Posts filed under ‘Word for Today’
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 11 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I am a man who lives with many irons in the fire. I have all of the tasks which surround ministry at Concordia: preparing and teaching Adult Bible Class, working on other Bible studies, preaching, counseling, organizing, and, of course, writing my blog. I also have all of the tasks which surround my life at home: cooking, cleaning, shopping, paying bills, taking out the trash, and, most importantly, spending time with family. Sometimes, it can become dizzying, difficult, and daunting to juggle everything. That is why I find today’s text from 2 Corinthians 11 to be a comfort and encouragement to me.
The Christian church at Corinth, it seems, had been infiltrated by some “super-apostles” (verse 5) who were calling into question the integrity, veracity, and authenticity of Paul’s ministry. Their accusation was this: “Paul preaches the gospel free of charge. But remember, you only get what you pay for. Thus, Paul’s preaching must be worthless” (see verse 7). Paul counters this accusation by reminding the Corinthians that although his gospel may have come for free to them, it has not come for free from others: “I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you” (verse 8). Paul, then, was not only a preacher of the gospel, he was a fundraiser for the gospel. Yet, not even this was the end of Paul’s duties when it came to financially supporting his preaching. He also worked as a tentmaker to pay the bills (see Acts 18:1-3). Indeed, he was a man who burned the candle at both ends. He was a man who had a packed Outlook calendar. He was a man who lived with many irons in the fire.
The danger of living with many irons in the fire is that, sometimes, multiple obligations can diffuse and dilute critical priorities. A manager has so many projects to complete at work that he cuts short time with his family. A nurse is so busy tending to the health of others that she fails to be cognizant her own. A Christian parent is so busy chauffeuring his kids to various weekend extracurricular activities that time for worship is marginalized. Paul, however, refuses to allow this to happen, even in the midst of his dizzying schedule and pace. Nor will he allow it to happen to those he ministers to: “I am afraid,” Paul cautions, “that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (verse 3). The Greek word for “sincere” is haplotes, meaning “single-mindedness.” In other words, Paul calls upon the Corinthian Christians, and all Christians, to be single-mindedly and unswervingly devoted to Christ, his Word, and his gospel even when we have cramped calendars, constant commitments, and abundances of assignments all clamoring for our consideration. “Irons in the fire” should never douse our fire of faith in Christ and our fire of faithfulness to Christ. This is Paul’s message.
The origin of the idiom, “many irons in the fire,” goes back to the great church father Origen. Interestingly, Origen does not use this phrase to describe a person who has too many things to do and cannot juggle all of his respective tasks; instead, he uses it to describe a person who is clearly and wholly devoted to Christ. Origen writes, “The metal iron is capable of cold and heat. If, then, a mass of iron be kept constantly in the fire, receiving the heat through all its pores and veins…[it would be] incessantly burning…In this way, then, that soul which, like an iron in the fire, has been perpetually placed in the Word…finally, some warmth from the Word of God must be supposed to have passed” (First Principles, II:VI:6) Origen reminds us that when we, as Christians, bask in the glow of God’s Word, our souls are heated like an iron in the fire is heated. In other words, we go from having irons in the fire to being an iron in the fire. So today, don’t just have irons, be an iron! And display a fiery faith in Jesus.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 10 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I saw a headline this past Monday that captured my attention: “More Americans Say They Have No Religion.” The article that I read went on to talk about how more and more Americans are claiming to be areligious. A survey conducted by Trinity College in Hartford, CT found that a full 15% of Americans claim to be areligious, up from 14.2% in 2001, and 8.2% in 1990. What I found especially fascinating about this survey, however, was not just the bare and alarming numbers, it was the fact that this survey tabulated people who were areligious rather than atheistic. In other words, there are some people in this category who are probably indeed rigorously atheistic. They have a thought out, reasoned out disbelief in God. They are intellectually hostile toward him. Others in this category of areligiosity, however, are not necessarily logically or intellectually hostile to God, they simply do not care about him. They do not care to worship him, think about him, give thanks to him, discover him, or love him. For these people, God’s existence is a mere fringe relic on the outskirts of their consciousness. Other things are more important.
