Milo

PAUL’S APOSTLESHIP
2 Corinthians 10–11

“ ‘Let him 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 Cor. 10:17–18).

The differences between true and false servants of God are surprising.

Overview
Paul further explained his New Covenant ministry, touching on its resources (10:1–6), its essential character (vv. 7–18), its counterfeits (11:1–15), and its costs (vv. 16–33).

Understanding the Text
“ ‘Timid’ when face to face” 2 Cor. 10:1. These words reflect charges made against Paul by those in Corinth who shrugged and tried to dismiss the apostle as an insignificant man.
They surely had their reasons. Paul wasn’t much of an orator (cf. 1 Cor. 2:4). He wasn’t a dominating personality: “timid” fit far better than “bold.” If we can believe early descriptions Paul was unimpressive physically. The earliest account we have describes Paul as a wizened little man, with a large hooked nose, peering up through eyebrows that met in the center of his forehead. Only his bright, twinkling eyes reflected the force of his personality.
It’s all too easy for us to dismiss others on the basis of appearances. Or to be overly impressed. The last four chapters of 1 Corinthians serve as an important corrective, as Paul helps us better understand the qualities that make for spiritual power.
Judging by appearances is neither right nor safe!

“We do not wage war as the world does” 2 Cor. 10:2–6. Paul had been dismissed as spiritually irrelevant. He was not. Christians do not “live by the standards of this world” and there is a vast difference between spiritual and worldly power.
Paul relied not on weapons of the world but on “divine power to demolish strongholds.” The image here is of an ancient fortified city set to resist a conqueror by taking refuge behind strong walls. Paul knew that those who resisted his authority resisted Christ, who appointed him an apostle. Paul was absolutely confident that God’s “divine power” would “demolish” the arguments of those who resisted his authority, for Paul’s sole goal was to bring every thought of the Corinthians into harmony with Christ’s will.
Three things here lie at the root of spiritual power. To be called by Christ. To have confidence in spiritual rather than worldly power. To desire only to bring others to obedience to Jesus.
Too many try to rest ministries on a two-legged rather than three-legged stool, and thus fall. Some are called and confident, but desire personal power over others. Some are called and seek to bring others into obedience to Jesus, but rely on worldly styles of “leadership.” But effective ministry must rest on all three legs for spiritual power.

“Once your obedience is complete” 2 Cor. 10:6. Paul was sure that God’s power would work within the Corinthians, to change the minds and hearts of the majority and reestablish their obedience. Any who then continued to resist would be disciplined.
Let’s be among the first to respond when called back to Christ. It’s dangerous to be among the last.

“Building you up rather than pulling you down” 2 Cor. 10:7–11. Paul used this same phrase again in 13:10 to describe his authority.
This is a critical difference between spiritual and worldly authority. Spiritual authority builds up others. Worldly authority builds up leaders. Watch a parade in Russia, and you see gigantic pictures of Marx and Lenin, with the current Chairman. In a land supposedly dedicated to equality, the fluttering portraits bear witness to the fact that in this world, leaders exalt themselves, not others.
Christians become so used to worldly leadership that unless Christian leaders behave in the same way, we assume they are weak. We want “strong leaders.” Leaders the world will look at as “great” because they exalt themselves. It makes us feel good to be the followers of an acknowledged “great man.”
But Paul, and mature believers today, knew that spiritual authority is given leaders to build others up. The test of spiritual leaders is not how “weighty and forceful” they appear to the world, but whether they are effective in helping others follow Jesus more closely.
Don’t be taken in by the world’s fascination with “great men.” Choose instead the “timid,” unimpressive man or woman who sees authority as the privilege of building others up.

“When they . . . compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” 2 Cor. 10:12–18. Paul was picturing the yearly denominational get-together. One pastor in Chattanooga is on five radio stations. His friend in Nashville is on six. One candidate for the “fastest growing church” has increased in membership 89 percent. Another candidate claims 89.5 percent. There’s a hot debate over baptisms. Seven churches have baptized 38 folks since the last annual meeting. But three of them counted people who were rebaptized, and some of the brethren think this shouldn’t count.
Paul looked at this kind of thing and simply said, “They are not wise.” Numbers do count. But comparing numbers—measuring ourselves by ourselves—isn’t wise.
Paul didn’t say exactly why, but I suspect there are several reasons. It makes us unduly proud. It makes us self-satisfied. It shifts our focus from Christ to ourselves. It shifts our focus from the people leaders are called to serve to the leaders themselves. It makes us look to others for approval rather than to Jesus.
Paul avoided all these traps, and simply said he wanted to reach out as far as he could with the Gospel of Christ. And that his hope was the Corinthian’s faith would continue to grow.
I suspect if our whole motivation is to share Christ and see Christians grow, the numbers will take care of themselves. And our commendation will come from the Lord rather than from ourselves.

“Sincere and pure devotion to Christ” 2 Cor. 11:1–6. Paul’s great frustration was to see the Corinthians showing devotion to human leaders—some even to him!—rather than to Christ. How baffling when modern “super apostles” appear, and our friends seem more committed to them than to Jesus.

