Moses and his veil

Listening to: Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz

Moses did not wear his veil when he was speaking to YHWH or when he was speaking to Israel the words of YHWH (Exodus 34). When he was acting as mediator he was unveiled, when he wasn't he was veiled.

The veil is like the curtain of the temple separating God from humanity, hiding his glory because of our sinfulness. Like the Tabernacle this hiding of God was both a judgement and a grace. It was judgement because it was a barrier between the God of life and us, but it was a grace because the glory of God is lethal to people on whom guilt still rests. That is why the people were afraid when they saw the glory (v.30), just as they were afraid when the law was given at Sinai (20:18).

Following Christ's death God has torn the curtain and the veil is no longer put in place by God because the glory of God is unveiled in the face of Christ. However, Satan veils this glory (2 Cor 4), and for people whose minds are hardened the veil lies not over the face of Christ but over their hearts (2 Cor 3:14).

Why should we not be afraid now that God is unveiled to us? Why can we be confident (v. 4) and bold (v.12) in approaching God? The reason is that (just as for Paul and his ministry), our sufficiency comes from God (v.5). We are made sufficient, by the Spirit (vv. 6, 17, 18) who Christ pours out on us following his death, resurrection and ascension.

It was not that we didn't see God in the law. There was glory there (v.9), but the glory in the face of Christ is superior because it permanently brings the Spirit, life and righteousness (vv.6, 9), rather than temporarily bringing the letter, death and condemnation.

Because Christ is now the mediator, not human beings like Moses or Paul, we don't proclaim ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord (4:5).

With thanks to Bill Dumbrell and John Piper, who may not agree with all this. I still don't understand 2 Cor 3:13 though. Help gratefully received.

Reconciliation - notes and questions

Listening to: Caitlin Rose: Own Side Now

"God... through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

This passage has been going round my head a lot lately.

Notes:

• Relationship to the Father as sons is the goal achieved by reconciliation.
• Paul does not say, "God is reconciled to you, now please be reconciled to him"... Paul never says that in his letters, although that is usually how we present the Gospel ('God has moved toward you, now move toward him' is poor). Instead Paul says that in Christ, the representative man, the new humanity has been reconciled to God! As Torrance says, the covenant has been fulfilled from both sides already.
• Nevertheless, there is a note of urgency as out of "fear of the Lord" Paul seeks to "persuade", "appeal" and "implore" his hearers to be reconciled.

Questions (a big plea for help!):

• How does verse 19 differ from verse 18? "reconciled" v. "reconciling", "us" v. "world", "through Christ" v. "in Christ", "giving" v. "entrusting", "ministry" v. "message"... what's the significance?
• How does this passage compare with Romans 5:10, "we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.... now that we are reconciled [past, linked to death], shall we be saved by his life [future, linked to life]"? ... cf. also 2 Timothy 2:11: "If we have died with him [past, death], we will also live with him [future, life]" (also Romans 6:8)

Paul's boasting before the judgment seat of Christ

Paul tells asks the Thessalonians "what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

Similarly he finds the Philippians his "joy and crown" too (Philippians 4:1). But on Judgement Day Paul will even boast about the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 1:14), for all their problems.

When he says that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:10), I think the context demands we see "what he has done" as primarily the results of his missionary work. If that is the case it is striking how 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 parallels Philippians 3:20-4:1. In both Paul looks forward to Christ's second coming, bemoans his current mortal body, but anticipates receiving a new resurrection body, and finally looks forward to boasting in the churches he has planted.

Giving in 2 Corinthians 8-9

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:1 that it is "superfluous" for him to write to the Corinthian church "about the ministry for the saints", despite spending a whole 2 chapters of his letter doing just that!

But despite him using a lot of words I have often found 2 Corinthians 8-9 a little confusing because I have never quite understand how he was seeking to get the Corinthians to give to the Jerusalem church. He doesn't directly command them to give (8:8) and doesn't want to compel them (9:7) but instead he wants them to give willingly and cheerfully (9:5,7). But the route he takes to produce their cheerful giving seems strange to me.

He seems to employ a number indirect encouragements to them be generous. Firstly, he inspires/shames them by the example of the poorer Macedonian churches (the 'Northerner's' as my pastor helpfully described them). He draws a parallel between their giving and Jesus' giving of himself for them (8:9). He also explains that their giving will be an outward proof their love (8:24); stating that he confidently believes that they do already have that love (not far off the charity collectors in the city centre whose opening gambit is often "you look like you care about animals"). He then warns them that they'll be humiliated along with him if they haven't come through with the goods by the time the Macedonians arrive (9:4). But then he seems suspiciously un-trusting when he says he is sending Titus and others to check they get started immediately (9:5). Finally, he seems anticipate the American televangelists and appeals to greed when he says that if they give generously they'll "reap bountifully" as a result (9:6).

