2 CORINTHIANS 6 (FIRST READING)
2 CORINTHIANS 6 (FIRST READING)
CAC There are two beseechings in chapters 5 and 6, and they really go together. The first beseeching is, “Be reconciled to God”, and the second is, “We also beseech that ye receive not the grace of God in vain”. The first gives the immensity of grace, “Be reconciled to God”, and the second is that grace should have its right effect on us. The two sides go together; there is blessed ministry and then, if people profess to receive it, there is the question as to what kind of effect it has had upon them. The ministry is seen in chapter 5 and the practical effect of it in chapter 6. We were saying that the ministry of reconciliation was like the prodigal putting on the best robe; if we have it on inside, shall we go about in rags outside? If you have the best robe on in God’s sight, that is, have come into the complacency of God where Christ is all, what kind of man are you going to be outside? If you have the best robe on inside and your old rags outside, then you have received the grace of God in vain. J.N.D. used to say, ‘If you are in Christ, then Christ is in [p. 277] you; now take care that nothing but Christ comes out of you’. That is like this chapter, which shows Christ coming out in the apostle. It is the working out of the ministry of reconciliation: if we are brought into the favour of God, into the circle of His pleasure where Christ is everything, this must have a practical effect. People may say, ‘We are such poor weak creatures, we are of no account to God; He will not answer our prayers’.
Ques Is it not a good thing to think ourselves of no account?
CAC It is better still to take the place with God that His grace has given us. The marvellous thing is that the apostle here puts the saints in the place of Christ, so that they can get their prayers heard and answered just as Christ did. That is verse 2, “I have listened to thee in an accepted time, and I have helped thee in a day of salvation”. We often take that verse as if it were addressed to sinners, but it is addressed to Christ. If you look at it in Isaiah 49 you can see that verse 6 is addressed to Christ, and then verse 8: “In a time of acceptance have I answered thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people”.
Ques Why was this quoted to these saints?
CAC That is just the beauty of it; Paul puts them in the place of Christ! The ministry of reconciliation puts us in the presence of God in all the acceptance of Christ; He calls us into a circle where there is nothing but Christ and gives us His place. Then turn to the other side and see that you are put into Christ’s place down here; the accepted time is the time of reconciliation. So now, just as God listened to Christ and answered Him, preserved Him, strengthened Him, so He will listen to you, preserve you, strengthen you, and give you to know the power of His salvation. We are in the acceptance of [p. 278] Christ with God, and God is just as favourable to us as He was to Christ, and He will hear our prayers just as He heard Christ’s — it is most encouraging. A saint may say, ‘How can I come out like Christ down here?’ You have to learn that it is a day of salvation. God has accepted us in the same acceptance as Christ, and it is His pleasure to listen to our prayers just as He listened to Christ because we are in the place of Christ down here. This is the gospel for saints; it is wonderful to be heard and answered just as Christ was. It reminds me of John 15: 7, 8: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall come to pass to you. In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and ye shall become disciples of mine”. Then in verse 16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and have set you that ye should go and that ye should bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he may give you”. We are put in the place that Christ was in, and this corresponds with what we are reading, where we get much fruit. It is conditional on praying; it all comes out in a man who prays; God listens to him and he gets God’s help. Then all the fruit comes out, all that marks the life and service of Paul; it comes out as the result of prayer. Verse 12 shows the root from whence it comes; it is all in reference to prayer. Suppose there is a working of flesh in my heart; if I have received the ministry of reconciliation I judge it, because if it is not Christ it must be set aside; it is a bit of the old rags that will not do. I remember it is a day of salvation, I turn to God and He helps and preserves me and that bit of flesh is set aside. What a wonderful thing it is that we should get help so as to come out like Christ!
