2
Corinthians 6:1
Most Corinthians’ were saved but were being
hindered by legalistic teaching regarding sanctification. Some were not truly
saved but deceived by a gospel of works being taught by false teachers.
This is a plea from Paul for the people of this
church at Corinth to realize that he is a messenger {ambassador} for Christ.
The message Paul brought, was Christ's message to them. Then he says, if you
received it as I believe you did, tell others so that they may have this
message of hope as well. Do not let the gospel message stop with you {be in
vain}. Paul is calling them to testify of the truth of the gospel to everyone
they have opportunity to.
I Peter
4:10 "As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the same
one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
2
Corinthians 6:2
Paul emphasized his point by quoting Isaiah 49:8: “Thus saith the LORD, in an
acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped
thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;”
He was passionately concerned that the
Corinthian adhere to the truth because it was God’s time to save and they were
messengers for helping to spread that message.
"Succored", in this Scripture, means
aid or relieve. No one should ever put off salvation to a more convenient time.
We are not promised tomorrow. We do not even know whether we will be alive or
not tomorrow. The Spirit might even stop drawing you at another time. Today is
the day of salvation. Even better, right this minute is the time for salvation.
2
Corinthians 6:3
This is the same as saying; do not even give
the appearance of evil. The only glimpse of what Christianity is all about is
sometimes us Christians. The
non-believer does not go to church, or read his Bible, or listen to sermons. He
has no way of knowing anything about Christianity, except the life we live
before him.
The faithful ambassador of Christ does nothing
to discredit his ministry, but everything he can to protect its integrity, the
gospel’s integrity, and God’s integrity.
Is your life a testimony for Jesus? If a
Christian does something bad, and it makes the news, the unbelieving world
thinks all Christians are like that. It drives them away from receiving Christ
in their lives. Christianity gets a black eye for what a few fallen Christians
do. We must behave {all the time} in a Christ-like manner.
2
Corinthians 6:4
Commend means “introduce,” with the connotation
of proving oneself. The most convincing proof is the patient endurance of
character reflected in Paul’s hardships and the nature of his ministry.
2
Corinthians 6:5
Here Paul commended himself to them by
mentioning his faithfulness in enduring persecution and citing his diligence in
ministry labors, to the point of anguished deprivations when necessary.
Are you a Christian just when everything is
going alright, or are you like Job: a Christian in hard times, too? The world
is looking on to see how you handle the difficult times in your life. The world
has no answer to this type of problem. God will help you, if you stand fast and
don't doubt.
2
Corinthians 6:6
Now, we see the standard that we should endure
these problems with. We should be absolutely honest with God, with our self and
with others. Knowledge, you remember, is accumulated learning. The Bible
teaches us how to withstand these onslaughts from Satan. We are to put on the
whole armor of God. Read the 6th chapter of Ephesians beginning with the 11th
verse to see the whole armor.
In time of troubles, we should allow the Spirit
of God within us to take over. The Holy Spirit needs to guide us through. We
should never stop loving, even the enemy. This, too, will pass. It is not how
many problems you have that are important, but how you handle those problems.
Paul commended himself positively by listing
the important elements fo the righteousness God had granted to him. Paul lived
and walked by the power of the Spirit. It was the central reason that all the
other positive elements of his endurance were a reality.
2
Corinthians 6:7
We know that every temptation Satan brought to
Jesus, He answered "It is written". This is a guide to us. We must
face each problem, or temptation, with "It is written". The answers
to all of life's problems are found in the Bible. We must use the Bible as our
guide in every situation. The power of God working in us can overcome all
obstacles.
Philippians
4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Paul never operated beyond the boundaries of
the direction and guidance of divine revelation. Nor did he rely on his own
strength when he ministered. He did not fight Satan’s kingdom with
human resources, but with spiritual virtue such
as the sword of the Spirit, and defensive tools, such as the shield of faith
and the helmet of salvation.
Perhaps, the right and left side means that
whether this is coming from the world {left side}, or other Christians {right
side}, it can be overcome with righteousness.
2
Corinthians 6:8
Paul is just saying that it does not matter
where the accusations are coming from. It really does not matter whether they
are even true, or not. They are still overcome by the Word of God and
righteousness.
Just stand in your righteousness and all of the
deceivers will finally be embarrassed when they are found out for what they
are. (Paul’s opponents at Corinth had accused him of being an impostor and a
false apostle – John 7:12).
