II Corinthians 4: 1-6
Therefore since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,
Since God has given His mercy, we do not get discouraged in our work for the Lord.
but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame,
Anything in my life that I would be ashamed for others to know about, I've gotten rid of.
not walking in craftiness or adulterating the Word of God,
Not trying to trick anyone or debase or add anything to dilute the Word of God.
but by the manifestation of Truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
By bringing out the pure Truth, we appeal to everyone's conscience, being accountable to God.
And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
If someone doesn't comprehend what we are teaching, it's because they are on their way away from Salvation.
in whose case the god of this World (that's Satan, the devil) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving (who have refused to believe) so that they might not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Our enemy will do all he can to keep people from coming to God, so if anyone chooses to not seek God, then he will prevent their understanding from being able to perceive what Jesus has accomplished for them. They just won't get it.
For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.
We don't promote ourselves, we're just slaves to serve you, because Jesus is the Master.
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," (Genesis 1:3) is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
God has shined His Light into our hearts so we could know and recognize the Truth, the enlightenment of the glory of God that shines in Christ's face (Revelation 1:16).
The Creator of the Universe is the God of Light, pure, unadulterated Light, with no shadows at all. He has put a portion of His Light into our Sun (the Hebrew word means "a light-holder") to sustain the life He placed on the Earth, and we can't even look at that without going blind. These bodies are so frail.
But He has shone just enough of His Light into our hearts to see His Truth.
O my Father, You are so precise, to shine Your unapproachable Light into our minds and hearts to teach us, but protecting us from the searing and burning power of Your brightness.
Father, Your care for us is astounding. You are our gentle, tender, compassionate Abba Daddy, who takes Your children into Your arms.
And You are the mighty Avenger who will take vengeance on our enemies, pouring out Your wrath upon them that they have earned.
Your Light is Your Love and Life and Order, the perfection of being that only You possess. And You have chosen to give Your Light and Love and Life to the weak and frail people You have drawn to Yourself, causing us to become members of Your own Family, Your children and the Bride for Your Son.
So You are teaching and training us to be Your princes and princesses who will assist You in ruling Your Kingdom as Your kings and queens, sitting on Christ's Throne of power, as He sits on the Father's Throne.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Our Glory In Christ
II Corinthians 3: 7-18
But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,
When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments on the two tables of stone, his face glowed from being in the presence of the Lord God.
This alarmed the people, and they made him put a veil over his face so that their eyes would not be temporarily blinded by the glare. (Read about it in Exodus 34:29-35.)
how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?
If the Law was glorious, how much more glorious is Grace!
For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
If what brings death and condemnation is glorious, how much more glorious is life and righteousness.
For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it.
So what seemed glorious before is nothing compared with the overpowering glory of Grace and Salvation and Eternal Life!
For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
So if what was temporary was glorious, how much more glorious is what lasts forever!
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
Since we have this wonderful Good News to share, we just come right out and say it, we tell it straight out boldly and confidently.
and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face
Moses had to hide the glow to not offend or injure the people.
so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
So the people couldn't look directly at him, like looking into the Sun, even though it faded through time.
But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the Old Covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
Even today, in our time, not many Israelis or Jews come to the realization that Jesus is their Messiah. The veil is still over their minds.
But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
Even when they read and listen to the Old Testament, they don't recognize that Jesus fulfilled all those writings, they don't make the connection. The veil remains over their hearts.
but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The few Jews who do turn to the Lord today find that their understanding has been opened supernaturally to see how Jesus has saved them, and will return to be their King. It's glorious!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
With the Spirit having taken up residence in our spirits, we now are free to do what is right, and we are no longer under the old compulsions to fall into our addictions; but we now have the power and authority to say "No!" to sin, and turn away from the temptation, toward doing what is good and pure and beneficial. This is His supernatural presence inside us!
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
We still don't see Him directly, but as a reflection of who He is, as in a mirror, distorted with imperfections in the glass.
are being transformed into the same image
As we gaze into His Word, we see Him, and fixing our gaze on His character will build into our minds and attitudes His thoughts, changing our actions into righteous acts, and building His character into ours. God is making us into the very image of His Son. Each one of us, with all of our differences, are all becoming one in Him, as His body and He is the Head.
from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
From His glory into glory in us. As our Lord, in His Spirit in us, gives us and grows us.
God is glorious beyond anything we can conceive now in our puny brains. But He is growing us up as His children, and when He pronounces us Adult Children in His household, He will change our carnal, mortal bodies into glorious, spiritual bodies, capable of much more than we know now. This is God's end-game for us.
