The Only Righteousness That Matter

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:21-26 ESV

Inevitably, the book of Romans is about how man can be made right with God. The first few chapters build a case for man's unrighteousness, proving that no man can live up to God's holy standards because his sin nature prevents him from keeping God's law. Even those parts he does manage to keep, he does so from the wrong motivation, out of a sense of obedience or obligation, not love. His law-keeping ways are insufficient to earn him any merit with God. His acts of goodness come across to God as worthless because they are tainted with sin. So Paul concludes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). That includes Jews and Gentiles, pagans and the pious, reprobates and the religious, and everyone in between.

But Paul contends that God's brand of righteousness has been revealed apart from the law. In other words, God revealed His righteousness through the gift of His grace, not as a form of compensation for man's efforts. In Chapter Four, Paul states, “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due” (Romans 4:4 ESV). If our righteousness can be earned, then we are simply receiving what we are owed. If it is based on our efforts, then God is somehow obligated to pay us what we rightly deserve.

But Paul clarifies the truth about the gospel and the righteousness that God approves.

…people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. – Romans 4:5 NLT

In fact, the Scriptures point out that “Abraham believed god, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3 ESV). The kind of righteousness God is looking for is based on faith, not works; it is God-dependent, not self-dependent.

God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. – Romans 3:24-25 ESV

Man-made righteousness is insufficient; it can't measure up and falls far short of the goal that God has established. Augustine writes, “The Law was given, in order that we might seek after grace. Grace was given, in order that we might fulfill the Law. It was not the fault of the Law that it was not fulfilled, but the fault was man’s carnal mind. This guilt the Law must make manifest, in order that we may be healed by divine grace” (Augustine, Concerning the Spirit and the Letter).

We are justified through faith by grace. As Paul says, it is a gift, unearned and undeserved. Christ's death solved our problem. He paid our debt, and redeemed us out of slavery to sin and propitiated or satisfied the holy demands of God. Until Jesus showed up on the scene, God had willingly overlooked (passed over) the sins committed by men.

…he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. – Romans 3:25-26 NLT

This does not mean that He accepted or tolerated their sins. What Paul is inferring is that God restrained Himself from dealing with the sins of men according to His own justice. He put off the inevitable. He delayed His wrath so that He might reveal His righteousness through Christ.

As Paul says, “It was to show His righteousness at the present time” (Romans 3:26 ESV). God knew it was “impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4 ESV). So, the author of Hebrews writes, “when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book”’” (Hebrews 10:5-7 ESV).

God the Father sent Jesus Christ to do His will and die for the sins of men. The righteousness God demanded of men was only possible through faith in the sacrifice of His Son. The book of Hebrews reminds us that, “by that will [the will for Christ to die] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10 ESV).

In sending His Son to atone for the sins of men, God remained just. He was able to punish sin in the way that His holy standards required, while at the same time justifying those who, though sinners, placed their faith in His Son's saving work. God provided the righteousness man needed. It was a gift, unearned, undeserved, and unmerited in any way. And this free gift assured that no one could boast about having earned his way into God's good grace. No one could take credit for their salvation or claim to have played a part in their sanctification. And no one can say they had a hand in achieving a right standing before God. It was all done for us and in spite of us.

Father, Your grace truly is amazing and Your plan to atone for the sins of mankind is beyond comprehension. Paul said that when the crucifixion of Christ is preached, “the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense” (1 Corinthians 1:23 NLT). It makes no sense, sounds far-fetched, and comes across more like a fable than the truth. But we know it is the truth because our lives have been transformed by this remarkable gift of Your grace. We couldn’t have earned it and, most certainly, didn’t deserve it. But You showered sinful mankind with Your love, mercy, and grace in the form of Your Son’s sinless sacrifice on our behalf. It reminds me of that familiar old hymn, “Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord.”

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,

Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord,  Julia H. Johnston (1910)

Thank You for Your grace. 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

Self-Righteousness Is Self-Delusional

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Romans 3:9-18 ESV

Paul has just said that the Jews do have an advantage, because they “were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2 ESV). They had been given the seal of circumcision as a sign of the covenant that God had made with them. They were His chosen people whom He had promised to bless them and, through them, bless all the nations of the earth. He had led them, protected them, given them their own land, provided them with His law, privileged them with His presence, and instituted a sacrificial system that provided them with atonement for their sins. So, they did have a distinct advantage.

Yet, Paul begins verse nine with a question: “What then? Are we Jews any better off?” And then he answers his own question: “No, not at all.”

Though the Jews had an advantage, that did not mean they availed themselves of it. Some, like Abraham, recognized that their righteousness was determined by faith and not by works, and they trusted in God's promises. Better yet, they trusted in God. Martin Luther writes, “Abraham did not believe God in order that he might become the father of many nations, but he believed God as the One who is true and faithful” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans).

Abraham believed in God’s faithfulness even though he lived as a nomad, never owning a home in the very land God had promised as his inheritance. Abraham died long before his descendants became a mighty nation. And yet, he believed. He trusted in the faithfulness of God. Quoting St. Augustine, Martin Luther writes, “God is glorified through faith, hope, and love. According to a common saying, God is directly insulted by three sins: unbelief, despair, and hatred” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans).

Failing to believe in God was an ongoing issue for the Israelites that manifested itself in idolatry, disobedience, stubbornness, immorality, selfishness, and the constant urge to achieve righteousness through self-effort.

So Paul says even the Jews were no better off than the Gentiles. All are under sin. Then, to support his statement, Paul turns to the Old Testament Scriptures. Verses 10-18 are drawn from the Psalms and the writings of the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah. Acting as a prosecuting attorney, Paul brings glaring evidence to bear against all who might try to defend their self-produced righteousness before God.

Every man and woman stands guilty and condemned. None is righteous or understands the truth about God's holiness and His determination that righteousness is through faith alone. There is no one who seeks God. Instead, they seek their own will and pleasure. They gladly accept whatever they can get from God, but they have no desire for a relationship with Him.

Paul uses the Scriptures to paint a bleak picture of man's condition. But he is attempting to present the glory of the gospel as “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith” (Romans 1:16-17 ESV). Paul's thesis statement for his letter is “the righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:18 ESV). So he goes out of his way to prove that, without faith, no one is righteous, and that includes his own people, the Jews.

When John the Baptist began his ministry, he had a singular message

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 3:2 ESV

Later, after John was arrested by Herod, Jesus picked up that same message.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17 ESV

When we read the word "repent," we tend to think of someone turning away from sin, and while that is an accurate reading of the word, it is far from complete. To repent means “to change one's mind.” So when John and Jesus called the people of Israel to repentance, they were telling them to change their minds. But about what? Sin? No, sin was the outcome of something else. They needed to change their minds about God and the means of achieving a righteous standing before Him. They still believed that righteousness was based on works, had long ago stopped believing in God's faithfulness, and had begun believing in the myth of their own capacity to please Him.

They thought they could earn God's favor by trying to keep His law. But Jesus told them to repent by changing their minds. He was calling them to believe in Him. All they believed about God and righteousness was wrong, and therefore, their view of their own sinfulness was mistaken. Because of their “good works,” they saw themselves as righteous and without sin.

But Paul was not going to let anyone stand on the lie of self-righteousness. So he proved man's guilt with the words of God.

“There is none who does good, not even one.” – Psalm 14:3 ESV

Self-righteousness is self-delusional. The belief in one’s own sinlessness is ridiculous. John wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 ESV). Self-deceit may make us feel better about ourselves, but it does not make us righteous before God. Faith in ourselves is not the kind of faith God is looking for.

Father, man is obsessed with his own self-righteousness. I guess we take a certain amount of personal pride in our capacity to do the right thing. But, according to You, even our best deeds done with the best of intentions are nothing but filthy rags. They are worthless and incapable of earning Your favor or forgiveness. Yet, even as believers, we continue to believe the lie that our filthy rags aren’t really filthy. In fact, we convince ourselves that our attempts at righteousness are more than good enough for You. Yet, Paul reminds us that no can stand before You as acceptable on their own merits. It is, and always has been, based on grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We can add nothing to the gospel formula. It Jesus plus nothing. I am reminded of the words of the old hymn Rock of Ages.

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

 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

Unrighteous But Not Without Hope

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,
    and prevail when you are judged.”

5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. – Romans 3:1-8 ESV

With the opening of Chapter Three, it is vital to remember Paul's words from Chapter One: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17 ESV). Paul was quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, where God said to His prophet concerning the nation of Babylon, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4 ESV).

Faith has always been the means by which men attain the kind of righteousness God expects; it has never been based on human effort or achievement. Back in the book of Genesis, when God commanded Abraham to institute the rite of circumcision as a sign of His covenant with the people of Israel, He said, “I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8 ESV). Circumcision was a sign of ownership, an outward symbol of their unique position as God's possession, but circumcision would not make them righteous. In other words, adherence to the rite of circumcision would not earn them favor with God; that was only possible through their faith in God’s promise to give them the land and to transform them into a great nation.

In Chapter Four of Romans, Paul further explains the role of faith, using Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, as an example. He clarifies that Abraham was justified before God, not because he had been circumcised, but because he had faith.

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” – Romans 4:3 ESV

But Paul asks the question: “How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised?” (Romans 4:10 ESV). Paul is asking whether God's declaration of Abraham's righteousness was pre- or post-circumcision. Was his righteousness the result of his obedience to God's command to be circumcised? Paul answers his own question: “It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised” (Romans 4:10-11 ESV).

