The Power to Change

8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. – Romans 8:8-11 ESV

Paul has made it clear that we are to live according to the Spirit of God who lives within us, not according to our old, sinful nature. But as he so honestly confessed in Chapter 7, there will be times when we find ourselves giving in to that old nature, doing the very things we do not want to do.

If we attempt to live holy lives apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit, our minds, while well-intentioned, will give in to our fallen flesh. That is why Paul opens up verse nine with the statement: “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.” In other words, those who place their faith in Christ have died along with Him on the cross. And because they died with Him, their spiritual natures have been set free from the control of their earthly bodies.

Christ “condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4 ESV). To walk according to the Spirit simply means to live in submission to His will and in dependence upon His power. When Paul says, “you, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,” he is not suggesting that our sin nature is gone and all fleshly desires are done away with. He is saying that God has provided us with a new way of living in keeping with His will; it is the law of the Spirit of life that has set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

Paul reminds his readers that, because they have placed their faith in Christ, they have the Spirit of God living within them. NOT to have the Spirit is to be unsaved and unjustified before God.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. – Romans 8:9 ESV

God gives the Holy Spirit to every believer at their conversion. Paul told the believers in Ephesus, “When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NLT). It is the indwelling presence of the Spirit that provides proof of our justification before God. He places His Spirit within us, signifying our new status as His children and providing us with a new capacity for holiness that is no longer flesh-dependent, but Spirit-empowered.

While we still live in earthly bodies that are destined for death, the Spirit provides us with life because we are now righteous in God’s eyes. We are no longer under condemnation because of our sin, but have been forgiven and justified before God. Not only that, but we have received the guarantee of eternal life; never-ending fellowship with God, as well as abundant life here and now. Jesus said, “The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT).

Satan, our enemy, wants to rob us of life. He wants us to live according to our old sin-enslaved nature, which is driven by the passions of our earthly bodies. But Jesus died so that we might have true life, and the Spirit provides us with the power to enjoy that life, right here, right now. Zane Hodges nailed it when he wrote, “. . . whenever you see a Christian living the Christian life, you are witnessing a resurrection miracle!” (“The Death/Life Option,” Grace Evangelical Society News).

Because we have been made right with God through the death of Christ and have received the Spirit of God as proof of that newly restored relationship, we can conduct our lives in obedience to God’s will. Paul put it this way in an earlier chapter: “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (Romans 6:3 NLT).

We have the Spirit-empowered capacity to live differently. We can actually live holy lives, not based on our feeble human effort, but because we have the Spirit of God within us. And as Paul reminds us, the Spirit who lives in us is the very same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. 

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. – Romans 8:11 NLT

Paul wanted his readers to focus on the reality that a day was coming when they would be given new, resurrected bodies. When Christ returns, all believers will experience ultimate freedom sin, sickness, and pain. Death will no longer be a looming reality hanging over our heads like a sword. The apostle John provides us with the much-needed reminder that, despite the troubles and difficulties of this life, our future glorification awaits us.

Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. – 1 John 3:2 NLT

And while we wait for that day to come, we can still walk in newness of life. We can enjoy an abundant, rich, and satisfying life on this earth, even while saddled with these earthly bodies and our old, sinful natures. Why? Because we have resurrection-inducing power available to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He is not dormant or biding His time until the Lord returns. He is alive and active in every believer, providing guidance, encouragement, and a death-to-life kind of power that makes our transformation into the likeness of Christ possible.

Father, it’s amazing to think that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus back to life is resident within me. The truth is, I seldom think about the Spirit. In fact, I treat Him like a redheaded stepchild, seldom giving Him the time of day or the honor and respect He deserves. Holy Spirit, You live in me and yet I act as if You are not even there. I tend to ignore You and even when I sense Your promptings and hear Your convicting voice in my ear, I choose to plead ignorance and give in to the desires of my flesh. But You remain steadfast in Your commitment to my transformation. You do not give up and You never vacate the premises. You are a permanent resident in my life and for that I am grateful. You have proven Your power, time and time again. You have made lasting changes in my life. You have taught me so much about the Father, and opened my eyes to the truth found in the Scriptures. And I know You are far from done. One day You will give me the glorified body I need to spend eternity with You, the Father, and the Son. But as I wait for that day. please continue to pour out Your resurrection power in my life so I might shine as a light in the darkness of this world. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Prescription for What Ails Us

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. – Romans 8:1-7 ESV

Back in Chapter 3, Paul shared the sobering news that “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20 ESV). No one can be made right with God through adherence to the law. Why? Because the law is only equipped to reveal God's holy requirements, it has no power to help us keep them. Knowledge of His righteous demands does not produce righteousness; obedience does. So, the law delineates God’s expectations, but our sinful natures cause us to break those very requirements.

In Chapter 7, Paul shared his personal experience with attempting to keep the law.

I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. – Romans 7:7-8 ESV

It is impossible for anyone to be justified in God's eyes by adherence to His law because He demands perfect obedience. James clarified God’s expectation of perfection when he wrote, “the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws” (James 2:10 NLT). And while it may appear to be unjust for God to place such an impossible and unachievable standard on His people, Paul reveals that God always had a solution in mind.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. – Romans 3:21-22 NLT

From Chapter 3 through Chapter 7, Paul defends justification by faith. His goal is to eliminate the burden of condemnation that law-keeping produces. Trying to live up to God’s laws through sheer willpower will never produce righteousness; it can only condemn us for having fallen short of the mark. As Paul stated in Chapter 3, “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT). The law was designed to reveal man’s sinfulness and his need for a Savior.

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:20 NLT

In Chapter 8, Paul starts off by saying, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV). God has provided a way for men to be restored to a right relationship with Him that does not require law-keeping. Those who place their faith in Christ are justified by His righteousness, not their own. They are made right with God because of what Jesus has done on their behalf. He died on their behalf as a payment for the sin debt they owed. He gave His sinless life in their place so that they might receive eternal life rather than the condemnation of death they deserved. By placing their faith in what Jesus has done for them, they cease placing their faith in what they can do for themselves. Faith replaces works. 

At the point of salvation, a new law is at work in their lives. Paul describes it as “the law of the Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2 ESV). When we hear the word “law,” we tend to think in terms of restrictions and binding requirements that keep us from doing what we want to do. But the Greek word Paul uses is nómos, which carries a much broader, less oppressive meaning. According to Strong's Concordance, it is derived from the Greek word “νέμω némō (to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals); law (through the idea of prescriptive usage).”

In other words, it is more prescriptive than restrictive. The Mosaic law had benefits; it provided God’s directions for life and His prescribed way of living in unbroken fellowship with Him. In the 23rd Psalm, David describes this prescriptive nature of God's law.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
   He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake. – Psalm 23:1-3 ESV

Through the law, God guided, directed, and protected His people. But the law’s power was weakened by man's flesh or sin nature. Man was unable to keep God’s law willingly and obediently.

So when Paul speaks of “the law of the Spirit of life,” he is telling us that God has provided us with a new way to live in fellowship with Him.

…the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. – Romans 8:2-4 NLT

The key is found in verse 5. We must “live according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:5 ESV).  As believers, we are to live our lives in obedience to and dependence upon the Spirit of God, not the flesh. The Spirit is the nómos or prescribed way God has provided for us so that we might live in fellowship with and obedience to Him. God placed His Spirit within us because our spirit (flesh) is weak and incapable of keeping His law.

Paul vividly contrasts the choice that lies before God’s children every day.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. – Romans 8:5-8 NLT

Our sinful nature is alive and active, but we are no longer enslaved to it. We have been set free from its control by the indwelling Spirit of God, who provides us with direction for living a God-honoring life and the power to accomplish it. But we must choose to live under His control instead of our own. We must submit to His leadership, and desire what He desires and long for those things that He has determined as best for us.

But in his letter to the Galatian believers, Paul reminds us of the constant battle going on within us.

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other… – Galatians 5:17 NLT

If we try to please God through our flesh, we will fail. But if we live our lives in dependence upon the Spirit of God, His prescribed means for living a godly life, we will experience life, peace, joy, contentment, and the ongoing transformation of our lives into the likeness of Christ.

Father, thank You for providing Your Son to serve as the sinless sacrifice for me. And thank You for providing Your Spirit to take up residence in me, so that I might have the power to live in keeping with Your will. You knew my flesh was weak, so You provided a workaround. You sent Your Son to pay my sin debt and Your Spirit to fill the power vacuum in my life. As Peter put it, You have “given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT). My sin no longer condemns me because I stand as righteous in Your eyes, covered by the righteousness of Christ and filled with Your Holy Spirit. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Hope For the Lawless

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. – Romans 7:21-25 ESV

Up to this point in his letter, Paul has mentioned six different laws at work in the lives of those to whom he was writing. There was the law of Moses, which God had given to the people of Israel, and which could only expose and condemn sin. There was also the law as a principle, apart from the law of Moses, which equips all men with an awareness of right and wrong. Paul also included the law of faith, which operates apart from any acts of self-righteousness. There is the law of the mind, which agrees with the law of Moses, but is incapable of obeying it because of the law of sin. The law of sin, yet another law, is always victorious over the law of the mind. Then, finally, there is the law of the Spirit, which provides the believer with victory over the law of sin that resides in his body and allows him to live obediently to the law of Moses.

In verse 21, Paul says that when he wants to do what is right, the temptation to do evil is always there in his mind. He calls this a law. He is most likely referring to the law of the mind, which is aware of God's holy expectations, but always susceptible to the desires of the flesh or the law of sin. He says, “I delight in the law of God (the Mosaic law) in my inner being (in his mind)”, but he sadly confesses, “I see in my members (his body) another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Romans 7:23 ESV).

The dilemma Paul presents is one that all believers face every day. We know in our minds what God expects of us, and we want to do what is right, but the law of sin exists in our bodies. We have our sinful natures that remain alive and active in our earthly bodies. And as Paul says in Galatians, our sinful natures do battle daily with the Spirit who lives within us. It is a battle for control.

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. – Galatians 5:17 NLT

It is interesting to note that the Greek word Paul repeatedly uses for “law” is nomos, and, according to Strong's Concordance, it is derived from another Greek word, némō, which means “to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals.” Nomos came to mean, “anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command.”

So the law of the Spirit requires usage. God has given the Spirit to us to be utilized, like a shepherd providing food to grazing animals. Unless they eat what is provided, they miss out on the intended benefits. Paul paints a picture of what daily life is like for the believer. We have active sin natures that stand opposed to the Spirit's role in our lives. The law of our minds tells us what we need to do, but in our own strength, we lack the moral fortitude to obey. In that sad condition, we are forced to echo Paul’s cry, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24 ESV).

