II Corinthians 5:11-17: "Defending His Integrity"
As most of 2 Corinthians has been, Paul defends his ministry to the Corinthians. Much of what Paul writes is in defense to some sort of lie that the false apostles had spread about Paul. Paul's goal is not to defend himself to the false apostles, but rather, to defend his integrity and his ministry to the Corinthians so he can continue to effectively teach them the gospel.
Paul begins, "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God". Here Paul's goal is to persuade the Corinthians to understand that Paul has a tremendous fear of the Lord, and all his life has been devoted to a ministry of integrity. Paul is saying that he has already made manifest to God the true fruit of his ministry. God was already well aware of Paul's fear of Him, and Paul's goal was to get his readers to understand that as well. It was also Paul's desire that he was "made manifest also in [their] consciences". MacArthur summarizes, "The choice the Corinthians faced was simple: were they going to listen to the testimony of their consciences or to the lies of Paul's critics? Their consciences were well informed; they knew of his godly life an impeccable moral character because he had ministered daily among them for at least eighteen months (Acts 18:11). That firsthand observation should have left no doubts regarding Paul's integrity". Paul's plea in this section is to have the Corinthian's recognize Paul's fear of the Lord and the integrity of his ministry. Paul desired that the Corinthians would listen to all that Paul had taught them and search their consciences to vindicate Paul to his enemies.
Paul had previously mentioned to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 3:1, "It is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends". With this in mind, and already broaching this discussion before, Paul finds it important enough to repeat, "We are not again commending ourselves to you". Paul wants to make it clear that he is in no way speaking of himself to boast about himself, or brag about his ministry. Rather, Paul is defending himself merely for the sake of maintaining the integrity of his ministry and deflecting any of the lies that had been spread about him. Rather, Paul's desire was that he was "giving [the Corinthians] an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart". The false apostle's had wrongly accused Paul of boasting in himself and commending himself to the Corinthians, and Paul wanted to make it clear that in no way was he commending himself, but rather, he wanted his faithful ministry to the Corinthians to speak for itself. MacArthur writes, "Rather than commend himself to his enemies, Paul wisely chose instead to arm his friends to defend him. He knew that replying directly to his enemies was pointless; they would twist his words to fit their own evil purposes (cf. Prov. 26:4; 29:9). Therefore it was more effective for him to equip his supporters at Corinth so that they would have an answer for his detractors (Prov. 27:2). By so doing Paul also gave them an occasion or opportunity to be proud of him". Here we can see Paul's motives. Paul would never commend himself, and the only commendation he really cared about was God's commendation of his ministry. He therefore desired in his heart that the Corinthians would believe him over the false apostles, not so he could gain commendation from them, but rather that they would not be swayed from the gospel and adhere to all he had taught them. Paul's heart was for his people, not for popularity.
Continuing his defense, Paul differentiates himself from his detractors by writing "so that you will have an answer to those who take pride in appearance and not in heart". The false apostles only cared about their outward appearance and the way they looked to others. They were focused on outward deeds and not on their corrupted hearts. Paul was asking that the Corinthians see through their facade, and not believe the lies they were spreading about him.
Paul continues, "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God". Apparently, another false accusation of the false brethren was that Paul was foolish, or out of his mind with his zeal for God. MacArthur explains the meaning of the text: "The verb [beside ourselves] literally means 'to stand outside oneself', or 'to be beside oneself' in the sense of being 'out of one's mind'. Such was Paul's passionate devotion to the truth that his enemies deemed him fanatical to the point of being imbalanced mentally. Incredibly, instead of being rejected outright, those false and outrageous allegations generated a debate in the Corinthian church with those who insisted he was of sound mind". What other people thought of Paul did not bother him, however, he wanted his Corinthians to understand that he was passionate and zealous for God, yet full of sober truth in all things. Paul was entrusted with the wonderful gospel and he wanted to make sure that he was faithful to proclaim in a clear way to all those who would listen. Because Paul was dogmatic and harsh about the truth of the gospel and uncompromising, it was expected that the world would not understand it and mistake it for senselessness. However, Paul wanted to make sure they understood all that he had taught them was completely the truth of God. MacArthur explains, "The issue for Paul was that God be honored by the truth proclaimed, so he faithfully did that. But for the Corinthians sake he was at the same time gentle, humble and patient".
