The Letters Of A Changed Man: A Study Of 1st And 2nd Peter. Day 4, Redeemed By The Blood Of Christ

Today's beautiful passage has to do with living holy lives by keeping in mind that we were redeemed by the blood of the holy Son of God. Peter is saying, "Remember who you are. You don't have to live in bondage to sin and bad habits. You don't have to be mired down in regrets and defeat. Christ paid the ultimate price to set you free." Or, in other words, "You're too good to live that way! A child of the Most High God doesn't belong in a pit of sin or in an attitude of defeat or despair."

"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:13-16) It could be said that at one time the Gentiles committed sins in ignorance. They did not have the laws and commandments. They didn't know the one true God or His standards for living. They no longer have this excuse, and they can no longer blend in with the world and do the things the world does. In Christ the believing Gentiles are sanctified and set apart from the world; they must conduct themselves as the sons and daughters of God.

"Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17) He cautions his readers, "Always keep in mind that you will have to give an account of your lives before God. It doesn't matter what status you hold in this world, since God doesn't show partiality to the wealthy or the famous or the gifted. Remember that since you are in Christ you are no longer of the world; you are foreigners here. You must live according to the customs of your homeland which is heaven."

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21) Here we find Peter comparing Jesus with the Passover lamb. This lamb was to be carefully chosen four days before it was going to be sacrificed. It could not have any spots or blemishes, and it had to remain in the close care of the family for four days so that if it did have any afflictions they would become apparent during that time. The lamb had to be the best of the best. So when God chose a Lamb who would be perfect enough to save us all from sin, He chose the best of the best: His Son. God chose Him before the world was ever created, before man ever fell from grace. No spot or blemish or defect was ever present in in Son, not while He was in heaven with the Father and not while He walked the earth.

Peter says, "Keep in mind what redeemed you. You weren't bought from the slavery of sin with money which will perish with the world. You were bought from the slavery of sin with the precious blood of the Lamb. Live in a way that reflects this." We redeemed by the best of the best. Let's not disrespect our Redeemer by living in our old ways and in our old habits.

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:22-25) Peter quotes from Isaiah 40, a chapter which proclaims the coming of the Messiah and the good news of the gospel. God kept His word concerning the promised Messiah, and now Peter and the other apostles are obeying God's word by proclaiming the good news. The Gentiles to whom this letter is addressed have heard the good news and have believed the word of God. They are now purified by it, because through it they came to faith in the One who redeems them by His own blood, by the One who is literally the "word" of God. (See John 1:1-14) 

I'm going to close with this example and then with a link to a song about the precious blood of our Redeemer. Peter tells us to remember who we are and to live like those who are the children of God. My late father was a well-respected man in the community. He was a very talented brick mason, block mason, and carpenter who had a reputation for his honesty and for exceptional craftsmanship. To tell someone I was the daughter of Carson Tipton was to be treated with instant respect. There were things that the daughter of Carson Tipton was not expected to ever do because the community knew I had been raised to behave like a lady. I was brought up to respect myself and to live in a way that wouldn't shame my family. I didn't always obey my father perfectly, but there was a sense of guilt and shame when I didn't, even when he didn't know I'd done wrong. I knew that better things were expected of me. This is what Peter is saying to us as the sons and daughters of the living God. The world may not always grant us instant respect for our relationship to the Lord, but we ought to think of ourselves with respect. There are things that the sons and daughters of God should not do, for we know better. We know what our Father expects of us. Let's not shame our Father by living in ways that don't honor Him. Let's not sink down to the level of a world that doesn't know Him. 

Below is a song link for today. Many of you know it is one of my favorites. It has gotten me through some tough times by reminding me what my Redeemer sacrificed for me. If He was willing to give His life for me, He's certainly willing to help me make it through this life here on earth.

