Paul’s logic is indisputable. When we condemn others for wrongdoing, we testify before the court of heaven that we know what is right and wrong. Moreover, we desire that wrongdoers be justly punished for their selfish deeds, don’t we? So when we do what we have condemned in others, we stand self-condemned, bearing witness that we deserve to be punished for our own selfishness. Yet most people continue in their sin, “storing up wrath for themselves” (2:5), completely unprepared for the day when God, the righteous Judge, will “render to each person according to his deeds” (2:6). This is the foundation upon which the gospel is built: All of us, Jew and Gentile, are all self-condemned sinners who deserve God’s wrath.

Anyone who may have accused Paul of proclaiming a gospel that nullified either God’s righteousness or the necessity of righteous living to gain eternal life would have been silenced by today’s reading. Paul declared that God will give eternal life to “those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality,” and that He will give “glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good” (2:7, 10). In contrast, “wrath and indignation” awaits those who “are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness” (2:9). Moreover, “there will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil” whether they are Jew or Gentile (2:10).

These same statements also contradict the modern message of “grace” that is being proffered and that gives license to sin. Only the holy will inherit eternal life, and since all are sinners, the only way to gain holiness is through repentance, forgiveness and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. But I’m getting ahead of Paul!

Just as so many in our day assume that they are saved by virtue of being baptized church members, so Jews in Paul’s day were convinced that, as God’s chosen people, they had salvation “in the bag” by virtue of the fact that they were circumcised and had been given the Law of Moses. Paul exposes the fallacy of those assumptions. How absurd it would be to think that God would accept and eternally reward law-ignoring but circumcised Jews while rejecting and punishing a Gentile who, although uncircumcised, kept the moral aspects of the Mosaic Law as he followed his God-given conscience. To say otherwise would be to make God unjust and elevate circumcision above morality.

So Paul puts circumcision in its proper perspective: “For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision” (2:25). That is, your circumcision is useless, because it will not save you. A true Jew, Paul says, is one who is not just circumcised outwardly, but circumcised inwardly in his heart by the Spirit, that is, one who is born again.

With this first subject matter, Paul is preparing to demolish the grand Jewish objection to his message—that Gentiles can be justified, or made righteous, through faith apart from the Law of Moses. The plain truth was that the Jews were not obeying the Mosaic Law and were sinners every bit as much as Gentiles. They themselves could not hope to be saved through the Mosaic Law which they didn’t keep, and so they needed some other way of salvation–one that would obviously require grace from God. That way of salvation, as you know and as Paul will soon reveal, is through the sacrificial death of Jesus. Jews can only be saved through faith in Him. That being so, it seems reasonable to conclude that Gentiles, as well, cannot be saved through the Law of Moses, but like the Jews, only through faith in Christ. Paul’s logic is quite compelling.

One final note. Paul wrote, “the kindness of God leads you to repentance” (2:4). Based on this verse, some say that we should never mention God’s wrath or humanity’s guilt when we preach the gospel, since God’s kindness is what leads people to repentance. Might that be taking Paul’s words out of their context? (Hint: The answer begins with the letter Y!)

From considering the internal evidence, it is assumed that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans from Corinth during his third visit there, sometime between AD 55 and 57. Paul had never been to Rome himself, but it is clear that he was well acquainted with the Roman churches and the challenges they were facing.

It is thought that initially, the church in Rome was comprised of Jews who continued to keep the Mosaic Law, who then influenced believing Gentiles to adopt the same pattern. So we are going to be wading once more into the now very familiar debate over the Mosaic Law, its relationship to salvation, and the obligation of believing Jews and Gentiles to obey it.

About six years before Paul wrote this letter, all Jews, believing and non-believing, had been expelled from Rome by the Edict of Claudius, due to their vigorous disagreements over Jesus’ messiahship, leaving behind a predominantly Gentile church. Claudius died around AD 54, and his successor, Nero, permitted all Jews to return to Rome. Likely there were tensions then, not only between believing and non-believing Jews, but between believing Jews and Gentiles.

