Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. NIVUK

Through ”the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” we come to experience ”the love of God”.

”God is love” (1 John 4:16). This is always true, but we only come to know it truly and deeply – to experience it – through God’s grace in Jesus. As John writes in the first part of this oh so famous verse: ”And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” If we take account of the wider context, from verse 7 onwards, we inevitably see that Jesus and His Cross (His grace) are fundamental to our coming to a subjective awareness of God’s love.

Tom Wright says that love ‘…is the very heart, the essence of who God is…And it is noticeable that the Jewish and Christian declaration of belief in a God of love stands out a mile from most other views of God ancient or modern.’

He adds that the ancient world was ‘…full of the anxiety that comes from a fear of superhuman forces that are precisely not loving, but are instead capricious, malevolent, and needing to be pacified or placated. None of the multiple options in that most pluralist of religious worlds spoke of a single God whose innermost nature was love.’

However, for the early Christians, ‘…gazing upon that loving God, and learning to love and trust him in return’ they ‘found themselves embraced in a new kind of spirituality, an intimacy of trust like of children with a father, a warm security of knowing that they were loved with an everlasting love.’

Of course, it is one thing to know the love of God, but quite another to share it. So, for a church which was fragile, in danger of being ripped apart by divisions, Paul prays for the continuing manifestation of God’s love among them. May they (and we!) know this love not only as a theological proposition, but as a practical reality.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. NIVUK

We are Christians only ”by grace” (Eph.2:8). This is the reason we find ourselves in the church fellowship. God has taken the initiative. He has moved towards us, in Christ, in sovereign grace.

But it is not only the case that by grace we are saved; it is also by grace that we serve. Think back to chapters 8 & 9, where Christian giving is also described in terms of grace. I seem to remember John Stott saying, with regard to Ephesians 4:7, that not only is there saving grace; there is also such a thing as serving grace. We are graciously gifted by Jesus to serve Him in varied ways. This includes our financial giving (as 2 Corinthians shows). So grace is not just about what God does for us, but it also concerns what He does through us.

‘We could put it like this: Jesus is the person the generous and self-giving God became. Jesus embodied the grace of God. In Jesus grace became human…and we can pray, as Paul does here, that this grace will be powerfully active in the life of the church.’ Tom Wright

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. NIVUK

These are some of the best known words in the Bible, although I think it is possible that many people who have heard them, or hear them, regularly, or use them repeatedly, may not know that they come from the Scriptures, or indeed that Paul wrote them.

Also, I can’t imagine that Paul himself could have had any inkling that these simple words of blessing, at the conclusion of one of his letters, would be picked up and used so widely in the church.

Who knows how God might use some small, simple, routine thing that we do in His Name today.

Tom Wright says that Paul’s blessing ‘…sums up so much of what being a Christian is all about; it draws the focus firmly on to the God we know in and through Jesus and the spirit; and it takes the rich practical meaning and the rich theological meaning and turns them together into an elegant prayer. No wonder it has become so popular.’

We will pause over these wonderful words during the next few days, and take time to look at them and listen to them.

 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All God’s people here send their greetings. NIVUK

The ”full restoration” Paul calls for, and prays for, looks like ‘love’: a people living together in unity and harmony. It is a fact that if we want to experience the reality of ”the God of love and peace” being with us, we have to work at living in love and peace. Is there any real happiness, or rest, in a home riven by conflict?

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18; see also the verses around this text).

We all have our part to play. May the Tri-une God fill us with His ”grace” and ”love” by ”the Holy Spirit” (14).

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration…NIVUK

As we have seen, Paul has said in verse 9: We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. 

I simply want to underline the point that prayer and action are not mutually exclusive. They are joined together in a beautiful dance. They move in harmony. So if we pray for spiritual growth, we should take all the steps we can to cultivate our own growth: make full use of the spiritual disciplines and avail ourselves of all the means of grace. If we, as preachers, exhort our congregations to Biblical living, we should also pray for the practical outworking of sermons.

Praying and striving (in God’s strength, of course) belong together.

As someone said, ‘Work as though it all depends on you, and pray as though it all depends on God.’

Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong – not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. ¹⁰ This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority – the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

We no doubt all know the familiar saying that ‘Prayer changes things‘. But Paul clearly held the conviction that prayer changes people. That’s why he not only exhorted them (and instructed, rebuked and corrected), but he also prayed for them. He clearly believed his prayers would make a difference. Why pray if you don’t?

