The Resume of a True Minister: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Introduction: The Urgency of Grace
We live in an age that treats God's grace like a cheap trinket, a get-out-of-jail-free card to be tucked away in a wallet until it is needed. For many, grace is a theological concept that justifies their laziness. It is a soft pillow for a drowsy conscience. But the apostle Paul would have none of it. For him, the grace of God was not a hammock; it was a warhorse. It was not a pacifier, but a trumpet blast calling men to arms. Grace is not the end of effort, but the beginning of the right kind of effort.
In the previous chapter, Paul has just laid out the glorious doctrine of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We are a new creation. We have been given the righteousness of God in Christ. These are staggering, world-altering truths. And the immediate, logical follow-up to this glorious symphony of grace is not, "Therefore, let us relax," but rather, "Therefore, let us get to work."
Paul's plea to the Corinthians is a plea against a dead orthodoxy. It is a warning against receiving the most precious gift in the universe and then setting it on a shelf to collect dust. To receive the grace of God in vain is to hear the gospel, to nod in agreement, to perhaps even feel a momentary emotional stir, but then to go on living as though nothing has changed. It is to accept the pardon but refuse to leave the prison cell. It is to be given a royal commission and then use the parchment to wipe up a spill.
And so, Paul provides his apostolic resume. But it is a resume that would get a man laughed out of any modern pastoral search committee. It is a catalog of suffering, a litany of hardship. In a world that measures success by comfort, influence, and popularity, Paul measures faithfulness by scars. This is the central paradox of the Christian ministry. The proof of its divine power is found in the weakness of its servants. The commendation of a true minister is not found in his strengths, but in the catalog of his weaknesses, through which the power of Christ is made manifest.
The Text
And working together with Him, we also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain, 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”, giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God, in much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships, in beatings, in imprisonments, in disturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unhypocritical love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet behold, we live; as punished and yet not put to death, as sorrowful but always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
(2 Corinthians 6:1-10 LSB)
Don't Waste the Grace (vv. 1-2)
We begin with the apostle's urgent plea.
"And working together with Him, we also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain, 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', " (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)
Paul identifies himself as a "worker together with Him." This is a staggering claim. It does not mean God needs our help, as though He were struggling to push a boulder up a hill and we come along to lend a hand. It means that God, in His sovereign wisdom, has chosen to accomplish His purposes through human instruments. We are the tools in the Master's hand. The glory of the work belongs entirely to Him, but the privilege of the labor is ours. And because we are co-laborers with God Himself, we have a solemn responsibility not to bungle the job.
His plea is that the Corinthians not "receive the grace of God in vain." The word for "in vain" means empty, without effect, to no purpose. This is not primarily a warning about losing one's salvation. It is a warning to those who profess faith, who have heard the glorious news of reconciliation, but whose lives show no fruit of it. Grace is not static; it is dynamic. It is a power that transforms. If a man claims to have received grace, but his life remains unchanged, his relationships unreformed, his sins unmortified, then he has received that grace to no effect. It is like receiving a seed and never planting it. The potential is there, but it remains dormant, empty, in vain.
To add weight to his plea, Paul quotes from Isaiah 49:8. In its original context, this was a promise to the Messiah, that God would hear and help Him in His work of salvation. Paul takes this Messianic promise and applies it directly to the present moment in Corinth. The time of God's favor, the day of salvation, is not some far-off future event. It is now. The window of opportunity is open. This injects a tremendous sense of urgency into the Christian life. Procrastination is the devil's anesthetic. The gospel demands a response, not tomorrow, but now. Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to believe. Now is the time to put grace to work.
The Blameless Ministry (vv. 3-5)
Paul now turns to the conduct of his own ministry, which is his primary evidence that he is a true servant of God.
"giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God, in much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships, in beatings, in imprisonments, in disturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger," (2 Corinthians 6:3-5 LSB)
The first concern of a true minister is the reputation of the ministry itself. He is careful to give "no cause for offense." This does not mean he avoids offending people. The gospel itself is an offense to the proud. Paul's goal is not to be inoffensive, but to ensure that any offense taken is with the cross of Christ, and not with the character of the minister. A minister's personal sin, hypocrisy, or foolishness can discredit the glorious message he carries. He must live in such a way that if people reject his message, they cannot point to his life as the reason.
He then begins to list the ways in which he commends himself. And what follows is not a list of successes, but a catalog of sufferings. This is the great inversion. The world commends itself through power, wealth, and ease. The apostle commends himself through "much perseverance." This is the foundation, the patient endurance that holds up under pressure.
He then gives three sets of triplets. First, general pressures: "afflictions, distresses, hardships." These are the constant, grinding pressures of a life lived against the grain of the world. Second, specific persecutions inflicted by men: "beatings, imprisonments, disturbances." This is the world's predictable response to the truth. When you shine a light in a dark room, the cockroaches do not applaud; they scatter and hiss. Third, self-inflicted disciplines for the sake of the gospel: "labors, sleeplessness, in hunger." This is the voluntary hardship a minister embraces. He works hard, he foregoes sleep for the sake of prayer and study, he endures hunger to advance the kingdom. This is not the resume of a man seeking comfort. It is the resume of a soldier.
The Internal Character and External Equipment (vv. 6-7)
Having listed the external pressures, Paul now turns to the internal character and divine equipment that enable him to endure.
"in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unhypocritical love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left," (2 Corinthians 6:6-7 LSB)
Notice the shift. The previous list was about what happens to him. This list is about what is in him. True ministry is not just about enduring hardship; it is about the character that is forged in that hardship. "Purity" of motive and life. "Knowledge" of God's Word and His ways. "Patience" with difficult people. "Kindness" even to his enemies. These are not natural virtues; they are the fruit of the Spirit.
He explicitly mentions being "in the Holy Spirit," who is the source of all these graces, and "in unhypocritical love." This is a love that is not a sentimental facade but a genuine, rugged commitment to the good of others, even when they are unlovable. This love is demonstrated "in the word of truth" and "in the power of God." The minister has two things: a true message and the divine power to back it up. He does not come with clever marketing schemes but with the plain truth of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation.
This spiritual warfare is fought with "the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left." The right hand was the hand that held the sword for offense, and the left hand held the shield for defense. The Christian minister is armed for both. He is on the offense, proclaiming the truth and tearing down strongholds. He is also on the defense, protecting himself and the flock from the lies of the enemy. And the weapon for both is righteousness, a life lived in conformity to God's will. A holy life is both a sword and a shield.
The Great Paradoxes of Ministry (vv. 8-10)
Paul concludes his resume with a series of stunning paradoxes that capture the essence of the Christian life in a fallen world.
"by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet behold, we live; as punished and yet not put to death, as sorrowful but always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things." (2 Corinthians 6:8-10 LSB)
A faithful minister lives in two realities at once. In the eyes of the world, he experiences dishonor, evil reports, and is regarded as a deceiver. But in the eyes of God and the church, he has glory, a good report, and is true. The world's evaluation and God's evaluation are polar opposites. A minister who is universally praised by the world is almost certainly compromising the gospel.
He is "unknown" to the world's halls of power, yet "well-known" to God and His people. He is constantly "dying" to self, facing mortal danger daily, yet "behold, we live" because his life is hidden with Christ in God. He is "punished" by the world, yet "not put to death" because God preserves him for His purposes.
The final three paradoxes are the heart of the matter. "As sorrowful but always rejoicing." The Christian is sorrowful over his own sin, the sin of the world, and the suffering of the saints. But underneath that sorrow is a deep, unshakable joy in Christ that is independent of circumstances. "As poor but making many rich." In worldly terms, the apostles were destitute. But in spiritual terms, they were dispensing the infinite riches of Christ to the nations. Finally, "as having nothing and yet possessing all things." The man who has Christ has everything. He may be stripped of all his worldly possessions, but he is an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ. He owns the world because his Father owns the world. This is the ultimate security, the ultimate wealth.