Not surprisingly, Paul’s letter to the Romans has been twisted in modern times to promote a false gospel that removes the necessity of holiness under a banner of grace that is not grace at all, but a license to sin. As we read Paul’s defense of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, keep in mind that it was an answer to unsaved Jews who believed that salvation was obtained by keeping the Mosaic Law, to believing Jews who supposed that keeping the Mosaic Law was also essential for salvation, and to believing Gentiles caught in the midst of all the confusion. Also keep in mind that the validity of the law of conscience and the law of Christ were never questioned. They were, in fact, repeatedly affirmed in this letter.

Right from the outset, Paul declared that Jesus was raised by the “Spirit of holiness” (1:4), that his calling was to “bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles” (1:5), the believers in Rome were “called as saints” or literally “holy ones” (1:7), and that his gospel revealed “the righteousness of God” (1:17). These declarations and others like it within this epistle were likely an answer to those who accused Paul of preaching a message that nullified both God’s righteousness and the importance of righteous living. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Paul’s message magnified God’s righteousness and resulted in unrighteous people repenting and living righteously.

Paul will later thoroughly establish that salvation by faith is not his unique revelation, but one that is grounded in Old Testament revelation, but in this chapter he briefly introduces that fact, quoting from Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous man shall live by faith.” He then begins to lay down two foundational truths of the gospel, namely, the sinfulness of humanity and God’s wrath against that sin. Apart from those twin truths, Christ’s death is all but meaningless.

People are without excuse before God for their sin, because God has revealed Himself through His creation, and His disapproval of and wrath against sin is also revealed to them in their consciences and by their experience. Even their bondage to sin and perverse behavior is an indication of His wrath, an object lesson to all. God in essence says to rebels, “Since you prefer to worship the work of your own hands and violate the instinctive code of conduct I have placed in your hearts, I will give you over to your desires so that they will hold you in slavery, pulling you towards ever-perverse behavior, to the point of unnatural sexual desires that are not even found among the basest of creatures.”

Yet people “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (1:18). “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (1:22). The world is full of depraved fools today, who know within themselves that their behavior is wrong in God’s eyes, yet who continue in their rebellion as their consciences continually call them to repentance. Yet, obviously, the call to repentance is also an offer of forgiveness. Amazing grace!

The somewhat foreboding and even threatening tone of this final section of Paul’s letter set the stage for his imminent return to Corinth. Imagine if your church received a letter that ended this way from the apostle Paul. I bet there would be some serious self-examination!

Indeed, self-examination was precisely what Paul prescribed for Corinth: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (13:5). Obviously Paul had some doubts that all in the Corinthian church were “in the faith,” that is, true believers. He had good reason to doubt, as he wrote in the previous chapter about his fear of finding “strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes…impurity, immorality and sensuality” (12:20-21) on the occasion of his next visit.

Sadly, it could be said that those sins are found in a majority of churches today, and it seems few are concerned. The bumper sticker that says, “Christians aren’t perfect, they’re just forgiven,” summarizes our theology and at the same time advertises our excuse for acting no different than the world.

Yet Paul believed that the sins of “strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes…impurity, immorality and sensuality” (12:20-21) were sure indications that those who practiced them were not truly born again. Read what he wrote to the Galatians and see if you notice any similarities in his list of “exclusionary sins” there and those sins which he feared he would find in the Corinthian church:

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions…and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21, emphasis added).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians that Christ lived in them—unless they “failed the test” (13:5). The test of whether or not Christ lives in someone is if he acts like Christ. It is just that simple. Christ was holy and when He comes to live in people by His Holy Spirit, He transforms them. Immoral people become moral. Hot-tempered, factious people become gentle and kind. This is not to say that Christians attain instant perfection, but there is no escaping the repeated teaching of Scripture. Christians are not “just forgiven.” They are new creations in Christ, filled with His Spirit. Their lives are characterized by a sincere desire to please God, a desire that is lived out through daily obedience and holiness.

