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2 Corinthians Chapter Five

 
Chapter Five General Review
 
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
 
1) To understand the basis for Paul's hope despite his suffering
 
2) To see what motivated Paul in his work as a minister
 
3) To appreciate the gospel as a "ministry of reconciliation"
 
SUMMARY
 
As Paul continues describing the nature of his ministry, he explains
why he remains "hopeful" in spite of his suffering. He knows that
should his "earthly house" be destroyed, there is a "house not made
with hands" that God has prepared for him. For this he longs, being
confident because God has already given the Spirit as a guarantee. So
while he must walk by faith, and not by sight, he makes it his aim to
be pleasing to the Lord, before Whom he knows he will one day stand to
give an account (1-10).
 
Paul then describes his "devotion" as it pertains to his ministry.
Motivated by his knowledge of the terror of the Lord, he persuades men.
He endeavors to serve God and his brethren in such a way that the
Corinthians will be able to provide a defense to those who judge only
by appearance. Throughout it all, it is the love of Christ which
constrains Paul to live no longer for himself but for the Lord. Unlike
his detractors, he no longer judges people based upon appearances, for
he knows that if one is in Christ, he is a new creation (11-17).
 
Finally, Paul depicts the work of God in Christ as one in which God is
reconciling the world to Himself. Paul's own role is that of an
"ambassador for Christ", who has been entrusted with the "ministry of
reconciliation" so he might implore people on God's behalf that they be
reconciled to God (18-21).
 
OUTLINE
 
I. THE "HOPEFUL" NATURE OF PAUL'S MINISTRY (1-10)
 
 A. THE PROMISE OF A "BUILDING" FROM GOD (1-5)
 1. A house not made with hands, to replace the "earthly tent" (1)
  2. In this "earthly tent" we groan (2-4)
 a. Earnestly desiring to be clothed with the habitation from
 heaven (2)
 b. So as not to found "naked", and that mortality may be
 swallowed up by life (3-4)
 3. God has prepared us for this very thing, and has given the
 Spirit as a guarantee (5)
 
 B. WHAT THIS PROMISE PRODUCES IN PAUL (6-10)
 1. Confidence... (6-8)
 a. Knowing that at home in the body means absence from the
 Lord, necessitating walking by faith and not by sight (6-7)
 b. Preferring to be absent from the body and present with the
 Lord (8)
 2. An aim to be well pleasing to Christ (9-10)
 a. Whether present or absent (9)
 b. For we must all be judged by Christ (10)
 
II. THE "DEVOTED" NATURE OF PAUL'S MINISTRY (11-17)
 
 A. MOTIVATED BY THE FEAR OF THE LORD (11-13)
 1. Knowing the terror of the Lord, he persuades men (11a)
 2. He is aware both God and they know him well (11b)
 3. His desire is to so live in service to God and them (no matter
 what some may think of him) that they may find reason to glory
 in him (12-13)
 
 B. MOTIVATED BY THE LOVE OF CHRIST (14-17)
 1. Constrained by the love of Christ who died for all, he now
 lives for Him (14-15)
 2. He ceases to make superficial judgments based upon appearance,
 even as he had once done with Christ (16)
 3. For one in Christ is a new creation, and all things have 
  become new (17)
 
III. THE "RECONCILING" NATURE OF PAUL'S MINISTRY (18-21)
 
 A. PAUL HAS BEEN GIVEN A MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION (18-19)
 1. He himself has been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ
 (18a)
 2. God has given him the ministry of reconciliation (18b-19)
 a. The reconciliation of the world is actually God's work in
 Christ (19a)
 b. The "word of reconciliation" has been committed to Paul
 (19b)
 
 B. PAUL PLEADS WITH THEM TO BE RECONCILED TO GOD (20-21)
 1. As ambassadors of Christ, pleading for God and on Christ's
 behalf (20)
 2. For Christ became sin for us, that we might become the 
 righteousness of God in Him (21)
 
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER
 
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
 - The "hopeful" nature of Paul's ministry (1-10)
 - The "devoted" nature of Paul's ministry (11-17)
 - The "reconciling" nature of Paul's ministry (18-21)
 
2) What did Paul know he would have if his "earthly house" were
 destroyed? (1)
 - A building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
 heavens
 
