"But 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!" (II Corinthians 10:17-18, NASV)
"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. It is not self-commendation that matters; it is winning the approval of God! (II Corinthians 10:17-18, Phillips)
In last week's lesson, on II Corinthians 10:1-6, we saw how the tenor and tone of Paul's writing changed as he found it necessary to answer his critics and the false teachers who had infiltrated the church of Corinth and were questioning his integrity and trying to destroy his ministry! It's a "warfare motif" recognizing the spiritual battle that he, and the Corinthian believers, and all believers to this day were and are facing! The apostle Paul saw the Christian life as an ongoing "spiritual battle" and himself as a "soldier of Jesus Christ"--and it's reflected in all his writing!
In I Timothy 6:12, he challenged Timothy, his "son in the faith," to "fight the good fight of faith... and to take hold of the eternal life to which he was called"! Then, in II Timothy 2:3, to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," noting that "no man who wars tangles himself with the affairs of this life"!
And he wrote that resounding passage to the Ephesians (In Ephesians 6:10-17) which is continuing reminder to all believers, and particularly for this day! And I love the way the KJV says it (which is what I learned in my youth), and it bears repeating: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places! Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand! Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God! Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints..."! Whew!
And, at the end of his life, he was able to claim (as he wrote in II Timothy 4:6-8), "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand! I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing!"
And, looking back, we realize that he wrote II Corinthians, with its "war-like" tone, because he knew, as MacArthur pointed out, "something any good soldier knows--that though a rebellion has been for a moment ended, vistiges of it can be found in many places; and so he knew there were still some glowing embers from the fire of accusations against him, ready to be fanned into flames at the first opportunity! And so, in this final section of II Corinthians (chapters 10-13), Paul directs strong and bold words at those remaining rebels, the recalcitrant false teachers, retrenched in the church of Corinth"!
And so, we see him coming with "weapons of war," and "guns blazing"! But still, as he noted in 10:1, "in the meekness and gentleness of Christ"! And though "walking in the flesh, warring with weapons of warfare not of the flesh but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses... destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ"! Wow, love that verse!
And all that set the tone for our lesson last night, on verses 7-18, a portion of Scripture which, interestingly, MacArthur once observed, was "one most preachers and teachers of the Word would not likely select to preach or teach on"! Because "there's not any doctrine here, nothing to comfort the heart, or anything to intruct the mind on theological matters," he said! Until he later preached on it himeself, and then formed a whole different impression! And took "an about face," and, would you believe, preached four consecutive, rich sermons on it, on four consecutive Sunday services at Grace Community Church, which he entitled, "How to Recognize a True Man of God"! (Which is what we talked about last nite!)
You see, the apostle Paul was answering his critics in this passage, and comparing and contrasting his ministry with that of the false teachers who had infiltrated the church of Corinth, and were questioning his integrity and trying to destroy his ministry! They reasoned that if they could get the Corinthians to lose trust in Paul they could become the reigning teachers and bring on their their damnable lies and heresy, and thus destroy the work of Paul!
Jesus Himself, toward the end of His earthly ministry, warned that this would be coming! In Matthew 7:15-16, he said, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing (the garb of the so-called "shepherds"), but inwardly are ravenous wolves! You will know them by their fruits!" And Peter wrote, in II Peter 2:1-2, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought then, bringing swift destruction upon themselves! Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep!
In this same manner, and for this same reason, the apostle Paul urged Timothy (in II Timothy 4:2-4) to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but wanting to have their ears tickled. They will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths...!"
It was a dangerous time in Corinth! And so Paul begins, in verse 7 of our text, by challenging the Corinthians not to look at things superficially, but to look at things rationally as they are before their eyes--and to be discerning in seeing the obvious contrast between him and the false teachers, and (as John Neal noted) to "judge their ministries through observation, identifying and being able to separate fact from fiction"!