We have discussed what God gave Paul to tell us about these new bodies in I Corinthians 15, in my recent blogs of September 10, 2019 and September 12, 2019.
This declaration of our Adulthood in God's family, receiving the authority to help Him run His "Family Business," is a ceremony we have no word for in English, so we use "adoption." This is the Roman custom of declaring either a natural-born child or an adopted child to be mature and responsible and given responsibilities and benefits in that particular Roman family and in Roman society.
I discussed Adoption in my blog of May 22, 2019.
Knowing that all this future for us is certain, we also, like Paul, should have boldness in our witnessing to others of what God has done for us. Sharing with other people how much God loves them, too. And fearlessly facing the opposition our enemy brings against us. Always remembering to do it all in the Love God has for us, in compassion and gentleness and patience toward them.
To destroy an enemy, make him your friend! Let's love all the multitudes into the Kingdom of God, filling His House, and every seat at His great Banquet Table!
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and King over all, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,
When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments on the two tables of stone, his face glowed from being in the presence of the Lord God.
This alarmed the people, and they made him put a veil over his face so that their eyes would not be temporarily blinded by the glare. (Read about it in Exodus 34:29-35.)
how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?
If the Law was glorious, how much more glorious is Grace!
For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
If what brings death and condemnation is glorious, how much more glorious is life and righteousness.
For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it.
So what seemed glorious before is nothing compared with the overpowering glory of Grace and Salvation and Eternal Life!
For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
So if what was temporary was glorious, how much more glorious is what lasts forever!
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
Since we have this wonderful Good News to share, we just come right out and say it, we tell it straight out boldly and confidently.
and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face
Moses had to hide the glow to not offend or injure the people.
so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
So the people couldn't look directly at him, like looking into the Sun, even though it faded through time.
But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the Old Covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
Even today, in our time, not many Israelis or Jews come to the realization that Jesus is their Messiah. The veil is still over their minds.
But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
Even when they read and listen to the Old Testament, they don't recognize that Jesus fulfilled all those writings, they don't make the connection. The veil remains over their hearts.
but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The few Jews who do turn to the Lord today find that their understanding has been opened supernaturally to see how Jesus has saved them, and will return to be their King. It's glorious!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
With the Spirit having taken up residence in our spirits, we now are free to do what is right, and we are no longer under the old compulsions to fall into our addictions; but we now have the power and authority to say "No!" to sin, and turn away from the temptation, toward doing what is good and pure and beneficial. This is His supernatural presence inside us!
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
We still don't see Him directly, but as a reflection of who He is, as in a mirror, distorted with imperfections in the glass.
are being transformed into the same image
As we gaze into His Word, we see Him, and fixing our gaze on His character will build into our minds and attitudes His thoughts, changing our actions into righteous acts, and building His character into ours. God is making us into the very image of His Son. Each one of us, with all of our differences, are all becoming one in Him, as His body and He is the Head.
from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
From His glory into glory in us. As our Lord, in His Spirit in us, gives us and grows us.
God is glorious beyond anything we can conceive now in our puny brains. But He is growing us up as His children, and when He pronounces us Adult Children in His household, He will change our carnal, mortal bodies into glorious, spiritual bodies, capable of much more than we know now. This is God's end-game for us.
We have discussed what God gave Paul to tell us about these new bodies in I Corinthians 15, in my recent blogs of September 10, 2019 and September 12, 2019.
This declaration of our Adulthood in God's family, receiving the authority to help Him run His "Family Business," is a ceremony we have no word for in English, so we use "adoption." This is the Roman custom of declaring either a natural-born child or an adopted child to be mature and responsible and given responsibilities and benefits in that particular Roman family and in Roman society.
I discussed Adoption in my blog of May 22, 2019.
Knowing that all this future for us is certain, we also, like Paul, should have boldness in our witnessing to others of what God has done for us. Sharing with other people how much God loves them, too. And fearlessly facing the opposition our enemy brings against us. Always remembering to do it all in the Love God has for us, in compassion and gentleness and patience toward them.
To destroy an enemy, make him your friend! Let's love all the multitudes into the Kingdom of God, filling His House, and every seat at His great Banquet Table!
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and King over all, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, September 23, 2019
The Letter Or The Spirit?
II Corinthians 3: 1-6
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?
Is Paul boasting to say that he preaches the Word of God sincerely, not corrupting it or dealing deceitfully with it? (2:17, the previous verse.)
Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
Aquila and Priscilla had heard Apollos preaching in Ephesus and mentored him in the Faith, and when he went to Achaia the brethren wrote him a commendation so that he would be accepted there, and he had a powerful ministry there (Acts 19:24-28).
Paul is asking if he also needs this documentation.
You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
He's saying that his validation as a true teacher of God's Word is these believers who live in Corinth, who are living lives so different from how they used to live, that it's obvious they've been changed.
being manifested that you are a letter of Christ,
Everyone can see that it is the power of Jesus Christ in them that has done this.
cared for by us,
And Paul and company took care of them as a mother cares for her infant.
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
This letter of commendation is not written outwardly on paper or parchment, or carved into stone as the Ten Commandments were, but engraved inwardly on our hearts.
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
This is why we have confidence in you, in what Christ has done in you, that God has made known through you.
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves,
We don't teach anything that is only our human idea, or our own reasoning.
but our adequacy is from God,
God has given us His ideas, and enabled us to teach His Word accurately. To be divinely commissioned is to be divinely equipped.
who also made us adequate as servants of a New Covenant,
This equipping extends to establishing a New Covenant, that supersedes the Old Covenant given to Moses.
not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives Life.
The Old Covenant embodied in the Law was written in characters in stone and papyrus or parchment. This New Covenant is written in the characters of the people who are changed by being born again of God's Spirit.
The Law brought death to whoever couldn't live up to it, which is all of us. The Spirit of God gives Life, eternal life, to all who believe. This is the New Covenant, written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
Now we make every judgment according to love: if it is the best for the person regardless of the cost. All the Law is based on Love: Jesus said so, see Matthew 22:36-40; Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and Prophets.
Now God has fulfilled the Jeremiah prophesy, and has written His Law on our hearts, now to determine each action and thought according to if it is loving, rather than if it is according to some written code.
So this goes way beyond the bounds of the letter of the Law. And applies to every situation possible, without limit.
O my Father, You are so wise, and so generous, and so Loving! You want us to be like Yourself, so You have saved us, given us Your Spirit to live in our spirits, and now He is guiding us into every path of righteousness.
Now You are showing us the way of Love in every circumstance, whether it is responsive, proactive, or even interventional.
Father, open our eyes to see Your ways; open our ears to hear Your quiet voice behind us, telling us, "This is the way, walk in it." Lead and guide us straight, not turning to the left or to the right, not running ahead or lagging behind, not wandering off or pulling away. Keep the thorny bushes lining the path to keep us straight, and the occasional bough of fruit to give us joy.
Send us out, Father, into Your fields that are ripe and ready to harvest. Lead us to every lost lamb, to bring them into the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of all and King over the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?
Is Paul boasting to say that he preaches the Word of God sincerely, not corrupting it or dealing deceitfully with it? (2:17, the previous verse.)
Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
Aquila and Priscilla had heard Apollos preaching in Ephesus and mentored him in the Faith, and when he went to Achaia the brethren wrote him a commendation so that he would be accepted there, and he had a powerful ministry there (Acts 19:24-28).
Paul is asking if he also needs this documentation.
You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
He's saying that his validation as a true teacher of God's Word is these believers who live in Corinth, who are living lives so different from how they used to live, that it's obvious they've been changed.
being manifested that you are a letter of Christ,
Everyone can see that it is the power of Jesus Christ in them that has done this.
cared for by us,
And Paul and company took care of them as a mother cares for her infant.
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
This letter of commendation is not written outwardly on paper or parchment, or carved into stone as the Ten Commandments were, but engraved inwardly on our hearts.
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
This is why we have confidence in you, in what Christ has done in you, that God has made known through you.
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves,
We don't teach anything that is only our human idea, or our own reasoning.
but our adequacy is from God,
God has given us His ideas, and enabled us to teach His Word accurately. To be divinely commissioned is to be divinely equipped.
who also made us adequate as servants of a New Covenant,
This equipping extends to establishing a New Covenant, that supersedes the Old Covenant given to Moses.
not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives Life.
The Old Covenant embodied in the Law was written in characters in stone and papyrus or parchment. This New Covenant is written in the characters of the people who are changed by being born again of God's Spirit.
The Law brought death to whoever couldn't live up to it, which is all of us. The Spirit of God gives Life, eternal life, to all who believe. This is the New Covenant, written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
Now we make every judgment according to love: if it is the best for the person regardless of the cost. All the Law is based on Love: Jesus said so, see Matthew 22:36-40; Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and Prophets.
Now God has fulfilled the Jeremiah prophesy, and has written His Law on our hearts, now to determine each action and thought according to if it is loving, rather than if it is according to some written code.