“Preaching the Gospel of God to you free of charge” 2 Cor. 11:7–12. We recently had a TV “expose” of a tent evangelist in St. Petersburg. They took him to task for the usual things—an emphasis on money, a lavish lifestyle, a million-dollar home. We’re so used to such things that it’s almost stunning to realize that Paul was being criticized in Corinth for not taking money!
There is one thing anyone in ministry can count on. Whatever you do, someone will be there to criticize you.
Paul was not one of those hard shell types, able to shrug off criticism. It hurt Paul. Just as it hurts most of us. When we do something out of love for others, to have that act twisted and used as a club against us is painful indeed.
In this case, Paul reacted strongly. He explained why he acted as he did, expressed the love that motivated his action, and said he would “keep on doing what I am doing.” There are times it may be best to suffer in silence. But there are times when we need to confront criticism, and make our motives clear.

“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” 2 Cor. 11:13–15. Don’t expect the spiritual fraud or pseudo-apostle to appear wicked. In fact, such people “masquerade as servants of righteousness.”
Paul’s point was that we must be rigorous in testing those who announce themselves as heaven’s great gift to the church! If we stick to the context of these two chapters, we have several tests we can apply. Are our leaders concerned with building us up—or themselves? Do they rely on worldly leadership practices, or the spiritual armory of Paul? Are they eager for personal wealth, or indifferent to it?
If we move to other passages on false teachers we find more specific tests. Is their teaching true to the Word? And do they live what they teach?
Let’s not be fooled by the masks people wear, or their pious talk. It doesn’t take too much wisdom to distinguish those who want to exploit you from those who wish to serve.

DEVOTIONAL
Hire This Man!
(2 Cor. 11:16–32)
The ad said “Résumés Professionally Prepared.” It went on to say how important it is to make a good first impression. And how the professional resume service would help emphasize strengths, and even shape the presentation to the specific job you were looking for. What would happen if the Apostle Paul walked hesitantly into such an office, and diffidently held out the handwritten list of accomplishments that are found in 2 Corinthians 11:16–33? Well, let’s listen to the resume writer.
“A Jew? That’s one strike against you, Paul, if you really want to work in Gentile society.
“Ummm. Let’s see. In prison. Flogged. Beaten five times by the Jews, three times with rods by the Gentiles. Stoned by a mob. It seems, Paul, you have a hard time getting along with people.
“And this. In danger a lot. From bandits? At sea? In the city? The country? I guess your judgment isn’t too good, eh? Always getting yourself in these difficult situations.
“Worked hard, gone without sleep. Often gone without food? I’m afraid your only experience is in the unskilled, low-pay labor market, Paul. You can’t expect to get an important job with this your only experience.
“This mention of ‘pressure’ and ‘feeling weak’ has got to go. Makes you sound emotionally unstable, you know.
“Oh, no. Fled arrest in Damascus?
“Paul, there’s nothing we can do for you. Your resume reveals far too many weaknesses for you to succeed at anything.
“Oh? The job you’re applying for requires weaknesses? What in the world could that job be? Oh, the ministry.
“I see. It’s so whatever you accomplish will clearly be through Christ’s power, not your own? And so you won’t rely on your own strengths or talents?
“Let me make a phone call. ‘God, I’ve got an . . . What? Oh, sure.’
“Paul. You’re hired.”

Personal Application
God still looks for weak people in whom to display His strength. Want the job?

Quotable
“When God delivered Israel out of Egypt, He didn’t send an army. We would have sent an army or an orator. But God sent a man who had been in the desert for 40 years, and had an impediment in his speech. It is weakness that God wants! Nothing is small when God handles it.”—D.L. Moody

NEW COVENANT GIVING
2 Corinthians 8–9

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).

God wants the giver, then the gift.

Overview
Paul reminded the Corinthians of the Macedonians’ generosity (8:1–7), and urged them to give (vv. 8–13). Giving is sharing (vv. 14–15): a proof of love (vv. 16–24), and a service to the saints (9:1–5). God will supply those who give (vv. 6–11), for giving stimulates praise and thanksgiving to the Lord (vv. 12–15).

Understanding the Text
“Their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” 2 Cor. 8:1–5. The poor still tend to be more generous than the rich. Perhaps it is just that those who are needy can better identify with others in need. Or perhaps it’s that those with little have learned to trust the Lord so much that they do not fear giving.
When I was in seminary my Uncle Al sent us $20 a month. I was very concerned, because I knew something of the financial burden my uncle labored under. I even (foolishly and most ungraciously) wrote and said that if it was a burden for them, we could get along. They were hurt, but like the Macedonians in Paul’s time, “they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” I was relieved, because that $20 was often all we had for food the last week of the month! And I hope I learned then that giving is a joy of which no one should be deprived.

