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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
October 20
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Today's Pathway:
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Yesterday we noted that Paul asked in II Corinthians 2:16,
"who is sufficient for these things?"
We spoke of Paul's sufficiency because he did not corrupt the Word of God by either his lifestyle, his doctrine, or his motivation. Paul now asks in verse 1 if he and the other apostles needed to have recommendations in order to be accepted as preachers of the Gospel. As we have seen previously, there were those in the Corinthian church who opposed Paul's teachings and were looking for any way possible to discredit him. Paul's apostolic authority had been questioned in the past, and his opponents apparently used the fact that he did not have written recommendations from other churches to impugn his character. Paul asks the rhetorical question as to whether the church thought he needed to repeat his credentials to them. He answers that question later in II Corinthians 5:12 by stating,
"For we commend not ourselves again unto you."
He follows by asking if he needed to bring letters of commendation from other churches to prove the validity of his message, or if perhaps he needed to get a letter of recommendation from the Corinthians themselves so that he could carry out his ministry elsewhere. He answers that in verses 2-3 by writing that he did not need letters from other churches because the church at Corinth itself proved the authenticity of his ministry. They were an epistle of commendation written in Paul's heart and read by other believers. Charles Hodge wrote,
"The apostle sets it forth as certain that his apostolic mission and authority were so authenticated that he did not need letters of commendation either to them or from them. The false teachers had no doubt gained access to Corinth on the strength of certain letters of recommendation. They were so little known and had so little character, that when they went elsewhere, they would need to be commended by the Corinthians. With Paul the case was different."
James Denny made some interesting comments on verses 2-3. He wrote,
"The conversion and new life of the Corinthians were Paul’s certificate as an apostle. They were a certificate, he says, known and read by all men. Everybody knew what the Corinthians had been; everybody knew what they were; and the man to whom the change was due needed no other recommendation to a Christian society. Whoever looked at them saw plainly that they were an epistle of Christ; the mind of Christ could be read upon them, and it had been written by the intervention of Paul’s hand. This is an interesting, though a well-worn conception of the Christian character. Every life has a meaning, we say, but the text goes further. The life of the Christian is an epistle; it has not only a meaning, but an address; it is a message from Christ to the world."
The epistle of a Christian's life is not written in ink on paper by some man; it is written in his heart by the Holy Spirit of God. The true believer should not have to tell others how good a Christian he or she is, nor possess some form of documentation proving that they are who they claim to be. It should be obvious to all around them that this person is a Christian because the salvation that he has in his heart is being revealed through his actions and speech every day. If I could quote James Denny once again:
"Christian people owe a testimony to Christ. His name has been pronounced over them, and all who look at them ought to see His nature. We should discern in the heart and in the behavior of Christians the handwriting of Christ. It is to us He has committed Himself; we are the certification to men of what He does for man; His character is in our care. The true epistles of Christ to the world are not those which are expounded in pulpits; they are living men and women, on the tables of whose hearts the Spirit of the living God has engraved the likeness of Christ Himself."
When people "read" the epistle of your life, what will they learn about Christ?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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