"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man's life and training him in good living.  The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God, and fit him fully for all branches of his work!" (II Timothy 3:16-17, Phillips translation)
 
No other book of the Bible better fulfills the claims of this verse than II Corinthians!  Every word in the apostle Paul's second epistle to the Corinthians has been "breathed out" and inspired by God Himself for our benefit and is profitable for teaching us what to believe, for reproving us of any sin or errors in our thinking, for getting us back on track, and for instructing us how to live righteous lives, so that we may be "made complete," and fully equipped to live lives pleasing to Him!  And that's the reason we, as men of the Bible (MOBsters) meet together every Tuesday night to share what He has to say to us!
 
The apostle Paul made it clear right up-front that his mission was not a self-appointed one, or based on his own knowledge or achievements, but one of divine appointment, and that his writings reflect not his own message but the very words of God!
 
The church of Corinth was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey; and he began his ministry there by teaching the word of God in the synagogue in Corinth, where he was assisted by two other Jewish believers, Aquila and Priscilla, who were fellow tent-makers, and with whom he lived and served!  He was later joined by Silas and Timothy!  Crispus, the leader of the synagogue eventually believed and was saved, and Acts 18:8 says that "many Corinthians believed and were baptized"!  And so the church of Corinth was founded, and the ministry thrived!
 
But after spending a year and a half ministering there, Paul was brought before a Romaa tribunal by some local Jewish leaders who accused him of violating the Jewish Law and tried to have him imprisoned; but the charge was rejected by pro-consul Gallio.  Paul then left to return to Ephesus, and Apollos arrived to lead the church!  Acts 18:24 says that Apollos was "eloquent and mighty in the Scripture... and spoke  accurately the things concerning Jesus" (after Aquila and Priscilla "took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately"!)  And so the church of Corinth continued to grow!
 
But Corinth was a morally corrupt city and the church was unable to fully break away from the culture, and developed factions, and became worldly, and began engaging in selfish, and immoral and pagan practices; then someone came into the church who tried to discredit him, raising questions concerning Paul's authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and preaching false doctrines!  All of which led Paul to write a series of letters in an effort to correct their ways! And so, before writing I Corinthians, he wrote a letter (never found but referred to (in I Corinthians 5:9) which, among other things, instructed them to "disassociate themselves with the immoral"!  Then, after learning that problems persisted, he wrote the epistle of I Corinthians and sent Timothy to Corinth to straighten things out!  But only more disturbing news came back to Paul while he was in Ephesis and so he abandoned his ministry in that region, where "many doors wide open to the gospel" and, instead, journeyed to Corinth to deal with the problems!  But it turned out to be a painful visit as he was openly insulted by one of the "false apostles" and not defended by some of the Corinthian believers!
 
And so Paul returned to Ephesus and from there wrote what is known as the "painful letter" (referred to in II Corinthians 2:4), which he said he wrote "with much affliction and anquish of heart...and many tears"!  He would later refer to this letter (in II Corinthians 7:8-10) where, after having learned from Titus that the Corinthians had in fact repented, wrote these amazing words: "For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it--for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while--I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us!  For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world leads to death!"  Wow!
 
All this provides a window of understanding into the tender heart of Paul, and of his deep love for the Corinthians! But it also helps us better understand why he wrote this second epistle to them in the first place!  It was written, as MacArthur notes, (1) primarily to defend his apostleship against those who raised questions about it--not to preserve his own reputation, but so the Corinthian believers would not be led astray by the "false apostles" (chapters 1-7); (2) to exhort the Corinthians to resume and follow through on their preparations for the collection for the struggling saints in Jerusalem (chapters 8-9); and (3) to confront the false teachers head-on (Chapters 10-13)!
 
Why does he make reference to Timothy in his salution to this epistle?  Timothy was a "beloved brother"!  Paul cherished his "son in the faith"!  He was a dominant person in his life and ministry who partnered with him in founding, and establishing, the church in Corinth!  Paul was his mentor and "spiritual father"!
 
And he opens his letter with this great verse: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we  will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God!"  Wow!  But he continues: "For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ...and (he ends) our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort!"
 
