteems the offering highly because He knows it took an act of faith. It's the reason behind the giving that matters to Him, whether the offering is coming from the wealthy or from the poor.
"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality." (2 Corinthians 8:13) Paul is not teaching communist doctrine; he's simply pointing out how unseemly it is that Christians in some areas of the world are thriving financially while Christians in other areas can scarcely put food on the table. The church of Christ is one big family, and we all ought to be concerned about the poverty that is being experienced by our brothers and sisters in Christ. Would we let our biological brother or sister starve to death? Of course not, and we should not allow our spiritual brother or sister to starve either.
Paul doesn't ask anyone to give beyond what is reasonable. He is saying something like, "I don't want you to put yourselves in jeopardy to help those in need. I'm just asking you to give what you are able. If you have more than you need, give out of what is left over." What he wants is for everyone to have enough. He wants every Christian to have food on the table, clothes on their back, and a roof over their heads. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: 'The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'" (2 Corinthians 8:14-15)
He quotes Exodus 16:18 regarding the manna the Lord sent to feed the children of Israel in the wilderness. They were told to gather what they needed according to how many people were in their family. Those who disobeyed and gathered extra found that the excess rotted. So I think Paul is asking the Corinthians, "Why have so much that you can't even use it all? Why have so much money in the bank that you can never spend and enjoy it? Why have so much food in the house that some of it ends up going bad? Use it for good to help your brothers and sisters who are in need."
Monday, October 1, 2018
Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 19, Don't Live In The Past
Paul finds himself encouraged in the faith by the behavior of the Corinthian believers. They repented when they received his first letter and corrected the things they were doing wrong. Their relationship with the Lord has been strengthened and their relationship with Paul has been strengthened. He isn't holding a grudge against them anymore than the Lord is, so we find nothing but words of praise for them in today's passage. We find a wonderful example here of how to let go of the past.
"See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." (2 Corinthians 7:11) Paul isn't saying that the church was innocent of the things he accused them of in his first letter. They were most certainly guilty. If they hadn't been guilty, they wouldn't have experienced the godly sorrow over their mistakes that Paul talked about in yesterday's passage. If they hadn't been guilty, there would have been no need for them to repent and to correct their wrong ways. I think Paul is talking about the innocence we all can have as believers when we experience godly sorrow over a wrong action or a wrong attitude and decide to turn away from it. This is when the Lord, like a courtroom judge, dismisses our case from the docket. We no longer have to appear before Him to give an account for our actions or to put on a defense.
I want to point out that the world may still hold us accountable for things that the Lord has forgiven us for. In His eyes, because we have put our faith in the One who paid the penalty of sin for us, our slate is wiped clean. But there are natural consequences to sin that we may still have to face even though things have been made right between us and the Lord. We don't ever want to make the mistake of thinking the Lord is beating us up and holding things against us when it is actually just the natural consequences of wrong actions that we are reaping. Relationships that were harmed because of our sin may take a long time to mend, if they ever are mended. Opportunities that we lost due to sin may not come back around. Health issues we caused ourselves with sinful living may never fully resolve. The most we can do is give these situations to the Lord to work out. We can't undo the past, but we can't keep carrying it around with us either. That would be just as much of a sin as the sins we committed in the first place. We also aren't to hold someone else's past against them. If they have repented and have made things right with the Lord, who are we to keep flinging the past in their face? It's not the Lord's will for us to allow the future to be destroyed by the past. The Apostle Paul, a man who had a lot of dreadful mistakes before he came to Christ, understood this and was able to say, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13b-14)
It is clear that Paul is not holding a grudge against the church at Corinth for their previous disrespect of him. "So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are." (2 Corinthians 7:12) It was when they were confronted with their sins that the believers at Corinth realized how casually they had been living their new lives in Christ and how poorly they had been treating Paul who loved them with all his heart.
"By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you." (2 Corinthians 7:13) He says, "I was thrilled to hear how warmly you received Titus and by the wonderful things he had to say about you. He is convinced, as I am, that you are the real deal. You didn't stub up and become angry with me and refuse to see the error of your ways. Instead you were quick to make the necessary changes, changes that Titus witnessed in you himself."
