Bg – Living as a Servant 6: 1-10

Living as a Servant
6: 1-10

Living as a servant DIG: How does Paul defend the authenticity of his ministry here? How does this differ from the ways the false apostles asserted their authority (3:1, 4:2, 5:12, 11:23-29)? By appealing to his servanthood rather than his supernatural conversion or to the miracles that he performed, what is Paul saying about the true test of faith? What does it mean to receive God’s grace in vain? How does Paul’s willingness to endure suffering for the sake of Messiah prove that he tried not to put obstacles in anyone’s path? What are some of the ways that Paul and his fellow ministers of the gospel commend themselves to the people they served? Paul notes that the role of a servant of God is to preserve and endure even in the midst of struggles. But what internal qualities does a servant also need to possess? How does living a blameless life before God give a believer freedom?

REFLECT: What are some of the reasons people may give for waiting to accept the gospel? What can you do to emphasize to others the urgency for accepting Messiah? Why do you think many believers are reluctant to roll up their sleeves and minister to others? What ironies and paradoxes does Paul cite as he describes his complicated, roller-coaster life as a committed servant of God? Some people protest that Paul’s words only apply to “full-time Messianic rabbis and ministers” and that the average believer can’t be expected to live like that. How do you respond to this claim? Paul was devoted to living in such a way that his life did not contradict the gospel. What attitudes, values, actions, or habits can tarnish the reputation of Messiah or His Church? What link did Paul see between undergoing affliction and developing into a productive servant of God? What did Paul learn through his trials? Why does being a servant of God matter so much?

Shepherds don’t produce sheep; sheep produce sheep.

Earlier, Paul began a defense of his ministry (to see link click Bd – A New Creation), which, in turn, led to an explanation of his message. Now he returned to the topic of his ministry and its difficulties, mirroring that of his Lord. During His earthly ministry, Yeshua faced the extremes of being adored and despised. While some acclaimed Him as the Lord of heaven, others despised Him as a demon-possessed counterfeit Messiah. Since Yeshua was treated in such completely opposite ways, His followers can expect no less (John 15:18-20).

As ambassadors (see Be – The Ministry of Reconciliation), believers bring the message of reconciliation to an alienated world. Those who hear the message embrace the truth of it and cherish the messengers or reject both the message and those who proclaim it. Thus, Messiah’s messengers are the aroma of the Messiah, both among those being saved and among those being lost; to the latter, we are the smell of death leading only to more death; but to the former, we are the sweet smell of life leading to more life (2:15-16a). Those who proclaim the true gospel from the pulpit or the pew with power and conviction cannot expect to be popular with everyone. To be honored and dishonored, respected and reviled, is their lot; to experience the most profound blessing and at the same time suffer the most severe disappointment usually comes to the most faithful and zealous believers.

None is a better example of this than Paul, who was caught up in those conflicting realities when he wrote Second Corinthians. Despite their shortcomings, the Corinthians were still a blessing to him. Earlier in his letter he wrote of the love which he had especially for them (2:4); later he added: I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together (7:3). His heart was filled with joy because many of them had believed the gospel. Yet, the Corinthians had also caused Paul much pain. He had been savagely attacked by false apostles who had infiltrated their church (see Af – The Problem of the False Apostles). And a trip to Corinth had not gone well for Paul, turning into a painful, sorrowful visit (see Ao – Paul’s Painful Visit). He experienced the full range of emotions, from the heights of joy to the depths of sorrow in his dealing with them.¹⁴⁸

Paul the evangelist (6:1-2): It was Paul who had gone to Corinth with the good news of the gospel; and through his ministry, the church had been founded. Many of the believers in Corinth were new creations in Messiah all right, but they were not living like it. This sad reality really saddened Paul more than we could ever know. Just as he did throughout First Corinthians, Paul now urged his readers to live up to the grace they had received.

As God’s fellow-workers [with Him] we also urge you not to receive His grace and then do nothing with it, literally receive His grace in vain, that is, then not to live for Him (6:1). There is a line that needs to be rubbed out, and that is the line between the pulpit and the pew. There are certain believers who have been given certain spiritual gifts (see the commentary on First Corinthians Ch – Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts). So there shouldn’t be the distinction between the pulpit and the pew that is so prevalent today. We are all fellow-workers [with Him]. If you are one who sits in the pew, may I say that you are as responsible to give out and live out the Word of God as those in the pulpit. You may be a bank president or the president of a large corporation, a truck driver, or a mother and housewife (the toughest job description of all), but you are responsible today to get out the Word of God. Remember: Shepherds don’t produce sheep; sheep produce sheep. You may not have the gift of evangelism, but you need to evangelize.

I want to raise the issue again, and I know I am being very personal about it. What are you doing today to get the Word of God out to others? You can do something that your Messianic rabbi or your pastor cannot do. There are people that only you can reach. They trust you. They have confidence in you. They will listen to you. Therefore, as God’s fellow-workers [with Him], do not wait. Get started today.¹⁴⁹

Dear Heavenly Father, You are a wise and wonderful Heavenly Father! Praise You for making an eternal home of peace and joy for Your children. You are a loving and patient God. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). My heart is heavy for family and friends who know about You, but do not yet have a relationship of love with You. They are nice people, but being nice cannot get anyone into heaven. You opened the door to heaven by giving Your righteousness to all who love and follow you as their Lord and Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11).

