Set Free from Sin and it's power, Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, Romans 6 ESV (UK) , Some thoughts on Atonement and Justification, The In-depth Series

Romans 6 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free[b] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Redeemed, by the Blood of the Lamb,  Fanny J Crosby

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed through His infinite mercy,

His child and forever I am.

Refrain

Redeemed, redeemed,

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed, redeemed,

His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,

No language my rapture can tell;

I know that the light of His presence

With me doth continually dwell.

I think of my blessèd Redeemer,

I think of Him all the day long:

I sing, for I cannot be silent;

His love is the theme of my song.

I know there’s a crown that is waiting,

In yonder bright mansion for me,

And soon, with the spirits made perfect,

At home with the Lord I shall be.

Reformation Study Bible

6:1–14 Paul’s insistence that the increase of sin is met by the increase of grace (5:20) leads to the question he now raises. So great was his emphasis on the freeness of God’s grace in the face of sin that his preaching had been accused of antinomian tendencies, or ignoring the ethical requirements of the law (3:8). Now he makes the point that to continue in sin would involve a contradiction of the Christian’s new identity in Christ. In view of this new identity (v. 11), Christians are to refuse to allow sin to usurp authority in their lives, and instead are to yield the whole of life to God (vv. 12, 13) in the assurance that since they are under grace, not law, as the means of their salvation, sin is no longer their master.

6:15–23 That the Christian is not under law but under grace might appear to provide license for moral carelessness. This Paul denies, since under the reign of grace Christians have become slaves of God. The freedom of grace is therefore freedom for obedience and service, not for license. 

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Verses 1-23

The apostle’s transition, which joins this discourse with the former, is observable: “What shall we say then? Rom. 6:1. What use shall we make of this sweet and comfortable doctrine? Shall we do evil that good may come, as some say we do? Rom. 3:8. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Shall we hence take encouragement to sin with so much the more boldness, because the more sin we commit the more will the grace of God be magnified in our pardon? Isa. this a use to be made of it?” No, it is an abuse, and the apostle startles at the thought of it (Rom. 6:2): “God forbid; far be it from us to think such a thought.” He entertains the objection as Christ did the devil’s blackest temptation (Matt. 4:10): Get thee hence, Satan. Those opinions that give any countenance to sin, or open a door to practical immoralities, how specious and plausible so ever they be rendered, by the pretension of advancing free grace, are to be rejected with the greatest abhorrence; for the truth as it is in Jesus is a truth according to godliness, Titus 1:1. The apostle is very full in pressing the necessity of holiness in this chapter, which may be reduced to two heads:—His exhortations to holiness, which show the nature of it; and his motives or arguments to enforce those exhortations, which show the necessity of it.

[2.] Our conformity to the resurrection of Christ obliges us to rise again to newness of life. This is the power of his resurrection which Paul was so desirous to know, Phil. 3:10. Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, that is, by the power of the Father. The power of God is his glory; it is glorious power, Col. 1:11. Now in baptism we are obliged to conform to that pattern, to be planted in the likeness of his resurrection (Rom. 6:5), to live with him, Rom. 6:8. See Col. 2:12. Conversion is the first resurrection from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; and this resurrection is conformable to Christ’s resurrection. This conformity of the saints to the resurrection of Christ seems to be intimated in the rising of so many of the bodies of the saints, which, though mentioned before by anticipation, is supposed to have been concomitant with Christ’s resurrection, Matt. 27:52. We have all risen with Christ. In two things we must conform to the resurrection of Christ:—First, He rose to die no more, Rom. 6:9. We read of many others that were raised from the dead, but they rose to die again.

 But, when Christ rose, he rose to die no more; therefore he left his grave-clothes behind him, whereas Lazarus, who was to die again, brought them out with him, as one that should have occasion to use them again: but over Christ death has no more dominion; he was dead indeed, but he is alive, and so alive that he lives for evermore, Rev. 1:18. Thus we must rise from the grave of sin never again to return to it, nor to have any more fellowship with the works of darkness, having quitted that grave, that land of darkness as darkness itself. Secondly, He rose to live unto God (Rom. 6:10), to live a heavenly life, to receive that glory which was set before him. Others that were raised from the dead returned to the same life in every respect which they had before lived; but so did not Christ: he rose again to leave the world. Now I am no more in the world, John 13:1; 17:11. He rose to live to God, that is, to intercede and rule, and all to the glory of the Father. Thus must we rise to live to God: this is what he calls newness of life (Rom. 6:4), to live from other principles, by other rules, with other aims, than we have done. A life devoted to God is a new life; before, self was the chief and highest end, but now God. To live indeed is to live to God, with our eyes ever towards him, making him the centre of all our actions.

