Paul addressed the Corinthians by name indicating his deep affection for them. He had held back nothing from them but had spoken openly and honestly with his heart wide open. Because of their doubts based on the influence of the false teachers, they had restricted their affection for him. He asked them gently as he might a child to respond with unrestrained love.

The Corinthians had placed themselves in danger because they were closed off to Paul and had opened themselves to the false teachers. Paul told them not to be unequally yoked to unbelievers. He warned them not to form a binding relationship with unbelievers. This is not a command to disassociate completely from unbelievers but rather not to form permanent associations with unbelievers. Paul is speaking specifically about the false teachers but this teaching does apply to other permanent associations like marriage and business partnerships. Paul goes on to show through a series of questions why it makes no sense for a believer to form such a bond with an unbeliever. The two have not only opposite but opposing world views. How can righteousness partner with lawlessness? How can light have fellowship with darkness? Obviously, they cannot. How can Christ be in harmony with Satan? (Belial is a transliteration of an Old Testament word that means a worthless person, used in Greek to speak of a lawless person, here used of Satan the most lawless and worthless of all.) What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? Spiritually they have nothing in common. And what agreement does the temple of God, the church, have with idols? Because we are the temple of the living God, we must forsake anything that would be incompatible with our relationship with Him.

Paul loosely quoted from a range of Old Testament scriptures in which God claims ownership of His people, calls them to return in holiness from exile and promises a close relationship when we come to Him with undivided hearts. Paul applies these scriptures to the church context as we are called to forsake those things that are contrary to God and turn wholeheartedly to Him. God calls us but we are responsible to leave compromising relationships and cling only to Him.

Paul returned to the beginning of this section by asking the Corinthians to make room in their hearts and to remove themselves from the influence of the false teachers. Paul again reminds them that he and his team had done nothing against anyone and they were loved by him. Despite their wavering and doubt, he loved them to the end, he was proud of them and they brought him great joy.

When we fail to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we might be tempted to see benefits in a relationship with an unbeliever that can’t be there. Oxen are yoked together to pull in the same direction and plow a field. When a believer and unbeliever are yoked together, spiritually they will always pull in opposite directions. Is there a relationship you are forming that violates this principle? What will you do about it today?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

Paul continues the theme of being ambassadors for Christ. Paul is working together with God in his ministry and he appeals to the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain. The grace of God is Christ’s reconciliatory work on the cross given to believers. It can be received in vain if we accept the gift of salvation but do nothing with it. Earlier Paul stressed that Christ died for us so we might no longer live for ourselves but that we would live for Him (2 Cor 5:15).

Paul quoted from Isaiah 49:8 in support of his statement, now is the favourable time (of God’s help), and now is the day of salvation.
In Isaiah 49:6, God states that His salvation would be offered to the ends of the earth. As ambassadors for Christ, today is the day we need to take God’s offer of salvation to others while God is favourable towards people before His patience comes to an end (2 Pet 3:9).
But Paul also uses salvation in his letters to the Corinthians to refer to the state believers will find themselves when they stand before Christ to give an account (2 Cor 5:10; see 1 Cor 1:18;3:15;5:5). With this view, now is the time we need to live for Christ and not for ourselves. We can do this most effectively by fulfilling our mandate to take his message of reconciliation to the world.

Paul now shares how he has conducted himself in ministry. He and his fellow workers put no obstacle in anyone’s way so no fault could be found with his ministry (remembering that a large part of Paul’s letter was a rebuttal against the accusations of false teachers). Paul commended himself as an example of ministering with integrity. He is putting himself forward as an example of a servant of God who does not live for himself. With God’s help, they had great endurance as they faced various trials. They faced general difficulties in afflictions, hardships, and calamities (Rom 8:35). They faced specific persecutions in beatings, imprisonments, and riots (Acts 16:18-23). He worked hard labouring through sleepless nights and facing hunger. His ability to face these trials was because of the inner spiritual qualities of purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness all relating to dealing with other people. The Holy Spirit may have been included here to represent the spiritual fruit He causes (Gal 5:22-23), His control (Eph 5:18), or in this list of spiritual qualities the Greek could be translated “in a spirit of holiness”. Ultimately Paul was motivated by a genuine love for others. Paul faced these trials armed with the spiritual resources of truthful speech, the power of God, and the weapons of righteousness held in both hands (Eph 6:11-18). Paul then faced various conflicting responses to his ministry. Some welcomed him but some dishonoured him. He was maligned by those both outside and inside the church while others gave him a good report. He was treated as an imposter despite being a genuine apostle of Christ. He was treated as unknown, perhaps in people not acknowledging his apostleship and ministry but he was known by God. In many trials he faced imminent death and yet he lived. Despite facing many beatings he was saved and preserved by God. He faced many moments of sorrow yet always rejoiced because of inner joy (1 Thes 5:16; Phil 4:4). He lived economically poor and yet he made many rich spiritually. He possed nothing materially and yet he was rich in spiritual blessing.

How would you describe your life? Consider the things you have gone through, the qualities you have demonstrated, the resources you have depended on, and peoples’ responses. Are you living your life for Christ in dependence on God? Can you be accused of receiving God’s grace in vain? What do you need to change in your life today?