The law of the mind is no match for the law of sin. The mind's desire to do what is right cannot repel the body's desire to sin; any victories we enjoy will be short-lived. That is why self-righteousness does not work. It's also why we need the law of the Spirit. He is the key to our deliverance from this body of death, and He was provided to us through Jesus Christ. But we must make use of His presence and power. The principle or law of the indwelling Spirit of God is only effective when we submit to His authority in our lives. Which is why Paul reminds us to allow the Spirit to control our lives.,

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. – Galatians 5:16-18 NLT

There are many laws at work, but only the law of the Spirit can equip us to live Christ-like lives in the midst of a sinful world and despite our indwelling sin natures. We must learn to live in obedience to His promptings, submitting our will to His and relying on His power rather than our own.

In the very next chapter, Paul tells us we are to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4 ESV). We are not to conduct our lives according to the law of Moses, attempting to earn favor with God by keeping His holy commands. We are not to live according to the law of the mind, determining to do what we know to be right in our own strength, but constantly failing. We are also not to live according to the law of sin, simply giving in to our fleshly desires.

We are to live according to the law of faith, apart from any acts of self-righteousness, and we are to live according to the law of the Spirit, relying on His presence and power within us to produce His fruit through us.

Father, whether we want to admit it or not, we tend to like rules. Because we are made in Your image, we are wired to do Your will, and even non-believers have an innate desire to live according to a prescribed code of conduct. But our sinful natures cause us to reject the very rules we codify to regulate our behavior. Our flesh and our minds are in a constant state of war, vying for control of our lives. Like Paul, we end up crying out in despair, “when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong” (Romans 7:21 NLT). When we sin, it brings a momentary sense of pleasure, but then our minds convict us and the guilt sets in. It is a never-ending battle but one that has a source of victory through faith in Your Son. You have placed Your Spirit within the life of every believer, equipping them with the power they need to live in obedience to Your will. But we must submit to the Spirit’s guidance and allow Him to provide the power we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). Thank You for graciously providing the Spirit to serve as my helper and advocate. But please continue to patiently, lovinngly teach me to lean of the Spirit at all times. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Battle Within

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. – Romans 7:13-20 ESV

In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul had to address some pressing issues within their local fellowship. Like a loving father confronting his wayward children, Paul took them to task for their spiritual immaturity, which had led to some less-than-godly behavior.

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.  I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT

This passage is essential to understanding what appears to be Paul’s personal confession in Romans 7. There are those who would claim that Paul is speaking of his pre-conversion experience, but it seems that Paul is describing the condition all believers face every day. Even though we are set free from captivity to sin and death by Christ's death on the cross, we still have our indwelling sin natures to deal with.

When Paul writes, “I am of the flesh,” he is saying that he still has his sarkikos or carnal nature. At salvation, we are not removed from these earthly bodies, and these earthly bodies are driven by earthly appetites. The Greek word Paul uses is sarkikos, and it refers to anyone who is “governed by mere human nature not by the Spirit of God” (Outline of Biblical Usage). To be governed by the flesh is to allow oneself to be controlled by one's earthly appetites. It is the same Greek word that Paul used in his letter to the Corinthians. He wrote, “You are still sarkikos.” In other words, they were saved, but were conducting their lives as if they weren't. Then he gave them examples of what being sarkikos looked like.

You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? – 1 Corinthians 3:3 NLT

Each believer maintains the capacity to live under the control of their sin nature or flesh. Yes, they have the Spirit of God living within them, but they must choose to live under His control or the control of their sinful nature (flesh). Paul makes this choice very clear in his letter to the believers in Galatia.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. – Galatians 5:16-17 NLT

It is a matter of control. In his letter to the churches in Ephesus, Paul used an interesting comparison to illustrate what it means to be controlled by the Spirit.

Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. – Ephesians 5:18 NLT

To be drunk with wine is to allow yourself to be under the influence of the alcohol in the wine. It alters your behavior, speech, and thought processes. You act in ways that are contrary to your normal behavior, and that is exactly what happens when you allow the Holy Spirit to fill or control you. It is not a matter of getting more of the Spirit; we receive all the Spirit we need at salvation. But it is a matter of allowing the Holy Spirit to have more of us.

The dilemma we face as believers is exactly what Paul described.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. – Romans 7:18 ESV

Our flesh is sarkikos or unspiritual. But we are to live as spiritual creatures or new creations, because of Christ's saving work and the Spirit's presence within us. But our fleshly or sinful nature battles against our new spiritual nature. The flesh is of this earth; its appetites and desires are driven by the temporal things of this world. But we are no longer of this earth. We are citizens of heaven, which makes us aliens and strangers here. We are residents of God's kingdom, which is not of this world. Even Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36 NLT).

As believers, we must realize that our flesh stands opposed to all that is godly. It is natural and of this world and does not desire anything that is of God. It is driven by selfish, sinful desires. That is why Paul says, “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NET). And he encourages us to “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5 NET).

We must live with a constant awareness of our sinful nature. We can never allow ourselves to be lulled into a sense of complacency or overconfidence, thinking we have gained complete mastery over our sinful natures. They are always there, ready to take back control of our lives as soon as we let our guard down. So we must live in constant awareness of our need for the Spirit's control, because while we may have the desire to do what is right, we lack the ability to carry it out on our own.

Father, it is comforting to know that even the great Apostle Paul struggled with his fleshly desires. He was not an automaton and immune from the temptations of his own indwelliing sin nature. Yet, he was able to put to death the deeds of his flesh because of his reliance on Your Holy Spirit. As Peter said, You have given us everything we need for living a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). We have Your Word, the body of Christ, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at our disposal. So, there is no reason for us to give into the desires of our flesh — except that we want to. It is a choice we have to make everyday. I want to live increasingly more dependent upon You and under the control of the Spirit. Keep me in Your Word, surrounced by fellow believvers, and keenly aware of my need for the Spirit’s power, provision, and protection from Satan, the world, and my own flesh. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

New Life In Christ Never Gets Old

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:1-4 ESV

Jesus' death on the cross was not just substitutionary; it was representative. He died in our place and as our legate or legal representative. Paul has already said, “Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:18 NLT). Although Adam's one sin caused death to reign over all mankind, “even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17 NLT).

Everyone who receives or believes in God's gift of grace made available through His Son's death and resurrection has had their relationship with sin radically and permanently changed. While Christ died alone on the cross, He did not die for Himself alone. In fact, it was not for His sins that He sacrificed His life; it was for the sins of mankind. And because He paid the price in full and propitiated or satisfied God's righteous judgment against sin, those who believe in Him share in His death and resurrection vicariously. It is as if they died alongside Him and were raised just as He was, to walk in newness of life.

Paul makes it clear that we have “died to sin” (Romans 6:2 ESV).  We have been “baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3 ESV), “were buried,” and “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 ESV).

The Romans and the Jews were not ultimately responsible for Jesus' death; it was the result of God's judgment and wrath against sin. They were compliant and complicit, but their evil actions were sovereignly ordained by God the Father. In the book of Acts, Luke records the following speech that Peter gave to the Jews in Jerusalem immediately after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” – Acts 2:22-23 ESV

It was God’s will that Jesus die so that sinful men might live. And Peter went on to give the good news regarding Jesus’ vicarious, substitutionary death.

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” – Acts 2:24 ESV

Peter wasn’t absolving the Jews of their sinful actions toward Jesus. In fact, when given the opportunity to address the high priest and members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious council, he showed them no mercy.

“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.” – Acts 5:30 NLT

But in his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul wanted them to understand that Jesus' death was God’s will, and that Jesus was fully compliant and committed to carrying out His Father’s redemptive plan. Jesus was not murdered; He gave His life willingly.

The apostle John quotes Jesus declaring His compliant submission to His Father’s will.

“No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” – John 10:18 NLT

God sent Jesus to die for the sins of many, and He faithfully completed His task. Why? So that our bondage to sin and death might be broken. His death was our death. His punishment was our punishment. The prophet Isaiah predicted and described the death of the coming Messiah.

But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6 NLT

Because of what Jesus did for us and in our place, we now have peace with God. Our wounds, caused by sin, have been healed. Death and sin no longer have a stranglehold on our lives. It is because of what Jesus did on our behalf that we are able to walk in newness of life. The NET Bible translates that phrase as “we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NET).

According to verse 20 of Chapter 5, the grace of God has super-abounded (hyperperisseuō) in the face of man's persistent and ever-increasing sinfulness. God's grace, in the form of Jesus' substitutionary death, has provided believers with the capacity to live new lives, even in these old, sin-stained bodies. We still battle with our indwelling sin natures, but we are no longer slaves to sin.

Paul would have us know and believe “that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul encouraged them to, “put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24 NLT). The apostle Peter provides the following reminder of the ongoing transformative power made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. – 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

In his Commentary on Romans, Martin Luther wrote: “But to hate the body of sin and to resist it, is not an easy, but a most difficult task.” We each have an active sin nature, and as Paul told the believers in Galatia, “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other” (Galatians 5:17 NLT).

As believers, we recognize that Jesus died and was buried, but then was made alive and given “newness of life.” But through our relationship with Jesus, we, too, have been raised to new life and been given a new capacity to live holy and righteous lives. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit to instruct and empower us, and God assures us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV).

Because of what Jesus did for us, we can and should live new lives. Our speech and actions should be distinctively different and stand in stark contrast to our former lives. We are new creations, and our ability to walk in newness of life is proof that we have received new life in Christ. It is a grace gift, given to us by God through Christ. So, as Paul says, “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).

Father, while I don’t always live the way I should, I do live differently than I once did. Your Spirit’s presence in my life is obvious because He has changed my attititudes and transformed so much of my behavior. Despite my frequent failure to listen to the Spirit’s voice and to submit to His will for my life, I have seen His power on display. He has produced fruit in my life. He has produced the fruit of righteousness in me and through me. And His ability to generate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in my life gives testimony to the efficacy of Christ’s saving work on my behalf. I am being changed on a daily basis. I am walking in newness of life, not perfectly or always willingly, but consistently — because of Your grace, mercy, and love. Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Heart of the Matter

25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. – Romans 2:25-29 ESV

In this chapter, Paul has been dealing primarily with the Jews, those who have been chosen by God, commanded to keep His law, and who enjoyed a unique and privileged relationship with Him. They believed themselves to be spiritually superior and safe from God's judgment, because they were His treasured possession.

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV

“And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.” – Deuteronomy 26:18-19 ESV

But in his ongoing exposition of the “gospel of God,” Paul makes it clear that it is impossible for either the Jew or the Gentile to produce the kind of righteousness God demands. Even though the Jews enjoyed a one-of-a-kind relationship with God, they were no better off when it came to righteousness than their non-Jewish neighbors. Paul even accused them of passing judgment on the Gentiles while practicing the very same sins. It wasn't enough to have and to know the law; you had to keep it.

Paul said it was “the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13 ESV). In other words, those who wanted to be made right with God would have to keep His law perfectly and completely.

“…you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:37 ESV

You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. – Deuteronomy 5:32-33 ESV

Paul's accusations against his own people were anything but gentle.

