In chapter six of 2Corinthians we shall see by revelation our being called out from among them, just as Enoch, Abram (who became Abraham), Isaac, Abraham's son of promise and many others over the eons of time have been. Called out as was Jesus the promised Messiah, within the scriptures when they rightly divided and brought together as in one text which is ease to understand and to see with the mind renewed by the LORD within us, the pearl of the greatest of prices and indeed a valuable treasure, of GOD's hiding and doing. I have to honest I have been looking forward to this chapter for sometime now, relax and enjoy, as we move through 6.
2Corinthians 6:1-10 "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith [by Isaiah in 49:8], I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured(G967) thee(G4671): behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." (KJV)
2Corinthians 6:1-10 "Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says [by Isaiah in 49:8], "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped(G967) you(G4671)." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; By truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; Through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything." (ESV)
2Corinthians 6:1-10 "I want you to hear the urgency of our appeal: we are co-employed and implore you not to take GOD's grace for granted; what a waste it is to see less in grace that what GOD does! The danger is not to exaggerate what happened to humanity in Christ, but rather to understand it! (Jesus did not warn his disciples not to see him in too many peole, but certainly cautioned them not to miss him in the most unlikely! "How you trust the least is how you treat me." See 2Corinthians 1:19, "The Son of GOD, Jesus Christ, whom I Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy boldly announced in you, is GOD's ultimate yes to humanity. Human life is associated in all that he is! In GOD's mind there exists not even a hint of hesitation about this!" ) GOD declares that it is his [1,H7522]delight to do you good! [by Isaiah in 49:8] "I have heard the [3,G967]cry of the human race echo within [2,G4671]you [Jesus; Psalm 22:1] and immediately [3,G967]ran to your rescue." Now this is humanity's defining moment! See it for yourselves! This your time; this your salvation! (Already in the previous chapters Paul shared his own "from-now-on-therefore moment," in 2Corinthians 5:16, Now he encourages us to come to the same conclusion. There is no need to wait any longer for that which was written to be fulfilled! GOD spoke of a specific time and person when he announced salvation. Jesus is the day of salvation [Jeshua] that Isaiah foretold. This day has fully come! Even though Isaiah spoke these words 700 tears BC they were already recorded in the past tense! The Hebrew word, [1,H7522, translated acceptable] ratson, means pleasure, delight, favor, goodwill, acceptable. The Greek word, [3,G997 from G998 and G995 and θέω theō] boetheo, is from(G994) boao, a boisterous, most urgent cry for help, and (G998) theo, to run to the rescue. This is so typical of GOD; the Greek for GOD is (G2316) theos, which is so similar to theo! GOD heard the cry of the human race echo in Christ. "My GOD my GOD, why have you forsaken me!" Psalm 22:1, and in verse 24 he says, "For he has not despised nor distanced himself from the affliction of the afflicted; and he has not hid his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him." Note the [2,G4671]singular, soi, thus pointing to the Messiah, the one who would die for all, as in 2Corinthians 5:14. Isaiah saw the human race fully represented in the one act of righteousness completed in this one man! [Isaiah 53:4-5] See also Hebrews 4:16, "For this reason we can approach the authoritative Throne of his grace with bold utterance. We are welcome there in his embrace, and are reinforced with immediate effect in times of trouble. ( The word (G996), beotheia, means to be reinforced, specifically a rope or chain for frapping a vessel in a storm.) See to it that you do not give offence or allow any kind of casual indifference to discredit this message. In every circumstance we commend ourselves to be jointly positioned as [1,G1249]deacons of GOD; we co-exhibit incarnate grace, regardless of the degree of the contradictions that we might be facing. We remain constant in a fortress of patience, in situations of extreme pressure; even at times where it seems like we have our arms locked behind our backs and we feel squeezed into claustrophobic spaces. (The Greek word, [1,G1249] diakonos, is from dia, a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act, and konos, dust; thus, we [1] co-exhibit incarnate grace.) In physical abuse; beaten up and bruised; caged in prison cells; often in chaotic circumstances; exasperating toil, with little sleep and nothing to eat! While abiding constantly in bliss knowing what our innocence is founded in, we remain absolutely unmoved by any of these severe contradictions. We are in Christ; in Holy Spirit; in agape without a hint of hypocrisy. We are sheltered in the word, entwined in unveiled truth, in the dynamic of GOD's power, because righteousness empowers us with every necessary weapon in our right and left hand to daily live undefeated by any of these onslaughts and contradictions! (Righteousness by GOD's faith frees us from anything more we could do to prove or define ourselves through our own efforts. See Habakkuk 2:4, 17-19 and Romans 1:17, with Hebrews 12:1.) Whether people esteem us or despise us; whether we are ridiculed or recognized, we may even be accused of misleading people we are in actual fact freeing people! Some would say that we are vague and ambiguous and yet who we are is an open letter to everyone's conscience. Some would wish us dead; but hey, here we are, fully alive! (2Corinthians 4:2) Our joy exceeds any reason for sadness; to enrich countless others by far outweighs the expense. It may appear that we are empty handed, yet we have everything in a firm grasp!" (The Mirror)
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