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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 6:3-13
In 6:4-7a Paul lists eighteen qualifications of ministers of the new covenant: in much endurance, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in the word of truth, and in the power of God. From the middle of verse 7 through 10 Paul speaks of three groups of things and seven kinds of persons. Let us now consider these groups and persons.
In verse 7 Paul says, “Through the weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left.” This indicates that the apostles’ life for their ministry is a life in the battle, fighting for God’s kingdom. Weapons of righteousness are used to fight for being right with God and men according to the righteousness of God (Matt. 6:33; 5:6, 10, 20). Weapons on the right hand, like the sword, are offensive, and those on the left hand, such as the shield, are defensive.
In the first part of verse 8 Paul says, “Through glory and dishonor, through evil report and good report.” The glory is from God and those who love Him. The dishonor comes from the Devil and those who follow him. If we would be proper ministers of the new covenant, in our experience we shall always receive two kinds of appraisals. Some will give us glory and say we are excellent; others will accuse us of being miserable and pitiful and will heap dishonor upon us.
The evil report comes from the opposers and the persecutors (Matt. 5:11). The good report comes from the believers and those who receive the truth preached and taught by the apostles. Through the years this has been our situation. We have received both evil reports and good reports. If you always receive only a good report, probably you are not honest and faithful to the Lord. If you are faithful to the Lord and honest with the church and the saints, you will receive evil reports as well as good reports.
Toward the end of verse 8 Paul says, “As deceivers and yet true.” It was as if the apostles were deceivers in the eyes of the Judaizers and those of other religions and philosophies, but they were true in the eyes of those who loved the truth of God.
In Matthew 10:16 the Lord Jesus says, “Become therefore prudent as serpents and guileless as doves.” Others may accuse us of being serpents, deceivers; yet we should be as guileless, honest, as doves. We all need to learn to be as prudent as serpents. Otherwise, we shall not be “as deceivers.” This is to have the form of a serpent without the poisonous nature of a serpent. We should learn to be prudent as serpents, that is, as serpents in appearance but not in actuality. Let others say of us that we are deceivers, that we are serpents. Nevertheless, we are actually true, for there is no serpentine poison in us.
In verse 9 Paul says, “As unknown and well known.” The apostles were as unknown in that they did not display themselves. But they were well known in the way of bearing witness to the truth of God. We also should be unknown in the sense that we do not advertise ourselves or make a display of ourselves. As a result, others do not know us. However, at the same time we may be well known because we testify the truth of God. First we should be unknown and then well known. Do not get a name by advertising yourself, but be faithful always to testify God’s truth to others.
The apostles were as dying in suffering persecutions (1:8-10; 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:31). But they were living in the Lord’s resurrection (2 Cor. 4:10-11). We also should be those who are put to death, those who are as dying, and also those who are living in resurrection.
In verse 9 Paul also says, “As being disciplined and not being put to death.” In the superficial realization of the opposers, it was as if the apostles were disciplined. But in the sovereign care of the Lord, they were not being put to death. As we are suffering, those with a very superficial view of things may say, “These people are under God’s punishment. If they are not being punished by God, why would they suffer so much?” Nevertheless, at the very time we are suffering, we are still under the Lord’s sovereign care and are not put to death. Thus, we are suffering, and yet we live.
The apostles were as made sorrowful by the negative conditions of the churches (11:28). Yet they were always rejoicing in the sufficient grace and resurrection life of Christ (12:9-10).
In verse 10 Paul also speaks of the apostles “as poor yet enriching many.” They were as poor in material things, yet enriching many in spiritual riches (Eph. 3:8).
Finally, in verse 10, Paul says, “As having nothing and possessing all things.” They were as having nothing in a human way, but possessing all things in the divine economy.
We need to ask ourselves if we are the seven kinds of persons described in these verses. We should also check with ourselves concerning the first eighteen qualifications and concerning the three groups of things. What we have in these verses is eighteen “ins,” three “throughs,” and seven “as’s.” Regarding the seven kinds of persons, we should be as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and well known, as dying and yet living, as disciplined and yet not being put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet enriching others, and as having nothing and possessing all things. On the one hand, we should seem to be as deceivers, as unknown, as dying, as disciplined, as made sorrowful, as poor, and as having nothing. On the other hand, we should be true, well known, living, not put to death, always rejoicing, enriching many, and possessing all things. Not only should we be rich in spiritual things, but we should also make others rich. Furthermore, we should be well known at least to the angels.
In verse 11 Paul goes on to say, “Our mouth is opened to you, Corinthians, our heart has been enlarged.” The apostles, so all-matured and all-fitting, as depicted in verses 3 through 10, are opened in their mouth and enlarged in their heart to the believers. With an enlarged heart they are able to embrace all believers regardless of their condition, and with an opened mouth they are free to speak to all believers frankly concerning the real situation into which they have been misled. This kind of openness and enlargement is needed to reconcile, to bring back, to God the misled or distracted believers.
