March 25, 2012

Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn't return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm. -- 2Corinthians 1: 23-24 (NLT)

The Epistle of Second Corinthians was written by Paul on his third and final missionary journey from the country of Macedonia. This letter was actually written fairly close to when the first letter to the Corinthians had been delivered and read. It seems that some at the Church at Corinth had not reacted favorably to the first letter and began to question the legitimacy of the Apostleship of Paul. This was probably in large part to an influence of Judaizing teachers who were infiltrating the ranks of the Corinthian church with false teachings about the law in relation to Christ. Paul ends his opening chapter of the letter with the verses above.

The letter was serving as a means to get the severe rebuke out of the way and prepare the church for his visit. But within the closing of this chapter we do see some principles that still follow the church today:

1 - Some in the church will always seek to infiltrate the ranks with teachings that run contrary to the intent of God. They have their own views and will question people that stand for Christ. As Jesus once said to Peter, they have the things of man in mind, not the things of God. Remember that Paul has taught that he needed to know only one thing -- Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

2 -- The joy that comes from unity is Christ-centered upon sound doctrine, period. Christ does not need to be marketed -- He needs to be preached. This does not mean that leadership cannot be rightly questioned; after all the Bereans tested everything. But they tested everything according to the Word of God -- not the opinions of man.

3 -- Lastly, standing firm and not wavering is a matter of faith. Too many today are being blown to every wind of doctrine that comes along. The latest fad is embraced and the true Gospel either fades into the background or becomes watered down. Integrity fall one little compromise at a time, not with a great crash. It erodes. Paul was seeking to stop the erosion at the Corinthian Church and we should seek the same in the church today.

Rev. Anthony