NOW is the Time-2 Cor 6:1-10

2 Corinthians, New Testament, Sermons

Urgency: “Now is the time…now is the day” (2 Cor 6:2). Do you “seize the day” when God speaks to your heart (Ps 139:23-24)? Is there any urgency TODAY/NOW about

  • Your Christian life?
  • The gravity of the grace of God (2 Cor 6:1)?
  • Your salvation (2 Cor 6:2)?
  • Any besetting sin? Any fear/anger/trust issues?
  • Reconciliation with God? The church? One person?

2 Cor 5:21 makes possible our reconciliation.

  • Christ is made a sinner.
  • Christ becomes a transgressor through an act of substitution.
  • God treated Jesus as a sinner and made him bear the penalty of sin.
  • God provided Jesus to stand in for sinful humanity by letting him die an accursed death.
  • The one who lived a sinless life died a sinner’s death, estranged from God and the object of wrath.
  • He was treated as a sinner in his death.
  • Christ becomes sin in order that others might become the righteousness of God.
  • Gramatically speaking there is
    1. a subject (God)
    2. an instrument (Christ) “him who had no sin to be sin”
    3. an object (us humans) “become the righteousness of God”
    4. a verb (“reconcile”)

Reconciliation practised (6:1-7:4). God’s reconciling activity and Paul as Christ’s ambassador and messenger of reconciliation, is followed by his ministry for their benefit (6:1-7:4). Their strained relationship is due to the ‘offender‘ and the intruders false accusations. To restore the relationship, Paul needs to vindicate himself and defend his ministy (6:3-10), and appeal to them to open their hearts to him and be fully reconciled to him (6:11-13; 7:2-4), which is interspersed with a call to holy living (6:14-7:1). Paul begins by urging them “not to receive God’s grace in vain” (2 Cor 6:1-2).Appeal for reconciliation (6:1-13).

Working with God. “God’s fellow workers” (2 Cor 6:1a) is 1 Gk word synergountes (‘working together with’). It could refer to his human coworkers (2 Cor 8:23; Rom 16:3, 9, 21; 1 Cor 3:9; Phil 2:25; 4:3; Col 4:11; 1 Th 3:2; Phlm 1, 24). But this follows 2 Cor 5:20 [and after the theologically profound 2 Cor 5:21], where Paul appeals to them to be reconciled to God as God’s ambassador (2 Cor 5:20). Thus, he surely has in mind working with God. With his divine commission, he asserts that what he does and teaches is God’s work–not his–which means that he is accomplishing God’s objectives–not his own. In context it concerns reconcilliation:

  • God sent Christ as his agent to make reconcilliation possible (2 Cor 5:18-19).
  • God uses ambassadors like Paul to continue that agenda (2 Cor 5:20a):
  • to call people to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20b),
  • to make known that God does not count their sins against them (2 Cor 5:19b)
  • and that God loves them (2 Cor 5:14) and yearns for them to repent (2 Cor 6:1).

Warning: “We urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain” (2 Cor 6:1b). God’s grace–which is God’s reconciling work in Christ–was proclaimed in the ‘message of reconciliation’ (2 Cor 5:19), what God wrought through Christ and Paul’s preaching of the gospel, including the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation. They had accepted this gospel and experienced the grace of God. Now he exhorts them to make sure their acceptance of it is not in vain (1 Cor 15:2).

Paul isn’t saying that their acceptance was superficial (like seed sown on rocky ground), but about how easily they accepted Paul’s critics and the offender who attacked Paul (2 Cor 2:5; 7:12). Paul is saddened that they so easily entertained criticisms of him and of the gospel he preached to them.

Paul sees himself to be like Isaiah (Isa 49:1-6). Like Paul (Gal 1:15) God called Isaiah in his mother’s womb to be his servant (Isa 49:1, 3, 5a) to reconcile Israel to be a light to the nations, so that God’s salvation can reach the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6). But when Isaiah delivered God’s message clearly (Isa 49:2), it was criticized and he expressed his bitter disappointment (Isa 49:4a), while also expressing confidence that his cause is with the Lord (Isa 49:4b, 5b). As Isaiah spoke for God, God used Paul as a mouthpiece to persuade, warn and comfort the Corinthians–despite opposition, criticism, rejection and disappointment.

