He delivered us from so great a death and does deliver us. In Him we trust that He will still deliver us, 2 Corinthians 1:10 MEV
This is my hope. Psalm 46:10-11 NKJV Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! [11] The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
For all the promises of God in Him are “Yes,” and in Him “Amen,” to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and established the guarantee with the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 MEV
This is our covenant with God; the new Covenant, washed by the Blood of the Lamb, white as snow! Sacrifices of righteousness.
‘Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. ‘ 2 Corinthians 1:23
God keeps a records. His Angels do that for each one of us. In light of this, without 1 Jn !:9, I find myself lost, and depend on Him alone as I practice James 1:21-27.
‘Whomever you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if I forgave someone anything, for your sakes I forgave it in Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us. For we are not ignorant of his devices.’ 2 Corinthians 2:10-11
While not being taken advantage of by Satan is a principle by itself, in the context of forgiveness, as written by the Apostle Paul, serves to highlight the pivotal role this plays in our redemption. Read Psalm 78 for more insight into this.
‘Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ and through us reveals the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ‘ 2 Corinthians 2:14 MEV
Triumph followed by revelation, both for us and through us, revelation of who He is; a fragrance indeed.
‘For we are to God a sweet fragrance of Christ among those who are saved and among those who perish. To the one we are the fragrance of death, which brings death, and to the other the fragrance of life, which brings life. Who is sufficient for these things? ‘ 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 MEV
A sweet fragrance of Christ as we proclaim the Gospel. As we speak the truth in love, to them that seek the Lord, it is sweet life, but to those who choose to perish, the same fragrance through offence brings death, Psalm 81 Seek Him.
‘For we are not as many are who peddle the word of God. Instead, being sent by God, we sincerely speak in Christ in the sight of God.’ 2 Corinthians 2:17
To peddle implies that there are those who sell or offer for sale the Gospel from place to place. Are itinerant ministers teachers (with revelation from God, in some cases) that are not a real part of the Church, Christ’s body? I know of many who are not called to be apostles but teachers, many who have/want authority over them for namesake only, for official reasons. Are we seeking to glorify ourselves in the name of imparting knowledge to the church to which we do not belong to? In that process, are we peddling the word of God? Is not God capable of revealing what each church should know? I too, in my ignorance in the beginning, thought of myself as an itinerant minister until I understood that the five-fold ministry (Eph 4:11-15) was given by Jesus to His Church for their victory. Be it ignorance or purposeful deceit, is this partly the reason that the Church is not victorious, because in our own way we seek our own instead of God? It is easy to develop an “us and them” mentality, where everything good and Godlike is ascribed (with compromised reasoning) to us, and every vice we can muster up, including the “prosperity Gospel”, is thrown at “them”. Motives matter. Of course there is more to this passage, but I just thought I’d share this.
‘For you are prominently declared to be the letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on human tablets of the heart.’ 2 Corinthians 3:3 MEV
This is where I struggle as a shepherd when flocks don’t walk according to His word.
‘We have such trust through Christ toward God, not that we are sufficient in ourselves to take credit for anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’ 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 MEV
The Holy Spirit gives life, always remember that as we preach.
‘Seeing then that we have such hope, we speak with great boldness, not as Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the children of Israel could not look intently at the end of what was fading away. ‘ 2 Corinthians 3:12-13 MEV
Boldness (Hebrews 4) because God is now our Heavenly Father.
‘Now the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, seeing the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.’ 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Not yet there, but almost, because we all, seeing the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.