The Goodness and Grace of God

14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. – Philippians 4:14-23 ESV

Paul was grateful, and he expressed that gratitude to the Philippian church. They had lovingly and generously reached out to him in what they believed to be his time of need. Paul didn't want his earlier admission of having no need to come across as ungratefulness. The last thing he wanted was to offend his brothers and sisters in Christ, who had heard of his predicament and reached out in love and concern.

Paul wanted them to know he appreciated it, because not every church had been as kind and caring. Not only had some of the cities where he had ministered failed to give toward his ministry, but they had also rejected his message. While Paul had been preaching in Macedonia and Thessalonica, the Philippians had been the ones who donated to his ministry and provided for his needs.

To keep their minds focused on what is truly important, Paul reminds them that their eternal reward is far more valuable than any temporal benefit he may have received from their gift. God would reward them for their generosity and bless them for their willingness to sacrifice on his behalf. The gift was not the important thing; it was the heart behind the gift. The generosity of their gift had left Paul well-supplied and in need of nothing, but, more importantly, their gift had been “a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18 NLT). Paul was blessed, God was pleased, and the Philippians were fruitful. What more could Paul ask for?

Paul wanted the Philippians to know that God would care for them because of their gracious, loving generosity.

…this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19 NLT

God loves a cheerful giver, and He expresses that love by generously meeting their needs so that they might be equipped to give again. Paul expressed this same idea to the church in Corinth.

Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT

Paul was not preaching a prosperity gospel or promoting a give-to-get mindset; personal reward should never motivate generosity. That is a self-centered, selfish approach that does not comport with Scripture. But gracious, selfless giving is proof of the Spirit’s work in an individual’s life; it reveals His presence and power. But if a Christian allows reward or recognition to motivate his giving, he will never enjoy the blessings of God. Jesus made this perfectly clear in His Sermon on the Mount.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” – Matthew 6:2 NLT

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.” – Matthew 6:5 NLT

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.” – Matthew 6:16 NLT

Giving motivated by the praise and applause of men will be the only reward they receive. But the admiration of others is no substitute for the blessings of God. To have men speak well of you may inflate your ego, but it will never increase your favor with God. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exposed the danger of seeking men's praise.

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” – Luke 6:26 ESV

Men may be impressed by our outward displays of generosity, but they are unable to see into our hearts. However, God can, and that is why Jesus went on to say, “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:30-31 ESV). Give with no strings attached and no expectation of reward or recognition for your actions. Let it be an outflow of the heart.

Paul expressed his thanks, but he didn’t want the Philippians to mistakenly assume that their gift was the reason they received a reward from God. They needed to understand that God was not obligated to them or owed them a blessing. Their love for Paul was most important; the gift was simply an expression of that love.

We can give, pray, and fast, and expect God to reward us for doing so. But if we don’t do it out of love, our giving, praying, and fasting have no value in God’s eyes. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul stressed that even the greatest display of generosity or sacrifice would be of no value without love.

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:3 NLT

Paul could declare that God had met all his needs, and he knew God would continue to do so, and He wasn’t dependent on the Philippians for assistance. God could have sent an angel to minister to Paul, but instead, He allowed the Philippians the joy of serving as instruments in His hands. They were allowed to experience the blessing of being the tools through which He accomplished His will for Paul’s life. Their sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading, as evidenced by their gift to Paul, reminded them that God was working in them and through them.

This brings us full circle to a statement Paul had made earlier in his letter.

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. – Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

God was working in them, and it was evident in the way they lived their lives. Their gift had blessed Paul, pleased God, and would result in His gracious reward. For Paul, the most important thing was that God be glorified in all things. It was never about the Philippians or Paul; it was about God's greatness and goodness. Paul firmly believed his imprisonment for the sake of the gospel would bring God glory. He had already used Paul’s incarceration in Rome to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the household of Caesar.

Paul closed his letter by bringing greetings from the believers in Rome, including “those of Caesar's household” (Philippians 4:22 NLT). Because of his arrest and imprisonment, the gospel had infiltrated the royal palace and resulted in the salvation of some of Nero’s servants. God used Paul’s less-than-ideal circumstances to bless the lives of others, and Paul was a willing and eager participant in the process. He was blessed to be used by God and closed his letter by praying that his readers experience God’s grace so that they too might continue to be willing instruments in His hands.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. – Philippians 4:23 ESV

Father, Paul was anything but a reluctant servant. He gave his all to the mission and was willing to suffer the loss of all things just to remain faithful and committed to his calling. Over his lifetime, he had learned the secret of true contentment and was determined to live in a way that emulated Christ and pleased You. He didn't need the accolades of men. He wasn’t a glory hound or infatuated with his own reputation. He referred to himself as “the chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) and knew that his efforts on behalf of Christ were worthless without the power of the Holy Spirit. He wasn’t perfect and never portrayed himself as an icon of spiritual virtue. He told the Corinthians, “you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT). He spent his entire life pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus and was willing to share in His suffering and mimick His life of humility, service, and selflessness. Thank You for redeeming this former persecutor of the church and transforming him into a servant of the gospel. In Your wisdom, You “chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…, what is weak in the world to shame the strong…,what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 ESV). Paul never boasted and neither should I. He was greatful to be used by You and that is how I want to live my life, for as long as You give me breath. 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 Snare of Self-Confidence

4 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:4b-11 ESV

To understand what Paul means by “confidence in the flesh,” it’s important to consider the context. He has just warned the believers in Philippi to “look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh” (Philippians 3:2 ESV). This was a direct broadside delivered against the Judaizers, a group comprised of Jewish converts to Christianity who were attempting to bring the legalism associated with the Mosaic Law into the church. They were demanding that male Gentile believers be circumcised and then agree to keep the Jewish laws, religious festivals, and sacrificial requirements. In other words, they had to become Jews before their salvation experience could be considered legitimate.

So, when Paul mentions having confidence in the flesh, he is stressing the teachings of this group. They believed that their human efforts, those things done in their own strength, somehow earned them favor with God. As Jews, they put a high value on the rite of circumcision; it was an outward sign of their unique relationship as God’s chosen people. They were of the strong opinion that circumcision was necessary for anyone who hoped to enjoy the salvation offered by Jesus Christ. But for Paul, this was nothing less than another gospel, a false gospel, and it was to be exposed for what it was: a dangerous heresy.

The Greek word Paul used for “flesh” is sarx, and while it was often used to refer to the physical body, it could also be used metaphorically, as in human nature. The Judaizers put a lot of stock in human nature and their own physical abilities, believing that they were able to keep God’s laws and live up to His holy standards. But Paul rejects that mindset, stating that believers were to “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3 ESV). Salvation was based on the work of Christ, not the works of men.

But Paul chose to use their own argument against them, sarcastically portraying himself as the poster boy for stellar human character and self-achievement. To demonstrate the kind of credentials that might earn someone favor with God, Paul recited his own accomplishments and boldly proclaimed, “If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more…” (Philippians 3:4 NLT).

It is as if Paul is saying, “So, you think you can earn a right standing with God based on your accomplishments and status? Well, check this out!” What follows is a laundry list of Paul’s off-the-chart human credentials.

• He was a card-carrying member of the nation of Israel

• He was from the tribe of Benjamin

• He had been circumcised according to the Mosaic Law

• He was a Hebrew of Hebrews (a hard-core traditionalist)

• He had been a member of the Pharisees, an elite religious sect

• He had been a passionate and zealous persecutor of the church

• He had been painstakingly dedicated to keeping the law

Even a short glance at that list reveals that Paul was not subtly comparing himself with the Judaizers; he was placing himself in direct competition with them and declaring himself to be a model Jew. If they thought their Jewish heritage and law-keeping ability were somehow better than everyone else's, they had nothing on Paul. His resume made them look like third-string players trying to win a spot on the varsity squad.

But notice what Paul says next. He takes his list of accomplishments and credentials and describes them “as liabilities because of Christ” (Philippians 3:7 NLT). It was the work that Christ accomplished on his behalf that determined Paul’s righteousness, not flesh-produced efforts at lawkeeping. All of his so-called assets amounted to nothing and earned him no credibility or favor with God. Paul understood that his so-called righteous deeds were of no value when it came to his salvation. He firmly believed what the prophet Isaiah clearly declared.

We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags. – Isaiah 64:6 NLT

Paul’s lofty list of accomplishments and personal assets were worthless. That is why he could say, “I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 NLT). Rather than placing stock in human nature or his ability to produce righteous-looking deeds, Paul saw those things as hindrances to his spiritual walk. They were liabilities because they were tainted by sin, so Paul had given them up and treated them like what they were: liabilities rather than assets, all so he could know Christ better.

Paul gets a bit graphic when trying to describe his new relationship with all those things he once held near and dear. He considered them to be as worthless and detestable as dung, to be tossed aside and avoided at all costs.

The bottom line for Paul was righteousness. A holy and righteous God demanded that His people live holy, righteous lives, but man’s sinful nature made that impossible. No amount of law-keeping, ritual-observing, or efforts at God-pleasing were going to make a difference. Paul states, “I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness” (Philippians 3:9 NLT). In other words, Paul’s righteousness was not based on self-effort, but on Christ’s faithfulness. Jesus died a sinner’s death to satisfy the just demands of a holy and righteous God. As Paul explained to the Corinthian believers: “For our sake he [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV).

Earlier in this letter, Paul pointed out that Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8 ESV). His faithfulness to do the will of His Father resulted in righteousness for us.

The Judaizers were not right before God because they were circumcised. They were not right before God because they were Jews. They could not claim a right standing before God because they kept the law. In fact, Paul vaporized that idea in his letter to the Galatians.

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

He said the same thing to the believers in Rome.

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

We have no reason to boast and no ground on which to stand or from which to proclaim our own self-righteousness. Our righteousness is actually Christ’s righteousness imputed to us when we placed our faith in Him. When Christ died on the cross, He paid the debt that was owed for the sins of mankind in full. He died in our place, bearing the penalty we deserved, and that act justified us before God, who now sees us as righteous and just, not sinful and worthy of death.