This Blood

The Letters Of A Changed Man: A Study Of 1st And 2nd Peter. Day 3, The Predictions Of The Prophets

Peter reminds his readers that they are living in a blessed age, an age the prophets longed to see come to pass. A means of salvation has been promised since the beginning, a Deliverer has been expected, and both His suffering and His glory have been foretold by the prophets. The people of Peter's day (and our day) are living in a time when these things have been fulfilled.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow." (1 Peter 1:10-11) The prophets longed to see the days of the Messiah. They dearly wanted to know when He was coming. They puzzled over the information given to them by God about a Messiah who would be a suffering servant and a conquering king. In their day they could not put the whole puzzle together because they didn't have all the pieces, but Peter says to his readers, "You know the outcome of all the things the prophets longed to understand. You have all the pieces of the puzzle. You understand how the Messiah can be both a suffering servant and a conquering king. At His first advent He came into the world in human weakness so He could offer Himself for our sins. At His second advent He will come in power to claim His rightful place on the throne of David and will rule the whole earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Oh, the prophets would have given anything to know what you know and to have seen what you have seen!"

Time doesn't permit us to take a look at the hundreds of prophecies regarding the Messiah, His suffering, and His kingdom. But a great deal of the prophets' own messages must have puzzled them greatly, such as the Messiah being born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), Him being born in Judah's smallest town of Bethlehem and not in a king's palace (Micah 5:2), Him living outside of Israel in Egypt for a time (Hosea 11:1), that His ministry would begin in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2), that He would perform great miracles of healing (Isaiah 35:5-6), that He would be rejected (Isaiah 53:3), that He would feel forsaken by God (Psalm 22:1), that He would be mocked and insulted (Psalm 22:6-8), that His bones would be pulled out of joint and that He would be thirsty while He is surrounded by enemies (Psalm 22:12-17), that He would be given vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21a), that the soldiers would cast lots for His garments (Psalm 22:18), that He would be beaten and His hands and feet would be pierced (Isaiah 53:5) (Psalm 22:18), that He would die with transgressors and be buried with the wealthy (Isaiah 53:5), and that He would rise from the dead (Isaiah 53:11).

No wonder Peter says the prophets studied intently and with the greatest of care to try and figure out just how and when these things were going to take place. But Peter's listeners already know what the prophets did not know. They know that Jesus of Nazareth was born of a virgin, that He was born in Bethlehem, that He had to be hidden from Herod in Egypt for a time, that He began His ministry in Galilee, that He performed great miracles, that He was rejected by the chief priests and elders, that His hands and feet were pierced by crucifixion, that He quoted the words of David as He hung on the cross, that He was mocked as He hung there, that He was given vinegar to drink, that the soldiers gambled for His cloak, that His hands and feet were pierced, that He was crucified with transgressors, that He was buried in a rich man's tomb, and that He rose from the dead.

The prophets longed to see the days of the Messiah, but they knew in their spirits that the time was not yet. "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven." (1 Peter 1:12a) The prophet Baalam said of the Messiah's time, which seemed far off to him: "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel." (Numbers 24:17a)

The prophets of old could not picture exactly how all these prophecies would come together. They couldn't have predicted the census that led Joseph and Mary down to Bethlehem just at the time Jesus was about to be born. They knew nothing of a wicked and paranoid king named Herod who would want all the baby boys of Bethlehem slaughtered so that he would have no rival to the throne. They would not have known what to make of the Messiah, also called God's Son, being called out of the land of Egypt. Crucifixion had not even been invented when some of the prophecies describing the suffering of the cross were written down. And who could make sense of the Lord's anointed one suffering with transgressors, or for transgressors?

The angels themselves were fascinated with knowing exactly how God intended to work out His plan of salvation. "Even angels long to look into these things." (1 Peter 1:12b) In the Greek this passage could be translated as: "Even the angels stoop down to watch intently as God carries out His plans on the earth."