“I am not commanding you” 2 Cor. 8:6–9. Paul brought up the subject of giving because he had sent Titus to Corinth, and one of his tasks was to receive the funds that had been collected there for the needy. Yet Paul maintained a delicate balance in dealing with the topic, and was very careful not to “command” giving.
The Old Testament did command giving. The Law required that a tenth of the produce of the land be contributed for the support of the Levites and priests who led the community in worship. An additional tenth was gathered every third year and placed in local storehouses, for distribution to the poor and needy. Later in Israel’s history additional amounts were collected as taxes by Jewish kings, and then by the Gentile emperors who dominated Syria-Palestine. Each of these contributions was required: one had to pay.
Now Paul introduced another principle. No one has to give. And no fixed percentage of income was set as the “right” amount! Moreover, while some giving did go to the support of missionaries (cf. Phil. 4:14–19), most collections mentioned in the New Testment were in the nature of disaster relief, and sent to saints in parts of the world stricken by drought or devastated by war.
No one was commanded to give to meet such needs. But, as Paul reminds us, giving is (1) a grace to be developed (2 Cor. 8:7), (2) an evidence of sincere love (v. 9), and (3) an appropriate response to Jesus, who “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (v. 9).

“If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable” 2 Cor. 8:10–12. It’s easy to daydream about how generous we’d be if we suddenly inherited millions of dollars. But giving is a matter of “what one has, not . . . what he does not have.”
God isn’t as interested in the amount as He is in our willingness. Ten dollars from a poor widow may mean more than $10,000 from a wealthy man—and that $10 may have a greater spiritual impact on others.

“That there might be equality” 2 Cor. 8:13–15. The giving we see in the New Testament is sharing, not giving. In fact, the word “share” (koinonia) is used more often by Paul in these chapters than the word “give” (doron).
What Paul pictured for us is Christ’s living body, extended over the entire earth. Money in this analogy is the sustenance carried by the blood supply. It needs to reach every cell, so that each will be able to carry out its function.
Paul did not want one part of the body bloated and fat, while another is starved to helplessness. Instead the part of the body that has shares with that which lacks, aware that one day positions may be reversed. If such sharing does take place, the whole body of Christ on earth will be strong, able to carry out God’s will for humankind.
We moderns have a tendency to lose sight of Paul’s worldwide vision. We give to pad our own pews, or enlarge our church buildings. Such giving may be valid. But it is not that sharing that Paul or the New Testament envisions in 2 Corinthians 8–9 and similar passages.

“We are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men” 2 Cor. 8:16–24. What a principle for modern media ministries to remember. And for the local church as well.
We’re all vulnerable to money; if not to cash itself, to the power money represents. This is one reason why every Christian ministry must be protected by establishing financial controls, and establishing a policy of absolute openness concerning its books.
Don’t be insulted if someone asks to check on your receipts and expenditures. Thank him. He’s doing you the service of holding you accountable to man as well as God.

“Then it will be ready as a generous gift” 2 Cor. 9:1–5. I know some folks think that church budgets are at best unspiritual, and a pledge drive is close to satanic. These can be, if they’re manipulative. Any approach to raising money for Christian work is wrong if it operates by producing guilt or twisting arms.
But Paul reminds us that it’s not wrong for giving to be organized and systematic. If you pledge, and set apart a certain amount each week, you’re more likely to be able to give what you intend to than if you wait till the last moment, and find you’re short on cash.
Lack of planning and organization can transform what was intended to be spontaneous and joyful into grudged giving.

DEVOTIONAL
Joyful Giving
(2 Cor. 9:6–14)
Emphasize the benefits! According to my friends in marketing, this is the key to good advertising. Make sure folks see the benefits that accrue if they buy your product.
I imagine that makes it tough for an ad agency trying to sell cigarettes. And for a preacher trying to sell giving! Paul, however, was a master salesman. He stuck strictly to the truth. He didn’t push. And yet he made it clear that joyful giving has tremendous spiritual benefits.
No one has to give. In fact, Paul didn’t want any reluctant givers. A person who feels he has to give, or gives grudgingly, shouldn’t drop a single coin in the collection plate. God doesn’t need the money. And that kind of giving won’t bring the giver any blessings at all! But if we want to give—ah, then we reap tremendous blessings.
So Paul reminded the Corinthians and us of the blessings that make Christian giving such a joy.
First, giving benefits you materially and spiritually. You see, it’s impossible for us to outgive God (vv. 6–11). God is able to pour so much grace into our lives, that having been “made rich in every way” we “can be generous on every occasion.”
This isn’t a “send in 10 dollars and God will send you 100” kind of promise. It is simply a reminder that God is the source of bread as well as the inner joy we experience in Christ. We give only money. God meets our material needs, and gives us spiritual riches as well.
Second, giving permits us to bless others. What you give supplies “the needs of God’s people.” Even more, our giving deepens the relationship of others with the Lord. As they realize God prompted us to give, they “will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel.”
Third, giving stimulates others to pray for us. As others identify us as the means God used to meet their needs, they will respond with gratitude and appreciation. And each of us needs all the prayers we can get!
God doesn’t really care about our money. After all, His resources are infinite. But He does care about the spiritual benefits that generosity brings the giver and the recipient of this unusual grace.

Personal Application
Give joyfully, for you will be blessed.