We have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. With that thought in mind, Paul refocuses his readers’ attention on what is really important: the pursuit of an ongoing and growing relationship with Jesus Christ, not effort and earning.

My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:10-11 NLT

Paul is not talking about cognitive knowledge or suggesting a purely academic understanding of who Jesus is. He is describing a deep and intimate relationship that features an ever-intensifying awareness of all that Jesus Christ has done and will do for him. In the immediate context, Paul wanted to experience all the power that Christ’s resurrection made available to him. Jesus had been raised back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit, and every believer has that same power present within them.

But Paul knew from experience that resurrection power is most often revealed in the context of suffering. Just as Jesus had to suffer and die before He could experience the resurrection, we too must endure suffering before we can experience the resurrection power of God’s Spirit in our lives. Jesus experienced humiliation before His glorification, and so will we. Paul reminds us that it will all end in the ultimate form of suffering: our own physical death. But Paul wants us to remember that there is a resurrection of the dead. Death is not the end; it is the beginning of something greater. Paul told the believers in Corinth what they could expect when death finally came.

For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” – I Corinthians 15:53-55 NLT

Why put confidence in the flesh? It is of no value and will ultimately be left behind. And why put stock in our own perceived worthiness before God? Without Christ, we have no righteousness of our own. As Paul told the Colossian believers, it all boils down to one thing: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27 ESV). He is our hope of salvation, sanctification, and, ultimately, our future glorification. In this life, we are called to share His sufferings, yet one day, we will share the power of his resurrection. 

Father, how silly it is to think I can somehow earn a right standing with You through self-effort. My best deeds done on my best day and with the best of intentions are no better than soiled rags in Your eyes. I bring nothing to the table that impresses You. My attempts at righteousness don’t score brownie points with You. And while I know that my behavior matters to You, it was never intended to save me. My works are important but they are to be the fruit of Your Spirit’s presence in my life, not the result of human effort. You are the one who declared me righteous and You are the only one who can produce righteousness in me. When I start believing that my adherence to a set of rules can raise my estimation in Your eyes, I depreciate the work of Your Son. When I think my acts of righteousness are my own doing, I rob You of glory and treat Jesus’ sacrificial death as insufficient. Never let me lose the wonder and awe of the gift I have received. Rather than focusing on my accomplishments and trying to promote my own self-worth, I want to consider and appreciate the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Without Him, I am nothing. But because of Him, I am Your son and an heir of the Kingdom. 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.

Good Works Can Never Earn God’s Grace

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh — 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. – Philippians 3:1-4a ESV

Here, Paul raises a topic found in virtually all of his letters: the source of true righteousness. His reason for bringing it up is that the Philippian believers were undergoing intense opposition regarding the issue of circumcision, either from within their own fellowship or from the outside. As a Roman colony, Philippi would have had a large Gentile population and, therefore, the church in Philippi would have consisted primarily of Gentiles who had converted to Christianity from paganism.

In A.D. 50, when Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy had arrived in Philippi on their missionary journey, there would have been few Jewish residents in the city. But by the time Paul wrote this letter some 10-12 years later, the Jewish population could have grown, and there may have been Jewish converts to Christianity within the congregation at Philippi. The presence of Jews in the city and Jewish converts within the church had evidently raised an issue that had become a consistent point of contention for Paul: The rite of circumcision.

Paul opens this section with a reminder to rejoice, even in the face of opposition. This is in keeping with his message to them earlier in the letter.

…it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. – Philippians 1:29 ESV

Paul used his own life as an example of joy while enduring suffering. After all, he was writing to them from house arrest in Rome, facing a trial before Nero and uncertainty about his fate. But he had been able to tell them. “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me” (Philippians 2:17-18 ESV).

Even though they faced opposition, they had every reason to rejoice because they were privileged to suffer for the sake of the gospel.

But it doesn’t take long for Paul’s tone to turn much more serious and sarcastic. He warns them to “Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved” (Philippians 3:2 NLT). Now, while this statement is intended to paint the opposition in an unflattering light, there is more going on here than meets our modern, western eyes. Three separate times in one verse, Paul uses the Greek word βλέπω (blepō), which most commonly refers to the sense of sight. But in this case, he uses it metaphorically so that they might see with their mind’s eye and  “discern mentally.” He wants them to approach this topic with their eyes wide open to the potential danger.

Writing his letter in Greek, Paul uses a play on words to describe those who were promoting the rite of circumcision within the church. He refers to them as “those who mutilate the flesh.” But that is a translation of a single Greek word, katatomē, which means “to cut up or mutilate.” In Leviticus 21:5, the priests of God were forbidden to “make any cuts on their body.” In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament Scriptures, the word katatomē was used to describe this forbidden practice.

Here is where Paul’s clever word-play and open hostility become evident. The Greek word normally used when speaking of the Jewish practice of circumcision was κατατομή (peritomē), and Paul uses it in verse 3.  He purposefully contrasts two similar Greek words, katatomē and peritomē, to compare the Jewish ritual of circumcision with the forbidden act of self-mutilation. But it’s important to remember the context; Paul is addressing a predominantly Gentile congregation. These former pagans had placed their faith in Christ, but now are being told that their faith was incomplete and insufficient.

They were being told that to be truly saved, they must be circumcised and keep all the Jewish laws and religious rituals. This message was common in the 1st Century and was propagated by a group that came to be known as Judaizers. Since Paul refers to these people as dogs and evildoers, it isn’t difficult to discern his opinion of them. His intense anger was fueled by their constant attempt to add to the gospel message he preached. Paul viewed them as purveyors of a false gospel that was undermining the work he had accomplished and causing confusion among the Gentiles. His words to the believers in Galatia illustrate his frustration and anger.

You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. – Galatians 1:6-9 NLT

Paul had strong words for the church in Corinth as well because they were being led away from the simple message of the gospel and buying into a false narrative that claimed true righteousness was based on a formula of Jesus + something = salvation.

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. 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. – 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ESV

As far as Paul was concerned, the Judaizers were the enemy. Although they claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ, they were claiming that faith alone was not enough. These Jewish converts to Christianity were demanding that all the male members of the church in Philippi be circumcised and, essentially, convert to Judaism before their salvation could be considered complete. This left Paul in a state of rage, especially because he was unable to do anything about it while under house arrest in Rome. This explains the strong nature of his rhetoric.

He completely invalidates the message of the Judaizers by declaring the Gentile converts to Christianity as the true circumcision.

For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort… – Philippians 3:3 NLT

This verse summarizes Paul’s view on the matter. To him, circumcision was nothing more than a work, an outward act that left the one circumcised with a false sense of spiritual well-being. For the Jews, it had become a symbol of their unique status as God’s chosen people. But in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul exposed the flaw behind the Jewish view of circumcision.

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

In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it. – Romans 2:27 NLT

The problem lies in the dangerous misperception being perpetrated by the Judaizers. In their way of thinking, the rite of circumcision was the non-negotiable doorway one must enter to receive justification before God. But this teaching stood in direct opposition to the gospel message of salvation made possible by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The good news of salvation was that no other step was necessary; no additional works were required.  Paul clarified this point to the church in Ephesus.

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

To add circumcision to the gospel message was to distort the good news and make it another gospel altogether. Rather than basing salvation on the gracious gift of God’s Son, the Judaizers were introducing a form of works-based salvation. They were making justification a matter of rule-keeping and self-effort, but Paul reminds the Philippian believers, “We put no confidence in human effort” (Philippians 3:3 NLT).

He goes on to expose the absurdity of the Judaizers’ argument. If they are going to make it all about human effort and rule-keeping, Paul was the poster boy for self-justification. He describes his relative merit as a good Jew who had all the criteria to make him a candidate for justification before God through works. But for Paul, this way of thinking was ridiculous and dangerous, and stood in direct opposition to the message of the gospel. I

In a direct attack against the pride-filled Judaizers, Paul sarcastically states: “I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!” (Philippians 3:4a NLT). He goes on to describe his so-called credentials for justification before God, but he knew that his curriculum vitae had nothing to do with his right standing before God. His salvation was not based on anything he had done or any perceived value he possessed; it was all the result of Christ’s finished work on the cross. Paul drove home that point in his letter to the Galatians.

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

For Paul, the formula was quite simple and concise. Righteousness was made available by God through man’s faith in the finished work of Christ— no more, no less. So, in Paul’s estimation, circumcision was nothing more than self-mutilation when used as an attempt to earn favor with God. Law-keeping becomes disobedience to God when used as a means to justify oneself before God. For as Paul stated, no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. Rule-keeping cannot produce righteousness. Merit is a false doorway to God’s mercy. Good works will never earn God’s grace. The gift of salvation is costly, yet free, and must be received in humility, faith, and total dependence. As the old hymn so eloquently put it, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling” (Rock of Ages, Augustus Montague Toplady). 

Father, despite the passing of time, the problem Paul faced has not faded. In fact, it seems that man’s obsession with earning Your favor has actually increased rather than diminished. For some reason, we find it difficult to believe that salvation is a free gift. We have been raised on the mantras, “You don’t get something for nothing” and “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Maybe it’s our incessant need to feel important and to get credit for our accomplishments. But You have made it clear that “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6 ESV) and “no one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 143:2 ESV). Yet, we keep trying to earn Your favor through self-effort. When we screw up, we feel the need to do something to get back into Your good graces. When we don’t measure up, we think working harder will bring a smile to Your face. But as Paul said, we should “rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us” (Philippians 3:3 NLT), and nothing else. The gospel does not require my good works. Salvation is not the result of self-effort. And my pursuit of holiness will never be accomplished by perseverance or personal piety. But the temptation to rely on works is strong and the urge to pay my own way is difficult to escape. But, with the Spirit’s help, I know I can rest in truth that my righteousness before You was a gift and not a reward for the good things I have done. I was saved by grace, not self-effort. And for that, I am truly 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.