While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. – Romans 2:21-23 ESV

Circumcision, the physical, outward sign of the covenant between the people of Israel and God, was to be a constant reminder and a permanent mark of their status as God's people. But circumcision was not enough. They still had to obey Him and be faithful, worshiping Him alone. When God gave the law to Moses, the people had a non-negotiable, indisputable outline of God's righteous expectations, so they were without excuse. That led Paul to conclude that their sign of circumcision was meaningless without obedience.

The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. – Romans 2:25 NLT

Circumcision was intended as a physical sign of their spiritual union with God through the covenant He had established with them. But the sign was rendered meaningless if the recipient was unwilling to submit to God's will. Being a Jew was directly tied to being obedient to God. The privilege of being God's chosen people came with a heavy responsibility. It was not enough to have a mark on your body, an external sign of ownership.

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law… – Romans 2:28-29 NLT

The book of Deuteronomy records the words Moses spoke to the people of Israel, not long after their debacle with the golden calf in the wilderness. Because of their disobedience, Moses informed them that the real sign of their covenant relationship with Yahweh was to be a very different kind of circumcision.

“Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” – Deuteronomy 10:14-17 NLT

The people of Israel were guilty of disobedience and unfaithfulness. While Moses had been on the mountaintop receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the people had been busy worshiping the golden calf down in the valley. In his anger and disappointment, Moses had broken the original tablets on which God had inscribed His law. So he was forced to return to the mountain to receive a second set.

Despite their unfaithfulness and spiritual adultery, God gave His rebellious people a second chance.

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” – Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ESV

God demanded obedience and required faithfulness from the heart. The problem with man has always been an inner one, not an outer one. Our sinfulness flows from the heart. Jesus said, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (Mark 7:20-23 NLT).

Paul’s point was that circumcision is a matter of the heart; it has always been about the heart. The kind of heart that God is looking for is only available through a work of the Spirit, not the efforts of men. Keeping the law through outward effort will always fail because man's heart is inherently evil and unfaithful. The prophet Jeremiah had strong words from the Lord for the people of Judah, who had been repeatedly unfaithful and unable to keep the law of God. And God informed them that their sinful disposition was inherently unchangeable. 

“Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil.” – Jeremiah 13:23 NLT

They had a heart problem that rendered them incapable of remaining faithful to God or refraining from sin against God.

So Paul wanted his readers to know that all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, stood guilty before God. It wasn't a matter of perceived spiritual status or a knowledge of God and His ways; it was about obedience, faithfulness, and perfect righteousness, something man was incapable of pulling off on his own.

Paul continues to support his primary premise that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The righteousness God demanded and expected was only available through faith in His Son. The kind of heart change required to remain faithful to God was only made possible through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. All men need the gospel, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). 

Father, You always look for heart change, not just behavior modification. Yet, we tend to concentrate all our efforts at DOING rather than BEING. We spend all our time trying to alter our outward actions, while neglecting the state of our hearts. We think we can somehow live up to Your stringent standards of righteousness through sheer willpower, but we always fail. Because the brand of righteousness You demand cannot be produced through self-effort. It is the fruit of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. Only He can empower us to live set-apart lives that reflect our status as Your sons and daughters. But even the Spirit of God will not force holiness upon us. His presence within us requires submission from us. We have to listen and obey. But as Paul told the Galatian believers, “We who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:5-6 NLT). You have provided the power; but we must avail ourselves of it by willingly submitting to it. And when we do, we are “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11 ESV. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

It’s A Family Affair

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. – Romans 1:8-15 ESV

Paul had heard about the believers in Rome, but he probably had little or no awareness of any particular individuals, because he had not yet been able to visit the church there. However, he had become aware of the church as a whole and expressed his gratitude to God for them. 

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. – Romans 1:8 NLT

The church in Rome had gained a reputation for its faith. News of their corporate commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ had been spread throughout the known world, and Paul longed to see them face to face. He prayed for them consistently and persistently asked God to allow him the opportunity to visit them.

It is clear that Paul loved the believers in Rome even though he had never met them. He was more than an evangelist, spreading the good news about Jesus Christ and watching people come to faith in Him. Paul was a builder. He wanted to see the local congregations that were springing up all around the world grow into spiritual maturity. The majority of his letters were written to local congregations and have a corporate context. There is a tendency to read his letters from an individualistic viewpoint, failing to understand that his words were intended for the congregation as a whole, not the individual believer.

The church in Rome had a corporate reputation for its faith. It was as a body that they had become known for their faith, not as individuals. Somehow, with our Western, individualistic mindsets, we lose sight of the fact that there is a reason we were baptized into both the local and global body of Christ. We have become members of something far greater and more significant than ourselves. For Paul, salvation was not an individual event; it was a team sport. 

Later in this same letter, Paul tells the believers in Rome, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.r” (Romans 12:4-5 NLT). He wrote something similar to the church in Corinth.

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. – 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NLT

Our tendency is to focus on our own spiritual growth while neglecting the body's well-being. We concentrate all our efforts on ourselves. But it's interesting to note Paul's comment to his brothers and sisters in Rome.

For I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to strengthen you. – Romans 1:11 ESV

It is unlikely that Paul is saying he wants to lay hands on every one of them and give them a spiritual gift, such as tongues or healing. He clarifies what he means in the very next line.

…that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. – Romans 1:12 ESV

In other words, Paul simply wanted to be a source of encouragement to them as he shared his faith with them. And he knew that they would lift him up in his own faith as they ministered to him. He was less focused on any specific spiritual gift than he was on the mutual encouragement that believers receive as members of the body of Christ. Paul's heart was for unity in the body and a sense of shared concern for one another, so “that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26 ESV).

Sometimes we make far more of the gifts than the purpose behind them. Paul told the Corinthian believers, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT). Whatever gift the Spirit has given, He has done so for the mutual benefit of the body. We exist to build one another up. My presence within the body of Christ is other-oriented, making it all about us and not me. That is why God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers to the early church  “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13 NLT).

The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT).

The gift of mutual encouragement is desperately needed in the church today. We are in this thing together. We are members of one body, serving one God and sharing a common faith in one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May we learn to share our gifts with one another and grow in our desire to love and encourage one another. And may our corporate reputation for faith in Christ spread throughout the world.

Father, we live in an individualistic society where the sense of community has been lost or replaced by a souless focus on identity politics and group think. Our affiiliations are shallow and have little to do with a shared faith or a common bond in a just or righteous cause. Yet, You have placed Your sons and daughters into a family where they are meant to enjoy the benefits of a loving, faith-based community that is empowered by Your Spirit, instructed by Your Word, and built up by their shared belief in a Savior who died for their sins. This isn’t about idealogy or perceived identity. It is all about the saving work of Jesus Christ and how he broke down the barriers of identity, ethnicity, and individuality. His death unified a disperate and diverse group of people into a family where our selfless displays of mutual love and corporate care reveal that we are Your children. But it is so easy to practice an individualistic faith that negates the blessings of community and destroys the testimony of the body of Christ. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 NLT). When we live in unity, we are a force to be reckoned with. Together, we become a powerful light shining in the sin-stained darkness of this world. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Spirit-Empowered, Not Self-Motivated

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. – 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 ESV

How do you close out a letter like this one? For 13 chapters, Paul has had to defend his ministry, confront the Corinthians about their lack of giving, encourage their continued spiritual growth, and expose the false apostles undermining his authority and hindering his work. Now, as he wraps up his letter, he does so with five simple statements.

First, he tells them to rejoice. He doesn’t explain what they are to rejoice about, but he most likely has their position in Christ in mind. They are children of God, heirs of His Kingdom, recipients of His grace, and possessors of His Holy Spirit, and they have much to rejoice about. Yet it is so easy to lose sight of all that God has done and to allow ourselves to live ungrateful, joyless lives. The life of the believer should be marked by joy and rejoicing, but it is a choice. We must decide to express our gratitude to God for all that He has done for us. Even if we find this life difficult and full of trials, we can rejoice that our future is secure and that all God has promised us is guaranteed. We have an eternity ahead of us, free from sin, pain, and sorrow. Even if we must suffer in this life, we face a suffering-free future because of our faith in Christ.

Secondly, Paul tells them to “aim for restoration.” This could actually be translated, “set things right” or “put things in order.” This interpretation seems more appropriate because Paul has been pointing out issues within the church that were not as they should have been. He was concerned about their reticence to give to the saints in Judea. He was worried about the impact the false apostles had had on their faith. Paul wanted them to get their proverbial act together and pursue spiritual maturity.

It is quite easy for believers in Christ to find themselves distracted from their primary God-given directive to pursue spiritual maturity. Yes, we are to witness and share the gospel with those who have not yet heard. But our transformed lives are one of the greatest testimonies we can give to the power of the gospel. Disorder and disunity in the church are antithetical to our calling as the children of God. Selfishness and self-centeredness are not to characterize our relationship with God. As Paul wrote in his first letter, the Corinthians had a habit of living as if they were still part of the world.

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT

Paul wanted them to get their spiritual house in order and restore things to the way God wanted them.

Next, Paul told them to “comfort one another.” Actually, this might be better translated as “be encouraged” or “be comforted.” This seems to fit in with what Paul said earlier in his letter.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ESV

Paul wanted his letter to bring them encouragement. He knew that their situation was far from perfect and realized that their pursuit of spiritual maturity was anything but easy. So he tried to encourage and comfort them by letting them know that God was not done with them yet. As they were comforted by God, they would be better able to live in unity and peace with one another.

It was a common practice in the early church to greet one another with a kiss as a sign of unity and their common bond in Christ. But Paul insists that they must greet one another with a holy kiss, without hypocrisy and not just for show. A holy kiss can only come from holy lips. You can’t verbally tear down a brother in Christ, then greet him with a kiss as if nothing is wrong. James writes, “Sometimes it [the tongue] praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:9-10 NLT). Holiness is the key to true unity and peace.

Finally, Paul closes his letter with a salutation that alludes to all three members of the Trinity: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Grace, love, and fellowship. These three things are critical to the health and spiritual effectiveness of the church. We exist because of the grace or unmerited favor of Christ, made possible by His death on the cross, and we are to extend that grace to all those within the body of Christ.

In his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul confirms that Jesus’ death was the direct result of God’s love for sinful mankind.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 NLT

God loved us so much that in spite of our sinfulness and rebellion, He sent His own Son to die on our behalf. And we are to love one another in the same selfless, sacrificial way.

Finally, as believers in Jesus Christ and recipients of God's love, we have been given the Spirit of God. We are inhabited by the Holy Spirit, who makes our fellowship with one another possible. He has given each of us spiritual gifts designed to benefit the rest of the body. He empowers us to love as Christ loved, and produces within us fruit that is designed to minister to one another: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT).