Interestingly, these findings parallel those of another survey from April 2007, this one conducted by the Gallup organization, as to why people do not attend church. This study was divided into two sections. One section surveyed the “practical” or “thought-out” reasons why people do not attend church. The number one reason for not attending church in this category was a strong disagreement with organized religious teaching. The other category gave “practical” or “default” reasons why people do not attend church. The number one reason given in this category was, quite mundanely, that people do not have time. In other words, like those who are areligious, those who do not attend church fall into two categories: those who are actively and academically hostile toward the worship of God and those who simply do not care. For this latter group, the worship of God is a mere fringe relic on the outskirts of their consciousness. Other things are more important.
In our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 10, Paul addresses how we, as Christians, should care for those who either intellectually oppose or flippantly dismiss God: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (verses 4-5). Here we find our two categories of those who eschew religious engagement: “arguments” and “pretension.” The Greek word for “arguments” is logismos, meaning “reasoning.” These are those who stand in reasoned, albeit incorrect, opposition to God. The Greek word for “pretension” is hupsoma, meaning “lofty thing.” This word describes those things which we elevate to a more privileged position in our schedules and calendars than God.
Paul says, “We demolish these strongholds.” That sounds harsh. Do we really want the wrecking ball of the gospel flung at our intellectual critiques of God or our important appointments in place of God? Paul’s answer is, “Yes.” But why? “So that we can take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The reason we demolish the strongholds of academic argument and passive pretension is so that those who don’t think about Christ will start thinking about Christ and so that those who don’t care about Christ will start caring about Christ. In other words, Paul reminds us that, by God’s grace and by the strength of his Spirit, a study by Trinity College and a survey by Gallup need not forecast of the foreboding future of Christ-followers in our world. The trend can be reversed! And we are God’s agents of reversal!
Do you know someone who is an atheist or strongly disagrees with “organized religion?” Ask them to tell you more about why they believe what they believe and then compassionately and sensitively share with them your faith. And begin to demolish a stronghold. Do you know someone who does not care about God or never has enough time to go to church? Invite them to church this weekend. And if they refuse due to a scheduling conflict, invite them to accompany you next weekend. And begin to demolish a stronghold. For when the strongholds of this world are demolished by our witness, that is when the message of Christ’s love, Christ’s grace, and Christ’s salvation can take a strong-hold on a human heart. And that’s a stronghold we can all rejoice in.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 9 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Last weekend in Adult Bible Class, I made passing mention of a form of speech called an “oxymoron.” An oxymoron, of course, is two terms that, though at first sight might seem contradictory, are used in concord with each other. Some oxymorons are serious. Others are more humorous. Jumbo shrimp. Numb sensation. Swiss Navy. Microsoft Works. Hmmm. Although these are of more the humorous and light-hearted variety, in today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 9, we encounter a more profound and thoughtful oxymoron when Paul quotes Psalm 112:9: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever” (verse 9). Paul talks about, as he quotes the Psalmist, a righteous scattering.
In an ancient Jewish context, to talk about a righteous scattering would have appeared to be the height of absurdity. For, to be scattered was a tell-tale sign not of righteousness, but of unrighteousness. In Genesis 11, when the people of earth decide to build a tower which will reach to the heavens and pretentiously usurp the very glory of God, the Lord, in his anger, “scatters them from there over all the earth” (verse 8). In Exodus 32, when the Israelites build a brazen idol in the form of a golden calf, Moses, when he returns from meeting with God only to find this abhorrent pagan trinket, “takes the calf they had made and burns it in the fire; then he grinds it to powder, scatters it on the water and makes the Israelites drink it” (verse 20). And in Jeremiah 13, at the sight of the people’s sinfulness and injustice, God promises, “I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind” (verse 24). And this indeed happens when the Israelites are carried off into exile by Assyria and Babylon. Scattering is not good.
