2 Corinthians 5

Study Guide 136: 2 Corinthians 4-7 THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION Overview Paul’ s vision of his New Covenant ministry was rich in the promise of a progressive transformation for believers. “ We . . . are being transformed into His [Jesus’ ] likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Yet the Corinthians displayed less evidence of transformation than did other congregations! We know from Paul’ s first letter to them that their fellowship was marked by divisions, by doctrinal disputes, by confusion over spiritual gifts, even by immorality that was winked at by the local body. How could Paul maintain his confidence in this unspiritual church, despite all the evidence that existed to the contrary? The answer is given in 2 Corinthians 4-5; an answer that gives us hope as parents, as members or leaders of modern congregations which, like that in Corinth, fall short of God’ s ideal. RECONCILIATION. This theological term means “ to bring into harmony.” In this passage Paul argued that the death of Jesus brought humanity to a place of harmony with God; where forgiveness can flow. But there is also an experiential dimension to reconciliation. We are to live in harmony with God, reflecting in ourselves the righteousness of God. It is to this end that Paul ministered — and in this passage he shows us the key to a ministry of reconciliation of our own.

Commentary Paul was not only a great evangelist and teacher. He was a master motivator. In 2 Corinthians we see Paul at his best, and discover how first of all the apostle maintained his own optimism, as well as the way he motivated others to full commitment to Jesus Christ. Actually, we are given hints in the first three chapters. These hints are found in phrases like: “ Our hope for you is firm” (2 Corinthians 1:7). “ You help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:11). “ We will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus” (2 Corinthians 1:14). “ I was confident of this” (2 Corinthians 1:15). “ I had confidence in all of you” (2 Corinthians 2:3). “ Reaffirm your love for him” (2 Corinthians 1:8). The same encouraging optimism is expressed in a phrase from 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 : “ Life is at work in you” (2 Corinthians 4:12). How are these phrases related to Paul’ s own optimism, and to spiritual motivation of others? The football coach who chews out his players is doing it to motivate them. The parent who demands, “ Sit down and do your homework before you go out,” is seeking to motivate. The pastor who preaches a fiery sermon on coming judgment is seeking to use fear to motivate his congregation to action. We have so many ways of attempting to move people. We set goals for them, and urge them to achieve. We make rules, and insist that others keep them. We shame, urge, condemn, and plan competitions in the hope that something will move others to respond. The unhappy wife nags her husband, the disappointed parent belittles his child, and even the proud parent withholds praise in an effort to stimulate still higher achievement. And all of them, at times, wonder, “ Why?” “ Why doesn’ t my husband improve?” “ Why doesn’ t my child try?” “ Why don’ t members of our congregation get involved?” The answer to all these questions is the same. It’ s because we’ re trying to use man’ s approach to move others. And as Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 1:1-31 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, human wisdom is not God’ s kind of wisdom. God has His own unique and vital way of doing His work in our lives.