Because of the cross, Paul saw other people differently. He no longer saw them by worldly standards. As believers, we shouldn’t judge others by class distinction, economic standing, educational level, racial difference, or gender bias. Instead, we should view every person as God’s image-bearer (Gen 1:27) and view believers as one in Jesus (Gal 3:28). At one point Paul had been guilty of that when he regarded Christ from a worldly point of view prior to believing in Him. Everyone who believes in Jesus gets a new nature. The old person who was a slave to sin and selfishness is done away with and a new life has been implanted with new attitudes and actions which should be nurtured in devotion to Christ as we no longer live for ourselves (2 Cor 15:15). This new creation is a gift from God who has made a way through Christ to reconcile sinners to himself. God reconciles us by no longer holding our sin against us. He does this because He has placed our sin on Jesus, the One who knew no sin and made Him sin and then gave us His righteousness. Not only has He reconciled Himself to us, but He has given us the job of taking His offer of reconciliation to others. We have been entrusted to be His ambassadors to the world taking the message to all people with the following appeal, “we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Do you see all people as equals, every one made in the image of God? Or do you still tend to look at people through worldly distinctions? How can you take God’s message of reconciliation to people if you don’t see them as God does, loved so much that Jesus would die for them just like He did for you? What do you need to change to be a better ambassador for God?

Because we will stand before the Lord and give an account for how we have lived (2 Cor 5:10), that motivates Paul to live in the fear of the Lord, in reverence for Him and to persuade others to do the same. Paul has met opposition to his ministry and offers a defense for his motives. What he has done has been done before God and not done out of concern for his reputation. He is not driven by their approval but they are witnesses to his integrity in ministry and could provide an answer to those who were overly concerned about outward appearance rather than the motives of the heart. If he could be accused of being out of his mind, then he would gladly accept that for God’s glory. But, if he is of sound mind, then it is for their benefit. Paul was driven by the love of Christ, no matter what his opponents thought of him or accused him of. Christ died for all, not only to save us but so that believers could live their lives for Him. We should deny ourselves and live lives dedicated to Christ (Luke 9:23; Rom 12:1-2).

Who are you living for? Are you living for your own glory, for approval by those around you? Or are you denying yourself, prepared to be seen as foolish by those around you, in order to glorify Christ?

With the knowledge that we will one day be raised with Jesus, Paul was able to say that that he did not lose heart. It is easy to lose heart when we focus on our current circumstances rather than having a heavenly perspective. Even though our outer self, our physical body, is wasting away by getting older and decaying, our inner self is able to renew day by day as we focus on God’s word (Rom 12:2). Whatever we might experience in this life it should be considered light compared with the weight of eternal glory that we are being prepared for. We need to have our focus on the unseen things of eternity rather than the visible things of this life, which are transient.

Our bodies are temporary, like a tent. But we have a building prepared by God awaiting us in heaven. In our present bodies, we groan as we suffer aches and pains, and experience suffering of various kinds. But we can look forward to permanent bodies prepared for us by God that He will give us in heaven. And He has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee, like a down payment, assuring us that this will happen.

And so we can live with confidence. We know that while we are alive in this body, we are not in God’s presence. We walk by faith, not by sight. We have courage because while we have not yet received our heavenly bodies, we know that God will give us what He has promised. Paul looked forward with preference to be at home with the Lord (Phil 1:21-23). But while he remained on earth, he lived with the aim of pleasing God. One day we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Our life on earth should be lived with that day in mind. Our objective should be to hear, “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21). This judgment seat of Christ is where believers will be evaluated for the lives we have lived in Christ. It is not the place where our eternal destiny will be decided because Jesus has promised that believers will not come into judgment over our eternal destiny (John 5:24). When we stand before Jesus, our lives will be evaluated and we will receive rewards for how we have lived.

Are you confident that when you stand before Jesus you will hear, “well done, good and faithful servant”? If not, it’s not too late to start serving Him with the talents and gifts He has given you.

Paul speaks of this treasure which is the gospel message of Jesus Christ and how we have it in jars of clay. We are the jars of clay, we are fragile vessels. God chose to put His glorious message in weak and fragile containers that are decaying daily. He did this so that we remain aware of our weakness and unworthiness and so that he can show His power through us. Paul talks about how God upheld them by His power. they were afflicted in every way but never crushed. They found themselves at a loss but never completely despaired. They were persecuted but never left alone. They were struck down but never destroyed. In every situation, they experienced just a taste of what Jesus went through. Paul recognised the result of his suffering was life in Jesus as he became more Christlike (2 Cor 3:18). Paul knew that to live for Jesus means to be ready to suffer for Him. Contrary to much of what is promoted in Christendom today, the level of Christlikeness we will attain is proportionate to the amount of suffering we endure for Jesus’ sake. Paul was willing to die for the cause of the gospel. He was willing to suffer in order for the Corinthians, and others, to experience the life of Christ.

Paul quoted from Psalm 116:10, a Psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from death, “I believed, and so I spoke.” Paul endured in the face of suffering because of his confidence that God would deliver him. God would deliver him through every trial, and ultimately because of Jesus’ resurrection, he knew he would be brought into God’s presence along with those he was ministering to. Everything Paul did was for the benefit of the Corinthians and other believers so that God’s grace would extend to more and more people so that God would receive glory and thanksgiving.

I’m sure that you can resonate with Paul’s analogy that your body is a jar of clay, weak and fragile. The question is, are you using that vessel to carry the glorious treasure of the gospel to others? Because that’s when God’s power is really going to shine through the cracks. Are you living your life to God’s glory?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?