The Greek word used for “scattered” in 2 Corinthians 9 is skorpizo. And in the New Testament, as in the aforementioned verses from the Old, this word continues to take on a very negative connotation. Jesus warns in Matthew 12:30: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” And again in John 10:12: “The wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.” In fact, this word skorpizo is used universally in a negative way except in this one instance: “God has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
So what gives with this oxymoronic use of this universally negative word? God, it seems, recognizes that we are a people who have been scattered by sin. Our calendars are scattered by appointments. Our brains our scattered by worries. Our deepest relationships either have been, or one day will be, scattered by death. Sin scatters our lives. So, if God is going to reach us with his love, if God is going to reach us with his grace, if God is going to reach us with his righteousness, he needs to reach us where we are. And so, he scatters. The prophet Isaiah puts it like this: “You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it” (Isaiah 45:8). Droplets of God’s rain of righteousness, scattered over all the earth to those who need it most. That is the picture that the prophet is painting. And that is what God gives to you and to me.
The promise, then, is that no matter how scattered your calendar, your brain, and your life may be, you are never too scattered to be out of the range God’s righteousness, grace, and blessing. For he has scattered these marvelous gifts over the face of this whole earth. And this means that these gifts can, and these gifts will, find you.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 8 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“Job Losses Could Worsen Through 2009.” “12.5 Million Are Unemployed in US.” “Senate Moves to Give FDIC $500 Billion Loan.” These are just a few of the headlines I scanned this past Friday which told of our country’s imperiled economic state. As the week wrapped up, the Dow Jones closed at 6,626.94. That’s down over 50% from the Dow’s record high of 14.087.55 on October 1, 2007. Is anybody worried yet? Actually, is anybody not worried yet?
In this kind of economic climate, Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8 probably strike many of us as offensively jarring and hopelessly irrelevant and impractical: “But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in the grace of giving” (verse 7). Now, before you stop reading because you think I’m going to lecture you on the glories of tithing and try to guilt you into giving more money to the church even as we’re being asphyxiated by the confines of an impossibly volatile economy, let me assure you, that’s not what this blog is about. Actually, this blog is more about “excelling.” Paul says that we, as Christians, “excel in everything.” Really? I’m not sure much of anything has its foot on the accelerator right now. The stock market is down. Home values are down. Available credit lines are down. Job postings are down. Profits are down. And quite frankly, people are down too. There are a lot of people who feel down and out these days. In fact, the only story I’ve heard lately of something excelling comes out of the Dollar Store. Apparently, rocky financial times are good for the discount chain’s business.
During these down times, what is it that we can possibly excel at? Paul gives us a list. When our country’s stock market is down, we have an opportunity to excel in our faith as we trust that Christ will provide for our daily needs. When pecuniary pundits are talking down our economy, we have a chance to excel in encouraging speech as we hold out the hope of the gospel. When we feel down as we watch our economy collapse in real time on CNBC, we have an opportunity to excel in our knowledge of Scripture as we read God’s Word and trust in his promises to get us through. As people’s morale goes down at the specter of more layoffs and massive job cuts, we can excel in earnestness as we continue to work at the jobs we have or search for the one we need. As people’s support systems go down in the face of stress and bad news, we can excel in our love for those who are hurting deeply. And finally, as people’s bank accounts go down – and that includes our bank accounts possibly – we can excel in the grace of giving.
It’s that final call to excel that gets us, isn’t it? Excel in giving? How can we when we have nothing to give? First, it is worth noting that our giving need not be exclusively monetary. We can give of our time, talents, and energies, all for the sake of others. In a sense, all of the things which Paul calls us to excel at – faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, and love – fall under the “grace of giving” because they can all be given away to others. Second, whatever you give, remember that excel-lence in giving, or in anything else, is never done under duress. In other words, you can’t force excellence. It must be willingly engaged. Paul knows this full well. That’s why, right after Paul encourages the Corinthians to excel, he says, “I am not commanding you” (verse 8). Paul knows that excellence can never be forced. That is why excellence in giving is called a “grace.”
Speaking of grace, Paul wraps up his discussion on graceful excellence by reminding us of the one who is most gracefully excellent of all: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes become poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (verse 9). Paul says that Jesus excelled in poverty so that we could excel in richness where being rich really counts: richness in forgiveness, richness in life, and richness in salvation. And in a down economy, these may be the only riches we have. Then again, in any economy, these are the only riches we finally need. For those are the only riches that finally last. So let’s excel in those.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 7 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
When Melody and I first moved to San Antonio, we decided to enlist an apartment finder to assist us in locating a new place. When we came up one Saturday to look at some potential apartments with this apartment finder, the folks who assisted were fabulous. Our representative was warm, thorough in her residency resources, and graciously willing to go above and beyond what was required of her to assist us.
