Commending the Gospel – 2 Corinthians 10:12-18

God, through Paul, is constantly beating the drum that human achievement and esteem is worthless compared to the work of Christ. Here, it is in the context of Paul defending the legitimacy of his ministry against the “super apostles” who are preaching a gospel of style, success, comfort and self. It is exactly the gospel that the Corinthians wanted to hear.

The gospel the infiltrators preached was man-centered, and Paul and his associates counter it by commending themselves only as servants of God, lowly and abused. Paul is using himself as an illustration of what matters to God, putting Christ on display as he becomes nothing.

Paul was the first to preach the gospel to the Corinthians, and uses that as a reminder that he is the one responsible for their salvation, while his opponents are taking what he laid in place and twisting it, then taking responsibility and accolades for the entire thing.

Paul, however, seeks the spiritual health of the Corinthians, so that he can move beyond them and preach in Rome and beyond. But he wants to ensure that before he moves on, he leaves the Corinthians in a position to succeed without his direct leadership.

He goes on to quote Jeremiah, who criticizes the strong and the wise, not because of their strength and wisdom, but because they live as if those are the attributes God truly cares about.

The cross of Christ is where human ability and excellence are brought low, and the foolishness of God is exalted.

To boast in yourself is to betray the cross, to set yourself up in opposition to the sacrifice made there. The world does this on a regular basis, seeing the truth of the gospel as mythology and their own intelligence and education as superior to the power of God.

But we trust in the sacrifice of Christ and the grace of God for our sustenance and salvation. God exists to exalt himself, not us, and we, like Paul are created to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

Like Martin Luther, we struggle with the notion that we do not bring anything to God. Instead, through His grace, God brings things to us that we then give back to God and to those around us. When we look upon the cross, the success and abilities of the world melt away and a naked 33-year-old man hanging on a cross in the 1st century becomes our everything.

– Sermon Notes, Brian Bailey, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, May 27, 2018