13 Jul 2017, 2 Corinthians 5 哥林多后书 5, Ministry of Reconciliation 与神和平的事工

Posted on Jul 3, 2017 in 2 Corinthians, Devotions |

Scripture Reading        : 2 Corinthians 5

Theme                            : Ministry of Reconciliation 

 

Though Paul faced death constantly in his earthly life, he was undaunted and showed us the hope for his confidence in facing death.

  1. Paul’s longing to be with God (5:1-10). Paul was not afraid to die because in death, he will receive a glorified body in the perfect eternal life, which is a plan purposed by God for all believers. This stirred in him the longing to be with God, thus he made it his highest ambition to be pleasing to God whether on earth or in heaven. This motivation to please God was also driven by the knowledge that he will one day appear before the judgment seat of Christ where his true heart will be revealed, thus made him even more careful about how he lived in this world.
  1. Paul’s integrity in ministry (5:11-15). As noted previously, Paul’s credibility as the apostle of Christ was under attack from false teachers who had infiltrated the church in Corinth. Therefore, Paul had to defend his integrity (“persuade others”) against these false accusations out of reverence for God and for the sake of the church. Above all, Paul was overwhelmed with gratitude for Christ’s love towards him and defended his ministry strongly so as not to lose the opportunity to serve Him.
  1. Paul’s ministry of reconciliation (5:16-21). God’s perfect righteousness demands all sinners to be punished, yet through His plan of reconciliation, all hostility and alienation separating the Holy One and sinners vanished through Christ’s substitutory death. It is to all reconciled people that God gives the ministry of reconciliation (cf. Mt 28:19-20) and called them to be His messengers in proclaiming the gospel.

 

Praying the Scripture

  1. The reality of death faces every human being who ever lived, yet Christians do not need to fear death because death simply stripped away our physical body so that we can be ushered into the presence of God. Let’s pray that we too will be confident in facing death.
  1. Ambition is often associated negatively. The Bible condemns sinful ambition too (Jer. 45:5), but there is a type of ambition that is legitimate – the ambition to please the Lord. Let’s pray that we will follow Paul’s example to make pleasing God our highest ambition.
  1. Sinners cannot be reconciled to the Holy God on their own terms because they have absolutely no ability to conform to His standard of righteousness. But God, according to His great love, initiated the way of reconciliation through Jesus Christ, whose perfect sacrifice is the only one that can satisfy the demands of God’s holy justice. Let us thank our Lord Jesus Christ for His work for us on the cross and seek to live for Him alone.
 
 
 

经文：哥林多后书5

主题：与神和平的事工     

 

保罗虽然在地上的生命时刻都面对着死，他却不畏惧，从而向我们显示面临死亡之信心的盼望。

  1. 保罗渴望与神同在（5:1-10）。保罗不怕死，因为死了之后，他会在完美的永恒生活中领受一个荣耀之身，而这是神对每一位信徒的计划。这促使保罗渴望与神同在，所以他立志不论是在地上或在天上，他的目标是讨神的喜悦。这份渴望的动机也是因着他知道自己将有一日会出现在基督的审判座前，而他的真心会在那里全被揭露，所以他为自己在地上的行事为人更当心了。
  1. 保罗在事工上的诚信（5:11-15）。如我们之前所见，潜入哥林多教会的假教师攻击保罗，说他不是基督的使徒。因此，保罗必须因着敬畏神及教会的缘故，维护自己诚信（“劝人”）。更重要的是，保罗被基督向他展示的爱充满了，所以强烈维护他的事工，叫他不会失去服侍神的机会。
  1. 保罗劝人与基督和好的职分（5:16-21）。神无瑕的公义要求所有罪人受刑罚，但在祂拯救的计划下，凡使人与神隔绝的敌意与离间都会因着基督的代罪之死化解。神是将使人与神和好的职分给予凡已经与神和好的人（参：太28:19-20），并召他们成为传福音的使者。

用经文祷告

  1. 每一个活在世上的人都会死，但信徒无需害怕死亡，因为死亡仅是将我们的肉身脱去，叫我们能进入神的同在。让我们祷告我们也能有信心地面对死亡。
  1. “图谋”似乎都与负面使用相连。圣经也谴责罪恶的图谋（耶45:5），但一种图谋是可行的，即讨神喜悦的志向。让我们祷告我们会效法保罗的榜样，让讨神喜悦成为我们的最高志向。
  1. 罪人无法凭自己的行为与圣洁的神和好，因为他们绝对无法达到神公义的标准。然而，神照着自己的大爱，创造了藉耶稣基督与神和好的途径，因为唯有祂才能满足神圣洁的公义。让我们向主耶稣基督在十架上为我们完成的工作感恩，并求只为祂活。