Emmanuel Lutheran Church

2 Corinthians 10:1–18 (NKJV)

¹ Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. ² But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. ⁷ Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. ⁸ For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed—⁹ lest I seem to terrify you by letters. ¹⁰ “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” ¹¹ Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. ¹² For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; ¹⁵ not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, ¹⁶ to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment. ¹⁷ But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” ¹⁸ For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

It appears that some members of the church in Corinth were listening to the wrong people. Other ministers had come claiming to be apostles and had led them to distrust Paul, who would soon be coming to pick up their offering for Jerusalem. “Don’t worry about Paul. He only sounds tough in his letters. He won’t rebuke you harshly when he comes in person. He’ll be meek and mild.”

On the contrary, Paul promises that he will be “bold against some,” even as the “meek and mild” Jesus sometimes upbraided the Pharisees for their hypocrisy or drove out the moneychangers from the Temple. Paul and the other apostles and ministers of Christ wielded God’s Word as a mighty weapon. No sin is off limits from being identified and condemned. No false argument is immune from being dismantled. No human idea at all is safe from being criticized and even brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Paul asserts his divine authority and insists that the Corinthians recognize it, especially since Paul was the very one who brought the Gospel to them in the first place and who was in fellowship with the rest of the Lord’s handpicked apostles.

Ministers today were not handpicked by Jesus as the apostles were; their authority is governed by the authority of the apostles and prophets. But their authority is still valid, given to them by God in their call and ordination, so they, too, have been armed with mighty spiritual weapons to address men’s behavior, ideas, and teachings and to make them conform to the Word of Christ. They do this, not to seek men’s approval, but God’s.

Let us pray: O Lord, bless the ministry of Your ministers. Grant them wisdom and boldness to preach Your Word with power. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:1–15 (NKJV)

¹ Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; ² for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. ³ Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; ⁴ lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. ⁵ Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. ⁶ But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰ Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ¹¹ while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. ¹² For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, ¹³ while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, ¹⁴ and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!             

St. Paul continues his admonition about the special offering the Corinthians were gathering—or were supposed to be gathering—for the saints in Jerusalem. Again, we can apply his instructions to our own charitable offerings to other Christians in their time of need.

Give, because I know you’re willing. You said you were willing. I know you want to help your fellow Christians.

Give, because I’ve already boasted to others about your willingness and zeal to help, and I don’t want to be put to shame if I arrive and find that you were all talk and no action. Then I will appear to have deceived others about you.

Give, because I’ve already boasted to others about you, and I don’t want you to be put to shame. You said you wanted to help. How embarrassing it would be for you if your fellow Christians learned that you chose not to help them.

Give, not grudgingly, not out of a sense of obligation, but cheerfully, because God loves a cheerful giver.

Give, not sparingly, but generously, because God will bless you far beyond what you give, sometimes with physical blessings, but always with spiritual ones.

Give, because it supplies the needs of many, even beyond what you actually give, because God is able to multiply the little works that we do, even as Jesus once multiplied a few loaves of bread and a few fish to feed more than 5,000 people.

Give, because it results in thanksgiving to God as the recipients of your gift praise Him for working such love in you and for providing for them through you.

Let us pray: O Lord, increase in us the mind of Christ to keep us focused on fulfilling the needs of others, as You give us the means and the opportunity. Amen.

2 Corinthians 8:1–24 (NKJV)

¹ Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: ² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. ³ For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, ⁴ imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. ⁵ And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. ⁶ So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. ⁷ But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also. ⁸ I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. ¹⁰ And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; ¹¹ but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. ¹² For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. ¹³ For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; ¹⁴ but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.” ¹⁶ But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷ For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, ¹⁹ and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, ²⁰ avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—²¹ providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. ²² And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. ²³ If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴ Therefore show to them, and before the churches the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

St. Paul spent two chapters in his second epistle to the Corinthians urging them to finish gathering a generous offering for the saints in Jerusalem who were suffering scarcity due to famine. He gives them one reason after another to follow through with the charitable aid they had promised, and we do well to note that his words apply, not to their divine obligation to support the local ministry of the Gospel, but to an offering that was above and beyond their local responsibilities, an offering that was entirely free, and yet still subject to the guidance of God’s Word. We can apply his counsel especially to the charitable offerings we gather for other Christians or congregations within our fellowship.

Give, because giving itself is God’s gracious gift to you, as the Macedonian Christians had already proven by the generous offering they had gathered, even though they themselves were suffering.

Give, because it will prove the sincerity of your love.

Give, because Christ gave everything for you, to the point of impoverishing Himself, and has made you rich with the gifts of forgiveness, adoption, access to God, and an eternal inheritance.

Give, because you said you would give and already expressed your desire to help.

Give, because it is a godly thing for Christians who have more of something to share it with Christians who have less. Right now you have more money, and they have less. They, on the other hand, may have an abundance of something else which they can share with you, like wisdom, prayer, thanksgiving, or doctrinal insight.

Let us pray: O God of grace, we pray for all our fellow Christians who are suffering any need. Grant us the grace to supply their needs out of the abundance You have given us. Amen.

Romans 6:15–18 (NKJV)

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Shall we sin? Certainly not! The answer seems obvious to the Christian. And yet history shows that the simple question and answer need to be repeated often, because God’s people, influenced by the devil, the world, and our flesh, easily grow complacent and secure. Such was certainly the case for Israel at Mt. Sinai. God had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and claimed them as His special people. They were finally safe and secure under the grace and protection of the LORD God. But instead of serving Him and obeying the commandments He had recently spoken to them, they went right back to serving sin instead, and the consequences were fatal.

And so, just as Paul warns the Corinthian Christians in today’s Epistle, so he instructs and urges the Romans in today’s devotional text: Shall we sin? Certainly not!

Why not? Because you wanted to be free from sin. Remember? The Law condemned you because of your sins. It warned you of God’s wrath and eternal punishment, and you were rightly afraid. And then the Gospel called you away from the judgment seat of the Law to flee in faith to Christ Jesus, to be judged under grace instead. There you received the forgiveness of sins and were welcomed into God’s house and into God’s service, leading to life instead of death. It’s good to be reminded of that, because the devil would gladly convince you that you can live under grace while also living in willful sin. He would lull you to sleep, convincing you that you are secure in God’s grace even as you reject that very grace through impenitence. When he makes such an attempt, return to Paul’s question and answer. Shall we sin? Certainly not! For you have been delivered from sin and death and are now a servant of the God of grace, to do good instead of evil.

Let us pray: Merciful Father in heaven, we thank you for delivering us from sin through faith in Your beloved Son. Help us by Your powerful Spirit to flee from sin each day and to serve You in righteousness. Amen.