Second Corinthians Chapter 6
Outline: I. An appeal to make proper use of the grace of God: 6:1-2 II. Proof that Paul made good use of the grace of God: 6:3-10 III. An appeal for mutual affection: 6:11-13 IV. An appeal to separate themselves from evil: 6:14-18 “In these opening chapters of his epistle, Paul is not answering his enemies directly, as he does in the four closing chapters. He is rather supplying his friends, who form the great majority of the Corinthian church, with grounds on which they may repel the attacks which his enemies are making. This paragraph is inseparable from the one which preceded it. There he has been describing his ministry, as one of reconciliation. As an ambassador in behalf of Christ he has been entreating men to be reconciled to God. Here he shows that his conduct and his experiences as an ambassador of God are such as to vindicate fully his claims of genuineness, sincerity, and honesty of purpose” (Erdman p. 68). 2 Corinthians 6:1 “And working together with Him we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain” 1
“Working together with Him”: “As cooperators with God” (Phi). “As men who are working with God” (Beck). “Sharing in God's work” (NEB). Paul viewed himself as one who cooperated with God (1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are God's fellow workers”). In Paul's mind God was not the enemy or merely the cold voice of authority. Paul believed in what God was trying to accomplish and he was convinced of the goodness and the essential nature of the gospel message. “We entreat also”: “I appeal to you, too” (Gspd). “Intreat”: To call near, invite, invoke. “Also”: “The former entreaty was to receive the grace of reconciliation; whereas the present entreaty is to receive that grace in such a way that it is not received in vain” (Hughes pp. 216-217). “That ye receive not the grace of God in vain”: “Not to accept the favor of God and then waste it” (Gspd). “Not to fail to use the grace of God” (Phi). “Don't let God's love be wasted on you” (Beck). “Do not let it go for nothing” (NEB). “The grace of God”: The grace they had experienced in becoming Christians (1 Corinthians 6:11; 12:13). “In vain”: “Equivalent to the phrase to no purpose” (Vincent p. 322). “Into emptiness” (Robertson p. 234). “As ambassadors of Christ (5:20) Paul and his assistants keep doing two things: calling on men everywhere to be reconciled and then admonishing those who heed and have heeded this call” (Lenski p. 1057). Here is a very strong and clear passage that teaches that a Christian can lose his or her salvation. These Christians could behave in such a way that God's grace which was bestowed upon them and forgave their sins, could be for no purpose. This will not be the last time that Paul will warn a congregation against making their salvation of none effect.(Galatians 3:4; 4:11; 5:4; Philippians 2:16). The verses at the end of the chapter (6:14-6:18), seem to pick up this theme again. If the Corinthians went back into sin, resumed the lifestyle, returned to the old associations and haunts, then all the grace bestowed upon them, would be in vain in reference to their own eternal happiness. 2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He saith, At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee, And in a day of salvation did I succor thee: behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” “For”: Paul now reinforces his appeal (6:1) with Old Testament Scripture. “He saith”: A quotation from Isaiah 49:8, and observe that Paul knew that God spoke the following passage. “At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee, and in a day of salvation did I succor thee”: “Acceptable time”: “A time in which God receives (men)” (Vincent p. 322). “The time of acceptance” (TCNT). “I have heard you in the 2
time of favor” (Mof). “The prophet had spoken of a time when God would hear those who cried for help and would deliver those in need of salvation” (Erdman p. 69). “I hearkened unto thee”: God only delivers those who cry out for help. “Succor”: “I came to your aid” (NEB). “Behold”: This is a word designed to seize the attention of the reader. “Now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”: “Well, here is the time of favor, here is the day of salvation” (Mof). A more acceptable time of salvation will not come (Hebrews 10:26). God is not going to give us a better gospel or a new and improved Savior. "Now" is the time to seek favor with God because God is now extending mercy and grace to the humble and repentant (2 Peter 3:9). It is the time that God has appointed. “The fact that it is God's appointed period of grace places man in a position of favor and opportunity, which is at the same time a position of answerability” (Hughes p. 220). God determined the period of time when grace would be offered through Jesus Christ. Man does not determine when or how long this period of time will last. Others want to obey God when they are "ready" to. People need to realize, we are not the ones who determine when salvation is offered, and God is not subject to our own time table. In the Bible, people were confronted with the truth, whether they were ready to embrace it nor not. When one hears the gospel, that is one’s opportunity to be saved. There is a sense of urgency in preaching the gospel to the lost and in obeying it, because this