Paul’s point is that God has always measured man's righteousness by faith, not works. The fact is, the Old Testament saints were expected to live by faith just as much as we are. Paul says, “The Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?” (Romans 3:2 ESV).

In his commentary on Romans, Martin Luther writes, “Circumcision was of value to the Jews because they believed the divine promise (connected with it) and so they awaited its fulfillment” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans). Abraham was declared righteous because he had faith in God's promises. Again, Paul writes in Chapter Four, “God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith” (Romans 4:13 NLT).

The author of Hebrews elaborates on this all-important matter of Abraham’s faith.

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. – Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT

It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” – Hebrews 11:17-18 NLT

The kind of righteousness God requires has always been based on faith. The kind of righteousness He requires is only available through faith in His promises. When God told Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3), Abraham had no way of knowing the full extent of that promise. But he believed; he had faith, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

But there were many Jews who failed to trust in the promises of God and who falsely believed that their righteousness before God was based on their own effort or merit. Quoting what must have been a common view in his day, Paul writes, “Some might say, ‘our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?’” (Romans 3:5 NLT). They had reached the erroneous conclusion that if sin reveals God’s righteousness, there is no reason for Him to punish the sinner. But Paul exposes the flaw in their thinking.

If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? – Romans 3:6 NLT

In His holiness, God cannot turn a blind eye to sin; He must deal with it justly and righteously. And in Chapter Six, Paul clearly states the divine indictment that sin deserves.

…the wages of sin is death… – Romans 6:23 NLT

Paul didn’t come up with this judicial judgment against sin; he got it from God Himself.

“For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.” – Ezekiel 18:4 NLT

Sin is an act of rebellion against His sovereignty and must be punished appropriately. Yet, there were those who wrongly concluded that their sin was somehow beneficial.

“The more we sin, the better it is!” – Romans 3:8 NLT

But Paul refuted their false assessment, writing, “Those who say such things deserve to be condemned” (Romans 3:8 NLT). Their sinful conclusion only served to prove God’s just judgment of them. He deals with this false assumption again in Chapter Six.

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? – Romans 6:1-2 NLT

Our failure to acknowledge sin, or any attempt to justify or rationalize its seriousness, will never negate its effect. God takes sin seriously.

Paul’s point is that while some failed to have faith and lived in unrighteousness, their decision only proves the truth or reality of God's brand of righteousness. His righteousness is faith-based, not works-dependent. The Jews had been given the promises of God, but most of them failed to believe. They placed their faith in themselves, other nations, false gods, and their unique identity as God's chosen people. But Paul states that their unfaithfulness did not nullify God’s faithfulness.

God will keep His promises; He will fulfill every covenant commitment He made to Abraham. In fact, in his letter to the believers in Galatia, Paul writes: 

The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”  

So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. – Galatians 3:7-9 NLT

Paul began his letter by quoting the book of Habakkuk.

The righteous shall live by his faith. – Habakkuk 2:3 ESV

But don’t misunderstand Paul’s point. He is not suggesting that our righteousness produces faith. We don’t achieve our righteous standing before God through self-effort. Our faith is not a byproduct of our self-induced righteousness. In fact, the New Living Translation provides a more accurate rendering of the text that helps to clarify Paul’s point.

“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Romans 1:17 NLT

Faith produces righteousness, not the other way around. The ability to live righteously is a gift given to us by God as a result of our faith in His promise of salvation through grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Father, what a relief it is to know that I don’t have to earn my way into Your good graces. I am not obligated to live up to Your holy standards in my own strength and according to my limited will-power. If that was the case, I would fail miserably. You don’t judge me based on my capacity to live righteously. If You did, I would have no hope. But Your mercy toward me is based on the faithfulness of Christ. He died in my place and paid for my sins. He sacrificed His sinless life so that I might have eternal life. And all I have to do is believe. Nothing more, nothing less. And even my ability to believe comes from You. Faith is not something I produce in and of myself. It too is a gift of grace provided by the Holy Spirit. Paul made this point clear when he wrote, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT). I can’t even take credit for my faith because You provided it. Which is what makes salvation so amazing. You alone make it possible from beginning to end. There is no aspect of my salvation for which I can take credit. I didn’t deserve it, earn it, and I can’t boast about it. I am perfectly okay with that. 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

Drinking the Kool-Aid of Self-Confidence

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” – Romans 2:17-24 ESV

As a Jew, Paul had no qualms addressing the faults and failures of his Jewish brothers and sisters. As a former Pharisee, he a passionate student of the Hebrew Scriptures. On one occasion, having been arrested in Jerusalem and accused of speaking out against the Jewish people and the Temple, Paul addressed the crowd and said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today” (Acts 22:3 NLT).

In his letter to the believers in Philippi, Paul gave his bona fides as a card-carrying Hebrew by stating, “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin — a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault” (Philippians 3:5-6 NLT).

So Paul knew what he was talking about when he addressed the attitudes and spiritual status of the Jewish people. Which is why he was able to say, “[you] rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law” (Romans 2:17-18 ESV).

The Jews had a certain degree of pride in their hearts when it came to their special designation as God's chosen people. But this pride led to an arrogance and boastful certainty that they were above the fray, free from judgment, and immune to God's wrath. But Paul has already warned them that, “according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:16 ESV)

Yes, they were God's chosen people. They enjoyed a unique relationship with Him, had been given His law, and had been provided with the sacrificial system. They could even brag about having the Temple, where God's presence dwelt. But Paul makes it clear that all of that was not enough.

They relied on God, boasted about their relationship with Him, knew His will as revealed in the law, and even taught others to obey it. They saw themselves as guides to the blind, lights to those in darkness, instructors of the foolish, and teachers of children. But the problem was that they were hypocrites who failed to live up to their own standards. They demanded strict adherence to the law they themselves were incapable of keeping.

In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Isaiah 52:5 reads, “On account of you my name is continually blasphemed among the Gentiles.” Over the centuries, the actions of the Jews revealed their blatant disregard for God and His law. They were guilty of rebellion and unfaithfulness to His will and ways. They boasted in the law, but dishonored God by regularly violating it. So, as Paul said, they were without excuse. Their extensive knowledge of God failed to produce obedience. Centuries earlier, God had accused the people of Israel of their blatant hypocrisy.

“These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

Even Jesus quoted this same passage when addressing the Pharisees of His day.

“So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” – Matthew 15:6-9 ESV

Knowledge can be a wonderful thing, and the knowledge of God can be life-transformative. Knowing God's Word can be beneficial to life, but there is a huge difference between knowing and doing. It was James who wrote, “But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:25 NLT).

Knowing the law of God is useless if you fail to keep it. Having an encyclopedic understanding of God is worthless if you choose to ignore His will. The Jews were putting their hope and trust in their pedigree and counting on their ethnic identity as Jews. But Paul wanted them to know that their knowledge of God and their awareness of His law only made them more responsible and culpable. Despite their pedigree as God’s chosen people, they stood before Him guilty of disobedience and spiritual infidelity. They were going to have to relinquish their reliance on their lineage and place their trust in Christ. 

During his ministry, John the Baptist confronted the Jewish religious leaders who showed up at the Jordan River requesting that he baptize them, and His response was anything but tactful. 

…when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” – Matthew 3:7-9 ESV

Their confidence in their heritage had produced in them a false sense of superiority and a misguided confidence in their relationship with God. But just a few verses later, Paul dismantles their over-inflated sense of self-worth and spiritual superiority. 

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; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. – Romans 2:28-29 NLT

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul followed up his impressive curriculum vitae with a stark assessment of his former confidence in his Hebrew heritage.

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” – Philippians 3:7-8 NLT

There is only one thing worth knowing, and that is Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is an awareness of our own sin and our desperate need for a Savior that really counts. Every other form of knowledge is useless and worthless.

Father, in a way, I can sometimes place far too much emphasis on who I am and what I have accomplished. I can look back on my life and see all that I have done for You and begin to think that I have somehow earned my right to be called Your Son. But when pride and self-confidence cloud my thinking, I lose sight of the fact that You adopted me into Your family. I was chosen by You, but not because I deserved it. You made me Your child, despite my sin and rebellion. You graciously gave me a seat at Your table and adorned me with righteousness, purely out of love, and not because of merit. Paul was trying to get his fellow Jews to see that their lineage and heritage meant nothing is they failed to obey God. Their on-again-off-again adherence to Your law was never going to earn Your favor or guarantee their future relationship with You. They were sinners in need of a Savior, but were having a difficult time acknowledging that fact. Enamored with their status as Your chosen people, they failed to understand that, having been set apart by You, their behavior was to set them apart from all the other nations. They were to live distinctively different lives. But confident in their status as Your treasured possession, they compromised their convictions and fell from grace. How easy it is to lose sight of our dependence upon You. Never let me drink the Kool-Aid of self-confidence and forget that “everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” 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

Unashamed and Unapologetic

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17 ESV

Paul was eager to preach the gospel to the people in Rome. That is why he wanted to make the long, arduous journey there. He was grateful to God for those who had already become followers of Jesus and commended them for their faith. But he knew there were many more who had not yet heard the good news regarding God's gift of salvation through His Son, and Paul was anything but ashamed of that message. He proclaimed it anywhere and everywhere he could to anyone who would listen, whether they were Jews, Greeks, or even barbarians, because he knew that the gospel had the power to change lives. It was the only way for sinful men to be made right with a holy God.

