Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 2 CORINTHIANS #5 - 5:11-21)
H. 5:11-21 FURTHER MOTIVATION TO MINISTER
1. 5:11-15 CONSTRAINT: BY FEAR OF LORD AND LOVE OF SOULS
a. 5:11 THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND SOUL-WINNERS
EiDOtes oun ton PHObon [5401] tou KuRIou, anTHROpous PEItho-men [3982], TheO de pe-pha-neROme-tha;
Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord,we persuade men, but we are manifested to God;
elPIzo[1679]de kai en tais su-neiDEse-sin [4893]huMON pe-pha-neROSthai [5319].
and I hope that we are manifested also in your :consciences.
b. 5:12 CONTRAST OF TWO TYPES OF SOUL-WINNERS
ou PAlin he-auTOUS su-nisTAno-men [4921] huMIN,
We are not again commending ourselves to you,
alLA a-phorMEN [874]diDONtes huMIN kauCHEma-tos [2745]huPER heMON,
but as giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf,
HIna Echete pros tous en proSOpo[4383]kau-choMEnous [2744], kai me en karDIa.
that you may have toward those glorying in face, and not in heart.
c. 5:13 For whether we were beside ourselves, it is to God; whether we are of sober mind, it is to you.
EIte gar eXESte-men [1839], TheO; EIte so-phroNOUmen [4993], huMIN.
d. 5:14-15 LOVE OF CHRIST: CONSTRAINT FOR PAUL
hegar aGApetou ChrisTOU suNEchei [4912]heMAS;
For the love of the Christ constrains us;
KRInan-tas [2919]TOUto, HOti eis huPER PANton aPEtha-nen [599] , Ara hoi PANtes aPEtha-non;
having thus judged, that one died for all, therefore :all died;
kai huPER panTON aPEtha-nen, HIna hoi ZONtes meKEti he-auTOIS ZOsin,
15and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live to themselves,
alLA tohuPER auTON a-po-thaNONti kai e-gerTHENti [1453].
but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.
2. 5:16-19 FOR THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
a. 5:16 EVEN CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH: NOT KNOWN
HOste heMEIS aPO tou nun ouDEna OIda-men kaTA SARka [4561]:
So that we from :now on know no oneafter the flesh:
ei kai egNOka-men [1097]kaTA SARka ChrisTON, alLA nun ouKEti giNOSko-men.
even though we have known Christ after theflesh, yet now we know him so no more.
b. 5:17 So that if any isin Christ, he isa new creature: the old arepassed away; lo, they are become new.
HOSte EI tis en ChrisTO, kaiNEKTIsis [2937]: ta arCHAIa [744]paRELthen [3928]; iDOU, GEgo-nen kaiNA.
c. 5:18-19 GOD: THE BASIS OF CHRIST'S RECONCILIATION
ta de PANta ek tou TheOU, tou ka-talLAxan-tos [2644] heMAS he-auTO diA ChrisTOU,
But all the things are of :God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ,
kai DONtos heMIN ten di-a-koNIan [1248] tes ka-tal-laGES [2643];
and gave to us the ministry of :reconciliation;
hos, HOti TheOS en en ChrisTO KOSmon ka-talLASson[2644] he-auTO,
19to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself,
melo-giZOme-nous [3049]auTOIS ta pa-rapTOma-ta [3900] auTON,
not reckoning to them their :trespasses,
kai THEme-nos [5087] en heMIN ton LOgon tes ka-tal-laGES.
and having committed to us the word of :reconciliation.
3. 5:20-21 BECAUSE OF HIGH CALLING: AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
a. 5:20 GOD WORKS RECONCILIATION THROUGH MEN
HuPER ChrisTOU oun presBEUo-men [4243], hos tou TheOU pa-ra-kaLOUNtos [3870] di' heMON:
We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though :God were entreating by us:
deOme-tha [1189] huPER ChrisTOU, ka-talLAge-te [2644] to TheO.
we beseech on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to :God.
b. 5:21 CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS: THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION
ton me GNONta ha-marTIan huPER heMON ha-marTIan ePOIe-sen;
Him who knew no sin he made sin on our behalf;
HIna heMEIS geNOme-tha [1096] di-kai-oSUne [1343] TheOU en auTO.
that WE might become righteousness of God in him.
NOTE: There are 3 verses in this passage that stand out to me: 5:13 - For the sake of winning souls, Paul restrained himself before them, lest they be turned off by his exorbitant love to God. When alone with God, he showed no restraints.
To me, this is a good example for us today. In revivals, some seem to be unaware of Paul's wisdom at this point, and turn off unbelievers with their unrestrained emotional joy. God loves us to be as little children before Him - but for the sake of souls - He desires us to restrain ourselves before them, but give Him their unrestrained love in private. Are we willing to walk in this wisdom of the Spirit through the apostle Paul?
Then consider 5:17. I memorized this soon after my conversion 65 years ago, and have blessed God for the truth and reality found here. It is difficult to plumb the depths of this verse; but as we meditate upon it, and pray it back to God in our own words with thanksgiving, then the Spirit opens it up like a rose bud, or peels it back layer by layer as in an onion.
Lastly there is 5:21. It is Godwho made Jesus His only begotten Son sinon our behalf. Jesus was born to die! Had Satan insight on this beforehand, he would never have permitted Calvary to take place! It was his undoing. He is an entirely defeated foe since the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus! Peter's sermon in Acts 2 at Pentecost is evident proof of this. God as the Master chess-player effectively defeated the devil.
Oswald Chambers in his various writings, especially “My Utmost for His Highest”, points out that Jesus at Calvary effected the right for Him from the throne of God following His Ascension, to place His very nature into us by the Holy Spirit. We are a new creation. Christ in us, according to Galatians 2:20, was the sublime secret of Paul's effectiveness. It really wasn't Paul - it was Christliving out His Lifethrough Paul! Rees Howells in his biography by Norman P. Grubb effectively points out this same truth!
What nuggets of almighty revelation lie in the Bible, God's Word! Let us not leave it to remain as the letter, but through faith, obedience and full discipleship in meditation, let us permit God to make His Son supremein us, to the pulling down of strongholds! - J.A.W.