A Love For the Truth

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. – Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV

Some Christians enjoy speaking the truth, but it’s because they get a perverse sense of joy out of correcting others and showing them they’re wrong. These kinds of people use the Bible like a baseball bat to pound the truth into the lives of those with whom they disagree or deem errant in their views. And while the Scriptures are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV), they are not meant to be wielded like a weapon. Yes, later in his letter, Paul describes the Word of God as “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17 ESV), but he intended it to be used against “the schemes of the devil,” not one another.

The truth is vital to the life of the church. In fact, Paul told his young protege, Timothy, “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-15 ESV).

The church of God is to defend and champion the truth. In a world mired in relativity and bombarded by the enemy’s lies, the church is to be the bastion of truth, with the Word of God as its foundation. It was Jesus who said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 ESV).

The truth about sin can be painful and difficult to hear, but God has revealed Jesus as the remedy for mankind’s sin problem. The Bible reveals the truth about man, sin, God, and the means of being justified with Him. As the church, we have the truth regarding God’s plan of salvation wrapped up in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We also have the Scriptures, which contain all the truth we need regarding everything from how we got here to where we are going. It is the sole source of truth regarding life and death, sin and salvation, God and man, meaning and hopelessness, right and wrong, and every other issue relevant to our existence as human beings.

But the truth must always be accompanied by love; truth without love can be hurtful and harmful. In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he reminded them that love was to be a non-negotiable characteristic of their fellowship, as vital as unwavering faith and a strong commitment to the truth.  

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

For years, I only focused on verse 13. I loved its blunt, direct way of commanding men to step up and act like men. It was an in-your-face sort of verse that had a testosterone-laden feel to it. Then one day I happened to notice verse 14: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Oops, I had conveniently overlooked that part of Paul’s command. If I attempt to stand firm in the faith without love, I will tend to come across as dogmatic and prideful, caring more about how I am perceived by others than how much I care for others.

I love how The Message paraphrases 1 Corinthians 13, Paul’s great chapter on love:

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 MSG

Even good and seemingly godly actions, done without love, are worthless. Which is why Peter warned, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8 ESV). Telling someone who is unsaved that they are a sinner and condemned to hell might be true, but it would be mean-spirited. Revealing their sinful state without lovingly introducing them to the hope of the Savior would be nothing short of cruel.

In the body of Christ, we are to speak truth to one another, but always in love. Our motivation should never be just for conviction and correction, but for redemption and restoration. Which is why Paul told the Galatian believers, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (Galatians 6:1 NLT). That requires love.

Paul’s goal for the churches to which he ministered was their growth, but he was not just concerned with numerical growth; he desired their spiritual development. Certainly, he wanted to see more people come to faith in Christ, but he also wanted to see all of them grow in their knowledge of and relationship to Christ.

There is no way for a believer to grow outside the context of biblical community. Christianity was never meant to be a solo sport. Alone, we may grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, but that knowledge will have no outlet. Our increase in godliness is meant to produce fruitfulness, and all the fruits of the Spirit are meant to be given away. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are all other-oriented and divinely designed to benefit the lives of those around us. Paul delivered a strong admonition to the believers in Philippi, encouraging them to love one another unselfishly and wholeheartedly.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. – Philippians 2:1-4 NLT

God never intended us to live in isolation as Christians. It is together that we make up the body of Christ, with Him as our head. And Paul emphasized that when each part of the body is working properly, according to the Spirit’s gifting, the body grows and builds itself up in love. But love isn’t a feeling; it’s an attitude. It is a relationally based, God-given power to impact another person's life and spiritual well-being. Truth and love are not relative or subjective, and God has not left either one up to us to define. We are to speak His truth, not our own. We are to love others on His terms, not ours. And when we blend His truth with Christ-like love, the body of Christ grows. Just as sun and rain are necessary for crops to grow, truth and love are vital to the spiritual growth and fruitfulness of the church.

Father, like any family, the church can be messy. It is filled with all kinds of people whose personalities and personal opinions can produce friction and fissures. We can each be guilty of speaking for You when we haven’t heard from You. We can take Your truth and misunderstand and misapply it, but all the while demanding that others obey it. Because of our competitive natures, we can turn the pursuit of Christlikeness into an unhealthy and unproductive winner-takes-all contest. We make unflattering comparisons, in a vain attempt to make ourselves look better. We confuse our personal opinions with doctrine and promote our viewpoints as if they were divinely ordained dogma. But You have called us to speak the truth in love. We are never to view ourselves as more significant than anyone else. Pride has no place in the body of Christ. And when I make my personal spiritual growth a higher prioity than the well-being of the body of Christ, I am out of step with Your will. You called me and placed me in a family of faith so that I might grow in the context of community, not isolation. Never let me lose sight of Your sovereign plan to use the church as the foundation of the truth and the environment in which spiritual growth is to take place. 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.

Grace, Gratitude, and Growth

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:3-8 ESV

Up to this point, Paul has spent the entire letter defending man's justification on the basis of God’s grace and goodness, not human effort. Both Jews and Gentiles are made right with God in the same way, through faith in Christ alone. It is not based on heritage, race, background, income, achievement, or any other criteria. God said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15 ESV). So Paul concludes, “Then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16 ESV).

No one deserves God’s mercy. If we deserved it, it would no longer be mercy, because by definition, mercy is a choice, not an obligation. Mercy is not a payment by God for a job well done. When Paul speaks of the mercy of God, he means “the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ” (“Greek Lexicon :: G1656 (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 21 Dec, 2015. <http://www.blueletterbible.orghttps://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm>).

God’s mercy is undeserved. In fact, rather than giving us what we deserve, which is the essence of justice, God gives us what we don’t deserve. He extends unmerited grace in the form of salvation and justification made possible through faith in His Son. And grace is a divine prerogative that has nothing to do with man’s worthiness or works. And Paul has emphasized that without God’s mercy, no man would ever experience a right relationship with Him.

Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:12-13 NLT

So there is no reason for anyone to think more highly of himself. The Gentiles to whom Paul was writing were not to become prideful because God had taken away the message of salvation from the Jews and given it to them. The Jewish believers were not to boast in their heritage as descendants of Abraham. None of that mattered. Instead, each was to “think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3 ESV).

Our place in the body of Christ is not based on the amount of faith we conjure up. Salvation is not a competition and leaves no room for comparison. Each of us enjoys a relationship with Christ because of God’s mercy and grace. We have been placed in the body of Christ by God, each “having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” (Romans 12:6 ESV). Even our spiritual gifts are a gift from God; we didn’t bring them with us. Spiritual gifts are not human abilities on steroids; they are supernatural enablements, provided by the Spirit of God. And those Spirit-embued gifts are intended for the building up of the body of Christ. Paul told the Ephesian believers that God “makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT).

Our gifts are given to us by the grace of God, and we are to use them humbly and selflessly. They are not intended to boost our egos or inflate our sense of self-worth, but to build up the body of Christ. When writing to the church in Corinth, Paul addressed their misunderstanding and misuse of spiritual gifts, which had led them to turn their gifts into badges of honor. Their God-given gifts had become divisive, with members of the church bragging over the particular gifts that they had. Paul had to sternly remind them, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV).

Each of them had a spiritual gift “empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11 ESV). There was no reason to boast or brag because the apportionment of the gifts had been God’s doing.

God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. – 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 ESV

Our salvation is the work of God. In the same way, our justification or right standing before God is the result of His mercy, not our merit. Our place in the body of Christ was determined by Him, not us. Our spiritual gifts were given to us by His Spirit and intended for the building up of the body of Christ. There is nothing about our relationship with Christ or our place in His family for which we have a right to boast.

We should use our gifts “according to the grace given to us.” A recognition of God’s grace should always motivate our actions and attitudes. Like the psalmist, we should daily remind ourselves of God’s sovereign will over our lives.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
   Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. – Psalm 100:1-3 NLT

We are His people, not because we deserved it, but as a result of His marvelous grace.

Father, grace is a difficult concept for us to grasp because we have had the mindset of merit wired into our brains since birth. We have been raised on a works-based mentality that promises rewards for a  job well done, But because You are holy, You demand perfect righteousness from Your people. And because of sin, no one can measure up to Your standards. We all fall short. Paul made this clear when he wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet 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” (Romans 3:23-24 NLT).

Yet, despite this reminder of marvelous grace, we keep trying to earn Your favor through self-effort. Even after coming to salvation, we turn our backs on Your grace and attempt to live the Christian life on our own strength. But as you pointed out to Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). You don’t demand righteousness; You provide it. You don’t require holiness; You make it possible. Our salvation, sanctification, and ultimate glorification are up to You, not us. We get to participate, but only as we humbly submit to Your will, rely on Your Spirit, and rest in Your amazing 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

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

The Hypocrisy of a Holier-Than-Thou Attitude

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. – Romans 2:1-5 ESV

Paul was writing to the church in Rome, and, like many of the churches in those days, it was made up of converted Gentiles and Jews. Chapter one seems to be addressed to the former pagans or Gentiles. He wrote that he wished to come visit them so that he might “reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles” (Romans 1:13 ESV). He made it clear to them that, like all men, prior to their conversion, they had been without excuse.

God had revealed Himself to them through His creation, and had made His “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20 ESV) clearly perceptible. Yet, like all men, they had rejected God's revelation and had chosen to worship the creation rather than the Creator. And it had been the gospel that had revealed to them God's power for salvation to everyone who believes. They had discovered that the righteousness God requires was available only through faith in His Son. They had once been under God's wrath for their dishonoring and disregard of Him, and had been given up by God to reap the consequences of their darkened hearts and foolish choices. The city of Rome was still filled with tens of thousands of people living according to “the lie.”

But now, Paul turns his attention to another group within the church. They might be described as self-righteous religious snobs, those who were quick to consider themselves better than the pagans Paul had described. More than likely, Paul was speaking directly to the Jews who had accepted Christ as their Savior and Messiah. When they heard Paul describe those whom God had given up, they excluded themselves from that list because they considered themselves to be God's chosen people. They were descendants of Abraham, the recipients of God’s covenant promises. But Paul makes it clear that they, too, are without excuse. In fact, to a certain degree, the Jews were even more culpable because they had been given special revelation from God.

