As was noted last week, Paul established the church in Corinth during his Second Missionary Journey after leaving Asia Minor and setting foot in Europe for the first time. The Book of Acts traces Paul’s steps as he entered Greece, with his first stop in Philippi, then west to Thessalonica and Berea, and then south to Athens, and then further south on the Grecian Peninsula to Corinth.

During his Third Missionary Journey, after writing First Corinthians from Ephesus in Asia Minor, Paul would later write his second letter to the church, more than likely while revisiting Philippi. Let’s not forget that Corinth was a hub of worldwide commerce in the Roman Empire, with a degraded culture and idolatrous religious practices. And because this church contained a majority of Gentiles who had been converted to Christ through the “preaching of the cross,” it’s no wonder that those in the church carried a lot of personal “baggage” from their past into the life of the church.

Since writing First Corinthians, the church had been influenced by false teachers who had entered the congregation and stirred up the people against Paul. They claimed that he was fickle, proud, unimpressive in appearance and speech, dishonest, and unqualified as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. In response, Paul sent Titus to Corinth to deal with these difficulties, and upon his return, Paul was glad to hear of the Corinthians’ change of heart. And so, Paul wrote this letter to express his gratitude over the fact that the majority of the people had repented of their attitude regarding Paul and his authority. At the same time, Paul appealed to the rebellious minority to accept his teaching as well as his authority. Throughout this letter, Paul defends his character, conduct, and calling as an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

It’s interesting to note that even with all of the problems in this congregation, Paul still referred to them, as he did in his first letter, according to their position in Christ. Let’s see how Paul addressed this letter,

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia…” (2 Cor. 1:1).

In spite of all the opposition Paul had been facing from certain members of the congregation, Paul still referred  to them as “saints” or “holy ones,” that is, those who have been made “holy” or “righteous” through the blood of Christ. We call this being “sanctified” in a positional sense, while knowing that in a practical sense, their sanctification was a work in progress, as it is with each of us, as we seek to become more like Christ in our character and conduct. But there is more to Paul’s introduction, as he continues with these words of comfort,

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:2-4).

I love what Paul says here in that those who have experienced the comfort of God during their own times of affliction are now able to comfort others with the same comfort that God had given to them. But there is much more in Paul’s second letter.

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:5-6).

Paul is clearly pointing out that his preaching was never about him, but about Christ Jesus as Lord, and that he and his traveling companions are simply “bond-servants” for Jesus’ sake. Paul defended his apostleship as a servant and never tried to elevate himself for his own sake.

Furthermore, Paul tells these believers (and us) about the new nature that they received when they repented of their sins and trusted Christ by faith,

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away and all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

All those in Christ receive a “new nature.” Rather than continuing to have a “sinful nature” inherited from Adam, the Christian is given a new nature inherited from Christ. But we might ask, “If the old nature is gone, why do I still occasionally sin?” The answer is not in the “old nature” that is still within you (it is gone), but it comes from the “habits” we have developed from living under the control of our old nature. The new nature allows us to live a life that is characterized by righteousness, not sin. The desire of our new nature is to honor Christ in our lives, and we have been given the power to live that kind of life.

Paul goes on to tell his readers about the source of this new nature, and the essence of his ministry,

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18-19).  

Paul is saying that the new nature we received is actually a gift from God, the One who has reconciled us to Himself. Our reconciliation put an end to the alienation we had from Him, giving us a new relationship with God based on faith. And Paul recognized that his ministry was about proclaiming that each person can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, and that their sins would not be counted against them. Paul’s conclusion is this:

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).

Paul considered himself to be an “ambassador” for Christ, that is, one who has been given the authority to speak on behalf of Christ. And we have that same authority, that is, to share with others the Good News that they can be reconciled to God through His Son Jesus Christ. Let’s not take our assignment lightly. If we have been reconciled to God, then God has called us to share it with others as His ambassadors. By His grace and in His strength, we can be faithful and fruitful ambassadors of the King of kings.

May the Lord bless each one of you as we move closer to Christmas Day. And may we all see ourselves as His ambassadors, willing and ready to share the Good News with those who are lost, some of whom may be gathered around our own Christmas dinner table.

God bless you all, and Merry Christmas.