The Burdens & Blessings of Believers

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v.1 Paul and other’s who faithfully proclaim the gospel are “workers together with God”. Paul realized that any work he did for the Lord was a result of God working through him (Ephesians 3:20). Man has a very simple part in working with God.
See 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
* Man plants the seed. Sharing the gospel.
* Man waters. Praying, encouraging.
* God gives the increase. Creates spiritual life.
Ministers must realize that they cannot change anyone. All we can do is plant and water. Any attempt of the minister to try and create spiritual life is both dangerous and futile. It is dangerous because you take glory from God and give false hope to man. It is futile because he is attempting what is impossible.
As God’s fellow worker Paul is appealing to the Corinthians not to receive the “grace of God in vain”. Paul feared that his work among the Corinthians may have been for nothing. At Corinth, as in most all churches, there were among those in the church the truly saved and the intellectually convinced. Paul did not know who was truly saved and who was not. He encouraged the Corinthians to test themselves (2 Cor. 13:5). Those who are not truly regenerated are often deceived by false teachers and/or return to a life of immorality. Paul wanted the church at Corinth to be established for a long time. He knew that it would last only if the people in it had sincerely received God’s grace through the gospel.
Paul’s use of the word “receive” does not refer to a person receiving the gospel to the point of salvation. It refers to the general acceptance of the gospel by the church and community. See Luke 10:8 as an example of this. Jesus was not suggesting that every person in the city “received” the gospel to the point of salvation. He was referring to the absence of hostility toward the message.
v.2 Paul quotes from Isaiah 49:8. In the context of Second Corinthians this verse is an appeal to the unconverted Corinthians to come to the Lord. These words are spoken by God.
The “favorable time” and “the day of salvation” reveal that there is a specific time when God will accept and save individual sinners. That time for the Corinthians was “now”. We should recognize how serious this is. We are to come to God as His grace is offered to us. The Corinthians should not take Paul’s appeal lightly. God was urging them through Paul to come to Christ. It was important that they do it now and do it sincerely.
v.3 Verse two is a parenthesis. Therefore, when we interpret verse 3 we should do so as it relates to verse one. In verse one Paul reminded us that we are workers together with God extending the gospel to the lost. The term “obstacle” means “to cause to stumble”. Paul did not want to discredit the gospel in any way. He recognized that his own integrity was important when it came to sharing the gospel. If his life was inconsistent with his message, it would keep people from receiving the grace of God.
The Israelites were guilty of this (Romans 2:24). An unholy church will discourage people from receiving the gospel. Sometimes the members of a church become its own worst enemies. Satan’s job is made easy when those who name the name of Christ live inconsistently with their message. Believers should recognize that they are part of a Body. Everything they do affects the church. We should do our best to never cast a shadow on the ministry.
v.4 Whatever situation Paul found himself in, he wanted to prove that he was indeed a servant of God. “Commend” means to prove. Paul’s response to trials was Christ like. Despite his trying circumstances he stayed committed to the Lord.
By great endurance. This refers to someone who does not surrender to circumstances or succumb to trials. It describes a commitment generated by hope. Paul had a great hope in the Lord Jesus. This hope enabled him to endure anything the world threw at him without sacrificing his faith in Christ. This proved he was indeed a servant of God.
The true believer endures trials with faith in Christ. His hope encourages him to continue to live for Christ. Endurance is one of the characteristics that proves a person has a sincere relationship with the Lord.
In afflictions. The term is “thlipsis” and it means to crush or squeeze. Primarily it speaks of the crushing or squeezing of the spirit. Believers endure emotional and spiritual trials. It could be through anxiety, threats, hatred, worry, being treated wrongly, etc. Believers respond to these things with endurance. They do not throw the towel in because they are afflicted. We press on because of our faith.
In hardships. There are hardships that believers face by virtue of who they are. Because we are believers it is inevitable that the world will treat us badly. See Matthew 18:7, John 15:19, 2 Timothy 3:12. Hardships come because we live in a fallen world. The believer recognizes this and responds with endurance.
In calamities. This word comes from two words. The first means “narrow.” The second means “to fit in a place”. Together they mean to fit into a narrow place. It describes a very uncomfortable situation in which one has no room to move. It could refer to a situation in which there is no escape. Believers may face such circumstances. There may be no earthly escape from the prison cell, the cancer, the divorce etc. Regardless the believer continues to hope because his faith is in Christ who will ultimately deliver him from all the trials of this present world.
v.5 In beatings. The KJV calls them stripes. They are so called because of the marks left on the body. Paul knew by experience the discomfort of them (11:23). Jesus endured them as well (John 19:1). Today believers still endure beatings as a result of their faith in Christ. Their godly response to such beatings proves their faith in the Lord is real.
In imprisonments. Paul’s response to his imprisonments was confident. He saw it as an opportunity to spread the gospel (Philippians 1:12-13). He knew that while he may be bound the gospel could never be bound (2 Timothy 2:9). The proper way to respond to trial is to look at the positive side. With the believer there is always a positive side to everything.
In riots. This word refers to the commotions and riots that followed Paul (Acts 17:5). The message that believers carry will sometimes anger people. Even within our own families we may upset people with the facts of the gospel. The believer does not give up because of the controversy the gospel may cause.
In labors. Paul’s work was physically exhausting. Not only did Paul do the work of the ministry but he also worked secular jobs as well, such as tent making. He reused to be burnt out. The work of the ministry is tough. On top of spreading the gospel we must support ourselves as well. The believer recognizes that his day of rest awaits in heaven. Therefore, he works with his hands and his heart to spread the gospel and support himself and his family.