God had revealed Himself to Abraham and given him His covenant promises. Yahweh had used Abraham and his barren wife to create the nation of Israel, in fulfillment of His promise to make of Abraham a great nation. When the descendants of Abraham had ended up as slaves in Egypt, God had rescued them from their captivity and led them to the land He had promised them. On the way, He gave them His law and provided them with the sacrificial system as a means of receiving forgiveness for their sins so they could maintain a right relationship with Him. God also gave them the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem as places where His holy presence would dwell, and they could meet with Him. And yet, throughout their history, the Jews had continually sinned against Him. He had proven His existence to them time and time again, and they were fully aware of His divine expectations on them, but they had been incapable of keeping God's law or of remaining faithful to Him.

Despite all this, the Jews of Paul's day had become self-righteous and prideful because of their unique relationship with God. Their attitude had become like that of the Pharisee in the parable that Jesus had told.

“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector!’” – Luke 18:11 NLT

Because they were Abraham's descendants, they viewed themselves as superior to the rest of humanity. But Paul warns them, “When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.” (Romans 2:1 NLT). They stood just as guilty as the pagans and were not exempt from the litany of sins found in Romans 1:29-31. They could not afford to consider themselves as somehow better than everyone else.

We can't forget that this entire letter is ultimately about the gospel: “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 ESV). It is about “the righteousness of God … revealed from faith for faith” (Romans 1:17 ESV). Paul's whole point in the opening chapters of his letter was to prove that no one stands before God as righteous; all are without excuse, whether they are Gentiles or Jews.

Later in his letter, Paul writes, “Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous – not even one’” (Romans 3:9-10 NLT). Righteousness is not man-made; it is God-given. It is based on faith, not works, and has nothing to do with human merit. Instead, it relies on God's mercy and grace.

Paul wanted the Jewish believers to know that they had been recipients of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience. The fact that they still existed as a people had to do with God's covenant promises, not their faithfulness or righteousness. He had continually rescued them from their own self-destructive tendencies so that He might fulfill His promise to send the Messiah as a descendant of David. When Jesus showed up on the scene as the Messiah, He called the people of Israel to repentance. And Paul says that God's kindness, in the form of the Messiah, was meant to lead them to repentance. Yet Paul tells them, “But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself” (Romans 2:5 NLT). Why? Because the Jews failed to recognize their own sinfulness and need for a Savior. In pointing their finger at the sins of the pagans, they were missing the whole point. No one is righteous, no, not one.

Father, how easy it is to practice a form of spiritual one-upmanship. In our competitive mindset, we can always find someone whose sinful lifestyle makes us look good. Rather than acknowleding our undeserving nature and expressing gratitude to You for Your love, grace, and mercy, we try to make ourselves look better by looking down on others. But in our attempt to set ourselves up as spiritually superior, we prove our own hypocrisy and undeservedness. Bashing “sinners” has become a popular trend for Christians. Finding fault with unbelievers somehow makes us feel better about ourselves. But Paul reminds us, “When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things” (Romans 2:1 NLT). We should know better because we know You. We should act differently because we have Your Spirit living within us. We are without excuse and in need of repentance. Forgive us of our pride, arrogance, and judgmental attitude. Continue to remind us that we owe everything to You. Your love for us is not based on our righteousness or super spirituality; it is based on the gift of Your Son. 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

Wise Fools

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. – Romans 1:21-23 ESV

Wise fools. The world is full of them and always has been. Paul describes them as futile in their thinking. The Greek word Paul uses is mataioō, which can mean “to passively become foolish, or to become idolatrous.” Paul says these wise fools are without excuse because they have had every opportunity to honor or recognize the existence and reality of God, who has revealed Himself through His creation.

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. – Romans 1:20 ESV

These kinds of people indict themselves because they all end up worshiping something or someone. They may not call it worship, but they esteem or honor other things, giving them the place of prominence in their lives that belongs to God alone. Some end up worshiping man, making humanity the end-all be-all of our existence; they believe we are our own savior. Others worship science, placing all their hope and trust in reason and man's ability to solve all of the world's problems through scientific research and development. There are those who worship political parties or governmental and ideological policies.

Elevating men or man-made ideas to a god-like status in our lives has been humanity's lot since the fall. That was the original temptation of the serpent in the garden.

“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” - Genesis 3:5 ESV

Paul makes it painfully clear that all men know God because they sense the existence of something greater than what they can see. Creation virtually shouts that there is something or someone out there, the first cause behind all that exists. Ancient man inherently knew that there was a force greater than themselves; that's why they created idols. It is the reason they worshiped the sun, moon, stars, animals, nature, and every other created thing.

Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. – Romans 1:22-23 ESV

But modern man is more sophisticated than that; our idols are more subtle and sensible. We wouldn't dream of worshiping the sun but we will worship the Big Bang Theory. We will go out of our way to concoct every possible explanation for our existence, while refusing to accept the idea that God exists. Claiming to be wise, we become fools, self-deceived, and sadly mistaken in our conclusions. We end up exchanging the glory of the immortal God for a cheap, but seemingly plausible replacement.

Paul insists that man's persistent attempt to explain away God has left him with a darkened heart. What was once clearly discernible to them, the invisible attributes of God, has become cloudy and veiled. Man has lost the ability to sense God's presence and power. This has left him with the nagging need to explain his existence and make sense of a world that continues to spiral out of control, despite all our scientific advances, modern conveniences, and misguided hope in moralistic relativism. We keep believing we can make the world a better place. We have made vast improvements in communication, transportation, medicine, education, and agricultural production, yet the world remains plagued by hatred, disease, famine, ignorance, and inequities in all their hideous forms. We have made advances in everything except the state of man's heart. We can help him live longer, but we are incapable of making him live better. Human reason will never come up with a way to deal with sin. Science will never find a solution to the problem of the human heart. In our wisdom, we have become fools.

And yet, in the midst of all of mankind's arrogance and pride, God sent His Son. Paul calls it the gospel, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 ESV). In the gospel, the righteousness of God has been revealed through the life of His sinless Son. God’s righteous expectations for humanity were fulfilled by Jesus. 

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 law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. – Romans 8:3 NLT

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. – 1 Peter 2:24 NLT

Jesus did what no other man had been able to do since Adam; He lived in perfect obedience to the law of God. As the author of Hebrews states, “he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT). And it was His sinless life that made Him the perfect sacrifice to pay for the sins of man. He died so that man might live. He gave His life so that we would not have to give ours. The death of Jesus was what God required so that men might be made right (righteous) with Him. And this righteousness is only available by faith. Not by reason. Not by scientific explanations or experiments. Not through human effort or any amount of seemingly moral advancements.

Man, apart from God, is helpless, hopeless, blind, ignorant, and spiritually dead. Even his best efforts on his best day are flawed and, ultimately, worthless. As the prophet Isaiah so aptly put it, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT).

Man has become too smart for his own good. His intelligence has left him unable to honor God or give Him thanks. He is determined to come up with his own explanation for his existence and a personal plan for his future. But in the end, all men must face the reality of God's existence. God doesn't go away because we attempt to explain Him away. He doesn't cease to exist simply because our intelligence refuses to accept Him. God has revealed Himself in His creation and made Himself known through His written Word. And He has given men the means by which they can know Him personally and permanently through His Son. But the knowledge of God is ultimately available through faith, not wisdom.

Father, You are self-evident. Your existance is displayed in the universe You created. Yet, in our “wisdom,” we have determined to write You out of the script, to remove You from the story of our lives. Yet, rather than give up on us, You sent Your Son to live among us. Jesus became one of us, so that He might demonstrate what obedience to Your righteous law looks like. Not only that, Jesus made You, the invisible God, visible and knowable. As the apostle John wrote, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known” (John 1:18 BSB). He walked among us. He lived like us. Then He died for us. All so we could be restored to a right relationship with You. In our foolish wisdom, we turned our backs on You. We became too smart for our own good. However, You had a plan to redeem us from our own stupidity and self-destructiveness. You sent Jesus and He offered His life as payment for our well-deserved judgment. As Paul told the Corinthians, “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). Thank You for graciously loving a fool like me. And forgive me for the many times I fall back on my own foolish wisdom and fail to honor You as God and give You thanks. 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.

As Unto the Lord

13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. – 2 Corinthians 10:13-18 ESV

While Paul was willing to become all things to all people so that he might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22), he was not willing to submit himself to the authority of men or to labor for their approval. Fourteen years after his conversion, Paul traveled to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to meet with the original apostles. He had been doing ministry among the Gentiles for well over a decade and had never traveled to Jerusalem to get their approval for his ministry. In fact, Paul boldly proclaimed his independence from the leadership in Jerusalem.

…the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. – Galatians 2:6-7 NLT

Paul would later tell Timothy, “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NLT). He also 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).

For Paul, God’s approval of his work was paramount. He considered himself a servant of God, and so his only concern was to do what his Master had commanded him to do. And yet, because he was human, Paul was sensitive to the constant criticism he faced. His ministry was always under siege, and the most vicious attacks were personal in nature.

It seems that in Corinth, Paul was accused of having overstepped his bounds; he was operating outside his designated area of influence. Corinth was a long way from Jerusalem, and as a Jew, Paul had no business ministering to the primarily Gentile community there. His critics were saying he was out of bounds in Corinth; it was their territory, and he needed to mind his own business and leave them alone.

But Paul argued that he was under the same commission Jesus had given to the original 12 disciples

“Be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 ESV

Paul considered Corinth well within his God-assigned jurisdiction, and he reminded them that he had brought the gospel there and helped plant the first church.

We were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel about Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:14b NLT).

When ministry becomes a competition or a quest for fame and glory, everyone loses. Those who minister to gain recognition or the approval of men will always view other ministers as adversaries, not allies. Paul was not out to build his reputation, but to build up the body of Christ. He was not motivated by man’s approval, but by God’s. Paul wanted to one day hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21 ESV).