The Bible Panorama

Romans 6

V 1–4: CONTINUE SINNING? Paul picks on the objections of some by asking if we are already justified, shall we sin more to show how great that justification is? He exclaims dogmatically, ‘Certainly not!’ Spiritually we were buried into Christ in His death. His resurrection life has become ours. If we are truly born again, we will want to walk in newness of life. Baptism echoes that meaning.

 V 5–7: CRUCIFIED SELF Just as we share in Christ’s resurrection, we share in His crucifixion. Our position, as those risen with Christ, is therefore that our ‘old man’ (our unsaved self) is crucified with Christ. I cannot claim the one without the other.

V 8–14: CALCULATED SEQUENCE We are to reckon ourselves to be ‘dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord’. That reckoning is based upon the knowledge that we are both crucified with Christ and also risen with Him in our status before God. God never asks us to make false calculations! This reckoning results in the sequence of logic and holiness that if we are dead to sin and alive to Christ we must not let sin reign in our bodies, but we must present our bodies as alive from the dead to be instruments of righteousness to God. We are no longer under the dominion of sin and death caused by the law, but we are under God’s grace.

 V 15–19: CONSECRATED SLAVES We are not now the slaves of the broken law, fearing judgement and death, but we present ourselves as slaves of ‘righteousness for holiness’ having been set free from one tyrannical master, and become the willing slaves of another Master who is gracious.

 V 20–23: CHRIST’S SALVATION Previously, we faced death and produced fruit of which we were ashamed. Now we have God’s gift of ‘eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ and, as joyfully consecrated slaves, seek to produce holy fruit for our loving Master who has saved us.

Dictionary of Bible Themes

6617 atonement, in NT

In dying for the sins of the world, Jesus Christ fulfilled and replaced the OT sacrificial system, so that all who believe in him are restored to fellowship with God. Christ is the true high priest, who finally liberates his people from the guilt of sin, by offering himself as the supreme sacrifice.

The atoning purpose of Jesus Christ’s death

Jesus Christ’s death on behalf of others Jn 10:11 See also Jn 10:14-18; 2Co 5:15; Heb 2:9; 1Jn 3:16

Jesus Christ’s atoning death for sin 1Co 15:3 See also Ro 4:25; Ro 8:3; Gal 1:4; 1Pe 3:18

The atoning significance of Jesus Christ’s death is expressed by references to his blood Ro 5:9; Rev 5:9 See also Eph 2:13; 1Pe 1:18-19; 1Jn 1:7; Rev 7:14

Jesus Christ’s atoning death is commemorated in the Lord’s Supper 1Co 11:23-25 See also Mt 26:26-28 pp Mk 14:22-24 pp Lk 22:19-20

Explanations of the atonement

Jesus Christ’s death as an atoning sacrifice Ro 3:25 See also 1Co 5:7; Eph 5:2; 1Jn 4:10; Rev 5:6

Jesus Christ’s atoning death as redemption Mk 10:45 pp Mt 20:28 See also Ac 20:28; Gal 3:13-14; Eph 1:7; Col 1:13-14

The atonement is effective because of Jesus Christ’s sinlessness

2Co 5:21 See also Heb 4:15; 1Pe 2:22-24; 1Jn 3:5

Jesus Christ’s death fulfils and replaces the Day of Atonement

Jesus Christ makes atonement as the new high priest Heb 7:26-28

Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new and better covenant Heb 8:6-7; Heb 9:15

Jesus Christ has made atonement in the true heavenly sanctuary Heb 8:1-2; Heb 9:24

Jesus Christ’s atoning blood brings effective cleansing Heb 9:12-14

Jesus Christ’s single sacrifice replaces the many required under the old covenant Heb 10:11-14

Access to the heavenly sanctuary is now open Heb 10:19-20

By dying with Christ, believers are released from this age into the life of the age to come

Ro 6:1-7 See also Ro 7:4-6; Gal 2:19-20; Gal 6:14; Eph 2:6-7; Col 2:11-13

God the Father and the atoning death of his Son

God’s sending of his Son to make atonement 1Jn 4:14 See also Jn 3:16; Ro 8:32; 2Co 5:18; Gal 4:4-5

God’s grace displayed in making atonement for the ungodly Eph 2:4-5 See also Ro 5:6-8; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:4-5

The worldwide scope of Jesus Christ’s atoning death

1Jn 2:2 See also Jn 1:29; 2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:5

The appropriate response to the atonement

The response of repentance Ac 3:19 See also Ac 2:38; Ac 17:30; Ac 20:21

The response of faith Ac 10:43 See also Jn 3:14-15; Ac 16:31; Ro 3:22; Gal 2:16

The response of baptism Ac 22:16 See also Ac 2:38; 1Pe 3:21

The atoning purpose of Jesus Christ’s death

1.      Jesus Christ’s death on behalf of others

Romans 4:24-25 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

2.    Jesus Christ’s atoning death for sin

1 Peter 3:18 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

18 For Christ also suffered[a] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Explanations of the atonement

3.     Jesus Christ’s death as an atoning sacrifice

1 John 4:9-15 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

4.    Jesus Christ’s atoning death as redemption

Galatians 3:10-14English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”[a] 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit[b] through faith.

