Therefore I write
these things being absent,
lest being present I
should use sharpness,
according to the
authority which the Lord
as given me for
edification and not for destruction.
Finally, brethren,
farewell. Become complete.
Be of good comfort,
be of one mind,
live in peace; and
the God of love
and peace will be
with you.
Greet one another
with a holy kiss.
All the saints greet
you.
The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of
the holy spirit
be with you all. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13: 10
-- 14
We have now
concluded studying the two letters that Paul wrote to the Corinthian
Christians. Looking back at what we
have studied we find that the Corinthian church had succumbed to many false
practices and beliefs. But coming together
as a body of believers became more of a party than a time to worship
corporately our God and Savior. The
misuse of gifts, are rendered as bad practice in regards to the communion
whereby many people were drinking to get drunk and partying and even denying
others to join them. The misuse of
spiritual gifts, especially the misuse of speaking in a gibberish form of
supposed revelation from God, rather than using the gift of just speaking the
Gospel became more important than the Gospel itself. It didn't just happen in the Corinthian church does happen
throughout Christian history at its best it true of many churches today that
exercise such false practices and also say that this is special revelation from
God. Paul wrote in his first letter: "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens
the whole lump? Therefore purge out the
old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was
sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:6 -- 7). Paul spoke to us that the greatest gift that we could ever have
and use is the gift of love (1 Corinthians 13). Paul reminds us that we will be changed in a moment and that which
is corruptible will put on in corruption and that the sting of death no longer
has sway over God's children. Our first
love, if we are to have true love, is our love for our Savior Jesus Christ and
by that love we completely commit our lives Him. Paul had to defend himself against those who opposed him and his
apostleship. Paul never tells us to do
anything other than to live a godly life and be a witness, ambassador, for
Jesus Christ in everything that we do and say.
Never are we told to go about trying to save people, we are told to
bring the gospel to people, and the Holy Spirit will save whomever He chooses
to save. We are to care for our
brothers and sisters who are in need and want and we are not to associate with
those within the church who will not conform to the will of God. We are to be careful with any of our
associations with those outside of the Christian faith. Then finally Paul tells us to be of good
comfort and to be of one mind, to live in peace and then the love of God and
peace will be with you. Paul brings us
great hope that if we will just trust our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then if
he is truly are doing all they God asks of us.
Yes, God may call you to other things but that call can only be realized
if we are doing the will of God and not from our own desires alone. Paul reminds us in the Second Corinthians: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; all things have passed away; behold, all things have become
a new. 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 know
where it of reconciliation. 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. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5: 17 -- 21). When we have converted to the Lord Jesus
Christ by having the faith of God Who has given us faith in this by the Word of
God the Holy Spirit begins a new work in us like reading us into a new
creation. Yes, sanctification in this
life is progressive and it is only progressive if we apply the word of God in
our lives. How are we going to get this
life? Destroy self-interest so that the
love for our God is not provoked.
Destroy the old way of thinking, that which was and is evil. Quit looking for God's blessings, and desire
only God and his Savior Jesus Christ who is our righteousness. When we see God at work, we will no longer
bother ourselves, our thinking that may lead us into false practices and
exercises, rather we will become trusting an our Father in heaven. What is more important to you? Is it your life in this world to be seen as
a successful, or a cosmopolitan person, led by the culture of this world so
that you feel good about yourself, or is God the most important person in your
life and all you do is lead by your love for Him? My prayer is that you will deny your self, pick up your cross,
and follow Him.
The next
blog will begin the book of Galatians and I pray that we will learn from this
study more on how to be progressive in our sanctification and in our witness to
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall
cry, and he That will say,
"Here I am."
If you take
away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you
extend your soul to the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light
in the darkness, and your darkness
shall be as the
noonday.
Isaiah
58: 9 -- 10
The LORD will guide
you continually
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