2 Coríntios 5
Andrew Murray · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 5:11-13
Murray wrote that "Nothing could be more significant than that the fear of the Lord should be coupled with the comfort of the Holy Spirit as the characteristics of the New Testament church: So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. (Acts 9:31). Paul (2Co 7:1+) and Peter (1Pe 1:17-+) both use the fear of the Lord as a motive to holy and righteous living. The example of the Lord Jesus Himself, of whom Isaiah said, “and he will delight in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:3), should put the question beyond all doubt. If Jesus in His humanity delighted in the fear of God, surely we need to give serious thought to cultivating this attitude in our lives (1Pe 2:21-+). (The Practice of Godliness) Puritan John Flavel said that... By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil (Pr 8:17, Job 1:1b); but by the fear of man they run themselves into evil. Puritan William Gurnall wrote that God is the Conqueror of all fear explaining that... Our help is in the name of the Lord (Ps 124:8), but our fears are in the name of man. F. B.
2 Coríntios 5:11-13
Murray adding that... This fear of the Lord drove Paul to “persuade others”—that is, to persuade the Corinthians of his gospel (Ed: And his evangelizing activities in which he sought to persuade men of the truth of the Gospel - eg, Acts 17:4, 18:4, 19:8, 26, 28:23) and the integrity of his person as an apostle. In theological terms, eschatological fear motivated Paul to carry out his calling. (Hughes, R. K. 2 Corinthians : Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) Brian Bell cautions all of us in ministry (and we are ALL in ministry!)... We must take care not to depend on the praise of men. Paul referred to the “letters of commendation” that the Judaizers prized so highly. If we live only for the praise of men, we will not win the praise of God at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Persuade (3982)(peitho - Thayer says peitho is from root meaning `to bind'; allied with pistis, fides, foedus, etc; see also the study of the antonym = apeitheo) means literally to persuade or induce by words to believe (Mt 27:20, Lk 16:31, Lk 18:9 = "trusted", Lk 20:6 = "convinced", Acts 17:4, 19:26, Ro 8:38-+, Ro 14:14-+ = "convinced"). Peitho - 4 times in 2 Corinthians - 2Co 1:9; 2:3; 5:11; 10:7. It is notable that in the first letter, Paul used the related adjective peithos (persuasive, winning) to counter as Hughes describes it "the persuasive techniques of Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition" writing... I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive (peithos) words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1Co 2:3, 4, 5). Comment: So where earlier Paul rejected the philosophers persuasive rhetorical techniques, here shows that he does not reject the need to persuade men of the integrity of his evangelistic ("persuading") ministry. Peitho is a strong verb, carrying the components of confidence, reliance, and hope. The idea is to cause one to come to a settled persuasion concerning something. The idea is to cause them to be so convinced that one puts confidence in something or someone. Paul uses peitho in Galatians 1:10 in a context that yields a similar sense its use in 2Co 5:11... For am I now seeking the favor (peitho) of men or of God (More literally = "For am I now persuading men or God?")? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant (surrenders his will to the will of the Master) of Christ. Comment: Many commentators consider that Paul is addressing a charge from his opponents that he sought to curry the favor of his hearers to gain converts. Seeking the favor of men was in fact Paul's previous motivation for promoting Judaism. Martin Luther's Comment: Do I preach a man’s doctrine, or God’s? Is it not clear to you whether I serve man or serve God? I have not only stirred up persecution against me in every place, but have also procured the hatred of my own nation, and of all other men. I show plainly enough by this, that I seek not the favor or praise of men, but I strive to set forth the benefit and glory of God. We seek not the favor of men by our doctrine, for we teach that all men are wicked by nature, and the children of wrath. We condemn man’s free will, his strength, wisdom, and righteousness, and all religion of man’s own devising, and, to be short, that there is nothing in us to deserve grace, and the forgiveness of sins; but we preach that we obtain this grace by the free mercy of God only, for Christ’s sake. This is not to preach for the favor of men, and of the world; for the world does not like to have its wisdom, righteousness, religion, and power condemned. For if we speak against men, or anything that pertains to their glory, cruel