5.     The atonement is effective because of Jesus Christ’s sinlessness

2 Corinthians 5:21English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 2:22-25English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 John 3:5English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Some thoughts on Atonement from Christian Answers,

By the atonement of Christ, we generally mean his work by which he expiated our sins. But, in the Bible, the word denotes the reconciliation itself, and not the means by which it is effected. When speaking of Christ’s saving work, the word “satisfaction,” the word used by the theologians of the Reformation, is to be preferred to the word “atonement.” Christ’s satisfaction is all he did in the room and in behalf of sinners to satisfy the demands of the law and justice of God. Christ’s work consisted of suffering and obedience, and these were vicarious, i.e., were not merely for our benefit, but were in our stead, as the suffering and obedience of our vicar, or substitute. Our guilt is expiated by the punishment which our vicar bore, and thus God is rendered propitious, i.e., it is now consistent with his justice to manifest his love to transgressors. Expiation has been made for sin, i.e., it is covered.

The means by which it is covered is vicarious satisfaction, and the result of its being covered is atonement or reconciliation. To make atonement is to do that by virtue of which alienation ceases and reconciliation is brought about. Christ’s mediatorial work and sufferings are the ground or efficient cause of reconciliation with God. They rectify the disturbed relations between God and man, taking away the obstacles interposed by sin to their fellowship and concord. The reconciliation is mutual, i.e., it is not only that of sinners toward God, but also and preeminently that of God toward sinners, effected by the sin-offering he himself provided, so that consistently with the other attributes of his character his love might flow forth in all its fullness of blessing to men.

The primary idea presented to us in different forms throughout the Scripture is that the death of Christ is a satisfaction of infinite worth rendered to the law and justice of God (q.v.), and accepted by him in room of the very penalty man had incurred.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Justification

a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Rom. 5:1-10).

It proceeds on the imputing or crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness, active and passive, of his Representative and Surety, Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:3-9). Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness, but a declaration that he possesses a righteousness which perfectly and for ever satisfies the law, namely, Christ's righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:6-8).

The sole condition on which this righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer is faith in or on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a "condition," not because it possesses any merit, but only because it is the instrument, the only instrument by which the soul appropriates or apprehends Christ and his righteousness (Rom. 1:17; 3:25, 26; 4:20, 22; Phil. 3:8-11; Gal. 2:16).

The act of faith which thus secures our justification secures also at the same time our sanctification (q.v.); and thus the doctrine of justification by faith does not lead to licentiousness (Rom. 6:2-7). Good works, while not the ground, are the certain consequence of justification (6:14; 7:6)

Encyclopedia of The Bible

JUSTIFICATION (δικαίωσις, G1470, justification; δικαιοῦν, to justify). In Christian theology justification is that act of God by which the sinner, who is responsible for his guilt and is under condemnation but believes in Christ, is pronounced just and righteous, or acquitted, by God the judge (Rom 3:28; 4:25; 5:16, 18; 8:28-34). In the Scriptures God justifies by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith.

4. Justification and the righteousness of God. In the broader concept of justification in both OT and NT, the idea of the righteousness of God (dikaiosyne theou) is closely related to God’s judicial act of salvation. At times the terms justification by faith and righteousness of God can be used interchangeably. Paul speaks of this righteousness in Romans 3:21, “Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, namely the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” The revelation of God’s wrath in the first part of Romans (1:18) is answered by the revelation of God’s saving righteousness in Romans 3. The word for righteousness in Paul is dikaiosyne which is a derivative of dikaio, “to justify.”

The well-known phrase “righteousness of God” as Paul uses it in 1:17, however, is not an attribute of God but the activity of God in saving man. The term is found again and again in the OT where God’s salvation in Christ is “witnessed by the law and the prophets” (3:21). Especially in the Psalms and in Isaiah the term pictures God’s grace in rescuing and delivering His people from sin and the oppressor. Psalm 98:2 (KJV), for example, has this message: “The Lord hath made known his salvation; his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.” In Isaiah 56:1, the words occur: “Thus says the Lord: Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come and my deliverance be revealed.” Paul teaches that this righteous activity of God, this saving act of God, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God saves men through the atonement of Christ and His merit earned on the cross is appropriated by faith. To have this righteousness is to be justified. The teaching is clear in Romans 3:22-26, esp. in the passage “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ,” and in the words “Whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” All human righteousness and justification are excluded. God’s righteousness revealed in the Gospel is that act of grace by which He cancels the condemnation of His wrath upon man. It is not the attribute of God’s divine justice or holiness, but that righteousness which is the justification of man in Christ, by which He bestows salvation upon man, for Christ’s sake, through faith. Therefore, it is also faith-righteousness since it is God’s righteousness. Faith receives the righteous saving act of God and renounces and looks away from self to find its all-in-all in Christ.