acceptable time will not last forever (Acts 2:40; 16:33; 22:16; Hebrews 3:7-8 “Today”). Therefore the Corinthians need to make the fullest use of the present deliverance. “Make fullest use of it, despise it not as though it might continue forever and wait on our pleasure” (Lenski p. 1061). The Corinthians needed to avail themselves to the chances for service and spiritual growth that the in present season afforded. Now is the time when people can be saved, now it the time when men and women can be spiritually transformed, now is the time when great spiritual qualities can be added to one’s life, now is the time when a person can actually bring glory and praise to God (Matthew 5:16). Paul had not received the grace of God in vain “The apostle can make this appeal with confidence, as well as with a sense of urgency, because he knows that his conscience is clear. No one can accuse him of preaching from unworthy motives or of not having suffered for the doctrine he 3
proclaims. Of himself and his fellow apostles it could never be said that they had received the grace of God in vain. The fact that Paul turns at once to what is in effect another defense of his ministry implies, as Denney rightly says, ‘That there are people who will be glad of an excuse not to listen to the gospel, or not to take it seriously, and that they will look for such an excuse in the conduct of its ministers’” (Tasker p. 92). 2 Corinthians 6:3 “giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our ministration be not blamed” “Giving no occasion”: “Whatever his readers may do, however, Paul insists his conduct is worthy of an ambassador of God. He is putting no stumbling block in the way of anyone. He is giving his readers no excuse for rejecting his message” (Erdman p. 70). “Giving”: The word suggests freewill (Ephesians 4:27 “and do not give the devil an opportunity”). We have the choice, this is something within our power and ability. We can present a living example of the change that the gospel message can bring to one's personal life (Titus 2:10), or we can live inconsistently, hypocritically, or selfishly, and convince people that the gospel we claim to believe is ineffective and a waste of time. “Of stumbling in anything”: “Never do we put an obstacle in any one's way” (TCNT). “So carefully they guard themselves at every point. Here is a sermon for preachers, to say nothing of church members!” (Lenski p. 1062). ‘Be not blamed”: “The Greek verb translated ‘to blame’ here also conveys the suggestion of mocking and ridicule. ‘Nothing is more ridiculous than striving to maintain your reputation before others, while you invite reproach upon yourself by a shameful and base life’” (Hughes p. 221). A great responsibility comes upon every individual who becomes a Christian. Our own life can either make the gospel "look" credible, and attractive or at least worth investigating, it can make the gospel message look impotent. 2 Corinthians 6:4 “but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses” “But”: In contrast to creating obstacles or bringing discredit to the message with which we have been entrusted. “In everything”: At all times and in all conditions, in fact even in the worst and most difficult situations we refuse to bring dishonor to the religion of Jesus Christ. “Commending ourselves”: “Indeed we want to prove 4
ourselves genuine servants of God whatever we have to go through” (Phi). The life of an unfaithful Christian loudly proclaims to the world that the gospel does not contain any higher truth than any other view of life. “In much patience”: “It does not describe the frame of mind which can sit down with folded hands and bowed head and let a torrent of troubles sweep over it, in passive resignation. It describes the ability to bear things in such a triumphant way that it transfigures and transmutes them” (Barclay p. 237). Without this "much" patience none of the following could have been endured successfully. “This describes one who has been tested, and who cannot be swerved from his course by any opposition or suffering” (Erdman p. 70). Being a servant of God will demand "much patience" (2 Timothy 2:24). Heaven will be for those who were able to endure (Matthew 10:22; Revelation 21:7). Impatience, the inability to wait, the failure to be able to outlast hardship, or believe God's promise that one can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13) is often the death-blow to many Christians. “For you have need of endurance” (Hebrews 10:36). “It may be that the hardest lesson of all to learn is how to wait, how to wait when nothing seems to be happening, and when all the circumstances seem calculated to bring nothing but discouragement. James insists that the Christian must be like the prophets who again and again had to wait for the action of God; he must be like the farmer who sows the seed and who then throughout the slow months waits until the harvest comes (James 5:7-10). It may well be that this is the hardest task of all for an age which has made a god of speed......It is not clad with romance and glamour; it has not the excitement of sudden adventurous action; but it is the very virtue of God himself...And man in his life on earth must reproduce God's undefeatable patience with people and God's undiscourageable patience with events” (Flesh and Spirit. Barclay pp. 96-97). “In afflictions”: “In hardships” (NEB). “The things which press sore upon us. There are things which weigh down a man's spirit, the sorrows which are a burden on his heart, the disappointments which are likely to crush the life out of him, the sheer pressure of the demands of life upon him” (Barclay p. 237). “Afflictions include all experiences in which pressure--physical, mental, or spiritual--is put upon him” (Tasker p. 93). “In necessities”: “Hardships of which no mitigation was possible” (Tasker p. 93). “The inescapable pains of life. There are certain things which a man involved in the 5