How must it have felt when the angels got an even closer glimpse of Christ's suffering than the prophets received? Did they weep as their King suffered? Or did they maintain an awestruck silence as the Creator of all things took His last breath on the cross? When He cried out, "It is finished!" were they both thrilled and heartbroken---thrilled because He perfectly accomplished His purpose, heartbroken because it took His blood to save mankind? If the angels and the prophets intently studied the purpose and plans of God, how much  more should we study our Bibles and be awestruck by what our Savior sacrificed for us?

Our study today reminds me of a particular worship song, so in closing I'm going to post the link to it below. It speaks of the mourning of all creation as the Savior hung on the cross.
Forever

The Letters Of A Changed Man: A Study Of 1st And 2nd Peter. Day 2, Our Great Inheritance

In our study this morning Peter speaks of our new birth in Christ and the inheritance we are going to receive as children of the living God.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade." (1 Peter 1:3-4a) There is so much deep theological truth in this one statement that we could spend many days picking apart every element of it and discussing it in detail. But we will try and paraphrase Peter's beautiful proclamation like this: "Bless God! He who is the Father of the Lord Jesus has become our Father through our faith in Christ. We have been born again spiritually---born into the family of God. We are now His children and the brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus. Because we are the children of God and the brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus, we are going to receive a great inheritance. We are actually going to share in the same inheritance Jesus is going to receive from the Father! God is protecting this inheritance for us; no one can take it away."

The Apostle Paul says similar words in his letter to the Hebrews, "Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters." (Hebrews 2:11), and in his letter to the Romans, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:17a)

"This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:4b-5) Again we find Paul in agreement, for he says, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) Paul also told the Ephesians that by the Holy Spirit believers are "sealed for the day of redemption". (Ephesians 4:30b) Peter and Paul aren't saying that Christians aren't already saved on the day that they believe, but that the full rights and privileges that come with being the children of God will not be revealed until the end. Until that day the Lord who saved us is keeping us saved by the Holy Spirit. Do you recall having to conjugate verbs in high school English class? If we were going to conjugate the verb "to save" as it is used in the Bible, it would go something like this, "Jesus has saved me, Jesus is saving me, Jesus will keep on saving me". It is an active and ongoing process in the past, present, and future. In other words, I was just as saved yesterday as I am today. I am just as saved today as I will be tomorrow. I will be just as saved on the day after tomorrow and on every day after that.

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith---of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire---may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9) Because of their faith the believers are able to endure anything the world throws at them because they know a glorious inheritance is ahead of them. The trials of this life are refining their faith and proving to them that they are strong in Christ. Their hope is a living hope, as Peter says in verse 3. It's not just hope for the afterlife but hope for this life. It is because they know that the full rights and privileges of the children of God will be granted to them in the end that they are able to live victoriously in the here and now.

The Letters Of A Changed Man: A Study Of 1st And 2nd Peter. Day 1, Those Who Are Chosen

We begin our study this morning of the letters written by the Apostle Peter. He was once a rough and tough fisherman of the Sea of Galilee, then he became an outspoken and impulsive disciple of Jesus, then in a moment of terror he denied he'd ever met Jesus. But since he has seen the risen Savior face to face, Peter has become a powerful evangelist and a leader of the Christian church. His life is a perfect example of how a relationship with Christ changes a person from the inside out.

These letters are written to Gentile believers but are written from a Jewish perspective, as Peter often quotes Scripture from the Old Testament. But he does something no Jewish teacher would ever have thought of doing prior to the advent of Jesus Christ: he applies the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament to the Gentiles. What brings the Gentiles into the family of God and makes them just as much a chosen people as the nation of Israel? Their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Now the beautiful promises of God apply to nations that have, up til now, been on the outside looking in. In our study of Peter's letters and of the Scriptures he chooses to prove his point, we are going to understand that it was always God's intention to make a chosen people out of those who formerly walked in darkness and wasted their energy serving gods that did not exist.