5. Justification and the atonement of Christ. If God’s righteousness is the saving act of God in Christ for man’s salvation, then justification is closely related to our Lord’s atonement. In fact, Christ’s atonement is the grounds for justification. Christ’s person and activity is the justification or reconciliation with God and the basis of all individual justification. It is the only basis upon which God can and does justify the sinner (Rom 3:24; 8:1; 2 Cor 5:18-21). The atonement of Christ answers the question: “How can a just God acquit a sinner; yes, one who remains sinful even after he is justified?” Justification does not mean God “overlooks sin” or acts as if man were not a sinner. The sentimental view which conceives of God as a gracious old “grandfather” who winks at the sins of His “children,” denies the integrity of the true God and destroys any concept of justification. God’s justice and holiness demand payment for sin, and this penalty Christ paid in the atonement on the cross. Thus in justification God devised a plan whereby both His attributes of justice and His love manifested in grace for salvation of sinners are given full meaning.

By making Christ a substitute for man, God preserves His own justice and the same time achieves salvation for the sinner (Rom 3:26). It is un-Biblical, therefore, to speculate whether God could or does forgive without Christ. Sinful men “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forth as an expiation by His blood.”

God is involved in the justification-atonement syndrome in three ways: (1) He is the Initiator, who first loved man. (2) He is the Instrument or Means, who gave Himself in the incarnate Christ as the once-for-all sacrifice for man’s sin. (3) He is also the Object of His saving work, who satisfied His wrath and justice over sin through Christ’s all-atoning sacrifice. At one and the same time God satisfies Himself and forgives the sinner. Therefore, only in Christ does God justify the sinner by imputing Christ’s perfect righteousness to the sinner who has none of his own (2 Cor 5:21). The Scriptures teach plainly that the wrath of God is visited upon by sinful man or else the Son of God must die for them. Either man dies or Christ dies. But God “shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).

Redeemed by the blood of the  Lamb

Read more of the In-depth Series

Saints Set Free, A look at the Believer's Justification & Sanctification, Romans 8 NASB. The In-depth Series

Justification, Imputed Righteousness, Romans 5 NLT, The In-depth Series

The Atonement. The In-depth Series

 

Justification by Faith, Our Righteousness is found in Christ, a look at Imputed Righteousness, Romans 4 ESV (UK), The In-depth Series

Jesus paid it all , all to Him I owe The Believer's Justification & Propitiation, Romans 3 NASB, The In-depth Series

 

He is Risen, Christ is Risen, The Believer's Salvation, 1 Corinthians 15 NASB. The In-depth Series

 

The Revelation of Salvation, 1 Peter 1 NASB. The In-depth Series

The Calling to serve God in Ministry, 2 Corinthians 3 ESV (UK), The In-depth Series

2 Corinthians 3 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Ministers of the New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.[b]

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us competent[c] to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one[d] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[e] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[f] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

Qualifications for Ministry (3:4-6)

It is all too easy to be overly impressed with a list of credentials and to lose sight of the fact that inward change, not outward achievement, is what validates someone in God's eyes. Such a misplaced emphasis often follows from the need for some kind of objective standard by which to evaluate a person's competence. Paul faced this problem as well. So he tries to give the Corinthians an objective standard by which to judge his competency as a minister of the gospel (5:12). But he also recognizes that competency in the ministry is something that is God-given rather than humanly achieved—a fact that is often forgotten in a twentieth-century culture that is oriented toward such overt signs of approval as applause and kudos.

Paul fears that his claim to possess divine references could be construed as overconfidence. To forestall such an allegation he interjects a series of disclaimers. His first disclaimer is that such confidence as he exhibits before God is his only through Christ (v. 4). Before God is better rendered "toward God" (see note). Through Christ (dia tou Christou) defines the basis for his confidence. Paul is probably thinking of his commissioning by Christ on the road to Damascus as apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15-19; 26:12-18). It was a commissioning uniquely his, yet not because of any competency that he himself possessed. Indeed, Paul freely admits elsewhere that he is the "least of the apostles" (1 Cor 15:9) and the "worst of sinners" (1 Tim 1:15). Here he merely states, as a second disclaimer, that he does not possess any competency in and of himself (v. 5). The Greek is literally "not that we are competent to reckon anything as of ourselves" (ouch hoti . . . hikanoi esmen logisasthai ti hos ex heauton). The Greek verb for to reckon means "to credit to one's own abilities." "There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work" (TEV) catches the gist of Paul's statement. Competency in our society is largely determined by whether we are able "to get the job done." Ministerial competency, by contrast, issues not from self but from God, who has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—Paul's third and final disclaimer (vv. 5-6).