Quotable
“The New Testament does not teach us simply to give away possessions for the sake of giving them away or appearing virtuous. Nor does it encourage us to adopt a ‘simple lifestyle’ because simplicity has merit in itself. Rather, all of these commands are put in the context of glorifying God and furthering the work of His kingdom, and of laying up treasures in heaven and increasing our heavenly reward.”—Wayne Gruden

CARING IN MINISTRY
2 Corinthians 6–7

“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. . . . As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also” (2 Cor. 6:11, 13).

To minister effectively, we must do so in love.

Overview
Paul expressed his love for the Corinthians by facing hardships (6:1–10), by personal openness (vv. 11–13), by confrontation (v. 14–7:1), by expressing confidence (vv. 2–4), by joy (vv. 5–7), by rebuke (vv. 8–12), and by delight at Titus’ affection for them (vv. 13–16).

Understanding the Text
“Now is the time of God’s favor” 2 Cor. 6:1–2. Most feel these verses belong at the end of chapter 5. Yet they also fit here. Paul was about to express his feelings for the members of the church in Corinth. These feelings were intense, because he was gripped by a sense of urgency. “Now,” Paul was convinced, “is the day of salvation.”
Driven by this conviction and by love for others, Paul gave his all to win them to Christ and lead them to a full present experience of salvation.
Both a sense of urgency and love are vital if we are to have an impact for Christ on those around us. We must be convinced that “now” is vital for them. And we must care.

“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way” 2 Cor. 6:3–10. Real love is expensive. And Paul had spent himself without holding anything back.
Some might think the physical hardships Paul listed—beatings, imprisonments, sleepless nights, hunger—are the greatest evidences of his love (vv. 3–5). Yet we all know that it’s much harder to always show “purity, understanding, patience and kindness” to our loved ones than to suffer hardships for them. You or I might give our lives for a loved one. Yet we find ourselves snapping at him or her in irritation, being critical, or uttering some cutting word we’d never think of saying to a stranger.
Let’s remember, as Paul did, that we are “servants of God.” As God’s servants we have been assigned the task of showing His love to others. We may never have to show that love by braving the kind of hardships Paul faced. But we daily have the opportunity to show love by our purity, patience, understanding, and kindness.

“We have spoken freely to you” 2 Cor. 6:11–13. When I first read 2 Corinthians as a young Christian, I was embarrassed for Paul. He seemed so, well, emotional. I much preferred the reasoned argument of Romans and Galatians, or the visionary images of Ephesians. Only much later did I realize that while Romans and Galatians represent the head, or the intellectual content of the Gospel, 2 Corinthians represents the heart, or the emotional drive of ministry.
Actually, the heart is at least as important as the head. And in this book Paul “opened wide” his heart, for us to see. His emotions spilled out freely, touching us almost against our will. His feelings are so strong that we either draw back, as I once did, or we respond to the warmth.
Why did Paul share himself so freely with the Corinthians, where many were already critical of him? Paul realized that human beings are whole. People are not computers who output programmed information, but sentient beings whose feelings play a vital part in every significant choice.
Emotions play such a large part in every life. If we truly wish to influence others, we must love them, and let the love show.

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” 2 Cor. 6:14–18. Paul wasn’t speaking here about casual friendships (cf. 1 Cor. 5:9–11). We’re not asked or encouraged to cut off all contact with non-Christians.
The image of “yoked together” draws an analogy from an Old Testament law which forbade the Israelites to hitch animals of different kinds to the same plow. Two oxen might work a field together. Or two donkeys. But not an ox and a donkey. Thus partnership in a cooperative endeavor is what Paul forbids. Don’t go into a business partnership with a non-Christian and expect that you’ll pull together. Don’t marry an unbeliever, and expect to walk through life in harmony, matching stride for stride.
There’s no guarantee that a professing Christian will make a perfect partner or spouse. But you will have Christ in common, and God will “live with them and walk among them.” A common commitment to Jesus is the foundation on which we can build harmonious relationships in our significant personal relationships (see DEVOTIONAL).

“You have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you” 2 Cor. 7:2–7. People we care deeply about can have a powerful effect on us. Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians had been rocky: they’d given him many an hour of anguish and worry. Yet at the same time that love makes us vulnerable to hurt, it opens up our lives to unexpected joys.
It’s this that buoys up the apostle. Despite the troubles that had marked the relationship, Paul had great pride in the Corinthians, and word of their continued affection for him stimulated great joy.
Caring may make us vulnerable. But it also expands our lives and gives us deep and abiding joys. Don’t hold back for fear of pain. Press on to deepen your relationships with other Christians in expectation of joy.

“Your sorrow led you to repentance” 2 Cor. 7:8–9. Scholars believe the letter mentioned here is not 1 Corinthians, but another, lost epistle. Paul must have spoken very bluntly: so bluntly he regretted rebuking his beloved friends. But the letter had its desired result, and the Corinthians responded.
Bluntness and rebuke are an important element in love. An acquaintance of ours brought up a son without ever rebuking him. Even worse, whenever the son was in trouble, the mother protected him from harmful consequences. Today the son is married with three children, is in constant trouble with drugs and alcohol, has permanently lost his driver’s license, and only holds a job because he works in his father’s factory. Misplaced love, unwilling to rebuke, contributed to his situation.
If you really love another person, you will rebuke him or her when you see wrong.

