2 Cor. 5:11-17

(Our family is grieving the loss of a son/grandson/cousin.  I am going to set aside the task of writing new posts and will repeat some posts from 2 Corinthians.  We did this last year when our daughter passed away, republishing posts from 2 Cor. 1:1-5:10 (see our blog April 11-24, 2023).  We are picking up at that point today and for the next several days.  We thank you for praying for us.  Please feel free to use our comment option to leave passages from the Bible that you think might be encouraging.)

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There is one goal in life for all men: to please God (v9)!  And there is no question that the fear of God (or the terror of the Lord, v11) is a motivating factor in this.  It is a fact: I will appear before God to give an account someday.  And so will everyone around me.  Thus reaching out to others with the gospel of Christ has a tremendous urgency.

At the same time, and without contradiction, we are motivated by the love of Christ.  Meditate on this thought as there are many who would think you can’t have both motivations.  This passage makes it clear that Paul had both.  He was deeply fearful that men not stand before God unprepared.  At the same time he knew that the only way anyone could stand before God prepared was by the gracious and merciful provision of that same God.

Paul is still dealing with the issue of his integrity in ministry (v12-13).  The commendation idea goes back to 3:1-3 when he asked if he needed a letter of commendation.  Here he is saying that he does not want them to think he is bragging about himself.  He wants them to be able to think well of him because they know his heart is in the right place.  His approach to ministry caused some to think he was crazy (Acts 26:24) but he says it is because he is so committed to pleasing God.  On the other hand if his ministry seemed to be effective it was for them.  He showed the same 2-fold orientation in 4:5: toward God he preached Christ as Lord, without any hesitation; toward the Corinthians he was their slave.

So if Paul was not in this for himself then what motivated him?  The answer is clear: he is compelled by the love of Christ (v14-15).  Paul knew deeply the work of Christ in his own life and he knew it from the testimony of Scripture: Christ died for all.  Furthermore, if Christ died for all, then that meant that all were in trouble, all had need of the forgiveness and eternal life Christ provided through His death and resurrection.

The love of Christ compelled Paul.  That is a strong term meaning he was pressed, almost forced to serve Christ.  What caused him to be so committed or passionate was not the fear of God but the love of Christ.  That love of Christ for Paul was the basis for Paul’s love for the dying people around him. 

He was so moved that he no longer saw people in a merely visible way (v16).  He saw them spiritually in terms of their need for Christ.  Likewise he no longer saw those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as those born in sin; rather he knew they were a new creation (v17).  To see people the way Paul saw them is to have a true view of reality.  The spiritual need of sinful man is real.  The change wrought by Christ is likewise real.

What a tremendous passage this is.  We are being taken deep into our own hearts to see what motivates us.  Are we out to please God or ourselves?  Do we feel deeply the love of Christ?  Do I merely know people by their race, gender, occupation, degree or title?  Or do I know them through the eyes of Christ?