- 2 Corinthians 6:1-6
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- 2 Cor 6:1 (KJB)
- We then, as workers together with him, beseech
you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
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- Workers together - Work together with or cooperate
- Beseech - Call for, call beside, or encourage
- Vain - Worthless, ineffective, or empty
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- Paul was a steward and an ambassador but he also knew that he was a
worker together with God. Paul reiterates this principle from his first
letter.
(1 Cor 3:9 KJV) For we are
labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's
building. Every true Christian is a laborer
together with God. We send forth the Gospel to the ends of the earth and it
is God who is the one who applies the Gospel to the hearts of His Elect
bringing about their salvation. Paul was writing to the Corinthians that he
hoped they did not receive the grace of God in vain. He was concerned that
that his detractors would have sway over the Corinthians and they would
accept what the false accusers were saying. This would not cause a loss of
salvation to any truly saved person but it could cause them to halt their
Christian work and this would create a lifeless Christian element in
Corinth. If that happened, then the unbelievers would gain back the ground
that Paul had gained for the Gospel. This is why Paul was encouraging them
to remain faithful and not to be sidetracked by his accusers, especially
since they could not make their case with anything but words.
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- 2 Cor 6:2 (KJB)
- (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the
day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is
the accepted; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
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- Accepted - Acceptable or favorable
- Succoured - Assisted or come to the help of
- Now - The present
- Is the accepted - Well-received, approved, or acceptable
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- (Isa 49:8 KJV) Thus saith the LORD, In an
acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped
thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people,
to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
Paul uses a great verse from Isaiah detailing God’s care
for the Corinthian Christians. God has heard them in an acceptable time
because that acceptable time was their time of visitation. That time of
visitation was the time when many of them became saved and God did not leave
them alone as orphans, but he had assisted them after their salvation. This
means God had watched and cared for them. He used the Apostle Paul to bring
them discipline and further words of the Lord. The urgency of the Gospel was
such that God stated now was the day of salvation. There is no such thing in
God’s salvation plan as putting salvation off for the future. Man does not
have that ability to do this. God may allow a person to hear the Gospel and
not be saved till some future date but this is in the hands of the Lord and
not man. When the Gospel is being preached, God expects those who are saved
to pay attention and apply what is being preached. God used Paul to bring
the message of comfort to the Corinthians. It was the false teachers who
were trying to destabilize the Christians but God was stabilizing them by
sending Paul with the true Gospel. God does this today as the true Christian
brings the true Gospel from the Scriptures. It is the Scriptures that can
comfort a person and discipline them at the same time. When we hear the
Gospel, now is the time to act on it. If a person is the Elect of God and
hears the Gospel, it is their time of visitation and they will become saved.
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- 2 Cor 6:3 (KJB)
- Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not
blamed:
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- Offence - Occasion or cause of offense
- Blamed - Discredit, criticize, or find fault with
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- Here Paul is sternly charging the Corinthians that they need to watch
their Christian walk so they will not bring an offence against anyone. This
is not the kind of offence where the Gospel stings someone and they do not
want to hear it. It is the type of offence which brings shame upon the
ministry of God. We have seen so much of this in our day where ministers or
churches or radio/TV ministries have done things to discredit the Gospel of
God. This always results in the unbelievers mocking the true Gospel and it
makes it bad for the rest of us and increases the hardship in bringing the
Gospel. False religions and unbelievers wait for the moment they can pounce
on us Christians and this is why we ourselves must watch the way we walk.
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- 2 Cor 6:4 (KJB)
- But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of
God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities,
in distresses,
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- Approving - Recommending or demonstrating
- Patience - Endurance
- Afflictions - Tribulations
- Necessities - Necessary, compel, or force
- Distresses - Anguish or affliction
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- Paul’s motives and his message had validated his ministry but coinciding
with these was his ways. In every way Paul had desired to demonstrate that
he was a true Apostle of God and a true preacher. Paul gives four elements
of his life which further validate his claims on being a true Apostle. He
states that he has much patience and this he has proven repeatedly because
at this time he was showing much patience with the Corinthian Christians.
