Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 6

Verses 1-16

16 Paul had been proclaiming the kingdom, with Christ and the nation which is related to Him by physical ties at its head. Entrance into that kingdom was by a birth from above. But now the figure of birth is not radical enough to denote the great change. Just as, after the day of the Lord, heaven and earth will be re-created so is the spiritual change which took place at this juncture. There is a new creation. Paul never connects the new birth with his teaching to the nations. It suffices to figure the change necessary for the sons of Israel and their proselytes, fitting them for the earthly millennial sphere. For us, far more is needed. Like Adam, we are not a mere renewal in kind, but an entirely new creation.

18 "All is of God!" This is the key to real evangelism. Here we have, in brief, the heart of the true evangel for the world in this administration of grace. The key note is conciliation . Not the sinner conciliating God, by penance or prayers, but God conciliating the sinner. The sinner may be most offensive and insulting, but. God does not reckon these offenses against him. Let this be clear. God is not charging men with their sins, for Christ died for sins. He is not pressing their offenses, for He is bent on conciliation. The evangel is not concerned with the sinner at all but with God's attitude toward him and with the sufferings of Christ. He has placed in us, not the message of judgment, but the word of conciliation.

20 God insists on being at peace with the world, no matter how they treated His Son, or Paul, or any of His ambassadors. He will withdraw us, His ambassadors, before He declares war, in the coming day of His indignation. What a marvelous token of His grace and love that God

(not the sinner) does the beseeching now! Nothing can be so foreign to this evangel as a sinner praying to God, for it closes his ears to God's entreaties. We are ambassadors for the high court of heaven, proclaiming peace and conciliation. When the sinner receives the conciliation there is mutual reconciliation between him and God. Sinner, God is beseeching you, through us, "Be conciliated to God! " Your sins are no hindrance, for He has made Christ a Sin Offering for our sakes that we may become God's righteousness in Him. There is nothing for you to do but to accept His proffered love. Simply thank and adore Him for His grace.

8 The true servant of God may well take heart from this list. Practically all the present day ministerial quallficatlons for service are absent. We know that Paul had no presence. His personal appearance did not commend him. His speech was counted contemptible. These were faults keenly felt by the carnal Corinthians, just as they are today. But he insists that he has given no one cause to stumble in anything.. Paul deemed eloquence and physical appearance of no vital moment. Love, knowledge, toil, endurance, these ought to characterize the Lord's servant today even if he should not be called upon to bear affiiction and distresses such as came to Paul. It is a vast comfort to the editor of this version to find himself able to enter fully into the apostle's experience in many particulars. His efforts have met with defamation and renown, he has been accused of deceiving yet is assured of his integrity, he is unknown yet recognized, disciplined yet not put to death, sorrowful yet ever rejoicing, poor yet enriching many.

14 The church has fallen so low and has compromised so thoroughly with the world that the sharp distinction between saint and sinner has been almost obliterated. And with this the separation between believer and unbeliever is rarely acknowledged. Were we, who are

Christ's, living up to our privileges, we would not even consider any alliance with unbelievers. In business we should have a standard of righteousness unknown to them. No partnership is possible between righteousness and lawlessness. The social organizations of the world are darkness to one who is light in the Lord. There can be no agreement between the religions of the world and Christ. The true believer cannot share in that which appeals to the unbeliever.

16 A due sense of the solemn fact that God is making His home in us is the best preventive from contamination with the pollutions of the world. Lev_26:11-12 ; LXX, with variations.

Verses 17-18

17 Isa_52:11 ; LXX, with alterations. Paul is not misquoting from memory, as is usually supposed. He makes inspired alterations to suit the occasion.

2 What a tender yet cutting rebuke to the Corinthians! The idea that Paul had injured any of them! They owed all their blessings in Christ to him. They, indeed, had injured him their ungrateful conduct. Whom, indeed, had he corrupted? He had led them out of the corruption of heathendom into the holiness which is in Christ. Had he overreached any of them? He did not even charge them with his bare subsistence, when he might have claimed all they had. They owed their very selves to him. But their ungratefulness did not alienate his affections from them. No doubt, at his coming into Macedonia, there would be much to engage his attention, much in Phillippi to encourage and comfort him in his distress, yet nothing set his heart at rest until he had tidings from Corinth. This is but another example of the function of evil. Had the Corinthians been exemplary in their conduct, this marvelous interchange and expression of affection would never have found occasion. Men cannot bring good out of evil: that is God's prerogative. But God can, and does, control all the evil in the universe, so that its ultimate result will be blessing far beyond what could have been had evil never entered and marred His perfect creation. God is able to cope with evil. It is not stronger than He is.

6 At Titus' arrival in Macedonia he conveys to Paul the good news that the Corinthians as a whole have been greatly affected by his former epistle and have been diligent to right the wrongs which he had pointed out. At times the apostle seems to have regretted writing the epistle, for he did not wish to cause them sorrow. But now that the sorrow produced has had such a beneficial effect, he rejoices that it was not superficial, or despairing, but caused them to change their mind, and act accordingly. Above all it proved that the gross sins into which some of them had fallen were not widespread. It did not have the countenance of the ecclesia, for they resented it, and defended themselves. They made it clear that, as an ecclesia, they were pure in this matter . The majority laid aside their party affiliations and united to purge the ecclesia of its defilement.

12 It would seem that the opposition to Paul in Corinth was not deep-seated, unless we except some of the Jewish leaders. At heart they were true to him though their conduct seemed to belie it. So Paul brings home to them for more than one reason the gross sin which was committed among them. Indeed, he might have made it an individual matter, and could have written to the offender personally. But he chose rather to involve the ecclesia that they might realize the true heart allegiance which they gave him, notwithstanding their schisms and divisions. Great calamities and persecutions of the saints have much the same effect still. Petty differences and party spirit disappear when some common danger recalls the saints to their allegiance to Christ.

13 Titus seems to have been much concerned about the Corinthians, lest they should prove refractory, and his visit to them lead to dissension and disobedience. Paul was the more concerned to know of his reception on this account, and because he had sought to soothe his fears and had boasted of the outcome of his endeavors. Titus must have been much pleased to find his fears unfounded, but not nearly so much as Paul, who would have been disgraced for boasting without cause, and for sending Titus to them in spite of his apprehensions.

1 Macedonia, and especially its chief cities, Philippi and Thessalollica, were models in many ways. The epistles addressed to them have much praise and hardly any censure. If Paul could boast to others about Corinth, he surely had a light to boast about Macedonia. They seem to have been very poor and in the midst of trying circumstances, so that Paul did not expect them to take any part in the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem. But they beg to have a share in it, and give beyond their ability, first, indeed, giving themselves to the Lord.