“Godly sorrow brings repentance” 2 Cor. 7:11–13. The world’s sorrow is an “I’m sorry I got caught” kind of sorrow. The individual is sorry for himself, and the consequences he now has to pay. Godly sorrow is grief about the original act, and repentance—a commitment to turn from wrongdoing.
We need to be careful when someone says with tears, “I’m sorry.” If they’re crying because they’re sorry for themselves, don’t expect a change. If they’re weeping because they feel grief over what they did, there’s hope.

“I had boasted to him about you” 2 Cor. 7:13–16. Tim brought his new girlfriend, Liz, along to meet Sue and me the other day. He’d told her, “Don’t worry. They won’t be critical.”
It would have been hard to be critical of this girl even if we’d tried. And of course we didn’t. Later Tim told us Liz had been worried, and felt so relieved afterward. Tim hadn’t been worried. He knew we’d welcome her.
It was so nice to hear that Tim had been confident in introducing us to his currently constant date. That’s just what Paul was telling the Corinthians. “Titus really appreciated you. I told him he would, and he did.” It makes others feel good when we can tell them honestly, “I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.”
Along with infrequent rebukes, true love offers frequent reassurance and praise.

DEVOTIONAL
Be a Father
(2 Cor. 6:14–7:1)
Most of God’s promises are claimed simply by faith. Here’s a promise, however, that’s contingent. “Touch no unclean thing” the Old Testament says (Isa. 52:11), and “I will be a Father to you” (2 Cor. 6:17).
At first this seems a strange promise. After all, God is our Father through faith in Christ. But He is able to be a Father to us only as we live holy lives.
My wife’s oldest, Matthew, lives in Michigan with his father. For five years he lived with us, and while he was here, I was able to be a father to him. I disciplined him, took him on fishing trips, got him to bed on time, and did all the other things that are part of parenting. But when he moved to Michigan, I could no longer be a father to him. The distance between us is just too great. That’s what Paul is telling us here. God, who is a Father to us, wants to be a Father to us. But it’s our responsibility to see there’s no distance between us.
Usually when you and I read Paul’s warning in 6:14–16 about being yoked together with unbelievers, we think of disasters that can result if we disobey. We think of the partner we can’t trust; of the spouse whose values and commitments are so different from ours. But Paul wants us to consider first the impact of being unequally yoked in our walk with God.
You see, we Christians are to be completely separated unto the Lord, with that separation as sharp as the dividing line between light and darkness, between Christ and Satan, and between the temple of God and a shrine where idols are worshiped. In short, we are to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.”
Why? Because sin’s contamination separates us from God. He is our Father even then, but when we isolate ourselves from Him by bad choices, He is not able to be a Father to us in the same, intimate way He would if we were in close fellowship with Him.
What a joy it is to have God be a Father to us. To walk hand in hand with Him. To be disciplined, yes. But then to be caught up in His arms and comforted as well. No wonder Paul urges us to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates out of reverence for God. There is no greater experience here on earth than to walk with the Lord, and have God be a Father to us.

Personal Application
Each step away from sin is a step closer to our Heavenly Father.

Quotable
“My Lord and my God, take from me all that separates me from Thee! My Lord and my God, give me everything that will bring me closer to Thee! My Lord and my God, protect me from myself, and grant that I may belong entirely to Thee!”—Nicholas of Flue

RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 4–5

“God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Cor. 5:19).

Counted sins stunt other’s growth.

Overview
Paul ministered the New Covenant in honesty (4:1–6), aware of his mortal weaknesses (vv. 7–15) yet confident of the unseen (vv. 16–18). Heaven is assured (5:1–10), as is the love of God which works transformation within the believer (vv. 11–15), assuring the success of the New Covenant ministry of reconciliation (vv. 16–21).

Understanding the Text
“We have renounced secret and shameful ways” 2 Cor. 4:1–6. Paul used no tricks in presenting the Gospel. He set “forth the truth plainly” (v. 2). Some will believe, others will reject. Paul trusted the outcome of his ministry to Christ.
Donald Barnhouse wrote a book called The Invisible War. In it he pictured spiritual armies of good and evil conducting their warfare on the battleground of history. This warfare is being conducted yet today, with Satan struggling to blind man’s eyes to the Gospel, as God cries out, through the proclamation of Jesus, “Let there be light!”
How foolish we are to rely on our skill to make a material difference in the invisible war. Yet God has in fact entrusted to us the most powerful weapon of all, the simple message of Jesus and His love.
We can rely on the simple story. As Paul wrote to the Romans, it is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

“We have this treasure in jars of clay” 2 Cor. 4:7–15. Paul wasn’t being critical of the mortal body. He was simply contrasting the weak and ordinary character of the messenger with the overwhelming power of the message. Paul found himself under pressure, perplexed, persecuted, knocked to the ground. Everything in his experience reminded him that the dynamic power that had marked his ministry had no source in him. He credited Jesus, who saves all who believe in Him, with the fact that despite his weaknesses he had not been crushed, nor drowned in despair, nor abandoned or destroyed.
Don’t let a sense of personal weakness keep you from serving God. The fact that you and I are weak is the backdrop against which the incomparable power of God is revealed.