The Role of the Leader One of the basic elements in God’ s approach to moving believers to follow Jesus is a theme repeated over and over in the Corinthian epistles. It is the theme of the leader’ s example. Paul could, and often did, say to his readers “ Imitate me in this,” or, “ Follow me as I follow Jesus.” In these chapters we see revealed two factors in Paul’ s own attitude which are critical if we as parents or leaders are to create a climate which will free others to respond and to grow. Unconditional love. This is the first characteristic of the effective parent or leader. How often we see it stressed in this book. Apparently Paul’ s first letter was taken by some in Corinth as rejection; an indication that Paul no longer loved them. They took his gentle explanation as “ cold and unfeeling” reasoning. So over and over in this letter Paul reassured them. “ We are not withholding our affection from you” (2 Corinthians 6:12). Sometimes we hear psychologists suggest that to withdraw love is an effective way for parents to discipline children. Far from it! In fact, it is the awareness of unconditional love — that sense of certainty that we are supported by a love that will never let us go — that creates the context for growth. Where there is uncertainty about love, there is also uncertainty about our personal worth and value. There is also fear of failure, and an unwillingness to take a risk. It seems safer not to try; safer never to fail, safer never to risk the possible withdrawal of love. Whatever we can say about human approaches to motivating others — about nagging, shaming, expressing anger, chewing out, or demanding achievement, one thing is sure. These do not communicate unconditional love. Expectant confidence. This was the second key to Paul’ s approach to motivation. Paul let the Corinthians know that he was confident they would grow. “ I have great confidence in you,” Paul said. “ I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds” (1 Corinthians 7:4). Here, remember, Paul was not writing to the Thessalonians, whose work of faith and labor of love and endurance inspired by hope were so abundantly plain. No, Paul was writing to the Corinthians, the church marked by division and marred by troublesome disputes. It is easy to see how Paul might have expressed confidence in believers like those in Thessalonica. But the Corinthians? Yet, over and over, Paul assured the recipients of this letter that he had confidence in them. And his confidence was not because of the Corinthians’ achievements, but in spite of their lack of achievement! While the Corinthians had begun to lose confidence in themselves, Paul strongly affirmed that his confidence had not been shaken. Paul would believe in these men and women — until they were finally able to believe in themselves. This is the key. For growth, there must be the assurance of love, and the prospect of hope. For a person to be motivated, there must be a confident expectation of success. That expectation cannot be based on performance alone. For no matter how we may try, our efforts are bound to fall short at times. As parents or as leaders, we need to not only extend others our unconditional love, but we need a basis on which we can honestly and confidently express our own confidence that even the most hopeless will succeed. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Ask your group members to look back into their own childhoods. How did their parents seek to motivate them? What impact did this approach have on their personalities? (For instance, do they feel confident? Do they act decisively? Do they take risks? Do they have a good image of themselves, and a sense of personal worth?) Let your group members discuss their experiences for 10 to 15 minutes. Then briefly contrast methods some use in trying to motivate with Paul’ s own affirmation of unconditional love, and his expressions of confidence in the Corinthians. Break into teams to locate such expressions, and look at their context in chapters 1-6.