Verse 6 functions as a transition to an extended treatment of the superiority of the new covenant or Spirit ministry over the old covenant or letter ministry. The emphasis throughout is on ministry. The terms diakonia (ministry) and diakonos (minister) occur five times in verses 6-11. In fact, close to 40 percent of all Pauline uses of both nominal and verbal forms appear in 2 Corinthians. Paul's point is that competence as a minister lies in the competency of the ministry represented. Paul's competence stems from being a minister of a new covenant. Diathekh should be translated covenant, not "testament" (KJV; corrected in the NKJV), and it should not be capitalized. There were no Old and New Testaments in Paul's day, only "the Scriptures." "New Testament" applies to the Christian writings that were given canonical status alongside the Jewish Scriptures. The process of canonization was a long one. Clement of Alexandria (c. 215) and Origen (c. 250) are the earliest church fathers to distinguish between "old" and "new testament" writings. Canon 59, which was issued by the Synod of Laodicea in A.D. 363, is the first church document to use the phrase "new testament" of a distinct body of literature. The actual phrase "canon of the new testament" does not appear until about A.D. 400 in Macarius Magnes's Apocriticus 4.10 (Belleville 1994:375-76).

The language of new covenant comes from Jeremiah 31:31-34, the only place in the Old Testament where this phrase occurs: " `The time is coming,' declares the LORD, `when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers.'"

A covenant, simply put, is an agreement into which too parties enter. It can be a bilateral agreement between equals or a unilateral arrangement where the terms are dictated by one, superior party. God's covenants with his people are of the latter kind.

The word new (kainos) denotes that which is qualitatively better as compared with what has existed until now (Haarbeck, Link and Brown 1976:670). This is borne out in how Paul describes the new as opposed to the old arrangement between God and his people. The character of the old covenant is that it is of letter (grammatos) and kills. The new covenant, on the other hand, is of Spirit (pneumatos) and gives life. Both nouns are in the genitive case and lack the article. Letter and Spirit are therefore descriptive terms, setting forth the quality or nature of their respective covenants. What is qualitatively better about the new covenant is that it is not a letter covenant—that is, an external code—but a Spirit covenant—that is, an internal power.  A covenant that is letter in nature kills because it makes external demands without giving the inward power for obedience, while a covenant that is Spirit in character gives life because it works internally to produce a change of nature. Paul describes this change of nature elsewhere as a "new self" created "to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:24).

The Superiority of the New Covenant Minister (3:12-18)

At verse 12 Paul turns from a consideration of the merits of the old and new covenants to what it means to be a minister of each. What most likely prompts this discussion is the fact that rival missionaries at Corinth were looking to Moses as the consummate minister. Only in this way can Paul's contrast in verses 12-18 between Moses and the new covenant minister be explained. An additional reason Paul pursues what he does in these verses is the evangelistic conundrum that existed both then and now. One of the most difficult audiences to reach with the gospel today is a Jewish one. This is an amazing fact considering that the gospel is the good news of God's fulfillment through Jesus of his promises to his people Israel. The Jewishness of the gospel is reflected in the early Christian preaching that Jesus is the Messiah of Jewish expectation and in the attempt to prove from the Scriptures that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead (Acts 2:22-36; 13:26-39; 17:2-3; 18:4-5). No one struggled with this conundrum more than Paul. His own success rate among his people was so low that it caused him "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" (Rom 9:1-3). The "why" of this state of affairs was something that constantly preyed on his mind. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 is a brief version of Paul's lengthier reflections in Romans 9—11.

The Bible Panorama

2 Corinthians 3

V 1–3: SELF-COMMENDATION Paul refers to letters of introduction, often used to assure new churches that those coming to them are authentic Christians. Initially, the false apostles commended themselves. Paul says he needs no letter of commendation when coming to the Corinthian church, because they themselves are his letter of commendation. They are saved because he has been there with the gospel.

 V 4–6: SPIRIT’S CONFIDENCE He quickly adds that his confidence is not based on self-effort, but on what the Holy Spirit has done. His confidence comes because of God’s action through Christ.

V 7–11: STRIKING COMPARISON He then compares the fading glory on Moses’ face after the Ten Commandments were given, with the surpassing lasting glory through the gospel. The Ten Commandments condemn men, but the gospel saves them.

V 12–18: SUPERIOR COVENANT The Old Testament covenant can never unveil a person’s spiritual blindness. That only happens through God the Holy Spirit, when He gives understanding, transforming power, and glory through faith in Christ.

Give me a man of God—one man,

Whose faith is master of his mind,

And I will right all wrongs

And bless the name of all mankind.

Give me a man of God—one man,

Whose tongue is touched with heaven’s fire,

And I will flame the darkest hearts

With high resolve and clean desire.

Give me a man of God—one man,

One mighty prophet of the Lord,

And I will give you peace on earth,

Bought with a prayer and not a sword.