Then he states that he suffered much afflictions. He would not be afflicted
if he was walking in the ways of the world. Those who bring the true Gospel
are the ones normally afflicted by the world and the sad thing is that much
of the persecution comes from the churches sourced in jealous clergy.
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- Paul also spoke of necessities and this means that it was necessary for
him to suffer these things because it was a validation that he was not
walking with the world.
(John 15:25 KJV)
But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is
written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
The world hated the Lord Jesus Christ and hates Him today
as well. It was because of this hatred that the disciples would also suffer
for Him. (John 15:18 KJV) If the world
hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
The world hated Christ and He warned us that the world
would hate us. This hatred is a necessity which teaches us that we are
bringing the truth. If the world does not hate you but embraces you, the
truth is you might not be saved. (1 John
4:5 KJV) They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the
world heareth them. Then Paul speaks about being
in distresses. He had faced much anguish for the sake of the churches
especially because of all the opposition that was rising up in them that was
aimed at him.
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- 2 Cor 6:5 (KJB)
- In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in
watchings, in fastings;
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- Tumults - Insurrection, riots, or disorder
- Watchings - Sleepless nights
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- Here Paul continues on with some of the other validations of his
ministry. He states that he received many stripes, that is, he received 39
lashes 5 times for a total of 195 lashes. Each subsequent flogging would
have opened up the older wounds and caused much more excruciating pain than
a first time flogging. History has recorded that many men had died under the
lash but Paul’s mission was not yet finished so God preserved him through
those torturous times. He was then subject to imprisonments such as Philippi
and Rome. He was also involved in many tumults such as the one at Ephesus
found in Acts 19. Paul was also a tent maker where he made a living so he
would not be a burden to the new churches. So add these labors on to the
time he spent ministering in the churches, no wonder he had many sleepless
nights. How many other times was he robbed of sleep because of all the
turmoil in the churches and the turmoil surrounding him. He also knew what
it was like to fast whether it was voluntary or whether there was no food
available.
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- 2 Cor 6:6 (KJB)
- By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the
Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
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- Pureness - Purity or chastity
- Unfeigned - Without hypocrisy or insincerity
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- Paul continues on in his validating his ministry to the Corinthians.
This section would have definitely shown the difference between Paul’s
commitment to the Gospel and the false commitment of the false teachers. He
states that his pureness is basically uncompromising because his sincerity
has proven him to be a true Apostle of the Lord. This was proven not only by
his words but his actions and responses to those actions which resulted in
much suffering. Then he states that through knowledge his ministry has been
confirmed because he was given tremendous revelations and insight into the
Scriptures which could not have come through the unsaved eye and
commentaries. Then he states that he was longsuffering, that is extreme
patience, which he showed to many churches for the purpose of maturing them
in the faith plus he was also patient with those who opposed him. Then Paul
showed much kindness to people by showing a genial temperament even at times
when he could have retaliated but chose not to for the sake of the Gospel.
Remember, if he would have retaliated, this could have brought a dark blot
upon the ministry, As Christians, we are to be wise as serpents but harmless
as doves.
(Mat 10:16 KJV) Behold, I send
you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves.
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- Then Paul attributes his biblical understanding to the Holy Ghost which
is the proper thing to do because of ourselves we can never understand the
Scriptures to the point that the Holy Ghost can teach us. Paul knew that his
understanding of the Scriptures was divine and that no false teacher could
ever come close to his understanding and that was because the Holy Ghost was
his guide and teacher.
(John 16:13 KJV)
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
Then Paul states he possessed that all to scarce tenet of
love without hypocrisy. This was proven repeatedly in Paul’s life as he
suffered so much for the churches. He never had a hidden agenda and was
willing for God to continually search his life and for the Corinthian
Christians to do the same. In contrast to the false teachers who had phony
love because of their hidden agendas.
(Mat 23:28 KJV) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but
within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. The
Lord rebuked the Pharisees for being hypocrites and full of iniquity which
is exactly what the false teachers were filled with.
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