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2 Coríntios 5

John Piper · Citado em PreceptAustin

2 Coríntios 5:10

Piper - first 3 chapters only - about 27 pages of a total of 180 pages SOME QUESTIONABLE TEACHING REGARDING THE BEMA SEAT Erwin Lutzer is an excellent writer on a number of subjects but he made some statements about the Bema Seat in his book Your Eternal Reward about which as a Berean I have some serious reservations. Here is what Lutzer wrote in his explanation under the subtopic of losing rewards... To possess eternal life you simply need faith in Christ; to truly inherit it, you need faith and obedience. (Joseph C. Dillow, The Reign of the Servant Kings - be wary of Dillow's teaching - see gotquestions.org) If we keep in mind that to “inherit eternal life,” or to “inherit” the kingdom, is an extra reward for faithful service, we will read many passages of Scripture differently. Lutzer is referring to Ephesians 5:5 which says "For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Lutzer believes that this passage describes true believers who practice the sins mentioned, and because of such practice they will "inherit eternal life" but will not "inherit the kingdom." This is a misinterpretation of Paul and makes no sense for John in describing all believers in Rev 5:10 says Christ has made us to "a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” That certainly sounds like all believers will be kings which of course implies a kingdom. Jesus said "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 5:3) The poor in spirit are believers. And to the overcomer Jesus promises a similar reward declaring " I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Rev 3:21) In Rev 2:26 Jesus promises the overcomer "to him I will give authority over the nations." That sounds like the overcomers inherit a kingdom. And recall that overcomers are not some elite class of believers but a description of every individual that "believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1Jn 5:4-5) And finally, in Rev 20:6 John writes "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection (ALL BELIEVERS); over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years." Lutzer's interpretation that there will be "haves" and "have nots" in Heaven because some believers will not inherit the kingdom is Scripturally indefensible and in my opinion should be disregarded! Lutzer even compounds his error by using Paul's long list of sins in Galatians 5:19-21 to say Paul is speaking "of those who will forfeit certain kingdom privileges because of their sinful lifestyle." Beloved, that is absolutely false and is twisting the meaning of Paul's words! Paul in fact is warning those "who practice (habitually, as their lifestyle, continually) such things" that they "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Paul is clearly stating that those who continually practice this long list of sins are not born again, not genuine believers. Let me give you a few comments from other men on the true interpretation of Ephesians 5:5 (and the same could be done for Gal 5:19-21): Harold Hoehner - Paul sternly warned believers that the reason they are to abstain from evil deeds (specifically, immorality, impurity, and greed; cf. vv. 3 and 5) is that those who practice them are not a part of God's kingdom. (Dr Harold Hoehner, Director of Th.D. Studies - The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty) Warren