So this goes way beyond the bounds of the letter of the Law. And applies to every situation possible, without limit.
O my Father, You are so wise, and so generous, and so Loving! You want us to be like Yourself, so You have saved us, given us Your Spirit to live in our spirits, and now He is guiding us into every path of righteousness.
Now You are showing us the way of Love in every circumstance, whether it is responsive, proactive, or even interventional.
Father, open our eyes to see Your ways; open our ears to hear Your quiet voice behind us, telling us, "This is the way, walk in it." Lead and guide us straight, not turning to the left or to the right, not running ahead or lagging behind, not wandering off or pulling away. Keep the thorny bushes lining the path to keep us straight, and the occasional bough of fruit to give us joy.
Send us out, Father, into Your fields that are ripe and ready to harvest. Lead us to every lost lamb, to bring them into the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of all and King over the Universe, to the glory of Almighty God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Speak Sincerely From God
II Corinthians 2: 12-17
Now when I came to Troas for the Gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord,
Troas was on the way to Macedonia. It's where Luke joined Paul, and where they got a ship to sail a good part of the way.
I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother;
He had expected for Titus to also be there in Troas, but he wasn't.
but taking leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.
But he did take Timothy and Luke with him.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
I love this, that we produce the sweet aroma of Christ.
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
This is the stench of death to those who will never come to Christ, but is the sweet savor of Life from the Savior to those who know Him! Amazing that the same fragrance would be perceived so differently by different people.
I spoke about this in my blog of September 15, 2018, and again on January 9, 2019.
For we are not like many, peddling [corrupting, dealing deceitfully with] the Word of God, but from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
Paul genuinely loved the people he encountered, that's why he traveled so far and so often; he wanted them all to know the joy of the Lord in knowing His grace and mercy. And he wanted them to grow up in the Lord, so he wrote letters to them, which we know now as the Epistles.
And he knew he would be accountable to God for everything he taught, whether by his words, his manner, his life, or his letters. He was very careful to only teach what he had learned from Jesus Christ Himself.
So we also need to be careful to study the Scriptures to learn what God is saying to us (exegesis), not to look for validation of what we want to find there (eisegesis).
God always says what He means, and He means what He says. We need to understand His words as He means them.
O my Father, help me to always and only proclaim what Your Word is actually telling us, to understand Your heart in what You mean. And to teach others rightly, loving them and wanting them also to get to know You better, to experience Your tender embrace; and to be strong and faithful in living their lives according to Your righteousness in full view of the World around us.
Father, You have Loved us more than we can imagine! Help us to love one another as You have Loved us, so that we will then support each other, and help each other, and lift up each other to You. That we will submit to one another in the humility of putting their interests before our own, regardless of the cost.
And to hear from the Master, "Well done, good and faithful servant"!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and King, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Now when I came to Troas for the Gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord,
Troas was on the way to Macedonia. It's where Luke joined Paul, and where they got a ship to sail a good part of the way.
I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother;
He had expected for Titus to also be there in Troas, but he wasn't.
but taking leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.
But he did take Timothy and Luke with him.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
I love this, that we produce the sweet aroma of Christ.
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
This is the stench of death to those who will never come to Christ, but is the sweet savor of Life from the Savior to those who know Him! Amazing that the same fragrance would be perceived so differently by different people.
I spoke about this in my blog of September 15, 2018, and again on January 9, 2019.
For we are not like many, peddling [corrupting, dealing deceitfully with] the Word of God, but from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
Paul genuinely loved the people he encountered, that's why he traveled so far and so often; he wanted them all to know the joy of the Lord in knowing His grace and mercy. And he wanted them to grow up in the Lord, so he wrote letters to them, which we know now as the Epistles.
And he knew he would be accountable to God for everything he taught, whether by his words, his manner, his life, or his letters. He was very careful to only teach what he had learned from Jesus Christ Himself.
So we also need to be careful to study the Scriptures to learn what God is saying to us (exegesis), not to look for validation of what we want to find there (eisegesis).
God always says what He means, and He means what He says. We need to understand His words as He means them.
O my Father, help me to always and only proclaim what Your Word is actually telling us, to understand Your heart in what You mean. And to teach others rightly, loving them and wanting them also to get to know You better, to experience Your tender embrace; and to be strong and faithful in living their lives according to Your righteousness in full view of the World around us.
Father, You have Loved us more than we can imagine! Help us to love one another as You have Loved us, so that we will then support each other, and help each other, and lift up each other to You. That we will submit to one another in the humility of putting their interests before our own, regardless of the cost.