Paul knows, of course, that he may still have to act in a disciplinary fashion when he visits them, but he hopes (prays) for better things – for their full restoration.

The word he uses in verse 9 ‘doesn’t just mean ‘mature’ in the sense of a human being growing up, or a tree getting to the point where it can bear fruit. If Paul had had machines anything like the ones we know, this is the word he would have used to describe what happens when a machine is put into proper running order, when all its parts are functioning properly in themselves and working in harmony with each other. That is what he longs to see in Corinth, and that’s what he’s praying for in particular.’ Tom Wright.

Who are you praying for today? What are you praying for them…and why?

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶ And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. NIVUK

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. ⁶ As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. NLT

Recently, I read a short biography of William Cowper, written by John Piper. Cowper was an outstanding poet and hymn-writer, but he was tortured by bouts of swamping depression. Whilst being sensitive to Cowper’s nature and condition, and not in any way wanting to judge him, one observation Piper makes is that it may be possible to be too introspective. This point certainly resonated with me.

That said, there is a legitimate place, in our life of discipleship, for self-examination. Here is a question which just about continually lies in the background of my thoughts, ‘Am I for real?’ This is not about obsessive naval-gazing, but I want to ensure that I’m not playing games. I can understand Paul exhorting the Corinthians to examine themselves, when they appeared to be quite tolerant of sin. But I believe this is a challenge for us all. It needn’t crush us. I’m certain that is not what God intends. There will always be some among us who are continually hard on themselves, so to know ourselves is also an important part of this quest. But there is a place for examining our hearts.

‘The Corinthians had been asking Paul for proof that the Messiah really was living and speaking in and through him (13.3). Paul has assured them that plenty of proof will be forthcoming if they are so bold as to challenge him in person. But now he turns the tables on them and suggests that they, too, should submit to a self-test. Before he arrives, they would be well advised to run through a checklist of the signs that indicate whether the Messiah’s life, his crucified and risen life, is present.’ Tom Wright

‘In our Christian lives one of the most important things we must do is to regularly examine ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 11:28) Are we in the faith? Are the fruits of our faith visible in our lives? Do we experience Christ living within us? Or do we fail the test? We must ask ourselves these questions.

But instead of examining ourselves, we spend more time examining our brother! Instead of looking for our own sin and confessing it, we prefer to look for our brother’s sin. We consider ourselves ”straight,” and our brother ”crooked.” When we do these things, how great is our sin!’ Tom Hale

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ² I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— ³ since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴ For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

‘God will bear with an unrepentant sinner for a long time, but not forever!’ Tom Hale

This is Paul’s final warning to the church at Corinth. If we take everything into account that he writes in these later chapters, it is evident that he doesn’t want to come to them ”with a rod of discipline” (1 Cor.4:21). See also verse 10 in this chapter. He wants their repentance. But let them be in doubt that he will come with the power and authority of Christ to discipline, if necessary. The Corinthians had been demanding proof that Paul was a true apostle of Christ. He says to them, in effect, ‘Okay, if you don’t sort yourselves out, you’ll soon see that I have the full power and authority of Christ.’

You will no doubt remember that there was this accusation in the air, that Paul was weak when with them in person, but strong in his letters when at a safe distance. But the apostle reminds them of the Easter pattern. When Jesus was crucified He appeared weak, just like other crucifixion victims. But He was raised by God’s power and lives by that power. Paul also appears weak at times, but he lives by the power of God. Although he first came to Corinth in ”weakness” (1 Cor.2:3), and has dealt with them in ”meekness and gentleness” (2 Cor.10:1), he will now come, if he has to, in the power of Christ.

Easter provides the pattern for the whole of the Christian life, and it certainly supplies the template for church discipline. For what genuine leader does not tremble at the prospect of having to ‘grasp the nettle’?

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ESVUK

For Paul, in the matter of church discipline, there had to be procedural correctness. This verse takes us back to Deuteronomy 19:15 (see also Matthew 18:16). Paul would not entertain an accusation brought by only one person. Also, as Tom Wright points out, a ‘witness’ is not someone who merely repeats someone else’s accusation. This person must have seen something with their own eyes, or heard it with their own ears. Otherwise it falls into the categories of slander and gossip. Furthermore, the witnesses must be in agreement. We must ensure that everything be done ”with decency and in order”. It is possible that false witnesses can arise within a local church, and injustice will dishonour our just and holy God.