3) What was Paul's earnest desire? (2)
 - To be clothed with the habitation from heaven
 
4) What has God given us as a "guarantee" of the "life" to come? (5)
 - The Spirit
 
5) What remains our condition while we are "at home in the body"? (6)
 - We are absent from the Lord
 
6) What does our present condition require of us in our daily "walk"?
 (7)
 - To walk by faith, not by sight
 
7) What is the desire of the "confident" Christian? (8)
 - To be absent from the body and present with the Lord
 
8) What is the aim of "confident" Christian? (9)
 - To be well pleasing to the Lord
 
9) Before what must we all one day appear? (10)
 - The judgment seat of Christ
 
10) What moved Paul to try and persuade men? (11)
 - Knowing the terror of the Lord
 
11) What motivated Paul to live for Jesus Christ? (14-15)
 - The love of Christ, who died for him
 
12) What is the condition of one in Christ? (17)
 - A new creation
 
13) Through Whom has God reconciled us to Himself? (18)
 - Jesus Christ
 
14) What two descriptive phrases does Paul use in reference to the 
 gospel that was committed to him? (18-19)
 - The ministry of reconciliation
 - The word of reconciliation
 
14) How has God reconciled us to Himself? (19)
 - By not imputing our trespasses to us
 
15) How does Paul view his role in this "ministry of reconciliation"?
 (20)
 - As an ambassador for Christ
 
16) How is it possible that we can become "the righteousness of God" in
 Christ? (21)
 - God has made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us

The Ministry Of Reconciliation (5:18-21)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. An important concept fundamental to the gospel of Christ is that of
  "reconciliation"
 
2. In 2 Co 5:18-21, Paul expounds upon this subject...
 a. He discusses how there is some sort of reconciliation between God
 and man
 b. He describes the role he played in what he calls the "ministry" 
 of reconciliation
 
3. There are a couple of questions I would like to address in this
 lesson...
 a. Exactly what is the nature of the reconciliation between God and
 man?
 b. What roles might we play in the gospel of Christ as the "ministry
 of reconciliation"?
 
[It is important that we first properly understand the meaning of
"reconciliation" and its concept as it relates to God and man...]
 
I. THE PROCESS OF RECONCILIATION
 
 A. DEFINING RECONCILIATION...
 1. Vine's definition of "reconcile" (Grk., katallasso)...
 a. "It properly denotes to change, exchange (esp. of money)"
 b. "Hence, of persons, to change from enmity to friendship,
 to reconcile"
 2. He goes on to add: "With regard to the relationship between
  God and man, the use of this and connected words show that 
 primarily reconciliation is what GOD (emphasis mine, MAC)
 accomplishes..."
 a. I.e., there is enmity between God and man (because of man's
 sin, cf. Isa 59:1-2)
 b. Yet the gospel proclaims how GOD has taken the initiative 
 to reconcile man back to Himself
 3. We should note this fine distinction:
 a. God is not reconciled to man, as though God were partly to
 blame for the enmity
 b. Rather, man is reconciled to God, for it is man who moved
 away from God!
 4. Thus the reconciliation between man and God is slightly 
 different, though the difference is important!
 a. When people need to be reconciled to one another, it 
 normally involves a situation where fault lies on both 
 sides to some degree
 b. Not so with the case between man and God; man has moved 
 away from God, and it is man who needs to be reconciled
 back to God, not God back to man!
 
 B. HOW RECONCILIATION IS MADE POSSIBLE...
 1. It is possible because of the initiatives that GOD took first!
 2. It is possible through Jesus Christ, in particular by His
 death for our sins!
 a. Note these verses that teach reconciliation comes through 
 Jesus - 2 Co 5:18; Co 1:19-20a
 b. Note these verses that teach reconciliation comes through
 Jesus' death on the cross - 2 Co 5:19,21; Ro 5:10; Co 1:
 20b-22
 c. In other words...
 1) God took Christ, who knew no sin, to represent our sin
 and to receive the punishment due for sin in His death
 on the cross
 2) So that we, who were enemies, alienated from God by our
 sins, might be reconciled back to God!
 3) And through Christ's death:
 a) We might become the righteousness of God in Him 
 - 2 Co 5:21a
  b) We might be holy, blameless and irreproachable in His
 sight, because our trespasses are not imputed to us 
 - Co 1:22; 2 Co 5:19; cf. Ro 4:6-8
 3. Indeed, reconciliation is possible because God has offered 
 Jesus as a "propitiation" for our sins!
 a. The word "propitiation" describes a sacrifice that is 
 designed to appease for sins
 b. It was used to describe those sacrifices that Gentiles 
 offered to their gods
 c. But in the NT, it is GOD who offers the "propitiation", not
 man!
 1) Cf. 1 Jn 2:1-2; 4:10
 2) This illustrates the great love God has for us, and how
 far He has gone in trying to reconcile man back to 
 Himself!
 