This theme of "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort" is one we see carried on throughout Paul's epistle!  And one of his closing exhortations just happens to be that the Corinthians (and all of us!) "be comforted"!  The Comforter has come!  Makes you want to sing: "O spread the tidings 'round, wherever man is found, wherever human hearts and human woes abound, let ev'ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound; the Comforter has come!"
 
Paul found consolation in suffering and is a model of us in how to deal with it!  In 1:8-10, he writes: "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life (Wow!); indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us!  He on whom we have set our hope!  And He will yet deliver us!"  Wow!  And He goes on (in 4:16-18) to write: "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day!  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal!"  Wow!
 
In II Corinthians 2:14, he writes: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place!"
 
MacArthur notes that "though II Corinthians is an intensely personal letter (some referring to it as "Paul's autobiography"!), and written "primarily to defend his apostleship), it also contains some important theological themes"--including the doctines of the new covenant, and of "reconciliation," and of the "substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ"!
 
In 3:6, he writes that "our adequacy is from God, who also made us adquate as servants of a new covenant"--the glory of the new covenant which was ratified by the death of Christ on the cross and which has delivered us from the curse of the Law!  "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the "Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (Paul writes in 4:6). And, in 5:17, he writes that "if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come!"
 
"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation!  Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God (he continues in 5:20)!  And all because of the great doctrine of the "substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ," which is summed up best (perhaps in all the Bible) by the one sentence in 5:21: "He (God the Father) has made Him (Jesus Christ, the Son) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"!    He writes further (in 8:9): "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich!"  Wow!
 
How then shall we live, Paul?  Other than to be "ambassadors of Christ"?
 
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers," he says (in 6:14), "for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"  And he reminds us (in verse 16) that, "We are the temple of the living God!"  
 
Therefore, having these promises, beloved (he writes i n 7:1), let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God!"
 
And what about "giving"?  "Now this I say (writes Paul in 9:6-7), "he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (But) "each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"!  Like the Macedonian believers who "in the midst of great affliction and deep poverty, overflowed with an abundance of joy in the wealth of their liberality"!  And, speaking of giving, he adds (in verse 15): "Thanks be to God for His indescrible gift"!
 
What about "boasting"?  In `10:13, Paul writes that "we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God has apportioned to us"--and (in 10:17-18), that "he who boasts is to boast in the Lord, for it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends!"
 
And what about the "schemes of Satan and spiritual warfare"?  Paul writes (in 10-:3-5): "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare (highlighted in Ephesians 6:10-18!) are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses!  We are destroying speclations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive in the obedience of Christ!"  But Paul also expressed fear (in 11:3) that "as the serpent (Satan) deceivcd Eve by his craftiness, the Corinthians minds would be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, and that if one came and preached another Jesus whom he didn't preach, or received a different spirit which they had not received, or a different gospel which they had not accepted, they might bear it beautifully, "or be too easily enticed by the damning lies of the false teachers!  (Paul was more direct with the Galatians to whom he writes, in Galatians 1:9, that "even if we, or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel, contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!")
 
Paul, we read that God gave you "a thorn in the flesh" to keep you humble," right"?  Yes, Paul writes (12:7-8), and "I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me" (all to no avail)!  But He answered me with this (in verse 9): "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness!"  And I (Paul) responded: "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weakness, that the power of Christ may rest upon me!"  (Love that verse, written, as I learned it many years ago, in the KJV!)  And Paul added, with another "therefore," in verse 10: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong!"  Wow!
 
And then, we love the way you "finally" ended your epistle, Paul!  With the exhortations for us "to rejoice," to "be made complete," to "be comforted," to be "like-minded," and to "live in peace"!  Knowing that, as we live that way, "the God of peace and the God of love will be with us," in ways we can only imagine!  
 
Then closng with the beautiful Trinitarian benediction (or blessing!): "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all!"  What better and more rousing ending could we as MOBsters have gotten for our time spent together studying Paul's great epistle!  Makes you want to sing!  Maybe a "tribute"!  

• "How can I give thanks (O Lord!) for the things You've done for me?  Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love for me!  The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude; all that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee!  To God be the glory, to God be the glory, to God be the glory, for the things He has done!
• With His blood He has saved me; and with his power He has raised me; to God be the glory, for the things He has done!
• Just let me live my life, and let it be pleasing Lord to Thee; and should I gain any praise, let it be to Calvary!
• With His blood He has saved me, with His power He has raised me; to God be the glory, for the things He has done!"