Paul explains, "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died". Because of Christ overwhelming and undeserved love for Paul, Paul felt it necessary to be driven to proclaim the truth as zealously and fervently as possible. It was this love that Paul felt from Christ that drove him to defend himself and his ministry so that nothing could hinder his ability to minster effectively to the Corinthians. Ever believer should be motivated and controlled in his life by the love of Christ. First, Christ's love for the believer should overwhelm him to obedience and faithfulness in ministry. Second, the believer's love for Christ should cause him to preach the truth of the gospel without compromise. Recognizing that Christ sacrifice was sufficient for every believer who had faith in him, it was that sacrifice of love that drove Paul. MacArthur writes, "His confidence was that one died for all, therefore all died. Under the old covenant the deaths of countless thousands of sacrificial animals could not provide full and complete pardon for sin, 'for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins' (Heb. 10:4). There never was any efficacy in the death of an animal. All such deaths incessantly testified to the old covenant's futility as a means of salvation. But in sharp contrast Jesus Christ, 'by one offering . . . has perfected for all time those who are sanctified' (Heb. 10:14)". It was Paul's deep understanding of the efficacious sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the substitionary atonement, that drove Paul to defend his ministry so fervently. Paul desired his readers to understand the sacrifice in the same way and be driven to the truth because of it.
Paul continues, "and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf". Continuing to defend his ministry and justify his motives for defending himself, Paul shows the great desire he has for righteousness. When a person comes to faith in Christ they are bought with a price and are no longer their own. They have been crucified to sin and are now alive to righteousness. Just as Christ sacrificed on the cross for those who would believe, those who come to Him must give their lives to Him. The very reason that Christ died for all would be so that they would no longer live for themselves, but to live for him. MacArthur writes, "contrasting himself to the proud, boastful false teachers troubling the Galatians, Paul declared 'But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world' (Gal. 6:14)". Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that this was his life and this is what he was passionate about. That being the case, nothing of what the false brethren accused him of could be true. Paul's life was to live for Him, not for fame, or anything else. If he could get the Corinthians to understand that, he would not have to defend himself against the spurrious charges against him.
Paul finishes this section showing not only his love for Christ, but his burden for the lost. He writes, "Therefore form now on we recognize no one according to the flesh". Paul did not look at people for their outward appearance or their social status. Rather, Paul looked at each person he came into contact with as a lost soul who needed to know Christ. Even the richest king he had ever met, was nothing more than a poor lost soul to him. MacArthur writes, "the overarching reason Paul defended his integrity, the one that incorporated all the rest, was so that he could continue to reach the lost". As Paul wrote about the riches of salvation, his mind quickly went to those who were without it. He wanted nothing more than for his brethren to know the truth about Christ so their soul could be saved. The false apostles were causing a hindrance to these souls and Paul would do whatever it took so they would not listen to their lies. Paul had once known Christ "according to the flesh". Paul originally, like all other lost souls, had thought that Jesus was merely flesh and bone and a false messiah. He had persecuted those who taught otherwise. However, through his miraculous transformation, Paul recognized Christ for what He truly was the son of God. He knew "Him in this way no longer". MacArthur writes, "No longer did [Paul] view Jesus as an itinerant Galilean rabbi and self-appointed messianic impostor who was the enemy of Judaism. Instead, he saw Him for who He really is, God incarnate, the Savior, the Lord of heaven, the true Messiah who alone fulfills all Old Testament promises and provides forgiveness for sin". Just as was stated in v.15, Paul reiterates that a believer is a new creature and they are now a slave to righteousness in obedience to Christ.
So we can see the convictions with which Paul preached from, and why it was necessary to defend his ministry. May our convictions be as a slave to righteousness, with a burning love for Christ that controls us to preach the truth unadulterated and with boldness, knowing that we are a new creation and the old man is dead. MacArthur concludes, "So Paul defended his integrity in order to preach with boldness, knowing that he was trusted. In addition, his reverence and gratitude to the Savior who had done so much for him, his deep concern for the church, passionate devotion to the truth, desire for righteousness, and longing to see the lost come to the Savior compelled him to maintain his integrity".
