2 Coríntios 5
Kent Hughes · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 5
Hughes adds "Thus Christ became sin while remaining inwardly and outwardly impeccable. He became sin as our substitute and sacrifice." (2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word) Michael Andrus - Consider a scene on death row. The warden comes to a cell and announces to a certain inmate, “It’s time; come with me.” But suppose the man in the next cell were to say to the warden, “Warden, that man has become my friend here on death row. I’ll tell you what! Let me take his place.” The warden would laugh at the convict and say, “You can’t take his place, I’m going to come for you next week!” But what if someone from outside the prison with no crimes on his record were to step forward and say, “I’ll take his place,” that would be another story. Probably it would be illegal in our system, but it would not be immoral. If he freely offered to be a substitute, we would marvel at the love being expressed. Well, Jesus, the only human being without a record, did just that. Righteousness (1343) dikaiosune from dikaios = being proper or right in the sense of being fully justified being or in accordance with what God requires) is the quality of being upright. In its simplest sense dikaiosune conveys the idea of conformity to a standard or norm and in Biblical terms the "standard" is God and His perfect, holy character. In this sense righteousness is the opposite of hamartia (sin), which is defined as missing of the mark set by God. Paul's uses in the Corinthian letters - 1 Co. 1:30; 2 Co. 3:9; 2 Co. 5:21; 2 Co. 6:7; 2 Co. 6:14; 2 Co. 9:9; 2 Co. 9:10; 2 Co. 11:15 Abernathy summarizes numerous commentaries (abbreviated in brackets) - QUESTION—What does it mean that Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin? This statement is expressed as a paradox [Danker, He, Mead, SP]. Paul is using the abstract to refer to the concrete [My, NIC2, SP]. 1. It conveys the idea of substitution. God made the one who was innocent to be the guilty one [Danker]. It means that God laid all sin on Christ [AB, Lns, NIC1, TG]. It means that God treated Christ as though he were a sinner [NAC, TG; CEV], placing on him the burden of human sin [TG]. It means that he was made to bear human sin [NTC], and the consequence of sin [TNTC]. He was made a victim for sin [NJB]. All sin was placed upon him as upon the scapegoat on the day of atonement [EGT]. God made him the object of his judgment and wrath against sin [HNTC, ICC2, My, NIC1]. It means that God treated him as he would treat sin [Mead]. Jesus stood in for sinful humanity and God dealt with him as he would have dealt with sinners [NAC]. 2. It conveys the idea of identification. Christ was identified with sin [He, ICC1], and shared human sin [TEV], so that man could share God’s own righteousness through union with Christ [ICC1; TEV]. Christ identified with human sinfulness [REB] and with sinful humanity [AB, TH], taking the place of sinners and representing them [SP]. Christ identified with the sin, guilt, and consequences of human separation from God [EBC]. It is metaphorical, and means that Christ’s love for sinners is so great that, though he is not responsible for sin, he identifies with mankind and takes responsibility for sinners such that human sin becomes his own [Stagg]. It is a metonymy in which the abstraction ‘to be made sin’ is given for the concrete, which is the crucifixion, in which Christ’s death was sin-laden [NIC2]. 3. It conveys the idea of sacrifice in that God made Christ a sin-offering [Lewis, NCBC, WBC; NLT]. This follows the wording of Leviticus 5:12 and 6:5 [Lewis] or Is 53:10 [NCBC, WBC] where the sin offering is simply called ‘sin’. Christ became a sin-offering, taking their sin and its judgment to himself [NCBC]. (An Exegetical Summary of 2 Corinthians) 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 Related Resources: What is righteousness? | GotQuestions.org Why does Christ’s righteousness need to be imputed to us? | GotQuestions.org What is the substitutionary atonement? | GotQuestions.org Righteousness - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Righteousness - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Torrey Topical Textbook Righteousness Easton's Bible Dictionary Righteousness Holman Bible Dictionary Righteousness Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Righteousness Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Righteousness Righteous, Righteousness Made Sin for Us - Words cannot fully express the worth of Christ's work for us on the cross. To think that He endured separation from the Father because of our sins staggers our finite minds. Elizabeth Barrett Browning tried to capture the deep theological significance of this in these poetic words: "Deserted! God could separate from His own essence rather; And Adam's sins have swept between the righteous Son and Father Yes, once Immanuel's orphaned cry His universe hath shaken It went up single, echoless, 'My God, I am forsaken!" A girl in Gary, Indiana, terribly burned in a flash fire, lingered between life and death. A delicate and extensive skin graft offered the only hope for her restoration. When the hospital issued a call for volunteer skin donors, a young boy responded. During the surgery, complications set in and the boy died. But through his sacrifice he made it possible for that young girl to be completely restored. Nothing in our Lord's life called for His death. He was free from sin's fatal infection. Yet He willingly offered Himself to die in our place. A poet wrote: "He suffered in our stead, He saved His people thus; The curse that fell upon His head Was due by right to us." Christ was delivered for sins that we might be delivered from sin. -- cp Ro 4:25 C H
2 Coríntios 5
Hughes writes that "Paul foresaw the great event when, either by resurrection from the dead or by living transformation, “we shall all be changed” (1Co 15:51). Mortality must put on immortality, and “death will be swallowed up in victory” (1Co 15:54, quoting Isa. 25:8). Paul echoed these words almost verbatim in 2Co 5:4: “in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” The present state of Paul and the church was that which is mortal. To be swallowed up by life is to put on the dwelling from heaven. Paul pictured the end of the age, when God will come for His own. (Second Corinthians) Radmacher (et al) helps us understand the meaning of the phrase clothed with life writing that "The believer’s future experience is called life, meaning the full experience of eternal life in Christ. The life experience of the future is being determined by how we invest this life today (2Co 4:17-+). (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary) Ray Pritchard - We think we’re going from the land of the living to the land of the dying. But that is not true. We’re going from the land of the dying to the land of the living. ILLUSTRATION - THE VALUE OF BURDENS - In 1938 a hurricane threatened the New England coast. People feared that the railroad bridge at White River Junction would be destroyed. The danger was averted when some thoughtful person backed a line of loaded freight cars onto the bridge. The bridge withstood the force of the winds because of the weight that it bore. The weight of your responsibilities may rest heavily upon you, but that weight may be the very thing that keeps you from being swept away by the storm of sin.
2 Coríntios 5
Hughes comments that "Paul set his sight on the unseen. He focused on the coming “weight of glory” (2 Cor 4:17) rather than on his afflictions. He was not concerned that his outer man was wasting away because he saw the unseen—his inner nature was undergoing daily renewal. Paul’s faith in the unseen beyond controlled his entire existence. (2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word)
2 Coríntios 5
Hughes adds that "Deep down, the Corinthians were aware of the character of Paul’s ministry from when he was with them and how he proclaimed not himself but Christ as Lord and himself their servant (cf. 4:5), calling them to “be reconciled to God” (5:20) with sincerity and integrity (cf. 2Co 1:12, 13, 14; 2:17; 4:2). He hoped, therefore, that the moral faculties of their consciences would connect the dots and that he would become known and remain known to them as the man of integrity that he truly was. (2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word) Ray
2 Coríntios 5
Hughes adds that Paul's conclusion "grows out of the first: Paul does not relate to people according to fleshly evaluations, but according to their newness as creations in Christ. This perspective has its source in the Spirit realities of the New Covenant. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature - IF introduces a first class conditional statement which is assumed to be true (i.e., "since..."). And in context since the first clause is true, then the conclusion is true. Anyone is any sinner, no matter how awful, despicable, depraved, disgusting (and the list could go on and on) who repents and believes in Christ is placed in Christ wherein he or she is a brand new creature/creation, regardless of how corrupt and decadent the old creature was in Adam. In Christ means in the sphere of Christ (see locative of sphere) or "in the atmosphere" of Christ so to speak. In Christ includes the ideas of oneness with Christ, union with Christ, communion with Christ, being in covenant with Christ. C F D Moule on in Christ - In the Pauline epistles there are numerous occurrences of the preposition ἐν ("in") followed by a name of Jesus, and with a great range of nuances (instrumental, circumstantial, etc.) But four or five are difficult to interpret otherwise than in a locative sense (Ro 16:7; 2 Cor. 5:17; etc.); which means that Jesus Christ is known as the ‘area’, the ‘environment’ in which the Christian people of God find their existence and in which they have been placed by the powerful rescue-operation of God, and that Jesus the Lord constitutes the realm of authority in which their allegiance places them. (Forgiveness and Reconciliation - Biblical and Theological Essays) (Bolding Added) Bob
2 Coríntios 5