Our unity is Spirit-empowered, not self-motivated. Our love for one another is made possible by the Spirit of God, not our own self-will. Grace, love, and fellowship, made possible by the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, are all we need for living together as the body of Christ, as sons and daughters of God.

Father, Peter said that Your “divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Petere 1:7 BSB). You loved us enough to send Your Son to pay our sin debt with His own sinless life. Jesus willingly died so that we might live and enjoy forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life. And the Holy Spirit took up residence in us the moment we placed our faith in Jesus, empowering us to live as Your sons and daughters in a broken and sin-damaged world. As a result, Paul calls us to be joyful, grow to maturity, encourage each other, and live in harmony and peace. While there are times when those lofty goals seem impossible and unachievable, You have graciously provided everything we need for life and godliness. At no point have you left us to fend for ourselves or to live godly lives in our own strength. Nothing is impossible for You and, therefore, nothing is impossible for us. May I embrace the attitude that Paul had: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 BSB. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

It Is Never Wrong To Do What Is Right

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. – 2 Corinthians 13:5-10 ESV

At first glance, it may appear that Paul is calling on the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if they are truly saved. But in reality, Paul is calling on them to do the right thing because they are saved. They have Christ within them and, therefore, they have all they need to do what God would have them do. The real issue here is sanctification, not salvation. Paul wants them to live out the reality of their position as children of God. He wants their behavior to match their confessed belief in Christ. He has no doubt that they have the capacity to do the right thing. It is more a matter of commitment. Are they willing to do what is right?

Paul is praying that they will be and assures them that he “cannot do anything against the truth, but on for the truth” (2 Corinthians 13:8 ESV). He is unwilling to act in a way that would be contrary or detrimental to the gospel.

It is essential to understand that much of what Paul has said throughout this letter has been in defense of his apostleship. There were those who cast doubts about his qualifications. So when he asked them to examine themselves, he was really challenging them to take a long, hard look at their lives to see whether they themselves are not the very proof they are looking for. In other words, their changed lives were the greatest testimony to Paul’s calling they would ever find. The gospel message he had brought to them had been effective, resulting in their conversions and proving his calling as a messenger of Jesus Christ.

But they had struggled in their sanctification and had hit some tough spots along the way. Since Paul’s initial visit, divisions and disunity had erupted in the church. There were some moral indiscretions that had gone unpunished and remained unconfessed. Paul had already told them that he feared he would find them still struggling with the same old issues of “quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (2 Corinthians 12:20 NLT). So he let them know that he was praying for their restoration. Not only that, he was writing in a very blunt, in-your-face style because, when he arrived, he didn’t want to have to spend all his time playing bad cop. His goal was to build them up, not tear them down. He wanted to see them continue to grow in their salvation, increasing in their knowledge of Jesus Christ and developing an ever-deeper dependence upon God, resulting in a desire to do His will, to do the right thing.

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul reminded them that God’s will for them was their holiness or sanctification.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification… – 1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV

In his first letter, the apostle Peter told his readers that it was God’s will that they do good.

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. – 1 Peter 2:15 ESV

Doing good (what is right) and holiness go hand in hand. Our sanctification or growth in Christlikeness should have an outward expression. It should manifest itself in godly living (doing what God would have us do). That is Paul’s prayer for the Corinthians. He wants them to live out their faith by stepping out in obedience to God's will.

We do good, not to win God’s favor, but because we have been the recipients of His favor. We do what is right, not to make God love us, but because He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. Doing what is right brings God’s blessing. Doing what is wrong brings His discipline. Both are motivated by His love for us. But Paul would prefer that we learn to live obediently, doing what God deems best, even when it makes no sense. Paul would have us enjoy the benefits of a life lived within the will of God, faithfully doing what He deems to be right and good.

Father, Your will is for my holiness, not my happiness. Your desire is that I live righteously, according to Your standards, not those of a fallen world. You’ve given me Your Spirit to guide, convict, and instruct me. His power makes obeying Your commands possible, and Your Word is “a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105 NLT). You’ve placed me within the body of Christ so that I might have enjoy the community of like-minded believers who comfort and challenge me in my walk and provide me with opportunities to use the gifts You have given me. Yet, I live in a world where the pursuit of personal satisfaction takes precedence over sanctification, happiness trumps holiness, and selfishness is more important than selflessness. Don’t let me give in to the temptation to make this life all about me. Continue to show me how to do what is good and right, because that is Your will for me, and You alone know what is best.  Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Strength in Weakness

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 11:29-12:1 ESV

Paul has just finished saying, “there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28b ESV). He felt a strong sense of responsibility for all those in whose salvation he had played a part. He saw himself as their spiritual father, and they held a special place in his heart. He went out of his way to relate to them and to share in their lives. In his first letter, he described his attitude toward ministry.

When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. – 1 Corinthians 9:21-23 NLT

He echoed that same sentiment when he wrote, “Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?” (2 Corinthians 11:29 NLT). Paul had a deep desire to meet people where they were and to minister to them with empathy and compassion. He wasn’t some academically-minded, theologically-focused professor who loved to dump information, but was incapable of relating to his students. Paul was incredibly intelligent, but also remarkably relational. His love for people showed up in his willingness to come alongside them in their weakness and help them grow.

Some pastors and teachers struggle to relate to people because they fear opening up and exposing their own failures and weaknesses. They feel the need to present themselves as having it all together and being on top of their spiritual game. They seem to fear that if they share their struggles, they will lose the respect and admiration of those in their flock. But Paul was willing to brag about his weaknesses; he was an open book. He believed his life was a powerful testimony to God’s power made visible through man’s weakness. Which is what led him to write, “I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

While his adversaries, the false apostles, were busy bragging about their qualifications and attempting to establish themselves as superior to Paul, he quietly and confidently gave another example of his “weakness.” On one occasion, while Paul was ministering in Damascus, the governor had the city surrounded in an attempt to seize him. To save himself, Paul escaped by being lowered in a basket outside the city walls. This event took place several years after his divine encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. That life-altering experience had transformed Paul from a persecutor of Christians to a faithful follower of Jesus. And, according to Luke, it didn't take Paul long to begin fulfilling the commission given to him by Christ.  Luke records:

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. – Acts 9:19-22 ESV

Eventually, Paul left Damascus and headed into the Arabian wilderness, where he spent three years being prepared for his commission (Galatians 1:13-18). During his time in Arabia, it is likely that Paul evangelized the people who lived there. Eventually, he returned to Damascus, where he received a less-than-cordial reception from the local Jewish contingent. Luke records what happened to Paul upon his arrival in Damascus after a 3-year absence.

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. – Acts 9:19-25 ESV

But Paul adds an important point of clarification.

When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him. – 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 NLT

Aretas was the King of Arabia, where Paul had spent three years preparing for the commission he had been given by Christ. The city of Damascus was part of Arabia, and it seems that King Aretas was unhappy about Paul’s evangelistic efforts in the towns and villages within his domain. He ordered the governor of Damascus to arrest Paul as soon as he arrived in town.

It had not taken long for Paul to discover that his commission to take the gospel to the Gentiles was going to be difficult and dangerous. He was a driven individual with tremendous gifts and capabilities, but he soon discovered that his natural attributes were no match for the spiritual warfare he would face as a spokesman for God. He was going to need spiritual power to fight what was a purely spiritual battle. It seems that in Damascus, not only was the governor out to get him, but the Jews were as well. He found himself in deep trouble and had to escape from town with the help of the local believers. But he lived to share the gospel again.

Paul was just a man, but he was a man who had been saved by Christ and given a job to do. He was flawed and had a sinful nature just like everyone else, and he struggled with the effects of indwelling sin and fleshly desires. And yet, even in his weakness, he found the strength to do what he had been called to do. His ministry was solely the work of God, and he had to rely on God’s provision just to meet his daily needs. He had to trust in God’s power to protect him from his growing list of enemies. He had to rely on the peace of God to fill him and calm his fears and doubts. He had to constantly depend on the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit to motivate him and minister to him.

For Paul, weakness was not something for which he felt ashamed; he wore his weakness like a badge of honor. The weaker he felt, the more reliant he became on the power of God. His weakness was not a detriment to God’s work; it was an essential prerequisite to being used by God. As Paul told the Corinthians in his first letter, God has a habit of using the weak and seemingly worthless to accomplish His will in the world.

God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NLT

Father, we see weakness as a liability, but You view it as an invaluable asset, because it is only in our weakness that we become dependent upon You. Paul gloried in his weakness because it reminded him just how much he needed You to accomplish his mission. I want to live with that mindset, but it is so easy to see my weaknesses as failures or faults. I have a difficult time grasping Paul’s comment, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT). I think it's because I believe I must correct all my weaknesses before You can use me. But Paul saw it differently. For him, weakness was a prerequisite for usefulness. His awareness of his own inadequacies didn’t depress him, it actually motivated him. It created a dependence upon You that allowed Your power to shine through. I want to embrace the attitude that Paul had when he wrote, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT). When I am willing to admit my insufficiencies and inadequacies, it allows Your power to show up and shine through me — for Your glory and my good. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Doing Right Requires Righteousness

16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 ESV

Paul unashamedly and boldly asked the Corinthians to participate in a fundraising effort to alleviate the suffering of the Hebrew Christians living in Judea. Ongoing persecution and the lingering effects of a recent famine had left them in dire straits, and Paul was doing all that he could to raise support from the churches in Macedonia, Achaia, Asia Minor, and Galatia. And the church in Corinth was to be no exception. He wanted them to know the joy of participating in the gracious support of their fellow believers, even those whom they had never met. Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give because he did not want them to do so out of compulsion or with any sense of regret. But he was unapologetically claiming that their giving would be in keeping with the example of Christ Himself.  Paul reminds them that, though Christ “was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9b NLT).

Paul knew that he was doing the right thing, but he had a strong desire to do it in the right way. He was fully aware that everything he did was analyzed and critiqued by his enemies. And while he wasn’t one to waste time worrying about what men thought about him, he did worry about the potential damage his actions might do to the name and cause of Christ. That’s why he was taking special care to handle the collection of funds in a way that was aboveboard and free from accusations by his enemies.

He was sending Titus to collect whatever gift the Corinthians could provide, because they knew Titus and had built a solid relationship with him. But Paul was also sending another individual, “the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 8:18 ESV). It is unclear who this brother was, but evidently the Corinthians knew exactly who Paul was talking about, as he was well-known and well-respected by them. This individual had a reputation for trustworthiness, and Paul indicates that he had “been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us” (2 Corinthians 8:19 ESV).

Paul wasn’t taking any chances because he knew his efforts to raise funds for the Hebrew Christians in Judea provided a perfect opportunity for his enemies to accuse him of everything from extortion and greed to larceny and the abuse of power. But in the end, what Paul was most concerned about was the name of Christ. He did not want to do anything that might damage the reputation of His Savior or detract from the cause of the gospel. So he took extra precautions to ensure that his efforts were blameless and free from any hint of impropriety.