hatred, persecutions, excommunications, murders and condemnations inevitably follow. If then (says Paul) they see other matters, why do they not see this also, that I teach the things that are of God, and not of men? I seek no man’s favor by my doctrine, but I set out God’s mercy unto us in Christ. If I sought the favor of men, I would not condemn their works. It is because I condemn men’s works—how that men are sinners, unrighteous, wicked, children of wrath, bondslaves of the devil, and that they are not made righteous by works, or by circumcision, but by grace only, and faith in Christ—that I procure for myself the deadly hatred of men. (Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians) Plummer commenting on 2Cor 5:11 writes that... Here also (Paul) may be replying to criticism, such as, ‘You know how to talk men over, but you will not be able to talk God over.’ ‘Certainly,’ he says, ‘I try to induce men to believe in me; the fear of a judgment to come makes me do so; but to God I am perfectly transparent. The conviction that He sees me and that I must one day give account compels me to be sincere....Others interpret, ‘We persuade men that we strive to please Christ who is to be our Judge.’ This is not very different from ‘we persuade men that we are sincere.’ Chrysostom points out that it is a duty to remove unjust suspicions from ourselves. A minister is hindered in his work by being credited with misdeeds of which he is innocent. It is not likely that anthropous peithomen means ‘we persuade men to become Christians,’ (Beza). Such an interpretation is foreign to the context, and it makes the contrast between persuading men and being fully known to God pointless. (2 Corinthians 5 A Critical and Exegetical Commentary)
2 Coríntios 5:20-21
Murray writes that when we try to expound on God making Christ sin "Although poieo (made) can mean “make something into something (else),” the meaning in 2Co 5:21 is not “God made the sinless one into sin” (as in the Jerusalem Bible), but “God caused the sinless one to be sin,” where poieo denotes causation or appointment and points to the divine initiative. But we should not forget that matching the Father’s set purpose to deliver Christ up to deal with sin (Acts 2:23; Ro 8:32) was Christ’s own firm resolution to go to Jerusalem to suffer (Mk 8:31; Lk 9:51). Jesus was not an unwilling or surprised participant in God’s action. (International Greek Testament) Him Who knew no sin - The sinless Lamb of God Christ Jesus. This was an absolute requirement for Jesus to qualify to bear the full wrath of God against the sins for others. Paul is referring specifically to the time of Jesus' incarnation, not to His pre-existent state. The UBS Handbook says that...The words who knew no sin are a Hebraic expression which means “to have no personal experience with sin.”
2 Coríntios 5:20-21
Murray explains that...Paul’s main focus is on Christ’s freedom from sin as a human being during His whole earthly life, rather than on His pre-incarnate sinlessness. Neither outwardly in act nor inwardly in attitude did Christ sin, and at no time was His conscience stained by sin. The other New Testament writers repeatedly testify to the sinlessness of Jesus... The most powerful testimony is found in the Gospels... (God the Father speaking) and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Mt 3:17) The writer of Hebrews expresses emphasized the blemish free character of Jesus... For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; Who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. (Hebrews 7:26, 27) Peter adds that Jesus... COMMITTED NO SIN (KJV = "did [poieo] no sin"), NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; (1Pe 2:22) (Redemption was by or) with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (1Pe 1:19). For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just (dikaios = just, righteous) for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; (1Pe 3:18) John testified... And you know that He (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no (absolute negation = absolutely no) sin. (1Jn 3:5) (Jesus speaking) He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Jn 7:18). (Jesus speaking) “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? (Jn 8:46). Even the betrayer Judas Iscariot admitted that "I have betrayed innocent (athoos = free from guilt) blood" (Matthew 27:4) Pilate, the agent who pronounced Jesus' death sentence was forced to admit (to his great, eternal shame and condemnation!) that Jesus was innocent... Pilate, who judged and condemned Him, said, "I find in him no fault at all (aitia = a legal technical term for a formal charge or ground for accusation)" (John 18:38) The Roman centurion who witnessed Jesus dying on the Cross... Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent (dikaios = just, righteous)." (Lk 23:47) C. H.
