2 Corinthians 5

2 Corinthians 5:17-7

XXIX THE OF 2 Corinthians 5:17-7:16. This discussion commences at 2 Corinthians 5:17, and extends to the end of 2 Corinthians 7. Before going forward with this discussion, I want to call attention to some critical questions involved in the preceding chapter. In 2 Corinthians 5:11, what is the meaning of the “fear of the Lord” – “Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men”? Does it mean that the dreadfulness of God, or the fear that men may have of God? My answer is that it means God’s fearfulness or dreadfulness, his awful character in holding each sinner to strict account for all of his sins – “Knowing the fear of the Lord.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:14, “The love of Christ constraineth us” – does the love of Christ here mean Christ’s love for us, or our love for Christ that does the constraining? My answer is, it means our love for Christ, that is superinduced by our conception of Christ’s love for us. When we relied upon Christ’s love for us, that awakened our love for Christ, and that constrains us to do what we do for Christ. What is the meaning of “constrain”? That is, does it simply mean to impel, or does it manifest its etymological meaning of narrowing down or shutting up to, so that we cannot do anything but that? Virtually it means the latter – that my love for Christ shuts me up to doing what I do. In other words, Luther said when they demanded that he recant, “Here I stand; I can do no other.” That is, his love of Christ put it out of his power to abjure his conception of justification by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Wherefore ‘if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.” “Therefore” always refers back, and there are two things to which it refers back: (1) 2 Corinthians 5:15, that Christ died for us, and so we are under obligation not to live unto ourselves, but unto Christ. (2) 2 Corinthians 5:16, “As Christ died for us, we henceforth know no man, after the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” These are the two reasons why a man is a new creature. The old things have passed away, meaning that old things are covered by new things. After conversion, a man is a new creature. Before conversion a man is his own guide, and the knowledge he has is after worldly understanding. I once heard a sermon preached on this text, and one of the members said, “I have found out by that text that I am not a Christian.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Old things have not passed away, and all things have not become new. My wife is not new.

The sun shines as it did before, and I get hungry as I did before. According to that sermon I am not converted.” That preacher did not understand the force of the “therefore.” He did not see in what respects a man was new – that he is new in that he no longer lives unto himself but unto Christ, and no longer forms his judgment by worldly knowledge, but by spiritual knowledge. All of the old things that touch these points have passed away.

I heard a very prominent Baptist preacher, without knowledge of Greek, or a critical study of the text, preach on that text to set forth the evidences of conversion. He enumerated a dozen evidences by which one might know he was a Christian, without noticing either one of the two that the text expresses. When he got through I said, “Whenever you take a text there is always a better sermon in it, according to its true meaning, than any sermon you can preach away from it. Everything you said was true, but you ought to have gotten it from other scriptures.”

In preaching on the evidences of conversion from this text one must confine himself to this line of thought – that an unconverted man lives unto himself and decides all questions according to the way it pleases him, but the converted man is a new creature in that respect, and decides things as Christ would have him decide, though contrary to his inclinations.

When the Baptist General Convention met at Belton I preached a sermon on “The Ministerial Office,” and commenced the sermon with stating that every preacher was under obligation when he selected a text to give its primary meaning and then its contextual meaning. Then he may deduce from the principles involved a new line of thought. But his new theme must be a logical development from the primary and contextual meaning. He should never take a text and preach a sermon without telling what it means primarily, and in its context. The most suitable description of a sermon that violates this rule is credited to a Negro: First, he took his text; second, he left it; third, he never got back to it.

The new creation may mean a great deal more than Paul says here, but all the meaning here is that a man who is in Christ no longer lives unto himself, but unto Christ, and no longer judges according to the spirit of the flesh, but after the Spirit of God.

We now come to the most important part of this second letter. We may make mistakes about some things in this letter, and the mistakes will not be fatal, but if we make a mistake on the reconciliation part of this letter we have made a radical mistake. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 contain a brief discussion of reconciliation. If one understands these verses, he is a pretty sound theologian. The word “reconciliation,” first of all, implies that there has been a previous enmity. Second, the ground of the enmity is that man is a sinner. Third, it implies that, being a sinner, he is lost. All of that can be brought out in this passage clearly.