The Corinthians had been saved through the ministry of Paul; he was the founder ot the church of Corinth and their "spiritual father"! They knew of his conversion experience of the Damascus road, and how his life was changed! Of his apostleship, and of the mandate he had received from Christ to be preach the gospel! They knew of the zealousness and impact of his teaching! And of the life he lived before them! His track record was clear, in stark contrast with that of the false teachers! How could they not see through this? How could they join this mutiny against him, he must have wondered! How could they possibly believe these false teachers were the true apostles and that he was a false apostle, as they claimed?
"A true man of God can be known by his relationship with Jesus Christ," MacArthur notes!
In verse 8, he writes that "even if he has to boast of his authority (as an apostle!) which the Lord gave him for building up and not destroying them, he would not be put to shame!" The impact he had on the lives of the Corinthians, and the evidence there and plain for all to see--again in stark contrast to the false teachers who were only trying to tear it all down!
"A true man of God can be known not only by his own relationship with Christ but by the impact he has on the church, the body of believers," notes MacArthur!
In verse 9, Paul writes that he "did not wish to seem as if to terrify the Corinthians by his letters," as false teachers accused him of doing--making him out to be an abuser and "brow beater" who tried to intimidate them by his letters, using perhaps Paul's "severe letter" to make their case! And while Paul was concerned himself, at least initially, that that particular letter might have made them sorrowful, although only for a time, he "could now rejoice, not that the letter made them sorrowful but that they were made sorrowful to the point of repentance, a sorrow that was according to the will of God, producing a repentance without regret, leading to salvation"! And so even that letter, as was the case for all his letters, were really written to bring them to salvation and sanctification, and so demonstrating the deep love and concern that he had for them!
"A true man of God is known for his compassion for people," writes MacArthur!
And along the same line, in a culture that highly valued skillful rhetoric and eloquent oration, with a bit of charisma, the false teachers were accusing him of being two-sided and, basically, "a wimp"! "While his letters were weighty and strong, his personal presence was unimpressive and his speech contemptible," they said! Paul didn't dispute this sarcasm! It's true that while Paul repudiated "eloquent sophistry," though clearly capable of expressing it, he preferred instead to preach the gospel in simplicity and power! In I Corinthians 2:1-5, he explained it, by writing: "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 trembling, 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 man, but on the power of God!"
Paul claimed that, despite what they said, or thought they observed, "he was the same person in the words of his letters, when absent, as he was in their presence"! "What we are in word by letters when absent, we are also in deed when present," he wrote in verse 11! He was not a hypocrite; and his integrity was unimpeachable!
In I Thessalonians 2:4, he wrote, "But just as we have been approved by God, to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God!"
"A true man of God is known by his distain for fleshly methods, and he seeks in all he does to please the Lord," writes MacArthur!
In verse 12, he writes that he was not bold to classify himself with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding!" (The Phillips' translation puts it this way: "Of course we shouldn't dare include ourselves in the same class as those who write their own testimonials, or even compare ourselves with them! All they are doing, of course, is to measure themselves by their own standards or by comparisons within their own circle, and that doesn't make for accurate estimation, you may be sure!"
"There's no more noble Christian virtue than humility, the genuine conviction that one is utterly and completely unworthy of the goodness, mercy, and grace of God!"
Paul summed up the attitude of a humble person when he wrote, in II Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything in coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God!"
In Galatian 6:3-4, he wrote, "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another!"
Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God!
"A true man of God is known by his humility, and he will not compare himself with others," writes MacArthur1
But verse 13 goes even further in discussing humility! "But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you! Wow!
"Paul did not chafe under his God-ordained limits; he did not want to have a bigger or more important ministry than God intended for him. He was perfectly content with the sphere of ministry that God intended for him! He focused on excellence rather than success; on the quality of his ministry rather than on its size, on the depth of his ministry and not on its breadth" (again, spoken by our dear departed brother, MacArthur)
Even Christ placed limits on his ministry! He said (in John 5:30) that He "did not seek His own will, but the will of Him who sent Him"!
