Well Pleasing to Him

NAME A TIME WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN HIGHLY MOTIVATED OR KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN HIGHLY MOTIVATED

In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul reveals the driving forces behind his own tireless labor. He presents three specific motivations that must dictate the behavior of the mature believer:

Accountability (Looking to the Lord)

Love (Boasting in the Lord)

Commission (Working for the Lord)

Looking to the Lord: The Motivation of Accountability

The prospect of a future evaluation serves as a powerful catalyst for present holiness. Paul introduces the strategic importance of the Bema, or Judgment Seat of Christ, not as a source of dread regarding eternal salvation, but as a sobering reminder that every action will be "made manifest." This future evaluation transforms present labor into a quest for divine approval.

Aiming to Please (v. 9)

2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

Paul utilizes the term translated “aim”, which carries the weight of a "godly ambition" or "making it a point of honor." The idea is that Paul was “striving his hardest with great diligence” according to Timothy George.

His constant aim and overriding ambition was to be well-pleasing or accepted by Christ. This drive remained constant whether he was "present" in the body or "absent" with the Lord.

This drive to was to achieve goals worthy of the Lord’s honor! For Paul it wasn’t, “What can I get away with,” but “What brings my Master the most joy?”

The desire for the Master's "Well done" renders the approval of men insignificant.

Foreseeing Judgment (v. 10)

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

A deep-dive analysis of the Bema reveals a critical distinction from the "Great White Throne" judgment of Revelation 20. The Bema was the platform from which Roman officials rendered judicial verdicts or awarded prizes to Olympic victors. For the believer, this judgment concerns works and rewards, not salvation.

The term appear ("to be made manifest") implies that we will be "laid open and bare" before the Lord—our character revealed as an "open book" (Picirilli).

FULL DISCLOSURE! Christ will expose hidden motives and intentions of the heart. It’s a “performance review” done by someone who loves us!

In this evaluation of "good or bad," the scholar must note that "bad" refers to that which is "worthless" or a "loss of reward," rather than the threat of eternal punishment. THIS IS EVALUATION, NOT CONDEMNATION.

Motivated by Awe (v. 11)

2 Corinthians 5:11 “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

Paul speaks of the "terror of the Lord," more accurately understood as the "fear of the Lord" (phobos). This awe-inspired accountability leads Paul to "persuade men"—not merely to believe the Gospel, but to be persuaded of the integrity and purity of his motives.

Paul is driven to persuade people, which is an obligation that flows from his sense of responsibility to God’s call and His love for Christ.

Shillington said:

2 Corinthians Preview

The motive is partly the fear of the Lord (5:11) but principally the love of Christ (5:14). This latter becomes the controlling force in Paul’s life and thought and issues in selfless living for others (5:15b).

The second motivation Paul mentions is found in verses 12-17...

II. Boasting in the Lord: The Motivation of New Life

A strategic shift occurs when the believer moves from external credentials to internal transformation. While Paul’s detractors "glory in appearance" (prosopon), Paul finds his confidence in a heart defined by the agape of Christ.

At the Risk of Reputation (vv. 12–13)

2 Corinthians 5:12–13 “For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.”

Paul’s focus is not going to be on these letters of commendation we talked about a couple of weeks ago. There were some who were influencing the Corinthians to try to give a great “outward show” but they had no valid inward reality. Paul’s motive is not to commend himself, but rather bring glory to God.

He was willing to be thought "beside himself" (ecstatic or insane) for God’s glory, or to be "sober" for the church’s benefit. His reputation was a tool to be used, not a treasure to be guarded.

Because of the Love of Christ (vv. 14–15)

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

Paul describes Christ's love as "constraining" or "compelling." Paul, felt as if he had no choice but to serve. Not only was Christ’s sacrifice Paul’s means of salvation, but it was the driving force of his life.

Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice urges us to understand that all of humanity is under the curse of sin, and apart from Christ’s intervention we remain under condemnation. The good news is that Christ’s death was sufficient to rescue all humanity from this curse and provide freedom for all.

He died for all. As AB Brown used to say, “His death is SUFFICIENT for all, but only EFFICIENT for those who believe.”

Once the spiritual transformation takes place, his substitutionary death serves as a powerful motivation to live for the ONE who died for us. We no longer live for ourselves, because He is not to be on the throne of our hearts!

This is all...

Due to a Radical Change (vv. 16–17)

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Before his conversion, Paul typically evaluated people “according to the flesh.” For him he may have evaluated people based on the fact they were Jew or Gentile. Others evaluate people based on other worldly measures: ethnicity, money, education, gender, nationality, social status, and the list goes on.

Paul says he no longer evaluates people this way. Paul also acknowledges that even though he is aware of Christ’s incarnation, he doesn’t evaluate Christ based on “external experience” or “earthly categories.”

IN CHRIST we are NEW CREATIONS. We are no longer looked at as “condemned” but transformed. The old categories have passed away and we have become NEW! We experience a radical transformation from the inside out!

This internal change of the new creation is the necessary foundation for the external duty of reconciliation.

III. Working for the Lord: The Motivation of Reconciliation

The believer occupies a high-honor role as a divine representative. Crucially, God is the "Initiator" of this process; reconciliation is not man’s effort to appease God, but God’s effort to reach man.

As Agents of Reconciliation (vv. 18–19)

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Reconciliation implies a "thorough change" in a relationship from enmity to peace.

Not only have we been changed, and reconciled, but we have also been given a MINISTRY! That ministry enables us to take the same message that has transformed and reconciled us and share that message with others who need to be aware of this GOOD NEWS.

God uses us, those who have experienced His reconciliation, as His agents to spread this message. The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus made our reconciliation possible, but not just ours, but for the entire world!

Ambassadors for Christ (v. 20)

2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Bishop Lightfoot notes three characteristics about ambassadors:

As the Righteousness of God (v. 21)

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Verse 21 serves as the "Golden Text" of the Bible, detailing the "Great Exchange" or "Double Imputation." Paul’s language is profound: God "charged, loaded, and implicated" the sinless Christ with our sin as if He were the very embodiment of it (Moule).

Imputation of Sin: Our debt was credited to Christ's account.

Imputation of Righteousness: His perfection is credited to our "spiritual bank accounts" (Evans). In this "sweet exchange," the believer stands acquitted and "right" before the Judge of all the earth.

Synthesis and Practical Application for Mature Believers

Teacher’s Summary

The new life in Christ is a multifaceted reality mapping to God’s character:

New Creation (v. 17): Reflects God as Creator, translating us from a perishing world into His Messianic kingdom.

Reconciliation (vv. 18–20): Reflects God as Father, taking the initiative to end our rebellion and restore fellowship.

Righteousness of God (v. 21): Reflects God as Judge, providing a legal standing of innocence through Double Imputation.

Discussion & Reflection

The Transparency of Conscience: Paul lived an "open book" life, confident in his integrity before the Bema. What "fleshly standards" or hidden motives must you surrender to maintain a clear conscience today?

Evaluating Worth: If "all things have become new," do you still evaluate your ministry and your brothers by the "merchandising" standards of the world—wealth, rank, and appearance?

The Constraint of Love: Does the love of Christ truly "press" you into service, or has your ministry become a matter of "sober" duty alone?

Closing Statement

To be a Christian is to reside in an "imperial province"—a world in rebellion—charged as a diplomat of peace. We are "Heaven’s Ambassadors," commissioned to plead with a dying world to accept the Great Exchange. As we navigate this rebellious province, let us move with the "fear of the Lord" and the "compulsion of love," remembering that the provision of the Cross is universal, but its application depends upon the faithful proclamation of its ambassadors. We labor with one overriding ambition: to be well-pleasing to Him who became sin for us.