For Paul, the gospel, the message regarding God's sending of His Son in the form of a man to live a sinless life and die a substitutionary death on the cross as payment for the sins of men, was powerful and life-changing; he knew from personal experience. He had been radically changed by his side-of-the-road encounter with the resurrected Christ, and that same power was available to anyone who would believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. In other words, they had to give up trying to earn a right standing with God in their own strength or according to their own merit.

Paul was unashamed of the gospel because he knew it worked and that it was of God. In fact, it had been God's plan from the very beginning. His sending Jesus to earth was not a contingency plan He was forced to devise in response to man's inability to keep the Law. He had planned all along to send a Savior, and it had to be His very own Son so that He could meet the stringent requirements of a sinless sacrifice. Peter tells us, “God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days” (1 Peter 1:20 NLT).

Paul goes as far as to say, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4 NLT). The gospel is not only God’s Plan A, but it is also the very power of God that leads to man's salvation. Paul makes that point clear when he writes, “For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith” (Romans 1:17 ESV).

Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, man has access to a form of righteousness he could have never achieved on his own. The law could only reveal God's holy standard, but it couldn't help man achieve or live up to it. Jesus told His followers, “But I warn you – unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5:20 NLT). As shocking as this statement must have been to those who heard it, Jesus was simply telling them that the righteousness God required could never be self-produced; it would have to be the result of God's power, as revealed in the gospel.

Man's salvation is based solely on faith; it begins and ends with faith. It is our initial faith in Christ that leads to our growing faith in the power of the gospel to not only save us, but transform us into His image. The righteous, Paul says, live by faith. Our righteousness is based on faith.

Later in this letter, Paul states, “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 3:22 NLT). He reiterates this same thought in his letter to the church in Corinth.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

The gospel, the good news regarding salvation in Christ, reveals the righteousness of God, the very means by which sinful men and women can be justified or made right with Him. It is through the death of God’s Son, and it is confirmed by God's power that raised Him from the dead. It would not have been enough for the death of Jesus to pay for our sins and leave us in a sinless state. Sinlessness is not the same as righteousness. Once our sins had been paid for and forgiven, we still needed to be declared righteous. But in order to do this, God had to impute or transfer to our account the righteousness of Christ. So our spiritual account went from a negative balance to zero, but then God added to our account the invaluable righteousness of Christ.

The reason so many of us find ourselves “ashamed” of the gospel is that it sounds so far-fetched, even to us. After all, the idea of God sending His own Son to take on human flesh, live a sinless life, and die as our sacrifice on a cross doesn't exactly come across as logical or sensible. That message can be offensive to those with whom we share it. Telling someone that they are sinners, completely unrighteous, and incapable of pleasing God in any way can be a bit off-putting to say the least. But Paul was unashamed of the gospel because he knew it was the only way. It was the power of God made practical and personal, providing mankind with a fail-proof means by which they could be restored to a right relationship with Him. The righteous, those who have been made right with God through Christ, were saved by faith and live their lives based on faith, in the power of God. 

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT

Father, if we truly believed the message of the gospel, we wouldn’t be so quick to distance ourselves from it or refuse to share it with those who have never heard it. But that's exactly what we do. Out of the fear of rejection or a failure to believe in the gospel’s transformative power, we remain woefully silent. Yet, Paul faced constant rejection and repeated failures when sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, yet he remained unashamed and unwilling to keep quiet. He was driven by his firm belief in the gospel’s power to transform lives because he was a living, breathing example of that power. He was deeply convinced of the gospel’s transformative powers because he had witnessed it firsthand. He knew what it was like to experience joy, contentment, peace, and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, and he couldn’t help but tell others. I want to live that way. I want to get out of my comfort zone and shout the good news from the rooftops, not out of some sense of obligation, but because I believe it and I want others to know it. Please continue to kindle the flame of passion in my heart so that I might boldly proclaim Paul’s message , “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17 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.

The Paradoxical Power of Weakness

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 ESV

In verse one, Paul confesses, “I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.” He is letting his readers know that he is about to provide additional evidence to validate his apostleship and to set him apart from the false apostles who are dogging his ministry. His reference to visions and revelations suggests that what he is about to divulge is well beyond the usual arguments for his apostleship; it will involve the supernatural and direct communication from God. Visions are typically visible manifestations of God’s power. The Greek word Paul uses is optasia, and it means, “a sight, a vision, an appearance presented to one whether asleep or awake”(“G3701 - optasia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 Oct, 2016. https://www.blueletterbible.org).

Paul’s reference to “revelations” seems to indicate verbal communication from God. The Greek word is apokalypsis and it means, “a disclosure of truth, instruction; oncerning things before unknown” (“G602 - apokalypsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 Oct, 2016. https://www.blueletterbible.org). Paul shares a personal experience that included a vision and word from God. He refers to himself in the third person simply to diminish the aura of bragging that comes from sharing such a story.

He says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2a ESV). It is clear that Paul is referring to himself, because he later adds, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations…” (2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV). This was a personal experience that Paul had and one he shared reluctantly. He provides little detail and refuses to share exactly what he saw or heard. But fourteen years earlier, Paul had received a vision from God and was somehow transported to the “third heaven.” In the ancient mindset, there were three heavens. There was the sky or the visible atmosphere, and then there was the heavens containing the sun, moon, stars, and planets; what might be referred to as “outer space.” The third heaven or paradise was a reference to the dwelling place of God.

Paul recalls being somehow transported into heaven. He could not tell if it had all been a dream or whether he had actually gone there in his physical body. While there, he “heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.” (2 Corinthians 12:4 NLT). Paul spends no time describing the sights or sounds of heaven. He provides no insights into what “paradise” looked like. Not only that, he gives us no clue about what he heard; he only describes it as unrepeatable.

This one-of-a-kind, supernatural event clearly set Paul apart. Who else could claim to have been transported to heaven and given a glimpse of the sights and sounds associated with that remarkable place? But while blown away by the experience, Paul refused to boast about it. He would not allow himself to turn his divinely ordained experience into an opportunity to elevate his stature among the Corinthians. He would boast about “this man,” but when it came to himself, he would rather boast about his weaknesses. He explains, “I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message” (2 Corinthians 12:6 NLT). Paul wanted his life and message to fuel his reputation, not his supernatural vision.

It is interesting to note that earlier, Paul recounted a time when he had been saved from arrest by being lowered in a basket from a window (2 Corinthians 11:33). He prefaced this story with the statement, “I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am” (2 Corinthians 11:30 NLT). His disclosure of this rather ignoble event was meant to emphasize his weakness. He had been forced to suffer the humiliation of being crammed in a basket and lowered out a window. This would have been a blow to the ego for a man of Paul’s temperament. Yet, he viewed it as a reminder of his own weakness and God's power. 

But now he talks about having been raised by God to the very heights of heaven. This may have been what Paul meant when he wrote, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12 ESV).

Paul could have easily let this divine encounter produce a spirit of pride and spiritual superiority. He could have viewed himself as somehow more anointed and blessed by God. After all, who else could claim to have gotten an all-expenses-paid trip to paradise? But God wasn’t going to let Paul get a big head. In fact, Paul says, “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.” (2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT).

Paul does not say what this “thorn” was. The Greek word Paul uses is skolops, and it actually refers to a sharp, pointed stake. It was far more than a “splinter” or an inconvenient annoyance; it was potentially debilitating and described by Paul as “a messenger of Satan to torment me.”

Was it a physical disability or a spiritual weakness? Paul doesn’t say. Since Paul mentions “conceit,” it may have been a proclivity toward pride and arrogance. The constant harassment Paul faced from his ever-present adversaries could easily have driven him to boast of his superior calling and intellectual prowess. Paul was an educated man who had risen high in the ranks of the Pharisees. He was an expert in the Hebrew Scriptures. So, it would have been easy for Paul to develop a haughty spirit and arrogant attitude toward those who questioned his ministry. However, God lovingly kept Paul humble.

On three different occasions, Paul pleaded with God to remove this “stake” from his life, and each time God refused. But He reminded Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a NLT). God’s grace was greater than Paul’s problem. His strength was far superior to Paul’s weakness in the flesh. And, more than 14 years later, Paul was able to say, “I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b NLT).

Paul’s awareness of his weakness led him to appreciate God’s gracious love and power. Anything he accomplished in his life that was worthwhile or worthy of praise was attributable to God, not himself.

Paul would gladly suffer the humiliation of being lowered down the wall in a basket. He would willingly go through the pain of another stoning or the indignity of arrest and imprisonment, all for the sake of Christ. Through it all, he had learned the invaluable life lesson of “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV).

Father, I bring nothing to the table except my willingness to submit to Your will and rely upon Your strength. You do not need me and yet You lovingly use me to accomplish Your will. Your Holy Spirit empowers me. Your Word convicts and instructs me. You have provided the body of Christ, the church, to comfort, support, and encourage me. Yet, how easy it is to take credit for my accomplishments and to view myself as some kind of indispensible asset to Your Kingdom causes. Thank You for graciously and lovingly keeping me humble by constantly reminding me of my weaknesses. Indepenence is a dangerous thing for any Christ follower to embrace. Any time I think I can stand on my own by relying on my far-from-sufficient strength, I am doomed to disappointment and failure. But You love me enough to expose my inadequacies and call me back to a willful reliance upon Your all-sufficient power, and for that I am grateful. 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.