human situation must bear” (Barclay p. 238). To Paul, serving God meant that certain things could not be avoided. Suffering, hardship, the loss of some friends, ridicule from the world, opposition, confrontation, being called names, rejection, and so on. “In distresses”: “Situations where there was no room to turn around and nothing but frustration” (Tasker p. 93). “Lit., a too narrow place” (Barclay p. 238). “Situations of utter perplexity in which Christ's servant is faced with difficulties which, humanly speaking, appear to be insoluble” (Hughes p. 224). “Dire straits” (NEB). “It means extreme pressure” (P.P. Comm. p. 145). “The prevailing idea is that of pressure and confinement: each stage narrower than the one before, so that no room is left for movement or escape” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 75). Paul had often found himself in such "tight places" (2 Corinthians 1:8-10), yet even in "super-stressful situations" Paul still acted like a servant of God (Acts 16:25). 2 Corinthians 6:5 “in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings” “In stripes”: “In beatings” (11:24-25; Acts 16:23ff). Would you have been singing after a beating? Hughes reminds us, “It should be remembered that this epistle was written in the midcourse of Paul's apostolic career: there were still many more sufferings for him to endure” (pp. 224-225). “Imprisonments”: “We have been beaten, put in jail, faced angry mobs” (Tay). He will write Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon from prison. “Tumults”: Instability, disorder, commotion. Paul often faced angry mobs (Acts 13:50; 14:19; 19:29; 21:30). Yet the anger of the mob did not stop Paul. “Few experiences of flogging by Jews or by Roman lictors, a taste of abominable jails, and a riot or two about one's house or one's person would alone be enough to take the heart out of any man” (Lenski p. 1066). “In labors”: “Toil to the point of sheer exhaustion, the kind of toil which takes everything of body, mind and soul that a man has to give” (Barclay pp. 239-240). “Which filled the day with weariness” (Erdman p. 70). Toil to the point of fatigue. We sometimes forget that Paul had to financially support himself at times, which means he was burning the candle at both ends (1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8). “Watchings”: Sleeplessness, keeping awake. Nights spent in prayer or nights in which Paul was unable to sleep because of peril or discomfort. “Nights rendered wakeful by anxiety or press of work (Acts 20:31) or urgency of prayer (Acts 16:25)” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 75). “When we are tired out, sleepless, and fasting” (Knox). “Worked to exhaustion, stayed awake through sleepless nights of watching, and gone without food” (Tay). 2 Corinthians 11:27 “through many sleepless nights”; 1 Thessalonians 6
2:9 “working night and day”. “In fastings”: This was probably involuntary. “Times, which were frequent (11:27 'often without food'.), when Paul spontaneously went without meals rather than interrupt his work” (Hughes p. 226). “Next he enumerates the qualities he endeavored to cultivate and display in the course of his service” (F.F. Bruce p. 212). The following is a list of those things which were found in the heart of Paul and his fellow-workers. We should pay close attention to what is being said here. In the above "hardships" Paul was able to manifest the following qualities. 2 Corinthians 6:6 “in pureness, in knowledge, in long suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned” “In pureness”: “With innocence” (Mon). “We have to be pure-minded” (Knox). “We recommend ourselves by the innocence of our behavior” (NEB). “Purity of motive in all that they do and suffer” (Lenski p. 1067). 1 Thessalonians 2:10. Paul did not use "stress" as an excuse to engage in immoral activity. “In knowledge”: “The Apostle has no doubts about the validity of the knowledge he possesses” (Hughes p. 227). “Insight’ (Mof). “Enlightened” (Knox). “Our grasp of truth” (NEB). Hardship did not move Paul to begin questioning God’s truths, His goodness or truthworthiness. Out of hardship, Paul gained added insight, not skepticism (Psalm 119:71). “In longsuffering”: “This meant patience with the obstinacy and stupidity of other people” (Tasker p. 94). “The ability to bear with people even when they are misguided and wrong, even when they are cruel and insulting. Patience is the quality of a man who may lose a battle but who will never admit defeat in a campaign” (Barclay pp. 240-241). See James 1:19; Romans 12:19. “The Corinthians were also well aware from the shame of their own experience that a deficiency of longsuffering in the church of Christ leads to jealousies, back-bitings and divisions amongst the very persons who ought to be displaying to the world their brotherly unity and forbearance in Christ” (Hughes p. 227). “In kindness”: “The graciousness which puts others at ease and shrinks from giving pain” (Erdman p. 71). “Christian kindness is the right and logical consequence of the kindness of God toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4)” (Hughes p. 228). “Kindness is goodness in action, a reflection of the kindness of God shown even to the unthankful and the evil (Luke 6:35)” (Tasker p. 94). These hardships had 7