Give me a man of God—…one man,

True to the vision that he sees,

And I will build your broken shrines

And bring the nations to their knees.

- George Liddell

Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, “Yes, but— suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about . . . ?” Or we say, “Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn’t go against my common sense, but don’t ask me to take a step in the dark.”

Oswald Chambers

Dictionary of Bible Themes

7944 ministry, qualifications for

God, who calls his people to minister, also equips his people. The chief qualifications are a response to God’s call, faithfulness, godliness and Christlikeness.

God calls people to minister

Qualification is by call, not gifting or achievement Dt 7:7-8 See also Dt 9:4-5

God calls those who the world regards as weak or foolish 1Co 1:27-29

Feelings of inadequacy to God’s call are common Ex 3:11 Moses; Jdg 6:15 Gideon; 1Sa 9:21 Saul; 1Sa 18:18 David; 1Ki 3:7 Solomon; Isa 6:5 Isaiah; Jer 1:6 Jeremiah

Responding to God’s call to minister

Readiness and availability 1Sa 3:10; Isa 6:8

Faith, rather than natural talent or moral perfection, is required Heb 11:1-2 See also Ge 27:19-24 Jacob was a deceiver; Nu 27:12-14 Moses and Aaron disobeyed God. David committed adultery and murder: 2Sa 11:4,14-15

1Ki 11:9-13 Solomon disobeyed God’s command.

NT ministers are recognised by call rather than their achievement

The Twelve Mt 10:1-4 pp Mk 3:14-19 pp Lk 6:12-16 The Twelve, including Peter and Judas, failed Jesus Christ at critical times.

Paul Ac 9:15; Ac 26:6; 2Co 4:7-12; 2Co 12:7 Though greatly gifted, Paul was kept humble by his sense of unworthiness, difficulties and disappointments and his “thorn in the flesh”; 1Ti 1:16

Ministry in the NT is described as service

Serving God Ro 1:9; Jas 1:1

Serving Jesus Christ Ro 1:1; Jude 1; Rev 1:1

Serving the gospel Eph 3:7; Col 1:23

Serving the church Ro 15:31; Ro 16:1; 1Co 16:15; 2Co 9:1; Eph 6:21; Col 1:7,25

Ministry is described in terms of its source, content or nature

Its source It is of the Spirit: 2Co 3:6,8

2Co 4:1 It is from God.

Its content Ac 6:2-4 the word of God; 2Co 5:18 reconciliation

Its nature Apostolic: Ac 1:25; Gal 2:8

Ro 15:16 priestly

Various ministries are equally linked by qualifications of character

Ac 1:21 the replacement for Judas; Ac 6:3 the Seven Overseers: 1Ti 3:2-7; Tit 1:7-9

1Ti 3:8-13 deacons; 1Ti 6:11 Timothy

The personal qualifications for ministry

Faithfulness 1Ti 6:11-14 Timothy; 2Ti 4:7 Paul’s claim for his own ministry “faithful” is the sole description of the ministries of Epaphras and Tychicus: Col 1:7; Col 4:7

Godliness Ac 8:21 Simon was not right with God. Timothy: 1Ti 6:11,20-21

Christlikeness Ac 1:21-22 The replacement apostle for Judas had to have been with Jesus Christ from the beginning.

Encyclopedia of The Bible

MINISTRY.

B. NT terms. When we turn to the NT, we are struck immediately by the obliteration of the OT distinction between professional and non-professional religious service, for here sacerdotalism has yielded to a universal priesthood constituted by Christ and shared alike by all who are united to Him in the bonds of a living faith (Phil 2:17; 1 Pet 2:5, 9; Rev 1:5, 6; 5:10; 20:6). Since there is no longer any elite priestly caste, but ministry is essentially and equally the privileged vocation of all, priestly language generally is applied to the body of believers as a whole.

The NT employs a variety of terms in connection with differing types and functions of ministry, both general and particular. Although each term has its own special shade of meaning, there is considerable overlapping in usage, so that even from a single point of view any number of these terms may be used to designate a particular ministration, or the one who performs it.

1. The most common NT term for ministry is διακονεῖν with its correlates. Originally signifying the service of a table waiter (cf. Luke 12:37; 17:8; John 12:2), in classical Gr. the word generally has a menial connotation. In the NT, however, where the root idea is supplying beneficial service, διακονεῖν is dignified by the highest associations and employed with a wide range of application. Christian apostles are ministers of Christ (1 Cor 3:5; 1 Tim 1:12), while even heathen magistrates are ministers of God (Rom 13:4). Angels are ministering spirits sent forth to serve the heirs of salvation (Heb 1:14). Paul says that Christ became a minister to the circumcised (Rom 15:8), while Jesus described Himself as “one who serves” (Luke 22:27). By contrast with the old ministry of the law which was a ministry of condemnation, a new ministry of the Spirit has now been inaugurated as a ministry of righteousness (2 Cor 3:7-9).

