Epistles of Paul 58

Good evening, brethren. Our body is fragile, but through God's ministry of reconciliation, we have a great hope. We have a great treasure of knowledge that we will be saved and changed into an eternal, healthy spiritual body. Again, as we mentioned before, and as Paul emphasizes, we have to prove faithful, and we got to understand that we are being judged day by day. How? By the way, we live our lives today. Our ultimate reward and position in God's kingdom is actually based on our overcoming today. And so, Paul pleads, please, please be reconciled to God. That is the key. Be reconciled to God. Please change. Please repent.

Therefore, repentance is so vital in our lives. And basically, that's what Paul is saying, please change. Be a new man. And that way, we then become the righteousness of God in him. And so today, we're going to continue with 2 Corinthians chapter 1, I think about it, chapter 6, verse 1. And then let's read that. We then, as workers together with him, also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. And so, back to what I was saying, quoting Paul in the previous chapters, please be reconciled to God. So he's saying, let's not receive the grace of God in vain. I'll make a part of it. We then, yeah, in verse 1, he says, as workers together, my understanding is, out of this phrase, workers together with him, with God, that's where we developed the work, the word in the church of co-workers. Workers together, co-workers with him. Look in Romans chapter 2 verse 11. Romans chapter 2 verse 11. Romans chapter 2 verse 11. It reads, but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works with what is good, to the Jew first and to the Greek. We all workers together with God, and there is no respecter of persons to the Jew and to the Greek. Look also in Titus 2 verse 11. Titus 2 verse 11. Titus 2.

All right. Titus 2 verse 11. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. And so, as we read here in Corinthians, where we read, we then as co-workers together with him also plead with you to receive, with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. And so, God is pleading with us not to receive the grace of God in vain. So, in 2 Corinthians, the eye and in the epistles, he's talking to members in the church, but we got to understand that this grace of God is to all men, as we read in Titus 2 verse 11. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. And also, in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9, 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9, 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but his long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God wants all to come to repentance, all humanity, but has or have all human beings, have all human beings had a chance to come to repentance as of today. Have they all had a chance to learn the truth, to be convicted of the truth by God's Holy Spirit, to repent, and to have an opportunity to salvation? No. You see, as we read also in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 9, Ephesians chapter 3 verse 9, it says, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery. You see, so yeah, we see a mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. This mystery, the mysteries of these truths of God have been hidden from mankind, from as it says here, from the beginning of the ages. And look at verse 10. To the intent now, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. You see, these hidden truths of God have been hidden from mankind and from angels. And so, this is being revealed now through the church, through what's happening through the church. Let's look at Colossians.

Colossians chapter 1 verse 26. Colossians chapter 1 verse 26 talks about the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to the saints, to God's church. You see, this mystery has been hidden from mankind and is not understood. It has not been understood.

This truth is not understood, and those people, therefore, and the majority of society, never had a chance of salvation.

And seeing that God is not a respectable person, and considering that mankind in general doesn't understand it, and we look at society today and the things people are doing are just so abominable that God is irate. But God still has to give these people an opportunity, else, or else, he's a respectable person. But he isn't. He isn't. And so the answer is actually, in a sense, revealed in Romans chapter 11. Romans chapter 11, and the climax of this is actually explained in verse 25 and verse 26, which says, for I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your opinion that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of Gentiles have come in. And so God is calling a certain number of people in addition to Israelites some Gentiles, and when he's got his right mix of Israelites and Gentiles, then he says in verse 26, and then all Israel will be saved. And then, because God is not a respectable person, the whole of mankind will be saved. But that has not happened yet. That will happen when Christ comes back in the world tomorrow.

At that time, look at what we read here in Isaiah 25 verse 7. Isaiah 25 verse 7. Isaiah 25 verse 7, it says, he will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cost over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. You see, there'll be a time that God will destroy this veil, this blindness, that mankind has. It says it's like cataracts. You know, we're blind, and God is going to remove those cataracts, spiritual cataracts, cataracts, and mankind is going to see. So let's continue then reading in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. We read that we plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. So God has called us now. Don't neglect it. Don't neglect this because he's pleading. Don't accept this grace of God and then in vain because we are overcoming. Now in verse 2 he says, for he says, in an acceptable time I have heard you. In the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold now is the acceptable time. Behold now is a day of salvation. Now this verse has caused some confusion to some people because they say, oh now is the day of salvation.