The whole idea of ministerial boundaries and serving God for personal glory or gain was foreign to Paul. He simply went where God told him to go, and was able to say, “I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else” (Romans 15:19b-20 NLT).

Paul’s passion was for evangelism. He longed to take the gospel to those places where the name of Christ was unknown and the message of the good news had not yet been heard. But Paul also had a desire to see those who had come to faith in Christ grow up in their salvation (1 Corinthians 3:2; 1 Peter 2:2). So while he was anxious to continue his missionary efforts and take the gospel to places such as Rome and Spain (Acts 19:21; Romans 15:28), he was not willing to watch newly converted Christians languish in spiritual infancy or as the predatory practices false teachers. So he continued to reach out to the Corinthians, longing to see them grow. It was his desire that they increase in spiritual health and maturity. Once that goal was achieved, he reasoned, “Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working. Then there will be no question of our boasting about work done in someone else’s territory.” (2 Corinthians 10:16 NLT). He wanted to move on, but was not willing to do so if it meant sacrificing the stability of the work in Corinth.

When all was said and done, Paul was only interested in one thing: God’s approval. He believed that he performed his duties before an audience of one: God. Yes, there would always be others watching. There would always be some who complimented his work and others who attacked it. But at the end of the day, he was endeavoring to please God, not men. He wanted to be able to lie his head on the pillow and find rest in the fact that he had done what God had called him to do. Which is what led him to write:

As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them. – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 ESV

When we faithfully do God’s will, we will find ourselves with admirers and detractors. We may receive compliments and equal amounts of criticism, and have our methods and motives questioned. Others will attempt to take credit for what we have done. But as long as we are doing what we do for the Lord, it will not matter.

Like Paul, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we perform our duties for an audience of one. His opinion is the only one that matters; the applause and approval of men carry no weight when compared to the commendation of God. So, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17 ESV), and “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT).

Father, Men-pleasing is a non-contact sport among most Christians. We are competitive in nature, even when it comes to our spiritual lives. We compare and contrast, measuring our spiritual maturity based on what others think of us or how well our walk stacks up to theirs. We don’t like criticism and the thought of others questioning our godliness makes our blood boil. But Paul reminds me that Your opinion is the only one that matters. I perform for an audience of one: You. It is what You think of me that should motivate my actions and measure my effectiveness. But I am so prone to worrying about what others think about me. The approval of men is like a drug that clouds my thinking and causes me to lose sight my real purpose. I am Your servant and I answer to You alone. I exist to serve and please You. Thank You for using Paul to deliver that much-needed reminder. Now, help me to live it out in everyday life. 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.

The Lost Need a Savior, Not a Friend

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
    and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
    and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
    then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you,
    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV

There is a huge difference between being a conduit through which God’s redeeming grace can flow to the lost and becoming, as Paul describes it, unequally yoked with them. It was Paul’s desire that the Corinthians be gracious and loving to all, but he feared that they would turn the love of God into tolerance and His graciousness into an inappropriate excuse to associate with the ungodly.

Paul had already witnessed their unacceptable handling of the man in their congregation who was having an affair with his stepmother. Rather than mourning over this man’s immoral behavior, they had arrogantly approved of it, allowing him to remain a part of their fellowship. But Paul read them the riot act, boldly stating, “You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.” (1 Corinthians 5:2 NLT).

Paul’s concern was that the Corinthians would interpret his appeal to grace as an invitation to accept anyone and everyone, regardless of their behavior or lifestyle. Paul understood that we must meet people where they are to share the gospel with them, but that the power of the gospel would not allow them to remain in that same state, unchanged. The good news of Jesus Christ is transformative and life-altering.

Associating with the lost is necessary if we want to share with them the hope available to them through faith in Jesus Christ. But Paul differentiates between casual acquaintances and unhealthy associations. His concern is when a believer develops a close, overly accommodating relationship with an unbeliever. This passage often gets applied to the marriage context, and rightfully so. But it has more far-reaching applications, covering everything from business partnerships to close friendships. The imagery Paul uses is that of a yoke, a common farming implement that teams two animals to pull a plow. The idea of being unequally yoked involved putting two different animals with different temperaments in the yoke together, such as an ox and a donkey. These two animals have different physical characteristics and personalities and would not naturally associate with one another. So, if they were yoked together, they would pull at different speeds and actually fight one another, making the work inefficient and unacceptable to the farmer. Their efforts would be wasted, and the farmer’s goal of plowing the field would be thwarted.

This is what Paul has in mind when he tells the Corinthians not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers; such a partnership is unacceptable and antithetical. He compares it to light and darkness or righteousness and lawlessness. Unbelievers, by virtue of their unredeemed state, serve a different master, so why would a follower of Christ willingly align themselves with a child of Satan? Yes, that sounds harsh, but the apostle John reminds us of its reality.

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. – 1 John 3:7-10 NLT

Paul is not suggesting that believers avoid all relationships with the lost; that would be impossible. In fact, in his first letter to the Corinthians, he clarified a statement he had made that had been misunderstood and misapplied.

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. – 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 NLT

Paul warns them against developing or maintaining unhealthy alliances with the lost. To do so would be counterproductive and put them in a position where their allegiance to Christ would be strained and hampered. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are the temple of God, and uses a variety of Old Testament texts to drive home his point. Just as God had chosen the people of Israel to be His people, believers have been hand-picked by God to be members of His family. They have been separated by and consecrated to God. So God expects them to disassociate themselves from the other nations that surround them. That is what Paul means when he writes, “Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17 NLT).

The apostle Peter encourages us to consider ourselves as aliens and strangers on this earth, living as if we don’t belong here, because our real home is in heaven.

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. – 1 Peter 2:11-12 NLT

We are citizens of a different Kingdom and answer to a different King, and while we are on this earth, we serve as His ambassadors, accomplishing His will by doing His work. That will become increasingly more difficult, if not impossible, if we align ourselves with those who do not share our allegiance to Him. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter: “But 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. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT).

As children of God, we are to constantly submit ourselves to the will of God and serve Him at all times. But if we allow ourselves to become unequally yoked to a non-believer, either through marriage, friendship, or a business partnership, we will find ourselves in constant conflict. We will discover that our “plowing partner” has an agenda that competes with rather than complements our own. Rather than working together, we will fight one another, accomplishing little of God’s Kingdom work.

It is one thing to share the gospel with a lost individual, but it is another thing altogether to do life with them. We should love the lost and be willing to share the hope of Christ with them, but we must never forget that, in their unredeemed state, they are still enemies of God, living in rebellion against Him. Our goal should be their redemption, not a compromised relationship with them. Our purpose in associating with them is that they might know the love of God and be set free from their slavery to sin and death. But ignoring their sin just to enjoy their friendship is dangerous for us and, ultimately, a sign of a serious lack of love for them.

Father, we have to be very careful how we interpret and apply Your Son’s command to love our enemies. He wasn’t calling us to compromise our convictions or excuse their behavior; He was encouraging us to love them enough to tell them the truth about the gospel. That may require that we offend or upset them, and may have to face their wrath or rejection. But if we allow friendship to trump our calling to proclaim the good news, we do them more harm than good. By failing to tell them the truth about sin and their need for a Savior, we condemn rather than befriend them. The proverb is right when it states, “An open rebuke is better than hidden love. Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:5-6 NLT). Give me the boldness to speak truth even when it may result in the loss of a friend. Show me how to love well, never allowing compromise to supersede my commitment to Your Word and my calling to be an ambassador of the gospel. 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 Horror of Hording God's Grace

1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“In a favorable time I listened to you,
    and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also. – 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 ESV

Paul ended the last section of his letter with the appeal, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV).

Now Paul states that he and his fellow apostles and missionaries are working alongside the Lord as His ambassadors, appealing to the Corinthians “not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1b ESV). Throughout his letter, Paul has addressed the Corinthians as fellow believers, his brothers and sisters in Christ. So why would he mention receiving the grace of God in vain? Is he questioning their salvation or implying that they have abandoned the Lord? That seems unlikely, so he must be inferring that they are not taking full advantage of the grace bestowed upon them at their salvation. The New Living Translation of verse 1 seems to reflect Paul’s intent.

We beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. – 2 Corinthians 6:1b NLT

At salvation, God pours out His grace (unmerited favor) in abundance, but it doesn’t stop there. He has given every believer the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit, providing them with His power, guidance, and divine discernment. He adopts them into His family and places them within the body of Christ, surrounding them with the love and support of His people. He gives them His written Word, which provides them with insights into His character, access to truth and wisdom for living in this world, and hope for the future. All of this is an aspect of His grace. And yet, as believers, we can receive that grace in vain. We can under-appreciate it, under-utilize it, overlook it, and simply ignore it, to our own detriment.

The grace of God was essential to Paul, not only for salvation, but for life. It was a common thing for Paul to express his love for the church by extending his desire that they know the fullness of God’s grace. This often took the place of a salutation or benediction in his letters.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. – 2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT

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

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

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 1:2 ESV

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:2 ESV

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. – Philippians 4:23 ESV

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. – Colossians 1:2 ESV

The grace of God is not to be seen as a once-in-a-lifetime gift that we receive at salvation, but a resource that lasts a lifetime. God is always extending His grace to His children. In fact, Paul quotes from Isaiah 49, a prophetic passage about the coming Messiah. In it, God promised His anointed one: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people” (Isaiah 49:8 ESV).

God’s grace is always timely and never late. His grace shows up in perfect alignment with His will. Even though Jesus suffered in His earthly ministry and was rejected by His own people, God showed Him favor and extended His grace by raising Jesus back to life after having suffered a gruesome death as payment for the sins of men.

