2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 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. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 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. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 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.

So few verses, so many lessons! We need to take this a verse or a phrase at a time, so we don’t miss anything. Let’s dig deep!

v. 1

“Therefore …” As pastor Jeff Walling loves to say, whenever you see “Therefore”, you need to look back to see what it’s there for. In this case, Paul seems to be referring to his previous discussion of the Israelites’ rejection of the gospel, and his struggle with the “Judaizers” to retain the purity and simplicity of his gospel message. Because of these issues, Paul does not allow himself to become discouraged, nor does he seek to advance the gospel by dishonest or deceptive discourse.

Neither should we become discouraged when we try to share the gospel with friends or even family, only to be met with rejection. God will hold me responsible for doing my part, which is to share my blessings in Christ with anyone who will listen. God does not hold me responsible for His part, which is the result of what I share. Paul made this clear in his first (preserved) letter to Corinth: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Cor 3:7)

v. 1, again

“… having this ministry by the mercy of God …” What a blessing it is to be entrusted with the gospel message to share! If Jesus had put his plan to grow the church to a committee of human advisors, putting it all in the hands of sinful men would have been the last possible option. Paul will admit this himself, in verse 7 of this chapter: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” We are indeed jars of clay, easily broken, unreliable. And yet, God gives us a role to play in saving the world from sin.

Am I doing my part? Am I thankful to God for the opportunity He gives me to minister to the world around me in this way?

v. 2

“… by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience …”

Paul didn’t need to come up with clever, socially acceptable ways to present the gospel. He didn’t need a five-step plan, or a slide show. He didn’t need sneaky ways to insert tiny bits of gospel into everyday interactions. He simply told people the truth. The simple truth.

How many times have I shied away from telling a friend about Jesus, because I thought I didn’t know enough, or didn’t have ready answers for all the questions he might ask, or couldn’t remember the correct “presentation”. I tend to make speaking up for Jesus into something complicated and difficult, when it’s really simple and easy. I’ve missed many opportunities that way.

Will I, this week, simply speak the truth to someone who needs to hear it?

v. 3-4

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers …”

Paul spoke to this in the previous chapter, recognizing the very sad but very true fact that not everyone is going to accept Jesus’ salvation. God is responsible for the results of the gospel, but He is not coercive. God will not force people into faith. Paul wrote of this in his letter to the Romans; much of chapter one speaks of unbelievers’ rejection of God. v. 21: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Simple fact; not everyone will believe. Am I truly thankful for the faith that God has given me, the positive spiritual influences He has placed around me throughout my life? Do I recognize and fully accept that faith is a gift from God, and is no accomplishment of my own?

v. 6

“For God … has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

“God has shone in our hearts”!! What a wonderful proclamation! Reinforcing the thoughts of the previous verses, again it is God who shines out of our hearts, not ourselves. Anything good in my life, any praiseworthy act, is of God, not of me.

Am I quick to give God the credit for all good things in my life? Am I consistent in pointing others to God when they start to thank me for the good things God is doing for them through me? Am I truly thankful to God for the opportunities He gives me to be His kind voice and His caring hands in His world?

2 Corinthians 3:14

“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.”

In verses 12-18, Paul explores the reason why the Jews of his day rejected Paul’s message, and determines that they simply haven’t changed in the last few thousand years. In Exodus 32:9, God said “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.” Paul’s reference to the veil which Moses wore is his symbolic reference to the stiff-necked and stubborn nature of God’s chosen people.

Much of the Old Testament is the story of Israel’s continuing struggle to fully accept God as their Lord and Savior; to let go of their sinful desires and fully follow God. We see the nation vacillating between idols and the worship of the one True God, over and over again. Nehemiah chapter 9 recaps the nation’s history of sin and rejection of God up to that time.

What are we to learn from this?