Now how can now be the day of salvation if they're blind? If there's blindness in part to Israel, much more to the rest of the world.

Now it is a day of salvation for those of us that are called now. We, for us, it is the day of salvation. That's why it says we then as workers together. But for the rest of mankind, today is not the day of salvation. So how do you explain that? Well, I have looked at Greek interlinear text. I've got a version here of the majority text, the Greek New Testament interlinear. I've got this version and that's the box where it is in, but I've got the version here. I have taken a photograph of this verse, so I'm going to share with you a photo of this verse so you can see a photo of this verse. That's 2 Corinthians chapter 6 starting there in verse 2. It says, in a day of salvation, I've helped you. Be all now is time except of be all now. Look at is there. It's in italics. It's not in the Greek day of salvation. Be all now day of salvation. So that's why in the Church, we have been saying that a better translation even here, it says, and in a day, a day of salvation, I helped you. So it's a day and a day or it is the same Greek word, so they've used a day, the yah, they have deleted the word the. So it's more accurate to say now in English you would add the is to be more explanatory. Now is a day of salvation.

So in the Church, we have explained this verse that now is a day of salvation. Yes, it is. It is now a day of salvation or the day for us that are called now. Those that will be called later, their day of salvation will be later. Right, continue now in verse 3. From yah, now Paul is describing how he cannot be blamed for anything. He is describing that he has done everything by his fruits, by his actions, by his example. He has done everything that is possible to prove that he is a minister of Jesus Christ. Indeed, what we think about it, because he continuously, in this episode, he's defending that.

Indeed, there must have been a lot of accusations against him by the Corinthians, because he is continuously defending himself. And so, yeah, we see in verse 3. Let's now read verse 3. We give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed. You know, I'm not being offensive in any way, so that the job of serving Christ in this ministry is not going to be blamed. And then he continues saying, But in all things, we command ourselves as ministers of God.

Command. Command is like we approve, we put forwards, we propose, or in other words, we prove ourselves as ministers of God. How? By his fruits, by his example. In other words, that's what he says in all things we, and so he's talking about other elders that we think, we command ourselves as ministers of God. And then he says, by what works, by what fruits, by what example? And then he says, all the way up to verse 10, he says, in patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love.

He's saying, all these things prove that we're ministers of God, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness, on the right hand and on the left. So whatever is attacked is showing it in righteous ways. By honor and dishonor. In other words, some people will say, well, he's dishonorable, or others will say, no, he's honorable. Whatever way you're accusing me, that proves that I'm a minister of God. By evil report and good report. People are giving him bad reports.

People give him good reports. But in the end, the fruits, the example, was positive. As a noun, and yet well known. Oh yeah, we don't know who this Paul is, but they very well knew he was. As dying and behold, we live. Yes, he was beaten, he was injured, and he was getting older, and as dying, and yet, he was living. As chastened, and yet not killed. As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. As poor, yet making any reach. As having nothing, yet possessing all things. And you can see the word all things. It's how it starts in verse four. But in all things, we command in all, and then he ends it with the same Greek word of all, which is translated as all things.

So he lists a whole list of, let's call it, credentials to defend his position as a minister of God, and therefore, he describes the fruits as a proof. Then he goes on in verse 11. Oh Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you. Our heart is wide open. Brethren, our heart is the seat of emotions. And he's saying, Corinthians, by saying brethren, my heart is open to you. I have nothing to hide. I'm being honest. I'm pleading with you in honesty.

I've got nothing to hide. You know, verse 12. You are not restricted by us. We are not restricting you. We're not kind of putting chains on you and saying, you can't do this and you can't do that. You know, we're not, you are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections, by your own human carnality.

But basically, he says, our love to you is not restricted. But on another side, you could read this as well, and some versions put it this way, your love towards us is restricted. In other words, you are not reciprocating.