Paul begins, "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God". Here Paul's goal is to persuade the Corinthians to understand that Paul has a tremendous fear of the Lord, and all his life has been devoted to a ministry of integrity. Paul is saying that he has already made manifest to God the true fruit of his ministry. God was already well aware of Paul's fear of Him, and Paul's goal was to get his readers to understand that as well. It was also Paul's desire that he was "made manifest also in [their] consciences". MacArthur summarizes, "The choice the Corinthians faced was simple: were they going to listen to the testimony of their consciences or to the lies of Paul's critics? Their consciences were well informed; they knew of his godly life an impeccable moral character because he had ministered daily among them for at least eighteen months (Acts 18:11). That firsthand observation should have left no doubts regarding Paul's integrity". Paul's plea in this section is to have the Corinthian's recognize Paul's fear of the Lord and the integrity of his ministry. Paul desired that the Corinthians would listen to all that Paul had taught them and search their consciences to vindicate Paul to his enemies.
Paul had previously mentioned to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 3:1, "It is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends". With this in mind, and already broaching this discussion before, Paul finds it important enough to repeat, "We are not again commending ourselves to you". Paul wants to make it clear that he is in no way speaking of himself to boast about himself, or brag about his ministry. Rather, Paul is defending himself merely for the sake of maintaining the integrity of his ministry and deflecting any of the lies that had been spread about him. Rather, Paul's desire was that he was "giving [the Corinthians] an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart". The false apostle's had wrongly accused Paul of boasting in himself and commending himself to the Corinthians, and Paul wanted to make it clear that in no way was he commending himself, but rather, he wanted his faithful ministry to the Corinthians to speak for itself. MacArthur writes, "Rather than commend himself to his enemies, Paul wisely chose instead to arm his friends to defend him. He knew that replying directly to his enemies was pointless; they would twist his words to fit their own evil purposes (cf. Prov. 26:4; 29:9). Therefore it was more effective for him to equip his supporters at Corinth so that they would have an answer for his detractors (Prov. 27:2). By so doing Paul also gave them an occasion or opportunity to be proud of him". Here we can see Paul's motives. Paul would never commend himself, and the only commendation he really cared about was God's commendation of his ministry. He therefore desired in his heart that the Corinthians would believe him over the false apostles, not so he could gain commendation from them, but rather that they would not be swayed from the gospel and adhere to all he had taught them. Paul's heart was for his people, not for popularity.
Continuing his defense, Paul differentiates himself from his detractors by writing "so that you will have an answer to those who take pride in appearance and not in heart". The false apostles only cared about their outward appearance and the way they looked to others. They were focused on outward deeds and not on their corrupted hearts. Paul was asking that the Corinthians see through their facade, and not believe the lies they were spreading about him.
Paul continues, "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God". Apparently, another false accusation of the false brethren was that Paul was foolish, or out of his mind with his zeal for God. MacArthur explains the meaning of the text: "The verb [beside ourselves] literally means 'to stand outside oneself', or 'to be beside oneself' in the sense of being 'out of one's mind'. Such was Paul's passionate devotion to the truth that his enemies deemed him fanatical to the point of being imbalanced mentally. Incredibly, instead of being rejected outright, those false and outrageous allegations generated a debate in the Corinthian church with those who insisted he was of sound mind". What other people thought of Paul did not bother him, however, he wanted his Corinthians to understand that he was passionate and zealous for God, yet full of sober truth in all things. Paul was entrusted with the wonderful gospel and he wanted to make sure that he was faithful to proclaim in a clear way to all those who would listen. Because Paul was dogmatic and harsh about the truth of the gospel and uncompromising, it was expected that the world would not understand it and mistake it for senselessness. However, Paul wanted to make sure they understood all that he had taught them was completely the truth of God. MacArthur explains, "The issue for Paul was that God be honored by the truth proclaimed, so he faithfully did that. But for the Corinthians sake he was at the same time gentle, humble and patient".
