“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
2 Corinthians 1:1–2 NLT
The church in Corinth was, in contemporary terms, often a very hot mess. It was full of the type of sins that could make even the most reprobate Roman blush. One guy was openly cavorting with his step-mom (1 Corinthians 5:1). Lawsuits between believers were happening over petty disputes (1 Corinthians 6:1). Marriages between believing spouses and unbelievers was causing confusion (1 Corinthians 7) and the church needed guidance as to how to proceed in cases of abandonment and that sort of thing. More still, newly converted couples had to be taught about sexuality within a godly marriage (1 Corinthians 7:2-5). Oh, and there was lots of bickering and controversy over dietary issues (1 Corinthians 10:23-33) and even some regrettable chaos during the services…all culminating in Paul’s soaring chapter about true love (1 Corinthians 13).
What’s interesting is that this sounds very much like modern America. A Christian church can often delude itself. It can become convinced that if we all use our inside voices and dress nice that we’re holy. But holiness is defined by God, not men and our shifting norms. Nor can we achieve holiness according to our works but, to paraphrase Romans 1:17, those of us made righteous by faith will live/walk in faith. Faith and love are the key. Always. To that end, are we shocked by the unruly nature of Corinthians? 2 Corinthians exposes us to the backbiting going on there. False teachers and gossips were causing deep wounds with their wagging tongues. Are we surprised? Isn’t this the very truth of living in our fallen world? You see, God wants us to be wise and ready. The Scripture doesn’t ignore our daily and very real world problems. Holiness is not, repeat not, a false piety wherein we consider ourselves “better than those heathen out there” because we’re clutching our pearls.
Quite contrary to that, we see that Paul’s broken heart is poured out in love to that often times miserable congregation. He yearns for them to be reconciled to the Lord when they sin…and that’s the goal and meaning of every rebuke. His love is inspired by the Spirit and directed to the goal of Christ-likeness for himself and others. Love that’s devoid of this inspiration and goal is false. False teachers tear down; they’re black belts of criticism. Men and women of God toss and turn at night over the hearts of those they wish would repent. Paul, like our/his Lord, is broken hearted even in the face of withering and undeserved slander. The false teachers attacked him on a number of fronts. They didn’t like his oratory. They complained that he wasn’t a powerful leader and that he was unimpressive. They probably thought he should dress better and have a deeper voice…you know, serious moral stuff. Ah, and that’s the thing about false teachers and the tares among the wheat.
We’re warned by God, through Scripture, especially in 2 Corinthians, on the reality and nature of false converts. They will come! And they will have certain characteristics. They’ll come from places from which you never expect. That’s the nature of a good attack, after all…and the Enemy is after you/us. A church and/or Christian that doesn’t think they’ll have challenges by the Enemy’s agents is easily neutralized by that Enemy, so we do well to pay attention.
Have you been maligned? Have you been slandered? Not because of sin, but because of some personal quirk? Well, what amazing company you keep. If they persecuted and attacked Jesus, how is it that we convince ourselves that we can happily skip amongst the daises across this spiritual battlefield called life? Oh, how foolish we are! 2 Corinthians is the book of spiritual warfare for the suffering leader and Christian because it shows Paul’s response.
Note that even planted by Paul, the Corinthian church is invaded by false teachers and critics that sought to tear him down. Do you think that your holiness is so vast and that you’re so special that you won’t face opposition in your walk? The Bible, when truly read, will rescue us from such fatuous nonsense as that. Betrayal from those we love and/or consider friends is always a most bitter pill that gets stuck in our throats. Jesus was betrayed by a kiss from the man whose feet he had just washed hours ago. Your pain is not insignificant! 2 Corinthians shows us the truth about the “Devil’s schemes” from within God’s house. Your broken heart is real, so don’t lose your confidence and shrink away. Go to Him in sweet prayer; lay your heart upon his shoulder and let Him lift you up. Let Him wipe away those tears, Christian. A broken and contrite heart He will not ever, ever despise.