Paul says that same kind of grace is available to the Corinthians and they are not to treat it contemptuously or take it for granted. He uses himself as an example of what grace looks like in everyday life:

…we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. – 2 Corinthians 6:4-7 NLT

Being ambassadors for Christ and sharing the good news of His death and resurrection was not easy. It required a constant dependence upon the grace (unmerited favor) of God. Paul and his companions regularly suffered for their efforts. They knew first-hand what it was like to face rejection and ridicule. Their ministry of reconciliation wasn’t always met with open arms or receptive hearts. But by the grace of God, they soldiered on. And Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that God has called them to live their lives in the same way: dependent upon God’s grace as they willingly submit to God’s will.

Paul’s desire was for the Corinthians to experience the full extent of God’s grace and to extend that grace to others, including to him. Which led him to say, “Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!” (2 Corinthians 6:11-13 NLT).

Grace is meant to be received and shared; it is not intended to dead-end on us, but to flow through us to others. We need God’s grace to live the life He has called us to live. But that undeserved and unlimited grace needs to flow through our hearts and into the lives of those with whom we live and interact every day. We are to be the conduits of His grace, passing it on to all those who need to know the message of His love, mercy, and forgiveness found in Jesus.

As Paul states, “The ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT). God’s grace is always timely, and the time to share it is now.

Father, Your grace is a gift, but for some reason, as Christians, we tend to horde it like it belongs to us. But grace was never meant to stop with us; it was always intended to flow from us to others. The beauty of grace is that it is the gift that keeps on giving. The more I receive, the more I have to give away to those around me. If I fail to do so, I become like the Dead Sea, a body of water that has no outlet. Fresh water flows in, but neverr flows out. The result is a stagnant and salt-infused sea that cannot quench thirst or sustain life. I don’t want my life to be that way. I want to serve as a PVC pipe in your mission of redemption, delivering Your life-giving grace to all those who thirst after righteousness. This world is full of people who are literally dying of spiritual thirst. That is why Your Son offered the gracious invitation: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart’” (John 7:37-38 NLT). I have drunk from the fountain of Your grace, now help me to share it with others. 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.

Motivated By the Love of Christ

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him– 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 ESV

Paul has just told the Corinthians that a day is coming when all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

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

It is that day Paul has in mind when he mentions “the fear of the Lord.” It is an awareness of the future judgment of our present actions that should create in us a sober-minded evaluation of all that we do in this life. As believers, we should carefully consider all our thoughts and actions, knowing that we will one day answer to God for all that we have done in this life since coming to faith in Christ. Paul told the believers in Rome, “Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God … each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:10, 12 NLT).

Paul was not saying that he feared the judgment of God in the sense that he might lose his salvation or lose his place in the eternal Kingdom. It was that he was strongly motivated not to do anything that might displease God on the day of judgment. He lived to please God and wanted to do His will — at all costs and at all times. He was unwilling to allow the opinions of men to alter his behavior in this life because he knew he would stand before the judgment seat of Christ in the next life. That is what led him to persuade others and prompted him to risk everything to save some. His reputation took a back seat to the message of redemption. What concerned Paul the most was what God thought of him.

God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. – 2 Corinthians 5:11b NLT

Over the life of his ministry, Paul had spent a great deal of time defending his apostleship. Unlike the original disciples of Jesus, he had not been there at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He was not one of the twelve and had not been personally taught by Jesus. This led his opponents to argue that he lacked apostolic authority. To complicate matters, it appears that Paul had a less-than-impressive aura about him. He was evidently small in stature, unimpressive in appearance, and had gained a reputation for being a second-rate communicator. He even admitted as much in his first letter to the Corinthians.

I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 2:3-4 NLT

The only reason Paul defended his apostleship or said anything about himself that might come across as boastful was to silence those who kept trying to diminish his influence. Paul didn’t mind if people thought he was crazy, as long as he was being faithful to God. If he came across as crazy, it was only because he was obsessed with sharing the gospel with as many people as possible. When it came to the good news, he was “out of his mind.”

Paul said he was controlled by the love of Christ, which meant that everything he did was done out of gratitude and not for gain. He wasn’t in ministry for the money, accolades, power, or popularity. He couldn't care less whether someone thought he was crazy or sane, as long as they saw Christ in him. He was motivated by his love for the lost and his Christ-like compassion for believers, and his love for others was the direct result of God’s love for him.

The apostle John wrote, “We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” (1 John 4:19-20 NLT). And how did God express His love? “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him” (1 John 4:9 NLT). It was that sacrificial love that motivated Paul. Because of what Jesus Christ had done for him, Paul was willing to risk everything to tell everyone about the good news of salvation through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.

He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. – 2 Corinthians 5:15 NLT

God’s love for us required that Jesus die in our place. His death on our behalf made our new life possible, and that new life has freed us to live for Him, not ourselves. Our newfound capacity to live unselfishly should show up in our desire to selflessly share His love with all those we meet.

For the love of Christ controls us. – 2 Corinthians 5:15 ESV

Father, I hate to admit it, but I am controlled by a lot of things other than the love of Christ. I worry way too much about what people think of me. I spend too much time thinking about me instead of thinking about others. Far too often, I allow my pursuit of personal comfort to prevent me from   carrying out the commission Jesus gave me. But Paul reminds me that I should be motivated by Christ’s selfless love for me, not my selfish love of self. I have so much for which to be grateful and none of it has to do with my reputation, possessions, or personal accomplishments. My only value is found in Your unwavering love for me. You loved me so much that You sent Your Son to die in my place. You sacrificed Your Son so that I might be restored to a right relationship with You. And that undeserved and unfathomable love should motivate me to love others. It is the least I could do to show my gratitude and love for You. I no longer want to live for me. That is a path that leads to nowhere. It is a life that produces no fruit and little satisfaction. So, open my eyes to see the magnitude of Your love for me so that I might pour it out on others. Amen

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

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

Conduits of God’s Grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Practicing the Three R’s

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. – 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 ESV

In these verses, Paul refers to an unnamed individual who had been a source of trouble in the church. Evidently, he had played an adversarial role, attempting to undermine or question Paul’s ministry or the validity of his apostleship. In doing so, he had caused Paul and the church pain  (lypeō – sadness or grief). This man’s disruptive presence had been a source of consternation and sorrow, and Paul concedes that it had been harder on the Corinthians than it had been on him.

Unlike their earlier response to the man who had been having an incestuous relationship with his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), in this case, they had chosen to deal with it. Even this had caused grief, because practicing tough love toward a fellow believer is never easy. In the case of the young man committing adultery with his stepmother, Paul had told them, “You should remove this man from your fellowship” (1 Corinthians 5:2 NLT). He went on to defend his recommendation, telling them, “You must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.” (1 Corinthians 5:5 NLT).

Church discipline is neither fun nor easy, but the alternative can be devastating. Paul had warned the Corinthians of the danger of procrastinating about internal problems within the church. 

Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. – 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 NLT

Regarding the individual Paul refers to in this letter, the Corinthians had practiced church discipline, but now it was time to restore their brother in Christ. He gently, but firmly, reminds them, “Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overcome by discouragement” (2 Corinthians 2:6-7 NLT).

The goal of church discipline should be the repentance, restoration, and reconciliation of the offending party. This man’s public ostracization by the church had made an impact on his life. Now, Paul wanted them to forgive and restore him so that he would not lose heart and perhaps fall into greater sin. Paul writes, “ I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him” (2 Corinthians 2:8 NLT).

According to Paul, the body of Christ has been given the ministry of reconciliation. It was the same ministry to which he had been called by Christ.

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

Helping restore lost individuals to a right relationship with God is our mission. However, it also includes restoring believers who, through persistent, unrepentant sin, have walked away from God and the body of Christ. Paul told the believers in Galatia:

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. – Galatians 6:1 NLT

It would be ungodly to practice church discipline on a fellow believer without pursuing the ultimate goal of their restoration. Removing an offending believer from your fellowship without intending to restore them one day is not what Paul had in mind.

One of the things we must always keep in mind is that Satan is always out to divide and conquer. Jesus said of him, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a ESV). His intention is to attack those within the flock of God who are weak and vulnerable. He can’t take away their salvation, but he can steal their effectiveness and joy. He can kill their sense of contentment and destroy their unity with the body of Christ. Satan would much rather destroy the church from within than attack it from the outside. That is why we must be so concerned about sin within the camp.

Sin, like yeast, permeates and spreads. It can be like cancer, growing unobserved and undetected, silently infecting the entire body. So we must always be on the alert and willing to confront sin within the body of Christ. But along with confrontation, we must extend compassion and pursue restoration. And it all begins with forgiveness. This was a recurring theme for Paul:

…be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32 NLT

Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. – Colossians 3:13 NLT

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. – Romans 15:5-7 NLT

Paul knew that God longed for unity among His people. Christ prayed for it in His High Priestly Prayer.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” – John 17:20-23

Sin was and is an ever-present reality within the body of Christ, but forgiveness should be as well. Otherwise, we open ourselves to the evil schemes of Satan, who seeks to outwit us and destroy the unity Christ died to provide. That is why we need to practice the three R’s: Repentance, reconciliation, and restoration.

We are in this together. We are the body of Christ, the family of God, and our unity should be as important to us as it is to our heavenly Father.

Father, unity does not mean universality. As members of the body of Christ, we are not all the same. We come from different backgrounds, have differing talents and abilities, and we have each been given a different gift by the Holy Spirit for the mutual edification of the church. But we all share a common struggle with indwelling sin; we can't escape it. Some are more spiritually mature than others. There are those who are weak and more susceptible to sin. And while You have called us to confront sin when we see it, we should never do so without pursuing their repentance and reconciliation. You never said it would be easy, but as Paul makes clear, reconciliation is a non-negotiable necessity. Peter said that judgment begins in the house of God (1 Peter 1:17), but it must be accompanied by restorative love and a desire for spiritual healing. Show us how to practice tough love with the heart of Christ, and never out of judgmentalism or prideful arrogance. 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 War of the Wills

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 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. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. – 2 Corinthians 2:15-22 ESV

When reading any book in the Bible, especially the pastoral letters, it is important to recognize that the letters were written to an original audience. That means there was a specific context that shaped the letter's content, and that is the case with our text for today. Paul was addressing an issue that was unique to him and his audience in Corinth. In his previous letter to them, he had said he planned to come and see them.