A Faithful Fool For Christ

16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. – 2 Corinthians 11:16-28 ESV

Paul is about to do something he really doesn’t want to do; he is about to boast, and he feels like a fool for doing so. But he is driven by a desire to wake up the Corinthians so they can see the stupidity of their logic. Paul’s adversaries were constantly boasting about their own reputations and qualifications and set themselves up as superior to Paul. So, against his better judgment, Paul decides to play their game of one-upmanship.

He begs the Corinthians, “Listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little” (2 Corinthians 11:16 NLT). Then he sarcastically adds, “Since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too” (2 Corinthians 11:18 NLT). He accuses the Corinthians of being “so wise” and yet allowing themselves to be enslaved, devoured, taken advantage of, easily impressed, and humiliated. It was like being slapped in the face in public. 

Since they seemed to be attracted to the boasts of his adversaries, Paul decided to play their game, all the while admitting, “I am speaking as a fool” (2 Corinthians 11:21 ESV). Paul is much more comfortable and at home with his weaknesses, viewing them as assets rather than liabilities. In the next chapter, Paul writes, “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).

But at this point in the letter, he is attempting to show the Corinthians the foolishness of their obsession with qualifications and outward appearances. So he gives them a rather exhaustive outline of his credentials, matching his critics line by line. These “false apostles” bragged of being pure-blooded, Aramaic-speaking Hebrews. Well, they had nothing on Paul. They boasted of being Israelites, part of God’s chosen people; so was Paul. They claimed they could trace their roots all the way back to Abraham; so could Paul. And they presented themselves as servants of Christ. But Paul flatly asserts that he is a better one, and then goes on to explain why, all the while admitting that his words sounded like those of a madman.

I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. – 2 Corinthians 11:23 NLT

Then he backs up his claims with specific details.

I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. – 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT

His long list of unpleasant experiences includes suffering at the hands of men who falsely claimed to be believers. This blunt assessment of his adversaries was intended to expose them as false apostles who were teaching a different gospel and a version of Christ that was unacceptable.

Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that every difficulty he had faced was due to his commitment to his calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ. His suffering was faithful due to his faithfulness to the commission given to him by Jesus. If the Corinthians were looking for someone with the proper qualifications to be an apostle, they need look no further than Paul; he had the scars to prove it. His resume, while not pretty, was a powerful statement of his calling and commitment. When many other men would have given up and walked away, Paul had stayed the course, fighting the good fight, and running the race all the way to the finish line.

While Paul hated boasting, he did so for a good reason. He wanted the Corinthians to wake up and smell the coffee. In their display of “wisdom,” they were bearing with fools. They were listening to these false apostles and giving credence to their words, all based on nothing more than their self-proclaimed qualifications. These men had no track record of service to the Lord. They had played no part in bringing the gospel to the Corinthians and, if anything, were actually undermining Paul’s work. They had preached a contradictory gospel based on a different Jesus, and promoted a different Spirit than the one the Corinthians had received at salvation. This was dangerous stuff.

Paul knew that their work among the Corinthians was not stopped in its tracks; the result would be deadly. So he resorted to boasting, lowering himself to their level to expose them for what they really were: charlatans and liars. Paul cared for the Corinthians. He was willing to die for them if necessary. He would gladly take a bullet or a stone for them. And he was not above being seen as a fool if it helped them see the folly of their ways.

Father, Paul’s unwavering commitment to the gospel is refreshing and inspiring. We live in a day when many are propagating watered-down versions of the gospel that are meant to be inclusive, tolerant, and non-offensive, They offer a radically different view of Jesus than the one Paul preached. Their messages promote love at all costs while refusing to call out sin or broach the subject of judgment. They preach a feel-good gospel that offers a more palatable form of salvation that requires no repentance of sin and no need of a Savior. Paul faced the same situation in his day and he refused to put up with anyone who tried to water down the gospel, softsell sin, or turn Jesus into some kind of cosmic good luck charm. Paul was a fighter and a defender of the truth. Would you raise up a generation of committed, no-holds-barred gospel defenders who will follow Paul’s lead? And may I be one of them. 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 Subtle Lie of a Pseudo-Savior

1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? – 2 Corinthians 11:1-7 ESV

The debate Paul was waging with his adversaries in Corinth was about far more than his authority or who would get credit for the spiritual state of the Corinthian church. This was about deception. Those who opposed Paul and his ministry were actually leading the Corinthians astray. They were proclaiming another Jesus, promoting a different Spirit, and preaching a different gospel.

What bothered Paul the most was that the Corinthians “put up with it readily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:4b ESV). Maybe it was because these “super-apostles,” as he sarcastically referred to them, were skilled in speech and the Corinthians found themselves easily swayed by their rhetoric. With Paul physically out of the picture, it was easy for them to dismiss his message and discredit his ministry because he was not there to defend himself. Which is what led him to write this letter. Paul was forced to remind them of their long-standing relationship with him.

He begged them to bear with a “little foolishness” as he recounted his role in their “betrothal” to Christ. What made it all so foolish was that he had to take time to remind them at all. After all, he had been the one to introduce them to Christ in the first place. Like a father of a bride, he had given them in marriage to Jesus, and his goal was to keep them pure until the day their marriage was consummated.

It was not enough for Paul that they came to know Christ; he wanted them to remain pure until the day Christ returned for them or called them home. Yet, he found that they had been easily deceived. He even compared them to Eve, whom Satan deceived and led astray from the truth of God in the garden. Her deception resulted in her banishment from the presence of God. Paul feared that the Corinthians, due to their willing reception of the false teaching of his critics, would be “led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3 ESV).

It is important to note that, as Satan led Eve to question the veracity and reliability of God’s word, so these false teachers were causing the Corinthians to question the very heart and soul of Paul’s gospel message. They were offering a different gospel that promoted a different Jesus. While Paul does not elaborate on what their message was, it is clear that they were leading the Corinthians astray. The apostle John describes such people as having the spirit of the Antichrist.

But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. – 1 John 4:3 NLT

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. – 2 John 1:7 NLT

Paul doesn’t elaborate on whether these people were denying the incarnation of Jesus or questioning His death and resurrection. But it is clear that their message was in direct opposition to the one that Paul had preached, and they had found the Corinthians to be a willing and receptive audience. This was particularly disturbing to Paul because he had sacrificed so much to ensure that they heard the unadulterated gospel. He brought them the good news of Jesus, free of charge and with no strings attached. He had not demanded that they idolize him or treat him like a god. He humbled himself so that they might be exalted to a right relationship with God through a proper knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Paul took a backseat, playing the role of God’s humble servant and spokesman. He had simply been the messenger, the bearer of good news. Now, to hear that the Corinthians so easily accepted another version of the gospel was disturbing and disconcerting. But Paul was not one to sit back and let his work among the Corinthians go to waste. He loved them too much.

The gospel is always under attack, and most often from within. Satan is the great deceiver, and he would much rather promote a slightly false version of the truth than an outright lie. He tends to blend truth with just enough falsehood to make it palatable and plausible, but just as deadly. He is more than willing to have people accept Jesus, as long as it is a slightly different Jesus. He loves the idea of Jesus as a good man who lived a life worthy of emulation. He likes to promote Jesus as the great teacher and moral prophet. He prefers a Jesus who was nothing more than a martyr to a cause.

But the Jesus Satan promotes is never the Son of God and Savior of the world. He is never the selfless, spotless sacrifice that paid the penalty for man’s sins. He is never the source of man’s justification and the power behind his sanctification. He is never the resurrected and ascended King of kings and Lord of lords who sits at the right hand of God the Father and is one day going to return. However, that is the Jesus of the gospel, and any other Jesus is false and unworthy of our attention and affection.

Father, the enemy is subtle and seductive. He rarely demands our outright worship of him, but instead, he tempts us to serve a pseudo-Savior who bears a striking resemblance to the Jesus of the gospels but who looks a lot more like a self-help guru and a motivational speaker than the Son of God. Satan offers an emasculated, powerless version of the Messiah who is overly tolerant, permissive, and offers a form of moralistic, therapeutic deism that replaces true heart transformation with feel-good behavior modification. Paul refused to put up with false gospels or facsimiles of the real Jesus. He wouldn’t tolerate man-made versions of the way, the truth, and the life. For Paul, there was only one Jesus who offered one path to reconciliation with God. The message of salvation was simple and in no need of alteration or assistance. Would you protect us from the lies of the enemy and restore our dedication to the purity of the gospel message? Help us to stand firm on the truth, refusing to accept any other gospel or any other Jesus than the One Your sent. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand. 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.

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.

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.

The Grit and Grip of God’s Grace

12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. – 2 Corinthians 1:12-14 ESV

It will become increasingly evident from the content of this letter that Paul’s ministry was being maligned or at least questioned. His motives were also under the microscope, constantly scrutinized and criticized by those who chose to reject his authority as an apostle. But Paul responds with confidence, claiming that he and his companions “behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity” (2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV). Paul writes with complete confidence, even boasting that his conscience is clear. He knows what he has done and why he has done it. He has no reason to question his motives, because he knows that his actions were the result of God’s grace, not earthly wisdom. Paul had made this claim to the Corinthians in his first letter.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. – 1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV

It was God’s unmerited favor that had produced the transformation in Paul’s life. His words, actions, and even the content of his letters were the by-product of God’s ongoing grace in his life. God was working in him and through him, and he had no reason to take credit for it or apologize because of it. Paul says that his behavior had been marked by simplicity and godly sincerity. The Greek word for simplicity is haplotēs and it refers to “the virtue of one who is free from pretense and hypocrisy” (“G572 - haplotēs - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 18 Sep, 2016. <https://www.blueletterbible.org>). Paul claims that his conduct and speech have been free of hypocrisy or any hint of a hidden agenda. What he has said and done has not been motivated by selfishness or intended for personal gain. After all, as he stated in the opening verses of his letter, his ministry had not made him rich and famous, but resulted in affliction and even the threat of death.