2 Coríntios 5:20-21
Murray writes that when we try to expound on God making Christ sin...we penetrate to the center of the atonement and stand in awe before one of the most profound mysteries in the universe. All the interpretations of the phrase have in common the idea of identification, the understanding that God caused Christ to be identified in some way with what was foreign to his experience, namely human sin. (International Greek Testament) Oswald Chambers explains this profound truth this way... What these verses express is beyond the possibility of human experience; they refer only to the experience of Our Lord. The revelation is not that Jesus Christ was punished for our sins, but that, “He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin,” that by His identification with it and removal of it, “we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” God made His own Son to be sin that He might make the sinner a saint. The Bible reveals all through that Jesus Christ bore the sin of the world by identification, not by sympathy. He deliberately took upon Himself and bore in His own Person the whole massed sin of the human race, and by so doing He rehabilitated the human race, that is, put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone can enter into union with God on the ground of what Our Lord did on the Cross. (Approved unto God) THE GREAT EXCHANGE: HE TOOK OUR SIN HE GAVE US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! On our behalf (huper hemon) - In our place (speaks of substitution). If you work backwards in the text, you will notice that the nearest antecedent for "our" is the phrase “ambassadors for Christ” in 2Co 5:20. Some interpret this as Christ was our substitute while others see it as indicating Christ as our representative. James Smith sums up this great exchange... Christ takes our sins—that we might take his righteousness! He suffers—that we might go free. He is stripped—that we may be clothed. He is put to death—that we might live. He is made sin—that we might be made righteous. O what mercy! "What a mystery of mercy is this! We have no righteousness of our own—our best is but as filthy rags. God requires a righteousness, and one that will meet all the demands of his law, and satisfy his impartial justice, in order to our justification. Jesus, therefore, came to do, and to suffer, all that was necessary to make us righteous, divinely righteous. The righteousness of God, or as righteous as he is righteous. The righteous of God in him. We now, therefore become righteous, perfectly righteous, not by obeying the law—but by faith in Christ—union to Christ—and participation with Christ. Faith brings us to Christ, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ, and then we participate in all Christ has. His life is our righteousness, his death is our atonement, his intercession is our salvation. He took our place—that we might take his. He came to toil for us—that we may rest with him. He sorrowed for us—that we may rejoice with him. He died for us—that we may live with him. Blessed Redeemer, how wondrous your love! How perfect your work! The Marvelous Exchange - James Smith That (hina) is a conjunction that is used to introduce a purpose clause, here explaining the purpose of God making His only begotten Son to be sin for us. Matthew Poole alludes to this great exchange...This is the whole truth of justification stated simply: our sins were on Jesus, and His righteousness is on us. And, "As Christ was not made sin by any sin inherent in him, so neither are we made righteous by any righteousness inherent in us, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. Might become (1096) (ginomai) to cause to be, to cause to come into existence. The aorist tense speaks of a past, completed, effectual action. The righteousness of God - The Amplified expands this phrase - "the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness)." Righteousness (see also definition below) is rightness of character before God and rightness of actions before men. Righteousness of God could be succinctly stated as all that God is, all that He commands, all that He demands, all that He approves, all that He provides through Christ (Click here to read Pastor Ray Pritchard's interesting analysis of righteousness in the Gospel of Matthew). Righteousness of God - This phrase occurs 7x in the NAS - Ro 1:17, Ro 3:5, Ro 3:21, Ro 3:22, Ro 10:3, 2 Cor 5:21, Jas 1:20 In Romans Paul shows how this righteousness of God is the foundation of the Gospel declaring... I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it (in the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Ro 1:16, 17) Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary...The Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness to the Believer. “The blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness” is the theme of the fourth chapter of Romans (also 1Cor 1:30; 2Cor 5:21; Php 3:9). Jesus became the Holy and Just One (Acts 3:14) through His perfect obedience to God’s Law (Ro 5:19). These qualities are imputed in turn “to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Ro 4:24). Because of this the believer will appear before God “faultless” (Jude 1:24). We can stand in God’s presence because Jesus has imputed His righteousness and holiness to us through His sacrificial death on the Cross. (Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary) Jamieson - Not merely righteous, but righteousness itself; not merely righteousness, but the righteousness of God, because Christ is God, and what He is we are (1Jn 4:17), and He is “made of God unto us righteousness.” As our sin is made over to Him, so His righteousness to us (in His having fulfilled all the righteousness of the law for us all, as our representative, Jer 23:6; 1Co 1:30). The innocent was punished voluntarily as if guilty, that the guilty might be gratuitously rewarded as if innocent (1Pe 2:24). “Such are we in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God himself” [Hooker]. Charles Hodge says the righteousness of God is...That righteousness of which God is the Author which is of avail before Him, which meets and secures His approval. Geoff Thomas - God made us the righteousness of God in Christ....He became sin with our sin, so that we might become righteous with his righteousness. Christ took our place, and we take his. We sinned - but Christ suffered. He obeyed - but we sinners are made righteous (righteousness). ( A Message Worthy of Christ’s Ambassadors)