I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. – 1 Corinthians 16:5-7 ESV

Evidently, Paul’s plans had changed, and he was unable to follow through. The result was that there were those in Corinth who began to question the sincerity of his word. So, on top of having to deal with a faction in the church that was questioning the validity of his apostleship and, therefore, his authority, he was now having to defend his integrity.

Paul wanted them to know he had been sincere when he told them he would visit them. In fact, twice in this passage, he claims his intention was to visit Corinth. 

I wanted to come to you first. – 2 Corinthians 1:15 ESV

I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia. – 2 Corinthians 1:16 ESV

But his plans had changed; his agenda had been altered by God. Luke records in Acts that it was not uncommon for Paul’s plans to be influenced by the Spirit of God.

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. – Acts 16:6-8 NLT

Paul was a servant of God, and as such, he was obligated to do God’s will. His plans were subordinate to God's, and yet the Corinthians viewed his failure to visit them as vacillation or, even worse, disingenuousness. So Paul addresses their misgivings by asking a series of questions.

You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say ‘Yes’ when they really mean ‘No’?” – 2 Corinthians 1:17 NLT

Paul insists that his failure to come to see them had nothing to do with vacillation, but everything to do with submission to the will of God. In fact, he claims that he, Silas, and Timothy were being faithful to what God was calling them to do, just as Christ was faithful to do the will of His Father.

Paul’s point seems to be that his will and desires were completely subservient to God's will. He was obligated to do what God wanted him to do, even when it was in direct conflict with his own well-intentioned desires. 

In essence, Paul is boldly claiming that questioning his integrity and faithfulness is tantamount to questioning the very will of God. He strongly believed that he was obeying the will of God, who is always faithful. God’s yes is yes, and His no is no. As a former Pharisee and a student of the Hebrew Scriptures, Paul would have been intimately familiar with the following passages.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? – Numbers 23:19 NLT

…he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!” – 1 Samuel 15:29 NLT

God cannot lie, so His word can always be trusted. And because Paul was doing the will of God, the Corinthians were essentially questioning the integrity of God and His Son. In fact, Paul states, “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate ‘Yes,’ he always does what he says” (2 Corinthians 1:19 NLT).

The bottom line for Paul was that Jesus was the living example of God’s integrity, veracity, and reliability. Jesus was the unquestioned expression of God’s faithfulness because through Him all the promises of God had been fulfilled. This wasn’t about Paul keeping his word, but about God keeping His. It was about the gospel and its spread throughout the known world. That was Paul’s God-ordained duty and responsibility, and if it meant that his own will had to take a back seat, he was okay with that, and the Corinthians needed to be so as well. Their unmet expectations had to take second place to God’s divine plan. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that God’s will took precedence over their personal and somewhat petty disappointments.

Rather than being put out with Paul, they needed to remember what God had done for them. As much as they desired to see Paul and were disappointed that he had failed to keep his word, they needed to recall the unbreakable nature of God's promise and that Paul had been the one to bring it to them. 

It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NLT

People will let us down, but God never will. Even faithful believers, who are committed to and bound by the sovereign will of God, will occasionally disappoint us. But we must remember that God’s word is always reliable and the fulfillment of His will is unstoppable. From our limited perspective, what appear to be setbacks are simply God’s will being done in ways that we can’t understand. What appears to be disappointments or delays is nothing more than the will of God conflicting with our own desires and agendas.

Paul was just as disappointed that he had been unable to make it to Corinth, but he knew that God’s will was better than his own. Paul had plans and aspirations, but he knew that God’s plans were worthy of his trust and obedience.

We can know we’re learning to trust God when we find ourselves gladly submitting our will to His, displaying dependence rather than disappointment.

Father, I'll be honest, it can sometimes be difficult to discern Your will. There are times when I feel like I am operating within Your will, only to discover that things don't turn out quite like I expected, and that always throws me for a loop. I feel like I am being obedient and then everything seems to fall apart around me. The least little bit of trouble makes me question whether I was actually doing Your will. But Paul provides me with the insight that recognizing and obeying Your will has more to do with trust than discernment. You said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,…And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:8 NLT). Paul said that it was impossible for us to understand Your decisions and ways (Romans 11:33). So, You call us to trust You, even when we don’t understand Your will or Your ways. You don’t always write Your will on the wall for us to see. Sometimes, it is hidden and working behind the scenes. Our inability to see it doesn’t invalidate it. Help me to trust that Your will is always being done. And when I can see it, give me the strength to obey it even if I don't fully understand it. 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.

Difficulties Produce Dependence Upon God

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. – 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 ESV

Paul has just finished talking about the affliction he has suffered as a result of his ministry and the comfort he has received from God. He willingly accepted the first and gladly praised God for the second. He wants the Corinthians to know that his knowledge of suffering and affliction is firsthand and not academic. He knows what he is talking about. To make his point, he refers to a real-life incident of which they seemed to have some knowledge.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. – 2 Corinthians 1:8 ESV

It’s unclear what occasion Paul is referring to, but we know that his life and ministry were marked by regular persecution and difficulty. The most likely event was the riot that took place in Ephesus at the instigation of “Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis” (Acts 19:24 NLT). This disgruntled artisan stirred up his fellow craftsmen by accusing Paul and his companions of destroying their business. He asserted, “This man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!” (Acts 19:26 NLT).  According to Demetrius, Paul’s declaration that there was only one true God had diminished their sales of “handmade gods.” Not only that, he asserted that “the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” (Acts 19:27 NLT). 

Luke records the outcome of Demetrius’ efforts.

Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him. Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater. – Acts 19:29-31 NLT

The unrest continued to escalate and was only curtailed when the town clerk gave an impassioned speech warning that the local Roman authorities would be forced to take action if they did not disperse.

“I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion.” – Acts 19:40 NLT

For his own safety, Paul was forced to leave the city. Later in this same letter, Paul offers an autobiographical glimpse into additional trials and tribulations he endured on behalf of Christ.

Are they servants of Christ? 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. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. – 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NLT

Whatever happened in Asia, it was enough to make Paul and his companions question whether they would make it out alive.

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. – 2 Corinthians 1:8b NLT

This was an occasion when Paul felt like he had received a death sentence and was going to end up martyred for the cause of Christ. This provides an insight into how Paul viewed his life and ministry. While he knew affliction was to be expected and viewed it as sharing in the sufferings of Christ, he was human and felt the same apprehension anyone would when facing death. Paul never knew the outcome of his work on behalf of Christ. It could end well or turn out poorly, and he had experienced both. But he had also known the comfort of God, which enabled him to continue his ministry with boldness and confidence.

Paul had learned to accept the possibility of death with a certain degree of confident assurance, because it caused him to rely even more greatly on God. He always knew that his efforts on behalf of Christ could end with his death, and he was prepared for that outcome. The “sentence of death” hanging over their heads caused them to put all their trust in God.

…we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. – 2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT

The promise of the resurrection comes into much clearer focus when facing death. Every person will have to come face-to-face with death, and there is little they can do to prevent it. The question is whether there is anything after death. Because of his belief in the resurrected Christ, Paul was confident that he would experience life after death and receive his glorified, resurrected body. As he wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter, “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:53 NLT).

But Paul’s reliance upon and confidence in God didn’t stop with his assurance of life after death. It was the promise of the resurrection that gave Paul his courage to face the trials and difficulties of life with boldness. He knew his future was in good hands. Since he had no fear of death, he was able live his life with a sense of abandonment. He even told the believers in Philippi:

But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. – Philippians 2:17 NLT

He told his young protege, Timothy:

Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. – 2 Timothy 4:5-8 NLT

Paul could suffer all the afflictions and difficulties that came with his job because he trusted God. He had not only experienced the comfort of God, but he had also been an eyewitness to the salvation of God. God’s constant intervention and protection gave him confidence.

And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. – 2 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

Paul also realized that the prayers of the saints played a big part in the success of his ongoing ministry and in God’s miraculous provision and protection. So he encouraged the Corinthians to continue praying for him; they were partners in his ministry because they lifted him up before God. While there was little they could do to physically assist Paul, they could pray and ask God to do what they could not.

Prayer is a form of dependence upon God. We place ourselves at His mercy and submit ourselves to His care, asking Him to act on our behalf. It is a call for Him to display His power and intercede for us in our weakness. Paul was a firm believer in the need to rely upon God. He had learned to trust God for everything, including his life.

Difficulties are designed to make us dependent upon God. Trials have a way of forcing us to trust Him. Afflictions can be perfect opportunities to experience His affection. It is in the daily affairs of life that God intends for us to see the faithful expression of his love.

Father, I’ll be honest, I don't like to suffer. But the truth is, most of my suffering is self-inflicted and not the result of my efforts on Your behalf. Yet, even my mistakes and miscues can force me to come to You in prayer. They take me to my knees and cause me to turn to You for comfort and rescue. They reveal my weakness and remind me that You are the God of all power and all comfort. You care for me deeply, and are willing to step in and deliver me from my trials, even when they are self-induced. Thank You for this timely reminder that I serve a God who doesn’t keep score. You don’t make me clean up my own messes. You’re always willing to intervene in my life, and all You ask is that I humble myself and rely upon Your love, grace, mercy, and power. Forgive me for rejecting suffering because I believe it has no value. Help me to see that trials have a way of diminishing my self-sufficiency and increasing my dependence upon You, and that is always a good thing. 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 Gift of God's Presence and Power

20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. – 1 Corinthians 14:20-25 ESV

By elevating the gift of tongues to a primary position, the Corinthians had revealed their spiritual immaturity to Paul. They viewed speaking in tongues as a sign of spirituality and pursued and practiced that gift to the detriment of the body of Christ. So Paul called them out and encouraged them to “grow up” in their thinking. It is one thing to be innocent about evil, but they acted like children when it came to the gifts God had given to the church. They were enamored by the more showy, flamboyant gifts and allowed jealousy, pride, and envy to characterize their use of the gifts, rather than for the mutual edification of one another.