Hughes adds that "The ministry of reconciliation is not telling people to make peace with God, but telling them that God has made peace with the world. “At bottom, the gospel is not good advice, but good news” (Denney)...We are not called to make peace with God—that is God’s work! The method of reconciliation is reckoning, God “not counting their trespasses against them” (2Co 5:19, which will be explained in 2Co 5:21). There is a reckoning of sins. But they are reckoned not to the sinner but to Christ. (2 Corinthians Power in Weakness - Preaching the Word - Crossway Books) QUESTION - What is Christian reconciliation? Why do we need to be reconciled with God? ANSWER - Imagine two friends who have a fight or argument. The good relationship they once enjoyed is strained to the point of breaking. They cease speaking to each other; communication is deemed too awkward. The friends gradually become strangers. Such estrangement can only be reversed by reconciliation. To be reconciled is to be restored to friendship or harmony. When old friends resolve their differences and restore their relationship, reconciliation has occurred. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 declares, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” The Bible says that Christ reconciled us to God (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 1:20-21). The fact that we needed reconciliation means that our relationship with God was broken. Since God is holy, we were the ones to blame. Our sin alienated us from Him. Romans 5:10 says that we were enemies of God: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” When Christ died on the cross, He satisfied God’s judgment and made it possible for God’s enemies, us, to find peace with Him. Our “reconciliation” to God, then, involves the exercise of His grace and the forgiveness of our sin. The result of Jesus’ sacrifice is that our relationship has changed from enmity to friendship. “I no longer call you servants … Instead, I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Christian reconciliation is a glorious truth! We were God’s enemies, but are now His friends. We were in a state of condemnation because of our sins, but we are now forgiven. We were at war with God, but now have the peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What is the ministry of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5:18? ANSWER - The ministry of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5:18 refers to the work believers have been given to do and the message they declare: you can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus. The verse says this: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” The ministry of reconciliation involves the proclamation of the gospel and its assurance that forgiveness of sin is available in Christ. Sin prevents us from having a relationship with God, but Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross made atonement for sin (Hebrews 2:17) and brought harmony to mankind’s relationship with Him. Jesus reconciled us to God. Now we can proclaim that people can repent of their sin and be right with God again through faith in Jesus (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:20–21). We need reconciliation with God because our relationship with Him was broken. God is holy and righteous, and our sin separates us from Him (Isaiah 59:2). Sin made us His enemies (Romans 5:10). On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Himself, satisfying God’s justice. Jesus’ death made it possible for us to have peace with God, as 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” Now we can be called God’s “friends” (John 15:15) and Jesus’ “brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11). Those who have been justified through faith (Romans 5:1) by Jesus’ blood (Romans 5:9) no longer have their sins counted against them. They are reconciled with God. God has given believers the ministry of reconciliation; that is, He uses us to tell the world that they can be reconciled to God through Christ. In this way, we become “Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Verse 19 describes this ministry of reconciliation as proclaiming “the message of reconciliation.” The message we are to share with the world is this: “Be reconciled to God” (verse 20). We are to tell people of the wonderful opportunity they have to be made right with God through Jesus. We implore them to believe in Christ. Sins do not count against those who are reconciled to God through Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (verse 21). This ministry of reconciliation is a big responsibility. God is “making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). The ministry we’ve been given to turn hearts toward God is urgent and it is vital—it’s truly a matter of life and death. Jesus paid the price for our reconciliation because God loves us (John 3:16), so we must share this message of reconciliation in love, and our lives need to reflect our message (Ephesians 4:1). Jesus is the One who saves, and the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8), yet we have been given the privilege of being ambassadors for Christ. Every believer plays a part in this ministry of reconciliation. One plants; one waters, and God brings growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). As we proclaim the gospel, we act as peacemakers, and God blesses such (Matthew 5:9). We tell and live out His message of reconciliation, lives are changed, and God gets the glory. GotQuestions.org Related Resources: A W
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Hughes says: He who has the firstfruits of the Spirit (cp 2Co 1:22) yearns for the full harvest, which involves the redemption of his body (Ro 8:23). In his letter to the Philippians he expressed his desire to be out of this present world... For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. (Php 1:21-+ Php 1:22 23 24-+). Harry
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Hughes has an illustrative introduction to this great chapter "When Spain had extended her conquests to the ends of the then-known world and controlled both sides of the Mediterranean at the Straits of Gibraltar (the fabled Pillars of Hercules), her coins proudly pictured the Pillars framing a scroll inscribed with the Latin words Ne Plus Ultra—“No More Beyond.” The Pillars gated the end of the earth. But “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue” and discovered the New World. The proud nation then admitted her ignorance and struck the negative Ne from her coinage, leaving the words Plus Ultra—“More Beyond.” The change from the myopic “No More Beyond” to the expansive “More Beyond” effected a revolution in world culture, global economy, and geopolitics. The change also serves as a handy example of what is needed in the spiritual geography of modern men and women, because so many live in the stifling delusion that there is no more beyond. Most, including many Christians, live as if “this is it”—as in the Looney Tunes finis, “That’s all, folks!” At the same time, Plus Ultra perfectly describes the Apostle Paul and the ultimate focus of the whole of Scripture and the intensive focus of this section of 2 Corinthians. (2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Crossway) Rod Mattoon has a parallel thought on "Ne Plus Ultra...Plus Ultra" writing that "God's promise of a glorified body gives hope and peace to the believer. It gives the Christian hope in the sense that his home is not here, it is in Heaven. For many centuries innumerable people stood beside the dark hole that we call a grave and watched the remains of their loved ones lowered into the earth, and they wondered: Beyond the dark waters of death, is there anything beyond or is this it? Is life Ne Plus Ultra... "No More Beyond?" Then one day, a young explorer went westward into the setting sun and descended into the blackness of the pit of death. People waited expectantly to see if he would keep his promise and come back. On the third day, as the sun arose in the East, the Son of God stepped forth from a grave and declared, Plus Ultra, "There is something more beyond. There is a paradise beyond your greatest expectations. And there awaits a heavenly Father, waiting with outstretched arms to wipe away every tear from your cheek." This truth helps us to keep one eye on eternity. (Treasures from 2 Corinthians, Volume 1). One source writes that "A bewildering profusion of interpretations make this passage one of the most debated in the NT." These notes will attempt as much as possible to avoid contentious issues without watering down the exposition. For we know - "For" (gar) indicates Paul is continuing his train of thought, explaining in more detail what he has just said (2Co 4:16-18). In those great passages 2Co 4:17+, 2Co 4:18+ Paul had contrasted temporal and eternal (momentary light affliction...eternal weight of glory; seen = temporal...not seen = eternal). Now he explains how these wonderful changes are going to take place as he contrasts our present earthly body with our future heavenly body. S Lewis Johnson sums up Paul's for this way - I think would be something like this. I've been talking to you about afflictions. I've been telling you how they lead to the eternal weight of glory. The dissolution of the body, the dismantling of this tent does not bring annihilation, it brings translation to glory. And that's why I look at the things that are not seen, not the things that are seen, for we know that if our earthly tent of our house is -- that if the earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down we have a building from God. That's why the apostle can experience those things that he's experiencing, why he can look to the things that are invisible rather than the things that are visible, and pass through all of these experiences with confidence and assurance, because even if I lose my life in the midst of them, I know I have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So when that little word “for” that gives me a clue as to what Paul is really concerned about. (Clothed, Unclothed and Clothed Upon - 2 Corinthians 5:1-5) As John
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Hughes - In general, kataluo and analuo are synonymous verbs, and the latter was sometimes used of the operation of striking camp, that is, the dismantling of tents (cf. Polybius, V, xxviii, 8; 2Macc 9:1). (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians) Kataluo is used as a figure of speech to describe death as pictured by one tearing down ("folding up") an "earthly tent" (where "tent" is a metaphor for our earthly body - see 2Co 5:1 - see slightly different verb analusis with similar idea in 2Ti 4:6-+). Paul uses kataluo to describe the belief that one is saved solely by grace through faith and not law keeping (Gal 2:18). Liddell Scott adds that kataluo was used "of governments, to dissolve, break up, put down...to dissolve, dismiss, disband a body...to neglect the watch... to end, bring to an end...to break the peace...to unloose, unyoke, to take it down from the wall...to take up one's quarters, to lodge, (he is my guest)... to go and lodge with him... to take one's rest (may I take my rest in the grave) Marvin Vincent on torn down in 2Co 5:1 - Lit., loosened down. Appropriate to taking down a tent. See on Mk 13:2; Lk 9:12; Acts 5:38; and compare 2Pe 3:11, 12-+, and the figure of the parting of the silver cord on which the lamp is suspended, Eccl 12:6. Also Job 4:21, where the correct rendering is: Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? (2 Corinthians 5 Word Studies in the New Testament) Kataluo is used literally of destroying, demolishing or dismantling an edifice (even brick by brick) (cp Mt 24:2, 26:61, 27:40, Mk 13:2, Acts 6:14) Kataluo - 17x in 16v in NAS - abolish(2), destroy(5), destroyed(1), find lodging(1), guest(1), overthrow(1), overthrown(1), tear down(1), torn down(4). Mt 5:17; 24:2; 26:61; 27:40; Mk 13:2; 14:58; 15:29; Lk 9:12; 19:7; 21:6; Acts 5:38 39; 6:14; Ro 14:20; 2Co 5:1; Gal 2:18. Paul is saying that our bodies are like tents which will be torn down at the time of our death. At that time the "tent" (the believer's body) goes into the grave, whereas our spirit and soul of go to be with the Lord. The temporary nature of an earthly "tent" also reminds us that we are to be but temporary residents in this short span of time called "life". The apostle Peter put it this way... Beloved, I urge you as aliens (paroikos) and strangers (parepidemois) to abstain (apechomai although not a command it is present tense and thus requires us to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) from fleshly lusts (epithumia), which wage war against the soul (psuche). (1Peter 2:11+) Comment: Note that "wage war" (strateuomai) is in the present tense which indicates that the spiritual campaign spearheaded by fleshly lusts against our souls is a continual struggle we can expect to engage in until the day we fold up our tents and go into the presence of our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle James offers a different picture of the temporary nature of our earthly existence... James 4:14+ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. An old Indian proverb is not bad theology declaring that "Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house on it." Paul was prepared to die which made him ready for anything, for as someone once wisely said... Until you are free to die, You are not really free to live.