"I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you." (2 Corinthians 7:14-16) He declares, "I knew I could count on you to do the right thing! While I lived among you I witnessed your sincerity of faith. I told Titus that I believed you would react to my letter in the correct spirit, and you have not disappointed me. I feel so much better now about everything. Not only am I assured that you are back on the right path, but I am also assured that your love for me and for the other apostles is real. Our relationship has not been harmed because I had to tell you some tough things. I am so thankful for this!"
Paul is ready to move on. There is no need to keep bringing up the mistakes the Corinthian church made. There is no reason for the Corinthians to keep dwelling on their mistakes. These things have been dealt with in the proper way and now it's time to move ahead with the Lord. This is a wonderful example for us to not keep dwelling on past mistakes. If we've repented of those things, we need to move on. What will we ever accomplish for the Lord if we remain stuck in the past? If a man like the Apostle Paul could accept that he was forgiven for persecuting the church, surely we can accept that we have been forgiven for our own sins.
"See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." (2 Corinthians 7:11) Paul isn't saying that the church was innocent of the things he accused them of in his first letter. They were most certainly guilty. If they hadn't been guilty, they wouldn't have experienced the godly sorrow over their mistakes that Paul talked about in yesterday's passage. If they hadn't been guilty, there would have been no need for them to repent and to correct their wrong ways. I think Paul is talking about the innocence we all can have as believers when we experience godly sorrow over a wrong action or a wrong attitude and decide to turn away from it. This is when the Lord, like a courtroom judge, dismisses our case from the docket. We no longer have to appear before Him to give an account for our actions or to put on a defense.
I want to point out that the world may still hold us accountable for things that the Lord has forgiven us for. In His eyes, because we have put our faith in the One who paid the penalty of sin for us, our slate is wiped clean. But there are natural consequences to sin that we may still have to face even though things have been made right between us and the Lord. We don't ever want to make the mistake of thinking the Lord is beating us up and holding things against us when it is actually just the natural consequences of wrong actions that we are reaping. Relationships that were harmed because of our sin may take a long time to mend, if they ever are mended. Opportunities that we lost due to sin may not come back around. Health issues we caused ourselves with sinful living may never fully resolve. The most we can do is give these situations to the Lord to work out. We can't undo the past, but we can't keep carrying it around with us either. That would be just as much of a sin as the sins we committed in the first place. We also aren't to hold someone else's past against them. If they have repented and have made things right with the Lord, who are we to keep flinging the past in their face? It's not the Lord's will for us to allow the future to be destroyed by the past. The Apostle Paul, a man who had a lot of dreadful mistakes before he came to Christ, understood this and was able to say, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13b-14)
It is clear that Paul is not holding a grudge against the church at Corinth for their previous disrespect of him. "So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are." (2 Corinthians 7:12) It was when they were confronted with their sins that the believers at Corinth realized how casually they had been living their new lives in Christ and how poorly they had been treating Paul who loved them with all his heart.
"By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you." (2 Corinthians 7:13) He says, "I was thrilled to hear how warmly you received Titus and by the wonderful things he had to say about you. He is convinced, as I am, that you are the real deal. You didn't stub up and become angry with me and refuse to see the error of your ways. Instead you were quick to make the necessary changes, changes that Titus witnessed in you himself."
"I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you." (2 Corinthians 7:14-16) He declares, "I knew I could count on you to do the right thing! While I lived among you I witnessed your sincerity of faith. I told Titus that I believed you would react to my letter in the correct spirit, and you have not disappointed me. I feel so much better now about everything. Not only am I assured that you are back on the right path, but I am also assured that your love for me and for the other apostles is real. Our relationship has not been harmed because I had to tell you some tough things. I am so thankful for this!"
Paul is ready to move on. There is no need to keep bringing up the mistakes the Corinthian church made. There is no reason for the Corinthians to keep dwelling on their mistakes. These things have been dealt with in the proper way and now it's time to move ahead with the Lord. This is a wonderful example for us to not keep dwelling on past mistakes. If we've repented of those things, we need to move on. What will we ever accomplish for the Lord if we remain stuck in the past? If a man like the Apostle Paul could accept that he was forgiven for persecuting the church, surely we can accept that we have been forgiven for our own sins.
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