The Greek word translated as “sincerity” is eilikrineia, which means “purity” or “cleanness.” Paul uses this same word again in the next chapter.

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 2:17 ESV

Paul’s conscience is clear because he knows his motives are pure. Anything he has accomplished in his life has been the work of the Spirit of God, and that is especially true of his relationship with and ministry to the Corinthians. Even now, as he writes this letter, he reminds them that all of his previous letters “have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand” (1 Corinthians 1:13 NLT).

It is his sincere desire that they fully comprehend what it is he is trying to say to them and all that he is attempting to teach them. They might not immediately understand, but he longed for the day when it all made sense to them. He wasn’t in it to win friends, but to make a difference in their faith. He wanted to see them experience all that God had in store for them — the full expression of faith in Christ lived out in everyday life. He longed for them to grow in godliness and to put off their old, sinful natures. He wanted to see them grow in their knowledge of God and their dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

One can get a sense of Paul’s heart by reading some of the prayers he prayed for the churches he helped to start. He wrote to the believers in Colossae:

…we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. – Colossians 1:9-11 NLT

He sent a similar message to the Christ-followers in Ephesus.

I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 1:16-20 NLT

Paul knew that if they listened to what he said and applied it to their lives, there would come a day when they would find reason to boast or glory in all that Paul had taught them, because they would see the fruit of it in their lives. The day to which Paul refers is the return of Christ, when he and all the Corinthians will stand before the Lord. It will be on that occasion that they fully comprehend the simplicity and sincerity of Paul’s methods and message.

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. – 2 Corinthians 5:10-11 NLT

Paul’s desire for the Corinthians was the same as he had for the believers in Philippi.

…that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. – Philippians 2:15-16 ESV

Paul wanted to be a success, but not so that he could gain recognition or earthly rewards. His motivation wasn’t money or fame, it was the hope of one day standing before the Lord and seeing the fruit of his labors — the countless believers who had held fast to the word of life and remained faithful to the end. Paul’s motives were pure, his heart was sincere, and his actions were the result of God’s grace in his own life. He wanted nothing more than to see the Corinthians grow in their faith and in their knowledge of God. They might not understand it now, but the day was coming when their eyes would be opened and their hearts filled with the joy of God’s grace, mercy, and love.

Father, Paul was anything but a quiter. Despite all the setbacks, suffering, and rejections he faced in his decades-long ministry, he never gave up or threw in the towel. He traveled incessantly, preached relentlessly, and suffered greatly for his efforts. But he wasn’t bitter or resentful. He was grateful for the opportunity to serve You in spreading the good news of Christ to the nations. He was often misunderstood, misrepresented, and maligned for what he wrote and said. His motives were questioned, his integrity was attacked, and he was constantly accused of everything from heresy to sedition. But your grace gave him the strength to carry on the mission free from hypocrisy, hidden agendas, or false pretense. He operated in the power of the Holy Spirit, so his efforts were pure and pleasing in Your eyes. That’s they way I want to live my life, but it can seem so impossible. Yet, by Your grace, all things are possible. Because of Your strength, I can do all things. Never let me lose sight of that reality.   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 God of All Comfort

1 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:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 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. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 ESV

As the title of this letter indicates, this is a second letter that Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth. Some time between the writing of the first letter and the receipt of this second one, Paul had been able to visit Corinth. Evidently, things had not gone well. His visit had been painful for both Paul and the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 2:1). There were still those in Corinth who opposed Paul and questioned his apostleship and, therefore, his authority. Later in this second letter, Paul addresses those who stood against him.

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. – 2 Corinthians 13:1-2 ESV

It appears that Paul wrote a third letter, now lost, that he sent to the Corinthians sometime before writing 2 Corinthians. He refers to this lost letter several times.

I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. – 2 Corinthians 2:3-4 ESV

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. – 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 ESV

So, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to encourage the congregation there and to continue his efforts to refute the accusations of an influential minority who questioned his authority and undermined his ministry in Corinth.

But before Paul addresses the issues in Corinth, he spends some time reminding the Corinthians of who he is and what he has endured as an apostle of Jesus Christ. His journey has not been easy. His ministry to them and to the other churches he helped found has not been without its problems. But Paul is not complaining. He is simply stating the facts and letting them know that he is grateful for the opportunity to serve them and for receiving comfort from God Himself. In verses 3-7, Paul will use a variation of the word “comfort” ten times. He will refer to “affliction” or “suffering” seven times. And each time he applies these words to himself and the other men who minister alongside him.

These opening verses offer an autobiographical look at Paul's life and ministry as he faithfully ministered the gospel, in keeping with the commission he had received from the risen Christ.

Paul refers to God as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV). First of all, God is compassionate and merciful, but He is also comforting. The Greek word Paul uses is paraklesis, and it means consolation, encouragement, or refreshment. Notice its similarity to the Greek word used for the Holy Spirit: paraklētos.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper (paraklētos), to be with you forever” (John 14:16 ESV). He refers to the coming Holy Spirit as an advocate, comforter, and intercessor. The Holy Spirit, as the third member of the Trinity, shares the same nature as God the Father and Christ the Son. And Paul experienced this comforting presence in his life as he faced the trials and afflictions that accompanied his gospel ministry.

Paul had learned to expect opposition and affliction; it came with the territory. But he rejoiced because his affliction was always accompanied by the comfort of God.

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5 ESV

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known… – Colossians 1:24-25 ESV

Paul saw his sufferings as reflective of his relationship with Christ and a tangible expression of the bond he shared with his Savior.

For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:5 NLT

Paul’s sufferings were not caused by sin; they were the result of his obedience to the will of Christ. He was suffering as Christ did, for doing the will of the Father. The affliction he endured was due to obedience, not disobedience. Therefore, he could rely on the comfort and mercy of the Father. This included having his apostleship rejected by those in Corinth. As long as he was doing the will of God, Paul knew he would face opposition and experience difficulties. But he would also receive the comfort and encouragement of God, which he willingly passed on to others.

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. – 2 Corinthians 1:6 NLT

Paul suffered, and so would they. He was comforted by God, and he passed that encouragement on to the Corinthians.

Jesus told His disciples, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:34 NLT). And just after Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, Jesus told Ananias to go and anoint him, saying, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16 NLT). Suffering is an inevitable and unavoidable part of the Christian life, but so is the comfort of God. That thought should bring us courage.

Paul’s strange message of comfort in the face of affliction was not reserved just for the Corinthians. It was something he shared with all believers, including those in Rome, because suffering for Christ isn’t just a possibility, it’s an inevitability. 

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. – Romans 5:3-5 NLT

As Jesus said, “You will have many trials and sorrows,” but we can take heart because He has “overcome the world” (John 16:34 NLT) and we serve God, “the source of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT).

Father, no one likes trials, difficulties, and sorrow. In fact, we avoid them like the plague. Yet, they are an unavoidable and inevitable part of living in a fallen world that is marred by sin. Yet, Your Son said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV). I have always struggled with that verse because it seems to promise Christ-followers a trouble-free existence. But 70 years of life have convinced me He must have had something else in mind. Your Son didn’t come to earth and die on the cross so we could have out best life now; He came that we might have a life free from the condemnation of sin and the threat of eternal separation from You, His life, death, burial, and resurrection have given us new life that will one day result in eternal life. That is how we endure the any present pain and suffering we face. We keep our eye on the prize; the promise of a world made new and a sin-free existence in Your presence. And in the meantime, You extend Your mercy and provide us with comfort, and for that I am grateful. 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.

What To Do While We Wait

15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. – 1  Corinthians 16:15-24 ESV

Paul wraps up his letter with a somewhat random and meandering closing. First, he recognizes three individuals, Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, who were among the first converts in Achaia, the province in which Corinth was located. Earlier in this letter, Paul indicated that Stephanas and his family were the only ones he had baptized in Corinth.

I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. – 1 Corinthians 1:16 ESV

It seems that Stephanas and the other two had recently visited Paul and had been a source of encouragement to him. He was appreciative of their friendship and ministry and wanted the Corinthian congregation to treat them with respect. He uses these three men as examples of the kind of leadership to which the Corinthians should submit themselves. They were worthy of recognition and stood out to Paul because of their hearts for service and their attitude of humility as they ministered to him and their fellow believers in Corinth. 

Secondly, Paul sends greetings from the house church in Asia, which was meeting in the home of Aquila and Priscilla. Paul had struck up a friendship with this couple after meeting them in Corinth during one of his missionary journeys.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. – Acts 18:1-3 ESV

This couple had ended up in Corinth after fleeing Rome due to persecution. When Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla traveled with him and later settled in Ephesus, where they started a church in their home (Acts 18:18-20). Like Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, these two individuals were examples of the kind of disciples Paul sought to make wherever he went. They were selfless, and each had the heart of a servant. They were willing to open their home, share their resources, and give of their time to see that the gospel spread throughout the known world. And they used their trade as tentmakers to pay their own way. 