There is a difference between the exercises of the apostle in chapter 4 and those in chapter 6. In chapter 4 his exercises are in connection with the new covenant, but in [p. 279] chapter 6 they are in keeping with the ministry of reconciliation. In chapter 4 it is the discipline of God that comes upon him: “Every way afflicted, but not straitened; seeing no apparent issue, but our way not entirely shut up; persecuted, but not abandoned; cast down, but not destroyed”. The outward man was consumed. It is the discipline of God with the vessel so that nothing may obscure the shining out of the treasure, so that the light may shine out in the excellency of God’s power. In chapter 6 it is more the personal character of the servant that comes out; it is more what corresponds with the ministry of reconciliation, Christ everything. The servant is exercised and prays that his life and service may be in keeping with the ministry. In chapter 4 God exercises the servant, and in chapter 6 the servant exercises himself. Paul was a sample of a man who did not receive the grace of God in vain; he let it work out in him. In every saint you would find something of Christ, but it may be very small. Paul was an all-round man; he touches on everything in this chapter, and it is Christ at every point. There is every kind of circumstance — “In much endurance, in afflictions, in necessities, in straits, in stripes, in prisons, in riots”. In every kind of difficult circumstance Paul knows it is an acceptable time; he is praying and God is helping him and preserving him, so that nothing but Christ comes out in every circumstance. We think sometimes that if our circumstances were more favourable we should do better, but when that thought comes into our minds we had better look at verses 4 and 5. One could hardly imagine more difficult circumstances.
Rem We get fresh grace for every trial.
CAC Yes. The tree of life bears fruit every month; in all the difficult seasons some kind of fruit comes out. It is the Father’s pleasure and glory that we should bring [p. 280] forth fruit. Fruit is the reproduction of Christ, that which was true in Him coming out in the saints; nothing else is fruit. In verses 4 and 5 we get the circumstances first: seven things are mentioned, “In much endurance, in afflictions, in necessities, in straits, in stripes, in prisons, in riots”. Then the character of the service comes out, “In labours, in watchings, in fastings, in pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God ...”. All this shows the character of his service; he spread it all out in detail. It reminds one of the cutting up of the burnt-offering “into its pieces”. We can look at every separate thing and see something of the perfection of Christ in all. Paul was always labouring, then “watchings”; a most watchful man he was; all his epistles show how he watched the saints and wrote to them just what was needed. Then “fastings”; he was not ministering at all to himself. It was manifested to the saints and he commended himself in all that came out in his service, pureness, knowledge, longsuffering, the Holy Spirit. Every part of his service shows that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in him, leading him, energising him. It is wonderful to think of it all coming out in a man of like passions to ourselves; it can come out in us the same way that it came out in Paul. It is marvellous! God is just as pleased to hear our prayers and answer them as He was to hear and answer the prayers of the apostle. The measure of God’s delight in hearing us is His delight in hearing Christ. We say, ‘I am such a poor thing. I do not deserve anything!’ Then you do not get anything — “According to your faith, be it unto you”, Matthew 9: 29. We get what we expect; that is why so much prayer gets no answer. Have you received the ministry of reconciliation? If you have, draw near to God in the good of it, in the blessed sense that you are accepted in all the perfection [p. 281] of Christ. Is it true? Of course it is! Those are the terms I am on with God; I am accepted in all the perfection and good pleasure that God has in Christ. God says, ‘Come into the circle of My pleasure’.
Rem We do not know what to pray for as we ought.
CAC Do you not think that refers to circumstances? “We do not know what we should pray for as is fitting” (Romans 8: 26), because we do not know what is good for us. Suppose a delicate child falls ill and the parent does not know what to pray for. He can kneel down and present himself before God in exercise, bring it all before God, and “the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered”. The Holy Spirit knows what is good for the child; it may be to go to be with Christ, but the parent does not know. “He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for saints according to God”. But, in the sense we are speaking of here we know what to pray for; there is no doubt as to whether Christ should come out in me. It is a question here of Christ coming out and of fruit-bearing, and you could not say, ‘I do not know if I ought to pray that Christ may come out’. You go to God and pray on that line and He is as pleased to hear you as He was to hear Christ, and He will answer you as He answered Christ. No doubt Paul went on those lines and that is why he came out as a true servant of God and an overcomer. I do not see why we should not be exercised to come out in the same way. If I have received the ministry of reconciliation and have on the best robe, if I am in a place where there is not a stain, in all the acceptability of Christ, then I want to bring Christ out in a practical way and to bear fruit. God says, ‘It is an acceptable time; pray to Me, and I will preserve you and answer you’.