What more can we say???
 
May God be with you 'til we meet again!  (When our days will be "numbered"!)
 
Lowell

"Finally, then, my brothers, cheer up!  Straighten yourselves out, comfort yourselves, agree with one another and live in peace, so shall the God of love and peace be ever with you!"  (II Corinthians 13:11, Phillips translation)
 
In last week's lesson (on II Corinthians 13:1-10), the apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers that in his upcoming visit to Corinth (his third), he would "not spare anyone" who had sinned and not repented, and that, as the Law required (in Deuteronomy 19:15, and elsewhere), "every fact would be confirmed by two or three witnesses," and especially for those seeking proof of his apostleship and of the Christ who speaks through him!
 
MacArthur notes that the Corinthians who were seeking proof of Paul's apostleship "would get more than they bargained for when he arrived, for he was to use his apostolic authority and the power he had in Christ to deal with any sin and rebellion he found there--and that would be first-hand proof of his divinely-given power"!
 
Paul challenged them, in his epistle, to "test themselves to see if they were in the faith, and to recognize that Christ was in them, unless they failed the test;" and, as believers to specifically examine their works to gain assurance that they were experiencing sanctification and walking in obedience to the Lord!  (Constable, you remember, noted that Paul's argument was compelling and if they wanted proof of Paul's ministry was of Christ, they needed to "look at themselves. not at Paul, because Paul had ministered the gospel to them"!
 
Paul had written earlier to the Corinthians (in I Corinthians 2:1-5) that "when he came to them, he determined to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified; and that he was with them in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and that his message and his preaching were not in persasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that their faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God"!
 
And he prayed "not that he would be approved by them. but that they would do what is right, even  though he might appear unapproved"!  His deepest longing for them was that, as his "spiritual children," they would lead godly lives even if they persisted in doubting his apostleship!
 
And he ended this section of his letter with a one-sentence statement which, in effect, sums up his reason for writing II Corinthians: "For this reason I am writing these things when absent, so that I need not use severity, in accordance which the Lord gave me building you up and not tearing you down"!
 
This set the scene for our lesson last night where the apostle apostle Paul closes out his letter with five exhortations, written as imperatives, for them to follow; a greeting from "all the saints;" and a remarkable reminder of all the blessings of the grace and love and fellowship they had received, and would continue to receive, from the Triune God!
 
The five exhortations, MacArthur notes, are a reflection of his prayer for them in verse 9, summed up as a desire that the Corithians "be made complete"!  Not in the sense of adding something that was lacking but of "putting things in order" in the church, and in their own lives!  In I Corinthians 1:10, Paul had earlier expressed his desire that the Corinthians "be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment"!  To the Thessalonians he wrote (in I Thessalonians 3:10) that he "prayed most earnestly"that he might "complete what was lacking in their faith"!  Similarly, to the Colossians he wrote (in Colossians 1:28): "we proclaim Him (Christ!) admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ"!
 
And to the Ephesians he wrote (in Ephesians 4:11-16) that Christ gave (to the church) "some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ...and grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Crist whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of the body for the building up of itself in love"!  Whew!
 
The Corinthian believers needed to "get things in order," to repent of their sins, to reject the false teachers and return to acknowledging Paul as a genuine apostle--and, most importantly, to submit to the truths of God that he proclaimed!  And to help them better align themselves with God's truth, Paul gave them five final exhortations; the first one--for them to "rejoice"!  A word used as a greeting, or a farewell--like "hello," or "peace," or "shalom" (the traditional Jewish greeting or farewell). It's the same word Jesus used (in Matthew 28:9) after he was resurrected and left the tomb, to greet his disciples!)  An appropriate word for all Christians because "joy" is an essential mark of every believer!
 
"Joy" is one of the "fruits of the Spirit," in Galatians 5:22!  Paul charged the Philippians (in Philippians 3:1 to "rejoice in the Lord" and, in 4:4, to "rejoice always"!  And added for emphasis: "And, again, I say rejoice!"  To the Thessalonians (in I Thessalonians 5:16), he wrote that they should "keep on rejoicing"! 
 