We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NLT

It was Jesus who said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 ESV). Peter echoed these words.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. – 1 Peter 2:12 NLT

As believers, we are to always do the right thing, but it is just as important that we do in the right way. We must always consider the outcome of our actions and keep in mind that our conduct is being analyzed by those around us, especially unbelievers. We are ambassadors for Christ, and all that we do in this life is to be done on His behalf and in His name. We speak and act on His part, and even our right actions, if not done in the right way, can produce the wrong results and bring harm to the name of Christ.

We can’t afford to live with the attitude: “Who cares what they think?” Our conduct has consequences. Our actions speak volumes. Every word and deed is a potential testimony that will reflect either positively or negatively on the cause of Christ. What we do matters, but how we do it is just as important.

Paul was unashamed to ask the Corinthians for money, but he was unwilling to do it in a way that might damage his reputation, hinder his ministry, or bring shame to the name of Christ.

We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 MSG

That is how we are to live, and that is the attitude we must maintain as we do so. Our mission matters; so does our methodology. We must always strive to do the right thing, the godly thing, in the right way – blamelessly and above reproach.

Father, as Your child, it matters what I do. But I know I have to put a higher priority on doing the right thing in the right way. My motives matter. My attitude makes a difference. As Paul points out, You love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). You always look at the heart and Your Son said, “What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45 NLT). So if I give begrudgingly, I may appear to be doing the right thing, but I am doing it with a wrong heart. If I say all the right things, but I harbor bitterness or anger toward someone, my words are meaningless. Paul said, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT). So, I want don’t want to just do the right thing; I want to do it in the right way and with a righteous heart. With David I pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Grace of Giving

1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. – 2 Corinthians 8:1-8 ESV

Paul had been overwhelmed by the reception of his previous letter, even though its message had produced sorrow among the Corinthians. However, that sorrow had led to their repentance, and they had responded in grace, love, and gratitude.

Now Paul takes the opportunity to appeal to that same grace to enlist their help with a pressing financial concern. For nearly five years, Paul has been actively soliciting funds from the churches he had helped establish throughout Macedonia, Galatia, Achaia, and Asia Minor. This money was being sent to help Hebrew Christians living in Judea, where they were suffering from the effects of a famine as well as the poverty that came as a result of their conversion to Christianity. Many had lost their jobs, been ostracized by their families, or were having a difficult time trying to do business with their Jewish neighbors. Paul was constantly requesting the churches he helped to start to provide financial assistance to their brothers and sisters in Judea, and Corinth was no exception.

Paul begins by informing the Corinthians of the generosity displayed by the churches in Macedonia, a neighboring region. In referring to the Philippians, Thessalonians, and Bereans, Paul was adroitly using comparison to make his appeal to the Corinthians. He points out that their neighbors to the north “have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Corinthians 8:2 ESV). And this was in spite of their own “extreme poverty.” Paul says, “they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will” (2 Corinthians 8:3 NLT). Not only that, Paul insists that they begged for the opportunity to give more.

This was not the first time the Corinthians had heard about the need in Judea. Paul had raised this issue in his first letter. He referred to it as the “collection for the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:1). But either the Corinthians had begun to give and then stopped, or they had never fully gotten behind the effort to begin with. Either way, Paul is now appealing to them to allow the grace of God to flow through them, as it did with the believers in Macedonia.

When it came to the body of Christ, the church, Paul had a strong sense of community and unity. He wanted each congregation to understand and embrace their connection with and responsibility to their fellow believers all around the world. They were not to view themselves as independent entities, isolated and removed from the larger context of the family of God. Instead, they were to see themselves as brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing a common bond with all believers everywhere. And Paul wants them to know that God desired to use them to extend His grace to the believers in Judea. Paul had even sent Titus to encourage their participation in this fundraising effort. 

Paul reminds them that they are a gifted church.

…you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us… – 2 Corinthians 8:7 NLT

There appears to be a hint of sarcasm in this statement. In his previous letter, Paul had been forced to address their arrogance regarding the gifts of the Spirit they had received and their prideful use of them. But he began by pointing out how they had been enriched by God. 

I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:4-7 NLT

Yet, they had been guilty of using their Spirit-endowed gifts for selfish, self-promoting purposes. They had turned the gifts of the Spirit into badges of honor, pridefully comparing their spirituality and boasting in their superiority over one another. This had led Paul to write, “Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters” (1 Corinthians 1:10-11 NLT). Paul went on to point out, “You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” (1 Corinthians 3:3 NLT).

The Corinthians had become divided and fractured, arguing over who had the superior gift and who followed a particular leader. That prompted Paul to scold them sarcastically. 

You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us. – 1 Corinthians 4:8 NLT

They were so self-consumed that they couldn’t think about anyone but themselves. Their obsession with their superior giftedness left them puffed up with pride and unwilling to see the needs all around them.

So, in his second letter, Paul begs them to put aside their pride and “ excel also in this gracious act of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7b NLT). But he doesn’t want them to do it under coercion or as a form of compliance with a command; ist must be done in love. Giving without love is ultimately self-motivated and done to get attention. What is given is soiled by selfishness, regret, and a sense of reluctance.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get” (Matthew 6:1-2 NLT).

If you give to get praise, that is the only reward you will receive. That is what led Paul to write in his first letter, “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV).

The giving of the Corinthians was to be an extension of the grace of God, flowing through them to the believers in Judea. God’s grace is anything but selfish and self-centered; it is an expression of His love. So, by giving to the believers in Judea, the Corinthians would show the love and favor of God through their willing generosity.

Giving is to be seen not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to love others as we have been loved by God – generously, undeservedly, and graciously. In his first letter, Paul sternly reminded the Corinthians, “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT).

They had become arrogant and prideful, seeing themselves as spiritually superior and blessed by God. But everything they enjoyed had come from God. It had all been a result of God's grace. Their giftedness was God’s doing. Their salvation had been the result of Christ’s death, not their own merit. The reality of their indebtedness to God should have created in them a sense of gratitude that manifested itself in gracious generosity. Their giving was to be a reflection of the joy they felt for all that they had been given.

We love because He first loved us. We give because He has given to us. We bless others because He has graciously blessed us.

Father, this was another painful, but much-needed reminder. Spiritual pride is always a danger for us as believers because it is so easy to view ourselves as somehow superior to others. We can become overly enamored with our status as children of God and somehow think that we are better and more deserving of Your love. But we did nothing to earn Your love or merit the gift of salvation. You loved us while we were yet sinners. You saved us because we couldn't save ourselves. You showered us with mercy and grace when we deserved wrath and judgment. So, why would we ever think we are better than anyone else? Why would we refuse to share the gift of grace with others? Open our eyes to see that everything we have has come from You, and that every gift we have received is intended to bless those around us. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Tough Love Isn’t Easy, But It’s Necessary

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you. – 2 Corinthians 7:10-16 ESV

Something had happened within the church at Corinth. A situation had occurred that compelled Paul to write a now-lost letter. In that letter, he had been forced to confront the issue.

I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us.– 2 Corinthians 7:12 ESV

Paul says the purpose behind writing his confrontational letter was to reveal to them just how loyal they were to him and his leadership. Evidently, the individual to whom Paul refers had been critical of his ministry and authority, and “the one who suffered the wrong” had been Paul himself.

Paul always had critics; there was no shortage of those who questioned his apostleship or argued against his authority. Whoever this individual was, he had been misleading the church and undermining all the work Paul had done there. So, in this follow-up letter, Paul responds to the Corinthians after hearing back from Titus, whom he had sent to check on the situation firsthand. The report from Titus was encouraging.

“Therefore we are comforted,” Paul proudly states. Titus had informed him that the Corinthians had remained committed to his teaching and leadership. In fact, Paul states that any grief or sorrow his letter might have produced “leads us away from sin and results in salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT). That is why he can refer to it as godly sorrow, rather than worldly sorrow. The sorrow associated with this world can only produce disappointment and, ultimately, death. Sorrow over sin that does not result in a willingness to repent of it is non-productive and unhelpful. Sorrow over sin that does not drive us to the foot of the cross for cleansing by Christ’s blood can never produce life. Worldly sorrow can only produce despair, resentment, anger, and a growing callousness. We find ourselves becoming less and less sorrowful over our sin, finally reaching the point where we claim that we have not sinned at all.

But for believers, godly sorrow produces repentance, and repentance leads to forgiveness. Paul points out that the Corinthians' sorrow had a positive outcome.

Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right. – 2 Corinthians 7:11 NLT

Paul’s earlier letter had produced a sorrow that revealed their desire to do what was right. They had been saddened at the thought that their actions had caused Paul pain, and were motivated to show him that they remained faithful to him. It alarmed them that their behavior had led Paul to question their loyalty, and they realized they had been lax in dealing with the one causing the trouble.  All Paul had done was point out their sin; the Holy Spirit had done the rest. The Spirit had used Paul’s words to convict the Corinthians, and the outcome had been their repentance and the restoration of their relationship with Paul.

Paul even comments that Titus had been encouraged by his visit to check on the Corinthians. He states, “his spirit has been refreshed by you all” (2 Corinthians 7:13b ESV). Titus returned joyful and told Paul that all his boasts about the Corinthians had been true.

Paul ends this section of his letter by telling them, “I have complete confidence in you” (2 Corinthians 7:16 ESV). It is the same way he started his letter.

I have great confidence in you; I take great pride on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering. – 2 Corinthians 7:4 NET

Paul was greatly encouraged by the news that the Corinthians had not wandered away from the faith or rejected his role as their spiritual father. He had a deep longing to see them grow spiritually, and a father’s heart that desired to protect his spiritual children from harm and to keep them from straying away from the truth. So the news that they remained faithful was enough to help Paul endure the trials and troubles he faced as he continued to share the gospel throughout Macedonia and the surrounding regions.

He could rest easy knowing that his flock in Corinth remained safe and secure. His loving confrontation had led to their sorrow and repentance, and their repentance had resulted in their salvation; they had been rescued or delivered from a potentially destructive path. Because of Paul's love and with the Holy Spirit's help, they had been able to make a course correction and return to the path God had intended for them to follow.