Needless to say, we were thrilled with the service we received. We thanked her profusely and when, a couple of weeks later, we found out that a friend of ours from out of town was moving to San Antonio as well and also looking for an apartment, we boisterously boasted about our apartment finder and heartily recommended them. Our friend’s experience with this company, however, was not quite as remarkable as ours. When we asked our friend how her apartment hunting went, she reported back, “Well, they seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and they weren’t all that interested in assisting me. They were polite enough, they just didn’t help me find what I was looking for.” In other words, in her charitable way, our friend was telling us that she did not have a good experience with the company that we had just so recently glowingly recommended.
Perhaps this has happened to you too. You sing the praises of a company, a friend, a service, or a location, only to have a friend “try it out” on your recommendation and encounter a very different experience from yours.
In our text for today from 2 Corinthians 6, Paul makes a recommendation of sorts to a fellow pastor named Titus. He recommends that Titus check out the Church at Corinth and boasts magnanimously about their ministry. Thankfully, unlike our apartment finders, the Corinthians live up to their reputation, which Paul thanks them for in verses 13-14: “We were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me.”
This is a slightly curious way to end a compliment to the Corinthians: “I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me.” If Paul is so sure that the Corinthians are boast-worthy, why would he be worried about them embarrassing him and not living up to his glowing commendation? The answer comes in what Paul has to address and confront in his first letter to the Corinthians: sharp divisions (3:1-4), sexual immorality (5:1-5), a litigious culture (6:1-8), drunkenness at the Lord’s Supper (11:21), a misuse of spiritual gifts (14:26-33), and damnable false doctrine (15:12-19). Such a squalid congregational resume is certainly nothing to boast about. But even with such a sordid history, Paul still boasts in them. Why?
In Hebrew, the word for “boast” is hallel. Interestingly, this word is often used synonymously with the word batach, the Hebrew word for “trust.” The implication is clear: to “boast” in someone also means to “trust” in them. Trust that they won’t disappoint you. Trust that they’ll live up to your good word about them. You see, Paul’s boast to Titus concerning the Corinthians isn’t based on an impressive resume, it’s based on Paul’s trust in them. Paul, by his boasting, is implicitly trusting the Corinthians be who he says they are to be.
Much like Paul boasts in the Corinthians, we have a God who boasts in us. “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). “We can do everything through Christ who gives us strength” (Philippians 4:13). We are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (Colossians 3:12). These are some pretty impressive boasts! But notice how each boast is rooted not in us, but in Christ. We are conquerors through Christ. We can do everything through Christ. We are loved through Christ. It is Christ who makes us boast-worthy. And now, in his boasting, Christ is trusting us to be who he has made us to be. And so, the question is: Will you be boast-worthy for Christ today?
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 6 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
One of my earliest memories of family tragedy came on a beautiful fall afternoon when my mother received a phone call: “Come quickly!” the voice on the other end of the line said. “It’s terrible! I need your help right away!” Unfortunately, this mystery voice on the other end of the line failed to identify herself. And without caller ID (this was, after all, the 80’s), the tone of this mystery voice was so frantic, that my mother failed to recognize it as her own mother’s. So, you can imagine my mother’s shock and guilt when, a couple of minutes later, this voice called back and said, “Didn’t you get my message? Hurry up and get over here! Your father’s had a heart attack!”
I didn’t really know what a heart attack was before that day, but that evening, as the family sat around my grandfather’s hospital bed, I learned more than I ever wanted to about the medical mechanics of a trauma that kills over half a million Americans each year. Heart attacks are most often the result, I learned, of coronary artery disease. Inside your arteries, fatty plaque can build up which eventually ruptures, causing a blood clot which mostly, or even completely, blocks the flow of blood to your heart. When this happens, a heart attack ensues. The primary cause of a heart attack, then, is a narrow, or even blocked, passageway to your heart.