One of the most frequent criticisms that is leveled at those of us who hold to a biblical gospel is that we are preaching salvation by works. If we mention anything about the necessity of righteous conduct, or if we encourage people to examine themselves, we are branded as legalists. We are told, “When you tell people that they can determine if they are saved by examining fruit in their lives, you are encouraging them to trust in their works, rather than in Christ, for their salvation.”

Yet 2 Corinthians 13:5 is still in the Bible! Paul admonished unholy people to examine themselves for proof that Christ lived in them. And there is a vast difference between trusting your works to merit your salvation and gaining assurance that Christ lives in you because of the outward evidence of His indwelling.

What did the unrepentant in the Corinthian church have to fear from Paul’s imminent visit? They faced the prospect of excommunication, the very same treatment Paul called for regarding the immoral and unrepentant man whom we read about in 1 Corinthians 5. Paul had instructed the Corinthian believers “not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (1 Cor. 5:11). You can be sure that any who followed Paul’s instructions were branded as “holier than thous.” And they were, as are all true Christians! “Holier than thou,” but hopefully humble, because our holiness stems from Christ in us!

What a struggle Paul had as he worked to win back the hearts of the Corinthian believers who had been duped by false apostles. He was loathe to boast about himself—knowing that he was a “nobody” yet also “in no respect inferior to the most eminent apostles”—but he felt that he had no other option. So we find him writing of a man whom he knew—surely speaking of himself—who “was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words” and received “surpassing revelations” (12:4, 7). It was such a sacred event to Paul that it was not something he readily shared.

The potential for Paul to be lifted up in pride because of his heavenly journey and wonderful revelations was apparently so great that God took significant measures to make sure that he would not exalt himself. Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” (12:7), clearly a figurative expression.

This passage has unfortunately been used to rob sick Christians of faith to be healed. May I point out that Paul never said that he was ill, he never said that he asked God to heal him, and he never said that God would not heal him. Paul clearly revealed what his “thorn in the flesh” was, calling it “a messenger of Satan.” The word translated “messenger” in 12:7 is the Greek word aggelos, which is translated 168 times in the New Testament as “angel” and only 7 times as “messenger.” Paul’s thorn in the flesh was an angel of Satan sent to torment him. Paul asked the Lord three times that “it” might leave him, but the Lord denied his request, which would make sense if it was the Lord who originally permitted the angel to torment Paul in order to prevent him from exalting himself.

How exactly that angel of Satan tormented Paul we are not told, but the result was that Paul found himself weak and needing to depend on the Lord, so that the “power of Christ” was manifested in him. I suspect that tormenting angel was responsible for much of the persecution that was stirred up against Paul, as he referred in this same passage to the weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties that he experienced, problems that made him weak, but that ultimately resulted in his being strong, since God’s “power is perfected in weakness” (12:9-10). Notice that there is no mention of sickness in Paul’s list of difficulties here; nor was sickness mentioned in Paul’s earlier list of his various sufferings listed in 11:23-33.

I have two final questions for those who still cling to the idea that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was some sickness or disease, using it as their reason to remain sick: “How many journeys to heaven have you experienced that make it necessary for God to keep you from exalting yourself by means of your sickness?” And, “If God wants you to remain sick, why are you going to a doctor or taking medication to thwart God’s will?” (I rest my case!)

It is good to always remember that what God said to Paul is true for us all. Our weakness is an opportunity for God to show His strength. When our own resources are inadequate, God’s resources are unlimited! We can thus say with Paul, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10). When you feel lousy, God feels great! So trust in Him!

Note Paul’s contrast of himself and the false apostles: “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you…by signs and wonders and miracles” (12:12). That would seem to indicate that not a few of the modern “apostles,” whose greatest sign or wonder is pushing someone over in a prayer line, are not apostles at all.

