If you have children or grandchildren, you know what it is like to involve them in your work. Whether cooking or yardwork, it is important to show children how to do things. As they get older, it gives them confidence to do things on their own. When kids are young, their helping sometimes really doesn’t help much. But that isn’t the point. You want them to develope a sense “we” did this together.
This recalls one of the staggering truths in Scripture. God involves us in His work in the world. Certainly, He could do His work without us, yet in His providence, He chose to involve us in His redemptive plan. He allows ordinary people to work with Him through our unique talents and abilities — and even weaknesses — to bring other people to Him. He allows us to “go to work with Him.”
As 2 Corinthians 6 begins, Paul continued his thoughts from the end of chapter 5 where he identified us as ambassadors for Christ. Here, he defines how it looks when someone works with God.
Treasure the grace of God (verses 1-2).
Paul exhorted the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain. What does this mean? This word vain could also be translated empty or for nothing.
Some commentators suggest Paul was writing to people within the church who had heard the gospel without receiving it. While this may be true, I believe Paul primarily was addressing Christians who had already received the grace of God in Christ but abused that grace as a license to sin more, or who viewed the grace of God as insufficient.
In response, Paul quoted Isaiah 49:8, from one of the servant songs written predictively about Jesus Christ some 700 years before His birth. Like all servant songs, it pointed to the age when anyone who called upon the Lord would be saved, an age of the free grace of God offered in Jesus. Like us, the Corinthians were living in this age — the time between the first and second coming of Jesus. Paul emphasized to them that now is the day of salvation.
Why now? Because both Scripture and life experience tell us life is short and uncertain. Even though these verses were written to Christians, the message obviously applies to unbelievers as well. If you are reading this and have never accepted Christ as your Savior, please understand the urgency. You need to come to Him while you can! You are only promised this present moment.
Imagine a death row inmate, guilty, condemned, and awaiting death. Suddenly the cell door swings open, and the warden comes in and tells the prisoner his charges have been dropped. He is free because someone else accepted his punishment. This is grace. But if the prisoner simply returns to a life of crime and violence, he received grace in vain. May this never be said of us!
Avoid becoming an obstacle to the gospel (verse 3). Paul was deeply concerned with how his attitude and actions impacted others. He committed himself to living in such a way he did not cause others to stumble in their relationship with Jesus. He wrote about this in various places (Romans 14:13; Galatians 5:7).
Perhaps the most familiar is found in 1 Corinthians 8, where he answered a question about meat sacrificed to idols. Paul explained that while he was free to eat meat previously sacrificed to idols, he would give up meat for the rest of his life, if it meant he kept others from stumbling in their faith.
When we reach a certain stage in life, unfortunately we find it necessary to get up during the night. Obviously, you recognize the need to have a clear path since it will be dark when you get up. So, you clear the way beforehand. Here, Paul was “clearing the path” for others, removing any behavior that might distract them from the life-changing message of the gospel, both prior to and after conversion.
This starts at home. As a Christian husband and father, I must determine not to cause my wife and children to stumble. I must avoid saying or doing things that would hinder them from following Christ. Rather, I want to live in a way that helps them.
This principle ripples out into all relationships…all the way to social media. Before you post, comment, or debate, ask yourself, “Will this be a stumbling block for someone?”
Live like an open book (verses 4-10).
These verses are difficult to summarize succinctly. As you work your way through 2 Corinthians, it becomes clear Paul’s opponents — false teachers who sought to undermine the apostle’s character and ministry — were bent on showcasing their own ministries. In contrast, Paul was reluctant to shine the spotlight on himself.
However, these verses make it clear servants of God live commendable lives as open books, the gospel emanating from every page, every action. Such a life is not easy. Consider the lifestyle Paul described here:
Endurance through extreme hardship (verses 4-5).
The visible evidence of the Spirit and the Word working in us as we endure spiritual warfare (verses 6-7).
Persistence in the face of slander, accusations, pain, and poverty without becoming bitter or losing heart (verses 8-10).
Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that their lives might not bring fame or fortune in this life, but they would still be known (verse 9). Unknown, and yet well known.
Morrison Fuller spent most of his life as a missionary to Ecuador. A member of my home church, he was well advanced in age by the time I came around. Morrison served in Ecuador at the same time as Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, whose names became known internationally after they were killed by members of a native tribe. Morrison Fuller was one of the men who retrieved their bodies from the river after they were killed.
I had the privilege of preaching Morrison’s funeral. Maybe 40-50 people attended. As I sat on the platform looking at the small crowd, I thought how quietly this faithful, godly man left the world. Yet to God, he was well known.
Speak freely from the heart (verses 11-13). Paul desired full fellowship with the church at Corinth. He told them he had spoken freely, held nothing back, and shared what was on his heart. He also opened his heart to them.
However, at least some portion of the congregation didn’t reciprocate. Paul appealed to them in this section by first calling the church by name: “Corinthians.” Then in verse 13, he appealed to them as to children, speaking to them with fatherly affection. But you can only get close to someone if they allow you to do so. Perhaps one of the reasons Christians don’t experience deep and lasting fellowship is because we refuse to open our hearts to one another.
A Simple Conclusion
The Christian family represents many occupations: doctors, lawyers, bankers, educators, farmers, and on and on. Whatever your vocation, remember you are not only working in a particular field, but you are also working together with God. The hymn writer put it well: “In the harvest field now ripened, there’s a work for all to do. Hark! The voice of God is calling, to the harvest, calling you.”
About the Columnist: Dr. Barry Raper pastors Bethel FWB Church near Ashland City, Tennessee, and teaches ministry at Welch College.
