2
Corinthians 5 is a very difficult passage for me to write about. The reason is because I can easily become
overly passionate about the theology to which Paul speaks. I can become so passionate about it that it
is easy for me to alienate those who do not share the same opinion that I
have. So as I speak about this chapter,
if you find yourself disagreeing feel free to speak up. Know that if I speak poignantly it is not out
of anger or disapproval. It is out of a
genuine desire to realize true Christian thought.
Perspective
The
opening 10 verses in this chapter deal with Paul’s perspective on life. Let’s be absolutely upfront about what Paul
says:
- Paul can’t wait until his death comes about and he can be with God.
- Paul doesn’t feel the need to bring about that moment by his own action.
- Paul’s desire to be with the Lord causes him to be willing to walk unabashedly through this life without fearing death or having to defend himself.
From
Paul’s perspective, I genuinely think that he believes his life is not worth
going over the top to save. I don’t
think Paul would do anything to willingly cause someone to kill him, but
neither is he going to go to drastic measures to save his life, either. Paul wants to be with the Lord. Until that happens he is going to do the work
of the Lord. But he really longs to go
and be with the Lord.
I think
this is a really radical perspective.
- Would Paul believe in self-defense? Physically, I don’t believe so. After all, look at his life. In how many towns was he dragged before people, threatened, imprisoned, stoned, beaten, etc? Many – almost too many too count. How many times did he lift a finger to defend himself? None. We aren’t told that Paul ever physically tried to stop those who came against him.
- How many times did he work towards his escape without the assistance of God? None. Paul was focused on doing the work of the Lord more than saving his own neck. If God wanted to save him, that was God’s business. But whether free or in prison, Paul used his circumstances to do the work of the Lord.
He knew
that the work of the Lord meant persecution.
He knew it meant rejection. He
knew people would want him dead for it.
If he wasn’t willing to die for it, then isn’t he really putting his own
life ahead of God? Again, that is a
really radical perspective.
His
willingness to die is what gave him the courage to do what he needed to
do. His willingness to die allowed him
to make the tough choices and minister in the hard circumstances. He wasn’t about to compromise the
proclamation of the Gospel by always asking himself whether what he was doing
was smart or safe. He was going to do
the work of God. If that lead to
persecution or death, he was going to go to the Lord. There was no downside for Paul.
Christ Died for Us, After All…
2
Corinthians 5:15 is a very powerful summary of this concept, and it goes right
along with what he wrote in Galatians 2:20.
The one who died, He died for all so that those who live might not live
for themselves but for the one who died and was raised. If Christ gave His life so that we may live
eternally, then we should live not as we want to live but as Christ lived.
And how
did Christ live?
Christ
lived following God’s will, sacrificing for others, and even dying for the sake
of others. We should do the same. It should be an honor to die for the sake of
someone else – especially someone who doesn’t deserve it! After all, it is the example of our Lord who
died for the sake of a whole bunch of people who didn’t deserve it.
Reconciliation
Then we
come to Paul’s paragraph on the ministry of reconciliation. Let’s make sure we understand the depth of
what Paul is saying here, though. Paul
is not saying that the ministry of reconciliation is simply telling people
about God. No, there is a reason that
Paul set up these verses with the verses that came before them. Paul is saying that the ministry of
reconciliation is sacrificially giving of ourselves for the benefit of others –
especially those who do not deserve it. If
you think about it, this makes a lot of sense considering that Paul is writing
to one of his most troubled churches.
Think of
it another way. If I go through my life
worried about saving my own skin, what kind of ministry of reconciliation can I
honestly have? The message I send to the
world is “I’ll do this as long as I can be safe. But in the end, my life is more important
than telling someone else about God.” That’s
not right, and it certainly isn’t how Jesus lived!
If we want
to be genuine ministers of reconciliation we must be willing to give
everything. If we genuinely believe that
being reconciled to God and being with God is the best thing that could ever
happen to us then we need to live that out.
Either following God is the most important thing to us or it is not. If we would rather save our own skin than
give someone else the opportunity to find repentance for their sins, then we
have set up our priorities and declared them loudly to the world and to God.
We know
how Christ lived. We know how His
disciples lived. We know how Paul
lived. I think the proper prioritization
for the Christian life is clear.
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