"A humble messenger of God is willing to minister within limits," writes MacArthur!
Then, in verses 14-16, Paul writes that "we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ, not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another!"
(This is the passage that A. B. Simpson, who founded the the "Christain Missionay Allliance," and the missionary-oriented Nyack College (and where my oldest daughter graduated!) must have had in mind when he wrote that great missionary hymn, "To the regions beyond I must go, I must go, where the story has never been told; to the millions that never have heard of His love, I must tell the sweet story of old...til the world, all the world, His salvation shall know...!)
But wherever the message goes, "the humble messenger of God is unwilling to take credit for others' labors," writes MacArthur!
And so where is it appropriate for one to boast, one might ask! Paul answers that, in verses 17-18, by writing: "But 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!"
David (a "man after God's own heart") wrote in Psalm 20:7, "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord!" Adding in Psalm 34:2, "My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice!" And Jeremiah writes (in Jeremiah 9:23-24), "Thus says the Lord, 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might; let not the rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord!" (Paul may have had this passage in mind when he wrote verse 17, and earlier when he wrote I Corinthians 1:31, "Just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord!")
"The humble messenger of God has a willingness to seek only the Lord's glory," writes MacArthur!
And he writes a fitting summation of last night's passage for us to remember (and marvel): "The Corinthians should have been able to tell the difference between true and false spiritual leaders, and so should today's church! True men of God are not 'showmen;' they don't intimidate people; they do not seek to promote themselves; they value truth enough not to tolerate error; they seek to imitate the meekness of Jesus Christ; they have a high view of Scripture and preach the true, unadulterated gospel; they are content to minister within the sphere in which God has for them; they lead lives consistent with their teaching; they don't take credit for others' work; and they seek God's eternal glory, not temporal acclaim! The man who in this way serves God is acceptable to God, and approved by men!"
And that is something our dear brother, John (now gone on to his reward) could legitimately "boast" about (but wouldn't)!
Walk with the Lord, and be a blessing!
Til we meet again!
Lowell
"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. It is not self-commendation that matters; it is winning the approval of God! (II Corinthians 10:17-18, Phillips)
In last week's lesson, on II Corinthians 10:1-6, we saw how the tenor and tone of Paul's writing changed as he found it necessary to answer his critics and the false teachers who had infiltrated the church of Corinth and were questioning his integrity and trying to destroy his ministry! It's a "warfare motif" recognizing the spiritual battle that he, and the Corinthian believers, and all believers to this day were and are facing! The apostle Paul saw the Christian life as an ongoing "spiritual battle" and himself as a "soldier of Jesus Christ"--and it's reflected in all his writing!
In I Timothy 6:12, he challenged Timothy, his "son in the faith," to "fight the good fight of faith... and to take hold of the eternal life to which he was called"! Then, in II Timothy 2:3, to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," noting that "no man who wars tangles himself with the affairs of this life"!
And he wrote that resounding passage to the Ephesians (In Ephesians 6:10-17) which is continuing reminder to all believers, and particularly for this day! And I love the way the KJV says it (which is what I learned in my youth), and it bears repeating: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places! Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand! Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God! Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints..."! Whew!
And, at the end of his life, he was able to claim (as he wrote in II Timothy 4:6-8), "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand! I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing!"
And, looking back, we realize that he wrote II Corinthians, with its "war-like" tone, because he knew, as MacArthur pointed out, "something any good soldier knows--that though a rebellion has been for a moment ended, vistiges of it can be found in many places; and so he knew there were still some glowing embers from the fire of accusations against him, ready to be fanned into flames at the first opportunity! And so, in this final section of II Corinthians (chapters 10-13), Paul directs strong and bold words at those remaining rebels, the recalcitrant false teachers, retrenched in the church of Corinth"!
And so, we see him coming with "weapons of war," and "guns blazing"! But still, as he noted in 10:1, "in the meekness and gentleness of Christ"! And though "walking in the flesh, warring with weapons of warfare not of the flesh but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses... destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ"! Wow, love that verse!