Everyday is today. Urgency and gravity: “For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you’ ” (2 Cor 6:2; Isa 49:8). Isaiah refers to the time of Israel’s release from exile in Babylon. Paul’s application: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2b). If the time of the exiles’ return was a day of salvation, then the time when God acted in Christ to reconcile the world to himself is the day of salvation par excellence, and when you heard the gospel, that was the day of salvation for you. If ‘today’ is the time of God’s favor, it’s imperative that they respond to his grace ‘today.’ ‘We know that as long as the Gospel is preached to us, the door to the kingdom of God is open to us, and there is raised up before us a sign of God’s kindness to invite us to accept salvation, for when we are called to receive it, we may be sure that we have an opportunity of doing so’ [Calvin]. Salvation is not only “already [now]” for Paul/NT looks forward to the return of Christ [“not yet“] as the day salvation/consummation (Rom 13:11; 1 Th 5:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5).

Paul asserts that he has “put no stumbling–block in anyone’s path” (2 Cor 6:3a), though the gospel itself can be a stumbling block (1 Cor 1:23). This means that he doesn’t do anything that would discredit his witness and turn others away from the gospel. He implies that if they accepted God’s grace in vain, it’s not because of anything he has done. His conduct was not a stumbling-block that hinders them from receiving God’s grace.

The purpose of his upright behavior is “so that our [lit. ‘the’] ministry will not be discredited” (2 Cor 6:3b). Paul isn’t concerned about his own personal reputation but the reputation of the ministry and its effectiveness (Phil 1:15-18). The censure he dreds doesn’t come from people but from God (1 Cor 4:2-5). To be discredited by people is one thing; to be discredited before God is quite another. People inevitably find fault with pastors and preachers. Trying to avoid this by ministering “defensively,” skirting around anything that might evoke possible criticism, will still meet with criticism. So, a church directed by what others might think is ultimately worthless to God. Those accusing Paul use it as an excuse to reject his message. ‘The principle in 2 Cor 6:3 is timeless and universally relevant. Christian ministry is discredited when the Christian gives offense by un-Christian conduct’ [Harris].

“Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way” (2 Cor 6:4a). This isn’t personal commendation, something which Paul eschews (2 Cor 3:1; 5:12), but the commendation of a ministry. 6:4b-10 explains what is meant by “in every way.”

“In great endurance” (2 Cor 6:4b) appears to be the general heading for 9 factors Paul adduces to commend his ministry, comprising 3 sets of 3.

  1. 1st set [general]: “in troubles, hardships and distresses” (2 Cor 6:4c).
  2. 2nd set [particular examples]: “beatings, imprisonments and riots” (2 Cor 6:5a).
  3. 3rd set [hardships voluntarily undertaken]: “hard work, sleepless nights and hunger” (2 Cor 6:5b). Ch. 11 and Paul’s ministry in Acts (Acts 13:50; 14:19; 17:5; 18:12; 19:29) provide the best commentary on this.

3 factors need explanation.

  • Riots means ‘civil disorders’ (Acts 13:50; 14:19; 16:19; 19:29),
  • Sleepless nights (2 Cor 11:27) from the pressures of travel, ministry and his concern for the churches, and
  • Hunger refer either to fasting or lack of food.

Is it strange that Paul appeals to hardships to commend his ministry? But it’s that Jesus, the true Servant of God, was the Suffering Servant, and that loyal followers of Christ must be prepared to share his fate: ‘The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master’ (Mt 10:24; Acts 20:19).

Moral integrity and the weapons employed in ministry: “in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God” (2 Cor 6:6-7a). They’re self- explanatory. These virtues are not self-generated but are the work of the Spirit, or they refer to the gifts of the Spirit (Gal 3:5; 5:22-23).

“With weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left” (2 Cor 6:7b). 4 ways weapons of righteousness may be understood: as (i) righteous weapons, (ii) weapons that fight for righteousness, (iii) weapons consisting of righteousness, (iv) weapons supplied by righteousness–regards righteousness as a metonym for God, like believers putting on the armor supplied by God (Eph 6:11-13).

