Second Corinthians 5 - 7
Monday, May 4 2 Corinthians 5:11-15
“Christ’s loveurges us on”
For Paul the reason for doing somethingwas as important as what was done. Christ also stressed this principle in the Sermon on the Mount where hecriticized those who did good things – like fasting, praying, or giving – forthe wrong reasons (Matthew 6:1-18). Paulwas reared in a religious world that glorified the deed and ignored themotive. But in his relationship withJesus Christ he came to realize that fear or guilt or a sense of duty or adesire to impress God or others were woefully inadequate as reasons for sharingthe gospel.
In verses 14 and 15 he reveals the secretthat drove him to spend his life the way he did: “Christ’s love urges uson.” Paul’s primary focus was onChrist’s love for us, not our love for him. The belief that on the cross Christ acted on behalf of the whole humanrace became the foundation of Paul’s thinking and action. The fact that every person he met was theobject of God’s eternal love defined the nature of his ministry. This is why Paul’s evangelism never exploitedor manipulated people. He had come tolove them the way Christ did.
May our ministry with others, Lord, bemotivated by your love for them. Amen.
Tuesday, May 5 2 Corinthians 5:16 – 6:2
“A new creation”
Paul gospel was that when any personbecame a Christian then God made him or her a part of the new creation communitywithin humanity that began when Jesus died and was raised from the dead. Whatever that person’s life was before (“theold”) is now behind them, and they have begun a new kind of life. Therefore,from a biblical perspective, to use the word Christian about a person is to refer to someone who is committed tothe person of Christ, the body of Christ, and the work of Christ.
Paul was not discussing a newness that wasmerely cosmetic, like a new hairstyle or a new set of clothes. Rather, he was talking about an inner changethat only God could make through the Holy Spirit who comes to lives in us whenwe are born again (John 3:3). It was anewness that ties together our past, our present, and our future. It was a newness that, while not seenimmediately, would eventually reflect itself in every area of life. Christ’s coming into our lives creates a newunity, a new direction, new goals, and a new commitment.
Youare continually changing me, Lord, into the new person I have become. Amen.
Wednesday, May 6 2 Corinthians 6:3-13
“Our hearts are open to you”
Once again, Paul seeks to answer hiscritics and defend his ministry from accusations of being an unethical, self-appointedpeddler of the gospel. He argues thatthe trials he has endured give witness to the genuineness of his ministry. He paints a word picture of the price he paidto share the gospel. Some parts of theprice were general in nature – such as troubles, hardships, andcalamities. Other parts were inflictedby other people – beatings, angry mobs, and imprisonments. Some of the costs were self-imposed – workingto exhaustion, enduring sleepless nights, and going without food.
Paul seems to be saying here, “If I’m theself-seeking person that people have said I am, how do you explain what I havegone through on your behalf?” The pricea person is willing to pay is a very powerful argument for his or hersincerity. Paul concludes this sectionby reaffirming his love for them, his willingness to be open and honest withthem, and asking them to be the same with him.
There is a cost to Christian ministry, Lord, but it is worth it. Amen.
Thursday, May 7 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers”
The command of6:14 is restated in different words in 7:1, both of which are supported by theintervening argument from Scripture, which has its own demand in 6:17. The main point of the passage is Paul’s callto the Corinthians not to “be yoked together with unbeliever,” which is thespecific application of the more general exhortation to “purify ourselves fromeverything that contaminates body and spirit” (7:1). This, in turn, is Paul’s application of theOld Testament injunction to “touch no unclean thing” (6:17).
The “yoke” was awooden bar orframe by which two draft animals (such as oxen) were joined at the heads ornecks for working together. Paul uses“yoked together” as a metaphor referring to any kind of joint participationthat significantly impacts one’s own identity. Thus, believers who identify themselves with Christ are not to be insuch close relationship with an unbeliever that the unbeliever’s lack of faithhinders the believer’s commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Show me myimpurity, Lord, so I can confess and turn from it. Amen.
Friday, May 8 2 Corinthians 7:2-10
“Godly sorrowleads to repentance”
Paul’s reflection on the situation inCorinth highlights the power of the gospel. Paul does not minimize the fact that the rebuke of the “tearful letter”he had written after his difficult and contentious visit to Corinth caused theCorinthians personal, emotional pain. But v. 8 makes clear that he is not offering an apology for theletter. Nor is Paul speaking as acounselor who is primarily concerned with the feelings of the Corinthians andwilling to share openly his own emotions by way of example.
Central to applying this passage in ourown lives is understanding Paul’s definition in v. 10 of “godly sorrow.” Paul uses the term to identify the heartfeltgrief over our rebellion against God that leads to a decisive turnaround in ourorientation and behavior (i.e., repentance). It is a grief that leads us to view our lives, and in particular oursin, the way God does and to change accordingly. Godly sorrow refers not to God using ourheartaches, but to the heartache that comes from recognizing our sin.
May the pain of being aware of my sin,Lord, cause me to change my ways. Amen.
Saturday, May 9 2 Corinthians 7:11-16
“By all this we are encouraged”
Paul careddeeply about the Corinthians’ relationship with him not merely because he hadgrown fond of them, but because he was their spiritual father in thegospel. So, just as their rebellion hadcaused him great pain, their repentance brought him great joy, since hisprimary goal as an apostle of the new covenant is not to bring God’s judgmentfor sin but the joy of experiencing God’s gracious forgiveness. As an apostle, Paul’s happiness was bound upin the salvation of those whom God had sent him. By their repentance, the Corinthians hadshown themselves to be part of this number.
Paul’s concernwas not with the fate of the one who had wronged him or with his own status asthe offended one, but with the salvation of the Corinthians. The issue at stake was not popularity but thegospel. In the end, Paul’s confidencethat God was at work among the Corinthians through experiencing “godly sorrow”for their sin is confirmed. They havepassed the test. As a result, he isencouraged.
WhenI have done someone wrong, Lord, help me to make it right. Amen.