But what if Paul had never written that now-missing letter? What if he had chosen to ignore their sin and had refused to confront them because he didn’t want to offend them? Love is not the same as tolerance. Godly love is willing to say the hard thing. It compassionately confronts and affectionately admonishes. Allowing a brother or sister in Christ to continue in sin because you don’t want to offend them isn’t love. That would be like allowing your child to play in the street because you don’t want to spoil their fun. Your fear that your child will see you as a spoilsport is not good parenting, and it certainly isn’t love. In fact, it’s a subtle and dangerous form of child abuse. Godly love is willing to disappoint and even to produce hostility as long as it results in godly sorrow, which leads to repentance and life.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. – James 5:19-20 NLT

Father, tough love is hard. Our innate desire to be liked by others prevents us from loving them the same way You love us. You refuse to tolerate our sin or allow us to make our personal pleasure our top priority. It’s not that You isolate us from temptation or innoculate us from sin’s influence; it’s that You use Your Holy Spirit to confront and convict us when we do sin. You lovingly expose our acts of rebellion and call us to repent of them. And that is what Paul did with the Corinthians. He loved them too much to tolerate their ungodly behavior. He was willing to risk losing their affection to keep them from damaging their relationship with You. Their spiritual well-being meant more to him than their friendship. But it is so easy to see our tolerance of one another’s sins as somehow loving. We convince ourselves we are just being patient and non-judgmental. But Peter said, “the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household” (1 Peter 4:17 NLT). The Proverbs states, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6 NLT). Give me the strength to love others well by making their holiness a higher priority than their happiness. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Goal of Godliness

¹ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. – 2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

What promises? Paul has just quoted from several Old Testament passages containing the following promises from God:

I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. – Leviticus 26:12 ESV

My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. – Ezekiel 37:27 ESV

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. – 2 Samuel 7:14 ESV

Now, with those promises in mind, he asks: what should our reaction be? How should we respond? Paul is reminding his readers that they, like the Old Testament ancestors, have been set apart by God. He has chosen them to be His people and graciously agreed to be their God. He has consecrated them and set them apart from the rest of the nations to be His own possession. As the children of God, they were to live separately and distinctively from the rest of the world; that does not mean that Christians are to live their lives in isolation or in some kind of segregated society, separated from the rest of the world. This is not a call to monastic isolationism, but to sanctification or holiness.

Paul expected the believers to whom he was writing to live in such a way that their behavior differentiated them from everyone else. In the garden on the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed that His followers would be in the world but not of it.

I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. – John 17:14-17 NLT

The promise of citizenship in God’s Kingdom was to create in them a passion to live as who God had called them to be. They were His possession, and their lives were to reflect that unique privilege and totally undeserved position. They were to cleanse themselves from every defilement of body and spirit. Their former lives were like stained and soiled garments that required the removal of the impurities that accompanied their sinful flesh. Their old habits and sinful predilections had to be systematically and regularly done away with.

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul emphasized the essential nature of this ongoing cleansing of the believer’s life.

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 NLT

The privilege of sonship comes with responsibilities. As children of God, we are to behave in such a way that our lives honor our heavenly Father. Ongoing sin is not to be a defining characteristic of the child of God. Paul was not insinuating that Christians cannot or will not sin. He would have wholeheartedly agreed with the apostle John's assessment.:

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. – 1 John 1:8-10 NLT

The presence of and potential for sin is not eliminated when we come to faith in Christ, but sin’s power over us is. We are set free from its control. The Holy Spirit’s presence within us provides us with the supernatural capacity to choose righteousness over unrighteousness. We can refuse to give in to the temptations that once captivated and controlled us. 

Paul’s point in all of this is that our salvation in Christ has a second step: our ongoing sanctification. Coming to faith in Christ is to be accompanied by our continuous transformation into His likeness. And it is as we cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit that we experience what Paul refers to as “bringing holiness to completion.” The goal of our salvation is our ultimate glorification by God, the day when He will complete the process of renewal and reformation of our lives by giving us a new, completely sanctified body. Sin will be completely eliminated, and our transformation into the likeness of Christ will be complete. John describes that day in the following way:

Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. – 1 John 3:2 NLT

In the meantime, as we wait for that day, we are to strive toward holiness, and to accomplish that objective, we must put off our old sinful nature and put on our new nature. That requires us to allow the Holy Spirit to expose the sin in our lives so we can confess it and enjoy the forgiveness Christ paid for. We are to flee sin and pursue righteousness. Paul repeatedly called believers to pursue a life of radical reformation and holy living.

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. – 1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. – 2 Timothy 2:22 NLT

…so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. – 1 Timothy 6:11 NLT

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. – 2 Timothy 2:21 ESV

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. – Colossians 3:5 NLT

If you have been called by God to be His child, live like it. If you know the joy of having your debt to God paid for and your sins forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross, your lifestyle should reflect your gratitude and your recognition that you are a new creation with a new capacity to pursue holiness rather than sinfulness.

A child’s behavior reflects back on their parents. In the same way, our behavior as sons and daughters of God reflects back on our heavenly Father. Our attitudes and actions should honor Him, and our behavior should glorify Him. It was Jesus who said, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16 NLT). Peter echoed that sentiment when he wrote: “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world” (1 Peter 2:12 NLT).

Pursue holiness, strive after righteousness, and make godliness your goal — all for the glory of God and the good of others. 

Father, I fully believe that I have been imputed the righteousness of Christ. When You look at me, You see me through the purifying power of His blood. Yet, I know that sin remains a constant reality in my life. I wrestle with it daily. But I know it’s power over me has been broken because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Sin grip has lost its hold on me. But I need Your constant assistance in putting my old nature to death. Thank You for providing the Holy Spirit as my sin-slaying advocate who provides me with the power to pursue righteousness and to reject ungodliness. I don’t always listen to His prompting or avail myself of His power, but I am grateful that He never leaves me or forsakes me. He continually convicts and confronts me about my sin and graciously leads me back on the the right path. It’s an ongoing battle, but I know that one day, You will bring my holiness to completion. My future glorification is guaranteed because Your Son died, was buried, raised to life, and glorified. One day, He will return and finish what He began. In the meantime, give me the strength to live in this fallen world as a citizen of Your Kingdom. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Be of Good Courage

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. – 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ESV

Why do you do the things you do? Most likely, it is either to please yourself or to please someone else. We are either motivated by self-satisfaction or some form of people-pleasing. We are out to make ourselves feel good or to ensure that others feel good about us. But Paul introduces another motivating factor for the believer: pleasing God.

More than anything else, we should desire to do what pleases our Heavenly Father. Paul knew that a life of holiness, living set apart and consecrated to God and His purposes, was what pleased Him. He wrote to the Thessalonians: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a ESV). God desires His people to be holy and distinctively different in their attitudes and actions. He wants them to live according to His will and in keeping with the godly guidance of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

The apostle Peter described the life of holiness as “doing good.”

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. – 1 Peter 2:15-16 ESV

He went on to say that we must abstain from certain ungodly behaviors such as sexual immorality and lustful passions. But while we “put off” unrighteousness, we must “put on” godliness. Paul echoed this sentiment when he wrote, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 ESV).

To refuse to live a holy life is to disregard the very will of God for you. It is to willingly disobey and displease Him. But Paul insists that his primary objective in life was to please God. That was how he maintained his motivation even when doing the right thing produced the wrong reaction from others. He found the strength to endure injustice and abuse for doing God’s will because his real goal was to please God, not man.

Peter claimed that suffering was an expected part of living a godly life.

But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:20-21 NLT

Just as Christ suffered for doing what was right and godly, so shall we. We should not be surprised when pursuing a life of godliness in an ungodly world brings godless reactions from ungodly people.

But Paul was of good courage. Even though he found life on earth to be difficult at times, he was encouraged by his belief in the afterlife. He was buoyed by God’s promise of a life to come, and his conviction about the eternal state enabled him to live by faith, not by sight. Like the author of Hebrews, Paul knew that faith was “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). If we live as if this world is all there is, we will lose sight of all that God has promised us for the future. But waiting on what we can’t see requires faith. That is what the 11th chapter of Hebrews is all about. The author chronicles the lives of Old Testament saints such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah and declares that their lives demonstrated faith in the promises of God. But he goes on to reveal, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth” (Hebrews 11:13 NLT). 

Each of them had received a promise from God, yet they had to operate sight unseen, having no firm assurance that what God had promised would be fulfilled. And in most cases, they never lived to see the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise. Noah lived through the flood that destroyed the world, but did not live to see the world repopulated and restored by God. Abraham had moved to Canaan because God had promised it to him as his inheritance, but he died a landless nomad. Yet, he was “confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God” (Hebrews 11:10 NLT).

Paul was convinced that faith was essential if anyone wanted to live a life that pleased God, because “it is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6a NLT). 

Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 NLT.

Paul found courage in the fact that God had promised him eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. He was encouraged by Jesus’ promise to return one day. Paul found hope in the promise of a redeemed and resurrected body, and he longed for the day when he would vacate his earthly “tent” and move into his new body, a “house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (1 Corinthians 5:1b ESV).

But in the meantime, while he waited for the return of Christ or his own death, he made it his aim to live his life to please God. That meant he had to stop trying to please others or himself. He knew that there would come a day when his actions would be judged by God.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. – 1 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

On that day, every believer’s conduct in this life will be judged – every thought, action, attitude, and word will be exposed. Everything we have done since the day we accepted Christ as Savior will be assessed and evaluated as to whether it was good or evil. This has nothing to do with judgment for sin, because all our sins have been paid for by Christ. It is about whether what we have done in this life since coming to faith in Christ was godly or ungodly, righteous or unrighteous, and pleasing or displeasing to God. Did we live our lives in keeping with His will? Since His will for us is our holiness, did we allow that to be our motivating factor? Was pleasing Him our aim?

Our actions and attitudes will reveal whether our lives were pleasing to God. How we lived our lives will expose whether we were trying to please Him or whether we were living to please ourselves or others. Paul’s aim was to please God – even in this life. He made it his life-long objective to do the will of God, to live holy and set apart, and to do good even when it produced less-than-desirable outcomes. He lived by faith, not by sight, trusting in the reality of what he hoped for, yet couldn’t see: heaven and his resurrected body.

Paul actually looked forward to the judgment seat of Christ, because he was confident that his aim in life had been to please God. He was attempting to do the will of God, not men. He was striving to please God, not himself. And while that kind of lifestyle might result in troubles and tribulations in this life, it promised rewards in the life to come. Paul looked forward to hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21 ESV).

Father, I want to live my life to please You, but I don’t want to do it because I think I have to earn Your favor. You have already proven Your love for me by sending Your Son to die in my place on the cross. So my attempts to please You should not be to score brownie points with You. They should be expressions of gratitude for all that You have done for me and all that You have in store for me in the future. When I live with my eyes fixed on the hope of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life, I am pleasing to You. That required faith because I can’t see the future. So, whenever I display “assurance of things hoped for” and “the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV), I am living by faith and that is pleasing to You. Help me to remember to live with the end in mind, to place my faith in Your unwavering promises for my future. I have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to. Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Human Weakness and Resurrection Power

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 ESV

Paul was not afraid to admit that he was human. He knew he was far from perfect. In fact, later in this same letter, he writes, “I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT).

Paul did not believe his inherent flaws and faults negatively impacted his ministry for Christ. This was an important distinction he felt compelled to make, because the value and integrity of his ministry were constantly under attack.

Strangely enough, Paul’s admission of weakness was intended as a defense of his ministry. As far as he was concerned, it wasn’t about him; it was about the glory of God as revealed in the face of Christ and made accessible by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. He was simply an unworthy conduit through whom God communicated His message of reconciliation to the lost. He confessed, “We don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5 NLT).

