Our Heavenly Dwelling December 22, 2011
Posted by flashbuzzer in Books, Christianity.Tags: 2 corinthians, body, heaven, longing, paul
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Here are my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.
Summary: Paul begins by asserting that even if his physical suffering leads to his death, his soul will be in heaven – which is built by God. Also, his current state causes him to groan, as he longs for his soul to enter heaven – and have a dwelling place after his death. Yet Paul is still alive, and so his sufferings cause him to groan – not for death itself, but for the time when his soul will enter heaven, as his time in heaven will overshadow his present sufferings. Indeed, God has:
- prepared him for his time in heaven
- placed His Holy Spirit in him as a guarantee of that future reality.
Given the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in him, Paul is confident in all circumstances; he knows that in his current state he is not in heaven (yet he lives by believing in the heavenly things that he cannot see) and so he prefers death as a means to being in heaven with Christ. As he prefers to be with Christ, he aims to please Him – as a point of honor – whether he is in his current state or in heaven. Paul concludes by noting that all Christians will stand before Christ to be judged, and they will be rewarded – or punished – based on their good – or bad – acts on this earth.
Thoughts: Verse 1 shows that after a believer dies, their soul enters “an eternal house in heaven.” Apparently the precise meaning of this phrase has been the subject of much debate, and Hodge presents the alternatives in his commentary:
1. The first answer is that the house not built by human hands is heaven itself.
2. That it is the resurrection body…
3. The third opinion is that the house into which the soul enters at death is, so to speak, an intermediate body – that is, a body prepared for it and adapted to its condition during the state intermediate between death and the resurrection.
Hodge then goes on to refute the second and third alternatives and support the first. If the first choice is indeed true, then this lends credence to the practice of believers saying, when a fellow believer passes away, “he is with Jesus now,” or “she is singing and dancing on the streets of heaven.” I had always thought that dead believers remained dormant until the second coming of Christ, especially in light of Paul’s teaching regarding the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. Now this verse implies that when a believer dies, their soul immediately enters heaven, and it is only joined to a “glorious” body at the second coming of Christ.
Verse 9 shows that true Christians desire to please Christ in all that they do. Hodge offers some thoughts on this point:
And here he means that as ambitious people desire and strive after fame, so Christians long and labor to be acceptable to Christ. Love for him, the desire to please him and to be pleasing to him, animates their hearts and governs their lives and makes them do and suffer what heroes do for glory.
One of the high school students at my church recently asked me why, if God desires that Christians devote their lives to His service, they constantly sin and fall short of His desires. At the time I provided a rather weak answer. Later I thought about this issue and I kept returning to Paul’s remarkably candid assessment of his spiritual life in Romans 7:7-25. Basically Paul knew that his sinful nature was at war with his spiritual nature, and so he could not avoid sinning – constantly – as a Christian. Yet this compelled him to give thanks to Christ, as His finished work was sufficient for his salvation. I think that as believers, we should constantly remind ourselves that we each have two natures – and not one – which is an immediate cause for celebration. Our celebration should compel us to honor God and devote ourselves to Him out of gratitude. Indeed, as believers we must be realistic – we do not only possess a spiritual nature, but we also possess a sinful nature, and this will not be rectified until Christ’s second coming. In light of this, we must constantly thank Christ for His finished work and not depend on our own strength.
Treasures in Jars of Clay December 14, 2011
Posted by flashbuzzer in Books, Christianity.Tags: 2 corinthians, christ, eternal, paul, suffering
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Here are my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 4.
Summary: Paul begins by noting that as he is serving – by God’s grace – in the context of the Gospel, he does not neglect his responsibilities in that regard. In particular, he refuses to:
- use secrecy and concealment when preaching the Gospel
- use cunning methods to achieve his ends
- corrupt the Gospel.
