For I consider that I
am not at all inferior
to the most eminent
apostles.
Even though I am
untrained in speech,
yet I am not in
knowledge.
But we have been
thoroughly manifested
among you in all
things. Did I commit sin
in humbling myself
that you might be exalted,
because I preach the
gospel of God
to you free of
charge. I robbed other churches,
taking wages from
them to minister to you.
2 Corinthians 11: 5
-- 8
How often is it that Christians are called into account due
to the fact that they are not educated in some theological school or
seminary. Paul had to face such
accusations against him by those who said that he was not a true apostle. Paul commented that he was not trained in
speech, but he did have the knowledge of the gospel and it was the gospel that
he presented to the Corinthians and not to elevate himself in their eyes. Paul's desire was to vindicate himself against the
false apostles for they pretended that they had another Jesus, or another
spirit, or another gospel, to preach.
Notice this important fact: there is but one Jesus, one Spirit, and one
Gospel to be preached and is this the gospel that is to be received. Far too often some are prejudiced by the
artifices, that is the clever trick or stratagem, some craftiness that seems
to be skillful and artful, and then throw this falsity against those who
instructed them, or you, in the faith.
Many choose to follow these eloquent and false teachers and become
absorbed into the ideology and worldviews that is shaping their theology that
contradicts what you as a Christian are to become and Paul wrote about this in
this letter: "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 5:21). God
through the Holy Spirit inspired to writers that which He wanted written and by
what was written so we have no need to be led astray by false teaching. Of course, this requires some things from
us; study of God's Word, prayer, and coming to a true understanding of what
God has revealed. The gospel is about
Jesus Christ and the fact that He became sin for us even though He knew no sin and this in order that we would be made the righteousness of God in Him. Before I address this further I want to
address the word "robbed" so that we fully understand what is being
said here and not be led astray by our understanding of this word. Paul had stripped himself down, έσύλησα, as
this is what this Greek word literally says, that is to despoil, and
furthermore carries the meaning of a person having the right of seizing the
goods of others to pay others and not as we understand the word rob as being a
felony or a crime. Paul sent this to
remind them that he spoke to them free of charge and that he brought to them
gifts from other churches who supplied willingly out of love for God. When one understands what God has revealed
it is very difficult for a false teacher to lead you astray, but many have
taught a different form of gospel.
First and foremost, sin is a fundamental relationship! Sin is not necessarily wrong doing, sin is a
wrong being for one who is in this position with God is one who is deliberately
and practically independent of God; and by this independence they either
rely solely on themselves or other teachings by men who teach falsely. The Christian religion is far different from
any other religion on the face of the earth has a basis everything on the
positive, radical nature of sin. Other
religions deal with sins; the Bible alone deals with sin. Jesus Christ did not come to pay for sins, He came to pay for sin, and then by means of this payment satisfying the
justice of God then God's mercy is applied to whom ever He chooses to show
mercy: "For He says to Moses, I will
have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom
ever I will have compassion.‘ So then
it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows
mercy" (Romans 9: 15 -- 16).
Jesus Christ came in the first place in regard to the heredity of sin
that men was faced with and and age old problem has occurred because we have ignored
this in our presentation of the gospel and due to this the message of the Gospel
has lost its sting, and it's blasting power.
The Bible reveals that it is not that Jesus Christ took upon Himself the
heredity of sin that no man can touch, rather
Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, was sent incarnate and by
his death take on sin that He might make the sinner a saint, and being a saint
that means you are made righteousness of God in Him. Jesus Christ deliberately took upon His own shoulders, and
bore in His own Person, the whole massed sin of the human race. Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone, that is the one that
God shows mercy to, can enter into union with God on the ground of what our
Lord has done on the cross. Man cannot
redeem himself; redemption is God's "bit," it is absolutely finished
and complete. We are to distinguish
between the Revelation of redemption and the conscious experience of salvation
in your life. This is the knowledge
that Paul had imparted to the Corinthians and this was the knowledge that they
had received that several false teachers were trying to corrupt. Corruption has entered into the church and
we can find in many so-called Christian churches who are teaching another
gospel no matter how good it may sound.
Read the word of God and stay true to what it instructs us how to live:
if the Bible says do it; do it: if the Bible says do not do it; do not do it. Simple but hard and it will take courage.
Unless the LORD had been my help,
my soul would soon have settled in
silence.
If I say, "My foot slips," your mercy,
O LORD, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your
comfort delight my soul.
Psalm 94: 17 – 19
Take courage: stand firm for the truth
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