2 Coríntios 5
Arthur Pink · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 5
Pink - The Doctrine of Reconciliation 31 chapter book!; Reconciliation - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Make Peace - It was a dramatic story of forgiveness. In December of 2000, on the Battleship Missouri Memorial, a dozen American survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor embraced three of the Japanese pilots who had flown attacking planes. The reconciliation ceremony had been arranged by the American-Japan Friendship Committee. That moving scene is only a dim reflection of what God’s grace does for us. Although we are sinful, we can be brought into a relationship with God through simple faith in Jesus. Because He died on the cross in our place, God blots out the record of our sins and makes us right with Him. The Lord in His amazing love has not only forgiven us but has also given to us “the ministry of reconciliation” (2Cor 5:18). We have the honor of sharing the good news with others so that they too can be at peace with God. And when we are right with God, we are also to do what we can to live at peace with everyone (Ro 12:18). God has a purpose and plan for your life When from your sin He has given release; You're an ambassador for Jesus Christ— Go and tell others of His perfect peace. —Hess When we experience peace with God, we can share His peace with others. Is Your "Bell" Sounding the Good News of Reconciliation? - There's a story about a bell that hung in the belfry of an old church. When some visitors tried to ring it, nothing happened. So they investigated and discovered something most unusual. The bottom of the bell was plugged with wood. Stranger yet, a door had been cut in the side of the bell and a padlock had been used to secure the door. The church was using the old bell as a strongbox in which to store money. This was a clever idea, but it certainly wasn't what the bell was designed for. Just as a bell is made for ringing, Christians are meant to sound out the good news of salvation. But many remain silent and keep the precious message of reconciliation with God to themselves. Think carefully about your own life. Do you keep your knowledge of Scripture and your joy of knowing God locked up inside? Sound out the Gospel story! —Paul R. Van Gorder. If Christianity is worth having, It's worth sharing. Illustration of Reconciliation - The story is told that Britain’s Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, had a spat not long after they were married. Albert went away and angrily locked himself in their private residence at the palace. The queen pounded furiously on the door, and when Albert asked who was there, the answer was, “The Queen of England, who demands admittance.” But the door did not open. Victoria knocked again, and again Prince Albert asked who was there. The answer was the same: “The Queen of England.” But the prince would not open the door. Finally, the story goes, Victoria knocked in a more restrained way, and when asked who was there, responded, “Your wife, Albert.” The door opened immediately and the royal couple was reconciled. (as told by Tony Evans) John Henry Jowett has the following devotional on 2Cor 5:14-21: HERE is a new constraint! “The love of Christ constrains me.” The love of Christ carries me along like a crowd. I am taken up in its mighty movement and swept along the appointed road! Or it arrests me, and makes me its willing prisoner. It lays a strong hand upon me, and I have no option but to go. A gracious “necessity is laid upon me.” I must! And here is a new world. “Old things are passed away.” The man who is the prisoner of the Lord’s love will find himself in new and wonderful scenery. Everything will wear a new face—God, man, self, the garden, the sky, the sea! We shall look at all things through love-eyes, and it is amazing in what new light a great love will set familiar things! Commonplaces become beautiful when looked at through the lens of Christian love. When we “walk in love” our eyes are anointed with “the eye-salve” of grace. And here is a new service. “We are ambassadors ... for Christ.” When we see our Lord through love-eyes, and then our brother, we shall yearn to serve our brother in Christ. We shall intensely long to tell the love-story of the Lord our Saviour. What we have seen, with confidence we tell. 2 Corinthians 5:19 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. God: Mt 1:23 Jn 14:10,11,20 17:23 1Ti 3:16 reconciling: Ro 3:24-26 11:15 1Jn 2:1,2 1Jn 4:10 not: Ps 32:1-2 Isa 43:25 Isa 44:22 Ro 4:6-8 word: 2Co 5:18 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FOR IN DEPTH COMMENT ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:19 COMMISSIONED WITH THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION Namely - most conservative writers (and translations) render it with words like "that is" ("in other words" - NET, "namely") which explains that “God is bringing the world back into forgiven relationship with Himself, and He is doing this by means of a ‘word’ entrusted to the apostles.” (Barnett) Note that this is the message of ambassadors of Christ - we do not work reconciliation between other people and God, but rather tell others that God reconciled the world to Himself in Jesus Christ. He has made provision for their salvation by grace through