Remember the words of Jesus to His disciples, in the Upper Room, just prior the Cross, when after speaking about the "vine and the branches," and the need to "abide in Him," as He would abide in them, He said: "These things I have spoken to you, so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full!"  And, in the "beattitudes," where He said, "Blessed are you when men hate you and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.  Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven!  For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets!"  ("Leap" for joy?)
 
Peter got it all together when he wrote (in I Peter 1:8). "Though you have seen Him (speaking of Christ), you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice, with joy inexpressible (KJV says "unspeakable"!) and full of glory!"  And added (in 4:12-13), "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exhultation!"
 
MacArthur notes that the Christian's joy "flows from the deep, unshakeable confidence that God is eternally in control of every aspect of life for the good of His beloved children--a confidence rooted in the knowledge of His Word!  God's character, the saving work of Christ, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, divine providence, spiritual blessings, the promise of future glory, answered prayer, and Christian fellowship all cause believers to rejoice"!
 
And, Paul writes, "Be comforted!"  And II Corinthians 1:3-4 comes to mind where Paul earlier wrote these great encouraging words: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God!"  Wow!  But in verse 11 of our passage Paul uses the Greek word, "parakaleo," which means "submission"!  And so Paul is writing that if we're going to "put things in order" (be complete!) and demonstrate "the fullness of the spiritual life as a measure of the stature of Christ," we must not only have joy but also "submit" to the authority of God--and (Paul continues) "be like-minded, and live in peace"!
 
Paul writes in Philippians 1:27: "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"  And, as the prophet Isaiah says (in Isaiah 26:3, the way I learned it long ago in KJV): "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed in Thee; because he trusteth in Thee!"
 
And so, in this passage, Paul writes that when the Corinthians "rejoice," get things in order (be "made complete"), are "comforted" (and in submission to Him), and "are like-minded, and live in peace, the God of love and peace will be with them"!  And that applies just as much to the church, and to us, individually, as believers today!  Wow!  
 
And we were reminded (sadly!) that there were times (then, and even now!) when God abandoned the church, and its people!  John wrote in Revelation 2:2-7, to the "loveless church" of Ephesus: "I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.  But I have this against you, that you have left your first love; therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstead out of its place--unless you repent!"  Wow!
 
And to the "compromising church"of Pergamum (in Revelation 2:12-17)!  And to the "corrupt church" of Thyatira (in 2:18-28)!  And to the "dead church" of Sardis (in 3:1-6)!  And to the "luke-warm church" of Laodicea (in 3:14-18)!  May it never be, in our church!  Or to any of us!
 
The apostle Paul, bless his heart, wanted to get the Corinthian church in line and in order so that  they could enjoy the fulness of the love and peace of God that He brings to those who repent and follow His truth!  And this applies to the church, as well as to us as individual believers to this day!
 
But Paul's not done!  He wanted the Corinthian Christians to have a special love for fellow believers--and to continue to express that in a personal and affectionate way!  With "a holy kiss"--which was apparently a common way of expressing affection in that ancient society!  (Jesus said, in John 13:3-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you love one another!  By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another!  Wow!
 
"All the saints greet you!" Paul adds in verse 13 (writing from Macedonia, and communicating that unique and special affection (here expressed with a "verbal embrace") fellow "brothers and sisters' in Christ" have with each other!  
 
Then Paul closes his great epistle with perhaps the most awesome benediction in all the Bible, as a reminder of the inexpressible blessing that the Corinthians, and Christians everywhere, have received from our Triune God!  The grace from our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship we have with the God-head, and all believers, through the Holy Spirit1
 
Makes you want to sing, any number of sons and hymns of praise and adoration!  Like, "The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord!  She is HIs new creation, by water and the Word; from Heav'n He came and sought her, to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died...!"  Or how bout, "Come Thou Almighty King, help us Thy name to sing; help us to praise; Father all glorious, oh how victorious; come and reign over us, ancient of days..."  Or, "Abide with me. fast falls the eventide, the darkness deepens Lord, with me abide; when other helpers fail and comforts flee; help of the helpless, oh, abide with me!"  And the one that comes first to my mind for this lesson; "I'm so glad I'm apart of the family of God!  I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!  Joint heirs with Jesus, as we travel this sod; for I'm part of the family, the family of God!"
 