We ought to remember that the Israelites, although having been named as “God’s chosen people”, were really no different from any of the rest of us. They were no more prone to setting aside their faith when it seemed convenient, to going their own sinful way than we are today. We are equally tempted to stiff-necked rebellion. Perhaps not so tempted to worship idols, but we have our own modern-day temptations.

So I must ask myself: In what ways is my mind (and my heart!) hardened against God? What am I stubbornly holding on to, when God wants to give me something better? Am I depending on my retirement accounts too much, and upon God too little? Am I using my time for His service, or for my pleasure? Am I allowing age and infirmity to limit my work for Him, or using it to His advantage? Am I open to learning new truths from God’s Word, or clinging to pseudo-truths which I think I already know?

2 Corinthians 3:5-6a

“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 …”

Self-sufficiency … one of the most pervasive and pernicious sins of our modern times.

Webster’s gives two definitions for self-sufficiency. (1) “Able to maintain oneself or itself without outside aid; capable of providing for one’s own needs.” (2) “Having an extreme confidence in one’s own ability or worth.” Steve Taylor, PhD, writes about the psychological need for self-sufficiency in Psychology Today: “Self-esteem should be like a tree, deeply rooted in self-sufficiency. Otherwise, it will be fragile and unstable.”

I’m not at all sure that Paul, or God, would agree. Our sufficiency is from God! Paul probably was familiar with Psalm 62, which says in verses 5-8: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

Proverbs 3:5 encourages us to avoid self-sufficiency. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Jeremiah looks at the flip side, and writes of the sin of failing to rely on God: “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (17:5)

While we are encouraged, even commanded, to put our faith and dependence in God, too much dependence on our brothers in Christ is discouraged. Take a look at Paul’s letter to the church of the Thessalonians.

My lesson from all these scriptures is that I will work to provide for my needs in this world as God gives me work to do. I will not worry about having work or sufficient resources; I will turn all those cares over to God and depend only upon Him. In ministry, I will depend upon Him to guide my steps and shape my words, and leave the results totally in His court.

This lesson leaves me with much to think about? Is there any way in which I’m holding on to self-sufficiency, any measure of depending upon myself and my own strength instead of totally depending upon God? Am I calling upon Jesus for the strength to resist temptations? And as my friend Bill loves to say, “If not, why not?”

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 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.”

Paul got an “A” in theology from God, but he may have gotten a “C” in writing from my third-grade teacher, for his run-on sentences!

Paul says here that the Corinthians conversion and dedication to Christ is all the recommendation he needs as a messenger of the gospel. Paul is writing about letters of recommendation here, because the Corinthian church had been thrown in to turmoil because of false teachers who had come in, primarily to oppose Paul. In much of this letter, Paul defends his legitimacy as a messenger of Christ.

While we need to be constantly wary of false teachers, and this may be the primary message of this letter, this does not mean that is the only lesson we can draw from Paul’s writing here. My focus today is on Paul’s description of the Corinthians as a “letter from Christ” which has been written on “tablets of human hearts”. That applies not just to the first-century Corinthian church, but equally to every one of us!

What does it mean to be a letter from Christ? I believe it means that anyone around me can know Jesus better by observing my actions and hearing my words; by observing how I treat people, and how I respond to people, especially those that don’t treat me as I would like. People should come to know Jesus better by the ways I choose to spend my time and my money, and by the activities and interests I choose to avoid. Do I leave the “aroma of Christ” in my wake?

These are some of the things I should be saying and doing. My real application question is, how does my reality match up to this expectation? How could I be doing better? If I need to walk more closely in Jesus’ footsteps, when will I take that step?

Circumcision

The question arose in a recent Bible discussion whether circumcision was a covenant or a (Old Testament) law. We will depart from our usual format to do a survey of circumcision throughout the Bible, and examine what we find. This will not be a totally comprehensive survey, calling out every reference, but I will try to hit all the related topics and views. Let’s see what we find!