A Basis for Confidence: 2 Corinthians 4-5 Paul’ s confident reassurance of the Corinthians was not an attempt to manipulate them. It was not just a motivational technique. Instead, what Paul was doing was sharing with these uncertain and ashamed believers what he really felt about them. Expressions of confidence, if honest, do motivate. But such expressions cannot initially be based on others’ past performance. If our hope for ourselves and for others is based on performance, there is bound to be a growing sense of discouragement and ultimately, the loss of hope. This is a trap that parents often fall into with their children. Time after time they instruct or encourage or request. And time after time the child fails to respond, or “ forgets,” or simply ignores. He doesn’ t do his homework. She forgets to make her bed. He neglects his chores. She keeps on resisting correction. He won’ t confess misdeeds, no matter how gently or firmly you deal with him. She won’ t clean up her room. Before long, a parent’ s confidence is worn away. Before long, the parent expects the child to disappoint. And the child, sensing the parent’ s attitude, begins to expect himself or herself to fail. The child learns to live by the expectations of failure that we have communicated. It is so important for us to learn Paul’ s secret. The secret of maintaining one’ s own confidence, and thus being able to build confidence and hope — and motivation to change — into others’ lives. What is that secret? Paul explained. “ We do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1-18). Paul was deeply aware that he had been entrusted with his ministry by God. As to the Gospel message, God is able to make its light shine in dark hearts. Ultimately, God is the source of all change in human hearts (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). As for Paul himself, he was deeply aware that he was a mere “ jar of clay.” Despite the terrible pressures under which he must have lived (2 Corinthians 4:7-12), Paul spoke out with faith and confidence. He knew that “ the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence” (2 Corinthians 4:14). The message of Christ glows with a vitalizing power: the very power that raised Jesus from the dead, at work in human beings. “ Therefore,” Paul said, “ we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The foundation for Paul’ s confidence in the Corinthians was his bedrock belief in Jesus, and the Resurrection power that the message of Jesus unleashes. At this point Paul laid down an important principle which was at the core of his confidence. Outwardly Paul admitted deterioration: we are “ wasting away.” But inwardly Paul experienced a daily renewal. As a result Paul said, “ We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). This concept deserves exploration. What Paul said is that anything that exists in this world of time and space is subject to change. Children grow up. Job descriptions change. Buildings decay. Civilizations fall. Even cliffs are eroded by wind and rain. Anything that we can see is by its very nature subject to change! This is true of those children of ours who can’ t remember to make their beds — and of the Corinthians, who could not seem to get beyond disputes and arguments. If what troubles us is a behavior that we can see, then we need to remember that it is temporary. It will change, by the very nature of things in this world of change! How foolish then to become discouraged and give up, even if behavior that bothers us persists for months or years. We need to remember, with Paul, that what we see can change. And it will change. But Paul did more than remind us that things in this world are temporary. He affirmed realities which are not subject to change. “ We fix our eyes . . . on what is unseen. For what is . . . unseen is eternal.” There are realities which God knows, and has revealed, that are utterly stable and on which we can count. In our ministry with others, we must not only remember that some things are temporary. We must fix our hope on unseen things which are eternal. Heaven ahead (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). In a brief aside Paul looked at some of those unseen things which are utterly real. There is an “ eternal house in the heaven” that will replace our mortal body. Aware of this reality, we look beyond our earthly life and yearn to be present with the Lord. Because we believe completely in this unseen reality, we “ make it our goal to please Him,” aware that our deeds on earth will be evaluated, and we will “ receive what is due” based on how we live our present lives. It is important here to note that the “ Judgment Seat of Christ” (a bema) has nothing to do with salvation. The believer’ s acts are judged, with a view to rewarding him or her (see 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Corinthians 4:5). A ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). To understand this passage, we must realize first that Paul was not talking about evangelism when he spoke of his “ ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). “ Reconciliation” literally means to “ bring into harmony.” When we set our watch by the electric clock in the kitchen, we are “ reconciling” our watch to the clock. We change the one so that it keeps time set by the standard of the other. This is what Paul wanted for the Corinthians; to bring their lives into harmony with the pattern set by God. Paul pointed out that it’ s only appropriate that we live by the heartbeat of God’ s life rather than by the old heartbeat of humankind. Since Jesus loved and died for believers, they should “ no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). As they do this, they will “ become the righteousness of God” in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is this goal of leading believers to life in full harmony with God’ s righteousness that Paul had in mind when he said, “ We implore you on Christ’ s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). With this understood, we can go back and look at Paul’ s explanation of how he could express such amazing confidence even in the Corinthians. Paul began the paragraph assuring the Corinthians that his expressions of confidence were no insincere attempt at flattery (2 Corinthians 5:11-12). Yet how could Paul be totally honest and, while criticizing the Corinthians’ behavior still speak of his joy and confidence in their future progress? Paul explained that this is because his approach was so different from “ those who take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart” (2 Corinthians 5:12). This statement takes us back to the core concept expressed earlier. Some base their pride on what can be seen and measured. “ Aren’ t the folks in my congregation spiritual! Fifty percent of them show up on prayer-meeting night.” And, “ My Johnny is an ideal Christian boy. Why, he reads his Bible every day.” This is not to say we shouldn’ t be pleased by evidence of spiritual progress or commitment. But pride in the 50 percent who come means shame on the 50 percent who don’ t! And, neither coming nor not coming provides a basis for judgment of individual spiritual progress. Indeed, because anything that can be seen is temporary and subject to change, those who boast in externals set themselves up for a fall when the percentage drops off, or Johnny forsakes his Bible reading. What then are we to take pride in? Paul said, “ What is in the heart.” We can’ t see what is in the heart, of course. We can’ t measure it. But the Christian knows that Jesus Himself is resident in the heart of believers. And Jesus is eternal. He will not change no matter what. Paul told the Corinthians his view wasn’ t madness (2 Corinthians 5:13). It was utter sanity. Because, Paul said, “ Christ’ s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Paul’ s point was this. There is only one thing that will really bring about change in a believer’ s life, and move him or her toward Christlikeness. That is the love that Christ Himself pours into the heart in which He dwells. Mere human forms of motivation — the attempts to coerce, to shame, to move by guilt — may bring conformity of action. But they will never change the heart, and it is the heart — the unseen world within — with which Christian ministry is concerned. Paul now stated a powerful theological argument. Christ died for all. He died for us in order that we who live should stop living for ourselves, and begin to live for Him. That is, God’ s purpose in the Cross was to change us, and change the focus of our lives. Paul was confident that Jesus, who now lives in the hearts of believers, will bring about the change that He died to gain! It is inconceivable to Paul that the purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross could be thwarted. God would change the Corinthians. Paul had hope and confidence, not because of what he saw in the Corinthian’ s actions, but because he looked beyond appearances and saw Jesus living in these believers’ hearts. The next paragraph is important, because it shows us how to live with others to encourage this change Jesus has come into their lives to make. Paul said that from now on “ we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16). That is, we simply do not judge them by what we see. If we looked at Jesus in this way, we would see only an idealistic Carpenter, murdered by wicked and selfish men. But we look at Jesus through the eyes of faith! In the Cross we do not see defeat, but victory! Though we do not see Jesus with our physical eyes, we recognize Him as the living God, our Saviour and our Lord. In the same way, we must learn to look at our brothers and sisters with the eyes of faith. We must affirm, with Paul, that “ in Christ” they are “ new creations.” The old has gone, the new has come within. And because the new has come, in time, behavior too will change and our loved ones or friends will learn to love the One who died for them. How do we help them come to this commitment? Paul said that Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation was accomplished by “ not counting men’ s sins against them.” God doesn’ t count our sins. He doesn’ t say, “ You’ ve failed 32 times. Oh, my, there’ s 33.” And He doesn’ t hold our sins against us. He keeps on loving, keeps on holding out hope. This is just how we are to treat others — our children, our spouses, our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We don’ t say, “ That’ s the thirty-second day you forgot to make your bed, and tomorrow will be 33.” And we don’ t hold failures against them. Instead we remember that, in Christ, there is a newness rooted deep within. We keep on expressing love. And we keep on expressing confidence and hope. And through it all we make God’ s appeal. Bring your life into harmony with who God is, that “ in Him [you] might become the righteousness of God.”