One of the most important distinctions Paul makes about the gift of tongues concerns its purpose. He quotes a passage from Isaiah 28 to show that tongues “are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers” (1 Corinthians 14:22 ESV). The context of the Isaiah passage is that God sent Isaiah to warn the people of Israel of the Assyrian invasion. He had been calling them to repent and return to Him as their God, but they had stubbornly refused the prophet's messages. Isaiah had been speaking to them in their own language, but they had refused to listen. So Isaiah warns them that God would send the Assyrians and “by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people” (Isaiah 28:11 ESV). Their unbelief and stubbornness were going to force God to punish them by sending them into captivity, but even then, they would not repent.

Paul is trying to get the Corinthian believers to think logically and maturely about their view of tongues. He even uses a real-life scenario to make his point. “If unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.” (1 Corinthians 14:23 NLT). In other words, if tongues is the superior gift they seem to think it is and everyone in the church practiced it at the same time, what would unbelievers think when they walked in the door and experienced the chaos and confusion firsthand? They would most likely conclude that these followers of Christ had lost their minds.

Rather than witnessing Christians living and worshiping together in unity, they would walk into a scene of confusion and chaos driven by a spirit of competition. Instead of hearing a clearly articulated and understandable delivery of the gospel message, they would walk away convinced that Christianity was no different than the pagan religions with which they were already familiar. It is important to note that Paul is describing a time of corporate worship, when the body of Christ gathered for worship and mutual edification.

Acts 2 records the scene in which the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and the disciples received the gift of tongues. After Jesus’ ascension, they returned to Jerusalem and gathered in a room just as Jesus had instructed them. 

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.  When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying…They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. – Acts 1:12-13, 14 NLT

Luke records that “120 believers were together in one place” (Acts 1:15 NLT), and that they used this gathering for prayer and mutual encouragement. They had no idea what was going to happen next, but they were faithfully following the Lord’s final words.

“Now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” – Luke 24:49 NLT 

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 NLT

As they prayed and waited, the day came when the promise was fulfilled. 

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. – Acts 2:1-4 NLT

And Luke goes on to record the purpose behind this one-of-a-kind event. 

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! – Acts 2:5-8 NLT

In this instance, each of the disciples spoke in a different foreign tongue simultaneously. It was a scenario much like the one Paul described in his example. But the reason behind this miraculous event was simple. There were thousands of foreigners who had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. Luke provides an incomplete list of their ethnicities.

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. – Acts 2:9-11 NLT

Attracted to the cacophony of the disciples using their newly acquired, Spirit-empowered language skills, each of these visitors to Jerusalem was shocked to hear the familiar sounds of their own language. And because they could hear the message in their own language, they were able to say, “We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” (Acts 2:11 NLT). 

The pouring out of the Spirit of God created a unique situation that enabled thousands of people to hear the word about Jesus and prepare them for Peter's message. And the result of his impromptu, Spirit-filled sermon was that 3,000 people came to faith in Christ.

On that day, the gift of tongues had a distinct, divinely ordained purpose, directed by the Holy Spirit. But this occasion was not intended to be the norm; it was not a prescribed form of worship for the early church. And yet the Corinthians had childishly elevated tongues to a superior position, misunderstanding its purpose and missing the point behind what God was trying to do in their midst.

Ultimately, Paul was interested in heart change. He compares tongues to the gift of prophecy, describing another scenario in which a lost person attends the corporate worship service. This time, rather than confusion and chaos, they hear the truth being proclaimed through the gift of prophecy. And Paul describes the result of this hypothetical scene.

They will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.” – 1 Corinthians 14:24; 25 NLT

When the truth of God is understandable, it results in undeniable heart change. Revelation brings about redemption. Lives are changed when the Word is clearly articulated and understood. For Paul, edification and evangelism were the primary purposes behind the gifts when the church gathered. There was a proper place and time for the gift of tongues, but it had to be Spirit-determined and directed. Choosing to use the gifts because of their apparent spiritual superiority reveals a childish, short-sighted perspective. A more mature outlook views the gifts as given by God and as up to Him to use as He sees fit, with the ultimate purpose of building up the body of Christ.

Father, when we are Spirit directed and empowered, we can accomplish great things. But as soon as we attempt to use the Spirit’s power for our own benefit or to position ourselves as more spiritual than others, we miss the point. You gave these outpourings of the Spirit’s power as gifts to the body of Christ, not individuals. They are all meant to edify others, not to glorify self. When used as You intended, the gifts strengthen the church. But when we attempt to personalize and hijack them for our own benefit, they become divisive and destructive. When we use them for our own glory, we take what is rightfully Yours. Open our eyes to the truth concerning the gifts and help us treat them with reverence and respect. We are simply stewards of the gifts You have given and we want to use them in a way that builds up the body of Christ brings You honor. 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 Gift of Love

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 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 12:27-13:3 ESV

Paul says that we are individuals who, together, make up the body of Christ, the church. We are individuals, and our Spirit-endowed giftedness makes us indispensable. We have each been given a gift by the Holy Spirit for the corporate good of the rest of the faith community in which God has placed us. God has designed it so that none of us is an independent agent operating in isolation.

As Paul points out to the Corinthians, the body of Christ included some who were apostles. Others were assigned the gift of prophecy or teaching. Some worked miracles or performed healings, while others used their gift of administration or helping. And then there were those who had been given the gift of tongues. Each was necessary. Yes, some of the gifts might seem more significant, but all were essential to the church's overall well-being. Their fallen nature led the Corinthians to elevate one gift above another. This categorization and prioritization of the gifts produced jealousy or pride, depending on the particular gift an individual received. So, Paul determined to show them a “more excellent way.”

Essentially, Paul addresses the one thing that holds the body of Christ together. Interestingly enough, it isn’t going to be our shared faith in Christ. That is what places us in the body of Christ, but it is not the glue that holds us together. Even our giftedness is not enough to keep us unified and compatible. So what is the glue that holds this unique collection of individuals together? What prevents our diversity, even in our areas of giftedness, from creating division, disorder, and dysfunctionality?

For Paul, the answer was love.

Within the Corinthian church, the gift of tongues had been elevated to rock-star status. In their estimation, tongues was a more flamboyant, outwardly obvious gift that garnered attention and created an aura of spirituality for the one who practiced it. But Paul is going to take a handful of the gifts, including tongues, and show that each is worthless if they are performed without love.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. – 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV

The gift of tongues, practiced without love, was nothing more than a loud, irritating noise. It may be unavoidably noticeable, but it will also be undeniably unprofitable. The gift of tongues, like every other gift of the Spirit, was intended to build up and edify the body. To practice tongues without love would be to focus on self and to neglect the overall health of the church. The goal of the one speaking in tongues would be to garner attention for themself, rather than allowing the Spirit to use the gift for the good of others.

But Paul is not done.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2 ESV

You could have legitimate prophetic power to foretell the future and reveal God's hidden truth, but if you did so without love, your efforts would be of no value. In essence, Paul is saying that, while your gift might make you a somebody in the eyes of others, in God’s eyes, you would be a nobody, unimportant and non-essential. Your lack of love would negate any value your gift might have had. It is worthless to understand the mysteries of God and to grasp the knowledge of God if that information is shared in a loveless and selfless manner. Paul drives his point home by stating that mountain-moving faith is useless without love. Even if you had enough faith to do the impossible but lacked love, your actions would not impress God, because your accomplishment would lack any redeeming value.

Next, Paul brings up a seemingly contradictory example.

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

Isn’t sacrifice always motivated by love? Wouldn’t love be the only thing that would cause someone to sacrifice their life? After all, Jesus Himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 ESV). But Paul’s point is that even the gift of giving, demonstrated by the ultimate act of martyrdom, can be done without love. You can die for a cause, but fail to do so out of love for others. You can give away all your possessions to gain the praise of men, but not out of love for them. It was Jesus who said, “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:2 ESV). You may enjoy the accolades of men, but you will gain nothing from God.

Love is essential because God is love. To practice any of the gifts without love would be ungodly and out of character. It is possible for us to emulate or imitate the spiritual gifts, but we can’t produce them on our own. We can easily confuse talents with gifts. Just because we are capable leaders in the marketplace does not mean we have the spiritual gift of leadership or administration in the body of Christ. We may be gifted teachers or educators, but that does not mean we have the spiritual gift of teaching. When the Spirit of God gives a gift, it is always accompanied by love and intended to build up others in the body. Each gift is inherently selfless in its expression and is never accompanied by the question, “What’s in it for me?” A spiritual gift simply gives, expecting nothing in return, because that is the essence of love.

As Paul will make clear in the following verses, love is the only thing that will last. There is a day coming when all of the spiritual gifts will be unnecessary, having served their earthly purpose. In the eternal state, there will be no need for tongues, prophecy, healing, or miracles. We will no longer need faith or hope, because all things will have been fulfilled and made complete. God is love, and because He is eternal, so is love. Love is the glue that holds all things together; it is the bond of unity between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

For Paul, love is the more excellent way. It is the ultimate expression of God’s identity and far surpasses any of the gifts. In fact, it is love that gives each gift its true value.

Father, the bottom line for You is love because it is the greatest expression of Your divine character. Even Your holiness is best expressed through Your love. But Your love is not some kind of sentimental, sacrine, Valentine’s card kind of love. It is selfless, righteous, redemptive, and always focused on the betterment of others. Paul seemed to have You in mind when he wrote, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV). You desire that we follow Your example, and You sent Your Son, as an expression of Your love for us, to make it possible. Then You gave us Your Spirit so that we have the power to model Your love here on earth. But we tend to make everything about us. We practice a form of self-love that is always motivated by greed rather than grace. We can even make the gifts of the Spirit all about us. But without love, even the gifts of the Spirit lose their value. Without love, our faith becomes meaningless. So, give us an ever-increasing understanding of  and appreciation for Your love for us so that we might pass it on to all 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.