In the last few verses we were told that the Corinthians
could have been participating in the activities of the local cult. Paul then
made the appeal for them to be separated from the ritual uncleanness of the
cult. Immediately after the call, he resumed his appeal to them to be
reconciled to him personally and to his ministry. He began by asking them “…to
make room for us” by picking up from 2 Corinthians 6:1-11. There he said his heart was wide opened to
them. Here we see a series of three reasons why they should be reconciled to
him and his ministry. He said: we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one,
and we took advantage of no one; indicating that he was not the offending party
but the offended party. Paul’s intention was not to malign anyone but to give them
reasons why they should accept him and be reconciled to him.
In verse 3 Paul tells us that he didn’t want to be misunderstood.
While his words clearly pointed to the wrong of some people, he was not writing
to condemn them. For the Corinthians were very much in his heart. He was reaffirming
his love for them in Christ. For Paul, if life or death could not separate him
from Christ’s love, neither could they separate the Corinthians from his love.
Hence he couldn’t have taken advantage of them as purported by his accusers. His
love for them gave him the boldness to speak to them openly.
While Paul might have pointed out their faults, he however,
was still confident in them. For he knew that they would endure as Christians. Paul was proud of them and would openly boast
about them. This showed the kind of relationship Paul had with the Corinthians.
In thinking of them, Paul was also able to find comfort and be encouraged in
his affliction. From here Paul would launch in to deal with other major issues
in Corinth.
Paul
showed that he was a balanced person. He knew joy and sorrow. They co-existed
in his mind and life. He could be deeply joyful in the midst of experiencing
sorrowful circumstances. He knew how to show love despite being wronged. What
an asset in ministry! Like our Lord and Paul, we must learn to have joy in God
and love people despite of and not because of
No comments:
Post a Comment