And to hear from the Master, "Well done, good and faithful servant"!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and King, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Tough Love
II Corinthians 2: 1-11
But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again.
For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?
This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all.
Paul is still talking about why he didn't come by Corinth on his way to Macedonia, but went directly there, and came to Corinth on his way back. He didn't want to have a confrontational meeting with them, and upset everyone's sensibilities. So he wrote them another letter, instead, and gave them time to resolve this glaring problem themselves.
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears;
This is the "sorrowful letter" that has been lost to antiquity, that he wrote to them so that they would take care of the situation with the overtly incestuous man (see I Corinthians 5:1-6).
not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.
He didn't write this one to upset them, but to show them how important this issue is, and how broken-hearted he is to see it going on, to their detriment.
But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree--in order not to say too much--to all of you.
Only part of the grief was on Paul, so that he would not go too far in that "sorrowful letter" in accusing them of tolerating this egregious sin in their midst, and what to do about it to resolve it.
And they did resolve it, they kicked him out of their group, depriving him of the fellowship and whatever other benefits, to encourage him to forsake this relationship and return to the Lord.
Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority,
And it worked! This man repented and wanted to come back to church.
so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him,
So they should welcome him back into the congregation.
otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
We certainly don't want to destroy this man unnecessarily, especially since he did forsake his sin and return to the Lord.
Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
Stop blaming him and forgive him and see him with Christ's eyes; and realize that you still do love him, and let him know.
For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.
Paul also wrote to see if they were mature enough to obey a hard commandment. And they passed the test. So they were growing in the Lord.
But one who you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ.
Because Christ forgives when we come to godly repentance, Paul also forgives, and will not harbor any hard feelings toward someone who turns from his sins back to godly living.
so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
When we refuse to forgive, we are opening the door to bitterness, which puts us right into Satan's territory. Since we know this, we don't have to fall into the devil's lap.
This is a very thorny situation Paul is trying to steer these Corinthian believers through. He loves these brothers and sisters, and he wants them to do right, even when it's hard to do.
But it's when it's hard to do, and we do it anyway, is when we can grow the most. Because then we see how beneficial it is for us to do things God's way. Satan wants to convince us that God is hard and vengeful, but we know Him as gentle and gracious and generous with us.
Whenever we think that the person doesn't deserve forgiveness because they've hurt us, we're right. None of us deserves forgiveness, because we've deliberately rebelled against what we know is right. We deserve God's wrath.
But God has put the punishment we deserve on Jesus on the Cross, who didn't deserve it. That's His mercy toward us. And we should have mercy on others, the ones who have injured us, as God has for us.
Then God can be gracious and give us all the good that we don't deserve. So we can be gracious and forgive those, and grant them our good will that they don't deserve, either.
Paul told them to take that man back into their fellowship, and to show him the love they felt for him, because they really did love him. They hadn't wanted to call him on his immorality because of their familial feelings toward him, so it was a hard thing for them to kick him out.
But they did, and he repented and cleaned up his life. That's what it took.
This has been called "tough love," because it's so hard to do. But sometimes this is what it takes to shake someone out of their denial and face the reality of what they're doing to themselves and those they love. It's what's behind interventions, and has been very successful in rescuing people from destroying themselves.
When we love people with just our human love, it can take distorted shapes, to allow all kinds of destructive activities. But God's Love is pure and deep and genuine, and looks for the long-term good of the one loved. When we love others with His Love for us, then we will not be deceived into doing what won't be the best, by considering what it would cost us.
But God didn't let what it would cost Him keep Him from rescuing us. He sent His very Best, His only-begotten Son to pay the ultimate price for each of us.
How it must have broken the Father's heart to have to turn His back on His Son, with whom He had never been separated! And it took such a steep emotional toll on Jesus that He sweated drops of Blood in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of His arrest! I just really have a problem wrapping my mind around these stupendous ... what this means ... every word I come up with just falls so woefully short!
O my Father, Your Love for us, for me, is so much more than I could ever comprehend with my puny brain! You have already done so much more for me, that it will take me all of eternity future to fully understand; and even then, I will still be coming to more and more and deeper and deeper and broader and wider and more comprehensive knowledge of You and Your ways, Father!
I don't think I will ever come to the end of You, my Almighty God and Father. All of eternity, forever and ever, will only bring more joy, more rejoicing, more fun and merriment and feasting; more purpose and accomplishment and adventure!