In sleepless nights. Worries, constant travel, work overload, etc. contributed to sleepless nights. The heart probably caused most of the sleepless nights. Believers experience much emotional pain that may keep us up at night. Regardless we stay committed to the gospel.
In hunger. In this context it refers to going hungry. Paul’s commitment to spread the gospel sometimes contributed to missing meals. His travel would make it difficult to find food as well as his imprisonment. Paul mentioned hunger several times when referring to trials (11:27, 1 Cor. 4:11, Philippians 4:12). His meat was to do the will of the Father (John 4:34). He found satisfaction in pleasing God more than the desires of his flesh. All believers should follow his example.
v.6 By purity. Despite his trials Paul remained pure. Trials are no excuse to sin. The believer is to live a holy life even in the most trying of circumstances. One of the great proofs of our profession is to remain pure when we are experiencing times of trouble. As well, our purity helps us remain faithful in trials. Sin weakens us making us more susceptible to temptation.
By knowledge. This refers to spiritual knowledge. Paul knew the Word. His ability to endure trials with integrity can be traced back to a proper understanding of the Word. He used the Sword of the Spirit to defeat Satan and his demons. Christ’s knowledge of the Word aided Him as He fought with the devil in the wilderness. Every believer needs spiritual knowledge in order to respond to trials properly.
By patience. The word used here is “makrothumia”. It refers to patience with people. Paul dealt with unruly and ungodly people constantly. As well he had to put up with immature believers. Through the Holy Spirit he learned to be patient with people. Patience with people helps us to keep our testimony during trials.
By kindness. Paul would not respond to his enemies with unkindness. The believer is to do good to those who mistreat him. It is an important virtue. Our response reveals a genuine transformed character totally opposite from anything we learn in the world.
By the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit provides the power we need to respond Christ like in harsh circumstances. We are helpless without Him. We bear the fruit of the Spirit as we yield to Him and surrender our own will (Eph. 5:18, Galatians 5:22-23).
By genuine love. True love is the love modeled by God in Christ. It is not self seeking or conditional. It puts others first with a motive anchored in grace. Genuine love for God and others keeps us faithful in the darkest of days. If our love is anything but the God kind, we will give up on others and will shipwreck our faith.
v.7 By truthful speech. This is a little different than the “knowledge” in verse 6. While the former referred to an understanding of spiritual truth this refers to the specifics of the speech. It could be that it is speaking of the gospel particularly (See Colossians 1:5). The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). If we want to endure trials we should stay close to the gospel. We should cling to it for our own salvation and proclaim it for the salvation of others.
By the power of God. Believers are filled with God’s power (Acts 1:8). We have the victory because of the power that comes from God. We remain faithful because God’s power enables us to do so (Philippians 2:12-13).
By the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and on the left. Simply put this is the armor of God described in Ephesians 6:10-18. If we are to endure trials in a Christ like manner, we must be armed for spiritual warfare.
v.8 By honor and dishonor. Sometimes believers are honored, sometimes we are dishonored. We are loved by some and hated by others.
By slander and praise. Sometimes people speak evil of us, sometimes people speak well of us.
Treated as impostors and yet are true. Sometimes people will call us liars, other times they will say we are telling the truth.
Surprisingly one person may say two different things about us. They may honor us one day and dishonor us the next. The believer, however, is to stay consistent in his witness despite the double mindedness of the world.
v.9 As unknown and yet well known. Sometimes we are popular, sometimes we are not. The believer is not to seek favor with men. He is to seek favor with God.
As dying and behold we live, as punished and yet not killed. Paul was in constant danger of death. The gospel he preached angered people to the point of violence. Regardless of his many near death experiences Paul was still alive. As much as the world wanted him dead, he would not die until the Lord was ready for him.
v.10 As sorrowful yet always rejoicing. Paul had serious times of sorrow. In fact, the Corinthian church had caused him sorrow (7:5-6). Believers do sorrow. There is a time to mourn. Physical ailments, death, betrayal, sin (in ourselves and others) are just a few of the things that cause us to sorrow. Paul also rejoiced. He did not deny the reality of the things that caused him to sorrow. He was able to rejoice always, even in his time of sorrow. He knew that there was coming a day when sorrow would be no more. The believer can say “Praise the Lord” while tears of pain stream down his face. He can say “Praise God” while he mourns at the graveside. He can do these things because on the inside he knows that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Faith enables us to rejoice when circumstances demand that we cry.
As poor yet making many rich. We have no reason to believe as some would suggest that Paul was physically rich. He worked a secular job to support himself (1 Thess. 2:9) and got financial support from churches (Philippians 4:12-16). Though Paul may have been poor according to this world’s standards, he was making many rich. The riches he was offering were the riches of Christ. Through the gospel he brought people from spiritual bankruptcy to celestial millionaires!
As having nothing yet possessing all things. Paul had nothing. He had no beach home or fancy chariots. In the world’s eyes he would die with nothing. Yet Paul knew he had all things. He had all things in Christ. He was rich in the Lord’s eyes. He had spent his converted life laying up treasures in heaven. He knew that eternal rewards awaited him (2 Timothy 4:6-8). In heavens eyes Paul had more than he could ever spend. He would enjoy eternity with Christ and the saints. No more sorrow or pain would come his way. He was truly rich.
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