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Hughes - Taking account of the passage as a whole, with its clear contrast between the present body and the resurrection body, the present tense of the verb "have" is understood, with most commentators, as referring to a future possession which is so real and assured in the apostle's perspective that it is appropriately spoken of in the present tense. For examples of the use of the present denoting future time cf. J. H. Moulton, Grammar, Vol. I, p. 120; Moule, Idiom Book, p. 7. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians) Puritan Thomas Watson expressed this sure hope of possessing our resurrection bodies when he declared that "We are more sure to arise out of our graves than out of our beds." ("Amen or oh my!")
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Hughes comments that acheiropoietos "must be understood as a synonym, almost a technical term, for that which is heavenly and spiritual in contradistinction to what is earthly and physical. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians)
2 Coríntios 5:4-5
Hughes writes that "Paul foresaw the great event when, either by resurrection from the dead or by living transformation, “we shall all be changed” (1Co 15:51). Mortality must put on immortality, and “death will be swallowed up in victory” (1Co 15:54, quoting Isa. 25:8). Paul echoed these words almost verbatim in 2Co 5:4: “in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” The present state of Paul and the church was that which is mortal. To be swallowed up by life is to put on the dwelling from heaven. Paul pictured the end of the age, when God will come for His own. (Second Corinthians) Mortal (2349) (thnetos from thnesko = to die) means that which is subject to death, destined to die (the destiny of everyone because of Adam's sin - Ro 5:12-+). It is interesting to note that in the ancient Greco-Roman "the basic difference between humans and deities relates to the mortality of the former and the immortality of the latter" (BDAG), except that their "gods" were really no gods at all, demonstrating the utter foolishness of rejecting the clear natural revelation of the Creator (cp Ro 1:22, 23-+). Thnetos - 6x in NT - Ro 6:12 Ro 8:11 1Co 15:53, 54 2Co 4:11 2Co 5:4 Swallowed up (2666)(katapino from katá = down + pínō = to drink) means literally to drink down, and so to swallow and to swallow up completely. Katapinō is a strengthening of the verb pinō (3956), “to drink,” and means “to drink down” or “ingest.” Classical Greek uses katapinō in the general sense of “to gulp down” or “to swallow.” The use of the word may or may not have a negative or destructive connotation, depending on the context. Katapinō is used to translate the Hebrew bāla‛ and has the meaning of “to swallow up” or “to destroy.” Usually man is the object of this action because of his wickedness or disobedience (Ex 15:12; Nu 16:30; Jonah 2:1). The New Testament adopts the figurative use of katapinō much like the Septuagint. It pictures the overwhelming of one thing by another: man by evil (1 Peter 5:8), man by hopeless remorse (2 Corinthians 2:7), or that which is hostile to God by God’s personal intervention of judgment and salvation (Hebrews 11:29; Revelation 12:16). Paul used katapinō to describe the victory over man’s ultimate enemy, death, which has been wrought by Christ’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54). Figuratively katapino means to cause the complete and usually sudden destruction of someone or something, in 2Co 5:4 referring to our physical, mortal bodies (which are decaying anyway! 2Co 4:16) which are to be "devoured." Normally one might expect Paul to say swallowed up by death, which in a sense is true for unbelievers, but for believers Paul can say our mortal existence will be swallowed up by life, because as Paul explains in his first epistle "this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP (katapino) in victory." (1Co 15:54+) Katapino- 7x times in NAS -Mt. 23:24; 1Co. 15:54; 2Co. 2:7; 2Co 5:4; Heb 11:29; 1Pe 5:8; Rev 12:16. John
2 Coríntios 5:9
Hughes writes "My three-year-old golden retriever, Daisy, provides me with a canine example of the desire to please because that is all my dog wants to do. Daisy dutifully watches me and listens for my voice inflections or gestures that indicate my pleasure. Her posture seems to say, "Just tell me what you want and I'll do it!" Daisy doesn't bark. She doesn't jump up. She doesn't paw the door or screen to get out. She doesn't steal food, and she doesn't beg. She just stares at the door until I am overcome with guilt. Daisy worships me. Actually, she's not perfect. She demands affection. And while she doesn't go into the off-limits living room when I'm home, she does sneak in to peer out of the window to see which way her master has gone. So when I'm away from home, I'm not sure that she always makes it her aim to please me. Bad dog! A sentimental example from the lips of a dog-lover? Yes! But this is instructive. Daisy isn't very smart. She doesn't understand abstractions. She doesn't think much beyond her toys and her next meal and how to get a scratch between the ears. She can't read. She has no eschatology—no doctrine of the future, of resurrection, of judgment and reward. Daisy's Plus Ultra is the next dog biscuit. But though she has no doctrine of future reward, she wants to please her master. How much more we should want to please Christ Jesus, our Master. (Hughes, R. K. 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Crossway) In his letter to the Galatians Paul asked… For (Paul now explains why he had invoked a curse [Gal 1:8, 9] which might seem too harsh to some - the point is that he would not have said that if he had desired the approval of men rather than God!) am I now seeking (currying, trying to win over) the favor of men (his primary ambition before his regeneration, was to persecute Christians and please fellow Jews) , or of God? Or am I striving (zeteo - aiming at trying) to please men? If I were still trying to please (aresko) men, I would not be a bond-servant (doulos - Paul was surrendered wholly to Christ's will and devoted to Him to the disregard of his own interest - What a high, holy example Paul sets for all believers! This should be be our "ambition".) of Christ. (Galatians 1:10) Comment: Apparently Paul had been accused of trying to curry favor with men. Paul responds that his primary, overriding ambition was to please God, not to please men. He would not fashion and shape his message just to please his audience (Acts 20:27, Gal 4:16, 1Th 2:4-+). His primary motive was to be pleasing to God. I like what someone once said "It's dangerous to try to be number one, because it's next to nothing." Leon
2 Coríntios 5:9
Hughes writes that "In arresting contrast to the ambition of this world, it is centered, not on self, but on the Saviour; its goal is to please Him. Hence Paul's injunction to the Colossians: "Whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,… heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men" (Col. 3:17,23).(Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes) John
2 Coríntios 5:11-13
Hughes adds that... Paul tried to persuade his listeners, but not for their applause. Although people were the targets of his persuasion, God alone remained the singular evaluator and gauge of his success. As Paul neared the delivery of a very cutting exhortation, he could only hope that the Corinthians’ consciences would confirm his proved and loving character. (Hughes, R. B. Second Corinthians. Chicago, IL: Moody Press) BUT WE ARE MADE MANIFEST TO GOD AND I HOPE THAT WE ARE MADE MANIFEST ALSO IN YOUR CONSCIENCES: elpizo (1SPAI) de kai en tais suneidesesin humon pephanerosthai. (RPN) theo de pephanerometha (1PRPI): but: 2Co 1:12-14 2:17 4:1,2 1Co 4:4,5 1Th 2:3-12 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See also "shorter version" of commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:11 MEN'S ALLEGATIONS GOD'S FULL KNOWLEDGE But (contrast) - What is being contrasted? In the previous clause Paul alludes to the mistrust of men (who don't really know Paul or his motives). By way of contrast Paul makes his appeal to the all seeing eyes of the omniscient God who sees Paul "through and through." (Ps 139:1, 2, 3, 4-+) Made manifest to God - The idea is that God knows all about Paul. God's knows thoroughly, through and through. No matter what the adversaries are saying about Paul, he knew that he could be confident that God knew the sincerity and integrity of his heart, his motives and his methods. On the other hand, as he has just stated, he had to persuade men regarding his sincerity and integrity, but even if he was unable to persuade them, he know that God still knew what was true of his ministry. Application - If you are being unfairly criticized for His ministry through you, first, don't be surprised that you are attacked, for you are in excellent company (Jesus and Paul), and, second, you can rest assured that God knows the truth and that should comfort your soul. The NEB paraphrases this section nicely... To God our lives lie open, as I hope they also lie open to you in your heart of hearts. Disciple's Study Bible... Paul had to defend his leadership position for the Corinthians. His evidence: God knew his intentions. God, in His infinite wisdom, knows us better than we know ourselves. We may even deceive ourselves as to what we really are, but not God. (Disciple's Study Bible) Made manifest (5319) (phaneroo from phanerós = manifest, visible, conspicuous in turn from phaino = give light; become visible in turn from phos = light) is literally "to bring to light" and primarily means "to make visible" or to cause to become visible. The basic meaning of phaneroo is to make known, to clearly reveal, to manifest, to cause to be seen or to make clear or known. Paul uses the perfect tense which pictures Paul as fully known to God at a point in time in the past and still fully known to Him. In other words Paul is saying in essence "all along we have been open to God's view." There was no point when they had not had "full disclosure" of their ministry motives and methods before God. As Plummer says the perfect tense shows that Paul's "character has been, and still is, laid bare." God saw no hidden motives, no deception, no personal agenda in Paul's ministry of the Gospel. THOUGHT- Beloved follower of Christ can you say the same with a clear conscience before the one Who sees all? When we constantly keep the image of the Judgment Seat of Christ in our mind (aka "knowing the fear of the Lord"), we will continually seek to minister in a way that brings God the glory. Our motive for service to God should be not because we feel "obligated" but because we are in awe of the Lord and desire to do all you do for His glory (1Co 10:31+)! Related Resource: Study the passages that speak of the all seeing eyes of Jehovah - Ge 16:13 Dt 11:12 21:9 2Chr 6:20 Ps 33:18-+ Ps 34:15-+, Ps 113:6-+, Ps 139:2,3-+, Job 34:21,31:4, Pr 5:21-+ Pr 15:3 Jer 16:17, Jer 23:24, Jer 32:19 Zec 4:10 Heb 4:13-+ 1Pe 3:12-+ Ge 6:8 2Chr 16:9 Vine amplifies this thought adding that "A person may “appear” in a false guise or without a disclosure of what he truly is (but) to be manifested (as Paul says they were before God) is to be revealed in one’s true character. (Vine adds that) this is especially the meaning of phaneroo in Jn 3:21; 1Co 4:5; 2Co 5:10, 11; Ep 5:13-+. (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson) (Bolding added) Phaneroo - 9x in Corinthians - 1Cor 4:5; 2Cor 2:14; 3:3; 4:10, 11; 5:10, 11; 7:12; 11:6 I hope we are made manifest - Paul desires that the integrity and sincerity of his character be known not only to God (as it clearly was) but that it would also be known to the saints at Corinth. Keep in mind that Paul's adversaries were attempting to impugn the integrity of his apostleship, his message, and his ministry (+). Hope (1679) (elpizo from noun elpis [word study] = hope, absolute assurance of future good) means to look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial. To express desire for some good with the expectation of obtaining it. Elpizo - 8x in Corinthians - 1Co 13:7; 15:19; 16:7; 2Co 1:10, 13; 5:11; 8:5; 13:6 To hope usually signifies the expression of absolute certainty of future good. In this passage however Paul uses hope to express his wish or desire not with the idea of absolute certainty but of a desire that his readers would recognize that the goal of his ministry was not to misrepresent the Lord but to glorify the Lord. The 1828 Webster's Dictionary explains that hope as used in the secular sense... differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety. Elpizo means a firm conviction based on the Jesus' resurrection, that we too can have confidence as we face the future (Ro 8:24, 25-+, 1Co 15:18). We can have confident expectation (He 11:1-+). Made manifest (5319) (phaneroo see above) again is the idea of "full disclosure." Made manifest to your consciences - Paul desired to be clearly revealed to the Corinthian's sense of moral goodness, the place where every man assesses what is right or good versus wrong or bad. Paul wanted to be brought to the light in their consciences, so that they might commend him from their heart of hearts not as bad but as good in regard to his ministry. Plummer writes that Paul appealed to "Their consciences, rather than their intellects, on which they prided themselves...; "conscience goes deeper than criticism" (Calvin).(2 Corinthians 5 A Critical and Exegetical Commentary) R. Kent Hughes adds that "Deep down, the Corinthians were aware of the character of Paul’s ministry from when he was with them and how he proclaimed not himself but Christ as Lord and himself their servant (cf. 4:5), calling them to “be reconciled to God” (5:20) with sincerity and integrity (cf. 2Co 1:12, 13, 14; 2:17; 4:2). He hoped, therefore, that the moral faculties of their consciences would connect the dots and that he would become known and remain known to them as the man of integrity that he truly was. (2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word) Paul's conscience was clear (for he was "manifest to God"), but he also wanted the Corinthians to know the truth about the integrity of his ministry. And so he appealed to their conscience, to their "heart of hearts". It is as if he asked them are they going to listen to their consciences or to his critics? We know that the Corinthians should have known about his life and the integrity of his ministry because Luke recorded that... he (Paul) settled there (in Corinth - Acts 18:1) a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:11+) Comment: Note Paul's primary objective - teaching. Note that it was not Paul's words but God's Word. Pastors, this should be our primary objective, for God's Spirit will only bless His Word, not our words! (cp 2Co 4:5+, 2Ti 4:2+, Pr 30:5 Dt 4:2+, Dt 12:32+ Rev 22:18+, Rev 22:19+) And so we see that the Corinthians had 18 months to closely scrutinize Paul's ministry which should have been sufficient time for any significant flaws to surface. Paul was confident that his ministry was free from deceitfulness and felt that they would come to the same conclusion if they allowed their conscience to guide their judgment. Consciences (4893) (suneidesis [See word study] is derived from sun/syn = with + eido = know) literally means a "knowing with", a co-knowledge with oneself or a being of one's own witness in the sense that one's own conscience "takes the stand" as the chief witness, testifying either to one's innocence or guilt. It describes the witness borne to one's conduct by that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God. Conscience is like a window that let's in the light. When the window becomes soiled, the light gradually becomes darkness. Once conscience is defiled (Titus 1:15-+), it gradually gets worse, and eventually it may be so "seared" that it has no sensitivity at all (1Ti 4:2). Then it becomes an "evil conscience" (He 10:22-+), one that functions just the opposite of a good conscience (1Pe 3:16-+). Suneidesis is that process of thought which distinguishes what it considers morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad, and so prompting to do the former and avoid the latter. Suneidesis - 7x in Corinthians - 1Co 8:7, 10, 12; 10:25, 27, 28; 2Co 1:12; 4:2; 5:11; The Greek noun Suneidesis is the exact counterpart of the Latin con-science, “a knowing with,” a shared or joint knowledge. It is our awareness of ourselves in all the relationships of life, especially ethical relationships. We have ideas of right and wrong; and when we perceive their truth and claims on us, and will not obey, our souls are at war with themselves and with the law of God Related Resources: Conscience R A Torrey (topic) Click for more notes on conscience Devotional on conscience by F B Meyer Diverse Kinds of Conscience Conscience by William Arnot in his discussion of Proverbs 28:1 Conscience: The Voice of God Within by Timothy Lin, Phd 2 Corinthians 5:12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. (NASB: Lockman) Greek: ou palin \heautous sunistanomen (1PPAI) humin, alla aphormen didontes (PAPMPN) humin kauchematos huper hemon, hina echete (2PPAS) pros tous en prosopo kauchomenous (PMPMPA) kai me en kardia. Amplified: We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are providing you with an occasion and incentive to be [rightfully] proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who pride themselves on surface appearances [on the virtues they only appear to have], although their heart is devoid of them. (Lockman)
2 Coríntios 5:14-16
Hughes writes that… The great compelling motive force in his life since conversion is that of love; not, however, love originating, far less ending, in himself, but the love which originates and ends with God in Christ. His conduct, however it be judged, is dictated by the love of Christ (not so much his love for Christ—though that inevitably is involved—as Christ's love for him, which is prior to and the explanation of his love for Christ, and which is supremely manifested, as is clear from what immediately follows, in Christ's atoning sacrifice of Himself… It is this love (agape) and none other, that shuts him in, confines him as between two walls (Ed: A good word picture of sunecho/synecho) to one purpose which may be summed up in the terms of the preceding verse as being to live selflessly "unto God" and, within the framework of that supreme allegiance, to his fellow-men ("unto you" - 2Co 5:13)… The constraining power of the divine love of Christ is the explanation of another famous statement of Paul's: "To me to live is Christ" (Php 1:21-+). (The constraining power of the divine love of Christ) is the logic which demands his willingness to suffer the loss of all things for Christ's sake and it is the reason for his overmastering ambition to win Christ, to be found in Christ, and to know Christ (Php 3:7, 8-+, Php 3:9, 10-+). (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians: The English Text ... - Page 192) In Christ, Paul's Redeemer and Lord, lay the deep springs of all his conduct. Christ (5547) (Christos from chrio = to anoint, rub with oil, consecrate to an office) is the Anointed One, the Messiah, Christos being the Greek equivalent of the transliterated Hebrew word Messiah. In the OT the word "anointed" was closely linked with two offices-- king and high priest. It was prophesied that Jesus, from David's kingly line, would one day hold ultimate authority in our world. (As high priest, Jesus offered himself up for us and lives today to make intercession for us. In Jesus' day, then, the Christ was thought of as Israel's deliverer. God's Anointed would redeem Israel, rule as king over the restored kingdom, and answer all mankind's questions about God's plans and purposes. And this Redeemer would be the very Son of the Blessed One. In the Gospels the Christ is not a personal name but an official designation for the expected Messiah (see Mt 2:4, Lk 3:15). As by faith the human Jesus was recognized and accepted as the personal Messiah, the definite article ("the") was dropped and the designation "Christ" came to be used as a personal name. The name "Christ" speaks of His Messianic dignity and emphasizes that He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises concerning the coming Messiah. The Jewish people yearned for their deliverer. They focused on the political impact of setting up his kingdom. But the Samaritan woman suggests another aspect: "He will explain [anangelo] everything to us." The Greek word here implies announcement--a fresh revelation of divine truth. In a sense, the Epistles are devoted to that revelation. They show how Christ Jesus, the God-Man, unveils truth that was previously hidden and explains what had been revealed. In Christ, God's eternal plans, purposes, and love are shown with unmistakable clarity. Every aspect of God's eternal plan is brought into focus in Christ. He is the central figure, the focus of history, the climax of the sacred drama, the one through whom all things are at last explained (Col 1:15-20). Jesus, may Thy love constrain us, That from sin we may refrain us, In Thy griefs may deeply grieve; Thee our best affections giving, To Thy glory ever living, May we in Thy glory live. (Near the Cross Was Mary Weeping) Controls (4912) (sunecho/synecho from sun = with + echo = hold) literally means hold together (as