Chapter 6
Suffering While Serving
6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Since we are working together with God, Paul pleads with the church in Corinth (and with us), to not receive God’s grace and then forget about it or ignore it! He then quotes Isaiah 49:8 (LXX) “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Paul boldly proclaims NOW is the favorable time, and NOW is the day of salvation! In other words, our partnership with God needs our immediate and ongoing priority attention.
6:3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
Paul notes that he and his fellow workers never created any obstacles that anyone might blame or point their finger at accusing them of delaying or stopping their ministry. He proceeds to commend himself, and them, with a list that when first read may sound like boasting, but in reality is remarkable evidence of the presence of God. They endured afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, hard labor, sleepless nights, and hunger (details of several of these will be shared later in chapter eleven). This was accomplished by: 1) maintaining purity; 2) understanding and sharing the knowledge of God; 3) being long-suffering and patient; 4) expressing and offering kindness; and 4) through the Holy Spirit, demonstrated genuine love. Their arsenal included speaking the truth, the power of God, and offensive and defensive weapons of righteousness (the armor of God, see Ephesians 6:10-18). They were exposed to honorable and dishonorable people, as well as those who slandered and praised. They were ignored, treated as imposters, even though they were known. They were close to death, but yet are still alive. They had been punished, but were not killed. Their hearts often ache, but they nonetheless continually rejoice. They were poor, but they gave spiritual riches to others. They own nothing, but yet they have everything.
6:11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
Paul closes his commendation of his with the proclamation that he is telling the truth and notes that they are not restricted by anything they have done, but they are restricted by their own lack of love for them. He then asks them, as if they were his children, to open their hearts to them.
Since We are God's Temple We Should Think and Act Like We Are
6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
This is another verse that is often debated, but sadly more often, ignored. Paul is saying that when it comes to marriage, partners in a ministry, or even a business, that having an unbeliever as a partner is inappropriate. Paul asks, “What does righteousness have in common with lawlessness?” These are truly polar opposites, just like light is the opposite of darkness. Being a believer directly affects our ‘worldview’ as it includes things like acknowledging the existence of God, the Bible being the Word of God, the existence of heaven and hell, the existence of sin and our being sinners, the existence of Satan, the existence of good and evil, etc. Since our “mission field” is among unbelievers we need to be close to them, but not in an arena where Godly decisions will need to be jointly made.
6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Paul continues with several more contrasting questions to support his claim that Christians should not be unequally yoked. He asks what relations does Christ have with Belial (Greek ‘Beliar’, transliterated from the Hebrew ‘Belīyya’ll’ meaning wickedness, see 1 Samuel 25:25), the answer to the question of course is that there is no relationship. Next question is, “What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” Since the believer puts serving Jesus as a priority then the portion shared is very small if any. Paul then asks, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” Perhaps one of the greatest insults to God is to have His greatness be attributed to life-less idols. The correct answer to both of these questions is ‘none’. Then Paul reminds his readers that we are His temple (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19) and further reminds his readers by quoting Leviticus 26:12 and Exodus 29:45, that He is our God and we are His people.
6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
Paul tells his readers that if they are yoked with an unbeliever to pull away from them. If verse 14 was heeded prior to any formal agreement then there wouldn’t be a problem, but if not, the believer is not to continue in that relationship, and to physically get away without touching anything unholy (see also Ephesians 5:5-11). Is Paul saying that the believer divorce the unbeliever once they read this warning? No! Once a person is married the principle Paul instituted in 1 Corinthians 7:13-14 applies, “If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband.” (ESV) The same idea applies to any contracts or formal agreements as they represent the integrity of the believer (see Matthew 5:37; Galatians 3:15).
Considerations
Unequally Yoked?
This concept is often ignored by believers, but it is the topic of many conversations, sadly, not in regard to compliance but into a discussion of shades of gray! Questions like, “Does this apply to husband and wife from different churches or denominations?” “What if I try to convert my spouse?” Regarding something like different churches or denominations, it could be a problem so diligent prayer would be recommended. But in the otherwise thoughtful idea of trying to change the other, let alone having the hope of converting them, the concept of banning any unequally yoked partnerships applies. Statistics show that the opposite is often the result.