In spite of Titus’ good report, it is obvious that Paul remained apprehensive that his upcoming visit to Corinth might uncover “strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes…impurity, immorality and sensuality” (12:20-21), sins that, according to Paul himself, will prevent people from inheriting God’s kingdom (Gal. 5:19-21). This reveals the real root of the problem in Corinth. Goats, by nature, don’t act like sheep. And goats don’t belong with sheep. A showdown was on the horizon.

The identity of the false apostles in Corinth becomes more clear in today’s reading. They were preaching “another Jesus” and a “different gospel” (11:4). That second phrase, in particular, Paul also used in his letter to the Galatians, where he fought the influence of Jewish legalists who were telling Gentile believers that they needed to be circumcised and keep the Mosaic Law (Gal. 1:6). The false apostles in Corinth were definitely Jews (11:22). So it seems that perhaps the same problem that had followed Paul elsewhere had tracked him to Corinth.

Paul considered himself “not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles” (11:5), but he found it so difficult to boast about his own apostolic credentials. He felt that he had no choice, however, since the false apostles in Corinth were boasting of their credentials and influencing the impressionable believers. Paul’s motives for his boasting were obviously entirely different than theirs. He was motivated by love for the Corinthian believers, while the false apostles were motivated by love for themselves.

Note Paul’s expression, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy” (11:2). We generally equate jealousy with selfishness, and for that reason, some have stumbled over God’s claim to be “a jealous God” in the Old Testament (Ex. 20:5; Deut. 5:9). God’s jealousy is unselfish. He was opposed to Israel’s idolatry, not for His sake, but for theirs. It is akin to a parent’s jealousy for his child’s affection if he sees his child being drawn to those who might lead him astray.

When Paul spoke of his godly jealousy, he may well have meant, “I am motivated to say these things because I understand God’s jealousy over you,” because he went on to say, “for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin” (11:2). That is, because the Corinthian believers had submitted to Jesus, marrying Him as it were and becoming part of His bride, He would naturally be jealous over them if they were giving their affections to someone else. Paul was fearful that their misguided affections might result in their being led astray from what is of paramount importance, that is “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (11:3).

I mention this because it is not only possible for believers to wrongly give their affections to false teachers (as did the Corinthians), arousing God’s jealousy, but they may do the same for legitimate teachers and Christian leaders, similarly arousing God’s jealousy. This is one reason why Jesus forbade His followers from addressing anyone but God as Teacher, Father or Leader. He said that we only have One who is our Teacher, Father, and Leader (Matt. 23:8-10). How tragic it is when Christians become caught up in pet doctrines or spiritual fads, following the leading of the latest popular TV preacher, and are thus sidetracked from the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Their conversations may be about spiritual things, but they talk about everything other than Jesus. Let’s be careful not to make Jesus jealous. And if we are entrusted with a position of leadership in Christ’s body, let’s be careful, as was Paul, to keep exalting Jesus, and not ourselves, before those whom we serve.

As we read through Paul’s list of his sufferings for Christ’s sake, it helps us to put our little sufferings in perspective. Paul was not a quitter, that is for sure. His perseverance ought to inspire us to greater devotion and willingness to sacrifice for the gospel’s sake.

Paul’s list of his sufferings also helps us to realize what an incomplete record we have of his ministry in the book of Acts. Keep in mind that we’ve read of Paul’s ministry from Acts 9 to 20, covering a period of about 20 years, but we’ve not read of a single instance of him receiving 39 lashes from the Jews. Yet during that time, Paul suffered that punishment five times according to what we just read. That’s a total of almost 200 lashes! Every stripe was a testimony of his love for Christ. No wonder Paul could write, “I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

Paul once more turns his attention to defending himself against his antagonists in Corinth, whom he refers to as false apostles in the next chapter (11:13). It is apparent that they were not only boasting of their “credentials”—in order to boost their status in the eyes of the Corinthian believers—but they were also quite critical of Paul, for the same reason.