In relation to the Christian community διακονεῖν is used to denote: (1) discipleship in general (John 12:26); (2) the full sweep of ministrations and activities by means of which Christ’s work is carried on in the Church and in the world (Acts 21:19; 1 Cor 16:15; Eph 4:11; Col 4:17; 2 Tim 4:5); (3) the preaching and teaching of the Word (Acts 6:4); (4) a special divine “gift” for various spiritual and temporal services (Rom 12:7; 1 Cor 12:5); (5) specific benevolent ministries such as the distribution of welfare assistance in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 6:1), and contributions from Gentile churches for impoverished believers at Jerusalem (2 Cor 8:4); (6) personal services like those which Tychicus rendered to Paul (Eph 6:21); (7) the office of deacon (Phil 1:1; 1 Tim 3:8, 12).

III. The nature and purpose of ministry

A. Ministry as mission. All ministry, whether of Christ or the Church, is divine in its origin and sanction. In the fourth gospel Jesus characteristically refers to Himself as having been sent by God, thereby claiming both a general divine commission and specific divine authority for utterances and actions which sometimes outraged the religious scruples of His contemporaries (John 5:36, 37; 6:29ff.; 7:28, 29, etc.; cf. Matt 15:24; Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; 10:16). He employs the same language when commissioning His disciples to carry on His ministry after His Ascension (John 20:21). The Church’s ministry is a mission, and in rendering its service to the world the Church demonstrates its obedience to the command of its Lord (Matt 28:18-20).

B. Ministry as service. To describe the Church’s ministry, the NT writers chose out of various possibilities the word διακονία, G1355, a familiar term for lowly service, which they apply indiscriminately to the service of all believers alike. The comprehensiveness of this term is brought out by its wealth of association in the NT. Apostles and their co-workers are διάκονοι of God (2 Cor 6:4; 1 Thess 3:2), of Christ (2 Cor 11:23; Col 1:7; 1 Tim 4:6), of a new covenant (2 Cor 3:6), of the Gospel (Eph 3:7; Col 1:23), of the Church (1:24, 25), or in an absolute sense (1 Cor 3:5; Eph 6:21; Col 4:7). Ministry likewise is a διακονία, G1355, of apostleship (Acts 1:17, 25), of the Word (Acts 6:4), of the Spirit (2 Cor 3:8), of righteousness (3:9), of reconciliation (5:18), of serving tables (Acts 6:2), and of financial aid for fellow believers in distress (2 Cor 8:4; cf. 8:19, 20). It is received from the Lord (Col 4:17), who calls all His followers to participate in it (Eph 4:12). It should be noted that Christian ministry is not exclusively oriented to the spiritual, but encompasses the physical dimensions of life as well (cf. Rom 15:25).

The spirit of humility which animates Christian ministry, already evident in the term διακονία, G1355, is intensified when believers are called “slaves” of Christ and of God (Acts 4:29; 1 Cor 7:22; 1 Pet 2:16; cf. Rom 12:11; 1 Thess 1:9). No ground for human vanity and pride remains when even apostles bear the name of slave (Rom 1:1; James 1:1; Jude 1). Yet where gratitude reigns in hearts redeemed by the Lord who took the lowest place of service in love (Phil 2:7, 8), offering His life as a ransom for His own (Mark 10:45), even the calling to be His slave is gladly embraced as the noblest, most privileged vocation of all.

B. The charismatic character of ministry. The NT identifies all forms of ministry as divine “gifts” (χάρισμα, G5922, “grace-gift”) of the ascended Lord who bestows them on the Church through His Spirit (Eph 4:7-12). These gifts, which are wholly of grace—the same grace which is the source of the believer’s justification

1. Necessity. Possession of a supernatural endowment of the Spirit is indispensable for effective ministry. The NT envisions no possibility of service whatever apart from the Spirit’s gifts. It is misleading, therefore, to distinguish between so-called “charismatic ministries” (prophecy, tongues, miracles, etc.) and “non-charismatic” ministerial orders (elder and deacon). All of the essential functions associated with ministerial orders in the NT are included in the Pauline catalogues of spiritual gifts (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:4-11, 28-31; 14:1ff.; Eph 4:11, 12). The same apostle further regarded elders, who presumably held their office by some manner of human selection and ordination, as appointed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28). Since the apostolic Church required satisfactory evidence that a person was filled with the Holy Spirit before entrusting him with the most ordinary service (6:3), one may assume that candidates for official ministerial orders were chosen from among those persons in whom the Spirit’s gifts were most conspicuous. In any event, all ministry is charismatic, so that it is the Spirit’s gifts which decisively qualify men for service.