Peter was one of the first advocates for the Gentile believers, insisting they be treated as equals, and I can just imagine him nodding his head and shouting "amen" to these words the Apostle Paul wrote to the Gentiles: "Remember that...you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility...Consequently you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:12-14, 19-20)

Though Israel always was and still is and always will be a chosen people in the sight of God, God never intended to permanently exclude the Gentiles from His family. This is made evident by His promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 when He said, "Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed." God was not speaking specifically of Abraham's immediate offspring (his son Isaac) but of the Messiah who would come from Abraham's family line. God made it clear from the beginning that the nation of Israel was a chosen people, and at the same time He made it clear that He intended to call a chosen people from the Gentile nations too.

Peter begins his first letter with this salutation, "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance." (1 Peter 1:1-2) It is believed by many scholars that Peter was writing this letter from Rome because the cities are named in the order in which a person carrying the letter would reach them if he set out from Rome at the port of the Black Sea.

In his salutation Peter assures his readers that they were chosen and foreknown by God long before they were ever born. On the day God made His awesome promise to Abraham, He foresaw these believers. Though they did not yet exist, He had already chosen them. God didn't promise to make Abraham a father of only one nation; He promised to make Abraham a father of "many nations". (Genesis 17:4-5) God fulfilled the promise of making Abraham a father when He gave him his son Isaac. God began fulfilling His promise of making Abraham a father of many nations when His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ of the line of Abraham, was born and accomplished His purpose on earth and was crucified and was raised from the dead. Now that this promise is coming true, the Gentiles who were once on the outside looking in are invited to sit around the Lord's table as His children. They are as welcome there as the nation of Israel. The beautiful promises of the Scriptures are now theirs, for they who once were lost and without God in the world have become His children.

Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 33, Conclusion: Hope For Full Restoration

We are concluding our study of Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth. Although I do intend for us to go through the whole New Testament together, we are going to mix it up a bit by first checking back in with the Apostle Peter before going on to the next letter written by Paul. This is taking the books of the New Testament out of order, but I feel very much compelled and excited to look next at the two letters written by Peter. We've been reading about Paul for quite some time now, so we are going to switch gears a little bit.

Today Paul concludes his letter with words of both warning and encouragement. "This will be my third visit to you. 'Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you." (2 Corinthians 13:1-3) Paul quotes Deuteronomy 19:15, "One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." He is going to be fair when he judges the situation at Corinth upon his return. He will listen to the reports of those who are concerned about sins they have witnessed in the church. When Paul gives his opinion it's going to be based on the facts.

Some of the apostle's detractors have been saying he won't return or, if he does, he won't speak powerfully in person the way he does in his letters. The false teachers have even accused Paul of seducing people into the faith through magic tricks instead of through the powerful works of the Holy Spirit. If necessary Paul will prove to the people of Corinth quite clearly that he is an apostle chosen by Christ. I am not sure what form this proof might take, but if you recall from our study of the book of Acts, Paul temporarily struck a man blind for trying to stir up trouble while he was preaching the gospel to a proconsul of Paphos. (Acts 13:6-12) Witnessing this wonder caused the proconsul to accept the gospel, for he knew such power had to come from the one true God. It could be that Paul will have to use his spiritual gifts as an apostle to make his point.

Paul first preached the gospel at Corinth in an attitude of meekness and humility, but as their father in the faith he has now been given responsibility for them and authority over them. They were born again into the family of God when they believed the gospel he preached, so when Paul returns he won't be trying to persuade them to believe but will be disciplining them for disobedience. The people of Corinth found him very plain and weak and unimpressive in appearance. But Christ is doing and will continue to do powerful things through him. "For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God's power we will live with Him in our dealing with you." (2 Corinthians 13:4)

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you---unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5) He asks, "Are all of you certain that you are in the faith? Do you really love the Lord Jesus? Or do you love the world more than you love Him? Are you living in obedience to Him? Are you willing to let Him have control of your life? Do you have the fruits of the Spirit or are you still in slavery to your carnal mind and carnal flesh? Examine your hearts and see whether you belong to Christ or not."