not made Paul bitter or caustic. In even the most difficult of situations, Paul demonstrated kindness to those around him. Yet how often do we lash out at those we claim to love, when the situation is stressful or tense? Financial straits, noisy children, and so on are no excuse to abandon "kindness". “In the Holy Spirit”: All of these qualifies were proof positive that Paul was obeying and bringing his life into conformity with the teachings of the Spirit (John 16:13). “In love unfeigned”: “Genuine love” (Gspd). “Unpretended love” (Ber). “It means unconquerable benevolence and good will. It means that spirit which no matter what anyone else does to it will never seek anything but the other person's highest good, which will never dream of revenge, but will meet all injuries and all rebuffs with undefeatable benevolence” (Barclay p. 241). Even in the midst of such hardships, Paul was still able to demonstrate the love detailed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. 2 Corinthians 6:7 “In the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left” “In the word of truth”: “Speaking the word of truth” (Con). The word of truth is the gospel message (Colossians 1:5). Hardship did not deter Paul from sharing the gospel with others (Acts 20:24), neither did threats and angry crowds move Paul to preach a watered-down gospel. No matter how intimidating the situation was, Paul continued to preach the truth, plainly and boldly. “In the power of God”: See 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. “By the armor of righteousness”: “Fighting with the weapons of righteousness” (Con). As described in Ephesians 6:10-18. “On the right hand and on the left”: “Both for attack and for defense” (Con). “The Apostle is fond of military metaphors, doubtless because they are so well suited to illustrate the fact that the Christian is engaged in a stern and unremitting conflict with the powers of darkness” (Hughes p. 230). Paul is saying that in all these hardships, he does have both offensive and defensive weapons at this disposal. Suffering does not immobilize him, and even in the roughest spots, he can still wage battle. Yet he does not fight back or defend himself with carnal strategies. He does not wallow in self-pity and try to make people feel sorry for him, nor does he respond with violence or false accusations, or lose his temper or retreat in a huff. Rather, moral integrity, purity, sincere love and faith shield him, and with the word of God he takes the offensive (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). 2 Corinthians 6:8 ”By glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true” 8
“By glory and dishonor”: “Sometimes the apostle's reputation in the eyes of men stands high; sometimes he is reckoned a person of no account and treated with disrespect. He is defamed, and he is praised; he is slandered, and he is honored; he is criticized, and he is flattered. But, whatever men's estimate of him may be, he continues, undaunted, to ‘fight the good fight of faith’” (Tasker p. 95). “By evil report and good report”: “Amid slander and praise” (TCNT). “The minister of Christ is not immune from the fluctuating fashions and fickle judgments of this world. He will have bitter enemies as well as devoted friends; some will hold him in high esteem, while others will heap insult and dishonor upon him whether popular or despised” (Hughes pp. 231-232). “As deceivers, and yet true”: “Regarded as deceivers” (NASV). See Acts 17:18. Slander and false accusations were continually leveled against Paul, yet none of this moved Paul to quit or respond in an ungodly way. The Christian needs to be ready to accept the fact that some in the world will not like what he or she believes (Luke 6:26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you”). “And yet true”: The world's accusations and slander doesn't alter the reality of the situation. For a man or woman not to be shaken by such cutting remarks, demands that such an individual is absolutely convinced of the truthfulness of the message they teach and live (Acts 26:24-25). 2 Corinthians 6:9 “as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed” “As unknown”: “The world ignores us” (Tay). “It may well have been a further evil report that Paul was ‘not known’, that is, not recognized as having the credential of an apostle (cf. 3:1). We think it preferable, however, to understand the language here in a wider and more general sense: as Saul of Tarsus, the brilliant and ambitious young Pharisee, he had achieved a considerable measure of fame, at least among his own compatriots; but as Paul the Apostle he had turned his back on all those things which, from the worldly point of view, were gain to him, and he became the despised preacher of a crucified Messiah, ignored by the world at large, indeed, unnoticed” (Hughes p. 233). “Many of Paul's contemporaries no doubt dismissed him by saying, ‘We have never heard of him’. He was a person, they felt, whom they could safely ignore” (Tasker p. 95). “And yet well known”: Well known to God (2 Timothy 2:19), and there were people who heard Paul preach, in which Paul's message and his life completely changed them. What a inspiring phrase. Even the Apostle Paul found himself snubbed by the 9