faith. That God was in Christ (present tense - continually involved in) reconciling (katallasso) the world (kosmos) to Himself - God was in Christ is somewhat confusing and it is better translated in Christ God was reconciling. (NIV, NET, ESV) God is again the subject of two supernatural acts (1) reconciling the world to Himself and (2) not counting their trespasses against them. Stated another way, God is the "Initiator" of reconciliation in behalf of those who are His enemies. Even in the Garden of Eden God demonstrates this persistent, pursuing grace in which He takes a personal interest to restore the broken relationship with sinful mankind. Reconciling the world to Himself was the Father's heart desire to continually (present tense) choose (active voice - divine volitional choice) to carry out the gracious supernatural act of reconciling sinful men and women to Himself throughout the ages beginning in the Garden of Eden (cf Ge 3:15+). The world to Himself does is not describing salvation of the entire human race (universalism), but in context only those who have believed in Christ as their Substitute and been born again. As Puritan Thomas Watson wrote "Christ's blood has value enough to redeem the whole world, but the virtue of it is applied only to such as believe." In Romans 5 Paul explains that... as through the one man’s (Adam's) disobedience the many (everyone descended from Adam) were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Christ Jesus) the many (those in "the world" who by faith receive God's gracious offer of reconciliation) will be made righteous (justified, declared righteous) (Ro 5:19+). The use of kosmos or world corresponds to the "all" who are mentioned three times in the preceding context... For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one (Christ) died for all (cp "the world"), therefore all died (all who believed in Him); and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2Co 5:14, 15+) Rationale for rending it in Christ God was reconciling -- In other words these translations emphasize the idea of "in Christ" depicting Christ as the instrument of the reconciliation (cp the closely related doctrine justification in Ro 3:24+). "In Christ" is also analogous to Paul's preceding description of "through Christ" (2Cor 5:18). Finally note that in context Paul had just used the phrase "in Christ" in 2Cor 5:17. In summary, it was in and through Christ's death and resurrection that God accomplished the reconciliation of the world to Himself. The fact that Paul goes on to describe that the debts of trespasses are no longer counted against them is a truth that is more compatible with emphasis on Christ's death (which wrought payment of the penalty for sin) rather than His incarnation. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned he stood; Sealed my pardon with his blood: Hallelujah! what a Saviour! --Philipp Paul Bliss Not counting (logizomai - putting on their "spiritual bank account") their trespasses (paraptoma - figuratively their "false steps") against them (referring only to believers) - Not counting means not reckoning, imputing or not placing (their trespasses) on their "spiritual bank account" so to speak. Not counting their trespasses is one result of reconciliation. Instead of on the sinner's "account" the trespasses are imputed or placed on the "account" of Christ, the sinner's substitutionary Sacrifice. The idea in this passage is that God's reconciliation of sinners results effectively in the canceling of the debts they owed God because of their trespasses. Not counting their trespasses is also clearly a picture of God's forgiveness wherein He removes our sins off of us and onto the Savior, the Lamb of God, for "the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.(Isa 53:6) As David exclaimed "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute (count, reckon) iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!" (Ps 32:1-2) Michael Andrus - God performed an accounting miracle in regard to our sins. He says, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” Isn’t that amazing? God doesn’t deny that we are sinners; He doesn’t ignore our sins; He doesn’t even minimize them. But He does choose not to count them against us. It’s as though he looks at my ledger, with all my evil thoughts, deeds, and words, and He enters a debit there and credits all those sins to Jesus’ account. Then He credits my account with the righteousness of Christ. It’s an accounting miracle, friends, but not the kind that Enron executives tried to pull off. This one is legal because my sins have been fully paid for (Jn 19:30+) by the perfect Son of God. David
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Pink put it this way "Since Christ has made full atonement for the believer's sins and obtained remission for him, death can no more harm him than could a wasp whose venomous sting had been removed—though it might still buzz and hiss and attempt to disturb him. S Lewis
2 Coríntios 5:14-16