And all that set the tone for our lesson last night, on verses 7-18, a portion of Scripture which, interestingly, MacArthur once observed, was "one most preachers and teachers of the Word would not likely select to preach or teach on"! Because "there's not any doctrine here, nothing to comfort the heart, or anything to intruct the mind on theological matters," he said! Until he later preached on it himeself, and then formed a whole different impression! And took "an about face," and, would you believe, preached four consecutive, rich sermons on it, on four consecutive Sunday services at Grace Community Church, which he entitled, "How to Recognize a True Man of God"! (Which is what we talked about last nite!)
You see, the apostle Paul was answering his critics in this passage, and comparing and contrasting his ministry with that of the false teachers who had infiltrated the church of Corinth, and were questioning his integrity and trying to destroy his ministry! They reasoned that if they could get the Corinthians to lose trust in Paul they could become the reigning teachers and bring on their their damnable lies and heresy, and thus destroy the work of Paul!
Jesus Himself, toward the end of His earthly ministry, warned that this would be coming! In Matthew 7:15-16, he said, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing (the garb of the so-called "shepherds"), but inwardly are ravenous wolves! You will know them by their fruits!" And Peter wrote, in II Peter 2:1-2, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought then, bringing swift destruction upon themselves! Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep!
In this same manner, and for this same reason, the apostle Paul urged Timothy (in II Timothy 4:2-4) to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but wanting to have their ears tickled. They will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths...!"
It was a dangerous time in Corinth! And so Paul begins, in verse 7 of our text, by challenging the Corinthians not to look at things superficially, but to look at things rationally as they are before their eyes--and to be discerning in seeing the obvious contrast between him and the false teachers, and (as John Neal noted) to "judge their ministries through observation, identifying and being able to separate fact from fiction"!
The Corinthians had been saved through the ministry of Paul; he was the founder ot the church of Corinth and their "spiritual father"! They knew of his conversion experience of the Damascus road, and how his life was changed! Of his apostleship, and of the mandate he had received from Christ to be preach the gospel! They knew of the zealousness and impact of his teaching! And of the life he lived before them! His track record was clear, in stark contrast with that of the false teachers! How could they not see through this? How could they join this mutiny against him, he must have wondered! How could they possibly believe these false teachers were the true apostles and that he was a false apostle, as they claimed?
"A true man of God can be known by his relationship with Jesus Christ," MacArthur notes!
In verse 8, he writes that "even if he has to boast of his authority (as an apostle!) which the Lord gave him for building up and not destroying them, he would not be put to shame!" The impact he had on the lives of the Corinthians, and the evidence there and plain for all to see--again in stark contrast to the false teachers who were only trying to tear it all down!
"A true man of God can be known not only by his own relationship with Christ but by the impact he has on the church, the body of believers," notes MacArthur!
In verse 9, Paul writes that he "did not wish to seem as if to terrify the Corinthians by his letters," as false teachers accused him of doing--making him out to be an abuser and "brow beater" who tried to intimidate them by his letters, using perhaps Paul's "severe letter" to make their case! And while Paul was concerned himself, at least initially, that that particular letter might have made them sorrowful, although only for a time, he "could now rejoice, not that the letter made them sorrowful but that they were made sorrowful to the point of repentance, a sorrow that was according to the will of God, producing a repentance without regret, leading to salvation"! And so even that letter, as was the case for all his letters, were really written to bring them to salvation and sanctification, and so demonstrating the deep love and concern that he had for them!
"A true man of God is known for his compassion for people," writes MacArthur!
And along the same line, in a culture that highly valued skillful rhetoric and eloquent oration, with a bit of charisma, the false teachers were accusing him of being two-sided and, basically, "a wimp"! "While his letters were weighty and strong, his personal presence was unimpressive and his speech contemptible," they said! Paul didn't dispute this sarcasm! It's true that while Paul repudiated "eloquent sophistry," though clearly capable of expressing it, he preferred instead to preach the gospel in simplicity and power! In I Corinthians 2:1-5, he explained it, by writing: "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 trembling, 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 man, but on the power of God!"