[It is when we understand the meaning and process of "reconciliation"
(along with "propitiation") that we begin to appreciate the wonderful
extent of God's grace and His love for mankind.
 
But God went beyond just sending His Son to die on the cross as a 
propitiation designed to reconcile man back to God; He has also 
developed...]
 
II. THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
 
 A. GOD SENT "AMBASSADORS"...
 1. Note that Paul says God:
 a. "...has given to us the ministry of reconciliation"
 - 2 Co 5:18b
 b. "...has committed to us the word of reconciliation"
 - 2 Co 5:19b
 -- There is a ministry (service) in which the word of 
 reconciliation is to be made known to others!
 2. The apostles in particular had this "ministry"...
 a. The word apostle means "one sent"
 b. In a special way they were sent to serve as Christ's 
 "ambassadors" to the world! - 2 Co 5:20
 3. Therefore, through the apostles...through their word...
 a. God is pleading with us...
 b. Christ is imploring us...
 ...be reconciled to God! - 2 Co 5:20
 -- Thus God's great love is manifest in the fact that He also 
 sent ambassadors to tell the world what He has done to 
 reconcile man back to Himself
 
 B. HIS "AMBASSADORS" TODAY...
 1. The "ministry of reconciliation" continues today!
 a. For people are still lost in their sins
 b. And God still loves those who are lost
 2. But who are God's "ambassadors" today?
 a. Who will take the "word of reconciliation" to others?
 b. Who along with God and Christ will plead and implore: "Be 
 reconciled to God!"?
 3. While there may not be "formal" ambassadors like the apostles
 were, Christ still has His ambassadors:
 a. The people of God, who proclaim His praises - 1 Pe 2:9-10
 b. Faithful individuals, who properly taught can teach others 
  - 2 Ti 2:2
 c. In fact, ALL Christians should be involved in "the ministry
 of reconciliation"!
 1) Some may "go", while others may "send" - Ro 10:14-15
 2) Some may "teach", while others may "invite" - Jn 1:45-46
 4. In whatever way we serve, we must remember that we play an 
 important role in God's ministry of reconciliation today!
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. How important is "reconciliation" and "the ministry of 
 reconciliation"?
 a. If God is "pleading" and Christ is "imploring", then it must be
 very important!
 b. Indeed, the eternal destiny of one's soul depends upon whether he
 or she has been reconciled to God!
 
2. Does this not move us?
 a. First to be reconciled ourselves?
 b. And then to participate in the ministry of reconciliation for the
 sake of others?
 
3. A final thought: The fact that God "pleads" and Christ "implores"
 us to be reconciled tell us some things that are very important for
 us to realize...
 a. Reconciliation is not unconditional (we must respond!)
 b. Reconciliation is not universal (some will be lost!)
 
Indeed, the grace and mercy of God offered in the death of His Son must
not be received in vain! As Paul goes on to say:
 
 "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not 
 to receive the grace of God in vain." (2 Co 6:1)
 
Only through an obedient faith can we be sure to receive God's grace, 
and have Jesus as the author of our eternal salvation! - cf. He 5:9
 
Have YOU been reconciled to God?

－－《Executable Outlines》

Hope In the Future

The Earthly Tent

An Eternal House in Heaven

I. Live by Faith

1. Live in the Body

2. Away from the Body

3. To Please the Lord

II. Live for the Lord

1. Out of Mind Before God

2. In Right Mind Before God

3. A New Creation

III. Live in Reconciliation with God

1. No Sin To Be Sin

2. Unrighteousness Becomes Righteousness

3. The Ministry of Reconciliation