What does reconciliation mean? That the two at enmity have been brought to perfect peace. Who is the author of this reconciliation? “All things are of God, who reconciled us to himself.” There never was a case where a man at enmity with God was himself the cause or the occasion of the reconciliation. Then what is the meritorious ground of the reconciliation? “Who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ.” The ground of the reconciliation is what Jesus has done. What the method of the reconciliation? “God was in Christ recon” oiling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses." They must be reckoned somewhere. Look at the last verse: “He hath made him to be sin for us.”

The method of reconciliation is to impute the man’s sins to Christ, and not to the man, and impute Christ’s righteousness to the man. Christ is to be accounted a sinner in the place of the man, and the man righteous in the place of Christ. God made the just one to take the place of the unjust one. The strongest passage in the word of God on the doctrine of substitution and imputation Isaiah 2 Corinthians 5:21. No man who denies what is called the doctrine of imputation has ever been able properly to interpret this passage.

This method is perfectly in harmony with what the prophet declared in Isaiah 53:5 : “Our iniquities were laid on him. By his stripes we are healed. The chastisement of our peace was on him, and because it was on him it pleased the Lord to bruise him.” God bruised him. He poured out his soul unto death and made an offering of himself for the sinner.

What is the blessing that hereby comes to the sinner? The forgiveness of sin. If the sinner’s sins are charged to somebody else, and that sinner is acquitted, then he is free. If a brother owes $100 and the surety pays it, the creditor cannot collect that $100 from the original debtor, for the debt has been paid by the surety. So far we have considered reconciliation Godward. God cannot, by his nature and attributes, be reconciled to the sinner until satisfaction be made to his infracted law. He must be propitiated before he can become propitious. His justice claims must be met and satisfied.

But what is the ministry of the reconciliation? The text says, “And hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” The ministry of reconciliation is God’s appointing men to go and preach the terms of reconciliation. What authority then is conferred upon the preacher that goes to preach this? “We are ambassadors of Christ.” What is an ambassador? The United States sends an ambassador to England, and gives him credentials. At the court of St. James in England he is the representative of the United States. Whatever he does under that authority binds the United States. But an ambassador is not allowed to go beyond his instructions, and any ambassador that goes beyond them must be held responsible to the government that sent him.

A preacher then goes with divine instructions not to say, “peace, peace when there is no peace,” but to set plainly before the unconverted the only terms of reconciliation – that the sinner shall repent of his sins and accept the Lord, and the evidence that he has accepted Christ is that he no longer lives unto himself but unto Christ, no longer as the world judges, but according to the Spirit of God. That is the whole subject of the gospel in a nutshell. It is of the highest importance that a preacher should understand it. “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God.” I consider that the most important thought in the second letter. The work of Christ reconciles God to man. The work of the Holy Spirit reconciles man to God.

Taking up 2 Corinthians 6, let us advance in the thought. What is the time to be reconciled? At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee, And in a day of salvation did I succor thee; Behold, now is the acceptable time; Behold, now is the day of salvation. That is, no minister has a right to treat with a sinner on the morrow, next week, or next year. He has to hold the sinner down in every sermon to immediate reconciliation with Christ.

Mr. Spurgeon, in talking to his preacher-students, tells of an incident that he witnessed. He was visiting an Episcopalian preacher, and a man under conviction of sin came to see his pastor. He told Mr. Spurgeon to stay and hear what the man had to say. The sinner stated his case.

The preacher said, “You go home and read a certain book on the ‘Evidences of Christianity’ and read certain passages, and pray to the Lord, and in a week come back to see me.” Mr. Spurgeon leaped to his feet and said, “My dear sir, don’t dismiss that man that way. You have no right to do it. He comes to you as an anxious sinner, for you to tell him what to do, and you have marked out a line of conduct that may take him beyond his life time. If you will permit me, I will tell him what to do. Let him now accept Christ; let us pray now that he may at once accept Christ.” The Episcopalian said, “If you want to do it, do so.” Mr.

Spurgeon said to the man, “Will you right now look to the Lord Jesus Christ while we pray,” and he knelt down to pray and the man arose happily converted.

We should never postpone a convicted sinner’s case. If the man is not under conviction we may work to convict. But when a contrite and penitent man comes, who feels that he is a sinner, and wants to know what to do to be saved, we should deal with him just as Paul did with that jailer at midnight, who said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” He was saved that very night. There is the great failure in most meetings.