Instead, he declares the Gospel using pure methods so that all who hear it must acknowledge its truthfulness – as God is watching him. Yet there are those who fail to recognize the divine origin of the Gospel; they will be eternally condemned. This stems from the fact that Satan has hindered them in this regard, keeping them from seeing the radiance of the Gospel, which is the glory of Christ; the glory of the Father is in Him. Indeed, Paul does not preach the Gospel to glorify himself; instead, he wants his audience to know that Jesus is the Messiah, and he does this for the Corinthians’ benefit – out of his love for Christ. He wants his audience to know that Jesus is the Messiah, since God – who brought light out of darkness in His supreme act of creation – has illuminated the (formerly darkened) hearts of believers so that they can understand His glory as revealed in Christ Himself.
Now Paul is able to serve in the context of the Gospel – although he is weak and suffering – as this shows that the power of the Gospel comes from God. Indeed, he must constantly deal with the following difficulties:
- being pressed for room
- having no idea how to proceed – yet always finding a way forward
- being persecuted – yet never being deserted by God
- being (seemingly) defeated by his enemies – yet always being delivered from their grasp by God.
Wherever Paul goes, he endures the external sufferings (and eventual death) of Jesus, as this proves that Jesus lives. While he is alive, he constantly expects his death, as this repeatedly shows the power of Christ’s life in him. Thus, the Corinthians benefit from Christ working through Paul’s sufferings.
Now Paul quotes from Psalm 116:10 – where David, in the midst of his difficulties, praises God; similarly, the Holy Spirit moves Paul to preach the Gospel in the midst of his difficulties. Indeed, he knows that just as God has raised Jesus from the dead, He will also raise him from the dead; moreover, all believers will stand before the throne of God with great joy. He reiterates that all of his actions – and his suffering – are for the Corinthians’ benefit, as his repeated deliverance from the grasp of his enemies causes those who pray for him to rejoice; they then give thanks to God.
Given the preceding discussion, Paul does not become discouraged – although he is breaking down physically – as he is being constantly refreshed spiritually. In fact, his suffering is actually insignificant in light of the eternal blessings that he will receive in heaven. Paul concludes by asserting that his focus is not on worldly things – which are merely temporary – but on heavenly things, which are eternal.
Thoughts: In verse 3, Paul states that those who refuse to accept the divine origin of the Gospel will be eternally condemned. Hodge offers some rather incendiary thoughts on this point:
Worldly people cry out against this doctrine. They insist that people are not accountable for their opinions. However, they are accountable for the character by which those opinions are determined. If they have the sort of character, the sort of inner spiritual state, that permits them to believe there is no God, that murder, adultery, theft, and violence are right and good, then that inner state that constitutes their character, and for which they are responsible…is reprobate.
This is a rather difficult quote to stomach. I find it hard to believe that all non-believers would assert that “murder, adultery, theft, and violence are right and good,” so I’m wondering if Hodge is trying to make a different point. In particular, when non-believers such as Brad Pitt are helping to rebuild homes and lives in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina while many Christians refuse to engage in any social concerns-related work, it is difficult to see how all “worldly people” can be characterized as being internally “reprobate.” I suppose the issue here is that even when non-believers do good works, they do not give glory to God; thus, the challenge is for Christians to give glory to God in their deeds.
Verse 7 inspired the name of the Christian band Jars of Clay, and they have played a major role in the contemporary Christian music scene since the mid-1990s. The band’s Wikipedia article cites an NPR interview where it is noted that their later work consciously downplays their faith. Now this is interesting in light of Hodge’s above-mentioned commentary on verse 3. Some Christian critics would undoubtedly assert that Jars of Clay “lost their way” after achieving their initial successes. My take on this is that music speaks in different ways to different people; if some have been led to a saving faith in Christ as a result of hearing the band’s later work, then their strategy has been successful.
This passage drives home the point that Paul is convinced of the certainty of the eternal blessings that await him for his faithfulness. Hodge puts it quite nicely in his commentary on verse 18:
He was sustained by the assurance that the life of Christ secured his life; that if Jesus rose, he would rise too; and by the firm conviction that the more he suffered for the sake of Christ or in such a way as to honor his divine master, the more glorious he would be through all eternity. Suffering, therefore, became not just endurable for him, but a ground of great joy.