And so he says now in verse 13, now in return for the same, I speak to you as children, you also be open. So you also return the same concern. You return the same love towards us like we are exhibiting love and openness towards you. All right, so now he says something very important here that we're going to spend a bit of time describing it. He says, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

There was a saying to them, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Well, where does this scripture come from? Well, it comes from Deuteronomy 22 verse 10. So let's go there, Deuteronomy 22 verse 10. Deuteronomy 22 verse 10 says, you shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. So you've got a yoke and you put the ox on one side and the donkey on the other and the two work together on the seal to plow the field. And he says, don't do that. Why? Because the ox would do most of the work and they would be unequally yoked and maybe they would not be plowing a straight line or whatever it is.

So that's where it gets this expression from. Now it's not talking about saying that we cannot talk to unbelievers. It's saying, do not be yoked together. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. It doesn't say you can't talk to unbelievers, else we would have to be out of the world. Where do I get that from? From 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 and 10. So let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 and 10. It says, I wrote to you in my piece on the epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet certainly I did not mean with the sexual immoral people of this world or with the covetous or extortionous or idolatrous. Since then, you would need to go out of the world. So he's actually talking about not that you can't communicate with unbelievers, but he's saying, don't be unequally yoked when there is a tight relationship or bonding.

And let's continue now reading the rest of verse 14 and 15. For what fellowship has righteousness with lordliness? What communion has light with darkness? And what accord is Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with unbeliever? In other words, that deep fellowship, that deep bond, should not be between believers and unbelievers, unequally yoked. That's in other words because then he would be unequally yoked with unbelievers. So let's just briefly ponder, in what ways could one be unequally yoked?

Well, could be in marriage, could be in romance, could be in a business partnership, not talking about an employer-employee situation, but a tight business partnership, or even, for instance, an example in the army, in the military. So, does it mean therefore? What does it mean? Don't be unequally yoked, for instance, in a marriage. Now, let's look at 1 Corinthians 7 verse 39. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 39.

1 Corinthians 7 verse 39. It says, As long as her husband lives, but if her husband dies, she's at liberty to marry, to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Only in the Lord. So, the conclusion is that it is much better to marry someone that is a believer.

Now, quite often we say it's much better to marry someone in the church. We have to qualify that a little bit. But let's just summarize the principle. If you both have the same religion, the same belief, the same faith, that's one thing. But if one has one belief and the other has a different belief for a different faith, then you have one that wants to observe certain days or do certain things on certain holy days, and the other wants to do different things on different holy days. And then what you have? You have a constant pulling, like a knocks and a donkey. There's a constant pulling. Now granted, granted, as I said, we need to talk a little bit about this because sometimes becomes a point of confusion and or disagreement. And so, we want to talk a little bit about it more carefully. There are examples of people married in the church and they divorced. On the other side, there are people who are married, someone outside of the church, and it worked out. So you got both points. But it does not negate 1 Corinthians 7 verse 39 or other scriptures because the Bible is very clear not to become that way. Now, there is another situation about those that God called, and there is one mate that God is called, and another mate that God did not call. And that is described also in 1 Corinthians 7 verses 12 through 15. And basically there he talks about pleased to dwell. You see, so if you look at in verse 15, but if the believer departs, let him depart. I think the one I wanted to read is yeah, it's verse 12 says, but to the rest, if one is in the church and one is not, you know, if he's willing to live with him or he's willing to live with her, don't depart, don't divorce. Okay, and then it says, because he says if the unbeliever departs, let him depart. If a braggler assisted, he's not under bondage in such cases. Why? Because he's willing, as it says, he's willing to live with her, he's pleased to dwell with her. Now, sometimes people use that terminology, oh, I'm pleased to dwell with you, but again, pleased to dwell is not just words. Actions define if one is pleased to dwell. If the life of one of the mates or one of the two in a marriage is threatened, as we read in verse 15, then he says, is not under bondage in such cases. In other words, you don't have to dwell with them.