a unit, metaphorically to sustain). To press together. To close by holding together (stop, shut) - ears = refuse to listen (Acts 7:57), mouth (Is 52:15), heaven (Dt 11:17). To press hard, to crowd (Lk 8:45). To hold in custody (Lk 22:63). Sunecho means to be held or gripped by difficult circumstances (various diseases - Mt 4:24, fever - Lk 4:38, fever & dysentery - Acts 28:8, fear - Lk 8:37). In Acts 18:5 the idea is "to occupy someone’s attention intensely" (BDAG). J B Phillips offers a picturesque paraphrase The very spring of our actions is the love of Christ. Murray Harris paraphrases it… the example of Christ’s love controls our actions and leaves us no choice but to serve God and you. Sunecho/synecho is translated by different Bible versions with several interesting closely related words which are outlined below with the English definitions - ponder these nuances as you meditate on what it means to you personally to have the "love of Christ" controlling, constraining, compelling or impelling you! Constrains (KJV) (from Latin constringere = to constrict, constrain from con = with + stringere = to draw tight) means to force by imposed stricture, restriction, or limitation. To restrict the motion to a particular mode, to clasp tightly, to secure as if by bonds, to force in an unnatural manner. To make someone yield. The noun "constraint" describes the state of being checked to avoid or to perform some action. Think of what these meanings might imply in terms of your spiritual life as it relates to an increasing awareness and heart understanding of the "love of Christ". Compels (Holman Christian Standard Bible) suggests overcoming of resistance or unwillingness by an irresistible force. Impels (New American Bible) - (from Latin impellere from in- = ‘towards’ + pellere = ‘to drive’) To drive or urge forward; to press on; to excite to action or to move forward, by the application of physical force, or moral suasion (act of influencing) or necessity. A ball is impelled by the force of powder; a ship is impelled by wind; a man may be impelled by hunger or a regard to his safety; motives of policy or of safety impel nations to confederate. Barnett writes that sunecho implies that which confines and restricts (Luke 8:45; 12:50; 19:43; Acts 18:5; "hold in custody," BAGD), rather than that which "compels" (NIV). "Christ's self-sacrificing love restrains Paul from self-seeking" (so Thrall, 1.408, reflecting on 2Co 5:14 in the context of 2Co 5:11-13). Christ's love controls the direction of the apostle's ministry.") (See The Second Epistle to the Corinthians - Volume 47 - Page 287) Murray Harris explains sunecho this way… Ever since his conversion, Paul had felt “hemmed in” or without an option; he must expend himself in the service of others for Christ’s sake (2Cor 4:11, 12; 12:15). Sunecho means to be hemmed in on both sides and was used of a traveler in a narrow passage or gorge, with a wall of rock on either hand, unable to turn aside and able only to go straight on. The picture is that of a man pressed on both sides. The idea is not urging or driving, but shutting up to one line and purpose, as in a narrow, walled road. Literally Paul is saying "I am held together, so that I cannot incline either way". There is an equal pressure being exerted from both sides, from the desire for continued life and from the desire for death & to be with Christ. Paul was perplexed, held in, kept back from decision. There was a strong pressure bearing upon him from both sides, keeping him erect and motionless. Hard pressed means to be required to make a difficult decision between two possibilities—that of going home to heaven or that of remaining on earth as an apostle of Christ Jesus. TLNT addresses the meaning of sunecho in the common Greek usages… I.—“Hold together, maintain,” is said of fabric that is held together and stitched and quite early becomes a technical term for the holding together of the universe in unity; with the Stoics, it refers to the divine link that holds the world together. Philo calls God “the One who created all, who unites and sustains earth and heaven, sea and air,” in accord with Wis 1:7 (“The Spirit of the Lord fills the universe and contains [Lxx = sunecho] all things”) or Job 3:23 (God hedges [Lxx = sunecho] man in on all sides). A Roman inscription from 370 describes Attis thus: “To you, Attis, the Most High, holding all things together.” This cosmic meaning is unknown in the NT as is the following meaning. II.—From the meaning “to assemble” derives that of being an associate or co-participant in a matter: “Nikon, with whom Penenteris is associated”; and the meaning “administrate together,” the object being some property or other. In a marriage contract from ad 127 between Sarapion and Taïs, the services and profits of the slave Callityche will be shared together… From the third century BC, sunecho is used for someone who is obliged to stay somewhere longer than he wishes: “I am detained here”; “Our brother, having been detained by business in the metropolis since the 28th” (2nd century BC); irrigation waters must not be held up more than five days. In AD 16: money kept in the bank… The passive synechomai means “be taken, held,” as on the horns of a dilemma (Php 1:23) or under a compulsion that cannot be avoided. Hence the medical meaning: “be taken” by a fever, an illness, a pain, as was Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:38) or the father of Publius (Acts 28:8; cf. Mt 4:24). Two fourth-century physicians, delivering a medical certificate, state that they have seen the patient in bed, taken by a light fever. Similarly, on the psychological level, a person can be taken by great fear, as were the Gerasenes (Lk 8:37) or as was Christ Who was oppressed or constrained until His baptism was completed. When surrounded by a dense crowd or by encircling enemies, (sunecho is used to mean) one is both “pressed” and “detained.” This nuance of constraint is the most emphasized connotation in the papyri. In 20–50AD, a woman who was beaten, robbed, and abandoned by her husband asks the archidikastēs (Chief judicial authority) to make him appear before him and compel him to return her dowry… Synechō is the ordinary term for the power behind the execution of a judicial verdict: the accused are compelled to pay a certain sum to their victims (synechomenous apodounai autois, P.Ryl. 65, 11; from 67 bc). Sometimes this verb is used for the “seizure” of a commodity, an impounding. In 236 BC an imprisoned debtor asks the tax farmer to place an embargo on the produce of his vineyards. Much more commonly it is a matter of physical constraint used against a recalcitrant debtor… police chiefs order the “seizure” (synecho) of the guilty party. Synechō is even used for impounding by private citizens themselves. In the second century bc, however, a series of amnesty orders (by Ptolemy IV Philometor or Ptolemy V Epiphanes) forbids “confining free men in their houses or anywhere else”. These usages shed light on Lk 22:63, which is usually translated “the men who were guarding him (Jesus)”; they were “holding him prisoner.”… THE CONSTRAINING LOVE OF CHRIST All of the meanings discussed above have a part in the love of Christ that constrains us. This love suggests the Lord’s seizing us to hold us and maintain us in His sovereign and exclusive possession. It takes possession of us so forcefully that it compels us to love in return (cf. the persistence in Mic 7:18; Ps 77:9) and wraps up our whole being. More than pressure, it is an compulsion that orients our whole life and all our conduct. The fervor of this agape, which is suggestive of a fire (Mt 24:12), can be compared to a burning fever (cf. Heb 10:24—paroxysmos agapēs) and thus implies intense emotion, the giving of one’s heart. Finally, since according to Paul the agape of Christ is essentially linked to the Cross, this love in a way oppresses the disciple, just as Christ was in anguish at the prospect of his passion; it judges him and convinces (krino) him to die with his Savior. He is forced to it, as it were. (Theological Lexicon of the New Testament) TDNT adds that in the classic Greek… 1. This word means first “to hold together,” e.g., law upholding the state, or deity the cosmos, or virtues the world. 2. Then we find the meaning “to enclose” or “to lock up,” e.g., an army behind walls, or a prisoner, and once for holding one’s breath. 3. Another sense is “to oppress,” “to overpower,” “to rule,” e.g., of afflictions, illnesses, emotions, or impulses. (Borrow Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament : abridged in one volume) Thayer (modified) 1. to hold together; any whole, lest it fall to pieces or something fall away from it, the Deity as holding all things together, cp Ge 8:2 2. to hold together with constraint, to compress, i. e. a. to press together with the hand: to stop the ears = Acts 7:57; the mouth = Is 52:15; the heavens = to shut so that it may not rain = Dt 11:17; 1Ki 8:35 b. to press on every side: Lk. 8:45; of a besieged city, Lk 19:43. 3. to hold completely, i.e. a. to hold fast: a prisoner, Lk 22:63 metaphorically in passive voice = to be held by, closely occupied with, any business (Wis 17:20); The Word = teaching the word = Acts 18:5 [KJV = Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews]. b. to constrain, oppress, of ills laying hold of one and distressing him pass. to be held with = afflicted with, suffering from: (held with disease) = Mt. 4:24; (held with high fever) = Lk. 4:38; (held with fever and dysentery) = Acts 28:8; of affections of the mind: (held with fear) = Lk. 8:37 c. to urge, impel: 2Co 5:14; distressed = Lk. 12:50; Acts 18:5 I am hard pressed on both sides, my mind is impelled or disturbed from each side [I am in a strait betwixt the two] Phil. 1:23. Sunecho - 12x in 12v in the NAS - Rendered - afflicted(1), controls(1), covered(1), crowding(1), devoting… completely(1), distressed(1), gripped(1), hard-pressed(1), hem(1), holding… in custody(1), suffering(2). Matthew 4:24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Luke 4:38 Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's home. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. Luke 8:37 And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. Comment: The virtual antithesis of one who is "gripped" with or by the love of Christ. Indeed, is this (the love of Christ) not the all sufficient "antidote" for the fears that so often assail our mind and heart! Luke 8:45 And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You." Luke 12:50 "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed (KJV = straitened - means to make narrow, to confine, to make tense or tight, to distress, to press with necessity) I am until it is accomplished! Comment: Here we see Jesus use sunecho ("straitened" in the KJV) to denote His "being confined within the limits of a certain course of action. It is a straitening that never allows us to deviate from the one set purpose. This is how the love of God motivated and activated the life of the Lord Jesus; and this is how the love of Christ must motivate and activate our lives. For Him it meant the path of the cross, even unto death, that He might be raised to the glory of God the Father, and so fulfill heaven’s redemptive purpose. For us also it must mean the path of the cross unto death, that we might die indeed unto sin and live unto God alone. Paul declares that the only reasonable interpretation of the love of Christ, as seen at Calvary, is that when He died at Calvary we also died with Him unto sin—once and for all; and that when He rose from the dead, we also rose to live only unto Him. This is the pathway to which the love of Christ confines us (2Co 5:14, 15). What an impact such a motivation of love should have on our daily ministry! It should compel us to do nothing but the work of God, and confine us to do nothing but the will of God. To be driven by this motivation we need a new vision of Calvary, a deeper understanding of the cross, and a holy baptism of redemptive love." (Olford) Luke 19:43 "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, Luke 22:63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, Acts 7:57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. Acts 18:5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Comment: A beautiful picture of a man so in love with the God of the Word that His Word constrains and compels and impels and motivates him to solemnly speak it forth in power (cp his statement in 1Co 9:16). Might God so work in all of our hearts that we, like Paul, would be "constrained" by the Word of God, and thus would be impelled to give solemn testimony to the truth of that Word, of Jesus, the living Word, the long awaited Messiah and the soon to return King of kings, Who John even designates at His Second Coming as the Word of God (Rev 19:13-+, cp Jn 1:1, 1Jn 1:1, Rev 1:2)! Amen TLNT: The sense (here is to) “devote oneself to, take care of,” as in this epitaph from Thermion in the imperial period: “I shall take care of (sunecho) her as of one of my own children”;… Paul at Corinth devotes himself entirely to preaching—he is absorbed, completely wrapped up in this ministry. Stephen Olford draws an application from Paul's constrain to preach the Word: In like manner, we should be compelled by the love of Christ. If our reading of Scripture, as illumined and applied by the Spirit, does not release the compelling love of Christ in us and through us, then our hearts are not right with God, and our service constitutes nothing more than ashes upon a rusty altar! (Anointed Expository Preaching) Acts 28:8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. Comment: Fascinating picture for me as a physician who subspecialized in infectious diseases to see Dr Luke picture recurrent fever and dysentery as "constraining" Publius. 2Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; Philippians 1:23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; Sunecho - 41x in the Septuagint (Lxx) - Ge 8:2; Ex 26:3; 28:7; 36:11, 28; Dt 11:17; 1Sa 14:6; 21:8; 23:8; 2Sa 20:3; 24:21, 25; 1Kgs 6:10, 15; 8:35; 20:21; 2Kgs 9:8; 14:26; 1Chr 12:1; 2Chr 6:26; 7:13; Neh 6:10; Ps 68:16; 76:10; Pr 5:20; Job 2:9; 3:24; 7:11; 10:1; 20:13; 31:23; 34:14; 36:8; 38:2; 41:9; Mic 7:18; Isa 52:15; Jer 2:13; 23:9; Ezek 33:22; 43:8 Sunecho - 8x in the Apocrypha - 1Macc 13:15; 2Macc 9:2; 10:10; 4Macc 15:32; Wis 1:7; 17:10, 19; Ps Sol. 17:19; Genesis 8:2 Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; (Hebrew = kala = to shut up, withhold; Lxx = sunecho) Exodus 26:3 "Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined (Hebrew = chabar = to unite; Lxx = sunecho) to one another. Deuteronomy 11:17 "Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up (Hebrew = atsar = to restrain; Lxx = sunecho - similar use in 1Ki 8:35, 2Chr 6:26) the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you. 2 Samuel 24:21 (also in 2Sa 24:25,) Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back (Hebrew = atsar = to restrain; Lxx = sunecho) from the people." 2 Chronicles 7:13 "If I shut up (Hebrew = atsar = to restrain; Lxx = sunecho) the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain (Hebrew = chazaq; Lxx = sunecho) His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. Isaiah 52:15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut (Hebrew = qaphats = draw together; Lxx = sunecho) their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Jeremiah 2:13 (cp Jer 17:13) "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold (Hebrew = kul = contain, clasping or holding in something; Lxx = sunecho) no water. Comment: "Broken cisterns" birth broken people! These "cisterns" offer no soul satisfying living water! (cp Zec 14:8, Jn 4:10, 11, 13, 14, Jn 7:38) A sad, sad description, one I fear might be true of many churches in our age, for so many have jettisoned the pure milk of the Word of God (1Pe 2:2-+), substituting words of men, stories about men (contrast Paul's goal - 2Co 4:5-+) in a desire to "make" the Word of Truth more relevant or authentic! Beloved, the Word of Life is preeminently and forever the most relevant and authentic Word sinful hearts will ever hear and by them be healed (Ps 107:19, 20-+). May God's Spirit cause us to repent and return to the ancient paths, that our sins may be wiped away and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Amen (Jer 6:16, Jer 18:15 - you must read those two passages, Acts 3:19) Matthew
2 Coríntios 5:14-16
Hughes put it, "To have known Christ in this way was a guarantee of nothing. Great numbers had followed Christ in person who afterwards deserted Him and demanded His crucifixion" (201). But Paul only believed what the "flesh" could understand. As he had already told the Corinthians, spiritual things can only be understand by spiritual means (I Cor 2). As long as a person allows the world to form his opinions on Christ, he will not find the message of the gospel to be of interest. I told you a few weeks ago about talking with the young lady at the U of M who said that she was a "pagan." She claimed to also believe in Jesus, but when I questioned her about Him, she denied that He is God. I began to quote Scripture's teaching about Christ, and she seemed stunned, as though she had not really considered that He is the one and only God, creator of the world, sustainer of the world, and as God He also invaded the world to become one of our race of humanity so that He might reconcile us to God. (Sermons from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians)
2 Coríntios 5:17
Hughes says this passing away includes "the distinctions, prejudices, misconceptions, and enslavements of the former unregenerate way of life (which now) assume the character of pastness. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians) Passed away is in the aorist tense and indicative mood (mood of reality) which signals this passing away as an actual (real) historical event in the life of every believer. When did this occur in your life history? The instant that you confessed Jesus as Lord (Ro 10:9, 10+) and received Him as Savior, all by grace through faith (Jn 1:11-13, Eph 2:8, 9+), you were born again (Jn 3:3-8+) and were irreversibly transferred (your salvation made eternally secure - cp Jn 10:27, 28, 29) from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God's beloved Son (Col 1:13+, Acts 26:18+). At that glorious, miraculous moment in eternity, the "old you" ceased to exist in God's eyes, and henceforth and forever and ever, He views you as "in Christ". Parerchomai -29x in 25v - Mt 5:18-+; Mt 8:28; Mt 14:15; Mt 24:34, 35; 26:39, 42; Mk 6:48; 13:30, 31; 14:35; Lk 11:42; 12:37; 15:29; 16:17; 17:7; 18:37; 21:32, 33; Acts 16:8; 27:9; 2Co 5:17-+; Jas 1:10-+; 1Pe 4:3-+; 2Pe 3:10-+. NAS = came along(1), come(2), disregard(1), late(1), neglected(1), over(1), pass(5), pass away(14), passed away(1), passing(2), past(1). Peter uses parerchomai to describe the catastrophic passing away of heaven and earth at the final conflagration… But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2Pe 3:10+, cp Mt 5:18+; Lk 21:32, 33+) James describes the catastrophic passing away of a soul who does not believe in Jesus for salvation… and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. (Jas 1:10+, cp Lxx use in Job 17:11, Ps 37:26) Peter alludes to the old things that have passed away in the one who is not a new creature in Christ… For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. (1Pe 4:3-+) Luke records Jesus' beatitude… Luke 12:37+ "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up (parerchomai) and wait on them. J C
2 Coríntios 5:17
Hughes adds that Paul's conclusion "grows out of the first: Paul does not relate to people according to fleshly evaluations, but according to their newness as creations in Christ. This perspective has its source in the Spirit realities of the New Covenant. The UBS Handbook comments that… The precise function of the word Therefore which begins this verse is not clear. Is Paul drawing out the consequences of what he has said in 2Co 5:16, or does the word Therefore go back to 2Co 5:14 and 2Co 5:15? If, as seems most likely, 2Co 5:16 and 2Co 5:17 are parallel in thought, then both verses draw out the consequences of what Paul has written in 2Co 5:14 and 2Co 5:15. (The United Bible Societies' New Testament Handbook Series) If (1487) (ei) is a conditional conjunction, which is translated if or since. In the present context the idea is if the first part of this statement is true, the second is also true. Anyone (5100) (tis) is a pronoun that can signify one, someone, anyone, a certain one. In short this pronoun teaches that this verse is the "biography", the "testimony" of every believer! What a great promise this pronoun holds out for lost men and women. Any sinner, no matter how awful, despicable, depraved, disgusting (and the list could go on and on) who repents and believes in Christ is placed in Christ wherein he or she is a new creature, regardless of how corrupt and decadent the old creature was in Adam. Plummer -The sequence of thought seems to be this. ' If we have died with Christ to our old selves and have risen with Him to a new life, we share His spiritual life and are in Him; and if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away when he became such.' Evidently the thought of the change from old to new makes the Apostle enthusiastically jubilant. The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ constitute for him