First, we learn that Jesus was rich. Before Jesus added humanity to His deity and walked this earth, Jesus was rich beyond measure. Jesus, as the eternal Second Person of the Trinity, as God the Son, living in the riches and splendor of heaven, was surrounded constantly by the glory, power, and majesty of God. These make any amount of wealth on earth seem poor. He was rich in possessions, honor, power, love, and happiness.

Second, Jesus became poor. Look at the whole nativity scene. The newborn King was not laid in a cradle of gold but in a feeding trough for animals, set in a humble stable, wrapped in the swaddling bands of poor children. His whole life was lived humbly. At a very young age, He was banished from His own country. Raised as the son of a humble carpenter, Jesus had no fancy clothes, no home of His own, and often relied on others for food. He never even owned His own grave.

Third, notice the manner of His poverty: He became poor. It does not say that Jesus was made poor by others; He volunteered to become poor Himself. Every moment of His life on this earth, Jesus made the conscious choice to live as a relatively poor man.

Fourth, the reason for His poverty: yet for your sakes He became poor. There was a real reason why Jesus did this, and it was not for His own sake. It was for your sakes – the sake of His people – that He became poor.

Look at the result of His poverty: that you through His poverty might become rich. Because of Jesus’ poverty (in all that related to it), His people can become rich. Believers have a share in Jesus’ eternal, heavenly wealth because He came and had a share in their poverty.

– As Jesus was rich in possessions, so are believers – especially contentment.
– As Jesus was rich in honor, so His people have the honor of being sons and daughters of God.
– As Jesus was rich in power, so Christians can come as sons and daughters to the God of all power.
– As Jesus was rich in love, so believers have the love of God poured out into our hearts.
– As Jesus was rich in happiness, so are His people with the peace that passes all understanding.

Finally, consider that Jesus isn’t poor any longer. If this is what Jesus did for His people when He was poor, how much more do you think He will do for them with His heavenly wealth?

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 8

 

For some reason, this verse has been mainly applied as a warning for Christians to not get married to those who are not also disciples of Jesus Christ. However, Paul meant much more than that one point of application. This applies to any environment where a believer allows the world to influence their thinking above the influence of God’s word and His Spirit. When believers are being conformed to this world and are not being transformed by the renewing of their mind (Romans 12:2), they join with unbelievers in an ungodly way.

This speaks especially to the issue of influence. Paul is not suggesting that Christians never associate with unbelievers (this is clear in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13). The principle is that believers are to be in the world, but not of the world, like a ship should be in the water, but water shouldn’t be in the ship. If the world is influencingGod’s people, clearly they are unequally yoked together with unbelievers. This unequal yoke, or ungodly influence, may come through social media, a book, a video, a song, or even through worldly-minded Christian friends. Most Christians are far too undiscerning about the things they allow to influence their thinking and actions.

We all like to believe that we can be around ungodly things as much as we want and that we are strong enough to ward off the influence. But we must take seriously the words of Scripture: Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33). It needs to come back to the simple question from Romans 12:2: Are we being conformed to this world, or are we being transformed by the renewing of the mind?

The Corinthian Christians thought like worldly people, not like godly people. They gained this way of looking at life – or at least they stayed in it – because of their ungodly associations. Paul told them to break those yokes of fellowship with the ungodly.

The Corinthian Christians were too loving and affectionate in the sense they thought it was “accepting” and praiseworthy to allow lawlessness with righteousness, to accept darkness along with the light. By using the term communion, Paul indicates that he really meant influence more than presence.

Christian, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you: to what extent have you allowed the thinking of the world to influence you? Are you unequally yoked? In the name of Jesus, break those unequal yokes, and take the yoke of Jesus on you (Matthew 11:29-30).

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 6

 

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Jun Sato, 25, couldn’t find work in downtown Tokyo, so he created his own job. Dressed in protective padding, he let people on the street put on boxing gloves and beat him for three minutes for the equivalent of about $10. Sato said, “I enjoy being used as a punching bag, it is another way to experience life. I want to continue as long as my body holds up.”

Most people don’t feel that way. Most of us don’t knowingly seek out suffering, and when we’re in it, we want to get out of it as soon as possible. This makes the Apostle Paul’s description our afflictions as light hard to accept. If Paul wanted to think his afflictions were light, that was his business – but our afflictions usually seem heavy.

Looking at the kind of life Paul lived and the afflictions he suffered changes our perspective. 2 Corinthians 6:4-5 gives a start in understanding what Paul went through personally: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness. Paul certainly did not have an easy life, yet he could still call his afflictions light.

Your afflictions may be lighter than you first think.

Our afflictions are light compared to what others are suffering. No matter how bad we have it, there are many who are suffering worse. Are we really better people than they are?

Our afflictions are light compared to what we deserve. We often don’t like to think about it, but we sin against God again and again. If you believe God is teaching you through your affliction, don’t you have far more to learn than He could confront in you right now?

Our afflictions are light compared to what Jesus suffered for us. There is simply no comparison between what we are going through, and all Jesus suffered spiritually, emotionally, and physically – and He suffered it all for us, not for Himself.