So what does it mean, be pleased to dwell? So one is in the church and the other one is not. I'm just using the word in the church generically. I'm going to describe that a little bit more specifically in a moment. Pleased to dwell, that means you accept the other one's religion. They may not agree with it, but they would allow you to practice the religion, and the other party performs their duties, whatever the duties are, the duties in a marriage. Now, if they're not pleased to dwell, they can say all day long that they're pleased to dwell, that they want to stay, but then the other person, let's assume it's a lady, then he just has a housekeeper and a cook, and that's basically what it ends up to be. So this whole thing becomes complex. There are situations that come up, and these situations have to be evaluated in or as an individual situation, case by case. For instance, there could be a case where the person who is in the church files for divorce, but the point is that the other person has left a marriage long ago. How? By their example or and by their fruits.

And so, what does it mean being in the church? Well, then you could say, well, it's because the person is baptized. But you see, the real crux of the matter is that a person could be baptized, but that does not mean that the person is converted. That is the big issue, being converted, being in the faith. Is he indeed or she indeed in the faith? I have had a very experienced minister that discussed it with me and with others of a specific situation that he encountered. And some of the details that he mentioned in the situation are more than the ones I'm going to mention, but he mentioned in that situation there was a man that was baptized, had big issues with his wife by destroying. For instance, she liked playing the piano, destroyed the piano, got so cross with her that threw a screwdriver at her that just missed the head and got stuck on the wall, destroyed the windscreen of the car, slashed the car seats, and he was baptized. And then when this minister spoke to him, he said, when he confronted with all these things, he said, but it's not my fault. It's my wife's fault. She made me do it. You see, the key factor is not just being in the church or being baptized. It's actually being converted. And so that is the important factor.

Now, if somebody, for instance, is in the church and decides to marry somebody outside the church, we don't put them out, but we're going to tell them you're going to have problems, you're going to have challenges. Be careful. These are the different challenges and problems that you can encounter. And so we point them to the scriptures, and so we don't want them to encounter difficulties in their life. And so really, the important point is that when you marry someone, if you are converted, make sure that the other person is also converted.

Not just that he's in the church or not just that he's baptized or she's baptized. There's a big difference. We gotta look for conversion. Now, how do you and I know that somebody's converted? Well, there's no real easy way of doing it because it's a spiritual matter. But as you live with that person and you see that person, as you have a bit of interaction and, and for instance, date under different circumstances, you start seeing how he or she reacts under different circumstances. And so it's another question that you have a list of things to watch, but it's it you gotta ask God and pray to God for help and to look for those, let's call it, red flags. Don't just be gullible from, oh, I love him so much or I love her so much. Yes, that is important, but look beyond that. And it's easy to say. It's easy to say.

But what is it being converted? And so we gotta be careful of this. And I mean, there are sometimes words that we use in the church. I just call it church speak, that maybe we use some terminology that technically might not be quite correct or basically what we should be looking for. For instance, oh, well, we gotta marry someone in the church. Really, what I should marry somebody, that both of them are converted. That's what we should look at. Another example of sometimes as using a wrong terminology is, well, God calls people. Yes, God calls, but maybe a better terminology would be God chooses. You know, in John 6 44, it says, you know, that... well, let's just turn to it. So I quoted absolutely correctly. John 6 verse 44, it says, No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws in. So you could say, well, it means it calls. But that is also, you could say it, is chosen. It's chosen by God to draw him and look at verse 65 of the same chapter. He says, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me, can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my father. So it is more related to a choosing. In Matthew 22 verse 14 says, Many are called, but few are chosen. You see, a call goes out when the Gospel is preached. You know, the Beyond Today magazine goes out and people read it, you know, but is that a calling by God? Is that in other words being chosen by God?