the dividing line in the world's history, and if he did not foresee all the blessings which the Gospel would bring to mankind, he saw something of its immense potentialities. Out of his own experience of God's dealing with himself and others he declares that one who is in Christ is a new creature. Christ is the source of a new and higher life (see on 1Co 15:45 and on Ro 5:12-19). (2 Corinthians 5:17 International Critical Commentary) IN CHRIST IN CHRIST JESUS IN THE LORD In Christ - Simply stated this means in the sphere of Christ. Or "in the atmosphere" of Christ so to speak. It would include the ideas of oneness with Christ, union with Christ, communion with Christ, in covenant with Christ. See more related resources below. In Christ defines every saint's eternal, permanent, spiritual location, the spiritual "address" and the "spiritual atmosphere" as it were in which we now live and breathe and have our being. Theodore Epp adds that every believer's "new life is life "in Christ." The word "in" does not in this connection speak of location, such as "in an automobile," but carries the idea of union. On the resurrection side of this experience we have His life. He has come to live in us. It is this that marks the real difference between the old life prior to our salvation and the new life now that we are saved. It is necessary before the believer can enjoy victory in Christ for the power of the old life to be broken. This is accomplished through union with Christ in His crucifixion. This is not an experience that we must struggle to enter into now. It was accomplished for us in the past. The King James Version is not clear on this point. The American Standard Version of 1901 will help us here. The expression "I am crucified with Christ" is translated in the ASV: "I have been crucified with Christ." God got rid of the old self-life by crucifying it. We were separated from the old self-life when we died with Christ." In Christ describes every believer's new position and new sphere of existence. Before we were born again into the Kingdom of God (Jn 3:3,5), our existence was in Adam (1Co 15:22, Ro 5:12-+ = spiritually dead and under the dominion [supreme authority, power, jurisdiction, sway, control, absolute ownership] of the Sin "virus" we inherited from Adam - see Adam in the NT), in the flesh (under the dominion of the flesh - note, believers can "act fleshly" but strictly speaking are no longer "in the flesh" - see Ro 8:9-+, 2Co10:3-+ Gal 2:20-+ use "in the flesh" to refer to the human body not the "anti-God" influence), in (under the influence of) the world, and in the kingdom of the Devil (under his dominion - Acts 26:18, Col 1:13-+). In the Upper Room Discourse just prior to His crucifixion Jesus alluded to the idea of in Christ when He declared "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." (Jn 14:20). Paul expounded on the idea of a believer's new identity, using the phrase in Christ or its synonyms (over 160 times in some form - in Him, in the Beloved, in Christ, in Christ Jesus, in the Lord - study the references below). In Christ summarizes the profound truth that believers are now and forever in spiritual union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, considering the prevalence of in Christ and its synonyms in Paul's writings, this mysterious spiritual truth is one of the most significant teachings in the New Testament. Charles Ryrie in fact comments that… Probably the most important doctrinal fact underpinning the spiritual life is the believer’s union with Christ. It is foundational to the truth of co-crucifixion of the Christian with Christ (Ro 6:6-+, Gal 2:20-+), which in turn is the basis for freedom from the power of sin (Ed: Read Ro 6:11-+, Ro 6:14-+, Ro 6:17, 18-+, Ro 6:22-+ Lk 4:18, Jn 8:36 - Remember that freedom in Christ [note the sphere or "atmosphere" in which one is free indeed!] is not the right to do as one pleases but the power to please God by doing what is right!). Unfortunately, this concept is little understood, unbalanced in its presentation, and unused in its application… What does this concept mean? My own definition is simply this: To be in Christ is the redeemed man’s new environment in the sphere of resurrection life. (Ed: Note [esp in Ep 1:20] the source of the "surpassing greatness of His power" that allows us to live our new life in Christ - Read Ep 1:18, 19-+, Ep 1:20, 21-+) The key word is environment, for being in Christ is not a barren state or an almost unreal positional truth (as it is often presented), but a vital, pulsating, functioning involvement. The chief characteristic of this environment is resurrection life, the life of Christ Himself. (cp Col 3:4-+, Jn 14:6; 19, 20:31, Ro 6:4-+, 2Co 4:10, 11; 1Jn 4:9, 5:11, 12) Another writer speaking of this same position of the believer describes it this way: “He has been transplanted into a new soil and a new climate, and both soil and climate are Christ." (Ryrie goes on to explain that) In relation to sanctification (Ed: See noun hagiasmos = sanctification and verb hagiazo = to sanctify) or the Christian life… being in Christ frees us from the bondage of sin (Ed: Ro 6:11-+, Ro 6:14-+, Ro 6:17, 18-+, Ro 6:22-+ Jn 8:36) and enables us to live righteously before God. (Balancing the Christian Life) (Bolding added) When we believed in Christ Jesus as our Substitutionary and fully atoning Sacrifice, God transferred us from the kingdom of darkness "in Adam" (cp 1Co 15:22) into the kingdom of light, of His dear Son, so that now all believers are seen by the Father as in Christ. This transfer was the outworking of the New Covenant in His blood, which is an important truth to remember when trying to understand the concept (truth) of "in Christ". Covenant is a solemn, binding agreement between two parties (see Covenant - Solemn and Binding) in which there is a co-mingling of lives and identities (See Covenant - The Oneness of Covenant). The two become one just as a husband and wife become one new person and just as the mystical church becomes one with Christ, the church as His body of which He is the Head (Ep 1:22, 23-+, Ep 4:15-+, Ep 5:23- +, Col 1:18-+). And so we see the vital nature of the inseparable union pictured in the phrase "in Christ". It is no longer the believer who lives but Christ Who lives in the believer (Gal 2:20-+) and we live in such a way that His life not only enables us, but also shows through us (2Co 4:10). It is no longer our life, but it is Christ our life (Col 3:4-+). We are no longer separate "branches" but attached to the Vine (Christ Jesus - John 15:4, 5 - "Abide in Me" is synonymous with the concept of "in Christ") deriving our life and our purpose from Him, for now Christ is our all in all, the very source of and supply for our existence, now and forever. When others see us, they should see Him (cp 2Co2:13,15, 16, 4:11) (Watch and listen to the Youtube video of the song - In Christ Alone; In Christ Alone - another version) James Montgomery
2 Coríntios 5:17
Hughes - The expression in Christ sums up as briefly and as profoundly as possible the inexhaustible significance of man’s redemption. It speaks of security in Him who has Himself borne in his own body the judgment of God against our sin; it speaks of acceptance in Him with whom alone God is well pleased; it speaks of assurance for the future in Him who is the Resurrection and the Life; it speaks of the inheritance of glory in Him who, as the only-begotten Son, is the sole heir of God; it speaks of participation in the divine nature in Him who is the everlasting Word; it speaks of knowing the truth, and being free in that truth, in Him who Himself is the Truth. All this, and very much more than can ever be expressed in human language, is meant by being in Christ. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes - Named as one of the 850 Books for Biblical Expositors by the Master's Seminary. Cyril
2 Coríntios 5:17
Hughes notes that… The exclamation behold! sounds an unmistakable note of spontaneous jubilation. In its "sudden note of triumph", says Denney, we feel, as it were, one throb of that glad surprise with which he (Paul) had looked out on the world after God had reconciled him to Himself by His Son. This response of delight and wonderment cannot fail to be evoked in the hearts of those to whom the miracle of God's new creation is revealed. It is present in prediction— Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old: behold, I will do a new thing!" (Isa 43:18, 19) And it is present in fulfilment… The first things are passed away… Behold, I make all things new!" (Rev 21:4-+, Rev 21:5-+).(Ed: As an aside it is probably not a surprise to you that almost 10% of all NT uses of behold are in the Revelation!) And meanwhile it is present in the hearts of all who, though still in this world, have already become by God's grace members of the world to come. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians) - Named as one of the 850 Books for Biblical Expositors by the Master's Seminary. Cyril
2 Coríntios 5:17
Hughes adds that the perfect tense indicates new things have come into existence… and continue to be new; for the newness of God's new creation is not a newness that in course of time palls and grows old and outmoded; it is a newness that is everlastingly new. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes) John
2 Coríntios 5:18-19
Hughes adds that all through this section (2Cor 5:18, 19, 20) what "catches our attention here is that reconciliation is God’s unassisted work. Here God is shown to be the Creator of the messenger, the ministry, and the message of reconciliation. This text is wholly God-centered. God is the mover of every mention of reconciliation in these verses. (2 Corinthians Power in Weakness - Preaching the Word Crossway) Bernard observes that...Paul is especially anxious in this Epistle to trace up spiritual blessings to their true Source (God); see 2Cor 1:21, 2:14, 4:6, 5:5, and cf. 1Co 3:23....The important point to observe in the present passage is that it is God Himself who is the ultimate Author of this Reconciliation; cf. Ro 5:8-+, Ro 8:31, 32-+, and especially Jn 3:16. That the Reconciliation is “through Christ” is the heart of the Gospel of the Atonement (cf. Ro 3:24-+, Col 1:20-+, etc). (2 Corinthians 5 Expositor's Greek Testament) Now all these things are from God - What is the natural question you should ask? What things? Clearly Paul is pointing back to the supernatural work of God including the believer's death and resurrection in Christ and especially the the new creation of sinners into new creatures in Christ. Some commentators restrict the "things" to the new creation of the preceding verse, but others (Bengel, et al) take this as an allusion that goes back to 2Cor 5:14.
