By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
June 23, 2024
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2 Corinthians 6:1–13 (ESV)
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. 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. 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.
When studying scripture I often get caught in what my brother and I fondly call squirrel tracks. I will be reading along and something will catch my eye so I will stop to look it up. Then after about five hours of this I realize I do not have a clue where I initially started. This week was one of those weeks. Which I find interesting because this passage does not really seem to be that “squirrel-ly”. I do not really know how or why I got so off track but I did. And it began right at the beginning. I spent a good hour just reading about the word we translate as working.
I know it seems odd and I am sure there were better ways to spend time, but as I have said often context is important. It is necessary to understand what is going on within a passage, what words they use, how those words are used in many different areas, and why the author might have used that particular word in this place. It is also important to understand the history surrounding a passage, along with the manners and customs of the culture to whom the passage was written. All of these things play into why particular words and references were used.
I have been reprimanded at times for not just looking at the plain reading of scripture. To this I often respond that if we attempt to utilize the plain reading of scripture, we will often take the words inspired by the Spirit out of context. We risk reading the context of our world into the words instead of reading those words in the context of the author. This is a risk. Scripture does speak to us today. It continues to inspire and it can speak into our contemporary context, but we need to be careful and recognize the moments this is happening. That is not necessarily the full meaning, instead that is a glimmer of inspiration for a singular moment.
I will freely admit that this week many of the squirrel tracks I traversed were in light of our contemporary context. There were conversations that I had with my sister that kept playing in my mind. Discussions with my mother, father, and brother that all echoed in the back of my mind. Reports on the news and older article I looked up to share with people that had questions. I found myself looking at this passage, seeing something contemporary within the words, and I had to wrestle with context, because I wanted it to speak to my current condition. I wanted to be able to speak using the scripture to make my point.
This is why the very first word took me along a journey. Working. I would make an attempt to tell you what the word is in Greek but I butcher the English language so I think those that speak Greek would prefer that I just explain the meaning. Working means to collaborate.
Last week I got into some of the grammar that Paul uses as he wrote this letter. We often neglect this as we attempt to plainly read, because often the authors will use a word that seems important in our language but how they used it in their context may be different. For us in this culture the verb working is important. Our culture takes pride in our work ethic, so when we see a word like working we immediately are drawn to it. We may not even be conscientiously doing it, but we look for these words to justify our life, our lifestyles, and our own context.
Is Paul justifying the American work ethic? No. This is a participle verb, and as much as I hate grammar, over the years I have found it important when I am studying scripture. I use software to assist in studying and every time a verb is a participle it automatically highlights that word light blue to help me to remember the context. What this is telling us is that this verb is active, but it is actively describing something. We are to be working, this is clear, but is it my work?
If the word we translate as working means collaboration it is not mine. The focus should not be on what I or in this case Paul does but it is with those the collaborating with us. And in the case of this first verse of the sixth chapter, Paul and his companions are collaborating with God.
We often get caught in the idea that my work is my work. But all work is a collaboration. We work for someone, even those that own their own business work for someone. Our family, our boss, our customers there is always someone else involved. Work is collaboration. Work is relational. We are never self made men or women, we never build a business by ourselves. We work with others.
I work as a pastor, yes, but this is not my church. It is ours and it is God’s. We work together and we work with him. But working is not the main verb in this verse. Working merely describes that Paul and his fellow companions with whom he collaborates with are participating in and with someone greater than themselves. We collaborate with Him.
As they collaborate with God, they appeal. This word appeal is the main verb within this verse. All the work that Paul describes focuses on this, he appeals, he makes an earnest request. He really wants us to know this. He really wants you to understand grace.
What is grace? We speak so much about this one thing that it become vague in our minds. Simply put it is a gift. Paul speaks a great deal about grace, his letters are filled with grace so much so that we often miss the point Paul is attempting to make. Grace often becomes the focus of the Christian life, but do we understand grace?
There is a reason Paul speaks of grace, and why he appeals to us not to receive the grace of God in vain. Grace is not exclusive to Christianity. The Stoics and Platonist often speak of grace. They say that grace comes from God, this vague unknowable force in the spiritual realm. We often forget that the religions we often regard as pagan, use similar language. To receive grace from God is a blessing, to accept the grace from God is a way of saying expressing gratitude to the divine. This is the belief in Stoicism and Christianity. But then things change.