2. Diversity. All gifts originate with the same Spirit; however, they display a diversity which accords with the division of labor within the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:4-11). The grace of the Spirit assumes many varieties of forms and flows through many different channels. Although useful in their own right, not all gifts are of equal value. Paul regarded tongues, for example, as inferior to prophecy (1 Cor 14:1-5), while esteeming love as the highest gift of all (1 Cor 13, which follows without interruption the detailed discussion of gifts in ch. 12).

3. Universality. Just as every organ in the human body performs its own unique function, so every member of the body of Christ has his special contribution to make to the well-being and usefulness of the whole (1 Cor 12:7; Eph 4:7, 16; 1 Pet 4:10). The NT is entirely innocent of the common distinction between clergy and laity, which regards the clergy as “ministers” and the laity as mere spectators. Laity (λαός, G3295) means “the people of God” and embraces all members of Christ’s body, while all members are His servants. In sovereign freedom the Spirit distributes to individual believers the gifts that render their service possible (1 Cor 12:11). While the same believer may possess multiple endowments (2 Tim 1:11), there is no monopoly of the Spirit’s gifts. Every believer has one gift or more, held in trust for the common good.

4. Sufficiency. All ministry is designed to build up the body of Christ in living union with its Head (1 Cor 14:3ff.; Eph 4:11, 12). Determined in accordance with this purpose, the Spirit’s gifts are by their very nature and bestowal the pledge and guarantee of its fulfillment. Nothing else is needed. Drawing on its vast wealth of spiritual resources the ministering Church advances toward its completeness in Christ.

C. Varieties of spiritual gifts. Of the several passages in which Paul catalogues the Spirit’s gifts three deserve special notice. Romans 12:6-8 lists prophecy, service (διακονία, G1355), teaching, exhortation, liberality, giving of aid (“rule,” KJV, or “management”), and acts of mercy. 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 mentions apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in tongues, and interpreters of tongues. Ephesians 4:11, 12 specifies apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

4. Teachers and Pastors. That persons who had the gift of teaching were highly esteemed in the apostolic Church is evident from their association with apostles and prophets (Acts 13:1; 1 Cor 14:28; cf. 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11). Including women in their number (Titus 2:3-5), they gave instruction in matters of Christian faith and ethical duty. In the Gentile churches esp. they trained converts from paganism in the knowledge and interpretation of the OT, while they also expounded the words of Jesus and the apostolic doctrine contained in the growing body of tradition. They sometimes actively participated in the services of worship (1 Cor 14:26), but much of their ministry was conducted more informally among groups of believers. In Ephesians 4:11 teachers are also called “pastors” (ποιμήν, G4478, “shepherd”), a term which suggests general oversight of a local congregation, as well as instruction.

SOVEREIGN GOD,

Thy cause, not my own, engages my heart,

      and I appeal to thee with greatest freedom

  to set up thy kingdom in every place

    where Satan reigns;

Glorify thyself and I shall rejoice,

  for to bring honour to thy name is my sole desire.

I adore thee that thou art God,

  and long that others should know it, feel it,

    and rejoice in it.

O that all men might love and praise thee,

  that thou mightest have all glory

    from the intelligent world!

Let sinners be brought to thee for thy dear name!

To the eye of reason everything respecting

    the conversion of others is as dark as midnight,

But thou canst accomplish great things;

  the cause is thine,

  and it is to thy glory that men should be saved.

Lord, use me as thou wilt,

  do with me what thou wilt;

    but, O, promote thy cause,

  let thy kingdom come,

  let thy blessed interest be advanced

    in this world!

O do thou bring in great numbers to Jesus!

  let me see that glorious day,

  and give me to grasp for multitudes of souls;

  let me be willing to die to that end;

  and while I live let me labour for thee

    to the utmost of my strength,

    spending time profitably in this work,

    both in health and in weakness.

It is thy cause and kingdom I long for,

    not my own.

Valley of Vision, Banner of Truth

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" —Isaiah 6:8

When we talk about the call of God, we often forget the most important thing, namely, the nature of Him who calls. There are many things calling each of us today. Some of these calls will be answered, and others will not even be heard. The call is the expression of the nature of the One who calls, and we can only recognize the call if that same nature is in us. The call of God is the expression of God’s nature, not ours. God providentially weaves the threads of His call through our lives, and only we can distinguish them. It is the threading of God’s voice directly to us over a certain concern, and it is useless to seek another person’s opinion of it. Our dealings over the call of God should be kept exclusively between ourselves and Him.

The call of God is not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God. But when God brings me into the right relationship with Himself, I will be in the same condition Isaiah was. Isaiah was so attuned to God, because of the great crisis he had just endured, that the call of God penetrated his soul. The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says. But to be brought to the place where we can hear the call of God is to be profoundly changed.

Ephesians 4:11-16English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[a] and teachers,[b] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[c] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Read more of the series here

The Purpose of Preaching, 2 Corinthians 4 NLT. The In-depth Series