Just like the believers in Corinth to whom he was writing, his life had been transformed by the gospel.

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. – 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT

Ever since his conversion experience, it had been his Christ-commissioned duty to take that same gospel message to the ends of the earth. His life had been transformed by his encounter with the “light of the world,” and he was determined to reflect that light to a world darkened by sin.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

For Paul, the amazing thing was that God had chosen to place His glory in a “clay jar,” a flawed and frail vessel of little value. He viewed himself as common and unimpressive, and unworthy to be a receptacle for the very Spirit of God. He humbly confessed, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT).

God had chosen to place His glory into less-than-perfect vessels. Not only that, Paul saw himself as sharing in the very sufferings of Christ as he bore the light of God’s message of redemption to the world. Just as Jesus suffered and died to make possible the redemption of mankind, so Paul and his fellow apostles suffered for the sake of the gospel, and he declared, “through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10 NLT).

In a sense, Paul saw his physical body as a tool for declaring the resurrection power of Christ. When his weak and worthless body reflects the glory of Christ, it “makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7b NLT). Anything he accomplished of worth or value was proof of Christ’s resurrection because it evidenced the Spirit’s presence and power. 

Paul explains, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT). Despite all the problems, persecutions, rejections, and roadblocks they faced in their daily ministries, the apostles were supernaturally sustained by God. He protected and provided for them. This does not mean they were somehow immune to trouble. Paul knew what it was like to go hungry and do without the essentials of life. In fact, he wrote the believers in Philippi, thanking them for their willingness to help him, but confessed, “I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13 NLT).

Paul knew what it was like to experience all kinds of deprivations and indignities for the sake of the gospel. On one occasion, he had even been stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19-20). Yet God had sustained and revived Him. Just days later, Paul and Barnabas continued their missionary journey, sharing the gospel and leading others to Christ, encouraging “them to continue in the faith” and “reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22 NLT).

Paul knew what it was like to suffer pain and persecution. But rather than complaining about his trials, he saw them through the lens of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He wrote, “Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10 NLT). Jesus suffered in a body just like ours. He endured pain, loss, hunger, thirst, rejection, and, eventually, death. But His death was part of the Father’s plan because it paved the way to His resurrection, and it was His resurrection that made possible the gift of the Spirit. That is what Paul means when he writes, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 BSB). The very fact that Paul’s bruised, battered, and weakened body could be used for God’s glory was living proof that Christ has risen from the dead and the Spirit of God had been poured out on His people.

This incomparable reality led Paul to confess, “We live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you” (2 Corinthians 4:11-12 NLT).

Paul would later write to his young mentor, Timothy, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV). He wrote something similar to the believers in Philippi.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. – Philippians 2:17 ESV

Paul was not perfect, but he was perfectly content in knowing that he was being used by God. He was a clay jar containing the glory of God and carrying the life-transforming message of the gospel to the ends of the earth. He had no problem admitting his own weaknesses, and even referred to himself as the chief of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). But it was this indisputable realization that made his ministry all the more amazing. It led him to say, “Our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT).

The thousands of changed lives Paul left in his ministry wake were not the result of his powers of persuasion or oratory skills; they were the result of God’s glory in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is why Paul was content with suffering for the cause of Christ and could boldly claim, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).

Father, I had never thought about the fact that my flawed human body could be a demonstration of Christ’s resurrection power. I even long for the day when I will get a new, glorified body that will replace the rapidly aging, progressively weakening, and sin-prone one I have at the moment. But Paul viewed his “vessel of clay” as a positive, not a negative. It was in his weakened and worthless state that the glory of God was revealed in all its power. The Spirit of God had taken up residence in Paul’s temporary “earthly tent” (2 Corinthians 5:4) and was daily demonstrating the resurrection power of life over death. That is the way I want to view my life. Rather than complaining about the fractured clay jar that is my present body, I want to rejoice that I get to demonstrate Your power through my weakness. People don’t need to be impressed with me; they need to be awed by Your presence in me. Jesus’ death was required before resurrection life could show up. So, I want to see my life in this body as a daily opportunity to see Your power manifested in my weakness. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Light of the Gospel

1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ESV

Paul viewed himself as a minister of the new covenant who had been commissioned by Jesus Christ to carry the message of the gospel, the good news that a right standing with God was available through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This new-and-improved message was not based on the old covenant of works or human effort. Men no longer had to vainly attempt to keep the Mosaic Law, trusting that their efforts would somehow measure up to God’s righteous standard and earn them favor in His sight. The author of Hebrews states that the old way has been replaced with a new and better way. 

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. – Hebrews 8:6-7 NLT

Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. – Hebrews 7:22 NLT

Paul didn’t lose heart when sharing this new and better covenant with the world, because he knew it was effective. It was the key to victory over sin and the means by which men could be made right with God, once and for all. So, in spite of opposition, rejection, persecution, and at times a seeming lack of success, he kept sharing. He felt no need to use deceitful tactics or underhanded means to trick people into believing the gospel. It could stand on its own because it was the truth of God and had proven capable of transforming the lives of countless individuals without Paul having to resort to human wisdom or his own personal powers of persuasion. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul reminded them that his initial ministry to them wasn’t based on his rhetorical skills or human intellect.

I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan…Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:1, 4-5 NLT

There were likely those who heard the gospel as preached by Paul, Silas, Titus, and others, who remained unchanged. The problem was not with the gospel or the minister's presentation skills, but with the recipients' spiritual condition. Their unbelief was not just stubbornness or obstinacy; it was spiritual warfare.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT

It is important to keep Paul’s use of the word “veiled” linked with his prior use of it in chapter 3. There, he had been talking about the old covenant as revealed under Moses, the covenant of law. And there were still Jews who were trying to gain favor with God through the keeping of the law.

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. – 2 Corinthians 3:14-15 ESV

When the Jews in Paul’s day read the books of the law, they were blinded by their own belief and expectation that they could somehow be made right with God through law-keeping. So they refused to accept Jesus as the mediator of a new and better covenant. In the case of non-Jews, Paul insists that they were blinded by Satan, the god of this world. He kept them deluded, distracted, and deceived. 

Paul insists that their eyes must be opened to the truth in order to receive it. Their spiritual blindness must first be healed so that they can see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Paul knew exactly what he was talking about, because it had happened to him in his own conversion. The book of Luke recounts that fateful day when Paul came face-to-face with the resurrected Christ. As he made his way to Damascus, where he intended to persecute and arrest Christians, Paul (then known as Saul) was suddenly blinded by a light and heard the voice of Jesus Himself.

Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. – Acts 9:8-9 ESV

Jesus commanded Saul to go to the city of Damascus and await further instructions. God then sent a disciple named Ananias to minister to Saul.

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. – Acts 9:17-19 NLT

Saul had been blinded by the light, but when the Holy Spirit came upon him, his physical sight was immediately restored along with his spiritual sight. He saw, for the first time in his life, the truth of the very gospel he had been trying to destroy. No longer blinded by the enemy, Paul placed his faith in the resurrected Jesus and was converted.

In chapter three of 2 Corinthians, Paul insists that it is the Holy Spirit who removes the veil from the spiritual eyes of the lost so that they might see and reflect the glory of the Lord.

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. – 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT

Like the blind man who was healed by Jesus, those who have their spiritual eyes opened by the Spirit of God can see and accept the truth of the gospel, and are able to say, “I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25 NLT). That bright, holy light that blinded Paul on the road to Damascus is the same light of the glory of Christ that shines into the life of every unsaved person, eliminating the darkness of sin and illuminating them with the life-transforming hope of the gospel.

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT

It is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for spiritually dead and sightless individuals to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He opens their eyes so they can see the truth of the gospel message of hope, healing, and restoration.

Salvation is the work of God performed by the Spirit in the lives of the lost. It is not due to the persuasive power of men like Paul. Only God can restore sight to the blind. Only God can raise the spiritually dead back to life. Only God can remove the veil placed on the minds of unbelievers by Satan, allowing them to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV).

Father, more than six decades ago, You graciously opened my eyes and allowed me to see the glory of the gospel. Even as a young child, I was able to grasp its simplicity and accept the free gift of salvation made possible through the death, burial, and resurrection of Your sinless sin. There was much I did not understand, but my lack of knowledge did not prevent me from saying yes to Your gracious offer salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. It wasn’t the words of men or my own cognitive abilities that save me; it was enlightening power of the Spirit. And I will be forever grateful that You made the gospel accessible to a young boy living in Long Island, New York in 1962. And in all the years that have passed since that fateful day. the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ has continued to illuminate and transform my life in ways I never could have imagined. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

With Eyes Wide Open

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ESV

In verses 7-11, Paul addressed the greater glory of the new covenant, as revealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and His sanctifying ministry in the lives of believers. Rather than having to live up to a God-ordained code of conduct in our own strength, we have been given a new nature, made possible by the Holy Spirit’s presence within us. In his letter to the Romans, Paul explained just what man’s relationship with the old covenant had become due to the work of the Holy Spirit.

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:3-4 ESV

And Paul tells the Corinthians, “since we have such a hope, we are very bold” (2 Corinthians 3:12 ESV). Unlike the glory that shone from Moses’ face after having received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, our glory is internal and eternal. The Holy Spirit is a permanent resident in the life of the believer, and His glory shines through us. The book of Exodus reveals that Moses was unaware that his face exuded the glory of God. He was oblivious to his outward transformation until others pointed it out.

When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD. So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. – Exodus 34:29-30 ESV

When Moses realized that his radiant face terrified the people, he covered it with a veil. Moses records that “whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face” (Exodus 34:33-35 NLT).

It seems that Moses initially veiled his face to diminish the people’s fear. But in time, his motive appears to have changed. His continued wearing of the veil went from protection to prevention. He was less worried about their fear than he was about their unfaithfulness. So, he prevented the people from seeing God’s glory because he deemed them unworthy. 

While the Old Testament does not record this fact, Paul states that the day came when the glory on Moses’ face began to fade; yet he continued to wear the veil. This left the people with the impression that nothing had changed. Yet Paul insists, “We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away” (2 Corinthians 3:13 NLT). Paul seems to infer that the glory on Moses’ face was never intended to be permanent. As time passed, the people grew used to their leader’s glowing face. They even noticed that it had begun to fade. 

Their reaction to Moses’ fading countenance reflected their attitude toward the Mosaic Law. In the beginning, they treated it with awe and reverence, but over time, their fear subsided, and their commitment to God’s Law waned. 

Neither Moses nor Paul explains why the glory faded. Perhaps it reflects Moses’ own doubts about the Law’s efficacy. He was not seeing in the people the kind of life change he expected. Their fear of his glowing face did not translate into obedience to God’s commands. And while Moses continued to meet with Yahweh,  it appears that those encounters had a diminishing impact on Moses. Paul writes that the glory on Moses’ face was “destined to fade away” (2 Corinthians 3:13 NLT). It was never meant to be permanent and, as Paul insists, neither was the law.