The first reference to circumcision in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 17. Use the link to read the chapter and get the context; I won’t quote all of it here, but these are the high points:

v. 9-11 “And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.”
- Circumcision is definately a command of God, related to His covenant with Abraham. God made His covenant with Abraham above in verse 4, so the covenant was not dependent upon Abraham’s obedience; it was decided entirely by God.
- God’s command applied to all following generations. I don’t see any reason that even the coming of Christ would have abrogated this covenant. The command should continue in force even today for descendants of Abraham. Verse 13 says “So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.”.
- The covenant command was extended to foreigners who joined an Israelite household. Verse 12: “…Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring…”. See also Exodus 12:43-49.
Leviticus 12:3: “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.”. It appears here that the covenant command was included within the Law that God gave to Moses. While this passage is primarily about the woman giving birth, it also commands the circumcision of the male child, on the eighth day, exactly according to the covenant command God gave to Abraham.
Deuteronomy 10:16: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.”

Circumcision was never just about a mark in the flesh; it was always about the dedication of a man’s heart to God. This thought is not unique in the Old Testament; it was repeated in …
Deuteronomy 30:6: “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

The same thought regarding circumcision of the heart is found here also, but it is expanded. Salvation is related to circumcision of the heart, not circumcision of the flesh.
Jeremiah 9:25: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh.”

What God requires of His people is of the heart, not of the flesh.
Romans 2:25-29: “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 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.”

Moving into the New Testament, we find that …
- Circumcision that counts for Jews is circumcision of the heart, not circumcision of the flesh.
- The same standard is applied to Gentile believers.
- Circumcision of the heart is evidenced by obedience to God’s commands.
Colossians 2:11-12: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

A circumcision made “without hands”, having “put off the body of flesh” is a circumcision of the heart. This circumcision is made through faith. We can’t see a person’s faith,but we can see the changes which faith has wroght in that person.

These are not all the verses throughout the Bible which mention circumcision, but I believe we have covered the major points, which I’ll try to summarize here …

Circumcision was originally a command associated with God’s covenant with Abraham, applicable to all succeeding generations, both natural-born and legally joined. This command appears never to have been rescinded.
Circumcision was always, even in the Old Testament, about obedience of the heart, being far more important than marks of the flesh. The physical circumcision was to be evidence of the heart circumcision.
Circumcision of the heart is enjoined upon all believers in Christ, regardless of the presence or absence of a physical circumcision. It is evidenced by faith, and by the changes in dedication, direction, attitude and action which faith creates within the believer in Christ Jesus.

As always, I want to apply these scriptures, and the lessons therein, to myself. I ask myself, what are the visible results of faith in my life? What can others percieve in my life which can only come from faith in our Lord Christ Jesus?

2 Corinthians 2:15-16

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”

Webster’s defines aroma as “a distinctive quality or atmosphere”. We cannot see an aroma, nor can we touch it, but we know without doubt when it is present.

So should it be with us. Our dedication to Christ, our inner peace because of the Holy Spirit within us, should be apparent to people around us, without having the need for us to speak of it. Yes, when the opportunity to open a spiritual conversation presents, the aroma of Christ should prompt us to speak up and encourage others towards faith in Him; but if the aroma of Christ is present, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those whom we encourage.

The aroma of Christ should be apparent to all; to believers, a comforting quality or atmosphere which makes the other feel as if they’re with kindred. To unbelievers, an uncomfortable feeling that something within them is lacking, that they either want or fear what we have, without being able to name it or put a finger on it. That is why we are instructed and encouraged to speak for Christ with gentleness and respect. Paul wrote to Timothy: “The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness.” (2 Timothy 2:24-25) James echoed a similar sentiment: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.” (James 3:17-18)

So, I ask myself, how’s my spiritual aroma? Do I need some spiritual Dial soap, and some biblical Right Guard? If I tell someone about my faith in Christ, will he raise his eyebrows in surprise, or nod with an “I just knew it” gesture?

2 Corinthians 2:5-8

“Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.”