Paul explains, "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died". Because of Christ overwhelming and undeserved love for Paul, Paul felt it necessary to be driven to proclaim the truth as zealously and fervently as possible. It was this love that Paul felt from Christ that drove him to defend himself and his ministry so that nothing could hinder his ability to minster effectively to the Corinthians. Ever believer should be motivated and controlled in his life by the love of Christ. First, Christ's love for the believer should overwhelm him to obedience and faithfulness in ministry. Second, the believer's love for Christ should cause him to preach the truth of the gospel without compromise. Recognizing that Christ sacrifice was sufficient for every believer who had faith in him, it was that sacrifice of love that drove Paul. MacArthur writes, "His confidence was that one died for all, therefore all died. Under the old covenant the deaths of countless thousands of sacrificial animals could not provide full and complete pardon for sin, 'for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins' (Heb. 10:4). There never was any efficacy in the death of an animal. All such deaths incessantly testified to the old covenant's futility as a means of salvation. But in sharp contrast Jesus Christ, 'by one offering . . . has perfected for all time those who are sanctified' (Heb. 10:14)". It was Paul's deep understanding of the efficacious sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the substitionary atonement, that drove Paul to defend his ministry so fervently. Paul desired his readers to understand the sacrifice in the same way and be driven to the truth because of it.
Paul continues, "and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf". Continuing to defend his ministry and justify his motives for defending himself, Paul shows the great desire he has for righteousness. When a person comes to faith in Christ they are bought with a price and are no longer their own. They have been crucified to sin and are now alive to righteousness. Just as Christ sacrificed on the cross for those who would believe, those who come to Him must give their lives to Him. The very reason that Christ died for all would be so that they would no longer live for themselves, but to live for him. MacArthur writes, "contrasting himself to the proud, boastful false teachers troubling the Galatians, Paul declared 'But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world' (Gal. 6:14)". Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that this was his life and this is what he was passionate about. That being the case, nothing of what the false brethren accused him of could be true. Paul's life was to live for Him, not for fame, or anything else. If he could get the Corinthians to understand that, he would not have to defend himself against the spurrious charges against him.
Paul finishes this section showing not only his love for Christ, but his burden for the lost. He writes, "Therefore form now on we recognize no one according to the flesh". Paul did not look at people for their outward appearance or their social status. Rather, Paul looked at each person he came into contact with as a lost soul who needed to know Christ. Even the richest king he had ever met, was nothing more than a poor lost soul to him. MacArthur writes, "the overarching reason Paul defended his integrity, the one that incorporated all the rest, was so that he could continue to reach the lost". As Paul wrote about the riches of salvation, his mind quickly went to those who were without it. He wanted nothing more than for his brethren to know the truth about Christ so their soul could be saved. The false apostles were causing a hindrance to these souls and Paul would do whatever it took so they would not listen to their lies. Paul had once known Christ "according to the flesh". Paul originally, like all other lost souls, had thought that Jesus was merely flesh and bone and a false messiah. He had persecuted those who taught otherwise. However, through his miraculous transformation, Paul recognized Christ for what He truly was the son of God. He knew "Him in this way no longer". MacArthur writes, "No longer did [Paul] view Jesus as an itinerant Galilean rabbi and self-appointed messianic impostor who was the enemy of Judaism. Instead, he saw Him for who He really is, God incarnate, the Savior, the Lord of heaven, the true Messiah who alone fulfills all Old Testament promises and provides forgiveness for sin". Just as was stated in v.15, Paul reiterates that a believer is a new creature and they are now a slave to righteousness in obedience to Christ.
So we can see the convictions with which Paul preached from, and why it was necessary to defend his ministry. May our convictions be as a slave to righteousness, with a burning love for Christ that controls us to preach the truth unadulterated and with boldness, knowing that we are a new creation and the old man is dead. MacArthur concludes, "So Paul defended his integrity in order to preach with boldness, knowing that he was trusted. In addition, his reverence and gratitude to the Savior who had done so much for him, his deep concern for the church, passionate devotion to the truth, desire for righteousness, and longing to see the lost come to the Savior compelled him to maintain his integrity".
posted by amesfam | 4:33 PM
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