Call to Commitment

Over the Corinthian Canal. Finished in 1893.

 Ministers of the New Covenant

1.    Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 

    2. You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 

      3. clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 

4.     And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 

5.     Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 

6.     who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

7.     But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 

8.     how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 

9.     For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 

10.  For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 

11.  For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 

12.  Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 

13.  unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 

14.  But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 

15.  But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 

16.  Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 

17.  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

18.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

 Because the gospel is something that is lived from the inside out, external measures are eliminated. Letters of commendation are not necessary among real Christians and those who demand such measures are not real Christians. Under Paul´s apostleship, so that someone could be recognized as a true Christian, or a leader should be recognized as a true leader, writing letters commending them was not needed. Christianity is heart religion and does not rely on external, carnal practices (v. 1).

 Therefore in verse 2, the commendation is from the heart and Christians know one another to be legitimate believers, because of the testimony that comes from their hearts. The testimony of their veracity is seen by their lives and not by outward indications or visible signs. We learn that under the new covenant, this is the principle that is operating among the Corinthians and should operate among all true Christians. 

  

Modern visitors to Corinth

1.     But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 

       2.     For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?  

       3.     And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 

       4.     For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I  have so abundantly for you. 

 Paul continues his defense for not coming to them on an earlier trip. Although the things of God are very sure, yes and amen, his heart, in tune with the Holy Spirit, decides it was not the best time to visit them. Because of the Corinthians´ spiritual condition at the time, it would be severe and sorrowful (v. 1).

 It is all related to the matter that Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthian 5, concerning the man who adulterated with his father´s wife, his step-mother. The tolerant attitude of the general church in Corinth was wrong, in relation to the sin. Paul´s instruction to them caused sadness, but a change had taken place; there had been repentance on the part of the offender. He who had caused Paul so much pain in his sin, has now given him reason for joy (v. 2).

 This entire situation gives us a lesson in the importance of true Christian fellowship in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Because of its importance, a trip and the principal of the Lord´s sure guidance is cancelled, because of the overriding importance of fellowship. Christian fellowship should be a reason for joy and because the Corinthian church had corrected their attitude, joy had been the result, both in them and in Paul, because God had done a work and the sinner had repented (v. 3).  

 It was not easy for Paul to write to correct the grievous sin that had occurred in Corinth. See the depth of pain, in which he had written: “Much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears.” He writes that phrase, not to grieve them, but to show the love, which he has for them. These four verses are a mighty lesson in the love that existed in the early church (v. 4) 

 

Medieval wall of Thessalonica to Aegean Sea

 

1.     Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 

2.     Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 

3.     explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." 

4.     And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. 

5.     But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 

6.     But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 

7.     Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus." 

8.     And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 

9.     So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 

 The last time that Luke mentions his part in this story, is in Philippi in Hechos 16:10-17. Apparently, he remained in that city, because he does not say that he was with them, when they departed. From Philippi, they went through two cities of Macedonia, Amphipolis and Apollonia. Amphipolis is 33 miles southwest of Philippi, on the northern coast of the Aegean Sea. Apollonia is another 30 miles southwest of Amphipolis, but the exact site is unknown. Thessalonica is 37 miles due west of Apollonia (v. 1).

 We come to understand, in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, the general reception of the word there. “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance… And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Th. 1: 6-7). I will only add a small phrase from verse 9: “… you turned to God from idols…” In Acts, we get more details.

 Although Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, it is always his custom to preach to the Jews first. This is done according to divine principle, because of God’s election of the Jews since the very beginning. Let us take verse 2 and Paul’s custom as an opportunity to go into the principle in more depth, because some Christians ignore it. God called Abram out of the world, precisely out of Ur of the Chaldeans to make a nation from his offspring. Isaac followed and then Jacob. We have the history of their nation and prophets throughout the Old Testament. We have their literature from Job to Ecclesiastes and the promises given to them specifically.