In today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 6, we read how the same thing that can happen physically with a heart attack can also happen relationally in our dealings with others. Paul writes to his Corinthian congregants: “We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us” (verses 11-12). The Greek word for “withholding” in these verses is stenochoreo and literally refers to a road that is narrow, or even blocked. In other words, the Corinthians are on their way to relational heart attack of sorts. For they are blocking the way of those who would seek to minister to the Corinthians’ hearts.
Have you ever acted like the Corinthians? Do you ever engage in habits with your heart that can place you on the path to a relational or spiritual heart attack? Do you lie about your sinfulness? Do you consistently and comprehensively refuse the help of others during your darkest hours of need? Do you close yourself off to God in anger or disgust because of some trouble you are facing? If so, remember that you can only restrict your heart for so long. Eventually, a heart attack will come.
Mercifully, my grandfather did not die that day over two decades ago. He came through fine. However, some are not so fortunate, whether it be physically, relationally, or spiritually, when they live with narrow hearts. So what is the remedy to such narrow heartedness? Paul gives us the answer in the next verse: “Open wide your hearts” (verse 13). Engage in honesty about your sin. Accept help from others. Turn to God in your times of despair. Open wide your hearts. After all, Christ has opened his heart to you. As Paul writes in Ephesians 3:17-18: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Christ has a heart that is wide and long and high and deep for you. Now we, as his followers, are to mirror that heart. We, as his followers, are to reflect his heart. And so I pray that you will live with a wide and long and high and deep heart toward Christ…and toward others. Today…and every day.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 5 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
2 Corinthians 5 contains what is my “favorite” Bible verse. I hesitate somewhat to designate any verse as my “favorite” because, I suppose, from a more thoughtful perspective, all verses should be my “favorite” since “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, all Scripture is God’s favorite so it should be my favorite as well. Nevertheless, I still use the word “favorite,” even if I use it reticently, to describe 2 Corinthians 5:15: “And Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
How this verse got to be my “favorite” is an interesting, though not necessarily inspiring, story. I was in third grade, and my teacher had given us each a rock. “Because,” my teacher began her instructions, “Scripture is the ‘rock’ on which we are to build our lives, I want you to write your favorite Bible verse on this rock and take it home with you.” Immediately my friends began scribbling down their favorite verses on their rocks. John 3:16. John 3:16. John 3:16. John 3:16. “John 3:16?!” I thought to myself. “That isn’t very creative!” And so, I opened my Bible and began spastically flipping through its pages to find a more “creative” Bible verse than John 3:16. And what can I say? My Bible opened to 2 Corinthians 5:15. Such is the story of how I gained my “favorite” Bible verse.
Although my story of how I found 2 Corinthians 5:15 isn’t exactly inspiring, at the very least, this verse’s designation as my “favorite” has remained consistent. It has been my favorite verse since that day in third grade. Some people, wishing to avoid the baggage that the word “favorite” carries with it, instead have what they call a “life verse.” This terminology, however, doesn’t sit well with me either. After all, I am called in this verse to “no longer live for myself” and I’m not sure I really live up to that admonition. As ashamed as I am to admit it, more often than not, this “life verse” has not led, shaped, and formed my life in the way it should. Nevertheless, in spite of all this, this verse still holds a special place in my heart. Here’s why.
“And Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Christ died for me so that I could live for him. That is Paul’s message in a nutshell. But how do I live for Christ? That answer comes in the next verse: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (verse 16). Living for Christ, Paul says, involves regarding others not as the world regards them, but as Christ regards them. For the world regularly regards others as mere stair steps toward power, or as sheer objects to be exploited, or as simple crutches for support in our darker hours. One of my favorite descriptions of regarding others from a worldly point of view comes from the atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell who describes human existence thusly: “In the visible world, the Milky Way is a tiny fragment; within this fragment, the solar system is an infinitesimal speck, and of this speck our planet is a microscopic dot. On this dot, tiny lumps of impure carbon and water, of complicated structure, with somewhat unusual physical and chemical properties, crawl about for a few years, until they are dissolved again into the elements of which they are compounded.” Tiny lumps of impure carbon and water whose only destiny is to be dissolved. Most definitely a “worldly point of view” of humanity.