How frequently are criticism and pride related. People often put down others for the purpose of exalting themselves, especially when they want something that the object of their criticism possesses. Such was the case with Paul’s antagonists. They wanted the allegiance of his disciples in Corinth. Paul consequently found himself in the very difficult position of trying to win back the Corinthians’ allegiance—not for his sake, but for theirs—without stooping to the same tactics as his opponents.

One of their criticisms of Paul was that he was bold in his letters but meek when face-to-face (10:1). They said, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive, and his speech contemptible” (10:10). Paul brushes off that attack, confidently asserting that his character—in words and deeds—was consistent. It is certainly true, however, that words written on a page are in some ways inherently inferior to face-to-face communication, with its facial and body expressions, its tone of voice, and its back-and-forth spontaneity. How many letters have been misunderstood that required a face-to-face meeting to mend? On the other hand, one who writes can give more thought to his words before they are released to discharge their premeditated duty. Wisdom must dictate between written and spoken communication, and sometimes a combination of both is necessary to seal understanding between two parties.

Paul offered his own subtle criticism of his Corinthian opponents, who “measured themselves by themselves” (10:12). It is easy to feel good about yourself when you compare yourself with those who are substandard. Dry pigs who compare themselves with pigs who are lying in the mud might be tempted to feel superior, but the fact is, they’re still dirty pigs. In truth, the false teachers who had infiltrated Corinth were of no comparison to Paul, but that was not easy for him to say without sounding as if he were commending himself, something for which he condemned the false apostles.

Paul also gently pointed out that he, unlike the false apostles, had no need to “boast beyond his measure” (10:15). He was the apostolic pioneer in Corinth, and the false apostles had settled later in his territory, yet acting as if they had founder’s rights (10:14-15).

Notice also that Paul was hoping, and depending, on the Corinthians to help him reach even further with the gospel (10:15-16). We are so apt to credit God’s ministers for their accomplishments in building the kingdom, but their supporters are just as important in God’s plan. “How will they preach unless they are sent?” Paul would later ask (Rom. 10:15). Those who support God’s apostles will share in their reward in the end. Every apostle needs those who support his ministry.

I’m sure you noticed the “spiritual warfare” passage in today’s reading. It is another one of Paul’s metaphorical masterpieces that has been abused to promote some strange practices. Paul’s weapons of warfare were “divinely powerful for destruction of fortresses” (10:4). Was he referring to demonic strongholds over cities that, if bound in Jesus’ name, will then release people from spiritual darkness, precipitating a revival? No mention of that in this passage or its context! Rather, Paul was speaking of “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and…taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (10:5). This is just a figurative way of describing the preaching of the gospel and the making of disciples. It is like a war, but a battle between truth and lies. Truth destroys speculations and takes lies captive.

Our greatest weapon is God’s Word, because with it, we expose the lies that so many people believe. Then it rests on them, of course, to believe the truth or a lie. That is the essence of biblical spiritual warfare.

According to Paul, the Corinthian believers had previously promised a “bountiful gift” (9:5), which would, of course, be made possible only by bountiful giving. Thus Paul cautioned against covetousness (or better translated “greed”) that might affect the Corinthians’ giving. Clearly, covetousness and greed are not just attitudes of the heart as so many claim. Rather, they are attitudes that are always revealed by actions. If the Corinthians yielded to greed, they would give less. Their selfish attitude would affect their actions.

Paul continued with a warning to those who might yield to greed and a promise to those who would be generous: “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully” (9:6).

Paul was not revealing “divine secrets for prosperity,” encouraging his readers to “sow a big financial seed and reap abundant riches” so that they could then enjoy a lavish lifestyle, as some prosperity preachers want us to believe. If he was, then he was promoting the very thing he was warning against in 9:5, that is, greed. If people give just so they can grow rich and have many possessions, that is nothing more than selfishness disguised as love.