Stoics believe that grace comes from God, but ire or anger does not. They believe that the good things come as blessing from God, but nothing bad can happen to those under grace. Those that have grace have power. They are the chosen ones. It is their divine right because God has entrusted these good things to them. Paul says not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Paul is speaking to people that have been influenced by the philosophical teachings of the Hellenistic worldview. He is using their current understanding and building upon them. This stoic teaching of grace runs deep within history and the church. We understand much of our world through a philosophical worldview that promotes stoicism to a greater degree than the gospel of Christ. This is why Bonhoeffer spoke passionately about the dangers of cheap grace, being taught in the churches throughout the modern era of his day.
But what is Christian grace? It is a gift yes. It is a gift that we cannot earn, but it is freely given. As the writings of the Hebrew people was translated into Greek there were many concepts of Hebrew translated as grace. Love, faithfulness, forgiveness, mercy, righteousness, kindness. These are all relational words. Words that express life with others and what is necessary for that relationship to be mutually beneficial to all involved. The Hebraic and Christian concept of grace is relational. Yes the idea of favor still remains, yes there is still gift and blessing, but for the writers of the New Testament grace is more than what we get from God, it is life with God.
“We appeal to you,” Paul says, “not to receive the grace of God in vain.” The verb receive like is an infinitive verb, which means it is ongoing or repeating. It is active and remains active. We continually receive it is not something that happens at one moment in time and that is it but it continues. We continually receive grace from God. God continually extends love, faithfulness, forgiveness. mercy, kindness and everything else. God continually offers life with him, and if we receive it we continually have that relationship.
Paul does not stop with the relationship, he does not say receive grace. He says, “we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” This word translated as vain outside of scripture means empty or without content. Giving the sense that a vain person is hollow. But Biblical Greek adds more nuance, not only is the person hollow, but also useless, careless, and frivolous. This goes back to the ten commandments, “Do not take the name of God in vain” or more accurately, “do not bear the name of God in vain.” This teaching speaks to more than just misusing or speaking the name of God with carelessness. It speaks of life with God. Do not live or take on the name of God upon yourself carelessly.
When we bear God’s name, we are in relational communion with God. This is not something to be taken lightly. Every aspect of our life should reflect God and his nature. The grace of God is not what I can gain from God. It is not about the blessings, it is not about a Christian worldview or nation, it is not about having power or influence over illness or demonic spirits. It is life with God. It is life, the good the bad and the ugly. Are we reflecting God in our life or are we hollow, careless, and useless?
Paul continues by quoting from Isaiah. “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” In Isaiah the Greek word translated as listened is translated as answered from the Hebrew. The idea surrounding the word is that we are speaking and being heard. Paul and Isaiah are describing of prayer. They allude to the conversational aspect of prayer, that God hears us when we speak and he responds. His response is that he helps. This word speaks of running to answer the call for help, to hasten to the aid of the oppressed or to simply help. Often when this word is used it refers to the actions of a physician but only in the Isaiah passage does it speak of God as being the one to provide the aid.
It is interesting that Paul quotes this verse at this time. He is explaining to the people of Corinth that grace is more than what their philosophical teachers tell them. It is more than a divine gift that gives us power to rule in this world. He does not deny that often grace does result in some supernatural gift, but it is not focused on the gift. Grace is access. Grace is the availability and opportunity to have a real relationship with God. A relationship where we can speak openly with God and God listens and where God answers. Grace is a relationship where we work or collaborate with God as he provides help and aid to the oppressed and hurting in this world.
“Behold,” Paul says, “now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” There are only two commanding verbs in this passage. Behold is the first. This command is urging or prompting us to direct our attention toward something. Behold, look, see, do not miss it. Now is that time of which Isaiah spoke about. This is the day where God answers and responds to the cries of the oppressed and he is asking us to join him in that work.
Paul uses this word six times in this letter, and three of those uses are in today’s reading. Behold, look and see. He then says, “We put no obstacle in anyone’s way so that no fault may be found in our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way.”
He is saying, look and see if God is at work, look and see it all around you, look at it in our life. See how we live the truth of this reality in front of you. He is telling them we have given or granted to you nothing that would hinder your belief.
This is where the squirrels came to visit again. I sat considering this one verse for a moment attempting to understand what it might mean in Paul’s context, and in our own. The plain reading might be that he is doing nothing offensive. Meaning he has done nothing that would trigger anyone. That is not what Paul is saying and that is not remotely possible in the world. Everyone has something that annoys them. Everyone has some pet project that they think is the most important thing in the entire world, and if you do or say anything that contradicts their stance you are canceled in their eyes.