It's typical of us to examine the lives and behaviors of others instead of examining ourselves, but Paul cautions the church members to look at their own hearts first and then to examine him and the other apostles. "And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (2 Corinthians 13:6)

"Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong---not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed." (2 Corinthians 13:6) He says, "It's not for our sake that we want you to be successful in Christian living. It's for your own sake that we want you to grow and prosper in the faith." That's exactly what a loving parent would say. Those of you who are parents, you want the best for your children for the sake of your children, not so people can pat you on the back and say, "You did a great job raising these kids!"

"For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth." (2 Corinthians 13:8) The apostles never enjoyed chastising believers. They owed believers the truth, and sometimes the truth included telling church members they had messed up. It would be nice if Paul could visit Corinth again and have nothing but praise for everything happening there. But he won't lie to anyone. Sin is sin and wrong is wrong. It's doing the church at Corinth no favors if Paul isn't honest.

"We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority---the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down." (2 Corinthians 13:9-10) Good parents want their children to be stronger, healthier, smarter, and more successful than they themselves are. Paul and the apostles want this for the church. The apostles do without a lot of life's basic comforts in order to supply the needs of others, just as a parent does without things in order to supply the needs of their children. Also, parents would prefer to have their children stop being disobedient at the first rebuke, not after having been punished. This is what Paul wants. He hopes and prays that his letters will be enough to convince those who are doing wrong to stop doing wrong. He doesn't want to have to get tough with them.

Paul closes the letter with this benediction: "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God's people here send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:11-14)

Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 32, Paul's Love For The Corinthians

You will recall how many times Paul has called boasting foolishness, yet he considers boasting about the Lord to be profitable for everyone, so he boasted about the Lord's strength in his weakness. He boasted about the things the Lord had helped him to endure for the sake of the gospel. He picks up there today and speaks of the love in his heart for the Corinthian church.

"I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the 'super apostles', even though I am nothing. I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!" (2 Corinthians 12:11-13) Of course Paul did not wrong the church for refusing to accept support from them. He is being sarcastic because the Corinthians have gladly given their support to the false apostles who have been teaching only for monetary gain. Those who call themselves 'super apostles' will not give a sermon unless they are paid to appear, yet Paul worked with his own hands and accepted donations from churches he had already founded while he taught the gospel in Corinth. He does not want his name connected with those who exploit people for financial gain. He wants the gospel to be available free of charge to anyone who wishes to hear it. It is his habit to accept nothing when he is first bringing the gospel to a new region. He does at times receive support from well-established churches who want to help him to spread the gospel on missionary journeys.

"Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children." (2 Corinthians 12:14) Paul is coming to Corinth to collect the offering that is being gathered for the suffering saints of Judea, but none of that money will go into his own pocket. He is not asking or expecting the people of Corinth to support him. His only concern is that they continue to grow in the faith, not that they present him with lavish gifts. It's possible to give regularly to good works and not have a true heart for God. Taking up an offering for Paul would not prove that the hearts of the Corinthians are right with the Lord.

"So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?" (2 Corinthians 12:15-18) Again we find him being sarcastic in repeating the accusation that has been made against him by the false apostles. They say he persuaded the Corinthians to believe the gospel by trickery. Are the false apostles teaching the same basic facts of the gospel as Paul? Perhaps so, perhaps not. I can't imagine their teaching having any power in it to save souls, since they themselves are not right with the Lord. But whatever they are teaching, they are teaching it for monetary gain, and they want to keep on teaching for monetary gain. It is to their benefit to discredit the Apostle Paul who teaches the gospel for free, otherwise the people will all flock to Paul because he won't ask them to dip into their pockets. These teachers claim Paul performed signs and wonders among the people, not through the Holy Spirit, but through mere magic tricks.

"Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening." (2 Corinthians 12:19) He's saying, "We don't need to defend ourselves against any accusations. Everything we've done, we've done openly. We have nothing to hide."

"For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder." (2 Corinthians 12:20) These are the very attitudes and sins he scolded them for in his first letter. When Titus met Paul in Macedonia he told him of the repentance of the Corinthians, but Paul is still concerned about the false teachers and about the Corinthians' willingness to listen to them. He's worried that when he sees them again they will have fallen back into the same old behaviors.

"I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged." (2 Corinthians 12:21) He doesn't want to be disappointed in either the Corinthians or in the work he has done with them. It would be humbling indeed to revisit these people and not be able to tell any difference between how they look now and how they looked when he first met them. They were pagan Gentiles when he first met them, just like the Ephesians who were "without hope and without God in the world". (Ephesians 2:12) But when he taught them the gospel they accepted it gladly and their lifestyle should bear witness to their conversion. He doesn't want to walk back into Corinth and not be able to tell the redeemed people of God from the pagan sinners.

Paul's Second Letter To The Church At Corinth. Day 31, What Was Paul's Thorn In The Flesh?

For the past two days we've been studying the near death experience that Paul had fourteen years before he wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth. He says he was taken into heaven where he heard things that no human being is allowed to hear. Today we learn that in order to keep Paul from thinking too much of himself due to this awesome experience, God has given him a thorn in the flesh.

"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." (2 Corinthians 12:7b) Paul doesn't specify what this problem is. The majority of scholars seem to think it was a chronic illness or perhaps just very poor eyesight. There is some evidence Paul had terrible eyesight because he once picked up a snake thinking it was a dead tree limb,because when not dictating his writings to a scribe he had to write with very large letters, and because he makes mention that the people of Galatia once loved him so much that they would have given their own eyes to him. (Acts 28:3, Galatians 4:15, Galatians 6:11) We don't know, however, when the problem with Paul's sight began. Such severe nearsightedness could have been a lifelong problem, and he may already have been dealing with it before he ever had his near death experience.

Some scholars think he had chronic recurrent malaria, an illness he contracted while ministering in the lowlands. It seems that he moved into the mountains and stayed in Galatia for some time to try to recover from whatever was ailing him, since he told the Galatians that it was because he was stricken with illness that he was in their area and able to preach the gospel to them. (Galatians 4:13-14) The fact that Luke traveled with Paul as not only a friend and scribe but also as a personal physician backs up the idea that Paul may have been in need of frequent medical care.

Yet other scholars speculate that the messenger of Satan troubled Paul in his mind instead of in his body. He may have suffered with depression or anxiety. If so he would be in good company, for many well-known theologians and scholars and ministers have had the same problems. Men like Martin Luther, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, and C.S. Lewis all admitted to how painfully they struggled against the dark depression that often beset them. Off the top of our heads, we can think of several Bible characters who dealt with anxiety and depression too: Moses, David, Elijah, Job, Jonah, and even the Lord Jesus who said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Matthew 26:38, Mark 14:34)

It's a crying shame that for a very long time there was a stigma in the church about members who are dealing with mental issues. As someone who has struggled with depression, anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since childhood, I have firsthand experience that there used to be a great deal of resistance in the church to the idea that a Christian can even have these problems, much less that a Christian should seek treatment for them. I'm thankful that the stigma against seeking treatment for mental problems appears to be going away, but I can't help wondering how many lives have been harmed by this attitude. The truth is that being a Christian doesn't exempt anyone from mental issues anymore than it exempts anyone from physical issues. We know now that most things like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and many others have a physical cause due to brain chemistry, heredity, or a combination of the two.