Feeling confused about this mixture of encouragements, I've been wondering if there is any underlying structure to Paul's thought on why Christians should give generously? Also, given he seems unlikely to be a believer in the prosperity gospel, I've wondered how Paul understands the harvest that Christian givers will receive? What does it consist of? Is it received now, or in the life to come?

1. The gift of giving

The first and last verses of the section give some indication of the answer to these questions. Paul explains that "the grace of God" has been "given among the churches of Macedonia" (8:1). The first act of giving that Paul mentions in this chapter is a gift given by God. If you trace the word "grace" and what God is described as giving through the two chapters you find that what has been given by God is all the elements of generosity: the caring desire (8:16), the ability to give (9:8) and the act itself (8:4-5). God is able and willing to give Christians "all things" so that they "abound in every good work" (9:8). We are "enriched in every way to be generous in every way" (9:11). God "supplies seed to the sower" so that it can be thrown away.

Paul is not just saying that God has given us money, time etc so we should be free in giving what we have been given. He is saying that these things have been given as part of the larger gift which is that of giving. Giving is not just a response to receiving good (although it is that), or a means of obtaining good (although it is that as well), it is itself a benefit to the giver (8:10). That is why the Macedonians begged "earnestly for the favour [or 'grace'] of taking part in the relief of the saints" (8:4). So while it is easy to think of giving as a either a work we do in gratitude, or as a necessary burden to bring about something good, we shouldn't view as such a poor thing.

I remember being struck when reading Martin Luther's Treatise on Good Works because of his frequent expressions of joy at just how many good works there are for us to do. I would like as few demands on me as possible, but Luther seems to find it wonderful that I will never reach the end of my to-do list:

How splendidly God shows us all good works so near at hand, in such a variety and so continuously that we need not ask for good works to do and could well forget all those works devised by men the showy, far-flung works, such as making pilgrimages. (p.180, Treatise on Good Works, in Selected Writings of Martin Luther ed. T.G. Tappert)

Luther comments that we are blind to the opportunities to do good that surround us everywhere. But if we opened our eyes we would see we could be "rich...in good works in a short time" and that opportunities to do good works "are abundantly present in all places, in all walks of life, and at all times" (p.181, ibid). If only we saw the opportunities to serve as a privilege and a treasure we had been given!

If God is so generous in his giving that means we don't stress that we can't do any good until we are in 'the place God wants me', 'a church which uses my gifts' or 'a job that fits the skills I've been given'. Neither do we need to worry that we don't have any talents that would be useful, the money to make a difference, or the words to say in that situation. We need to hear that "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (8:9)! ...although, of course, if our 'concerns' were only excuses then we may be disappointed to learn they not obstacles to us giving.

In conclusion, Paul is saying firstly that we should recognise giving as a wonderful gift, and secondly, we should not worry that we will exhaust our opportunities to give by running out of money, energy or time because God will keep providing all you need to be continually giving.

2. Thanksgiving to God because of the giver

Once we sift out the references to receiving the gift of giving (and all the subsidiary gifts that entails), I found it clearer what the result of our giving is.

In the first place Paul says it is "of your righteousness" (9:10) and a "righteousness [that] endures forever" (9:9). Considering the context of the quote from Psalm 112, Paul's repeated references to the Corinthians externally proving their love, and how he and others will evaluate them by their giving, it seems Paul is talking about how the knowledge of their righteous giving will last. It is a harvest of other people's thoughts and praise - something Paul is often quite unashamed about saying we should care about. He himself is concerned that he appears "honourable [...] in the sight of man" (8:21).

But, that honour in the sight of others is only good if it is in the right context. As the Corinthians' giving is itself a gift, the right context is of thanks to God who gave the Corinthians the heart and ability to give. "Thanksgiving to God" who is the the ultimate giver, is the ultimate purpose behind giving (9:11-14). The needs of people are being met by giving, but that is not the end of the story if they then thank God for the giving they have received.