Is that they are heeding? Are they responding? You see, think of it as like a cold call or a telephone solicitation. You can receive a cold call and and what is it? That doesn't mean that you called. Oh yeah, you called and you received the telephone call. You received the telephone solicitation to buy something, but that doesn't mean that you've responded, that you've heeded, that you want that. You see, so it's like the parable of the seed and the sower, there's various seeds. One falls on the stony ground and you know in Matthew 13 talks about the parable of the sower and the seed. And then in Matthew 13, let me go there, in the last one, which is the lost category, is the one that receives the seed on good ground and he hears the word and understands it and bears fruit and produces some hundred falls, some 60, some 30. So those are the ones that that have been chosen and they're bearing fruit. That would be maybe a better term. You see, the mind must be open to the truth. We need to have a chance to respond to it. We need to fully understand it and then come to repent us. And then we can say, yeah, these people really had a chance. So there's no two chances, but these are the ones that have had a chance, that are being, as we say, called but maybe chosen, being worked or responding to God's calling. Let's call it so. Anyway, I don't know why I got onto that, but let's continue in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14. We were reading chapter 6 verse 14. We said, Do not be unequally yoked, together with unbelievers, for at fellowship as righteous with the lawlessness, what communion as light with darkness, and what accord as Christ with Belial, and what part as a believer with an unbeliever. And so, yeah, it's talking about not becoming this way. Don't get into this situation. In other words, don't be unequally yoked. Don't get into this situation. Don't go this way and get into that situation. And then in verse 16, and what agreement has the temple of God with idols? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. We are the temple of God today. You know, in the Old Testament, God dwelt in the temple, and he dwelt amongst these relates. He dwelt among his people, and so he dwelt in the temple. Now we today are the temple where God dwells through his Holy Spirit. And so, continue reading, as God has said, I'll dwell in them and walk among them. I'll be their God, and they shall be my people. On whomever God dwells, they are his people through, obviously, God's Holy Spirit. So, as we move now to verse 17, therefore come out from among them. That's the conclusion. We cannot be attached to the customers of the swold, to the ways of the swold, to the approaches of the swold. We're going to be separate. We're going to be different. We're going to be different. We've got to live the way, so that it says, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I'll receive you.

In other words, the unclean is the ungodly stuff of the swold. The filth of the swold. Don't get involved. Don't even get involved with the ways of the swold. And why is this?

You see, it's for our benefit, and it's also for our protection, our benefit. We are then doing what God says, but also we're being an example, we're being separate, we're living as Christ lived. And then he says, and I'll be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. You see, God is our father. We become his children, and this is what God desires, is a family relationship. The human family is there to teach us a lesson, a big lesson, a spiritual lesson. God is creating his own family. So through that, there's lessons about a marriage. It teaches us commitment to one another, like we need to be committed to God. God is our father if we behave as his children. You see, up to this point, Paul has emphasized a number of very encouraging promises. Think about it. Think about the promises he's mentioned here in 2 Corinthians. Let me just look at them backwards from the last one.

We are his temple. We are to be his temple in chapter 6 verse 16. We are for him to be in us, for him to be in us, for us to be his children, as we saw in verse 18. Then, in the previous chapter, in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 18 through 20, let's look at there very briefly, 5 verses 18 through 20, he says, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. You see, we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. That's a wonderful promise. Look at verse 17. Verse 17, If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. We are to be a new creation. In other words, as we are this new creation, mortality is swallowed up by immortality. Look at chapter 5 verse 4. Chapter 5 verse 4 says that mortality may be swallowed up by life. That's eternal life. That's our wonderful promises. Look at in verse 1 and 2 of chapter 5, our earthly tent being destroyed and replaced by an eternal house, spiritual body, which is reserved for us. That's what it says in verse 1 and 2 of 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And then we go back to 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4, and we can see that the glory of Christ is to be in us, and that's what Satan wants to prevent. And then we go back to chapter 3 verse 18, and he says that we are being transformed into his image from glory to glory. And then we read in verse 16 of 2 Corinthians chapter 3, that that veil is removed. In other words, we have the miracle of understanding the truth.

And in chapter 1 verse 22, chapter 1 verse 22 says, Who has sealed us and given us the spirit in our hearts as a guarantee? God, we have received God's early spirit as a guarantee of these promises. Can you see all these promises that have been mentioned up to this stage, up to the end of chapter 6 that have been mentioned? And look at chapter 7 verse 1. Therefore, having these promises beloved, and that will be the theme for next week.