Before Paul comes to the strong appeal to the
Corinthians to be obedient to the Lord he calls to their mind one other
“ministry credential”, one of great importance.
He reminds them that he performed the “signs of an apostle” in Corinth as he did
throughout his ministry. Jesus had given
the apostles power to perform signs of miracles
as evidence that they spoke for Him (Mark 3:13-15; Heb. 2:1-4). The 3 terms at the end of v12 all applied to
these marvelous works. They were signs because they proved they were bona
fide apostles of Christ. They were wonders because they defied
explanation. They were mighty because they were
supernatural.
Paul is now planning to come to them for the
third time. It will be as before in that
he will not burden them financially. He
does not want their money but them. In
this way there can be no accusation that he is taking advantage of them, even
though it would be perfectly permissible for them to contribute to his needs
(Gal. 6:6).
What Paul will do when he comes, however, is
to examine the church itself with respect to their obedience to things they
have been taught from the scriptures. In
vs. 20-21 are lists of sins that were dealt with in the previous letter we call
1 Corinthians. Verse 20 speaks to issues
of disunity in the church.
o
Contentions: debates, strife.
o
Jealousies: being upset over another’s success
or honor.
o
Outbursts of wrath: losing one’s temper.
o
Selfish ambitions: seeking one’s own good at the
expense or hurt of others.
o
Backbitings: speaking evil of others.
o
Whisperings: gossip.
o
Conceits: being puffed up with pride.
o
Tumults: causing instability, confusion.
Sadly, teaching on these matters by the
apostle was directed to almost every church in the New Testament. It had been a big issue at Corinth (1 Cor. 1-4) and Paul was hoping they
had matured beyond these practices.
Verse 21 speaks to issues of sexual sin. He had spoken to them about these matters in
1 Cor. 5-7. You will see in the three
terms that there is a progression one sees in the world, but that must not even
be hinted at in the body of Christ (Eph. 5:3).
Immorality begins in the heart, becomes an action, and then an obsession
or habit.
o
Uncleanness: impurity; may refer to lusts or
motivations.
o
Fornication: any sexual relationship outside
marriage.
o
Lewdness: unbridled excess of lust and
immorality.
These 2 lists make a strong point for us. Paul is as concerned about one as the other,
even though we often view the first to be small
sins compared to the major sins
of immorality. Let us turn from all sin,
accepting the forgiveness of our Savior, and seeking by His Spirit to live
lives honoring to Him.
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