One Sunday in Oklahoma City I preached three times. I suppose there were fully 2,500 that heard the sermons. The audience room was very large, and it was crowded. In the afternoon I was preaching to men, and I came to the point of immediate reconciliation to God. Since God is the author of this reconciliation, and since the blessing of reconciliation is remission of sins and since that comes by imputation of our guilt to Christ, and the ‘imputation of his righteousness to us, what use is there for us to take time? If salvation be a gift, how long does it take to receive a gift? A wonderful impression was made. Three men came to see me after the sermon on the subject of immediate acceptance of Christ. One of them offered me an extravagant sum of money if I would stay and hold a meeting.

I heard a very distinguished preacher take this text: “We beseech you in Christ’s stead be ye reconciled to God.” The main thing he preached about was this: That there were two parties to the original enmity, God and man; that the man did not have to do anything to reconcile God; that the man was the only fellow out of it; that God is already reconciled, and the man must bring himself to bear upon reconciling himself. When he got through I said, “Do you know that you have made a dreadful mistake? God’s reconciliation is in Christ, and so long as man rejects Christ, God is not reconciled to that man; the wrath of God is on him,” It was Christ that appeased the wrath of God by dying for the sinner, but it does not follow that because Christ died nearly 1900 years ago the law has nothing against us. It has nothing against us only when we accept Christ.

The reconciliation of God to us is not out of Christ, but in Christ, but we get in touch with that reconciliation when we accept Christ.

What then should be the conduct of a preacher who has this ministry of reconciliation? 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 constitute a lesson to a preacher: “Giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our ministration be not blamed; but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much patience, 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 the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by glory and dishonor, 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 always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

Now comes another point in the argument – since a man who is a new creature ‘is to live not unto himself but unto Jesus Christ, how does it affect his past relations with men and things? 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 answer: “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity, or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols, for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing. What follows from being a new creature?

A man must draw a line of demarcation between himself and every evil tiling and evil association. The argument is tremendous.

We now come to the second and most important part of the whole letter – his discussion of repentance. What precedes repentance? Godly sorrow, or contrition. “Godly sorrow worketh repentance.” What does repentance mean? A change of mind toward God on account of sin. How is repentance distinguished from worldly sorrow? Worldly sorrow has a different origin; it is remorse.

How is repentance evidenced? Look at verse 11: “ For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a Godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging.” They had partaken of the sin of that fornicator, and were not disturbed until Paul wrote this letter which brought about Godly sorrow in their hearts, and led them to repent. Their repentance was evidenced by its fruits. They cleared themselves of the offense by excluding that man, and what is true of Godly sorrow and repentance there is true of repentance on the part of the sinner. There is no other mill that grinds out that kind of grist. John the Baptist said, “Bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

Don’t oppress the poor, but be content with your wage.” If a man is a Christian let him prove it by a Christian life.

1. What is the meaning of “fear of the Lord” in 2 Corinthians 5:11?

2. What is the meaning of “constrain” in 2 Corinthians 5:14?

3. What is the force of “therefore” in 2 Corinthians 5:17, and what the two reasons given in this passage why a man is a new creature?

4. What is the meaning and application of “old things . . . they are become new” in 2 Corinthians 5:17? Illustrate.

5. What bearing has 2 Corinthians 5:17 on the evidence of salvation?

6. What is the preacher’s duty relative to his text when he goes to preach, and what is an illustration of a violation of this rule given by the author?

7. What, according to the author’s estimate, is the most important part of this letter, and why?

8. What does the word “reconciliation” imply?

9. What does it mean?

10. Who is the author of our reconciliation in salvation?

11. What is the meritorious ground of reconciliation?

12. What is the method of this reconciliation?

13. What is the strongest passage in the Word of God on imputation, and the prophetic teaching on this subject?

14. What is the blessing of reconciliation? Illustrate

15. What is the ministry of the reconciliation?

16. What is the authority conferred upon the preacher? Illustrate,

17. What, then, the preacher’s evident duty?

18. What reconciles God to man, and what reconciles men to God?

19. What is the time of reconciliation, and why? Illustrate.

20. What illustration of a misconception, of reconciliation, and how did the author correct this misconception?

21. What should be the conduct of a preacher who has this reconciliation?

22. How does the “new creation” affect a man’s past relations with men and things?

23. What is the second most important part of this letter?

24. What precedes repentance?

25. What does repentance mean?

26. How is repentance distinguished from worldly sorrow?

27. How is repentance evidenced, and particularly in this case?