Please give me the words, opportunity, and heart of compassion to share the old, old story with them about You and what You have already done for them. Help me to tear down the lies and unbelief that have held them captive for too long. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful through God for the tearing down of strongholds. We are tearing down false arguments and every high-minded thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (Second Corinthians 10:4-5a).  Thank You for helping me. I look forward to praising Your name forever in heaven! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

To underline the gravity and urgency of his appeal, Paul introduces, with the words: For He says, “At the acceptable time I heard you; in the day of salvation I helped you” (6:2). Isra’el’s release from exile in Babylon was the original context of these words; however, Paul made his own application. If the time of the exiles’ return was a day of salvation, then the time when ADONAI has acted in Messiah to reconcile the world to Himself is an even greater day of salvation!¹⁵⁰ Thus, the apostolic herald of a new era (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace) that stood before the Corinthians. As ADONAI had raised up Isaiah as a prophet to speak through Him to comfort, comfort God’s people (Isaiah 41:1), so within this new Dispensation, God had called Paul to be His coworker and instrument to reconcile the world to Ha’Shem. This statement, therefore, must take its place with others (1:1, 3:12, 4:1, 2 and 6) through which Paul makes the highest claims for his apostleship. He was claiming an authority similar to that of the prophets of the TaNaKh who spoke for God. The LORD made one appeal through His prophet Isaiah (see Ac – Second Corinthians from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: The Background of Isaiah 40-55); now He was making another appeal through the apostle Paul (5:20).¹⁵¹

Paul the example (6:3-10): We try not to put obstacles in anyone’s path, so that no one can find fault with the work we do (6:3). One of the greatest obstacles to the progress of the gospel is the bad example of people who profess to be believers. Unsaved people like to use the inconsistencies of believers – especially Messianic rabbis and pastors – as an excuse for rejecting Yeshua Messiah. Paul was careful not to do anything that would put a stumbling block in the way of either sinners or the righteous (Titus 2:1-10). He didn’t want his ministry to be discredited in any way because of his life.¹⁵²

Paul reminded his readers of the trials he had endured for them. On the contrary, we try to commend ourselves in every way as servants of God by continually enduring troubles, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, overwork, lack of sleep and food (6:4-5). When Paul says that he and his fellow-workers were commending themselves, he picks up a vitally important thread that had been woven throughout the letter (3:1, 4:2, 5:12, 7:11, 10:12 and 18, 12:11), one that lies at the heart of the apostle’s intentions for writing Second Corinthians in the first place. It played an important part in commending Paul’s mission to them, arguing for their full affirmation of the apostle, his ministry, and his gospel (see the commentary on Romans As – Paul’s Gospel).¹⁵³ He had been a man of endurance and had not quit when things got tough. Paul’s remarkable endurance manifested itself in nine positive qualities he had used in his ministry. We commend ourselves by our purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh; by genuineness of love and truthfulness of speech; and by God’s power (6:6-7a). Paul depended on the power of the Spirit of God so that he might manifest the fruit of the Spirit, such as kindness and love.

Finally, he reminded the Corinthians of the testimony he bore, listing the paradoxical character of the ministry in a series of contrasts. We commend ourselves through our use of righteous weapons, whether for pressing our cause or defending it. Faithful ambassadors of the LORD can expect to be honored and dishonored, praised and blamed, considered deceptive and sincere, unknown and famous (6:7b-9a). Paul’s enemies gave an evil report of him as a man who was a dishonorable deceiver; but God gave him a good report of Paul as a man who was honorable and true. He was famous, and yet at the same time, unknown.

What a price Paul paid to be faithful in his ministry! And yet, the Corinthians really didn’t fully appreciate all he did for them.¹⁵⁴ And we commend ourselves as God’s workers headed for death, yet look! we’re alive! as punished, yet not killed (6:9b). They brought sorrow to his heart; still, even though he had a reason to be sad, he was always filled with joy in Yeshua Messiah. Paul had a deep, unfailing joy because of God’s grace, power, and goodness. Therefore, he could write: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4), and frequently ended his letters with doxologies of praise. Life for Paul was a seeming paradox of unending sorrow mingled with continual joy.

Paul was undeniably poor in terms of his worldly possessions. Some have speculated that his family disinherited him after he became a believer in Yeshua. Certainly, he had no large bank account to fall back on, but had to rely on financial support from churches (Philippians 4:16) and his own hard work (First Thessalonians 2:9) to support himself. Yet, he made those people who believed his message eternally rich with an eternal inheritance (Second Corinthians 8:9; Ephesians 1:11 and 3:8; Colossians 1:12; First Peter 1:4). But making himself poor and others rich didn’t bother Paul in the least. Though it appeared that he had nothing, in reality he possessed everything that really mattered (6:10)!¹⁵⁵

The more Adam and Eve pondered the lies of the Evil One, the more they doubted the goodness of ADONAI. Finally, declaring their independence, they struck out on their own to try to find “life” – to make it work on their own terms without God. They would do this by trying to control things. Aren’t we chips off the old block? Don’t we approach life the same way? Enter Yeshua, who says: Whoever wants to save their own life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for My sake will find it (Matthew 16:25). In other words, the path to joy and fulfillment isn’t found in control . . . but in surrender. Those who choose to be servants of God, giving up control and yielding fully to His will and His work, are those who find true life – now and forever.¹⁵⁶