Paul gives his letter a personal touch by writing the final lines in his own handwriting. He had probably dictated the rest of the letter, but penned the last few words to validate that the letter was really from him. What he chose to write is interesting for its seeming randomness.

If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. – vs 22

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. – vs 23

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. – vs 24

He calls for a curse on those who reject the gospel, prays for God’s grace on the Corinthians, and expresses his love for them. It’s an interesting combination of thoughts, and sandwiched in between them is an appeal for the Lord’s return:

Our Lord, come! – 1 Corinthians 16:22 ESV

Maranatha was an Aramaic expression that became a standard greeting among believers in the early days of the church. Those in the church lived with a sense of the Lord’s imminent return. Their belief that His coming could happen at any time was a motivating factor in their lives, leading them to live with a sense of anticipation and eager expectation. For Paul, the world became a place divided into believers and non-believers: those who were saved and those who remained lost. And if anyone refused to love the Lord, Paul’s response was to let them be accursed. As violent and harsh as this sounds, Paul is simply expressing the sad reality of their condition due to their rejection of the Savior. They were already under a curse, which carried the penalty of death and eternal separation from God. Paul was suggesting that their rejection of Christ would result in their rejection by God. Christ’s eventual and inevitable return would bring bad news and an even worse ending to their lives. But for Paul and the other believers in Corinth, the return of Christ was something for which they could eagerly and faithfully anticipate.

The author of Hebrews reminds us that we should have no fear of death and that we should expectantly hope for the return of Christ.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. – Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT

In the meantime, while they awaited the Lord’s return, Paul prayed that the grace of Christ would protect them. And he would continue to love them, oftentimes in spite of them. He would continue to write them, sometimes to confront them but also to encourage them in their faith. He expressed his longing to see them face to face, so that he might personally strengthen them. As he wrote in his letter to the Romans, “I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord” (Romans 1:11 NLT).

Paul ends his letter with four powerful reminders:

First, he calls them to continue in their love for Christ, and uses the Greek word phileo, which refers to brotherly love.  He seems to be calling for an intimate, familial kind of love relationship with Jesus. The author of Hebrews described this “brotherly” relationship between Jesus and all those who have been adopted in the family of God and share the privilege of calling Him Father.

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
    I will praise you among your assembled people.” – Hebrews 2:11-12 NLT

Secondly, he encourages them to live with the end in mind, using the phrase “Our Lord, come!” as a reminder of the Lord’s certain return. This world can be a difficult place to live, but we can not only survive but thrive because we have the unwavering assurance that our salvation will culminate in our glorification when Jesus comes back.

Third, he mentions the undeserved and sustaining grace of Christ. This is the same way he began his letter. 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:3 ESV

Gordon D. Fee writes, “Grace is the beginning and the end of the Christian gospel; it is the single word that most fully expresses what God has done and will do for his people in Christ Jesus” (Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians).

Finally, he declares his love for them but uses the Greek word agapē, which refers to a selfless, lay-it-all-on-the-line kind of love, demonstrated by Christ’s death on the cross.

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

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. – 1 John 3:16 NLT

Paul wasn’t talking about a sentimental, Hallmark card kind of love; he was declaring a deep and compassionate affection for them that wasn’t based on their loveliness or loveableness. It was the same kind of love that Jesus demonstrated to us.

We love each other because he loved us first. – 1 John 4:19 NLT

These were all on Paul's heart as he wrapped up his letter to the Corinthians, and they should be the passion and priority of every believer in the church today.

Father, I want to love Christ more and more deeply the older I get. I want to live with the end in mind, eagerly believing that He could return at any moment. I want to grow in my understanding of and appreciation for Your marvelous grace expressed in Jesus’ death on the cross for me. And I want to emulate Your love for me by sharing that love with all those who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. As daunting as those things sound, I know they’re possible because of the indwelling presence and power of the 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.

Ready, Willing, and Able

5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. .– 1 Corinthians 16:5-12 ESV

Paul was a man on the move because he was a man on a mission for God. He wrote this letter from Ephesus, where he spent three years ministering, one of his longest stops on any of his missionary journeys. He was constantly seeking opportunities to share the gospel and to help believers grow in their knowledge of God and their faith in Christ. Paul had a deep love for the churches he helped establish and saw their members as his children in the faith. He felt a special bond with them and had a strong sense of responsibility for their spiritual well-being.

In the case of Ephesus, there were “many adversaries” who were opposing his work and making life difficult for the believers there. Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Paul was not about to leave the Ephesian believers alone and defenseless. Plus, he saw “a wide-open door for a great work” (1 Corinthians 16:9 NLT) opened to him. As long as there were unbelievers to share the gospel with and new believers who needed to grow, Paul had work to do. His job was never done. Despite pain, suffering, rejection, and seeming failure, Paul was prone to soldier on, giving everything he had to accomplish the mission given to him by Christ.

When Paul wrote his letter to the believers in Philippi, he was in prison in Rome. For a man like Paul, the real pain of imprisonment was not the conditions or confinement, but the fact that he was unable to visit the churches he loved so much. While he always knew that he could die for his faith, he was not quite ready to give up his mission.

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. – Philippians 1:20-24 NLT

This passage provides a glimpse into Paul’s heart. He longed to be bold and unashamed, even while under Roman guard. He wanted his life to honor Christ, in life or in death, and he was torn between the two. He knew it would be better if he could die and go to be with Christ, but he also knew that there was work yet to be done. Notice that he puts the Philippians' needs ahead of his own.

But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. – Philippians 1:24 NLT

In the case of the Corinthian believers, Paul longed to see them again, but he did not want it to be “in passing.” In other words, he wanted to stay with them longer, probably because he saw their spiritual needs as great. His entire letter reflects the many concerns he had about their spiritual well-being. But while Paul had to delay his visit because of the open doors in Ephesus, he had made plans to send Timothy, his young protegé and disciple in the faith, to minister to their needs. Since Paul knew that the Corinthians were prone to judging by appearances and were already struggling with divisions over leadership (1 Corinthians 3:4), he reminded them to “see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. So let no one despise him” (1 Corinthians 16:10-11 ESV).

Timothy was young and easily intimidated. Which is why Paul had told him, “Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Timothy 4:12 NLT).

Verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 16 contains Paul’s  sixth and final use of the phrase, “now concerning…” In each instance, he has used it to answer a question or concern raised by the Corinthians.  

Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. – 1 Corinthians 16:12 ESV

It’s unclear what the issue was with Apollos, but we know that a group in the church in Corinth considered him their leader. They may have been wondering when Apollos would return to see them. In fact, they may have preferred his presence to Paul's. But rather than being offended, Paul simply stated that he had urged Apollos to visit them, but for some reason Apollos had chosen not to. Paul didn’t throw Apollos under the bus or malign him in any way. For Paul, it was not a competition; it was about sharing the gospel and building up the body of Christ. As he stated earlier in this letter, “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT). Paul assured them that Apollos would come when he had the opportunity.

In the meantime, Paul cited his longing to be with them again. He knew there was much work that needed to be done in Corinth. The church was divided, and the people were immature and misusing their spiritual gifts. Selfishness and pride were evident among them, and the influence of paganism and Hellenistic dualism was having a negative impact on the fellowship. All of this would result in Paul’s eventual return. As long as there were immature believers who needed to grow and lost individuals who needed to hear the gospel, Paul would find a way to return to Corinth.

The door was wide open, and he was more than willing to walk through it. For Paul, there was no rest for the weary, no retirement plans, and no time for an extended vacation. Open doors are meant to be entered. Opportunities needed to be taken advantage of. Pressing needs required immediate attention. And Paul was always reading, willing, and able.

Father, give me the determination and energy of Paul. He was like the Energizer Bunny; he kept going and going and going. He never gave up or threw in the towel. Even after being stoned and left for dead, he got up and went back to ministering the gospel. He was a workhorse and a tireless proponent of the faith who walked the talk. He knew what it was like to be tired, but he refused to let weariness keep him from doing Your will. He was well-acquiainted with rejection and suffering, but he never took his eye off the prize. I want to live according to his mantra: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good” (Galatians 6:9 NLT), but I know I can only do it in Your strength and as long as I am doing Your will. 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 Lasting Legacy of Love

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:9-13 ESV

We live in an interim stage. The “perfect,” as Paul refers to it, has not yet come. The Greek word he uses is teleios, and it refers to “wanting nothing necessary to completeness.” It can also refer to a  “full-grown, adult, of full age, mature.” He uses the contrast of childhood and adulthood to illustrate the difference between our present circumstances and the eternal state that awaits us.

In our current fallen condition, our understanding is limited; we don’t know everything because of the limitations of our flesh. So God has provided the spiritual gifts to compensate for our lack of knowledge and understanding. The gifts to tongues, knowledge, and prophecy are present-age necessities designed to help man grasp the reality of God’s truth. But the day is coming when they will no longer be necessary.

The apostle John acknowledged that our present understanding is limited, but assured us that our future glorification is guaranteed by the promise of Christ’s returns. 

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

Paul explains that the gifts, while given by God, are like childhood qualities that we will one day outgrow. We will give up “childish ways” because we will be fully mature in Christ. In the meantime, we are hampered by a limited, earth-bound, flesh-restricted perspective that prevents us from comprehending the full truth of who God is and what we will one day be. In our current state as humans, we have partial knowledge and suffer from incomplete understanding. So God provided the gifts of the Spirit so that we might discern spiritual reality and edify one another with it.

