August 23, 2016

An Analysis of Faithful Ministry

By: Anthony Mathenia Topics: Uncategorized Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

An Analysis of Faithful Ministry (2 Corinthians 5:11-21)
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I. Paul’s Motivation to Serve God (verses 11-15)

Paul was motivated by the fear of God. He knew that all mankind will appear before God in the final judgment, both believers and unbelievers. However, while the unbeliever is thrown into eternal punishment, the Christian is not in danger of condemnation or punishment. Instead, the Christian will receive God’s commendation and approval at the judgment seat based on the motives of the heart (1 Corinthian 4:5). Knowing that even we as Christians will have our work and motives judged by God, we should be striving to live in harmony with the Gospel as we proclaim it to those around us.

Paul was also motivated by the love of Christ. This isn’t referring to Paul’s love to Christ, but Christ’s love to Paul. Paul was driven by the conviction that Jesus was willing to suffer the horrors of death on a cross because He loves us. He wasn’t moved by a grandiose concept of self or personal ambitions to promote himself, but by a sense of the divine love of Jesus.

Fear and love are characteristics that balance our motivation properly. The love of Christ prevents us from living with a fear that produces terror-stricken lives. On the other hand the fear of God prevents us from a sappy view of God’s love that would cause us to think He casually disregards our apathy and sin.

– Have you considered that God will not only examine the things we have done, but also the motives for which we have done them? Consider what you do on a daily or weekly basis; in what areas do you need to grow in Christ-honoring motives that reflect His unimaginable love for you?

II. Paul’s Recognition of Christ and People (verses 16-19)

Jesus was viewed as a Rabbi and was revered by his followers and respected even by many of his opponents. He was a miracle worker, a prophet, a holy man, a great moral teacher. But even more than this, He is God manifest in the flesh. Paul himself once thought of Christ as a blasphemer that had been justly punished for his crime, but his perception of Christ was totally changed. He now saw that the He is the prophesied Messiah, the Suffering Servant, the exclusive Savior, and the Resurrected Lord. In the same way, as he looked on Christians with a spiritual understanding, he saw them as new creatures according to their new identity in Christ, rather than judging superficially based on externals.

Paul was able to view Christ differently and people differently because of regeneration and because of reconciliation. Regeneration is the supernatural work of God creating spiritual life in the hearts of men. Through regeneration God gives us a love for Christ and desire to serve Him. Reconciliation is the reversal of alienation, into which we are all born because of our sinful nature inherited from Adam. It is the restoration of a relationship or a renewal of friendship. We were exposed to God’s wrath, but we are now restored to His favor.

– How does our understanding of Christ affect the way that we understand our own identity? How does it affect the way that we view and treat one another? Are you cultivating a habit of viewing others as they are in Christ rather than superficially by the flesh?

III. Paul’s Imploration to His Audience (verses 20-21)

An ambassador is one that represents and speaks on behalf of another, particularly a king. To be an ambassador of Christ means that we are messengers of King Jesus sent forth declaring, “Hear the message of the King! Bow to Him in holy submission! Recognize what Christ has done for sinners!” When we actively proclaim the Gospel as it is revealed in the Scriptures, we do so as if God Himself were speaking through us, imploring men and women through us to be reconciled to Christ. To “be reconciled” is a passive imperative, suggesting that it is not we ourselves that justify or reconcile ourselves based on our own efforts, but it is something that God accomplishes having made His own Son to be sin in our place on the cross. Martin Luther said, “Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took on you what was mine, yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.”

– How ought the truths of verses 20-21 motivate us to herald the message of the gospel to those in our lives?