2 CORINTHIANS 6
Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
2 CORINTHIANS 6 BE FAULTLESS SERVANTS OF GOD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you were called by God to believe in his Son
You ought to receive his grace with a grateful heart
Do not let any obstacles or hindrances get in your way
You must also be able to endure hardships and trials
God’s people rejoice when they face tribulations
Press on and continue to be faultless in all situations.
Paul pleads the Corinthian believers to ensure that they do not take for granted the grace that God has given them. To take God’s grace in vain would be to deny the sacrifice he did on the cross for us to be freed from the wrath of God. Paul lays down the foundation of what is required to accept God’s grace in awe and gratitude. One of them would be to guarantee that we do not become an obstacle to ourselves or to anyone in the growth of the faith in a believer’s life. He gives the formula for being a faultless servant of God. To be pure and holy, to die to our flesh and to endure persecution and hardships for the sake of the gospel.
REFLECTION
· What is a faultless servant of God & why is it different from perfectionism?
