2 Corinthians 6:1-10

1: And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—

2: for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”—

3: giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
4: but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
5: in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
6: in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
7: in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
8: by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
9: as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
10: as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.

*** 

You’ll notice in this letter that Paul spoke about his ministry, as well as the other apostles—those who were establishing the gospel of Christ. It was no small task to implement this new covenant of God—a spiritual ekklesia or governing body—in the earth. There was opposition. This included spiritual—demonic—opposition from the enemy, but there were also people who opposed them. The Jews who didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah opposed the preaching of the gospel (as Paul did before he was converted), and there were unbelievers who worshiped other gods, or no god, who opposed them in various ways. There was also opposition from other believers.

Some Christians fell into a trap of the enemy becoming critical, fault-finding, and cliquish. Others tried to use the gospel for personal gain and recognition. They would try to discredit Paul, and others who spoke the truth, in an effort to establish themselves as an authority. All of this had to be worked through in the beginning, and yet we still have similar issues today. We can learn from what Paul said about all this.

So, Paul continued and talked about he and the others who were commissioned to establish the gospel. He said they were ambassadors for Christ, appealing to others to be reconciled to God through Christ (5:20). They were working together with God to urge others to not receive the grace of God in vain—not to think that grace was permission to continue in sin. He quoted Isaiah 49:8 where God said He would listen to His people at an acceptable time and help them on the day of salvation. Paul said that time had come. The acceptable time and day of salvation was then, and it is also here and now.


Paul said that he and the others did nothing to discredit the ministry they’d been called to, and went on to list the types of things they had gone through as servants of God working to minister the gospel. He spoke of hardships, beatings, imprisonment, hunger etc. Yet also the purity, knowledge, patience, love and kindness in the Holy Spirit. He spoke of truth, the power of God, and weapons of righteousness. He went on to contrast the good and the bad, the hardships and blessings. All of which they had gone through, and continued to go through, to bring the gospel to them and others. 

We can gather from this message that those who were critical of him had no idea what they were talking about. The gospel is not a message which rescues us from all of our problems, but rather enlists us in an army to oppose evil and build the kingdom of God.



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