Thus, the reason one should want to “sow bountifully” and thus “reap bountifully” is so one can “sow even more bountifully,” blessing more people. This truth Paul plainly repeats three times in 9:8-11. You may want to read those verses again to see for yourself.

Once a sower reaps, he then must decide what to do with his harvest. If he still has more than he needs, and there are still others with pressing needs, then there is no doubt what he should do. His former self-denial certainly wouldn’t give him the right to be greedy then. The whole reason to reap is not so one may lay up earthly treasures in disobedience to Christ, but so that one may sow some more and lay up more treasures in heaven.

What constitutes sowing that is “sparing” or “bountiful?” That, of course, is different for each person. The widow who put her two copper coins into the treasury gave more than all the rich people who put in large gifts, according to Jesus (Mark 12:41-44). She “sowed bountifully” while they “sowed sparingly,” even though their gifts were much larger. What impresses God is self-denial. Bountiful and sparing sowing are determined by what one keeps.

Finally, Paul also instructed each of the Corinthians to “do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver” (9:7). This verse has often been twisted to relieve the consciences of selfish people. They are told, “God wants only what you can give cheerfully, so let that be your gauge. Only give what you can give without grudging.” Consequently, greedy people give little or nothing, demonstrating no self-denial or love, and think God approves since He doesn’t want what they can’t give cheerfully.

Paul, however, was not trying to make greedy people think that God is comfortable with their greed, as the context so clearly reveals. He was trying to help each person consider what is in his heart. If one is giving under compulsion or grudgingly, he is not giving because he loves needy brethren.

By the same token, the reason God “loves a cheerful giver” is because a cheerful giver is motivated by love for God and neighbor. He finds joy in sacrificing on behalf of those with pressing needs because he loves them. The one who gives grudgingly or under compulsion, however, reveals a greedy heart, and thus gives hypocritically, because he is doing what his heart would prefer not to do. Thus, it would be better for him not to give at all. But let him not think that God approves of him in either case. God wants him to repent of his selfishness, be transformed by His grace, and become a cheerful giver who denies himself with joy. God, and only God, can turn greedy people into cheerful givers. They then become imitators of Him, who gave sacrificially from a heart of grace and love (9:15). Praise God!

This and the next chapter of 2 Corinthians beautifully reveal a full and balanced picture of Christian stewardship. Note that the occasion was not the receiving of an offering by Paul for his ministry, or for a church building program, but rather, for poor believers in Jerusalem.

Paul began by informing the Corinthians of what had recently happened among the churches of Macedonia. Even though they were suffering “an ordeal of affliction” as well as “deep poverty” (8:2), they had given liberally. In fact, by God’s grace, and without being pressured, they had given even “beyond their ability” (8:3), “begging…with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints” (8:4). The Macedonian Christians were the ultimate cheerful givers. Paul expected that the Corinthian believers would follow their example.

Paul then stressed that one’s giving is limited by his resources, but that one’s responsibility is also determined by his resources, twice using a word that is almost anathema in materialistic culture, the word equality (8:12-15). If one Christian has abundance, he should use it to supply another Christian’s need. And if that formerly-poor Christian prospers while the formerly-prosperous one becomes needy, their roles should then be reversed (8:14). It amounts to nothing more than “loving our neighbors as ourselves” and “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us” (Mark 12:31; Luke 6:31).

In 8:9 we read, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Prosperity preachers often claim that it is material poverty and material wealth that Paul had in mind throughout this entire verse. That is, they say that Jesus was materially rich in heaven, but He became materially poor during His incarnation, so that we can now become materially rich. Bigger houses and more expensive cars are now ours to be claimed by faith because Jesus became poor that we might become rich.