2 Coríntios 5:18-19
Hughes writes that. "As in the original creation all things were brought into being by the Word of God, so also in the new creation God through His Son, who is The Word, is the sole Author of all things. “Nothing is of ourselves”, says Chrysostom in a fine passage; “for remission of sins, and adoption, and unspeakable glory are given to us by Him.… But, behold, a new soul (for it was cleansed), and also a new body, and a new worship, and new promises and covenant and life and table and dress, and all things absolutely new. For instead of the Jerusalem below we have received that mother city which is above, and instead of a material temple we have seen a spiritual temple; instead of tables of stone, fleshy tables; instead of circumcision, baptism; instead of the manna, the Lord’s body; instead of water from a rock, blood from His side; instead of Moses’ and Aaron’s rod, the Cross; instead of the promised land, the kingdom of heaven; instead of a thousand priests, one High Priest; instead of a lamb without understanding, a spiritual Lamb.… But all these things are of God by Christ, and His free gift.” (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament) MAN RECONCILED TO GOD NOT GOD RECONCILED TO MAN God who reconciled us to Himself - Notice it does not say that God needed to be won over, but the reconciliation is described as taking place in them rather than in Him. In other words reconciliation is not something man does, but something he receives by grace through faith in Christ. As someone has well said "Religion is man’s feeble effort to be reconciled to God." How helpless guilty nature lies, Unconscious of her load, The heart unchanged can never rise To happiness and God. Phil Newton...God not only originates the work but bears the full load of it by meeting the righteous demands of His justice through His Son. The price of reconciliation is immeasurable. (New Creatures) Geoff Thomas - The staggering message of the New Testament is that reconciliation is a work of God. Here he is, the offended and injured party, the one sinned against, and yet he sets up the whole machinery of reconciliation... It is a work that does not draw within its scope human action. It does not enlist the assistance of men. It does not depend upon the activity of men. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 God and Sinners Reconciled) Alfred Plummer adds that "Greeks thought of God as estranged from men, and it was He who needed to be won over. Jews thought rather that it was men who by their sins were estranged from God, and the sins had to be ‘cleansed,’ or ‘purged,’ or ‘covered,’ in order to bring about reconciliation (see 1Jn 2:2). Paul follows Jewish rather than Hellenistic thought. It is man who is reconciled to God, rather than God to man. (2 Corinthians 5:18 International Critical Commentary)
2 Coríntios 5:18-19
Hughes explains that "God has confronted us with our transgressions but has taken the initiative in Christ to resolve the problem they have created. God has let go of the pain of our willful rebellion and does not count our trespasses against us. But it remains for us to accept that we have done wrong, to repent of it, and to accept God’s offer of friendship. Not all will do so; some will defiantly continue to snub God. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament) Christ (5547) (Christos from chrio = to anoint, rub with oil, consecrate to an office) is the Anointed One, the Messiah, where Christos is the Greek equivalent of the transliterated Hebrew word Messiah (mashiach/masiyah). Reconciling (2644)(katallasso - see discussion in previous verse). This verb is in the imperfect tense which generally conveys the idea of incomplete action. In this case it is not that the foundation or basis for reconciling men was incomplete for the work of Christ was a once for all time event which paid the price of redemption in full. What is in a sense "incomplete" is that sinful man has to receive God's offer of reconciliation to "seal the deal" so to speak. Alfred Plummer phrases it this way "God did all that on His side is necessary for their being reconciled to Him; but not all men do what is necessary on their side." (2 Corinthians 5:18 International Critical Commentary) World (2889)(kosmos related to the verb kosmeo = to order or adorn, to put in order [Mt 25:7 = "trimmed"], to adorn literally [1Ti 2:9], to adorn figuratively [Titus 2:9-+]) means essentially something that is well-arranged, that which has order or something arranged harmoniously. In the present context kosmos refers most likely to mankind in general (humanity, the inhabitants of the world, the sum total of all created beings above the level of the animals - and especially those who receive Christ by grace through faith). However, some commentators (Barnett) interpret kosmos as the whole created order similar to Paul's description of reconciliation in Col 1:19, 20-+. 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+) Denney beautifully explains the need and the consequence of reconciliation writing that "Reconciliation’ in the New Testament sense is not something which we accomplish when we lay aside our enmity to God; it is something which God accomplished when in the death of Christ he put away everything that on his side meant estrangement." R Kent Hughes adds that "The ministry of reconciliation is not telling people to make peace with God, but telling them that God has made peace with the world. “At bottom, the gospel is not good advice, but good news” (Denney)...We are not called to make peace with God—that is God’s work! The method of reconciliation is reckoning, God “not counting their trespasses against them” (2Co 5:19, which will be explained in 2Co 5:21). There is a reckoning of sins. But they are reckoned not to the sinner but to Christ. (2 Corinthians Power in Weakness - Preaching the Word - Crossway Books) I hear the words of love, I gaze upon the blood, I see the mighty sacrifice, And I have peace with God. --Horatius Bonar. Not counting their trespasses against them - Paul does not say by "overlooking their trespasses" for as Hughes has explained God's "mercy cannot be vindicated by injustice." Not counting trespasses is one result of reconciliation. Not imputing their trespasses, not putting them on their "account." Yes, the trespasses are imputed, however not to the sinner but to Christ, the sinner's substitutionary sufficient Sacrifice. The Son of Man came not to condemn the world but to save the world. The idea is that God's reconciliation of sinful men (who receive the reconciliation by grace through faith) results in the canceling of the debt they owe God because of their trespasses. Not counting one's trespasses is also a picture of God's forgiveness (which pictures His removal of our sins away - see aphesis and aphiemi). David
2 Coríntios 5:18-19
Hughes writes that ...This divine act of depositing implies two things: firstly, that those who minister have themselves been made recipients of the grace of reconciliation, and, secondly, that they are under obligation to proclaim that grace to the world (cf. Ro 1:14, 15-+, Ro 1:16-+; 1Co 9:16). (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament) The word of reconciliation - The message of reconciliation. This phrase is essentially a synonym for the Gospel as in Eph 1:13-+ (message [logos] of the truth), Col 1:5-+ (the word [logos] of truth, the gospel), 1Co 1:18 (the word [logos] of the cross), 2Cor 6:7 (the word [logos] of truth), 2Ti 2:15-+ (the word [logos] of truth), Acts 13:26 (the message [logos] of this salvation), Acts 15:7 (the word [logos] of the Gospel), Mt 13:19 (the word [word] of the kingdom). This is tantamount to the "gospel of the glory of Christ" (2Co 4:4-+). In context this "word" is specifically given as a command in the 2Co 5:20 as "be reconciled (aorist imperative) to God." This word is spoken by men to other men but ultimately is a word from God to men through His human ambassadors. What is the message committed to us, His ambassadors, to speak to a lost world? The message is that God has taken the initiative to end our hostility toward Him by charging our sins to the account of Christ, making peace with us through the blood of His Cross. Word (3056)(logos from légō = to speak with words; English = logic, logical) means something said and describes a communication whereby the mind finds expression in words. In the Greek mind and as used by secular and philosophical Greek writers, lógos did not mean merely the name of an object but was an expression of the thought behind that object's name. Hughes adds that... in Greek thought logos indicates what is true and trustworthy as opposed to the term “myth” (muthos) which is descriptive of what is fictitious and spurious. Socrates, for example, declares that a particular story is “no fictitious myth but a true logos”. Hence the term “logos” carries with it, like a kind of overtone, the implication of truth and genuineness, and is accordingly peculiarly appropriate as a synonym for the Gospel, which is “the word of truth”. (Ibid) Reconciliation (2643) (katallage see previous verse) describes the change from a state of enmity between persons to one of friendship, specifically the Gospel is God's call to man to be restored to a state of harmony and friendship with Himself through faith in Christ's atoning work on the Cross. Grace first inscribed my name In God's eternal book; 'Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb, Who all my sorrows took. Philip Doddridge Reconciled Through Death - It is said that years ago in a western city a husband and wife became estranged and chose to separate. They moved away and lived in different parts of the country. The husband happened to return to the city on a matter of business and went out to the cemetery to the grave of their only son. He was standing by the grave in fond reminiscence when he heard a step behind him. Turning, he saw his estranged wife. The initial impulse of both was to turn away. But they had a common hearted interest in that grave, and instead of turning away they clasped hands over the grave of their son and were reconciled. They were reconciled by death! Our personal reconciliation took nothing less than the death of God’s Son; but his death and its effects went far beyond any human death. (Clarence E. Macartney, Macartney’s Illustrations quoted by R K Hughes) Warren
2 Coríntios 5:20-21
Hughes adds that...Only He who was entirely without sin of His own was free to bear the sin of others. And only God-become-Man could achieve this unblemished victory over Satan and death for our fallen and rebellious race. Such a Mediator was absolutely essential for our reconciliation to God.