05 December

Bible In 365 Days

2 Corinthians 5-9

2 Corinthians 5

The vision of the house of God, and the coming at last to the Lord, throws its light on, and explains the value of, the groaning and the burden of the tabernacle, of the period of absence from the Master. "Absent from the body," "at home with the Lord." This reveals the consciousness. No strangeness, no sense of having to keep up an appearance, "at home with the Lord." The passing of all that is strained, and the coming of the perfect ease of naturalness. Surely Paul was right. The affliction is light when placed in the balance against the weight of the glory.

The twofold impulse of the ministry is revealed, "the fear of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:11 ) , "the love of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:14). This fear of the Lord is the constant and passionate anxiety rightly to respond to the love of Christ which constraineth.

All this means that the ministry is the work of reconciliation, and its burden is summarized in the majestic and magnificent declaration, "God was in Christ, reconciling the word unto Himself." On the basis of this great declaration the apostle makes his first appeal, beseeching the Corinthians to be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 6

The injunction, "We intreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain," harmonizes in method with many others used by Paul. Let your conduct harmonize with your position in grace. With what powerful argument does he make his appeal! As "ambassadors on behalf of Christ," as though God were "intreating by us," "working together with Him we intreat." These arguments are made powerful by the method of all the Apostle's ministry, which he goes on to describe.

These descriptions may be divided into groups: first, actual bodily toil endured in "patience . . . afflictions . . . distresses . . . stripes . . . imprisonments . . . tumults . . . labours . . . watchings . . . fastings"; and all these in much patience. He then passes to facts which are mental: "pureness . . . knowledge . . . longsuffering . . . kindness." And, finally, to those which are spiritual: "The Holy Spirit . . . love unfeigned . . . the word of truth .. . the power of God . . . the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left."

The Apostle broke out in his second appeal for consecration. The best possible analysis of this is dividing it into appeals and arguments. The appeals are: "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers," "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate . . . and touch no unclean thing," "Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." The arguments are, first, a series of questions, and then the recitation of great promises: "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." "I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to Me sons and daughters."

2 Corinthians 7

The section culminates in an appeal full of local coloring and suggestion. In a great cry he gave expression to the hunger of his heart when he wrote, "Make room for us". He then declared that he had wronged no man, that he had corrupted no man, that he had taken advantage of no man.

Almost afraid lest such a statement should embitter them by creating a sense of shame, as though he would rebuke, he immediately declared that this was not his purpose, and proceeded to emphasize his love for them, going through his personal experiences to demonstrate it. He told them of his sorrow in Macedonia. He told them of the new joy and gladness that flooded his heart when Titus came and told him that they had received and been obedient to his letter, that it had caused them such sorrow as to produce in them repentance. He told them yet again of the great added joy that had come to him because they had refreshed the soul of Titus, for the Apostle had boasted to Titus of them, and they had proved worthy of his boasting.

His final word was one of magnificent hopefulness, thrilling with great joy. "I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you." Perhaps there is hardly a chapter in Paul's writings in which the heart of the man is more perfectly revealed, and the charm of it is found in the natural humanness which is manifested, and yet which all the while is under the constraint of that love of Christ which makes the fear of the Lord the supreme motive in all life and service.

2 Corinthians 8

The Apostle now turned to the subject of the collection for the saints at Jerusalem, concerning which he had written in his previous letter (1 Corinthians 16:1-24). He cites the example of the churches in Macedonia. They gave themselves

(1) to the Lord,

(2) to the Apostles and fellow saints. This action of the Macedonian Christians is in harmony with the Spirit of the Christ. While careful to tell them that he is not speaking by way of commandment, he yet gives them his judgment, and it is that as it was they who were to begin in this matter, so it was they who should certainly complete the act.

He then lays down the true principle on which gifts are acceptable to God. It is readiness, so that the value of a gift is never reckoned intrinsically, but by a man's possessions. The Apostle is careful to avoid any chance of misinterpretation in financial matters. "We take thought for things honourable, not only in the sight of men." It is urgent that nothing should be done which is open to misunderstanding by men of the world. Against this the Apostle carefully guarded by seeing to it that such things were attended to by duly accredited persons, himself sedulously avoiding the handling of money.

2 Corinthians 9

In concluding this subject of the collection for the saints the Apostle declares that he desires that their giving should be glad and spontaneous. He excludes two methods of giving, "grudgingly," that is, very literally, sorrowfully. It is the giving of those who have not first given themselves, and consequently are conscious of the loss of that which is given. "Or of necessity," that is, giving as simply an act of duty, and not from an impulse of delight. On the contrary, he says, "God loveth a cheerful giver."

He then recites the advantages of giving. The first of these is that giving will fill the wants of the saints. That in itself is good, but the outcome is even better. Through such ministry gifts will cause glory to God.

And yet again, they will bring the intercession of those they have helped, a harvest of precious value. The final word concerning this whole subject is an expression of thanks to God for His unspeakable gift, for the Apostle knows that the remembrance of it will do more than all his argument to stimulate the generosity of those who have received the inestimable blessing.