Paul claimed that, despite what they said, or thought they observed, "he was the same person in the words of his letters, when absent, as he was in their presence"! "What we are in word by letters when absent, we are also in deed when present," he wrote in verse 11! He was not a hypocrite; and his integrity was unimpeachable!
In I Thessalonians 2:4, he wrote, "But just as we have been approved by God, to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God!"
"A true man of God is known by his distain for fleshly methods, and he seeks in all he does to please the Lord," writes MacArthur!
In verse 12, he writes that he was not bold to classify himself with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding!" (The Phillips' translation puts it this way: "Of course we shouldn't dare include ourselves in the same class as those who write their own testimonials, or even compare ourselves with them! All they are doing, of course, is to measure themselves by their own standards or by comparisons within their own circle, and that doesn't make for accurate estimation, you may be sure!"
"There's no more noble Christian virtue than humility, the genuine conviction that one is utterly and completely unworthy of the goodness, mercy, and grace of God!"
Paul summed up the attitude of a humble person when he wrote, in II Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything in coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God!"
In Galatian 6:3-4, he wrote, "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another!"
Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God!
"A true man of God is known by his humility, and he will not compare himself with others," writes MacArthur1
But verse 13 goes even further in discussing humility! "But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you! Wow!
"Paul did not chafe under his God-ordained limits; he did not want to have a bigger or more important ministry than God intended for him. He was perfectly content with the sphere of ministry that God intended for him! He focused on excellence rather than success; on the quality of his ministry rather than on its size, on the depth of his ministry and not on its breadth" (again, spoken by our dear departed brother, MacArthur)
Even Christ placed limits on his ministry! He said (in John 5:30) that He "did not seek His own will, but the will of Him who sent Him"!
"A humble messenger of God is willing to minister within limits," writes MacArthur!
Then, in verses 14-16, Paul writes that "we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ, not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another!"
(This is the passage that A. B. Simpson, who founded the the "Christain Missionay Allliance," and the missionary-oriented Nyack College (and where my oldest daughter graduated!) must have had in mind when he wrote that great missionary hymn, "To the regions beyond I must go, I must go, where the story has never been told; to the millions that never have heard of His love, I must tell the sweet story of old...til the world, all the world, His salvation shall know...!)
But wherever the message goes, "the humble messenger of God is unwilling to take credit for others' labors," writes MacArthur!
And so where is it appropriate for one to boast, one might ask! Paul answers that, in verses 17-18, by writing: "But 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!"
David (a "man after God's own heart") wrote in Psalm 20:7, "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord!" Adding in Psalm 34:2, "My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice!" And Jeremiah writes (in Jeremiah 9:23-24), "Thus says the Lord, 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might; let not the rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord!" (Paul may have had this passage in mind when he wrote verse 17, and earlier when he wrote I Corinthians 1:31, "Just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord!")
"The humble messenger of God has a willingness to seek only the Lord's glory," writes MacArthur!
And he writes a fitting summation of last night's passage for us to remember (and marvel): "The Corinthians should have been able to tell the difference between true and false spiritual leaders, and so should today's church! True men of God are not 'showmen;' they don't intimidate people; they do not seek to promote themselves; they value truth enough not to tolerate error; they seek to imitate the meekness of Jesus Christ; they have a high view of Scripture and preach the true, unadulterated gospel; they are content to minister within the sphere in which God has for them; they lead lives consistent with their teaching; they don't take credit for others' work; and they seek God's eternal glory, not temporal acclaim! The man who in this way serves God is acceptable to God, and approved by men!"
And that is something our dear brother, John (now gone on to his reward) could legitimately "boast" about (but wouldn't)!
Walk with the Lord, and be a blessing!
Til we meet again!
Lowell
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