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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 6:3-13
In 6:1 and 2 we see the work of the reconciling ministry and in 6:3-13, the adequate life for the ministry. From 6:3 to the end of chapter seven, the apostle depicts a life that is all-fitting for carrying out the new covenant ministry. In verse 3 Paul says, “We are giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that the ministry may not be blamed.” The ministry here is the ministry of the new covenant (3:8-9; 4:1). In this message we shall consider the life that is adequate for such a ministry. This life is an all-fitting life.
In verse 4 Paul says, “But in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses.” In verses 4 through 7 Paul gives us the first category of qualifications of the ministers of God, the ministers of the new covenant (3:6). When I read these verses many years ago, I was bothered by the fact that the first qualification given by Paul is endurance. I thought that in speaking of the qualifications of New Testament ministers, Paul should have begun with something great. Instead, he begins with the words “in much endurance.” If a believer today were to apply to be a medical missionary, surely he would mention his education. Would he instead claim that he possesses the qualification of endurance? Nevertheless, the first qualification listed by Paul is endurance.
Many translators agree that the Greek word rendered endurance in 6:4 implies patience. Some versions use the word patience instead of endurance. However, to render the Greek word as patience is not sufficient. There is a difference between patience and endurance. Of course, both patience and endurance are positive virtues. But patience falls short of endurance. Patience does not imply suffering, whereas endurance does imply suffering. If you talk to me for a long period of time, I shall need patience in order to listen to you. But if it is necessary to undergo some kind of suffering, I would need endurance in addition to patience.
The first qualification of a New Testament minister is the capacity to endure tribulation. Such a minister must be able to endure pressure, oppression, persecution, poverty, and any kind of trial. Brother Watchman Nee once said that the most powerful person is a person who can endure. Endurance requires strength. If we would endure tribulation, we need to be strengthened and become powerful.
Endurance was manifested in Brother Nee during the twenty years of his imprisonment. It is one thing to be an instant martyr; it is something very different to be in prison for many years. An instant martyr may be arrested, tried, and executed, all within a short period of time. For this, endurance is not necessary. But if one is cast into prison and then made subject to trial over a period of years, endurance is absolutely necessary.
Every minister of the New Testament must learn how to endure. The apostles, the elders, and the deacons all need endurance. Certain saints are very good at exhausting the elders. At this point let me say a word to those brothers who aspire to be elders: You must be ready for continual grinding. If you are put into the eldership, you will be placed between the grinding stones. Some brothers and sisters will grind you constantly. They seem to have a “commission” to test the spirituality of the elders. Through them you will be put on the test to see how long you can endure. But when we endure, we minister life to others. Those who have endurance are those who minister life.
Paul refers to his afflictions in 1:8: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, as to our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were excessively burdened, beyond our power, so that we despaired even of living.” This is another qualification for him to be a minister of the new covenant.
It is difficult to grasp the real meaning of the word rendered necessities. Darby in his translation also uses the word necessities. The Chinese version uses the word poverty. Whenever we are in want, short of food, lodging, or clothing, we are in necessities. In 12:10, where the same Greek word is used, the Chinese version uses a word meaning straits. The Greek word means constraints, urgent needs that press heavily. It refers to sufferings that result from calamities and straits. An example of calamity would be the eruption of Mount Saint Helens some time ago. That was a calamity to those in the vicinity of the volcano. The result of such a calamity is want, shortage of daily necessities. Paul passed through many calamities and straits and, as a result, was in necessities.
Today Christians evaluate one who is a servant of God not by his experience in necessities but by his riches. If someone possesses great riches, he is considered blessed by the Lord. But if a believer becomes poor, lacking in food, housing, clothing, or other necessities for daily living, many would say of him, “This brother is not approved by God. Because God is not happy with him or pleased with him, He does not bless him.” What, then, about Paul, who was in necessities? Surely he was approved by God. We should not think that riches are a sign that we are blessed by the Lord or approved by Him. On the contrary, it may be that want, necessity, and poverty are the true qualifications of a minister of the new covenant.
In verse 4 Paul also speaks of distresses. Literally the Greek word rendered distresses means narrowness of room; hence, straits, difficulties, distresses. It is not easy to explain the difference between afflictions and distresses. Some translators even reverse the order of these words in verse 4, using distresses for afflictions, and afflictions for distresses. We may say that distresses are the inward sufferings which come as a reaction to the outward afflictions.
From the various words Paul uses in verse 4 we know that he was in different kinds of troubles. This verse clearly indicates that Paul’s life was a life of affliction, calamity, straits, necessities, and distresses. Do you like to hear about this? Do you still want to be a minister of the new covenant when you hear about Paul’s difficulties and troubles? Today many young men are encouraged to be ministerial students. After graduating from a seminary, they may find a good job as a pastor or minister. They may be provided housing and an adequate salary. Paul, however, was not that kind of minister, and he did not live that kind of life. Instead, his life, the life that qualified him to be a new covenant minister, was a life of endurance, affliction, necessities, and distresses.
Verse 5 says, “In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings.” The stripes refer to the beatings Paul received. In 11:23 he refers to “stripes excessively,” where the word excessively literally means above measure. In 11:24 Paul says, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes less one.” Furthermore, according to Acts 16:23, in Philippi Paul and Silas had many stripes laid upon them and then were cast into prison (Acts 16:23).