world, and ignored at times. The same thing happens today to modern Christians. The world feels it can ignore us. “As dying yet behold, we live”: “At the point of death, yet here I am alive” (Gspd). Paul faced the constant threat of death (1 Corinthians 15:31). “But again and again, just when men were saying he was finished, he was seen (notice the insertion of the word behold) to possess fresh vitality and power” (Tasker p. 95). “Nothing could detract from the wonder of this cheating of death; hence the spontaneous and exulting exclamation ‘behold!’: ‘as dying, and behold! We live’ (Acts 14:19ff)” (Hughes p. 234). “As chastened, and not killed”: “Punished, but not dead yet” (Gspd). Notice Paul's wonderful attitude here. His opponents would claim that his sufferings were clear evidence of Divine displeasure (the misconception Job's friends also had concerning suffering). Ye when Paul experienced suffering, he saw the grace of God. “Yes, we suffer, but we are still alive!” Paul saw Divine compassion in his sufferings. Do we? Or do we complain if we have to suffer at all? Paul never thought of demanding that God keep him from all suffering! Paul was just thankful that he had been left alive. Wow! What an attitude (Psalm 118:18; Hebrews 12:5-10). 2 Corinthians 6:10 “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” “As sorrowful”: Paul is far from being immune to sorrows and disappointments. “Things happened that might have broken any man's heart but they could not destroy the joy that no man could take from him” (Barclay pp. 242-243). “We know sorrow, yet our joy is inextinguishable” (NEB). “Yet always rejoicing”: See Romans 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always”. Paul was a man who "felt" intense pain, grief, heartache and sorrow (2 Corinthians 11:28; 2:1,4; Romans 9:2). “But no sorrow, no disappointment however severe, could ever interrupt, let alone extinguish, the joy of his salvation” (Hughes p. 236). “As poor”: He had to support himself at times (Acts 18:3); he was supported by other Christians (Philippians 4:15-18), and he knew all about living with humble means (4:12). “The Apostle's poverty in this world's goods was obvious to all, and no doubt those who judged according to worldly values regarded him as a figure to be pitied, or at any rate not to be envied” (Hughes p. 236). Yet how many Christians blame their unfaithfulness, marriage problems, lack of growth, family problems, or things like “we have really been going through some financial nightmares lately”? 10
“Yet making many rich”: By sharing the gospel with them, Ephesians 3:8 “To preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ”. “As having nothing, and yet possessing all things”: “Disinherited, and the world is ours” (Knox). “We are penniless, and yet in reality we have everything worth having” (Phi). Becoming a Christian had cost Paul many material things (Philippians 3:7). “To the uncomprehending onlooker the Apostle Paul must have presented the picture of destitution--without home, without money, without possessions, hated and hunted by his own countrymen, proclaiming a message despised by Jew and Gentile alike” (Hughes p. 237). Paul possessed everything of true value (1 Corinthians 3:21-22; Mark 10:29-30). He may have lost material possessions and an inheritance, but Paul had a relationship with God, a clear conscience, his integrity, character, the gospel message, many real friendships grounded in true love, peace of mind, contentment, personal fulfillment, satisfaction, and the hope of eternal life. An Appeal for Mutual Appreciation: 6:11-13 “Affectionate declaration of his frankness and sympathy, and an appeal that the Corinthians should show the same” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 77). 2 Corinthians 6:11 “Our mouth is open unto you, O Corinthians, our heart is enlarged” “Our mouth is open unto you”: “We speak freely” (F.F. Bruce p. 213). “He had kept back nothing in his portrayal” (Robertson p. 236). “I am speaking quite candidly and freely to you” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 77). “O Corinthians”: On only two other occasions, does Paul address those he is writing to, directly by name (Galatians 3:1; Philippians 4:15). “The addition of their name is a mark of great love and warmth and affection” (Hughes p. 239). “Our heart is enlarged”: “We throw our hearts wide open to you” (Knox). “He has spoken with great frankness. He has revealed to them all the secret springs of his actions. Nothing has been kept back. He has laid bare before them all his motives and aims as a minister of Christ” (Erdman p. 73). “Our mouth is still open toward you in what we have said; our heart is still expanded to take you in with all its love” (Lenski p. 1074). Notice the attitude of this man. Even after dealing with all the discouraging things which has come out of this congregation, Paul still has enough room in his heart for them.
