2nd Corinthians Chapter 6
Monday August 4, 2008
2nd Corinthians Chapter
6:1-13 The Acceptable Time
The
first passage of Chapter 6 is
a reprise on several threads of Paul's ministry in Corinth. The opening words
set the tenor of what follows. As if reflecting on all of the efforts he has
made among the Corinthians to bring them to Christ, he hopes aloud that it has
not been in vain. Perhaps, he thinks, they have accepted God's grace without
the sureness of hope in the future he has put before them (5:1-10). Perhaps it has not become evident to them that, in Paul's
understanding, the window of opportunity is closing and the time to resolve
the "shameful things" and to live the life befitting
the grace God has given is now. Citing Isa. 49:8 Paul gives an emphatic interpretation that this
Scripture is speaking specifically to them. The acceptable time and the
day of salvation is now. They do not have all the time in the world to start
living as those who have been reconciled to God in Christ.
Paul
has done what he could to persuade them of the need to live in the image of
Christ in constant readiness. He has not obstructed that readiness in any
way. His ministry has been in keeping with the demands of the Gospel of Christ,
speaking frankly and truthfully, without obstacle and without fault. He and
others have "commended themselves in every way," through their many
sufferings and endurance by their deportment among them, acting with patience,
purity, kindness and genuine love. His heart is open wide to them and his love
for them has been evident in his unlimited affection. Yet the
community, still harboring enmity toward him, has not matched that
exorbitant love with affection for him. He sees this as a barrier not only
between them but as a barrier between the community and God, for love is, as
Paul has written of so eloquently. the greatest of all gifts. He pleads with
them as with children, to "open wide [their] hearts also," not
just to him but to the God who has brought them so far.
2 Corinthians Chapter
6:14-7:1 Temple of the Living God
This
passage has all the appearance of an interpolation inserted in a later
manuscript of Paul's collected letters. If we omit these verses and more from 6:13 to 7:2 we can see the
continuation of thought, moving from "open wide your hearts also," to
"make room in your hearts for us," followed by a continuation of Chapter 6 material. This is an
example of what we have already read in 1 Cor. 14:32b-36 regarding the silence and subordination
of women in worship. In that passage we see the same interruption of Paul's
train of thought. Now we have a command disallowing marriages and/or
associations between pagans and Christians. Paul has already noted in 1 Cor. 7:12-16 and14:23-25 that not only are
mixed marriages permitted, they can have a positive outcome on the
unbelieving spouse and their children. Also the unbelievers are welcome
and accommodated within the worshipping community. In 10:27 Paul suggests that it is acceptable for a Christian to
accept the invitation of an unbeliever to share dinner. Elsewhere Paul has
written against the practice of separation from the pagan community
as a practical impossibility. The only example of separation from
anyone is on moral grounds. Even then his instructions are confined to the
Corinthians who are to have nothing to do with a member of the
community who professes to be a Christian yet is involved in sexual
immorality. He assumes such immorality among pagans but does not suggest
the need for avoidance.
It
is impossible to know the exact circumstances under which this section was
added. Both Corinthian letters contain fragments of other letters lost to us as
well as interpolations like this one. Paul's letters were collected and copied
for circulation after his death. Not all communities of the Gentile church held
the same beliefs. We would not be to far off tract to suggest there was a
spectrum of traditions from very conservative to very - dare we say the word,
liberal. This was especially so when it came to "women's rights" and
associations with members of the local Synagogues. All we can conclude is that
the words do not reflect the strong feelings of Paul to the contrary and it is
beyond question that Jesus was an active proponent of inclusive associations
with all people, Jew and Gentile alike. Today, beyond churches entrenched in
a stifling patriarchalism or sense of parochial purity through separation,
it would be both rare and disturbing to find a church community which was not
anxious to have unbelievers in their midst or in which women were not
included in all levels of leadership - and certainly not silent.
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