Our afflictions are light compared to the blessings we enjoy. In a time of affliction, we may ask God, “Why do I deserve this?” Instead, we should be asking that question in our times of blessing, which are far greater than our afflictions.

Our afflictions are light compared to the sustaining power of God’s grace. He can and does strengthen us if we will only come to Him humbly – and we anticipate that His help may come through another servant of His.

Our afflictions are light compared to the glory it leads to. God has eternal glories to work in His people through their present afflictions. Olympic athletes are willing to afflict themselves, knowing the glory it can lead to.

Your affliction may seem more painful than athletic training, but the glory is infinitely more certain, and ultimately more wonderful, than any prize this world can give.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 4

 

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Paul dealt with criticism from the Corinthian Christians, who said he was unreliable and fickle because his travel plans had unexpectedly changed. Earlier, Paul carefully explained himself and his reasons for not arriving when he had previously planned. More than anything, he wanted the Corinthian Christians to know he was following Jesus Christ like a soldier in an army follows their general. Like any organized person, Paul made his travel plans, but more importantly he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

To illustrate the point, Paul said that Jesus always leads His people in triumph. The illustration used an image from the Roman world, presenting Jesus as the victorious, conquering general in a triumphal parade. A Roman triumphal parade was given to successful generals when they returned from their conquests.

For a person in the ancient world, a Roman Triumph was probably the greatest pageant, the greatest spectacle, they would ever see. Today we’re used to see amazing sights and spectacular productions on screens or in person. In ancient times, such things were both rare and amazing.

In a Roman Triumph, the focus was on the victorious general who came through the streets of Rome to the Capitol. In the parade, first walked the government officials and the senators through the streets richly decorated. Then came a procession of trumpeters, followed by those carrying spoils taken from the conquered countries. After that were pictures of the defeated lands with models of the vanquished fortresses and ships. Then came a white bull for sacrifice, followed by prisoners in chains: princes, leaders, generals who would soon be executed. After them were more government officials, then musicians, and priests bearing fragrant incense. Then the general himself appeared, followed by the army who shouted “lo triumphe!” – the cry of triumph.

This spectacle was a one in a lifetime event, and for most people in the ancient world it was the biggest production they had ever seen.

This was the scene in Paul’s mind. Jesus Christ marched in triumph through the world, and His church marched with Him. Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to realize that he followed his general, Jesus Christ. Paul could see Jesus’ triumphal parade winding its way through the whole Roman Empire, throughout the entire world.

Fragrance, in the form of incense, was common at the Roman triumphal parade. In Paul’s mind, this fragrance is like the knowledge of God, which people can smell as the triumphal parade of Jesus comes by.

Dear brother or sister in Christ, you have a place in the greatest spectacle in all creation: the victory parade of Jesus Christ. Through you, God wants people to see and to “smell” the fragrance of the victory of Jesus.

Look to your victorious general. Follow Him. March in the place He sets you. Rejoice in His victory; He shares it with you.

 

For more on 2 Corinthians 2, click here

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. (1 Corinthians 16:13–14)

Near the end of this letter to the Corinthian disciples of Jesus, Paul hoped to stir their sense of responsibility and courage for the Christian life. In these two verses, Paul told them to do four things, and then gave an overall principle for how they must do the four things.

Each of the four things were military in nature, describing things a soldier might do.

Christians are to watch. They are to be continually on guard and live in such a way that they are not surprised by difficulties or by great blessings, such as the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded His disciples to watch (Matthew 24:42, 26:41, Mark 13:37).

Christians are to stand fast in the faith. The idea is that there are many things that would shake or move a believer from their secure footing in the Christian faith. This also has the sense of soldiers standing together, ready to face and fight the enemy. A few scattering soldiers can mean defeat. Like a soldier needs a strong standing position in battle, the disciples of Jesus need to stand strong. Paul warned believers to stand fast in their liberty in Jesus (Galatians 5:1), in Christian unity (Philippians 1:27), in the Lord Himself (Philippians 4:1), and in the teaching of the apostles (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Christians are to be brave. This is the only place in the New Testament where this word is used (andrizomai). Literally it means, “to act like a man.” There is a place for all disciples of Jesus Christ, men and women, to choose the courage a brave soldier must have in his time of battle: unflinching, pressing forward. This quality is especially necessary among Christian men, but it isn’t limited to them.

Christians are to be strong. The believer’s strength comes not from their own resources, but from the Lord and His power. We can be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10, 2 Timothy 2:1). The strength of individual believers helps the church of Jesus Christ as a whole.

Those four things are important to the soldier and, by analogy, to the disciples of Jesus Christ: readiness, steadfastness, bravery, and strength. Yet for the solider, there is a sense in which they are enough–but not for the Christian. For the follower of Jesus Christ, all the watching, all the standing fast, all the bravery, and all the strength appropriate for the solider might mean nothing without love. That’s why God told us, let all that you do be done with love. If the Christian loses love, they lose everything (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

Dear brother or sister in Jesus Christ, take seriously your responsibility as God’s solder. Yet realize you are special kind of soldier, one that needs to do it all with love. God helping us, we will.