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2 Corinthians 6:12 “Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own affections” “Ye are not straitened in us”: “You find no narrowness in my love” (Con). “There is no want of affection for you in us” (Wey). “It is not our fault” (Knox). “Any stiffness between us must be on your side” (Phi). “Paul's heart was not narrowed or pinched by suspicions and misconceptions of the Corinthians. Though he knew their failings and though their attitude to him had been marked by a deplorable lack of generosity, yet his love for them remained unaffected; there was no question of their being squeezed out of his heart” (Hughes p. 239). “Straitened”: “The verb means to narrow in, to crowd. No, no, Paul says, there is nothing in us to hold you aloof, to put you under restraint; nothing in us to make you hold back as though you could not be free toward us as friend is free with friend, one heart toward another” (Lenski p. 1075). “Ye are straitened in your own affections”: “It is your love that is contracted” (Vincent p. 324). “They had found room for calumnies and suspicions, implanted by enemies and impostors, rather than love and loyalty to the one who had devotedly given himself to them in bringing them the good news of Jesus Christ” (Hughes p. 240). 2 Corinthians 6:13 “Now for a recompense in like kind (I speak as unto my children), be ye also enlarged” “Now for a recompense in like kind”: “Can you not in return--open you hearts to us?” (TCNT). “Do reward me with the same complete candor!” (Phi) “Recompense”: “So he appeals to them, as he would appeal to children who have an innate sense of fair-play” (Tasker p. 97). “Unrequited love is hard to bear. It had almost broken the apostle's heart to hear that the persons he had brought to Christ, for whom he had made every sacrifice, and whom he loved as his own spiritual children, had been led to doubt his sincerity and his integrity” (Erdman p. 73). “I speak as unto my children”: See 1 Corinthians 4:14,17; Galatians 4:19; 1 Timothy 1:2,18. “Be ye also enlarged”: “Open your hearts wide to me” (Mof). The wrong was on the part of the Corinthians and yet Paul is the one who is initiating the reconciliation. When we hold out and refuse to seek reconciliation, arguing, that “they started it”, or, “they are the ones who need to apologize”, we are not following the example of Christ. God did not wait to send His Son until everybody had said they were sorry. An Appeal to Purity: 6:14-18 12
“The frankness, the intimacy, the love which he requests for himself must not be shared with idolaters. The followers of Christ must keep from all close alliances with those who have rejected Christ and allied themselves with an unbelieving world” (Erdman p. 74). “The call to reciprocate, to expand wide their hearts, and to take into them their old teachers, the founders of their congregation, includes complete, final separation from all others who are ranged on the opposite side” (Lenski p. 1076). Paul is not calling upon the Christians to live isolated lives (1 Corinthians 5:10; 10:27). In the context, this admonition seems to be aimed at the relationship that the Corinthians had with the false teachers which had infiltrated the Corinthian church and who were trying to turn the congregation against Paul and his fellowworkers. Hence, this could be viewed as a commentary upon 1 Corinthians 15:33. 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what communion hath light with darkness?” “Be not”: “Lit., stop becoming” (Robertson p. 236). “Do not try, do not ever incline or begin to be so yoked up” (Lenski p. 1077). “Unequally yoked with”: “Do not enter into inconsistent relations with those who reject the Faith” (TCNT). “Stop forming intimate and inconsistent relations with unbelievers” (Wms). “Compromising” (Tasker p. 98). “The metaphor employed by the Apostle here is that of a double yoke under which two animals work side by side. It is almost certain that he had in mind the prohibition of Deuteronomy 22:10: ‘Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together’” (Hughes p. 244). “Unbelievers”: The word is elsewhere used of nonChristians (1 Corinthians 6:6; 7:12-15; 10:27), and even of God's own people (Matthew 17:17; John 20:27). Of course the question of great concern has been how are to we apply these verses. Or, in other words, how much contact with unbelievers may we have? We know that Christians ate with unbelievers (1 Corinthians 10:27), and it is inferred that we work with them, work for them, and hire them to work for us (1 Corinthians 5:10). Apparently, the Corinthians, or at least some of them, had violated this principle. In the context it seems that by embracing the false teachers among them, that such was being yoked together with unbelievers. Other passages would confirm that such a relationship is wrong (2 John 10-11). Erdman offers the following comments, “They should include all those intimacies which arise out of business relations, secret orders, social activities, friendships, and fellowships. Such intimacies, in themselves possibly innocent, may 13
