Giving No Offence

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. (2 Corinthians 6:1-13)

The Grace of God in Vain

What does it mean that the Corinthians should “receive not the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1)? After the parenthetical 2 Corinthians 6:2, I believe we receive an answer: “Giving no offence in any thing” (2 Corinthians 6:3). The word “offence” here is the idea that we would hinder others from being saved, or somehow damage Christian testimony so that the effectiveness of the ministry would be hindered. We see this in the rest of the verse: “that the ministry be not blamed.”

As the Corinthians were undermining Paul’s apostolic authority, the world could have looked at these people and not want anything to do with Christ because of the way they acted. In the following verses, Paul expounds how he served Christ, and the environment in which he served Him.

As saved people, we can walk in the integrity of the Scriptures so that we will not offend others. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, quoting Isaiah 49:8, reads, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Paul qualifies this, that now is the time Isaiah spoke of. Was he questioning whether they were saved or not? I do not think so (though it sounds like he may be in 2 Corinthians 13:5). On the day of salvation, what does God do for His people? “I succoured thee.” We can do anything He requires, because God helps us.

Approving Ourselves as the Ministers of God

Paul and the other apostles “in all things” approve themselves “as the ministers of God” (2 Corinthians 6:4). This is not to say that these men lifted themselves up in pride; rather, this means that they made sure, that in whatever environment they found themselves, no matter what they needed to do, and regardless of the results, they served the Lord with everything they had.

The first part talks about the environment in which they approved themselves:

“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings...” (2 Corinthians 6:4-5)

“In much patience” seems to capture the whole heart of the matter. Paul had many setbacks in his ministry, in which he names some here. He was persecuted, lacked necessities, was beaten, and so on. Things that may horrify us today in western society was normal for him. In all of these things, we could see how Paul would say “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:12)

Paul also shows how he served in this environment:

“By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report” (2 Corinthians 6:6-8)

In sincerity of heart and in the power of God, Paul was able to do the things that God commanded. Likewise, our service toward God can be done no other way. At the end of the previous chapter, we saw that as ambassadors of Christ, we must be fully reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). Walking by faith and not in sin will be the only effectual way to serve God.

As a result, Paul talks about the contradiction he lived when he lived for God:

“...as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Corinthians 6:8-10)

The pattern for these is as follows: Paul’s scenarios appeared one way to the world, according to the flesh, yet in reality, it was entirely different. Paul was accused of being a deceiver even though he preached truth everywhere. He was almost killed many times, but he knew true life found in Jesus Christ. He may have known sorrow many times, but he had the joy of the Lord. He lived a poor life, but he was entrusted with the true riches of God’s Word.

Our Heart is Enlarged

“O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.” (2 Corinthians 6:11-13)

Paul did not rehearse all his experience to edify himself, but the Corinthians. He wanted them to get rid of the grudge they had toward him, even though he was trying to help them. Because of the hardness they had against Paul, he was reaching out to them in sincerity, so that they could be on good terms. They must move past all of the animosity they harbored so they can serve God again. Paul was reaching out to them; they now need to reach out to him so that their relationship could be restored. As they needed to be reconciled to God in the previous chapter, they need to also be reconciled with Paul and the apostles.