But this is not Christ’s point of view. For Christ’s point of view is a view of love. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,” John writes, “that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are” (1 John 3:1)! That is how God regards us. As his children. There has never been a person on whom you have laid eyes on who Jesus does not love and has not died for. “And he died for all…” So today, regard those you meet, greet, and serve not from a worldly point of view, but from a godly point of view. Regard others with love of a father. Regard others with the love of your Father.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 4 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Yesterday, a friend of mine who works in a management position called me asking my advice. “I’m having this problem with another employee at my office,” he began. He then proceeded to rip off a whole litany of offenses, shortcomings, integrity issues, and job performance weaknesses that this employee had displayed during his time at the company. After listening to a dizzying and dismal performance report, I asked my buddy, “Have you talked to this employee about all these problems?” “Well,” my buddy continued, “I tried to, but he wouldn’t let me get in a word edgewise. He just kept on talking and talking. I think he knew that we were having some problems with his performance, and he didn’t want to face them.”
How many times has this been true of us? There are some problems with our performance, but we don’t want to face them. And so, we try to cover them up, dress them up, make them up, and excuse them away. In our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 4, however, we learn that this is not the way that our “problems with performance” are to be dealt with. Paul writes in verse 2 that we, as Christians, “have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
“By setting forth the truth plainly…” That doesn’t sound like any sort of cover up to me. Instead, that sounds like brute honesty. Honesty about our sin. Honesty about our shortcomings. Honesty about our “performance problems.” As Christians, Paul says, we are to address these things head on rather than trying to shirk responsibility for them and talking our way out of them.
One of the things that Paul exhorts us to do when talking frankly and forthrightly about our “performance problems” is not to use “deception.” The Greek word for “deception” is panourgia and is often translated as “trickery” or “craftiness.” Sadly, this is the way many of us deal with our sin. We trick ourselves into thinking that it’s not that bad. We are crafty in the way that we confess our sins, strategically leaving out bits and pieces of information, so that we don’t sound too depraved. But this is not the way of the gospel. Panourgia concerning our sinfulness just won’t do. For this kind of “trickery” and “craftiness” is none other than a disgusting device of the devil. “I am afraid,” Paul writes later in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” The Greek word for the “cunningness” of the serpent? Panourgia.
“By setting forth the truth plainly…” This is the only way for a Christian to live. Not cloaked in secrecy. Not veiled in shame. We are to live in the plain light of truth. But remember, the plain light of truth tells not only of our sin, the plain light of truth also tells of God’s grace. That’s why John reminds us that Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Grace and truth go together, John says. You can never tell the plain truth of your sinfulness without also hearing the plain truth of God’s grace, love, mercy, and compassion for you in Jesus Christ. Grace and truth go together.
So here is your challenge. Is there any area in your life where you are practicing some panourgia with your sinfulness? Are you hiding your “performance problems” from the plain light of truth? Now is the time to expose them. Now is the time to get honest about them. And now is the time to receive the plain truth of God’s grace. It’s yours for the asking. It’s yours for forgiveness.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 3 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Last weekend was the weekend of the Oscars. And although the popularity and the ratings of this perennial awards powerhouse has been slowly but surely waning, winning one of these gold-plated britannium statues is still a coveted Tinsel Town status symbol. Indeed, even presenting one of these awards is considered to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not to be missed. That’s why when, according to Hollywood “insider” reporters, some actors and actresses such as Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, and George Clooney refused to present at this year’s Academy Awards, the producers were less than thrilled. After all, presenting at the Oscars is still regarded as a high honor, even if it’s not quite the same as actually winning an Oscar.
In our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 3, Paul, unlike many Hollywood elites, marvels at the prospect that he would get to be a “presenter” at an awards show hosted by none other than God himself. Paul writes, “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (verse 3). Paul says that Christ has won some awards. And these awards are much more than mere gold-plated britannium statues; rather, these awards are living, breathing, flesh and blood human beings. These awards are none other than you and me. Because we, as Christians, rather than being awarded to Satan and his wicked minions because of our sin, are awarded to Christ and his angels because of his work on the cross. We, as Christians, are the eternal awards of Christ, presented to him finally and wholly on the Last Day.