Jesus promised His disciples the coming of the Holy Spirit and assured them that the Spirit would help them understand “all truth.”

“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’” – John 16:5-7, 13-15 NLT

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes our current condition by likening our earthly bodies to tents. They are like temporary dwellings we are forced to live in, much like the Israelites lived in tents during the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness.

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. –2 Corinthians 5:1-7 NLT

Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that their hope was to be focused on the future, not the present. But in the meantime, they were to live according to faith, hope, and love. Their faith was to be focused on God’s promise of the final fulfillment of their salvation, when they would be glorified and united with Christ in sinless perfection. As they lived in their temporary “earthly tents,” they were to place their hope on that future reality.

The author of Hebrews tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). We hope in the promise of that which we cannot see, our future glorification. As Paul says, “we live by believing and not by seeing” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT). But our determination to live by faith and hope in that which we cannot see is accompanied by love. In fact, he says that love is superior to either faith or hope. When Christ returns and our glorification takes place, faith and hope will no longer be necessary. The unseen will have become visible. We will see Christ as He is, and we will recognize that we have become like Him.

But in our newly glorified state, we will comprehend the truth that love never ends. We will know and experience the love of God throughout eternity because it is His very nature and essence. We will love and be loved, and exist in a ceaseless environment of perfect love, unhindered by sin and no longer influenced by pride, hatred, selfishness, or greed.

The Corinthians were obsessed with the gifts, but for the wrong reasons. Failing to understand the God-ordained purpose of the gifts, they viewed them as spiritual badges of honor. Rather than using these supernatural manifestations of the Spirit’s power to edify and build one another up, they used them to gain precedence and importance over one another. They failed to recognize their God-given purpose to enlighten and encourage the body of Christ. And the missing ingredient in their misapplication of the gifts was love.

That is why Paul reminds them that love trumps all. It is superior to all the gifts and a non-negotiable requirement in the life of every believer, even now. We don’t have to wait until heaven to experience God's unwavering and unmerited love. When we utilize the gifts He has given to us, we express His love to one another. We become vessels through which the love of God flows, encouraging one another to stay strong until the end, as we lovingly share and care for one another. Not only were the gifts intended to reveal God’s truth, but they were meant to express His love in tangible and practical ways.

Paul closes out this letter with some powerful words of encouragement that emphasize our need for healthy blend of faith, steadfastness, and love.

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV

We live in the now, a time of uncertainty and, at times, pain and difficulty. Our current circumstances require faith, hope, strength, endurance, and patience. But none of these will be effective or beneficial if we fail to love. Love brings heaven to earth by making the future a present reality, the unseen visible, and our hope tangible.

Father, nothing trumps love. All the gifts in the world mean nothing without it. Our good deeds, if done without love, are worthless and of no value to anyone. Our eloquent words, if spoken without love, are nothing but “sound and fury, signifying nothing.” When we love others, we’re expressing Your character and passing on that which is the most impactful power on earth. But there are times when we would rather impress than impart love. There are moments when we would prefer stand in the limeliight and receive recognition, rather than stand in the shadows and love well without reward. Give us an eternal perspective that allows us to see that love is the only thing that will last the test of time. Love is the only currency of heaven that can be spent now and produce a return on investment that will last for eternity. 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.

Protection For Our Affections

15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? – 1 Corinthians 10:15-22 ESV

As far as Paul is concerned, this is all about our affections; it is about what we love and choose to prioritize in our lives. As Paul addresses the issue of idols and meat sacrificed to them, he is not implying that the idols actually represent other gods. In fact, he says that when the pagans offer sacrifices to their idols, they are actually sacrificing to demons. The fact that the gods they worshiped were non-existent did not make their activity any less sinful. They were giving their affections to something they believed existed. They were associating themselves with a god who represented an alternative to the one true God, and they were joining with those who shared their beliefs, participating in worship and the offering of sacrifices together. When they held their feasts, they were doing so with those who were of like mind.

Paul uses the Lord’s Table to illustrate what he means. Paul asks the Corinthians to consider that when they take the cup and the bread together as part of communion, “is it not a participation in the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:16 ESV)? The Lord’s Table was a common celebration and commemoration of their shared belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. When the Israelites made sacrifices to God at the altar in the Tabernacle or Temple, did they not do so with a sense of shared belief in God? And Paul insists that the pagans are doing the very same thing. By participating together in their sacrificial services, feasts, and celebrations, they express their common bond as worshipers of their particular god, whether that god is false or real. And when the Corinthians joined them in their celebrations, they were aligning themselves with the pagan worshipers and their false gods, or, as Paul indicates, demons.

“Paul’s line of reasoning proceeds as follows: Christians who eat the bread at the Lord’s Supper express their solidarity with one another and with Christ. Likewise, Jews who ate the meat of animals offered in the sacrifices of Judaism expressed their solidarity with one another and with the God of Israel. Therefore Christians who eat the meat offered to pagan gods as part of pagan worship express their solidarity with pagans and with the pagan deities.” – Thomas L. Constable, Notes of 1 Corinthians, 2007 Edition

There is a spiritual dimension to virtually everything we do. We are spiritual beings, and there is a spiritual battle taking place all around us, hidden from our view, but as real as the air we breathe. Paul warned the Ephesians about this spiritual war.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12 NLT

There is very little in life that is not impacted and influenced by this unseen spiritual conflict. While we may view a particular action or activity as amoral, being neither right nor wrong and not prohibited by God, we need to walk carefully. It is essential that we examine our motives and check our affections. We need to ask ourselves why this activity is so important to us. Would we be unwilling to give it up if the circumstances required it? There were those in the Corinthian church who were eating meat that had been sacrificed to false gods. They were even participating alongside pagan worshipers at the feasts associated with those false gods. But their rationale was that these gods did not exist, so their activity was perfectly acceptable. However, Paul warns them that if their participation caused a brother or sister in Christ to stumble, they were wrong. Not only that, but by joining in the feasts alongside idol worshipers, they were expressing unity with them. To the rest of the world, both pagan and Christian, they appeared to be one with those who worship false gods. And as if that was not bad enough, Paul indicates that they are really associating themselves with demons.

There are many things we are free to do as followers of Jesus Christ. But that does not mean that all of them are things we should do. We are free to read books other than the Bible, but it is imperative that we give thought to the content of the books that we read. As believers, we are free to watch TV and movies, but not every show is one we should expose ourselves to. We need to examine the content and consider the message it sends. There are very few movies that do not have an agenda. The world we live in is heavily influenced by the unseen spiritual battle taking place behind the scenes. Satan will use any resource available to him to influence our affections and diminish our dedication to God.

It always goes back to our affections. When God commanded the Israelites to have no other gods but Him, He was not suggesting that these gods actually existed. He simply knew that He had wired mankind for worship. God’s intention was that humanity share its affections with Him, but men and women are fully capable of giving those affections away.

When the Pharisees asked Jesus to name which was the greatest commandment given by God, He responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 ESV). The most daunting challenge we face as Christians involves our affections. Do we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind? The answer is no, because we can’t. We are incapable of doing so. But that does not mean we should not try to make it a high priority in our lives.

The enemy wants to get our minds off of God and to distract our affections from God. He wants our souls to be satisfied by something other than God. There is a spiritual battle taking place all around us, and Satan subtly uses the seemingly innocuous and inconspicuous things of this world to deceive us. Our failure to believe in the demonic realm does not make it non-existent. Just because we don’t see the spiritual warfare taking place all around us doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Because the battle is invisible, we need to arm ourselves with the spiritual weapons God provides. We need spiritual discernment and divine assistance to fight an invisible yet real battle. That is why Paul told the Ephesians, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm” (Ephesians 6:13 NLT).

God offers us protection for our affections and a way of escape from every temptation.

God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. – 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Father, we live under constant siege from the enemy, but sometimes act as if the battle is not even real. Through compromise and complacency, we make alliances with the enemy and allow his subtle lies to dilute our faith and diminish our dependence on You. If we refuse to spend time in Your Word, we will be easy prey for the enemy’s deception. We will find ourselves defenseless and powerless to resist his temptations. He loves to deceive us and cause us to compromise our convictions. He doesn’t waste his time trying to get us to walk away from the faith; he simply tries to make our faith a non-factor in the way we walk. But You have called us to live set-apart lives that reflect Your character and demonstrate the Spirit’s power within us. Don’t allow us to compromise or grow complacent. Keep us alert to the enemy’s lies and more determined than ever to live according to the truth of Your Word. 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.

No Other Gods

7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. – 1 Corinthians 10:7-14 ESV

As far as Paul was concerned, the Corinthians had a far too casual approach to sin. He has already chastised them for their laissez-faire approach to the sexual sin that was taking place in their midst.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. – 1 Corinthians 5:1 ESV

It appears that they were overly tolerant and dangerously permissive when it came to sin, even among members of their own fellowship. Not only that, but they had developed an unhealthy arrogance regarding their own spirituality and standing before God. Which is what led Paul to warn them, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT). In an attempt to get their attention, Paul resorted to using the Israelites as an object lesson. Their status as God’s chosen people had not prevented them from sinning or protected them from God’s punishment. They had enjoyed all the privileges and blessings of God’s favor, but had proven to be unfaithful in the end. So, Paul warns the Corinthians, “Do not be idolaters as some of them were” (1 Corinthians 10:7a ESV).