develop into unions which dwarf spiritual life, weaken loyalty to God, secularize the soul, and annul testimony to truth� (pp. 74-75). The question on the mind of many is, does this passage forbid the marriage between a Christian and non-Christian? We know that such marriages are not inherently sinful because Paul commands Christians in such a marriage to stay married (1 Corinthians 7:12-14). The Old Testament contains quite a bit of teaching against intermarrying with the heathen, or certain heathen nations. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4; Joshua 23:12; Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 13:25; 1 Kings 11:1-2). Yet at the same time we find certain non-Hebrews married to Israelites with no censure implied in the text (Ruth, Uriah the Hittite). I think we can all agree though that most Moabite women were not like Ruth and neither were most Hittite men like Uriah. So what are we to conclude? I think people are right when they say that they cannot imagine Paul or any apostle encouraging Christians to marry non-Christians. Hardship and difficulty is written all over 1 Corinthians 7:12-15. This text was never intended to encourage such unions or romanticize them, but rather to inform the Christian who finds themselves in such a marriage, of what God expects of them. Both from the principles given in the Old Testament (Romans 15:4) and New Testament (1 Corinthians 15:33; 6:14-18), there is a certain type of non-Christian that no Christian should ever think about marrying. That is, the type that stands in defiant opposition to the gospel. It is the better part of wisdom to make the attempt to convert a person before you marry them, instead of after. Some non-Christians are simply ignorant, and if given the right information, will obey God. Others are confused and misinformed. Some will repent when confronted with the sacrifice of Christ and their own sins. And yet, there is a type of non-Christian who in the face of all this stubbornly refuses to accept Christ, to own up to their own sins, to admit their accountability to God or accept that what the Bible says is truth. It seems to me that 2 Corinthians 6:14 would forbid a Christian to form an intimate relationship with that type of person. If it doesn't, then for all practical purposes this section of Scripture becomes unworkable and irrelevant, for if the Bible does not forbid one in marrying an unrepentant, obstinate, and rebellious unbeliever, then it certainly would not forbid any other relationship with such a person.
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“Paul enforces his warning by five argumentative questions, designed to show how unnatural, how incongruous, how unsafe such alliances should be considered” (Erdman p. 75). “The negative injunction of course carries with it the opposite and positive implication, that believers SHOULD BE EQUALLY and harmoniously yoked with fellow-believers. True Christian partnership is that which exists between (to use another Pauline expression) GENUINE YOKEFELLOWS (Philippians 4:3)” (Hughes p. 245). “For what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity?” “What is there in common between” (Wey). “What common interest can there be” (Phi). The Christian who is attempting to pursue "rightness" with God, does not really have anything in common with the person who is pursuing a life of "lawlessness". “Or what communion hath light with darkness?”: “Partnership” (Wey). “How can light and darkness share life together” (Phi). The Christian has been delivered from darkness (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13), and is obligated to live in the light (Romans 13:12-13; Ephesians 5:8-13). 2 Corinthians 6:15 “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?” “And what concord”: “Harmony” (NASV). “Symphony” (Robertson p. 237). “In what word, thought, purpose, work do these two agree?” (Lenski p. 1082). “The antithesis, once again, is absolute (1 John 3:7)” (Hughes p. 248). “Belial”: “The personalization of evil. In Old Testament Hebrew it means ‘worthlessness’ or ‘perdition’; cf. the familiar phrase ‘son(s) of Belial’” (F.F. Bruce pp. 214-215). We should realize that Paul is saying that only two sides exist. Either one is a son of God or a son of the Devil (1 John 3:7-8). Jesus Himself draws the line very sharply when He said, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30). “Or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?”: “Or what part has one who has faith with one who has not” (Bas). “Or what can those who accept the Faith have in common with those who reject it” (TCNT). “Unbeliever”: “Infidel” (KJV). “By unbeliever Paul means 'disbeliever', not just an unconverted man who yet approves Christ” (Robertson p. 237). Unbelievers will end up condemned (Mark 16:16); excluded from God's rest (Heb. 3:18-19); cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8); shall not see life (John 3:36); do not belong to Christ. (John 10:26). At times we forget all of the above points also have application in the case of a believer who has rejected 15