However, this God-centred desire to seeing God praised may seem to be in conflict with Paul's other concern that the Corinthians' have a good reputation. We may think of the line in the hymn which prays that "As I seek the lost to win / [...] they forget the channel / Seeing only Him", and think the Corinthians should want to be forgotten. But in Psalm 112 and 2 Corinthians seeing God as the ultimate giver is actually the only way that the channel will ever be remembered. Like all our salvation, it is united to Christ as the head that we do not become nothing but endure. Paul displays this in his relationship with Titus. You cannot come away from 2 Corinthians unaware of Paul's affection and respect for Titus. But this only serves to honour God more as Paul thanks God for him (8:16; cf. 7:6).

But it must be remembered that it is God's glory is what Paul longs for more than anything, and it is a challenge to share that passion. There are lots of good reasons to give, but like the Macedonian churches we should give ourselves "first to the Lord" and his glory, "and then by the will of God" to others (8:5).

So at the end of this rambling post I hope you can see with me that, as is so often the case, Paul's exclamation at the end of his section of thought sums up his central concerns throughout. At the end of chapters 8-9 Paul shouts with a passion I pray I can share:

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

[NB. My Pastor preached on 2 Corinthians 8-9 last Sunday and you can listen to his sermon. I am gladly leaning on him, as well as some conversations with friends since; but as you may be able to tell I've also been wrestling with this passage a bit myself this week so any shortcomings are probably mine. If you can see that I've got the wrong end of the stick or missed something important then please let me know.]

Living witnesses to the Gospel

What kind of life commends the Gospel?

My stock answer would be something like Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:6: "by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love". In short, by 'the good life'.

But that isn't the whole picture. As Paul himself says in that passage it is also by "great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger" (vv. 4-5). We commend the Gospel by suffering! I don't often hear that or say that, and I think that is because I'm a closet theologian of glory.

Sinning less is how I see us commending the Gospel. But that isn't a rounded New Testament picture. In many ways it is by appearing foolish, weak and bad in the world's eyes that the Gospel is most proclaimed. Not by seeming to be wise, strong and holy.

Although this does not flow seamlessly, PT Forsyth has his own problem with the idea that it is by sinning less that we commend the Gospel:

The difference between the Christian and the world is not that the world sins and the Christian does not. It suits the world to think that it is; because it offers a handy whip to scourge the Church’s consistency while resenting its demands. But such a distinction is no part of the Church's claim. Nor does it mark off the Christian’s worldly years from his life in Christ. A difference of that kind is merely in quantity — all the sin on the one side, none of it on the other. But the real difference (I must say often) is not in quantity; it is in quality. It is not in the number of sins, but in the attitude toward sin and the things called sin. It is in the man's sympathies, his affinities; it is in his conscience, his verdict on sin, his treatment of it — whether the world's or his own.

(p.109, God the Holy Father)

So both in respect of our physical lives, and our moral lives, it is also being put to death (in the physical body by others, and the moral 'body' by ourselves) that we point people to Christ.

As Paul said "We are...always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" (4:8-10).

Three legs of a stool

Last Saturday I went to Leicester for a training day on running Christianity Explored. It was very helpful and energizing. In the first session we looked at three biblical foundations of evangelism with particular focus on 2 Corinthians 4:1-6:

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

These are my notes.

A. GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY

Conversion is seeing knowing or seeing the glory of God in the face of Christ. It is seeing the true identity of Jesus.

This is an act of new creation comparable to the original creation. The same God who spoke words to create light, also effects this opening of our eyes.

Consequences if we do not rely on our sovereign God

1. The results of evangelism are our own. This has two further consequences:

> We either become proud; or

> We breakdown with the pressure.

2. Prayer is neglected

3. We feel that we have to change the Gospel to get results.

B. GOSPEL INTEGRITY

We should not preach ourselves, our own personal opinions, but Jesus who is outside ourselves.

We should not distort or underplay any part of the Gospel message, but be open about the whole truth.

Consequences if we do not present the Gospel with integrity

1. We point people to us and our ideas rather than to Jesus.

2. We lead people to eternal destruction.

3. We do not prepare people for the cost of the Christian life (e.g. Gospel tract).

4. We produce Christian hypocrites

C. OUR CREATIVITY

We should seek to serve everyone by being creative in seeking to reach as many people as possible (1 Corinthians 9:13-23). Requires energy and time to be devoted to thinking imaginatively and strategically.

Consequences if we are not creative

1. We do not limit those who we can reach.

2. We make people think that they are a 'target' because we give the impression that becoming Christian is becoming like us.

3. We make the Gospel seem irrelevant and make it difficult for people to apply it to their lives.

D. CONCLUSION

Ask yourself which component of evangelism are you particularly weak on?

Who do you need to listen to in your church to improve in that area?