Like the Corinthians, the Israelites had been redeemed from a culture in which idol worship was commonplace. In Egypt, the Israelites had been surrounded by a plethora of false gods, and the ten plagues were directed against many of them. In His outpouring of the plagues, God had proven Himself superior to the false gods of Egypt, providing convincing evidence to the Israelites that He was the one true God. But in the end, even after their miraculous deliverance from captivity in Egypt, they resorted to idol worship. They went back to what they found familiar and comfortable. 

The Corinthians found themselves in similar circumstances. Most, if not all of them, had pagan backgrounds. They had been idol worshipers when Paul and others had brought the good news of Jesus Christ to their city. As a result of God’s grace, they had been redeemed from slavery to sin and delivered from their hopeless worship of false gods. However, some in the congregation continued to dabble in idolatry. They were eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and some were attending the feasts where this high-quality fare was served. This is what led Paul to say, “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14b ESV). When it came to idolatry, they were not to dabble with it, cozy up to it, or have anything to do with it. That included attending any feasts associated with the worship of false gods.

Paul knew the Corinthians had a problem with compromise. They had already compromised their moral convictions, and it was not impossible to think that they might compromise their worship of Yahweh through their continued association with idols and justifying their actions as harmless.

Again, Paul uses the Israelites as an example.

The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. – 1 Corinthians 10:7 NLT).

This refers to the time when Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God and, in his absence, the Israelites forced Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. Moses recorded the events surrounding that infamous day.

So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. – Exodus 32:3-6 ESV

God was angered by their actions and told Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (Exodus 32:9-10 ESV).

They were arrogant, prideful, and lacked any fear of God. They failed to honor and revere Him despite all He had done for them. They demanded that Aaron fashion a new version of Yahweh in a form that was more approachable and controllable. In doing so, they turned their backs on the one and only God of the universe. At the end of the day, that is what idolatry really is; it is turning to something other than God as our source of provision, power, significance, and security. It doesn’t have to be a golden calf.; we can end up worshiping our career, family, finances, talents, or even our status as God’s chosen people. In other words, we can easily resort to worshiping our salvation instead of our Savior. We can put our hope in our eternal security rather than in the one who made eternal life possible. 

Paul warns us against developing a casual attitude toward idolatry because idol worship is nothing less than unfaithfulness to God. It is a form of spiritual adultery, making more of something or someone else other than God. Tim Kellerprovide a succinct definition of idolatry in his book, Counterfeit Gods.

“What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give…

“An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.” – Tim Keller, Countefeit Gods

The Israelites were disciplined by God for their unfaithfulness. They put God to the test, “and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day” (1 Corinthians 10:8 ESV). And Paul warns us, “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:9-10 ESV).

Just because we are in Christ, doesn’t mean we have the right to insult Christ by giving our affections and attentions to something or someone other than Him. We are to flee from idolatry in all its forms. The Corinthians were worshiping their right to eat meat sacrificed to idols. It wasn’t that they were worshiping the idols to whom the meat was sacrificed. They were elevating their freedom to enjoy the pleasures of this life over their submission to the will of God for their life. We cannot afford to get cocky or comfortable. Which is why Paul warns us, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV).

We each face the constant temptation to worship something other than God. But, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV). Fleeing idolatry is a form of faithfulness. It shows God that we refuse to worship anything or anyone other than him. We would rather run from idolatry, in all its forms, than run the risk of offending a holy and righteous God.

Father, sometimes we think idolatry is not a problem for us because we don’t have figurines of false deities sitting on our fireplace mantle. But as Tim Keller pointed out, idolatry is “anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” According to that definition, we all have god replacements or stand-ins that we turn to for hope, help, happiness, contentment, or significance. Our careers, families, finances, and health can all becomes gods we turn to other than You. We worship them by giving them far more attention and time than we dedicate to You. They are where we turn in times of trouble. They are the source of our assurance when times are tough and our faith is wavering. But Paul tells us to run, not walk, from these subtle forms of idolatry because they are deceptive and deadly. You made it clear when You said, ““You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:3 NLT). But we still have the tendency to replace the one true God with false gods that will never deliver what they promise. Help us keep our eyes and our hopes set on You alone. 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.

How Firm a Foundation

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. – 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ESV

For Paul, the issue was first, always, and only Christ. Ever since his personal and life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, he had made it his life’s mission to carry the message of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone to the world. Here, he refers to Jesus Christ as the foundation, the solid rock on which believers are to build the rest of their lives. It is belief in the gospel message of salvation through Jesus that provides the bedrock upon which a truly worthy life can be built. Paul likely had in mind the parable that Jesus told His disciples.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” – Matthew 7:24-27 NLT

Our faith in Jesus has a starting and ending point. It begins when we place our faith in Him, but it does not stop there. We are to build our lives with Jesus as the foundation. Paul boldly claimed to have helped lay the proper foundation by preaching Christ and Him crucified. He had given the believers in Corinth the truth regarding salvation through Christ and Him alone, and they had received it. Now it was time for them to do something with their faith; they were to build on it.

Their faith was to produce fruit, tangible, visible, and measurable fruit. Whatever they built on the foundation of their faith would be discernible to all those around them. The value of the construction materials they used would be apparent to all. Speaking metaphorically, Paul says that some would use gold, silver, and precious stones — objects of worth and beauty. But others would choose to use wood, hay, and straw — materials with little value or staying power. The second group illustrates those who cut corners and refuse to invest adequately, either out of laziness or a lack of concern. Their faith means so little to them that they refuse to invest the time and resources it deserves. James describes these two groups well.

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” – James 2:17-18 NLT

Christ crucified is the fundamental basis of our faith, but our actions are to rest on that firm foundation. The actions and attitudes that mark our lives should be built on the reality of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and be visible to all those around us. James refers to these salvation-based behaviors as “good deeds.” They are meant to impact all those around us. They can be seen and experienced by others. And, one day, they will be judged by God.

Paul reminds us, “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (1 Corinthians 3:13 ESV). In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, “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 5:10 ESV). The Greek word Paul uses is βῆμα (bēma). It refers to “the official seat of a judge” (“G968 - bēma - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible). The “day” to which Paul refers is that day when all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ - the Bema Seat. On that day, we will have our work judged. This is a reference to all those things we have done since coming to faith in Christ. This is not a judgment to determine righteousness. We will stand before God fully forgiven and completely righteous because of Christ’s death for us on the cross. But each person’s works will be judged as to their value and worth, and they will “receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 

What we do with our faith in Christ is essential and has long-term implications. That is why Paul was concerned about the role that teachers played in the spiritual growth of the body of Christ. That is why he warns, “whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful” (1 Corinthians 3:10 NLT). His whole focus in the section of his letter is on the tendency of the Corinthians to put too much stock in their preferred spiritual teacher or mentor. But Paul is trying to get them to realize that good teachers will build on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When we elevate the role of men in our spiritual growth, we risk constructing a life that looks good but fails to reflect the life-transforming power of the gospel. That is what led Paul to say, “no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT). Paul boldly declared, “I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it” ( 1 Corinthians 3:10 ESV). But then he warns, Let each one take care how he builds upon it” (1 Corinthians 3:10 ESV). 

That is the whole point of this section. Paul wants his readers to understand that the foundation of their faith is non-negotiable. Christ crucified and resurrected is the key to their salvation, sanctification, and future glorification. And what we or anyone else attempts to build upon our faith in Christ must have lasting value. If we use our faith in Christ to build a life marked by selfishness, greed, materialism, hate, bigotry, pride, and hypocrisy, others will see it, and one day Christ will expose and judge us for it. Those worthless works will be burned up. They will be proven to be of no eternal value because they were done in the flesh, and not in the power of the Spirit of God.

But if we build a life that is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control, others will see it and Christ will one day reward us for it. Those deeds are the fruit of the Spirit. They will last and survive the fire of God’s judgment because, like gold, silver, and precious stones, they are priceless and eternal.

What we build upon our faith in Christ is extremely important and reveals a lot about us. It shows the condition of our hearts and the priorities of our lives. Our salvation provides us with a solid and secure foundation. We have the assurance of our eternal security and no longer have to worry about future condemnation or fear of death. But that should motivate us to live lives that are worthy of our calling. We should desire that our behavior reflects our status as God’s children and the presence of God’s Spirit within us. That is why, in the very next verse, Paul asks, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT).

God has provided the foundation. The Spirit provides the fruit. And all we are required to bring to the equation is our faith. But our faith must become tangible and discernible, testifying to the change that has taken place within us. That is what James meant when he wrote, “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:17 NLT). Fruitless faith is baseless faith; it is a dead and lifeless faith. But Paul insists that when one has true, saving faith and builds their life upon it, they will end up displaying behavior that stands out and survives the test of God’s judgment. 

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?  

Father, You care just as much about our sanctification as You do our salvation. You saved us so that You might transform us into the likeness of Your Son. You redeemed us so that You might continually reform and renew us. It is a process and it takes time. It also requires our participation. We must build on our faith. There is no place for complacency in the life of a believer. You expect ongoing transformation and so should we. But we must be careful how we build on the foundation that Christ provided. What we fill our minds with will have a direct impact on the quality and spirituality of our lives. We can start with a firm foundation of faith, but if we build on it with shoddy materials, we will end up with a “house” of cards that fails to reflect that transformative power of the gospel. Keep us firmly committed to and dependent upon the the reality of Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected for our sanctification. 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.