The old covenant, like the glow on Moses' face, was always meant to be temporary. It would not last and would one day be replaced by the new covenant and the permanent, indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

Just as Moses covered his face with a veil, Paul says the minds of the Israelites were veiled so that their hearts were hardened and they were unable to see the truth. They believed the law was the key to their righteousness, even though they were incapable of obeying it. And it was their stubborn belief that the old covenant (the law) was the God-ordained means of being made right with Him that kept them from accepting Christ when He came. They refused to believe that He was the answer to their sin problem.

But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. – 2 Corinthians 3:14-15 ESV)

Their stubborn adherence to self-righteousness prevents them from accepting the righteousness made possible through the death of Jesus Christ. And yet, Paul repeatedly insists that obedience to the law was never intended as the path to justification before God.

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. – Galatians 2:16 NLT

So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Galatians 3:11 NLT

So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. – Romans 3:28 NLT

Paul tells the Corinthians, “whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:16 NLT), and it is the Spirit of God that makes this possible. He opens the eyes of the spiritually blind, those with veiled hearts, and allows them to see the life-changing truth of the gospel. As a result, they “can see and reflect the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18a NLT). Like Moses, they can see the glory of God face-to-face and, not only that, they can reflect that glory to all those around them — a glory that will never fade.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have access to God just as Moses did. We can enter into His presence at any time, day or night. Not only that, but He has also placed His presence within us in the form of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we are being transformed by this daily encounter with the divine, from one degree of glory to another, slowly, methodically, and persistently,

God is molding us into the likeness of His Son, and it is all because of His Spirit’s presence within us. There is no longer any law to live up to, but only the Spirit to whom we must submit. In his letter to the believers in Galatia, Paul explained the need for submission to the Spirit’s leading.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. – Galatians 5:16-18 NLT

The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the capacity to say no to sin and yes to righteousness. He is the glory of God who resides in us and shines through us. He is constantly transforming us, and because He never leaves us, our ongoing transformation is guaranteed to never fade or falter.

Father, thank You for the gift of the Spirit. Without His indwelling presence, I would be just like Moses and the people of Israel, stuck trying to live up to Your holy standards in my own strength and doomed to failure. Rule-keeping is always onerous, but for some reason it feels like the right thing to do. I tend to like a list of do's and don’t's to keep because it allows me to keep score on my progress. But Paul makes it clear that I am incapable of living up to Your holy standards on my own. So, You graciously gave me the Holy Spirit as my advocate and helper. My ability to reflect Your glory isn’t up to me; it’s the work of Your Spirit within me. And now that my eyes are unveiled, I can see the law for what it is; a tool that reveals my sinfulness and reminds me of my need for the Spirit’s life-transforming power. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Conduits of God’s Grace

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 ESV

Paul ended the last chapter with the words, “You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us” (2 Corinthians 2:17 NLT).

He can’t help but feel frustrated at having to defend himself and his ministry again. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he found himself dealing with those who questioned his authority and apostleship. But as far as he was concerned, he only answered to God and no one else.

As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. – 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 NLT

Much of what Paul writes in this letter is not new information to the Corinthians; he has said it all before, in writing and in person. He wants them to know that he is not attempting to prove himself to them again. He doesn’t need a letter of recommendation, either from himself or anyone else, to affirm his status as an apostle of Jesus Christ. If they require proof of the effectiveness of his ministry, all they have to do is look at their own lives.

The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you.– 2 Corinthians 3:2-3a NLT

Paul’s ministry was fruitful and had produced results. Lives had been changed. So, there should have been no reason for him to defend himself. The believers in Corinth were his letter of recommendation “written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God…carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3b NLT). There was no greater proof of the validity of Paul’s apostolic ministry than the transformed lives of those who made up the church in Corinth.

When Paul had first arrived in Corinth, he did not impress them with his oratory skills or blow them away with his eloquence and powers of persuasion. In fact, just the opposite was the case.

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT

The establishment of the church in Corinth had been the work of the Holy Spirit, not Paul. He was simply a conduit through whom the Spirit had worked, making him an instrument in God's hands. Paul could look at the changed lives of the people in Corinth and know with confidence that his work had been effective. He also knew that it had not been because of his own skills or abilities.

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant. – 2 Corinthians 3:5-6a ESV

Any success Paul had enjoyed was the result of God’s power, not his own.

We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 3:4 NLT

It is important to note that, while Paul viewed himself as a servant of God, he did not believe he was working for God so much as he was being used by God. He truly believed that God was working through him, not that he was helping God out. Sometimes we can easily begin to think that we are doing God a favor by serving Him. We can believe that we are doing all the work, while He sits back, eagerly watching and waiting to see what we will accomplish. But Paul knew that, without God’s power, all his efforts would have been in vain. God is not dependent upon us; it is the other way around. It was Paul who proudly proclaimed, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV). And it was God who said to Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

Paul knew that it was the Spirit who gives life, and that only God can make the salvation of men possible. We have a role to play, but we must never forget that our role is that of servants of God. We are tools in His hands, empowered by His Spirit and obligated to do His will, His way. Paul emphasizes his understanding of his God-given role later on in this same letter.

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” –2 Corinthians 5:18-20 NLT

We are conduits of God’s grace. We are PVC pipes carrying the life-giving message of the good news to those who are spiritually thirsty and starving. And we can be confident that God can and will use us as we make ourselves available to Him. Our weakness does not disqualify us; it makes us perfect candidates for God’s service.

God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NLT

So, Paul writes, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31 NLT). God can and will use you. Your value to Him begins with your recognition of your absolute dependence upon Him. Your greatest use by Him starts with your understanding that you are useless without Him. When we understand that God is the power behind our effectiveness, we can become confident conduits of His grace.

Father, thank You for choosing to use me, despite my sometimes over-self-confidence, pride, and arrogance. I am reminded that You don’t use me because You need me. My gifts, talents, and abilities are not assets to You; they are more often liabilities. I am nothing more than a conduit of Your grace and mercy; a means of distributing Your love and communicating Your redemptive message to all those who need to heat it. You chose me, filled me with Your Spirit, gave me access to Your power, and equipped me with a spiritual gift — all so that You might use me to reconcile the lost and build up the body of Christ. But I am more than just a servant to You; I am Your child. You love me and are patiently transforming me into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus Christ. And anything I accomplish in this life that has value or worth is because of You, not me. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Strength In Weakness

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. – 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 ESV

Since the moment Paul had sent his troubling letter to the Corinthians, he felt compelled to defend his movements. He has already told them, “I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea” (2 Corinthians 1:15-16 ESV). He had already made one painful visit to the city of Corinth and had no desire to do so again.

I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. – 2 Corinthians 2:1 ESV

In the meantime, he had been quite busy, traveling to Troas and on to Macedonia. The Corinthians needed to understand that they were not the only fellowship he was responsible for. Paul served as an apostle and spiritual father to many congregations. His dance card was full, and he was pulled in many different directions. He wrestled with the weighty responsibility of caring for the spiritual well-being of the new believers who made up the churches he helped found. In his first letter to the Corinthians, he described his attitude toward them.

For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. – 1 Corinthians 4:15 NLT

But when all was said and done, Paul knew his schedule was in God's hands. He was simply leading them “in triumphal procession” as they followed the will of God and the example of Christ. There might appear to be setbacks and detours, and there would most certainly be difficulties along the way, but because of Christ, the outcome was guaranteed to be victorious.

Paul was content with being the means by which God spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere he went. It really didn’t matter whether he ended up in Corinth, Troas, Macedonia, Asia, Palestine, Greece, or Rome. He knew his mission remained unchanged: to share the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere he went.

But Paul was also painfully aware that the “fragrance” of the knowledge of Christ wasn’t always pleasant to everyone who heard it. He sadly states, “to those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom” (2 Corinthians 2:16a NLT). In his first letter, the apostle Peter refers to those who refused the gospel message as “those who do not believe” and who “stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:7-8 ESV).

Because of sin, they are destined to condemnation and death, and eternal separation from God. In their condition, the fragrance of the gospel comes across as a stench; it isn’t good news. As Paul wrote in his first letter, “…people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT).

So what do they do? If the good news is incomprehensible to them, how do they get saved? It requires regeneration. Jesus told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). Because of the fall, men are born spiritually dead; they are without spiritual life and condemned to remain spiritually separated from God for eternity, unless something happens to regenerate them.

In his letter to Titus, Paul reminded him that God “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 NLT).  J. I. Packer describes regeneration as “the spiritual change wrought in the heart of man by the Holy Spirit in which his/her inherently sinful nature is changed so that he/she can respond to God in Faith, and live in accordance with His will” (J. I. Packer, “Regeneration,” Elwell Evangelical Dictionary). 

So until the Holy Spirit regenerates the unbeliever, opening his eyes and giving him the capacity to see and comprehend the truth of the gospel, he will find the good news both onerous and odorous.

But to those who “are being saved,” the gospel and those who share it are “a life-giving perfume” (2 Corinthians 2:16b NLT). While Paul feels completely inadequate for the task, he knows he is being used by God. He has been an eyewitness to the power of the gospel, as evidenced by the changed lives of countless individuals who were once dead in their sins.

Paul wasn’t in it for the money, and he wasn’t out to make a name for himself or build up his own reputation. He was like a captive being led in a victory parade by the victorious Christ. His place in the line had been made possible by Christ. His role in the spread of the gospel was the result of Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross. So he gladly preached the word “with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us” (2 Corinthians 2:17 NLT).

He had learned to go with the flow, willingly taking the gospel wherever God directed him. He had also learned to view apparent setbacks as nothing more than God’s orchestration of His divine will. Experience had taught him to recognize his own weakness and embrace God’s all-sufficient power. He was insufficiently sufficient, and believed it when he said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).

Near the end of his letter, he tells the Corinthians, “That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT). His outlook is reflected in the words of the classic hymn, Just A Closer Walk With Thee.

I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Thro' this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Father, we tend to see weakness as a liability, but Paul wore it like a badge of honor. He understood that his insufficiencies were the canvas on which You painted the masterpiece of redemption and spiritual transformation. He viewed himself as the featureless clay in the hands of Master Potter, who alone could fashion “vessels of honor” (2 Timothy 2:20-21) out of something of little or no value. Paul understood that his only worth came from his relationship with Christ. His pleasing “aroma” was not self-produced, but was a byproduct of his transformation by the Holy Spirit. I want to share his humble outlook and view myself as weak and unworthy apart from Christ. I want to recognize my insufficiency and gladly rest in the power and provision of Your indwelling Spirit. Give me an ever-increasing desire to live according to Your strength and not my own. When I grow doubtful and ask, “who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:16 NLT), I want to answer with Paul, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.