But just like any good awards show, there needs to be some presenters. And here’s the transcendent privilege in this divine awards show that so thrills Paul: he gets to be a presenter. He gets to present an award of human beings to none other than Christ himself. Can you imagine? Presenting an award like this to Jesus? This is Paul’s privilege. This is Paul’s honor. This is Paul’s boast. And this is why Paul writes to the Corinthians, “You are a letter from Christ! You are an award for Christ! And you know what? I get to deliver you to Christ. I have the high honor and distinct privilege of presenting you to the Lord.” Paul speaks similarly later in this same letter when he writes: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2). Paul is keenly aware of the distinct honor and high privilege that he has in presenting those under his care to Christ on the Last Day.
Like Paul, you have a similar privilege. You have a similar commissioning. The truth of the matter is, you can never “win” anybody for Christ. The winning of human beings has already been accomplished by Christ through his work on the cross. But although you cannot win anybody for Christ, you, like Paul, can present people to Christ. People that you have befriended with Christ’s love. People that you have helped in Jesus’ name. People that you have shared the gospel with. These are all people who you can present to Christ on the Last Day, saying, “Here’s another award for you, Jesus. But more than a mere award, here’s another person for you. A person you have won by your forgiveness. A person you have loved by your grace.”
And so, who will you have to present to Jesus on the Last Day? My prayer for you today is that you, along with Paul, can revel in the distinct privilege and high honor that you have in being one of God’s many “presenters.” Because you have the distinct privilege and high honor of presenting the most precious thing of all to Jesus: others.
“Word for Today” – 2 Corinthians 2 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Have you ever heard this well-worn proverb? I have. Usually from someone who has been wronged in a monumentally significant and deeply painful way. “I’m never going to let them do that to me again!” they exclaim. “I’m never going to trust them! They won’t be able to fool me again!”
Usually, in a conversation like this one, I will try to help the wronged person understand the difference between foolishness and forgiveness. “Foolishness,” I say, “is when you put yourself in a position where your perpetrator can recklessly and dangerously hurt you. Forgiveness,” I continue, “is when you give up your right to wish hurt on them.” Sadly, this important distinction is often lost on a freshly wounded heart. Objections usually come immediately and vociferously: “I can’t forgive him!” they might say. “If I let my guard down for even a second, he’ll get me again! There’s no way I’ll ever be able to trust him again!”
As hard as it may seem, this distinction between foolishness and forgiveness is a vital one to take to heart. As Christians, we are certainly called to avoid foolishness: “Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips” (Proverbs 14:7). Yet, at the same time we are called to eschew foolishness, we are also called to embrace forgiveness.
Indeed, this is the exhortation that Paul gives the Corinthians in our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 2. Apparently, there was a man among this congregation who had grieved and embarrassed its members greatly by his sin. And, in accordance with sound doctrine, the Corinthians had disciplined this man. But now, this man has repented and sought forgiveness and restoration. And so, Paul tells the Corinthians: “The punishment inflicted on this man by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive him and comfort him” (verses 6-7). I can imagine what the reflexive protestations from the Corinthian congregants must have sounded like: “What do you mean forgive him and comfort him? This guy almost wrecked our church with his raucous behavior! If we forgive him, comfort him, and then restore him to our fold, he could bring us to the brink or destruction once more. He fooled us once, but he’s not going to fool us twice!”
Sadly, those who so stridently hold on to unforgiveness so that they will not be “fooled twice” are actually being played for fools. But they’re not being played for fools by their menacing perpetrators. They’re being played for fools by Satan. For unforgiveness strangles the soul and smothers the spirit – Satan’s very goal and desire for us. That is why Paul encourages the Corinthians to be timely and sincere in their forgiveness: “In order that Satan might not outwit us” (verse 11).
And so, today I call you to choose forgiveness over foolishness. And I’m under no delusion about the difficulty that this choice involves. Indeed, this choice was difficult even for God. So difficult, in fact, that it literally killed him…on a cross. And yet, I must say lovingly, but also truthfully, that one of the most foolish things you can do is withhold forgiveness. For unforgiveness is nothing but a trick of the devil. So don’t let Satan play you for a fool. “Forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Pastor Zach's Blog 