In 11:23 Paul speaks of “imprisonments more abundantly.” Several times Paul was cast into prison. We have already referred to the occasion at Philippi. In Ephesians 3:1 Paul refers to himself as “the prisoner of Christ Jesus,” and in Ephesians 4:1, as “the prisoner in the Lord.” Again, in 2 Timothy 1:8 and Philemon 9 and 23 Paul refers to imprisonment.
Tumults refer to rebellions, revolts, and great disturbances. Acts 17:5 describes one such tumult. Acts 19 describes a great tumult which occurred in Ephesus. Verse 23 of that chapter says, “There arose no small stir about that way.”
In 2 Corinthians 11:23 Paul says that he was “in labors more abundantly,” and in verse 27, speaks of “in labor and hardship.” Paul mentions this in 1 Thessalonians 2:9: “For you remember, brothers, our labor and hardship: working night and day so as not to be burdensome to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” He refers to this again in 2 Thessalonians 3:8, where he says, “Nor did we eat bread as a gift from anyone, but in labor and hardship we worked night and day that we might not be burdensome to any of you.”
Watchings refer to sleeplessness, such as those experienced by the apostles in Acts 16:25; 20:7-11, 31 and 2 Thessalonians 3:8. Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 11:27, speaking of “in watchings often.” This refers to a situation where there is either no way to get sleep or no time to sleep. This was an aspect of Paul’s living.
The fastings in verse 5 do not refer to fasting for prayer. These are the fastings due to the lack of food. In 11:27 fastings are mentioned along with labor and hardship, watchings, and hunger and thirst. Since fastings are listed with hardships, they must refer to involuntary fasting due to lack of food. Hence, they differ from hunger. Hunger may refer to a situation in which there is no way to obtain food; involuntary fasting may refer to a situation of poverty.
Verse 6 continues, “In pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love.” Pureness here is related to motive. In his motive Paul was pure.
The word pureness in this verse implies a great deal. If our intention is not single, it is not pure. If in our motive we are for something other than the Lord Himself, our motive is not pure. Likewise, if our goal is to gain something other than the glory of God, our goal is not pure. Pureness indicates that we care for nothing except God and His glory.
Knowledge, of course, is a matter of the mind. Paul’s inclusion of “in knowledge” indicates that no minister of the New Testament should be an unintelligent person. As new covenant ministers, we need to be quite knowledgeable. For this reason, I encourage the young people to get a proper education and to learn foreign languages. In particular, if you would be used by the Lord, you need to gain the knowledge of Greek or Hebrew. It is also helpful to study history. No doubt, we need to study the Bible and learn the proper biblical revelation. In order to be new covenant ministers, we need to be knowledgeable.
It is difficult to differentiate endurance from longsuffering. Endurance may emphasize the strength or capacity to bear suffering, and longsuffering may emphasize the duration of that suffering. In order to be a minister of the New Testament, we must realize that nothing can be accomplished for God’s eternal purpose without suffering. From the time of man’s fall, everything in human life is accomplished through suffering. According to Genesis 3, women suffer in childbearing. Suffering is necessary in raising our children. Of course, we who are parents enjoy our children. When a mother embraces her little child or looks upon him while he is sleeping, she is very happy. Nevertheless, it is a fact that children cause trouble to their parents. It may be that in the raising of children there is more suffering than enjoyment. Moreover, also according to Genesis 3, man must labor to earn a living, for the ground brings forth thorns and thistles. It seems that in a field weeds always grow better than the things we plant. This is a sign of the troubles, the sufferings, of human living.
All people, the rich and the poor alike, have troubles. If as ministers of the new covenant we would help others in their suffering, how can we avoid suffering? We cannot be an exception. Instead, we must suffer and eventually experience longsuffering. Never think that as a minister you can avoid suffering. You will have some joy in your married life or family life, but you will also have suffering, probably more suffering than joy. Actually, a new covenant minister suffers more than others do. As a minister, he is one who should live a proper human life as the Lord Jesus did. The Lord suffered more than anyone else. To live a genuine human life is to suffer. Human life is a life not mainly of enjoyment but of suffering. The more we live a human life to minister Christ to others, the more we shall suffer. Hence, we need the qualification of longsuffering.
I believe that in Paul’s thought there is a connection between longsuffering and kindness. Usually when we are suffering we do not have the capacity to care for others. But kindness implies that we are for others. I believe that Paul’s concept is that while we are suffering, we also need to take care of others and be kind to them. We are in longsuffering and also in kindness. Even when we are suffering, we should still be kind to others.
Most versions understand the spirit in verse 6 to refer to the Holy Spirit. Thus, they capitalize the words holy and spirit. But here, according to the context, Paul does not refer to God’s Spirit, but to our spirit. This means that our spirit must be holy. The words “a holy spirit” refer to the apostles’ regenerated spirit.
Love is a matter of the heart. In this verse we have the motive, the mind, the heart, and the spirit. With stripes on the body (v. 5) and knowledge of the mind and love of the heart, the entire being of the apostles, including body, soul, and spirit, is exercised in their life for carrying out their ministry. In order to be ministers of the new covenant, our whole being, our body, soul, and spirit, must be right.
In verse 7 Paul says, “In the word of truth, in the power of God.” Truth here refers to the reality of the new covenant. Truth means reality and denotes all the real things revealed in God’s Word, which are mainly Christ as the embodiment of God and the church as the Body of Christ. The word of truth is the utterance, the expression, of the divine reality as revealed in the New Testament.
The power of God matches the word of truth. The word of truth without the power of God is merely knowledge in letters. In the power of God it becomes reality. The power is the Spirit of God, even God Himself.