There is little doubt that Paul was speaking of material wealth when he wrote that Jesus was rich but became poor. There is good reason to doubt, however, that earthly, material wealth was the benefit Paul had in mind when he wrote of our becoming rich because of Christ’s poverty. Such an interpretation stands in contradiction to the immediate biblical context. If Jesus became poor so that Christians might become materially rich on earth, why were there any poor Christians in Jerusalem who needed an offering? Why did Paul, in this same chapter, say that the Macedonian Christians were suffering “deep poverty” (8:2)? Why did Paul describe himself as being poor in 6:10? Why didn’t he just claim his rightful, earthly, material wealth that Jesus made possible?

In spite of what prosperity preachers claim, just because Paul was writing about material wealth in one part of a sentence, that doesn’t prove that he was talking about material wealth in another part of the same sentence. For example, Jesus Himself said to the poor believers in Smyrna, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)” (Rev. 2:9). Who could intelligently claim that Jesus was saying that the Christians in Smyrna were material poor but also materially rich? No, Jesus was obviously saying that they were materially poor but spiritually rich, and He said it all in one sentence.

Jesus, because of His incarnation and death on the cross (during which He lost even His clothing, the ultimate poverty), has provided spiritual and eternal riches for us beyond our dreams. Praise God that He has also promised to supply all our material needs (not “greeds”) as well!

Paul understood the need for accountability in the administration of benevolence projects, and he was careful to ensure that the offering he received would be used for the purpose for which it was collected. A number of men who had proven their trustworthiness would be involved in the project (8:16-23). Financial accountability is of utmost importance in corporate offerings to the poor, otherwise people are given an excuse to cling to their treasures, claiming that their potential gifts might be mishandled. And who can blame them?

Our sanctification—our growing in holiness—is not something that is done by the Lord as we “let go” and “stop trying to be holy by our own efforts” as is sometimes taught. Believers must “strive against sin” (Heb. 12:4), “resist the devil” (Jas. 4:7), and “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24), to mention just a few biblical phrases that emphasize our part in the sanctification process. Today we read of our duty to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (7:1). Clearly, that is something we must do.

This is not to say, however, that the Holy Spirit doesn’t help us to be holy. Sanctification occurs as we cooperate with the Spirit inside us. Maintain this balanced perspective!

From this same scripture passage, we also see the error in the idea that sin cannot originate from a Christian’s spirit, or heart, but only from his flesh. Paul wrote of the need to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit. Christians may possess wrong motives, which is why, for example, Jesus warned His followers about praying in public to be seen by others and why Paul cautioned about giving to the poor without love (Matt. 6:5-6; 1 Cor. 13:3).

Paul’s words about “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” reveal to us that Christians aren’t perfect, otherwise they would not need perfecting! On the other hand, his words also reveal that Christians are somewhat holy, otherwise they couldn’t perfect their holiness.

Notice also that being motivated by fear of God is not a bad thing (as so many say today), but a very good thing that Paul recommends (7:1). I’m sure that God, like most parents, would prefer that His children obey Him out of love. But for most children, fear of discipline is a major motivation to obey their parents. Our Bibles tell us that God disciplines those whom He loves, and “He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). Christians who ignore or don’t believe in God’s discipline are likely to be rebuking Satan when they are disciplined rather than examining themselves and repenting. Big mistake!

Themes from previous chapters resurface in today’s reading. Paul continues to appeal to the Corinthian believers to open their hearts to him by reminding them of his love for them. He recounts how troubled he was after sending his severe letter to them (of which we have no copy), and how relieved he was when Titus returned to him from Corinth with a good report of their repentance (7:5-7).

How strange it is that so many professing Christian leaders speak negatively of guilt, as if it is something no Christian should accept since we’ve been declared righteous in Christ, and something that, when experienced, should be considered an attack from Satan. Paul wrote of “the sorrow that is according to the will of God [that] produces a repentance without regret” (7:10), and he was quite glad that the Corinthian believers had experienced that sorrow. Is there any relationship between guilt and sorrow for sin? If they are not the same thing, they are certainly quite similar. And it is very clear that the godly sorrow of the Corinthians resulted in a wonderful turn-around in their spiritual lives. Without guilt, no one would repent, and without repentance, no one can be saved. Thank God for guilt!