A Life of Love: 2 Corinthians 6-7 Paul had revealed the convictions which enabled him to maintain confidence in the Corinthians. Now he shared more of what love means. Love means urging (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). Unconditional love does not rule out exhorting. Paul called on his readers not to receive God’ s grace in vain. Love means self-sacrifice (2 Corinthians 6:3-13). Paul reviewed the hardships he had suffered in ministry. He had endured everything as a servant of God, out of love. Paul had been completely open and caring — it was time for the Corinthians to open wide their hearts to Him as well. Love means separation (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). The Christian will refuse to be linked with evil. Commitment to Christ calls for purification “ from everything that contaminates body and spirit.” Love means joy even in pain (2 Corinthians 7:2-16). Paul’ s relationship with the Corinthians had brought both of them great pain. Paul felt great anxiety over the Corinthians, as well as deep hurt. And Paul’ s letter caused the Corinthians sorrow. Yet that sorrow was beneficial — the godly repented and changed. And the change in them was complete (2 Corinthians 7:11). As a result the sorrow each experienced was one of those temporary things Paul had been speaking of in these chapters. And the pain even produced joy. Paul felt joy when Titus came and told the apostle “ about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me so that my joy was greater than ever” (2 Corinthians 7:7). Titus too felt joy as he learned the sincerity of the Corinthians’ faith, and saw their responsiveness to instruction. And so a great danger was avoided in Corinth, and the church there was set back on the path to righteousness. And through it all, Paul in total honesty was able to encourage his friends, and to say with a full heart, “ I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” How wonderful when we have learned Paul’ s secrets of motivation, and have taken them to heart, so that we say to others who are struggling, “ I am glad I can have complete confidence in you” (2 Corinthians 7:16). Because we believe in Jesus, and hold the unseen far more real than what is visible to the eye, we can reach out with unconditional love and confident hope, and by our example help others to grow.

Teaching Guide Prepare Ask God to help your group members adopt Paul’ s attitude toward their children and others in the family of God.

Explore

1. Have your group think together about how their parents tried to motivate them when they lived at home. What methods were used? How did this affect their development? See “ link-to-life” above.
2. Or divide into teams to seek evidence in 2 Corinthians 4-7 (1) that Paul loved the Corinthians unconditionally, and (2) that he had complete confidence in their growth toward holiness. After teams report, discuss: “ What would it have been like to have Paul for a parent? What would he have done differently from your parents? What the same? How is your own parenting like or unlike what we would expect from Paul?”

Expand Give a careful lecture exposition of 2 Corinthians 4-5. Be sure that your group members understand (1) the principle of not looking to the seen but to the unseen, (2) the inner motivation that alone can move Christians to follow Jesus, (3) the purpose in the Cross which Jesus is sure to achieve in believers, (4) how to regard others who are Christians despite weaknesses or failures, and (5) what we do to encourage growth (e.g., “ not count trespasses” and not “ count against them” ).

Apply Divide into teams, keeping any married couples together. Have each team respond to the teaching on 2 Cor. 4-5 by telling (1) what we are most likely to “ count against” our kids; (2) what we can do at home to put the teaching of this passage into practice. Or if your group members do not have children, ask each person to think of a relationship with someone to whom he or she is close, and whom he or she seeks to influence.