You. Are. God! You alone are our Source and End. Only You are what we need, for You have made us for Your enjoyment and pleasure, and our purpose is in You alone!
O Father, send us out to cast abroad Your good seed of the Gospel, to every corner and every cave and every hiding place where Your lost sheep have wandered. Let Your seed find every fertile plot of ground in every prepared heart, to draw all Your precious lambs into the safety and comfort of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
Let all the World know how much You have Loved us! Until every living soul has come to enough understanding to accept or reject Your gracious gift of Salvation. So that no one will have any excuse.
And every eye shall see, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is our Lord God Almighty, our sovereign King of the Universe, to the credit and glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again.
For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?
This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all.
Paul is still talking about why he didn't come by Corinth on his way to Macedonia, but went directly there, and came to Corinth on his way back. He didn't want to have a confrontational meeting with them, and upset everyone's sensibilities. So he wrote them another letter, instead, and gave them time to resolve this glaring problem themselves.
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears;
This is the "sorrowful letter" that has been lost to antiquity, that he wrote to them so that they would take care of the situation with the overtly incestuous man (see I Corinthians 5:1-6).
not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.
He didn't write this one to upset them, but to show them how important this issue is, and how broken-hearted he is to see it going on, to their detriment.
But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree--in order not to say too much--to all of you.
Only part of the grief was on Paul, so that he would not go too far in that "sorrowful letter" in accusing them of tolerating this egregious sin in their midst, and what to do about it to resolve it.
And they did resolve it, they kicked him out of their group, depriving him of the fellowship and whatever other benefits, to encourage him to forsake this relationship and return to the Lord.
Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority,
And it worked! This man repented and wanted to come back to church.
so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him,
So they should welcome him back into the congregation.
otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
We certainly don't want to destroy this man unnecessarily, especially since he did forsake his sin and return to the Lord.
Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
Stop blaming him and forgive him and see him with Christ's eyes; and realize that you still do love him, and let him know.
For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.
Paul also wrote to see if they were mature enough to obey a hard commandment. And they passed the test. So they were growing in the Lord.
But one who you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ.
Because Christ forgives when we come to godly repentance, Paul also forgives, and will not harbor any hard feelings toward someone who turns from his sins back to godly living.
so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
When we refuse to forgive, we are opening the door to bitterness, which puts us right into Satan's territory. Since we know this, we don't have to fall into the devil's lap.
This is a very thorny situation Paul is trying to steer these Corinthian believers through. He loves these brothers and sisters, and he wants them to do right, even when it's hard to do.
But it's when it's hard to do, and we do it anyway, is when we can grow the most. Because then we see how beneficial it is for us to do things God's way. Satan wants to convince us that God is hard and vengeful, but we know Him as gentle and gracious and generous with us.
Whenever we think that the person doesn't deserve forgiveness because they've hurt us, we're right. None of us deserves forgiveness, because we've deliberately rebelled against what we know is right. We deserve God's wrath.
But God has put the punishment we deserve on Jesus on the Cross, who didn't deserve it. That's His mercy toward us. And we should have mercy on others, the ones who have injured us, as God has for us.
Then God can be gracious and give us all the good that we don't deserve. So we can be gracious and forgive those, and grant them our good will that they don't deserve, either.
Paul told them to take that man back into their fellowship, and to show him the love they felt for him, because they really did love him. They hadn't wanted to call him on his immorality because of their familial feelings toward him, so it was a hard thing for them to kick him out.
But they did, and he repented and cleaned up his life. That's what it took.
This has been called "tough love," because it's so hard to do. But sometimes this is what it takes to shake someone out of their denial and face the reality of what they're doing to themselves and those they love. It's what's behind interventions, and has been very successful in rescuing people from destroying themselves.
When we love people with just our human love, it can take distorted shapes, to allow all kinds of destructive activities. But God's Love is pure and deep and genuine, and looks for the long-term good of the one loved. When we love others with His Love for us, then we will not be deceived into doing what won't be the best, by considering what it would cost us.
But God didn't let what it would cost Him keep Him from rescuing us. He sent His very Best, His only-begotten Son to pay the ultimate price for each of us.
How it must have broken the Father's heart to have to turn His back on His Son, with whom He had never been separated! And it took such a steep emotional toll on Jesus that He sweated drops of Blood in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of His arrest! I just really have a problem wrapping my mind around these stupendous ... what this means ... every word I come up with just falls so woefully short!
O my Father, Your Love for us, for me, is so much more than I could ever comprehend with my puny brain! You have already done so much more for me, that it will take me all of eternity future to fully understand; and even then, I will still be coming to more and more and deeper and deeper and broader and wider and more comprehensive knowledge of You and Your ways, Father!