Where is there a single scripture that says anything about Satan making someone feel guilty? There isn’t one in the Bible! About the closest thing is a scripture that speaks of Satan as being “the accuser of the brethren” in Revelation 12:10. But there it says that Satan accuses the brethren before God, not that he makes the brethren feel guilty. Why would Satan make anyone feel guilty? He would run the risk of motivating them to repent! If they are unsaved, it might lead to their salvation! Imagine that—Satan helping someone escape hell. Food for thought!

In the previous chapter, Paul made mention of certain antagonists in Corinth who “took pride in appearance and not in heart” (5:12). This theme surfaces more frequently as Paul’s letter progresses, and it becomes quite clear that he had found himself competing with Jewish legalists for the affection and loyalty of the Corinthian believers.

It was a delicate matter that required great wisdom on his part, and rather than launch an all-out attack on his adversaries, Paul reminded the Corinthians of the sacrifices he had made on their behalf. It was a subtle strategy that provided an obvious contrast with the Jewish legalists. They could not say that they had endured afflictions, hardships, beatings, imprisonments, sleeplessness, hunger, dishonor, slander and punishments for the gospel’s sake, as Paul could! Additionally, the Jewish legalists could not hold a candle to Paul’s Christ-like purity, patience, kindness, love and joy (6:6, 10). He had the indwelling Holy Spirit; they did not! They were still dead in their sins, trying to save themselves apart from Christ; he was alive in Christ, saved by grace through faith.

Paul then makes his appeal for the Corinthian believers, whom he says were “restrained in [their] own affections” (6:12), to open wide their hearts to him. How could they resist? Later in this same letter, Paul will take a greater risk, openly and dramatically comparing himself to his antagonists. How delicate are human relationships! And how difficult it sometimes is to maintain harmony, especially when there are selfishly-motivated slanderers trying to cause division.

It is sometimes difficult to follow the flow of thought in Paul’s epistles, understanding how one paragraph might have any logical relationship to the paragraph that precedes it. But it is safe to assume that Paul was no dummy, and knowing that, also to assume that there might well be some relationship between paragraphs that seem to bear no relationship. An example of what I’m speaking about is found in today’s reading. Paul seems to jump from appealing for the Corinthians to open their hearts to admonishing them not to be bound together with unbelievers. Is he introducing an entirely new subject, or is there some connection to what he had just written?

I think it is quite possible (and logical) that Paul was subtly referring to the Corinthian’s relationship to the false teachers who had infiltrated the church. There is little doubt that the Jewish legalists—Paul’s frequent adversaries—were not saved. Thus, Paul was reminding the Corinthian believers that they really had nothing in common with them.

Some have gone to extremes in practicing separation from the world, keeping themselves safely cloistered away, consequently having no impact upon the world. We are supposed to be “in the world but not of the world.” Our lights should be shining in the world’s darkness so that they see our good deeds (Matt. 5:16), but we should avoid any partnerships with the world that make us participants in their evil.

While 2 Corinthians 6:14 is so often applied to marriage partnerships, it has much greater application than that. I am persuaded, for example, that holding shares in mutual funds that own shares in companies that manufacture or promote what God hates is an example of being “bound together with unbelievers.” When a production company profits from producing an immoral movie, so do all the shareholders. Should Christians be profiting from a film that glorifies what God hates? Other examples could be cited. The point is that our holy Father expects us, His children, also to be holy. For that reason, we should have no partnership with those who do evil.

What do modern prosperity preachers do with Paul’s declaration that he was poor, yet made many rich (6:10)? They avoid it! Paul could have meant nothing else than that he was materially poor, yet through his ministry, he made many spiritually rich. He certainly was not claiming to be spiritually poor yet making many materially rich! If he made many materially rich through “teaching the secrets of divine prosperity” (as some claim), we would have to wonder why he couldn’t get those secrets to work for himself.