Ministry “with weapons [hoplon] … in the right hand and in the left” (2 Cor 6:7c) is a ministry: (i) ready for an attack from anywhere, (ii) weapons of offence (a sword for the right hand) and defence (a shield for the left), (iii) carried out both in prosperity (the right hand) and adversity (the left hand). Similar military metaphor: ‘the weapons [hopla] we fight with’ which are not worldly, but ‘have divine power to demolish strongholds‘ (2 Cor 10:3-4). These strongholds are ‘arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God’ (2 Cor 10:5a), and the purpose of their destruction is to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Cor 5:10b). It’s the offensive weapon of gospel presentation/argumentation (Acts 19:8-10) that releases the power of God to demolish false arguments and bring people to the obedience of faith.

‘The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour [hopla; lit. ‘weapons‘] of light‘ (Rom 13:12). It’s a call/an exhortation for godly living, cf. revelling and drunkenness. The ‘armour of light’ stands for Christian character and behaviour. Paul says, ‘Put on the full armour [panoplian] of God’ (Eph 6:13) [with items of a Roman soldier’s equipment forming the description of the Christian’s ‘armour’ (Eph 6:10-20)]. Panoplian is the equipment of a heavily armed soldier. The items of armour are mostly defensive [breastplate, shield, helmet (1 Th 5:8)], with 1 offensive weapon, ‘the sword of the Spirit‘–‘the word of God‘ (Eph. 6:17). So, weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left are weapons of both offence and defence.

9 antitheses (6:8-10) of Paul’s ministry ‘from a human point of view‘, and the view of one ‘in Christ‘

  • “through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report” (2 Cor 6:8a). Those judging from a human point of view (outsiders/his critics) hold him in dishonor and give him a bad report, but those who no longer view things from a human point of view recognize the glory of the ministry entrusted to him and give it a good report.
  • “Genuine, yet regarded as impostors” (2 Cor 6:8b). They criticized Paul for not carrying letters of recommendation (2 Cor 3:1-3) regard him as an ‘impostor’, but those with godly discernment recognize him as a ‘genuine’ apostle.
  • “Known, yet regarded as unknown” (2 Cor 6:9a). By the world and his critics, Paul was unknown, not ‘recognized,’ but to those who no longer judge by worldly standards, he was known and his apostleship was recognized.
  • “Dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed” (2 Cor 6:9b). By worldly standards, Paul’s career was miserable–continually exposed to the danger of death, attacked by angry mobs and beaten by civil authorities, but God delivered him again and again (2 Cor 1:8-10), so that contrary to all expectation, he was not killed, but lives.
  • “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor 6:10a). In all his troubles Paul appeared a sorrowful sight from a human point of view, but by the grace of God he was always rejoicing (Acts 16:19-26).
  • “Poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Cor 6:10b). It was common in Paul’s day (among Cynic and Stoic philosophers) to speak of having nothing materially, but possessing everything in a higher sense. Paul having is the result in part of refusing support from them (2 Cor 11:7-9), or to ‘peddle’ the gospel for financial gain (2 Cor 2:17). But Paul regarded himself as truly rich for already experiencing a firstfruits of the spiritual blessings of the age to come. And he rejoiced that, though materially poor, he makes many rich by enabling them to share in spiritual blessings through Christ.

Commendation as a minister of God (6:1-10)

  1. The concern of a true servant of God (2 Cor 6:3, 4a).
  2. The circumstances faced by a true servant of God (2 Cor 6:4b, 5).
  3. The character of a true servant of God (2 Cor 6:6).
  4. The resources of the true servant of God (2 Cor 6:7).
  5. The reaction of others to the true servant of God (2 Cor 6:8, 9a).
  6. The paradoxical life of the true servant of God (2 Cor 6:9b, 10).
  7. Appeal for reconciliation (2 Cor 6:11-13). Paul’s desire for their responsive love.

Reference:

  1. Charles Hodge. 1 & 2 Corinthians. A Geneva Series Commentary. The Banner of Truth Trust. 1857, 1859.
  2. Colin Kruse. 2 Corinthians. Tyndale NT Commentaries. 1987, 2005.
  3. Geoffrey Grogan. 2 Corinthians. The Glories & Responsibilities of Christian Service. 2007.
  4. David Garland. 2 Corinthians. The New American Commentary. 1999.
  5. Paul Barnett. The Message of 2 Corinthians. 1988.
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