“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” 2 Cor. 4:16–18. This verse is the key to understanding New Covenant ministry. We don’t rely on the evidence of our senses. We rely instead on the utter reality of what has been revealed to us by God.
Paul said, “Therefore we do not lose heart” (v. 16). Setback after setback can occur. People we minister to—our children, our friends—can fail again and again. But we remain confident that God’s Spirit does transform those who know Jesus, and will work in the lives of those we serve.
Paul said that there is only one thing certain about things we can see and touch and feel. They are temporary: they can and will change (v. 18). And there is one thing certain about the unseen world. God will not change! What He has said is fixed for all eternity.
How much better then to rely on what we cannot see than to rely on what we can see. Never mind discouraging setbacks. Never mind disappointments. These can and will change. Simply count on God, who can’t change. And who won’t.

“If the earthly tent we live in is destroyed” 2 Cor. 5:1. We know only too well that one of those things which changes is our body. We grow old. We develop wrinkles. Our eyesight dims, our stride shortens, our back bends. One day the body, our “earthly tent,” will be destroyed.
The seen is temporary, changeable. How wonderful to be able to look beyond our own decaying frames, and know that “we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven” (v. 1).
Some ridicule Christians for confidently looking for life beyond death. How ridiculous instead to pin all one’s hope on an earthly body that every passing year brings closer to the grave.

The “judgment seat” (bema) at Corinth was a large platform from which official announcements were made, and special honors given citizens were proclaimed. Paul’s teaching that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (v. 10) is no threat suggesting punishment. It is a promise implying reward!

“Clothed with our heavenly dwelling” 2 Cor. 5:4–9. Christians earnestly debate Paul’s meaning here. Was he speaking about the resurrection body? Or, as the text seems to suggest, was he teaching that an intermediate body is worn by those who die until the time of resurrection comes? No one is really sure. But we can be sure that after death “what is mortal” will be “swallowed up by life.”
How can we be sure? The Holy Spirit is a down payment God has made, His guarantee of what lies ahead. The Spirit is unseen, but real. His presence makes it possible for us to say “we are always confident” and that we “know” (v. 6).

“What is seen rather than what is in the heart” 2 Cor. 5:11–14. Anyone other than Paul might have been discouraged at the unresponsiveness and unspirituality displayed by the Corinthians. Many a pastor has despaired over people like them. And many a parent has felt grief and remorse over a rebellious child. But Paul placed no confidence in what is seen (4:18). He was not one of those folks who viewed statistics as the bottom line in ministry.
Yes, it’s nice to be able to report 39 folks joined the church, giving is up 18 percent, 7 young people went off to help construct a building in South America, and to bask in the envy of fellow pastors at the annual district meeting.
But Paul took no pride in statistics (in “what is seen”). What counted for Paul was what was in the heart. However discouraging things may be, if Christ is in the heart, believers will be compelled by love to grow. And growth will transform the stumbling, unspiritual men and women of today into tomorrow’s saints.

“Christ’s love compels us” 2 Cor. 5:14. One of the worst things desperate pastors and parents do is turn to inadequate motivators of spiritual growth. Some say “you must” and try to force growth. Some say “you should” in hope that guilt will move the reluctant. Some say “you can,” and try to create a willingness to try.
Paul said, “Jesus loves you.” And he counted on an awakening response of love for Jesus to move others to want to grow and change.
Keep on telling others, “Jesus loves you, and I love you too.” Love is the unseen reality that motivates spiritual growth and change.

“He died for all” 2 Cor. 5:15. How could Paul have such confidence in the Corinthians, whose unspirituality he admitted in his first letter? (1 Cor. 3:1) Despite the evidence of all those problems in the church?
Paul tells us that Christ died not just to forgive our sins, but to transform us. He died, “that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them.” It is unthinkable that God’s grand purpose in the sacrifice of His Son should fail. It is unthinkable that the Cross should have no impact on those who believe.
Our progress may be slow. But God is committed to bring all who believe to the place where they gladly live for him!

“We regard no one from a worldly point of view” 2 Cor. 5:16–17. Paul developed the thought of verse 15. Judged from a worldly point of view—by what we can see and observe—some might throw up their hands and give up on the Corinthians. Sometimes we feel that way about our fellow Christians too.
But Paul said that’s not the way to look at people. Why, if we looked at Christ from that point of view, even He would seem a failure: a preacher of love, who awakened so much hatred that He was unjustly slaughtered by His enemies.
But if we look at Jesus from God’s point of view, we see in the Cross the triumph and not the defeat of God. And if we look at our fellow believers from God’s point of view, we see Christ in the heart. And we know, whatever a believer may be now, he is one of God’s new creations, and one day he will become a living example of the triumph of God’s saving grace.