2
Corinthians 6:9
Problems come from those you know, as well as
from strangers. The intentions of those who are bringing the problems may be to
cause your death, but they will not succeed.
This scripture has a twofold reference.
1. The fact that
Christians did not know him before he began persecuting them
2. His rejection by
the community of leading Jews and Pharisees following his conversion.
He had become unknown to his former world, and
well known and well loved by the Christian community.
2
Corinthians 6:10
Circumstances around you may be sorrowful, yet
unexplainable joy, in the face of these bad circumstances, can be had in Jesus.
Paul said that he had learned to be satisfied
in times when he had plenty and in times of want. Whatever state he found
himself in, he was content. The spiritual wealth Paul possessed and imparted
did much to make his hearers spiritually wealthy.
2
Corinthians 6:11
Paul is saying that he has opened his mouth and
brought the message of salvation to these Corinthians. He loves them as a
parent loves a child. His heart is with them.
To enlarge the heart is to increase its
capacity for sympathy and understanding.
The evidence of Paul’s genuine love for the
Corinthians was that no matter how some of them had mistreated him, he still
loved them and had room for them in his heart.
2
Corinthians 6:12
This is just another way of saying that Paul is
not going to straighten them out; they will have to straighten themselves out.
He can tell them what is wrong, but they will have to straighten themselves
out.
2
Corinthians 6:13
Now for a recompense of the same as my parental
tenderness. I speak as to my children - I ask nothing hard or grievous. Be ye
also enlarged - Open your hearts, first to God, and then to us, (2 Cor 8:5), so
that God may dwell in you, (2 Cor 6:16; 7:1) and that ye may receive us, (2 Cor
7:2).
Recompense has numerous meanings such as:
Avenge; Pay; Render; Reward; Vengeance
2
Corinthians 6:14
This does not mean that you should not witness
to those that are lost. It is saying; don't get involved in their way of life.
There is sin by association. It is strange, but it seems bad rubs off on good
more often than good rubs off on bad. This can mean for those who are believers
not to intermarry with those of unbelief. It, also, means for the Christians
not to get closely related in friendships with those people of the world.
Christians are not to be bound together with
non Christians in any spiritual enterprise or relationship that would be
detrimental to the Christian’s testimony within the body of Christ.
Darkness symbolizes evil.
But this command does not mean believers should
end all associations with unbelievers; that would defy the purpose for which
God saved believers and left them on earth. The implausibility of such
religious alliances is made clear in verses 14b-17.
2
Corinthians 6:15
"Belial" means worthlessness, as an
epithet of Satan. That is exactly what Satan is, worthless. All of the
comparisons above are opposites. Christ and Satan are opposites.
"Infidel" means disbelieving. The answer is that they have nothing in
common.
2
Corinthians 6:16
Romans
8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his."
We have said so many times in these lessons
that the Spirit of the Risen Christ dwells in the Christian. The Holy Spirit of
God is in us to teach the truth of God, and to direct our lives pleasing unto
God. This is the very reason it is so important that the Christian not get
involved in any sin that involves the body. You would be including the Holy
Spirit of God in your sin.
The temple of God (true Christianity) and idols
(idolatrous, demonic false religions) and utterly incompatible.
God is a Spirit. He can dwell in my heart and
be in heaven all at the same time. He is omnipresent {everywhere all at the
same time}. We live in God and He lives in us. You can easily see why it is so
important for the Christian to live a life pleasing unto God. We should not go
anywhere we could not take God, or do anything that He would not be willing to
do.
2
Corinthians 6:17
Christians have to live in the world, until we
go home to heaven, but we must not be entangled with the world or its people.
We must spiritually separate ourselves unto holiness and righteousness.
When believers are saved, they are to disengage
themselves from all forms of false religion and make a clean break from all
sinful habits and old idolatrous patterns.
God said to the believers, "Be ye holy,
for I am holy". We are like an island surrounded by water. We are the
island, and the world is the water. We have a hedge of the blood of Jesus which
protects us from the world coming too close. We are separated unto God. In other
words, we have come over to God's side. We have left the evil of the world
behind.
2
Corinthians 6:18
This is one of the few places that Christian
women are spoken of as daughters. We are children of the Father. We have been
adopted into the family of God. Jesus is our older brother.
Romans
8:15 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father."
As a result of separating themselves from false
doctrine and practice, believers will know the full richness of what it means
to be children of God.
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