Day By Day - 2 Corinthians 5
By Keziah Muthsam
Opening Thoughts:
In this chapter, Paul is teaching a revolutionary new message to the Church in Corinth. Surrounded by a culture that was influencing the churches understanding of the Gospel, Paul moves to address misconceptions and call out certain individuals for using the Gospel as a personal platform for success.
1. Questioning our understanding
Surrounded by Greek culture, the idea of bodily resurrection was hard for some in the Church of Corinth to understand. The culture that surrounded the church taught that, at death, the spirit and body would be separated and only the soul would carry on to the afterlife.
But here Paul is assuring the Church that we don’t just give up our spirit at death and he state’s “we will not be spirits without bodies.”
Rather we will receive a new body, made by God himself, free from sickness and pain. This revelation reveals the importance for us to see the message of the gospel with fresh eyes and resist the urge to form our understanding through the looking glass of our culture.
2. Eternity, written on our hearts
All of humanity has an innate longing for the things of eternity. We long for reconciliation, and we long to be rid of our broken earthly bodies and transcend from this broken world to a better place.
Paul is urging the Church to look on humanity from this spiritual perspective. He is urging the Church to take up the task of sharing the message of reconciliation. To share the good news of the cross, to plead with humanity to “come back to God”. To reveal to them that the only true way to fulfil the longing in their hearts, is through Christ Jesus.
3. Consider the cost, check your motive
Paul, however, reminds the church not to take this responsibility lightly. We are to be Christ’s ambassadors, and carry this weight with “fearful responsibility”. The cost of treating this responsibility with contempt results in individuals, “bragging about having a spectacular ministry rather than a sincere heart”. If your motivation for preaching the gospel is fame, recognition and self-gain then you are, what Paul describes in chapter 2:17, a false teacher.
However, if we understand the weight of eternal responsibility that comes with teaching and sharing the gospel we no longer live for ourselves. We die to self- gain, and our motivation is to please Christ, not humans. We die to the self and live for Christ.
4. Die to self, live for Christ
Paul is reminding the Church that Christ died for all so that they would no longer live for themselves. Rather, in Christ we are a new creation, the old life is gone and the new life has begun. We no longer live to satisfy our earthly desires. Rather, we are to live with a spiritual perspective; and as such, we are given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee, a deposit, preparing us for eternity with Him. We are to walk in the ways of the Spirit, share the good news and put off the old ways of living.
Final thoughts:
Eternity is written on the hearts of all mankind. We all have a longing to meet and worship our Creator. At salvation, we become a new creation in Christ Jesus and as a new creation, we have a new perspective. The eternal gift of Salvation is to be shared with all humanity. However, we need to share the gospel with fearful responsibility, lest we fall into the temptation of satisfying our own agendas. We die to our old self, take up the message of the cross, and live for Christ.
Opening Thoughts:
In this chapter, Paul is teaching a revolutionary new message to the Church in Corinth. Surrounded by a culture that was influencing the churches understanding of the Gospel, Paul moves to address misconceptions and call out certain individuals for using the Gospel as a personal platform for success.
1. Questioning our understanding
Surrounded by Greek culture, the idea of bodily resurrection was hard for some in the Church of Corinth to understand. The culture that surrounded the church taught that, at death, the spirit and body would be separated and only the soul would carry on to the afterlife.
But here Paul is assuring the Church that we don’t just give up our spirit at death and he state’s “we will not be spirits without bodies.”
Rather we will receive a new body, made by God himself, free from sickness and pain. This revelation reveals the importance for us to see the message of the gospel with fresh eyes and resist the urge to form our understanding through the looking glass of our culture.
2. Eternity, written on our hearts
All of humanity has an innate longing for the things of eternity. We long for reconciliation, and we long to be rid of our broken earthly bodies and transcend from this broken world to a better place.
Paul is urging the Church to look on humanity from this spiritual perspective. He is urging the Church to take up the task of sharing the message of reconciliation. To share the good news of the cross, to plead with humanity to “come back to God”. To reveal to them that the only true way to fulfil the longing in their hearts, is through Christ Jesus.
3. Consider the cost, check your motive
Paul, however, reminds the church not to take this responsibility lightly. We are to be Christ’s ambassadors, and carry this weight with “fearful responsibility”. The cost of treating this responsibility with contempt results in individuals, “bragging about having a spectacular ministry rather than a sincere heart”. If your motivation for preaching the gospel is fame, recognition and self-gain then you are, what Paul describes in chapter 2:17, a false teacher.
However, if we understand the weight of eternal responsibility that comes with teaching and sharing the gospel we no longer live for ourselves. We die to self- gain, and our motivation is to please Christ, not humans. We die to the self and live for Christ.
4. Die to self, live for Christ
Paul is reminding the Church that Christ died for all so that they would no longer live for themselves. Rather, in Christ we are a new creation, the old life is gone and the new life has begun. We no longer live to satisfy our earthly desires. Rather, we are to live with a spiritual perspective; and as such, we are given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee, a deposit, preparing us for eternity with Him. We are to walk in the ways of the Spirit, share the good news and put off the old ways of living.
Final thoughts:
Eternity is written on the hearts of all mankind. We all have a longing to meet and worship our Creator. At salvation, we become a new creation in Christ Jesus and as a new creation, we have a new perspective. The eternal gift of Salvation is to be shared with all humanity. However, we need to share the gospel with fearful responsibility, lest we fall into the temptation of satisfying our own agendas. We die to our old self, take up the message of the cross, and live for Christ.
Posted in 2 Corinthians