DEVOTIONAL
Reconciled
(2 Cor. 5:15–21)
Mom and Dad looked at each other in fresh despair. No matter what they did, Jimmy didn’t seem to respond. Try to develop responsibility with regular chores, and Jimmy “forgot.” Insist he pick up his room before playing, and somehow or other he slipped out of the house before either of them could ask if he’d finished.
Not just once. Not just twice. Dozens of times.
Mom’s and Dad’s frustration mirrors that of many who come after a time to expect their children—or their charges—to misbehave. Ready to give up, their attitude says loud and clear that they don’t really expect their children to change. And that makes change even more difficult.
Paul, on the other hand, exuded confidence in the Corinthians. Even though they challenged his authority. Even though they’d failed time and again. How can we have his confidence in others, and communicate that confidence as well?
Paul understood the nature of reconciliation. This biblical term means, essentially, “to bring into harmony with.” Paul was sure that God, who in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself, will work in the believer’s life until he is experientially reconciled, and lives that life of righteousness that reveals our harmonious relationship with the Lord.
Paul understood reconciliation. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (v. 19). Paul understood, and he modeled his ministry on God. Like God, Paul didn’t hold the Corinthians’ sins against them. He didn’t even count their sins! Instead Paul communicated total confidence. The purpose for which Christ died will be accomplished, and the lives of believers will be brought into harmony with the righteousness of God.
With this assurance, you and I are freed too. We’re freed not to count the sins of those who are young in our family or our faith. We’re freed not to hold their failures against them. And we’re free to communicate our confidence that, though they stumble, they will rise again.

Personal Application
Expect God to work in others, and they will believe that He can.

Quotable
“It is the Christian’s business to believe in others until they learn to believe in themselves.”—Gilbert R. Martin

TRANSFORMATION
2 Corinthians 2:5–3:18

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).

It’s not what we are, but what we are becoming, that communicates Christ.

Overview
Paul urged restoration of the penitent sinner (2:5–11). He spoke of his motives (vv. 12–17) and explained implications of the Spirit’s New Covenant ministry (3:1–18).

Understanding the Text
“Reaffirm your love for him” 2 Cor. 2:5–11. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul demanded that a brother living in open immorality be expelled. A majority (2 Cor. 2:6) did as Paul commanded, and the brother repented and broke off the illicit relationship.
While the Corinthians may not have known how to handle repentance, I suspect many felt the sinner deserved to be punished anyway. It seems too easy to let folks who have done wrong off the hook, just because they say, “I’m sorry,” and promise not to do it again. It goes against our human sense of justice. A person who does wrong ought to pay.
But the purpose of Christian discipline isn’t to punish! It’s to restore. We’re not out to make a person suffer for his sins. Christ has already suffered for those. What we’re out to do is to bring a sinner back to righteousness and to fellowship with the Lord. Repentance—turning away from the sin and back to God—is everything.
How we need to remember this in our families, with our spouses, with our children. We punish to restore, not to make a person pay. Afterward, as Paul said, “You ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow” (v. 7).
Love without discipline encourages a self-indulgent life. But discipline without love encourages bitterness and rebellion.

“We are not unaware of his schemes” 2 Cor. 2:11. Satan is much too clever to incite us to do open violence to others. We’d realize how wrong this is, and draw back from our hostile, angry feelings. So Satan encourages us to do destructive things that we can feel holy about.
That’s what was happening in Corinth. The penitent sinner was left hanging, even after he renounced his sin, and most of the Corinthians felt self-righteously that justice was being done!
Watch out for self-righteousness. “Well, they deserve it” is true. But it isn’t a Christian attitude. We all “deserve it.” Yet what God poured out on us so richly was forgiveness, not punishment.
Forgiveness is a gift that has the power to transform. No wonder Satan schemes and struggles to convince us that we should punish instead.

“The aroma of Christ” 2 Cor. 2:12–16. The Gospel message stimulates conflicting reactions. Some who hear respond like a child who smells his mother’s chocolate chip cookies baking. Some who hear react with wrinkled noses and expressions of disgust, as though a skunk had just passed by.
People’s reactions to the Gospel tell us nothing about Jesus. Their reactions tell us everything about them.

“We do not peddle the Word of God for profit” 2 Cor. 2:17. The reaction of the hearer to the Gospel reveals their character. The motive of the preacher reveals his. Even in the first century, traveling evangelists could draw crowds and make a good living off offerings!
We have no right to judge the motives of anyone in ministry. If you should give, and later discover the ministry was run by a peddler who was only interested in his own profit, don’t condemn yourself. God may even lead us to give to a religious huckster, for the Word of God is powerful even when preached with twisted motives. The peddler, who is paid in cash for his services, is the real loser. You still win, for you’ll be rewarded in heaven for yours.

“Written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” 2 Cor. 3:1–3. With this chapter Paul began his exposition of New Covenant ministry.
The “New Covenant” is that special way in which God relates to human beings now that Jesus has died and been raised again. The “Old Covenant” refers to Mosaic Law, which defined the way God related to human beings from the time of Moses till Christ came.
In the earlier age “ministry” involved teaching the commandments and lifestyle God ordained for the Jews. In the present age “ministry” involves sharing the Good News of Jesus, and opening hearts to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us that there is one unmistakable mark of New Covenant ministry. People are transformed, so that what was written in stone is written now on the heart. The world knows of righteousness, not because it is recorded on stone tablets, but because it is engraved on the hearts of Christian men and women around them, and seen in their lives.

