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| Chapter 6 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For He saith, "I have heard thee at an accepted time, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee." Behold, now is the accepted time! Behold, now is the day of salvation!) 3 Give no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed; 4 but in all things commending ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience: in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by love unfeigned, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through evil report and good report; though counted as deceivers and yet true, 9 as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold we live, as chastened and not killed, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. 11 ¶ Oh ye Corinthians, our mouth is opened unto you, and our heart is enlarged. 12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own affections. 13 Now as a recompense for this (I speak as unto my children), be ye also enlarged. 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God hath said: "I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 17 Therefore, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate," saith the Lord. "And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, 18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters," saith the Lord Almighty. |
Working together. Paul now makes three appeals in love to the Corinthian Church. v1-10 Gratitude. v1,2 The Corinthians seemed to have forgotten what Paul had brought to them in the Gospel, he still considered them working with him but was concerned that they might be possibly subjected to some judgement by God. Paul had been God’s ambassador to them 2 Cor 5:18-21, The Judaizers had come in afterward claiming them and now Paul was worried that some were not truly the children of God. v3-4 There are people who will take any reason or excuse not to listen to the gospel, Paul is telling the church to make sure that their behaviour, their bad example does not give an excuse for the sinner, even if this means suffering. Rom 14:1-23. Paul is saying that he has not lived a life which discredited (caused blame) the ministry. v6,7 Paul reminds them that he had suffered trials for them, not giving up when it got hard. But he had used the tools of the Holy Spirit and had been able to survive. Eph 6:10ff. v8-10 A list of what man is saying about Paul and what God is saying, "an evil report" by men, "a good report" by God. Always full of joy for Christ yet willing to become poor so that the Corinthian church members could become rich 1 Cor 1:4-9; 2 Cor 8:9. Paul is not here seeking praise, the people were taking all his time and efforts for granted, this often happens in churches today, Paul was just reminding them how costly the ministry was to him, how much had the Judaizers suffered? none, they had just ‘stolen’ the church. Despite the treatment he had received Paul has great love for these people, tenderly he is asking for them to open their hearts to him. They were withholding their love because they had a split heart, the false teachers had stolen their hearts, they were turning back to the worlds unrighteous desires. Paul tries to show them why they should be separate from the world. v11-18 The believers desires and nature. What we are interested in, our nature decides what we want to mix with, light does not mix with dark, or Christ with Satan. A Christian has a divine nature 2 Peter 1:3,4 they should not be yoked joined together to an unbeliever whether in work, friendship, marriage. v16 "The temple of God," Paul is talking about the body of a Christian 1 Cor 3:16,17, how can God mix with evil and idols of Satan. v17 "Come out from among them, and be ye separate," Is 52:11 Through out the Bible God is regularly telling Israel, His people to separate themselves, but they just ignored Him and so they suffered punishment, ending up with Israel being sent to Assyrian capture and Judah being sent to Babylon. The religious people of Israel had taken this separation to an ultimate, the Pharisees and Sadducees at the time of Jesus had produced a false ‘separation,’ Jesus warns against this Matt 16:6,11; and prays for the Christian and separation in John 17:14-17. The various letters to churches which we have in the New Testament also emphasis separation and purity, Rom 12:1-2; Rom 16:17-20; Col 3:1,2; 1 Tim 6:10,11; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 4:3-6. However, we must not isolate ourselves so much that we are unable to take the message of salvation to the sinner. Luke 7:33,34. v17,18 God became our Father when we put our faith in Jesus, but to be a Father we must also be willing to obey Him and fellowship with Him. John 14:21-23. |
Easy English Translation
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| The 2nd Letter to Corinthians |
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| Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
| Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 |
| Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |
| Chapter 13 | Introduction page |