 

Ruins of ancient Corinth (my personal photos)

Greeting and Introduction

       1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the                                        church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: 

2.     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 A. R. Faucett of Jamieson, Faucett, Brown comments: “The Time of Writing was after Pentecost, a.d. 57, when Paul left Ephesus for Troas. Having stayed in the latter place for some time preaching the Gospel with effect (2 Co_2:12), he went on to Macedonia, He wrote this Second Epistle, and then went on to Greece, where he abode for three months. Macedonia was the place from which it was written (2 Co_9:2) where the present tense, “I boast,” or “am boasting,” implies his presence then in Macedonia. Philippi, as being the chief town of the province, was probably the place to which all the collections of the churches were sent. Ancient tradition, too (as appears from the subscription to this epistle), favors the view that Philippi was the place from which this Epistle was sent by the hands of Titus who received, besides, a charge to prosecute at Corinth the collection which he had begun at his first visit (2Co_8:6). Paul sent Titus back forthwith with this Second Epistle, which is addressed, not to Corinth only (1Co_1:2), but to all the churches also in Achaia (2Co_1:1).

 Paul knows a divine calling, according to the will of God, to be an apostle of Jeus Christ. What is happening in his life has been born in eternity above any importance that men could be planning in any high government congress, to take place on this earth. This calling is according to the purpose of God to touch the heart of men with the power that there is in the message of the gospel, which transforms lives and prepares them for eternity.  This is with which God was concerned and with which He continues to be concerned in this century. For this reason, He sends missionaries out, as he sent Paul.

 Timothy is with Paul, since Paul desired him to leave his own city and dedicate his life to the gospel. He has joined the great family of God and is a brother of all who will read Paul’s letter. In a special and personal way, he is Paul’s spiritual son, because the seed of the gospel was sown by the apostle in him. John Wesley wrote: “Timotheus our brother - St. Paul writing to Timotheus styled him his son; writing OF HIM, his brother.” It was a mighty work, even more real than the physical seed, which brings babies into the world. It is forming the spiritual family of God and an eternal brotherhood.

 Paul addresses the church in Corinth, which is the entity that is near to the heart of God and with which He is creating a bride for His Son. From this one principal church, many others have formed all over the territory of ancient Acaia.

 

How can I be saved?

 

Timothy of Derbe

1.     Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 

2.     He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 

3.     Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 

4.     And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 

5.     So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. 

 We learned of Derbe and Lystra in chapter 14, where Paul and Barnabas traveled on their first missionary trip. Now Paul, on his second journey, is with Silas, as they revisit the believers, won on the former visit throughout the region. In these cities, they hear of a young man named Timothy of Derbe (some think he was from Lystra). His grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, believed before him, but, even before their conversion to Christianity, it would seem, as Jews they taught Timothy the Scriptures.  See what Paul writes him in 2 Timothy 3:15: “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The Old Testament was instrumental in giving Timothy wisdom to find faith in Christ. The probability of his conversion was when Paul came to Derbe and there was a better response to the gospel than in the other cities in the region. Timothy’s father was Greek (v. 1).

 Apparently, he had become an outstanding disciple, and was recognized by the local believers beyond Derbe, in the neighboring cities of Lystra and Iconium (v. 2). Paul was always careful to remove unnecessary offences to Jew and Gentile and, because his father was Greek, Timothy had not been circumcised. Paul saw the potential in this young man and wanted him to join their team, but he first circumcised him. This was to avoid causing trouble in the Jewish community, where they knew his father was Greek. Otherwise in evangelization, which Paul instructed this disciple to observe (2 T. 4:5), Timothy would never be able to converse with a Jew, if they knew he was not circumcised (v. 3).

 It is obvious from Paul’s writings, that this was not a necessary Christian requirement, in fact, he told the Galatians, “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation (Gal. 6:15). He called the Jews “false brethren”, who taught that a Gentile believer should be circumcised (Gal. 2:4).