In verse 12 Paul continues, “You are not straitened in us, but you are straitened in your inward parts.” The Corinthian believers, being childish (v. 13), were straitened, contracted, in their inward parts toward the apostles. Children are very narrow in their inward affection and easily offended by those who correct them. Literally, the Greek word rendered “inward parts” here is bowels. It is the same word as affections in 7:15. The same word is used in Philippians 1:8: “For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the inward parts of Christ Jesus.” This Greek word signifies inward affection, then tender mercy and sympathy.
In 2 Corinthians 6:13 Paul issues an appeal to the Corinthians: “Now for a recompense in kind, I speak as to children, you also be enlarged.” The apostle wanted the Corinthian believers to return him a recompense of the same kind of enlarged heart, that they may take him in their inward affection.
Paul’s use of the word children in verse 13 indicates that the Corinthian believers were childish, in the apostle’s consideration. Furthermore, it indicates that the apostle in dealing with them spoke as a father to his children.
In this verse Paul urges the Corinthians to be enlarged. To be enlarged requires growth and maturity in life. This is what the Corinthian believers lacked (1 Cor. 3:1, 6; 14:20). The apostle was laboring upon them to make up the shortage. To be enlarged by growing and maturing in life is equivalent to being fully reconciled to God, according to the context continuing from the end of chapter five. Writing in this way, the apostle was carrying out his ministry of reconciling the believers, who were but halfway in being reconciled to God.
Second Corinthians 6:3-13 shows us what it means to be fully saved. In these verses we have a pattern of one who has experienced full salvation. We prove that we have been fully saved by having an all-fitting life. Thus, the pattern of full salvation is the pattern of an all-fitting life.
We should not think that the all-fitting life described in 6:3-13 is only for someone like Paul. No, every believer has the possibility of becoming a minister of the New Testament. Everyone who has been fully saved is surely a minister of the new covenant with an all-fitting life. This means that if, as a New Testament believer, you are not an adequate minister of the new covenant, you have not yet been fully saved. If we have been fully saved and have an all-fitting life, then any situation or circumstance is right for us to minister life to others. It is by being fully saved that we become qualified to be ministers of the New Testament.
We should never think that all the qualifications in these verses are only for Paul or for certain other new covenant ministers, and not for us. Paul is a pattern of what all believers should be. What Paul had is also what we need today. We all should be those with an all-fitting life.
If we would have an all-fitting life, we need an enlarged heart, a heart to embrace all of God’s people. Not only the apostles and the elders should have such a heart, but every believer in Christ should have a large heart. If we cannot be properly enlarged in this age, the Lord will enlarge us in the next age. Certainly by the time we enter into the New Jerusalem we shall have an enlarged heart. At least by then we shall be able to say, “Brother Paul, I am now the same as you are. You have an enlarged heart, and I also have such a heart.” However, I hope that we shall not wait until the next age to be enlarged. It is much better to be enlarged today.
The goal of these messages is to enlarge us. The goal is not that we become great persons. I have seen a number of well-known men whose hearts were very narrow. They were considered great men, but their hearts were small. I prefer to be a small person with a big heart, with an enlarged heart to embrace every believer in Christ.
As long as we have the eighteen qualifications with “in,” the three with “through,” and the seven with “as,” we have truly been enlarged. The eighteen with “in” can be arranged in nine pairs: in much endurance and in affliction, in necessities and in distresses, in stripes and in imprisonments, in tumults and in labors, in watchings and in fastings, in pureness and in knowledge, in longsuffering and in kindness, in a holy spirit and in unfeigned love, in the word of truth and in the power of God. We have pointed out that longsuffering and kindness go together. As we are suffering, we need to be kind to others. Likewise, tumults and labors go together. Apparently these are not a pair; actually they form a pair. From experience we know that our labor for the Lord will stir up opposition, and this opposition results in tumults. A holy spirit and unfeigned love are also a pair. When we have a holy spirit, we also have unfeigned love. Finally, the word of truth and the power of God go together.
It is significant that in Paul’s listing endurance and affliction come first, and the word of truth and the power of God come last. Probably we would make these the first, the head, but Paul makes them last, the tail. Here Paul is emphasizing an all-fitting life, a life that fits into every situation and does not cause others to stumble. He does not have much to say here concerning the word of truth and the power of God.
As a minister of the new covenant, Paul had a life that helped others instead of causing them to stumble. It was a life that could fit into any situation. To be this kind of person, we need to be greatly enlarged, to the extent that we have the eighteen qualifications in nine pairs and those with “through” and “as” in addition.
The qualifications with “through” and “as” are also arranged in pairs. There are three pairs with “through”: through glory and dishonor, through evil report and good report, through weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left. There are seven pairs with “as”: as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and well known, as dying and yet living, as being disciplined and not being put to death, as made sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet enriching many, and as having nothing and possessing all things. Those who have all these qualifications with “in,” “through,” and “as” have been enlarged and have an all-fitting life to be proper ministers of the new covenant.