In the end of verse 7 we find the kind of weapons that Paul used in service, “the arms of righteousness on the right hand and left”, no carnal weapons, no trying to please men, but always doing what is right before men. Saints who observed Paul could not help knowing that he was serving in the power of the Holy Spirit. You could take Paul’s life to pieces, just as the offerer cut up the sacrifice; you could look at this piece and that piece, look all round and you would see Christ on every piece. Paul was tested by many changes and contrasts in the way people treated him; “through glory and dishonour, through evil report and good report: as deceivers, and true; as unknown, and well known”. He is referring to the way the saints treated him.
Rem One would hardly think Paul could meet with this.
CAC It seems he did. The apostle had to go through all these contrasts. Nothing tries us like people changing in their manners, smiles one day, that is glory, and scowls the next day, that is dishonour. Paul was one day thought well of; another day all in Asia turned away from him. I shall never forget an old brother coming to Bradford and speaking on this scripture; there was friction in the meeting but he knew nothing about it. He pressed over and over that we should go on, it may be dishonour, people may change, but go on; it is an opportunity for Christ to come out. If people are nice, I have to see that I am not lifted up; if they are nasty, I have to see that Christ comes out.
Rem It all leads up to Paul being able to say, “I have finished my course”.
CAC Yes, one step dishonour, the next glory. Then “unknown”, that is worst of all. No one takes account of him at all; that is worse than anything. For no one to take any notice of me is very testing.
Rem In the day of glory they would have plucked out their eyes to give to Paul.
CAC [p. 283] Yes, and directly he went away they turned from him. What a test these changes are! We can read all this in a quarter of a minute, but what does it mean to go through it! Fancy people thinking Paul a deceiver and he had to go on with them; he was a true man, the most blessed servant of the Lord that ever trod this earth, and yet there were wretched believers who thought him a deceiver! It only brought Christ out in him; he felt it all, but he went on. All this changing cast him on God and he had to pray. Then he was thrown into prison and he says to the Philippians, ‘It is all right, it will turn to my salvation’. It was not only prison, but people preaching Christ of envy, but Paul says, “This shall turn out for me to salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus”, Philippians 1: 19. Prayer goes up, supply comes down, and Christ comes out in the servant; that is the day of salvation. If we give way to sinners, we shall go about in rags!
Rem We must not expect to be understood. Scripture says that the world knoweth us not.
CAC That is the world, but if people are carnal they think as the world does. If we are misconstrued we must go on; it is an exercise to cast us on God in prayer. It is a fixed principle that no exercise does us any harm if it casts us on God in prayer; if it does not, it may bring out a lot of horrid flesh; but if it casts us on God Christ comes out.
“If even in abundantly loving you I should be less loved”, 2 Corinthians 12: 15. Paul says, ‘I shall most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your souls and it will be on this condition, I will be very glad to go on’. That is overcoming evil with good. The more difficulties, the more opposition and enmity Paul had to meet, the more grace came out in him. It is very wonderful. “As dying, and behold we live; as disciplined, and not put to death;
[p. 284] as grieved, but always rejoicing; as poor, but enriching many; as having nothing, and possessing all things”: what amazing contrasts! If you put together all these things in this chapter, you will have a very good idea of “the day of salvation”. God comes in and says, ‘I will save you from everything, from vanity when people speak well of you, and from mortification when people speak evil of you; it is the day of salvation’. We do not expect anything from the world, but evil-speaking is harder to bear from the saints; yet it is an opportunity for grace of Christ to come out.
Endurance, or patience, is the leading quality of the servant and the only moral quality of the apostle mentioned here: “The signs indeed of the apostle were wrought among you in all endurance”, 2 Corinthians 12: 12. He does not say ‘power’, as we should have done.
Paul wanted to get them enlarged; he brings all these things out and then says, ‘I am telling you all this to get you enlarged’. If we meditated on this chapter and saw the grace of it we should be enlarged, and we should see what a day of salvation is, a time when we can get our prayers answered, when God will save us and preserve us and bring Christ out in us. It is most encouraging.