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2 Corinthians 12:19
The NIV states the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:19 in a way that I believe gives us a better understanding of the text as Paul declares to the congregation of the church at Corinth, “Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ: and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.” Paul wants to make sure that in his defense of his and his ministry teams’ sincerity to the church at Corinth, that they are not drifting into a role of critiquing Paul and his ministry team as they are, “speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ: and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening” (2 Corinthians 12:19b-c). Paul and his ministry team are not seeking the approval of the congregation of the church at Corinth but are presenting the gospel to them as directed by the Lord through God’s Holy Spirit working through them; they are confident in the message they are presenting and need no approval of preaching it to them, by them.
This is a promise of the sufficiency of the message of the gospel of Christ Jesus and the kingdom of heaven.
The message of the gospel will be critiqued by many today as well as in the first century. And in one sense, it needs to be as there are many false teachers in the world today just as there were in the first century. But the true message of the gospel does not seek man’s approval; the true message of the gospel is for us to learn from the ways in which God desires for us to live and to be as His children. God is not seeking our approval of Him as if He needs our approval – He is God Almighty – He is our Creator.
Dear LORD,
It is through the study of Your Word with an open heart to receive the message that You have prepared for us that gives us guidance as You Holy Spirit works in our lives. Please help us to realize and understand through this lesson that we must actively participate in a study of Your Word to gain this understanding. As we desire to grow in our relationships with You, a vital part of our growth is reading and studying the textbook to life – the Bible. In Jesus name I pray, amen.