I don't think I will ever come to the end of You, my Almighty God and Father. All of eternity, forever and ever, will only bring more joy, more rejoicing, more fun and merriment and feasting; more purpose and accomplishment and adventure!
You. Are. God! You alone are our Source and End. Only You are what we need, for You have made us for Your enjoyment and pleasure, and our purpose is in You alone!
O Father, send us out to cast abroad Your good seed of the Gospel, to every corner and every cave and every hiding place where Your lost sheep have wandered. Let Your seed find every fertile plot of ground in every prepared heart, to draw all Your precious lambs into the safety and comfort of Your One Fold with One Shepherd.
Let all the World know how much You have Loved us! Until every living soul has come to enough understanding to accept or reject Your gracious gift of Salvation. So that no one will have any excuse.
And every eye shall see, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is our Lord God Almighty, our sovereign King of the Universe, to the credit and glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, September 20, 2019
Give Them Some Space
II Corinthians 1: 15-24
In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing;
that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea.
This was Paul's original plan. He loved these people, and wanted to see them as much as he could.
Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?
He didn't want them to think he was wavering, or hesitating, to come to them, as if he was indecisive, not making up his mind as to what he would do.
But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no.
If Paul was only planning what he would to do according to what he humanly wanted to do, he could have changed his mind after making a decision and having second thoughts. But he was depending on the Lord's leading, and the Lord already knows what His plans are, and always follows through.
For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and Silvanus and Timothy--was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.
When Paul and company were teaching Christ to the people in Corinth, they were firm and grounded in the Truth of God; so they were confident in everything they preached, not wavering in anything, as it would have been if it was only human.
For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.
Whatever God says, it will stand. So however He leads, we can be confident.
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,
Paul says that God anointed him to preach, and has established the believers in their faith, along with the teachers, in Christ.
who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
God has sealed us, giving His Spirit to us to live in our hearts now as the down payment for the Redemption Jesus won for us on the Cross. Because we have His Spirit, nothing can break that seal, because nothing is stronger that God. No matter what happens, we will some day live with Him in Heaven.
But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth.
Paul only went to Corinth once, after he went to Macedonia, because he didn't want to have a confrontational meeting with them. He waited for them to have time to work out the issues that were so problematic on their own.
Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.
He was confident that they were believing the Truth, and he didn't want to be didactically commanding them as though he was someone who forced his authority over them. Paul considered himself just another worker along with all the believers, without being on any special pedestal over them, and wanted to rejoice with them in the Lord.
O my Father, please help us all! Let us learn from Paul to be gentle and gracious with weaker brothers and sisters who may be new believers, or have not been soundly grounded in the Truth. May we be mindful of how You see each of us through Your Loving eyes, as already grown up in Your family.
Father, we sometimes have a difficult time working with others who don't see situations as we do, and have different ideas on how to deal with the problems that come up.
Like Paul, show us how to give space to others who need some time to work out their own issues. Show us how much guidance they need from us, but keep us from overshadowing them in our eagerness to fix things.
Teach us how to work together, Father, in promoting Your Kingdom, spreading the seed of the Gospel of Peace. Grant us peace with one another.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing;
that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea.
This was Paul's original plan. He loved these people, and wanted to see them as much as he could.
Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?
He didn't want them to think he was wavering, or hesitating, to come to them, as if he was indecisive, not making up his mind as to what he would do.
But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no.
If Paul was only planning what he would to do according to what he humanly wanted to do, he could have changed his mind after making a decision and having second thoughts. But he was depending on the Lord's leading, and the Lord already knows what His plans are, and always follows through.
For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and Silvanus and Timothy--was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.
When Paul and company were teaching Christ to the people in Corinth, they were firm and grounded in the Truth of God; so they were confident in everything they preached, not wavering in anything, as it would have been if it was only human.
For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.
Whatever God says, it will stand. So however He leads, we can be confident.
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,
Paul says that God anointed him to preach, and has established the believers in their faith, along with the teachers, in Christ.
who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
God has sealed us, giving His Spirit to us to live in our hearts now as the down payment for the Redemption Jesus won for us on the Cross. Because we have His Spirit, nothing can break that seal, because nothing is stronger that God. No matter what happens, we will some day live with Him in Heaven.
But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth.
Paul only went to Corinth once, after he went to Macedonia, because he didn't want to have a confrontational meeting with them. He waited for them to have time to work out the issues that were so problematic on their own.
Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.
He was confident that they were believing the Truth, and he didn't want to be didactically commanding them as though he was someone who forced his authority over them. Paul considered himself just another worker along with all the believers, without being on any special pedestal over them, and wanted to rejoice with them in the Lord.
O my Father, please help us all! Let us learn from Paul to be gentle and gracious with weaker brothers and sisters who may be new believers, or have not been soundly grounded in the Truth. May we be mindful of how You see each of us through Your Loving eyes, as already grown up in Your family.
Father, we sometimes have a difficult time working with others who don't see situations as we do, and have different ideas on how to deal with the problems that come up.
Like Paul, show us how to give space to others who need some time to work out their own issues. Show us how much guidance they need from us, but keep us from overshadowing them in our eagerness to fix things.
Teach us how to work together, Father, in promoting Your Kingdom, spreading the seed of the Gospel of Peace. Grant us peace with one another.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Transparency
II Corinthians 1: 12-14
For our proud confidence is this:
Not the sin of pride, but the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction over what is honorable.
the testimony of our conscience,
His conscience is clear.
that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the World, and especially among you.
Paul is saying that he has presented himself honestly and transparently to the Corinthians, both in the church and in secular situations.
For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand,
And what he writes is to be understood as just what it says, in the regular, ordinary sense of the words, not any "reading between the lines" needed at all.
and I hope you will understand until the end;
He wants them to continue to take his words honestly, and not be persuaded to think he has any hidden meanings.
just as you also partially did understand us,
They had begun to understand what he was telling them, and he is continuing to fill them in on the rest of God's plan for them to live their lives in a godly way.
that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the Day of our Lord Jesus.
He wanted to be considered a builder-up of the Corinthian church, that they could look to him with admiration for how he had treated them, just as he was proud of their growth and godliness in their growing up in the Lord, and that Paul and the Corinthian Christians would be lifting up each other to the Lord when He comes to set up His Kingdom here.
O my Father, help me to live my life as transparently as Paul lived his. Teach me how to display Your character as I live in my "glass house" in full view of the World.
Let me be a source of honest pride for those around me, and that they also would have my admiration in their spiritual growth, as we encourage one another; as Paul and the Corinthian church had this reciprocal relationship.
Not that I would be the teacher, as Paul was, but that I would be an encourager, and that I would receive encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Help us all, Father, to share with the World around us how much You Love them. Show us what we need to discern in speaking Your words to them, to draw them toward You, not necessarily push them away from ourselves.
Send us out to scatter the seed of Your Word throughout this whole World, Father, so that every living person of every nation and people group and language would understand Your Gospel well enough to make an educated decision whether to accept or reject Your gracious gift of Redemption. It's up to us, Father, send us all out.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ and Lord God, our sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For our proud confidence is this:
Not the sin of pride, but the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction over what is honorable.
the testimony of our conscience,
His conscience is clear.
that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the World, and especially among you.
Paul is saying that he has presented himself honestly and transparently to the Corinthians, both in the church and in secular situations.
For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand,
And what he writes is to be understood as just what it says, in the regular, ordinary sense of the words, not any "reading between the lines" needed at all.
and I hope you will understand until the end;
He wants them to continue to take his words honestly, and not be persuaded to think he has any hidden meanings.
just as you also partially did understand us,
They had begun to understand what he was telling them, and he is continuing to fill them in on the rest of God's plan for them to live their lives in a godly way.
that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the Day of our Lord Jesus.
He wanted to be considered a builder-up of the Corinthian church, that they could look to him with admiration for how he had treated them, just as he was proud of their growth and godliness in their growing up in the Lord, and that Paul and the Corinthian Christians would be lifting up each other to the Lord when He comes to set up His Kingdom here.
O my Father, help me to live my life as transparently as Paul lived his. Teach me how to display Your character as I live in my "glass house" in full view of the World.
Let me be a source of honest pride for those around me, and that they also would have my admiration in their spiritual growth, as we encourage one another; as Paul and the Corinthian church had this reciprocal relationship.
Not that I would be the teacher, as Paul was, but that I would be an encourager, and that I would receive encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Help us all, Father, to share with the World around us how much You Love them. Show us what we need to discern in speaking Your words to them, to draw them toward You, not necessarily push them away from ourselves.
Send us out to scatter the seed of Your Word throughout this whole World, Father, so that every living person of every nation and people group and language would understand Your Gospel well enough to make an educated decision whether to accept or reject Your gracious gift of Redemption. It's up to us, Father, send us all out.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ and Lord God, our sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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