Some have speculated that Paul's thorn had nothing to do with his physical or mental state, but that it had to do with assaults from the outside, such as persecution or temptation. Whatever his thorn was, Paul didn't feel it was necessary to let the Corinthian believers in on it. God didn't feel it was necessary to let us in on it. I'm glad He didn't, because we can fill in that blank with whatever our own personal thorns may be. We each struggle with different things, and that may be the reason we are not told the nature of Paul's problem, so we can say, "If the Apostle Paul could persevere through his problem, so can I. If the Apostle Paul could do great things for the Lord in spite of his problem, so can I."

It's not that Paul didn't want the problem removed from his life. On the contrary, he says, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me." (2 Corinthians 12:8) The Greek word Paul uses means "to beg, to plead, to beseech, to entreat". Paul didn't just sit down to pray over his dinner three days in a row and say, "Oh, by the way, please take this problem out of my life. In Jesus' name, amen." No, he begged with all his might for the Lord to remove it. He may even have been fasting during the long days when he was down on his knees in tears pleading with God to take this particular struggle away. Think back on the times when you were really sick or when there was a major problem in your life. You didn't say, "Lord, make this go away. In Jesus' name, amen." No, you said, "Please, God, please! I'm begging You to make this go away. I know You have the power to fix it. There's nothing too hard for You. If You are willing, I can be made whole. If You are willing, this problem can be solved. Lord, I'll do anything if You'll just say yes!"

But the Lord said no to Paul, just as He sometimes has to say no to us, and just as He had to say no to Christ when He pleaded with tears, "Let this cup pass away from Me!" (Matthew 26:39) The Lord knew Paul would be a more effective minister if He left the struggle in his life. Sometimes that's the reason He leaves a struggle in our lives. Not all of our suffering in this world is due to sin; some of it is used to make us better at our calling and to make us more like Christ. The Lord told Paul no like this: "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.'" (2 Corinthians 12:9a) If Paul had been a man who appeared mighty in strength and without a care in the world, I wonder how effective his ministry would have been. People could have scoffed at his words and said, "It's easy for him to talk about being strong in the faith! What has he ever had to endure? What does he know about suffering? How can he prove to us God's grace is sufficient when he has never had to rely on God's grace?"

After the Lord made it clear He intended to leave the struggle in Paul's life, Paul decided to look at it from a positive angle. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10) Why was Paul stronger when he was weak? Because the power of the Lord enabled him to do what he could not do alone. The power of the Lord is so much stronger than the power of weak human flesh. This means the Lord received the glory due Him for anything Paul accomplished in this life. People could look at Paul and say, "He's short and bald and unimpressive-looking and untrained in public speaking and shabby in his dress and troubled by a chronic problem, but look what the Lord is doing through him! See how great his love is for the Lord! See how great his faith is! If the Lord can take a man like him and do wonderful things, surely the Lord can do something with me!"

I believe in keeping it real, so I don't mind admitting to you that lately depression has been lying on me day and night like a heavy black cloak. Some of it is situational, but some of it is due to the hereditary anxiety and depression that is so prevalent in my family. I can't brag and say, "I got out of bed this morning in spite of my depression because I'm just really tough. I'm able to pull myself up by my bootstraps and go on no matter what." No, I got out of bed this morning because the Lord enabled me to get up. I keep putting one foot in front of the other not because it's necessarily what I feel like doing, but because the Lord is my strength and my hope. Because He exists and because He loves me, I don't feel like giving up.

Our situations and circumstances may be grim, and we may feel unwell in body or in mind, but we are never without hope. Christ is our living hope. (1 Peter 1:3) Christ is our hope both in this life and in the life to come. He didn't suffer only to give us victory over death; He also suffered so we could have victory over life. Because He came and gave His life to redeem us from our sins, and because He rose from the dead to prove that His sacrifice on our behalf was acceptable to a holy God, and because He forever lives to make intercession for us...we are never hopeless! We are never without strength! Our own minds may tell us there's no hope. Our own physical strength may not be enough to get us through the day. But the Lord is able to give us what we lack, so we can say as Paul says, "When I am weak, then am I strong!"