2nd Corinthians – Godly Social Order

The Christian Calling

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Godly Social Order

Lesson: 10-25

Genre: Talk

Track: 10

Dictation Name: RR4166A

Location/Venue:

Year: 1998-2000

[Mark Rushdoony] Lord I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth. I was glad when they said unto me: Let us go into the house of the Lord. Let us pray.

Our most good and gracious God and heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us together this morning. We praise your name for your goodness to us, for your salvation which gives our life meaning and purpose and direction. We thank you that you have taught us through your word, you have told us not only how to behave, but how to think and how to understand the world around us. We pray for wisdom this day and this week, and help us to understand the events and the things around us, and the context of your eternal word. We pray that you would direct our thoughts this morning to you and to your word, we pray that you would help us to seek to understand it better each week. We pray that you would bless all those who gather together in your name this Lords day, we pray that you would encourage them throughout the world, so that they might stand for Christ’s kingdom in the world that sees so much evil. We pray that you would direct our hearts and those of our family members, we think of those members who are not here this morning, we pray that you would be with them in all their various travels. We pray that you would safe guard our children and our loved ones, we pray that you would keep them in Thy tender care. We pray that you would bless now this time we have together in worshipping you and studying your word, we ask this in Christ’s our savior’s name, amen.

[R. J. Rushdoony] Our scripture this morning is 2nd Corinthians 5:11-21. Our subject: The Christian Calling. 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

“11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

In this text, Paul in verse 11 begins by declaring: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”

Now, in a more modern rendering, the Berkeley version, this verse reads: “Knowing therefore what it means to revere the Lord, we seek to win people over. Our motives are clear to God, and I hope they are made clear as well to your consciences.”

Paul in these verses, this text of ours, makes clear that the Corinthians cannot claim to have a sound faith in the Lord, while they revile and slander Paul. So that, Paul makes the defense of himself the defense of the faith. If we despise the messenger, we despise the one who sent him.

Now, this text is very important for us, because in our day we see very commonly a pastoral relationship dissolved, not because the pastor has been faithless or has done wrong, but because the people for some trivial reason have decided they want a change. And Paul is saying: “As you treat a faithful servant of the Lord, so you are treating the Lord. You may not like what he says, but then you certainly aren’t going to like everything God says to you in His word. The Bible is full of offenses to all men. It calls attention to their sins. It is inspired, but not always inspiring, because it is very blunt and plain spoken.

Having said this, Paul goes on to say: “For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.”

Paul here says that they should be glorying not only in God, but in His faithful servant Paul. Treating him in respect, not contempt. They have a duty to glorify God by rendering due thanksgiving to His faithful servants. Then they glory not just in appearance, but in their hearts.

“For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.”

Paul says: ‘My behavior, whether it is anger or whether it is thanksgiving, is to the glory of God. It is in the service of God. If I have spoken bluntly and plainly to you about your sins, it is because I am being faithful to God. And I should be respected for that. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God; or whether we be sober, it is to your cause. My behavior has had one purpose; to serve God, and to make you stronger in Him.’

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:”

We believe that, all men were dead in their sins and trespasses, and Christ in coming, and in His sinlessness, being made sin for us, dying as though He were the guilty party, has thereby redeemed us. Had He not done so, then were we all dead men.

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

‘Christ died for all of you,’ Paul says, ‘and rose again from the dead. He destroyed the power of sin and death. You have an obligation to be eternally grateful to Him, and to those of us who brought you the knowledge of Christ and His salvation.’

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.”

‘At one time,’ Paul says, ‘before I was converted, Jesus Christ was known to me only after the flesh, only as a human being. But now I cannot every again know Him simply as another man. He is God incarnate made flesh to save us from our sins. Therefore, you who have known Him only since your salvation, have known Him only as God incarnate. This puts a tremendous responsibility upon you. Having known Christ as truly God and truly man, you therefore can never again look at things from a purely humanistic perspective.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

This means that, once you know Christ, you live in a different world. You cannot come to Jesus Christ, claim Him to be your Lord and savior, and go on living your life as though you and the world were no different. It is not the same world, you are not the same man with just salvation and life after death with Christ added to what you were. Everything has changed, the whole world has changed, you are changed. And therefore, all things are become new. Because you are a new creature in Christ, you recognize that you are now a part of a new creation.

Now, the fullness of that new creation does not come in until after the resurrection of the dead; but here and now it is in process of being remade. We, as a new creation, while not yet fully perfect, are a part of that new creation, when we shall live eternally without sin. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

“And all things are of God.” We cannot see our life as the same as it was before Christ, with Jesus Christ and salvation added, but other wise the same. No, we are now a new creation. Not fully perfected until the resurrection of the body, but we are still a new creation. And we are citizens of that eternal new creation. And therefore, we can never view things as we did before our conversion. We cannot go on living in the world like the unbelievers do. We cannot go on seeing the world and its causality without God, without Christ.

“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

Well, what Paul here says is: ‘We now know that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Redeeming men out of their sins and trespasses. So that He no longer imputes to them their sins. Our record is blotted out by God in Christ, we are a new creation with a clean record; and we have a duty now, the ministry of reconciliation. Having been reconciled to God by Jesus Christ, we have a duty in Christ to reconcile others to Him.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

We were once at war with God; now with Jesus Christ we are reconciled to Him, and we are ambassadors for Christ. An Ambassador is someone who represents a foreign power. He has special powers, so we are not like other men; we are commissioned to be ambassadors, and God through us, prays others to be reconciled to Christ, to God through Christ.

And so Paul tells these Corinthians who are astray, are not fully converted, that he beseeches them to be reconciled to God.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Jesus Christ was sinless. But in taking our sins upon Himself, the sins of all man; He in effect has been made sin by God, is crucified as a sinner; and all this that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. That is a remarkable phrase. We are to be made the righteousness of God in Him. Not merely that we should be made righteous, not merely that we should be made Godly and law abiding, but that we should be an incarnation of the righteousness of God. We so thoroughly live by faith, we so thoroughly live in obedience to the law word of God that we in a sense become an incarnation of that law; represent that law and that person, Jesus Christ, to the world. This is a remarkable statement, but Paul is here describing the Christian calling.

In the process He is also saying: ‘You are not to judge Paul, me, by the worlds standards. I may not be a good speaker like others. I may not be as prepossessing a person. I may look very unimpressive to you, but you are to judge me rather as Christ’s representative.’ We represent the righteousness of God, made incarnate in us. And you are to be the righteousness of God, to show forth God and His law word to all men and all nations. This is our calling.

Let us pray. Our Lord and our God, we give thanks unto Thee for this Thy word. We thank Thee that by Thy grace we have been called to be righteous, and to be the righteousness of Thy being to the world, to show forth Thy salvation; the meaning of sanctification in Thee, to be Thy righteousness in this world. Bless us to this purpose, in Christ’s name, amen.

Are there any questions about our lesson?

In the next chapter Paul begins: “We then as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” So Paul continues by developing the point he has made here, that we are to be workers, whatever we are, whatever our calling, for Christ. Faithful to Him and obedient to Him; and that we demonstrate that we have received the grace of God not in vain, but in faithful obedience to Him.

Let us conclude now with prayer: Our Lord and our God, we give thanks unto Thee for this Thy word. We thank Thee that our calling is to be Thy redeemed people, showing forth in our being, Thy righteousness. Incarnating as it were, Thy law; so that in all things in our obedience and faithfulness, we manifest unto all men who we are, and what our new creation means. Bless us, in faithfulness to Thee.

And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, amen.