Rejoice, my beloved brothers, be comforted, and go in peace!  
 
Blessing on you!
 
Til we meet again!
 
Lowell

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith!  Examine yourself!  Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?"  (II Corinthians 13:5)
 
In last week's lesson, on II Corinthians 12:11-21, the apostle Paul wrote about how he planned to return to Corinth for the third time and that he "would not be a burden to them," by accepting support for his ministry, but like a father with his children he would "most gladly spend and be expended for their souls"!  And he noted that neither Titus nor "the brother" who he had sent to them earlier had taken advantage of them either!  His purpose, and theirs as well, was "in the sight of God to speak in Christ and build them up in the faith"!   But he also expressed fear that he "might not find them again as he wished, and that they might not find him as they wished"!  He was concerned that there might be "strife, jealousy, angry tempers, slanders, gossip, arrogance, and disturbances" when he came, and that "God might humiliate him in their presence, and that he might mourn over many of those who who had sinned in the past and not repented, of impurity, immorality, and sensuality which they practiced"!  (MacArthur notes that "he didn't want to find them in the same sorry spiritual condition as on his last visit"--the so-called "painful visit"!)
 
And so, in last night's passage, Paul warned the Corinthians that in his third coming to them he would not show any leniency to those who had sinned and "not spare anyone," but deal with them biblically, in accordance with the Law of God which requires that "every fact be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses"--and especially since they were "seeking proof for the Christ who speaks through him, and is not weak toward them"!  
 
Deuteronomy 19:15 states that, "A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed"!  Jesus said, in Matthew 18:15-18: "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother!  But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector!"  (Interesting, as Jeremy noted last night, that the first act of church discipline is recorded in Acts 5:1-11, concerning the Ananias and Sapphira incident!)
 
The apostle Paul could be strong ("in the Lord"), if he had to be, in confronting believers living in sin, and not repenting!  MacArthur notes that those Corinthians "seeking proof of his apostleship" would have it when he arrived in Corinth!  They might, in fact, have gotten more than they bargained for--for Paul was going to use his apostolic authority and the power he had in Christ to deal with any sin and rebellion he found there!  They would have first-hand proof of his divinely-given power!
 
In verse 5, Paul challenges the Corinthians to "test themselves to see if they were in the faith; examine yourselves!  Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test"?  This verse at first glance seems to be talking about gaining assurance of one's salvation, but that is not apparently what Paul had in mind!  He was writing to genuine believers, and as Contable notes, was telling them to "examine their works to gain assurance that they were experiencing sanctification; that they were walking in obedience to the Lord"!  Were they living out the Christian life?  Just as he earlier wrote in I Corinthians 16:13: 
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men; be strong!"
 
In this same regard, James 2:14-20 says: "What use is it, my brethren, if some say he has faith but he has no works?  Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothinga and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself!  But someone may well say, 'You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works'!  You believe God is one.  You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder! But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is dead!"  Wow!
 
Constable notes that Paul's argument is compelling!  If the Corinthians wanted proof of whether Paul's ministry was from Christ, they must "look at themselves, not him, because Paul had ministered the gospel to them"!
 
Paul wrote in I Corinthians 2:1-5 that, "when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.  For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified!  I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trempling and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God"!  (MacArthur notes that "the genuineness of their salvation was the proof of the genuineness of Paul's apostleship"!)
 
Verse 7 is an interesting verse!  "Now we pray to God that you do no wrong, not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved!"  Paul's deepest longing was for his "spiritual children" to lead godly lives even if they persisted in doubting his apostleship! And then, in verse 9, where he adds: "For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you may be made complete!"  And we can't help but remember his shocking words in Romans 9:3, where he expressed "great sorrow and grief in his heart" for Israel's rejection of Chrst: "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh...!"  Are you kidding?
 
And he ends this section, in verse 10, with a one-sentence statement which, in essence, sums up why Paul was writing this entire espistle of II Corinthians!  "For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not tearing down!" 
 
Wow!  The heart of Paul!  And the intensity of his love and concern for the people of God!  Balancing truth and love!  Willing to appear "unapproved"?  Even "accursed"?
 
And we are asked to "imitate him, as he imitated Christ"!
 
Til we meet again!
 
Lowell