Pink: We do not agree with those who say that phrase is a paradox: rather it is a plain statement of fact. We may, we can, we do, know the love of Christ in the sense explained above (See Pink's notes page 241 on Ep 3:14-16; Ep 3:17). We believe it, we experience it, we enjoy it as a blessed and glorious reality. Yet our knowledge is inadequate and imperfect, for the infinite love of Christ can never be entirely compassed, explored, or exhausted by us. As Pierce pointed out, “All that is known of the love of Christ in and by all the saints on earth: all that is known and enjoyed of the love of Christ by all the saints in heaven, is far below what is contained in the person and love of Christ, as considered in His own heart towards us. I have under this view of the subject often said we shall never know anything of the love wherewith Christ hath loved us, either in time or eternity, but by its fruits and effects…The love of Christ surpasses the whole of His sufferings, as much as they surpass all our guilt and sin. His love was the cause, and His sufferings the effect of it.” As the cause excels the effect, as the tree is greater than its fruit, so the fountain of Christ’s love exceeds all the streams which flow from it to us. The angels never can enter fully into the love of Christ for His Church and people. Also, the finite-minded saints can never fully understand the fullness of Christ’s love. Nevertheless it is important that the saint should make it his paramount concern to be more and more absorbed with the love of Christ, exercising his mind thereon, feeding his soul therefrom, delighting his heart therein, praying earnestly that he may more fully understand the love of God. He should attentively consider the revelation given of it in the Word of truth, meditating on its ineffable characteristics, contemplating its wondrous manifestations, and realizing that Christ’s love to His own is eternal, infinite, and unalterable—not only without cessation but without the least diminution. Such a subject is worthy of the saint’s best attention and constant pursuit. It will amply repay his best efforts and greatly enrich his spiritual life. Nothing will so much excite gratitude in his heart as a contemplation of the love of Christ to such an unlovely creature as he. Nothing will prompt so effectually to a life of self-denial. Nothing will make so pleasant and easy a walk of obedience to God. Nothing will so deaden the saint to the world. Nothing else can so fill him with peace, yes, and with joy, in a season of affliction or bereavement. (Prayer for Comprehension of God’s Love - scroll down to Knowledge of the Love of Christ) Puritan John Bunyan's booklet on The Saint's Knowledge of Christ's Love Christ’s Love - NetHymnal - over 100 hymns - all midis The only other use of the phrase love of Christ in the NAS is in Romans where Paul asks a rhetorical (for effect) question… Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Ro 8:35-+) Comment: The answer to Paul's rhetorical question is of course "Absolutely no one and no thing shall separate us from the love of Christ!" So not only is Christ's love "constraining" but it is also "retaining"! The love of Christ urges us and assures us. It helps us and holds us. It compels us and keeps us. The love of Christ doth me constrain To seek the wandering souls of men; With cries, entreaties, tears, to save, To snatch them from the gaping grave. (Shall I, for Fear of Feeble Man) Love (noun) (26) (agape) is unconditional, sacrificial love and Biblically refers to a love that God is (1Jn 4:8,16), that God shows (Jn 3:16, 1Jn 4:9) and that God enables in His children (see note on fruit of the Spirit - Gal 5:22-+). Agape - 23x in Corinthians - 1Cor 4:21; 8:1; 13:1 2 3 4 (3x), 1Co 13:8, 13 (2x); 1Co 14:1; 16:14, 24; 2Cor 2:4, 8; 5:14; 6:6; 8:7 8, 24; 13:11, 14 It is not surprising that Greek literature throws little light on its distinctive NT meaning. Biblical agape love is the love of choice, the love of serving with humility, the highest kind of love, the noblest kind of devotion, the love of the will (intentional, a conscious choice) and not motivated by superficial appearance, emotional attraction, or sentimental relationship. Agape is not based on pleasant emotions or good feelings that might result from a physical attraction or a familial bond. Agape chooses as an act of self-sacrifice to serve the recipient. From all of the descriptions of agape love, it is clear that true agape love is a sure mark of salvation. Agape is volitional Phileo is emotional Agape love does not depend on the world’s criteria for love, such as attractiveness, emotions, or sentimentality. Believers can easily fall into the trap of blindly following the world’s demand that a lover feel positive toward the beloved. This is not agape love, but is a love based on impulse. Impulsive love characterizes the spouse who announces to the other spouse that they are planning to divorce their mate. Why? They reason “I can’t help it. I fell in love with another person!” Christians must understand that this type of impulsive love is completely contrary to God’s decisive love, which is decisive because He is in control and has a purpose in mind. There are many reasons a proper understanding of the truth of God's word (and of the world's lie) is critical and one of the foremost is Jesus' declaration that By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love (agape) for one another. (John 13:35). My message as from God receive; Ye all may come to Christ and live. O let His love your hearts constrain, Nor permit Him to die in vain. (Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast) John