Christ. These verses contain principles that would also apply towards those with whom we have withdrawn. Night and day stand between the Christian and the unfaithful child of God. One is doing everything in their power to spread the truth, and the other is living a life that discredits the truth. 2 Corinthians 6:16 “And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? For we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” “Agreement”: “What common ground can idols have with the temple of God?” (Phi) “Lit., a putting down or depositing along with one. Hence of voting the same way with another, and so agreeing” (Vincent p. 325). “A temple of God”: See 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-22; and 1 Peter 2:5. “With idols”: “If it was unthinkable for a temple of wood and stones to have any association with idols, how much more so a temple constructed of living stones!” (Hughes p. 252). If it was clearly wrong to associate idolatry with the temple of God in the Old Testament, then how much more is it wrong to bring idolatry in among the even greater temple of God, that being the temple composed of individual Christians which is called the church? “The apostle points to two great spheres of moral action, and he implies that there are only two. Every soul belongs to either the one or the other. He cannot belong to both. He has chosen the realm to which he will give allegiance” (Erdman p. 75). “For we are a temple of the living God”: Both as individuals (1 Corinthians 6:19), and collectively (3:16). “Even as God said’: A quotation from Leviticus 26:12; Exodus 29:45; Ezekiel 37:27; and Jeremiah 31:1. “This new temple retains the characteristics of the other tabernacle where God had been pleased to dwell. It is holy and dedicated, and must be kept a shrine fit for His presence” (Tasker p. 99). Therefore our worship as a congregation needs to be the best we can offer, for God always demanded that His people offer Him the best sacrifice possible (Hebrews 13:15). God has always demanded moral purity of the priests which serve Him, and every Christian is a priest of God today (1 Peter 2:5). God condemned His people when they offered Him their leftovers or sacrifices which cost them nothing (Malachi 1:614). God also rebuked His people when their personal lives took priority over His temple (Haggai 1:2-4). Therefore, something is wrong when the local congregation in which 16
we are members, is no longer the focal point of our lives. 2 Corinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you” “Wherefore’: “To show that he is now drawing practical implications from the great truth that the Christians are the temple of the living God” (Tasker p. 99). “Among them”: That is, out from among the unbelievers. “This separation from the world was not to be physical and local but moral and spiritual. These Corinthians were not to migrate to other cities, but to keep free from the intimacies and fellowships which might ally them with idolatry” (Erdman p. 76). “Saith the Lord”: See Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34. Paul reinforces Scripture with Scripture. “Paul's appeal to the Corinthians to make this withdrawal is given in words originally spoken by God to His people through Isaiah when He called them out of exile. They were to leave behind them in Babylon everything that was unclean, taking only the sacred vessels of the temple, so that they might continue to be a people whom God could receive, i.e. whom He could look upon with favor” (Tasker pp. 99-100). “And touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you”: “And do not even touch what is unclean” (Knox). “Some people get so ‘broad’ and so ‘liberal’ and so ‘modern’ that the tainted pleasures of an evil generation, worldly business methods, godless and Christless associations and practices of all kinds no longer appear unclean to them. The worst is the unclean in the so-called learning, religious ideas and teaching, Christless altars, prayers, religious ceremonies, Christless brotherhoods and organizations” (Lenski p. 1089). 2 Corinthians 6:18 “And will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” “Saith the Lord Almighty”: See 2 Samuel 7:14; Jeremiah 31:9; Hosea 1:10; Isaiah 43:6. What a wonderful promise! Imagine, God even wanting us to be His children. In light of such a fantastic promise, who would ever want to touch anything unclean that would risk such a wonderful relationship?
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