Paul was writing with gentleness of spirit; there was really no “if”. The someone who had caused pain was most likely Paul’s opponent who had stirred up the Corinthian church in opposition to Paul and rejection of the gospel he brought to them. Now that this rebellion against Paul was (for the most part) resolved, Paul wanted to ensure that harsh punishment and social rejection of the offender did not cause yet more problems and pain within the church.

We will occasionally encounter people with severe spiritual stuggles and failings within the church. Paul tells us here how to respond to such people after they have seen the error of their ways and repented: “reaffirm your love for him”! Before repentance, Paul takes a totally different view; see 1 Corinthians 5:5.

How do we respond to repentant sinners within the church? In my personal experience, I’ve found that a hug is a good start! By the time they’ve repented, they don’t really need to hear whatever I might have to say; as much as anything else, they need to be heard. All I have to do is listen.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

One of the questions I truly struggle with is “Am I afflicted?”. As a middle-class American, I find it somewhere between uncomfortable and outrageous to claim any degree of affliction or discomfort! So many millions around the world do not live in a comfortable home as I do. So many do not have three (or more!) abundant meals each day as I do; or if they do, they can’t look forward to the next one with the assurance I do. Millions, some even in this country, have no access to quality health care. Millions are living under the daily threat of warfare. There can be no doubt that I live among the most abundantly-blessed in the world, and among the most richly-blessed throughout history.

On the other hand, I must in all honesty confess to feeling afflicted as I struggle to get out of bed in the morning, creeping slowly down the stairs as stiff muscles and joints warm up to a new day. I feel afflicted with multiple eruptions of arthritis pain severely limiting daily activity. I feel afflicted as age and diabetes rob me of strength and energy to even serve family and friends in the ways I’ve become accustomed to doing over the last seventy-plus years.

My point here is that we all have an Enemy, who is a genius at causing us to feel afflicted and burdened regardless of our circumstances.

Paul tells us that, whatever the source of our affliction, whether it be life-threatening or trivial, we have a Comforter; the true and only source of all comfort. Our comfort may not be relief of physical pain or the next meal falling from Heaven, but rather the strength to endure whatever is set before us, knowing we don’t walk through trials alone, but hand-in-hand with our Holy Comforter. God only bids us to trust in Him.

Walking with God, I know that I can do what He has set out for me to do. He didn’t promise that it would be without pain, without hunger, or without fatigue. He promised only that He will strengthen me and enable me to do what He wants me to do.

We must always trust in God’s promises, but we must also not re-interpret His promises to mean more than what He really promised. God never promised the strength to do what I want to do, nor what I think I ought to be doing. He never promised that it would be easy. In fact, just the opposite! Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) Trouble in this life is a God-given guarantee! BUT, Jesus immediately followed that promise with another: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We should also ask ourselves “WHY did God promise to ‘comfort us in all our afflictions‘?” We might at first think the answer is to help us feel better, and to give us encouragement. While that’s not wrong, it’s far from being completely right. Paul goes on to explain that the primary reason for God’s comfort for us is so that “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction”. We are a MIRROR, reflecting the comfort we receive from God to the hurting world around us!

This mirror principle applies to ALL the blessing we receive from God. We are loved by God, and reflect that love to others. We are materially blessed by God, so that we can give to others. We are given grace covering all our sins and receiving reconciliation, so that we can carry the good news of salvation to others. We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but in chapter 9 verse 11 we will read “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” Whatever God gives, He gives to be shared with others.

So I’ll end this brief study with these questions: Am I giving comfort to those who need it? Am I reflecting God’s love to everyone I see? Am I generous with the material blessings God has entrusted me with? Am I sharing the good news of salvation and reconciliation with anyone and everyone who will listen? How can I give and share more?

2 Corinthians 1:1-2

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is Paul’s greeting to the Corinthian church, which includes two important principles which Christians everywhere must not miss nor forget.