Second, watch how the ungodly within that church operate. They attacked Paul behind his back. The easiest way to spot false believers in a church is to notice that they’re experts on the failings of others but never bring the gospel to them so that they can be restored. Unity is never their goal; self-righteousness and power are their motive. In a word, they’re gossips. Gossip isn’t merely talking about others without them present; it’s spreading half-truths, innuendo, and ascribing motives to them that we don’t know. Gossip is conversational assault. A gospel motivated man or woman will go to their brother or sister in love; a slanderer recruits the opinion of others in order to tear down their target. A gossip uses their words to lay a man in a tomb; he/she seeks to kill a soul and a heart, not revive. A Christian uses the words of the gospel to bring a man to the cross and that empty tomb of Christ.
This is in stark contrast to the clear biblical teaching:
“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.” Matthew 18:15–17 NLT
If a couple was fornicating openly at a church dinner we’d easily spot that, but we’re so often blind to the slander and gossip that’s just as apparent. Willfully blind. Some “try and stay out of it.” Would we do that if a couple was fornicating? Would we be content to “stay out of it” and that’s that? Or would we rightly call for church discipline? Is backbiting and slander not as bad? Is slander not the most heinous, and cowardly, assault on another person imaginable due to its furtive and underhanded nature?
“Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord. “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin. “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:16–18 NLT
“What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble. But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing. There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.”
Proverbs 6:12-19 NLT
“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.” Romans 13:13 NLT
Did Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit – who needs no human editor, we might add – say that quarreling and jealousy are as bad as drunkenness and sexual immorality? Indeed, he did. How many southern Christians (living as I do in the American south) have considered themselves super holy because they don’t drink alcohol all while they sit around a table tearing down the character of another? You see, 2 Corinthians isn’t what we think it is. It isn’t a book about problems that Paul had with that particular church…it’s a book for all of us…right now. It warns us of the dangers of gossip, power-seeking, lack of love, and the refusal to exercise true Biblical discipline. And all of that is corrected by, indeed, sound doctrine. John Frame said, “…theology is the application of Scripture, by persons, to every area of life.” The answer to all of our problems is theocentric – that is, it’s studying and prayerfully obeying the word of God in love. 2 Corinthians exposes for us, by a God who knows all things, our warts and all, how truly damaging these “respectable” sins are.
Thus, in all, we should examine ourselves carefully. Are we gossips? Do we have a critical spirit rather than one that’s full of love and wisdom and grace? Do we yearn in the Lord to use whatever gifts God has given us to build up those around us? Do we seriously reckon with the plain fact that the measure we use on others will be measured back to us? Do we call out sins against our arbitrary standards (social weaknesses, personality quirks, immaturity) and treat them like actual sins, thereby elevating ourselves as God over others? Do we seek power and position (generally via tearing down people who we deem are in our way) or do we rest content to do our work in the Lord and wait patiently on Him?
The study of Scripture is always efficacious and I don’t mean to play one book over against others. But if there’s a book that’s relevant for our tempestuous time, this is it. Let’s study it together and learn what the Lord will have us learn and that He’s graciously given to us. He’s given it in love so that we aren’t ignorant of the Devil’s schemes and thereby end up wandering life’s battlefield stupidly and get picked apart. This earth is a spiritual war zone and safety is only and forever in Him. And our only path to Him is through His holy and life giving word. Together. We’ll find that only together, just as we see with Paul. 2 Corinthians will teach us that Christian love is so deep and vast that our hearts will often be broken in this fallen place, but so was His. It’s okay. The true church of Jesus Christ worships Him, follows Him, grows more and more like Him, and grieves over others like Him too.
So, let’s put bitterness and anger where they belong…at His feet…there at Calvary. We’ve broken His holy heart and yet He bled for us. What shall we do for others now? Let’s go! Let’s tear down some strongholds…together…and grow more like Him. The church is His army. You and me. An army that looks, to the world and its humanistic logic, like a field of sheep ready to be slaughtered. But we’re led by Judah’s indomitable lion and we absolutely cannot fail so long as we follow Him.
Our tomb will be empty too. Someday. And when we rise, we’ll rise with each other. A holy nation. A church. A family in Christ. Together.
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