I know this personally, I have experienced it in many different contexts. But this is not what Paul is speaking about. Your ideologies are not as important as you think in the larger scope of life. There are many different ways to accomplish similar tasks. Paul is not speaking of cancel culture, he is commending them to look at his life. He is asking them to examine his own life. He is hiding nothing from them. He is telling them to weigh his words in comparison to his actions. Is he living the life he claims? Is he living in the grace that God has given him?
Paul then lists what he has endured and how he has responded to it. He suffered beatings and imprisonments, does he lash out to strike out against those that cause him harm? He experienced hunger and sleepless nights, does he demand or steal the things to fulfill his personal needs? His response is purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; truthful speech and the the power of God.
This is not what the Greek culture would see as the grace filled life. To the people of Corinth, God would not allow bad things to happen to good people. Those that have grace would have treasure and power. They would not suffer because suffering is ire not grace. In their view if Paul truly possessed the grace of God he should lash out at those that opposed him because they are opposing the anointed. That is not the gospel of Christ. That is not the life the children of God are called to participate in.
We are called to a different life and lifestyle. We are called to love our enemies. We are called to turn the other cheek, bless those that curse you, to do good to those that treat us with injustice. Paul lived the words of Jesus and he is urging us to do the same. He is telling us to look at his life and lifestyle. He is challenging them to compare his life and lifestyle against the words of Jesus. Would we be so bold?
“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians:” Paul says, “our heart is wide open.” He is not withholding information. He is not twisting his words. And his heart is wide open, meaning he has become vulnerable before them. He has stuck his neck out and invited them to offer criticism. Paul became transparent before them. And then he answers their criticism of him. “you are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.”
This is an awkward verse. To restrict is to be cool emotionally, or to be narrowed or squeezed. The sense of this is judgment. He is saying I am not the one doing the squeezing, but you are. Paul is not judging but the coolness they feel, the rejection or ire or lack of grace they feel is not because of Paul, but their own affections. This word that is translated here as affection means bowels or guts. In ancient writings this is how they would describe our seat of emotions, or our heart. Paul is saying that we are the ones that restrict, we are the ones that condemn ourselves.
We judge ourselves. We are ourselves are our greatest enemy. We are the ones that reject the grace God offers. We look at the blessing in our life and we assume that God has given us a gift, but how do we respond when blessing seems to pass us by, or how are we using the blessing when we have them? To those that live according to Greek philosophy you are at fault. You failed to honor God adequately. This is not the teaching that Paul passes on. The grace of God is available. Life with God is at hand.
It is not restricted to only the blessed. It is not available only to those that a chosen by God for special blessing. It is available to all. The only thing that restricts us is our own emotions, our own desires for control, power, and lusts. We keep ourselves from God’s grace, not God or the people within the church. We keep ourselves from grace.
“All sins and blasphemies are forgiven,” Jesus told the religious leaders. All sins are forgiven except grieving the Spirit. I have thought about this over the past few years. I wanted to know what that one unforgivable sin would be so I could steer clear of it.
Where is the restriction? Where is the sin? It is our rejection of life with God through Jesus that grieves the Spirit. The seeking of blessing on our terms instead of living with God through whatever life throws our way. It is the seeking of power and influence instead of encouraging the people where we and they are. It is the desire of having the things of this world instead of being content with what we already have. Paul endured every hardship we could imagine and he sang praises to God. How are we responding? How are we living?
This brings us to the last commanding verb of today’s passage. “Widen your hearts also.” Open your heart. Enlarge your heart. This does not necessarily mean be open minded in our contemporary sense, but Paul is encouraging the people of Corinth to examine his life and lifestyle in the light of their own. They live bound by grace or ire. In their worldview they are either blessed by God or forgotten. Paul encourages them to question their understanding of life. Are the things of this world really and indication of the blessing of God or is there an alternative way of life? He endured everything that would signify a life lived in ire according to the philosophies of this world. He was oppressed instead of wielding power. He was hungry instead of having abundance. Yet he was not dwelling in sorrows, but joy. Open yourself to the possibility, Open yourself to life with God and experience true grace.
Paul is asking us to see, he is pleading with us to recognize the truth before us. I is urging us to widen or open our hearts. Paul is encouraging us to move beyond our own desires and live within God’s grace so that we can join in the collaborative work of restoring life with God.
Previous Messages:
Living Stones
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 03, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 2:2–10 (ESV) 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have…
Endure
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 26, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Query 4 (Faith and Practice of EFC-MAYM pg 61) Do you provide for the suitable Christian education and recreation of your children and those under your care, and…
Ransomed to Love
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 19, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 1:17–23 (ESV) 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time…
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