If we are indeed secure in Christ, then what is 2 Cor 6:1-3 all about? "And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain (for He says, 'at the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.' Behold, now is 'the acceptable time,' behold, now is 'the day of salvation') giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited.'"
If we remove Paul’s parenthetical thought for a moment, it becomes clear that the apostle had the ministry in mind, not salvation, when he used the phrase "urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain." As representatives of Christ in His absence, the Corinthians should have been living exemplary lives. However, their conduct was far from godly, placing their ministry which they had received by the grace of God in jeopardy of being ineffectual. With the re-insertion of Paul’s parenthetical phrase, we see that he was trying to show the Corinthians the seriousness of the situation. While they were busy fighting among themselves, people were perishing.
We see the same thought in 1 Timothy 4:16:
Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
***Salvation in 1 Tim 4:16 does not refer to the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus; rather, it refers to the deliverance from the bondage of sin; it is this present experience on the part of believers virtually equivalent to sanctification; they were not to neglect it.
If we remove Paul’s parenthetical thought for a moment, it becomes clear that the apostle had the ministry in mind, not salvation, when he used the phrase "urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain." As representatives of Christ in His absence, the Corinthians should have been living exemplary lives. However, their conduct was far from godly, placing their ministry which they had received by the grace of God in jeopardy of being ineffectual. With the re-insertion of Paul’s parenthetical phrase, we see that he was trying to show the Corinthians the seriousness of the situation. While they were busy fighting among themselves, people were perishing.
We see the same thought in 1 Timothy 4:16:
Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
***Salvation in 1 Tim 4:16 does not refer to the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus; rather, it refers to the deliverance from the bondage of sin; it is this present experience on the part of believers virtually equivalent to sanctification; they were not to neglect it.
No comments:
Post a Comment