After thinking about this, I concluded that Paul had a long-term perspective – on his ministry as an apostle – since he was constantly faced with dangers and regularly suffered for the sake of the Gospel. Our human nature is such that when we are allowed to enjoy the pleasures of this life, we forget about God and focus on our immediate “needs.” Now this raises the question of whether Christians should voluntarily suffer more often in order to truly please God. Indeed, how much suffering is appropriate for a given Christian? Is there a proper ratio of “suffering” to “happiness” that Christians should strive for in their daily lives?
The Glory of the New Covenant December 7, 2011
Posted by flashbuzzer in Books, Christianity.Tags: 2 corinthians, Gospel, law, moses, paul
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Here are my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.
Summary: Paul begins by noting that those who served in the context of the law (that was written on stone tablets) could only produce death for those who tried to obey it, even though the law was (transiently) glorious – preventing the Israelites from looking at the face of Moses while he served in that context; on the other hand, serving in the context of the Gospel is more glorious than serving in the context of the law – as the Gospel is more awesome than the law. Indeed, the law causes men to know that they are condemned, while the Gospel causes those who accept it to be righteous based on the requirements of the law. In fact, the glory of the law pales in comparison with that of the Gospel. Also, while the glory of the law was temporary, the glory of the Gospel is permanent.
Now Paul asserts that since his apostolic calling is righteous in God’s eyes, he is outspoken in proclaiming the Gospel. He contrasts his situation with that of Moses, who was divinely inspired to serve in the context of the law so that the Israelites could not understand its true meaning. In fact, the thoughts of the Israelites became callous – which is shown by the fact that as of the writing of this letter, they still fail to understand the meaning of the law when the Old Testament is read to them; in this regard, they can only be enlightened in Christ. Yet anyone who turns to Christ and accepts the Gospel can be enlightened in this way. This stems from the fact that Christ and the Holy Spirit are identical in terms of their essence and power – and the Holy Spirit frees those in whom He dwells (as God’s children). Paul concludes by noting that those who are free – by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – can see the glory of Christ as if they are looking at a mirror; moreover, they are being conformed to Christ’s likeness, and this flows from His work, as He is identical with the Holy Spirit as noted above.
Thoughts: Paul’s objective in this passage is to draw a contrast between his ministry in the context of the Gospel and that of Moses in the context of the law. Hodge offers some insights in his commentary on verse 13:
If Moses taught obscurely or in types, God intended that he should do so. If in point of fact the Jews misunderstood the nature of their own system, regarding as ultimate and permanent what was in fact preparatory and temporary, this was included in the divine purpose. It was evidently God’s plan to reveal the scheme of redemption gradually.
Hodge then notes that as long as people in the Old Testament trusted in God based on His partial revelation to them up to that point in time, they would be saved. If I were in the shoes of an Israelite in the Old Testament era, would I have put my faith in God and His partially revealed plan of redemption? Given the fact that many people continue to reject the fully revealed plan of redemption in Christ, there’s a good chance that I would have fallen short of salvation in the Old Testament. This highlights the awesome faith that those who are mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” from Hebrews 11 displayed, even when dealing with adverse circumstances.
Verses 17 and 18 reinforce one of the key tenets of Christianity: the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life yields innumerable benefits. Hodge offers some relevant thoughts in his commentary on verse 17:
The Holy Spirit is recognized everywhere in the Bible as the source of all life, truth, power, holiness, blessedness and glory…By turning to Christ we become partakers of the Holy Spirit, that which is living and life-giving, because he and the Spirit are one…This freedom must be the freedom that results from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – that is, that which flows from the application to us of the redemption purchased by Christ.
Now this discussion reminded me of the important truths expounded by Paul in Romans 8, which is, in my opinion, one of the most awesome passages in all of Scripture. Clearly the Holy Spirit plays a critical role in the life of every believer, yet – based on my admittedly informal observations – one could peruse the lyrics of most contemporary Christian worship songs and not realize this fact. For some reason, it is relatively easy for Christians to praise and worship God the Father and God the Son – but not God the Spirit. In general, believers should strike a better balance in that regard – not only in writing worship songs, but in our overall Christian walk.
