2 Corinthians - Chapter 6

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I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I took a break during the month of March. It was a busy and cold month! My favorite verse from the last chapter is the following, which sums up the reason for the Easter season.

2 Corinthians 5:15   “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

 

In chapter 6, Paul begins by reminding us not to take God’s grace for granted. He calls us God’s “co-workers,” not His employees or servants. His CO-WORKERS! I don’t know about you, but it is difficult for me to see myself on the same level as God, as His fellow worker or partner. To know God thinks of us that way is very humbling, yet empowering at the same time.

¹As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

If we continue to live for ourselves rather than for Christ, then we have received God’s grace in vain.

²For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8, informing the Corinthians the “day of salvation” spoken of in the scriptures is now.

Every saving act God performed in the history of Israel finds fulfillment in this age of grace. God told Israel He heard them, and in the day of salvation He’d help them. The “day of salvation” would be later, after the coming of Christ.  

2 Corinthians 1:20  “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

All the promises God made in the Old Testament were fulfilled through the coming of Christ. It is because of Christ we can say “so be it,” which is what “Amen” means.

John 8:56  “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

Jesus told the Jews Abraham rejoiced when Jesus left Heaven and came to earth to fulfill the promise made to him. 

Hebrews 11:13   “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”

The writer of Hebrews explains how the descendants of Abraham, who were as numerous as the stars in the sky, were living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised them in their lifetime on earth, but they DID see them and welcome them from a distance. They knew they were not of this earth, yet they were able to watch Christ fulfill the promise made to Abraham and rejoice in it.

Those who lived prior to Christ’s coming, those who believed in the Old Testament teachings, saw and welcomed the fulfillment of God’s promises from a distance.

³We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Paul is concerned about keeping his testimony pure by keeping his life pure. He doesn’t want to do anything to discourage others from hearing and accepting the message about Christ. We should be as diligent in our daily lives. Remember, in the course of your day, there are many non-Christians observing you. Don’t allow your actions be another person’s excuse for rejecting Christ.  

Verses 4-5 describe the testings of a Christian worker; 6-7 describe characteristics of a Christian worker; 8-10 contain 9 contradictions which are true about a Christian worker.

In verse 10, Paul reminds us true wealth does not come from earthly possessions, but from being “rich in Godly things.”

Luke 12:20-21   “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 

²¹“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Eph. 3:8   “Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ”

Philippians 4:19  “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

What are these riches?

Colossians 2:2-3  “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

¹¹We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹²We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.

Paul has always loved the Christians in Corinth and been completely open and honest with them. But in return, they have started believing the false teachings of the fake apostles that have entered their church. They’ve been telling them that Paul is the fake and that he doesn’t really love them. So here Paul is explaining that he does love them, just as he would his own children, and asks for their loyalty.

¹⁴Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Belial – Original Greek was Beliar, a variant of Belial, a Hebrew term used for Satan.

Paul is obviously speaking to the church about allowing non-believers in their midst and allowing them to infiltrate the teachings of the church. But this can also apply to us when choosing friends and spouses. 

Paul has pre-qualified this statement back in 1 Corinthians 5:9-12.

“⁹I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. ¹²What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”  

Paul is not suggesting we isolate ourselves from everyone who is sinful. But he is telling us not to allow them to infiltrate the Church. 

In fact Paul goes as far as to tell us NOT to isolate ourselves from sinners—even in our families.  See 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 (“¹²To the rest I say this [I, not the Lord]: If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.) 

If we isolate ourselves, we can’t be fruitful in bringing others to Christ. But don’t allow those who are not saved to influence the way we live and believe. 

 ¹⁶What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ¹⁷Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

There can be no compromise within the church just to appease those who don’t believe as we do. The Corinthian Church had turned away from idolatry in favor of the Gospel of Christ. Now they are accepting some of the idol worshippers among them. Paul is warning them against reverting back to their old ways. 

He’s not talking about the fact that they allow these people in the building. The Church he’s speaking of here is the people, the living stones, the believers. It is all important they don’t form defiling and unholy alliances that will cause them to turn from, or get distracted from, the teachings of Christ. 

“As God has said”: this is quoting Lev. 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; & Ezekiel 37:27) 

Verse 17 was taken from Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:34,41. 

Paul says we should separate ourselves in that we must not allow the sinful nature of those around us to infiltrate and influence our lives. We need to stand strong and faithful in the Lord. We should live among others in this world so we can witness to them, but we should stand apart by not joining in their sinful and worldly ways.

¹⁸And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”

This quote was taken from 2 Samuel 7:14 & 7:8. God has adopted us into His family as His children and brothers and sisters to Christ Jesus. What a wonderful and glorious family we have!