First, Paul refers to Timothy as “our brother”. Paul wrote in Romans 8:14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” All who accept God as their spiritual Father and Jesus as their spiritual brother are brothers (and sisters), having the same Father and having been grafted into the same family. (Romans 11:17)

This should speak strongly to our treatment of each other. What would we do for another member of our physical family? The question might better be stated, what would we not do?! Family cares for family. This is exactly how we should care for and serve our spiritual family as well.

Second, Paul refers to “all the saints”. The reference to saints can be confusing for some. In the Catholic Church, some people are appointed as saints by the judgements and procedures of the Pope and high church officials. The Bible, however, has a different view. In Acts 9, Ananias spoke to our Lord and referred to “your saints at Jerusalem.” The Greek word translated as “saints” is “ἁγίοις (hagiois)”, which means “set apart by God”, or “consecrated to God.”

If you have placed your faith and trust in Christ Jesus, you are a saint! You have been set apart from the evil world by God, and you have been consecrated to God’s service. If you are consecrated to God, what manner of life should you be living? What should the world around you see as they regard your daily living, and your service to others.

This thought really challenges me. In the concept of “consecrated to God”, I find no place for grumpy, selfish, or indifferent to suffering. If I am consecrated to God, there are some things in life I must leave behind!

Paul’s greeting ends with “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Where else shall we obtain grace? Where else may peace be found? Without a reconciled relationship with God, there is no grace, and there is no peace.

May God’s grace give you peace and joy today!

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

As Paul closes his first letter to the Corinthians, he includes these two uncharacteristically short verses. When we dive into the content of these verses, however, we discover we could do much worse than taking these two short sentences to heart, making them daily reminders of how we ought to live.

Being watchful is always good advice, whether we’re crossing the street or stepping carefully through a den full of LEGO parts. Paul probably had in mind something much more serious. For what should we be watchful?

Peter wrote “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 4:7) We need to be watchful for temptation. Our enemy, Satan, is a tricky devil, and he’s been at it for thousands of years; he’s probably getting pretty good at sneaky temptation by now. Paul encourages us to stand up for righteous living by being watchful for temptation.

Matthew wrote “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42) We need to be watchful for the Lord’s return. Do you really expect Him to be showing up today? Do I? We should, and we should be living as if we do. Are there some places you’d like not to be when the Lord returns, or some activities you’d rather not be caught in?

Paul wrote “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2) We need to be watchful to recognize God’s abundant blessings showered upon us daily. We’re thankful for many things, but for most of us, there are so many more blessings that just pass by unnoticed, overlooked in the daily rush of life. I pray daily to become more cognizant of God’s blessings, so that I can thank Him for more of them. Even then, I’m quite sure I’m still missing a lot. How about you? Are there blessings in your life you’ve just taken for your good fortune without considering the real source?

We are to be watchful so that we can “stand firm in the faith“. Yes, God will continue to forgive our sins as we falter and stumble, but that’s not the kind of witness our Lord wants us to present to the world. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) He wrote to the church in Philippi “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that … I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit …” (Philippians 1:27) There are many more verses I could cite, but it’s a theme running throughout the New Testament that we are expected to stand firm against temptations, trials and times of trouble, relying always on faith in the One who sustains us.

Paul also wrote “Let all that you do be done in love.” We only need to look back three chapters to see the supreme importance of love. It doesn’t matter what good works we may do, or how eloquently we may preach, or with what wisdom we may teach, if we aren’t doing whatever we do with love, it’s worth nothing.

How do we develop patience? With love! Kindness proceeds out of love. Humility is one of the ways we express our love. Love is the antidote to resentment. Love strengthens our spines to stand up for the truth. Love bears all things, carrying us through trials in life when nothing else could sustain us. Love is eternal, because God is eternal, and God is love. (1 John 4:8) We are made in the image of God, and if God is love, then our purest expression of His image is to reflect His love to others around us.

Love is of supreme importance. Love is why we have a salvation available to us and promised to us if we have faith in Him. (John 3:16)

Who needs to experience God’s love through you today?