“Competent as ministers of a New Covenant” 2 Cor. 3:4–6. What an idea for the church’s search committee. Next time you send out a questionnaire, don’t ask folks to say how well the candidate preaches, or how often he visits. Simply ask, Has he helped the members of your church be like Jesus Christ?

“Since we have such a hope, we are very bold” 2 Cor. 3:12–18. New Covenant ministry calls for transparency and honesty. It calls for taking off our masks, and being our real selves with others. It requires us to let others know us as we are. Warts and all.
That’s the message of this important passage. It’s not a message most are comfortable with. But it’s one Paul desperately wanted us to understand.
To help us, he looked back to Moses and the incident of the veil (v. 13). Whenever Moses met with God, his face shone with an awe-inspiring splendor. But the brightness faded in time. Since Moses wanted the people of Israel to see only the splendor, he began putting on a veil to hide his face. Maybe then the people would assume he was still bright with glory. With us, Paul said, it’s just the opposite. We’re not like Moses. We’re bold! We meet others with “unveiled” faces (v. 18).
The reason is a basic difference in our relationship with God. We don’t go to meet Him. He has come into our hearts! His Holy Spirit is present within us, and is in the process of transforming us “into His [Jesus’] likeness with ever-increasing glory.”
The glory seen on Moses’ face was marred by deterioration. The glory that shines out through our faces is magnified by ever-increasing transformation! Thus we take the veils off our faces, convinced that as others are allowed to see the work that God is doing in our lives, they will be convinced that Jesus is real.
I know. It goes against everything most of us have been taught. After all, people say we have to try to present our best face as a “testimony” to Jesus.
But people are wrong. If we pretend, if we try to act holy, all that others will see is our posturing. But if we are real with others—if we don’t hide our fears, our doubts, our weaknesses, our struggles—they will know that we are real. And because the Holy Spirit is in our lives, they will sense the reality of Jesus as our transformation continues to take place.
Let’s be bold.
Let’s believe the Good News of the New Covenant. Trust the Holy Spirit to do His transforming work in your life. And be honest with others, so they can see that Christ is really in you (see DEVOTIONAL).

Moses’ face shone with glory after each visit he had with God. But that glory faded after a time, and the veil Moses wore was intended to disguise that fact. Paul used this Old Testament incident to contrast Old and New Covenants. The glory of the Old, in which Moses went to God, faded as Moses left His presence. The glory of the New shines ever brighter, for God’s Spirit has come to us never to depart, and He is transforming us from within (vv. 7–18).

DEVOTIONAL
“Norm, Meet Jesus”
(2 Cor. 3:12–18)
Dwight buttonholed me as soon as we came out of church. “Larry, I want to talk to you,” he said. And for 10 minutes he proceeded to recount the sermon I’d just preached. Later my friend Norm grinned. “He didn’t want to talk to you,” Norm said. “He wanted to talk at you.” I smiled. If Norm had only known.
Eighteen months before two members of our church picked Dwight up off the street. He’d just been released from a local mental hospital, but still was unable to speak a sentence. They took him into their home, where he spent most of the time curled up in a dark closet. They brought him to church, but often Dwight would get up in the middle of the service and run out into the yard.
Then they started bringing Dwight over to my house each Wednesday evening. We’d play basketball, eat hot dogs, and talk together about Dwight’s progress and how the couple could best help him.
In time we learned Dwight’s story. He’d been a successful young businessman, with a wife and two kids, a nice home, two cars, a boat. But then he’d become obsessed with illicit sex. Gradually his world fell apart. He lost his job, his home, his family, his cars and boat. Finally he even lost the capacity to talk in sentences. He was below rock bottom when the couple from our church found him and took him into their home.
The morning Norm made his joking remark I thought back over the months since Dwight had come to us. As he experienced the love of his new friends, he’d gradually calmed. As he participated with us in church, he’d found the Saviour. And then, not suddenly but surely, he’d begun to heal. That very week Dwight had begun to work again—he’d started a lawn service. And that morning he’d been able to tell me, in great detail, exactly what my sermon was about, and what it meant to him.
I had the overwhelming realization as I looked that morning at Dwight, that the Person I saw was Jesus. It was Jesus, looking out through the unveiled face of Dwight, revealed clearly through the transformation His Holy Spirit had worked in Dwight’s life.
Each Sunday that I came to our little church and looked around, I saw Jesus everywhere. For each of us, like Dwight, had shared our lives with the others. We were an imperfect people. The warts and blemishes of our humanity were all too visible. But we were growing and changing too. In the ever-increasing glory of the transformations taking place, we recognized and knew our Lord.

Personal Application
Let the glory of Jesus be seen in you.

Quotable
“The Christian is a person who makes it easy for others to believe in God.”—Robert M. McCheyne