2 Coríntios 5:17

Piper reminds us that…And the work of Christ in Whom we have our righteousness is a complete and perfect work. It does not get better with time. And we are united to Christ at once, through our first faith, not progressively. No one is half in and half out. And if we are in Christ, all that He is He is for us - from the very first instant of faith. This is wonderful news for sinners who face a long haul in becoming in life what we are in Christ. (The Purpose and Perseverance of Faith) (Bolding Added) Zodhiates says that…When you are in Christ, you are not merely professors of His name, learners of His doctrine, followers of His example, or sharers of His gifts. You are not merely men and women ransomed by His death or destined for His glory. These external connections exemplify how your individual life relates to Christ's in the same way that one man's life may relate to another's by the effect of what he teaches, gives, or does. Paul says to the Corinthians and to all born-again believers, In your case, your life is not merely external, that is, "just like" His life, parallel to His. You are actually in Christ, and He is in you. This is something unique that Christ does for those who accept Him. (Zodhiates Corinthians Commentary Series) James Denney - This is the first passage in 2 Corinthians in which this Pauline formula for a Christian — a man in Christ — is used. It denotes the most intimate possible union, a union in which the believer’s faith identifies him with Jesus in His death and resurrection, so that he can say, “I live no longer, but Christ lives in me.” (Expositor's Bible - 2Corinthians 5:16, 17 The New World) Albert Barnes…The phrase, to "be in Christ," evidently means to be united to Christ by faith; or to be in Him as the branch is in the Vine--that is, so united to the Vine, or so in it, as to derive all its nourishment and support from it, and to be sustained entirely by it. John 15:2, "Every branch in me;" John 15:4, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." See also John 15:5, 6, 7. To be "in Christ" denotes a more tender and close union; and implies that all our support is from Him. All our strength is derived from Him; and denotes further that we shall partake of His fulness, and share in His felicity and glory, as the branch partakes of the strength and rigor of the parent vine. Guy King in his exposition of Philippians comments on the phrase in Christ writing that… Herein lay (a) Their (referring to the saints at Philippi but applicable to saints of all places and ages!) protection from evil life. The moral condition of a heathen city would be a constant peril to any new converts, especially as they themselves had but just recently come out of that very heathenism. Philippi may not have been so utterly debased as Corinth, or Rome, but its atmosphere must have been a subversive influence threatening any who would live pure and true. Yet, they could be kept safe. Christians must, of course, remain in such hostile surroundings, for CHRIST must have there, as Mt 5:13, 14- (note v13; v14) teaches, the salt, the light, and the testimony. So He Himself prays "not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil", John 17:15. That keeping, that protection, is ministered to us in the fact of our being, not only "in the world", but more closely, in Christ. A shipwrecked man writes a message, and throws it into the sea, in the hope that it may reach some shore. But will not the water damage and destroy it? No; for, while it is cast into the sea, it is first sealed in a bottle - and so it arrives. Yes; in Philippi, with all its destructive influences, but in Christ - so they are secure, and so, in spite of all antagonistic forces, they arrive at "the haven where they would be." Herein lay also (b) Their possibility of holy life. We are called not only to a negative but to a positive life - "eschew (abstain from) evil, and do good", as 1Pe 3:11 (note) says. But how can a holy life be lived in such unholy surroundings? Mark that little water-spider going down to the bottom of that pond. It doesn't really belong there, even as we believers are: "in the world" … but not of it, John 17:11, 16. The little creature has the queer, and amazing, ability of weaving a bubble of air around itself, and hidden in that it is able to pursue its way even amid such inimical conditions - in the water, but in the bubble! So we come back to our glorious truth - in Philippi, but in Christ; then even in the midst of the most uncongenial surroundings, the Christ-life can be lived. (King, Guy: Joy Way: An Exposition of the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, 1952, Christian Literature Crusade - Pdf) (Bolding added) Guy King in his commentary on Colossians comments on their earthly and supernatural positions explaining… Oh yes, I know they were at Colossae - breathing the fetid atmosphere of this typically pagan city. How could the fair flowers of fidelity and holiness flourish in such a place? Only because they enjoyed the nearer, purer air of being in Christ. The clever little water beetle is able to live in the muddy bed of the pond because it has the gift of weaving around itself a bubble of air. Thus it takes its own atmosphere down with it. I often invert a "let's pretend" story of a man shipwrecked on a desert island, who, happening to have his fountain pen still in his pocket, decides to write a message on a large island leaf to send to his people. Having thrown it into the sea, he could then only wait, and hope for the best. But, silly man, the leaf will soon be pulped and the message obliterated by the ocean. Oh, I forgot to mention that on his island he happened to find a bottle with a sealing top. So his SOS reached home, and led to his rescue, because though it was in the sea, it was in the bottle. Yes, although these Christians were in that Colossian sea of iniquity, they were kept safe and saintly because they were "in Christ". It is one of Paul's chief inspired conceptions, so often reiterated through all his correspondence, that we are "in Him", "in the Lord", "in Christ". What amazing privilege and prediction is here! "Christ in you, the hope of glory", he says in Colossians 1:27 (+); and now it is the other side of the blessed truth: you in CHRIST, the hope of safety. (Colossians 1:1-2 His Tactful Approach - Pdf) Excerpts from Wayne Barber's notes on Ephesians (Ephesians 1:1-3 Sermon Notes) as he discusses the concept of "in Christ"… ("In" is the Greek preposition "en" which) means we remain (abide, dwell, live) "in"… Christ Jesus… Any ability we have in the Christian life to be faithful before God (Ep 1:1-+ "saints… faithful in Christ Jesus")… is not of us. It’s because we are in Christ Jesus. And as a result of us being in Him, He in turn is in us. That is the only way any man can be faithful or dependable. It’s only as he is willing to submit and cooperate with that which is in the person that is in him. Look at John 14:18, 19, 20… We see evidence of Christ doing what He said He would do in His faithfulness by how the Ephesian believers were able… If you ever see anything good in me, you know… It didn’t come from me. It came from He Who is in me and Whose I am (and Who I am in). It came from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It’s the same with you… When you see something in me that is good, remember it is not me, it must be Christ in me… The ability to be faithful as well as any other ability concerning our responsibilities to Christ is an ability that comes from our being in Him and Him being in us. (Wayne gives a practical illustration of in Christ asking) What does it mean to be faithful in Christ Jesus? (Ep 1:1-+) Well, watch those little things in your life. Sometimes faithfulness is not seen before the failure. Sometimes faithfulness is more clearly seen after the failure, when you have messed up. What do you do when you have messed up? Do you go around talking about other believers? Do you criticize them as if you were the standard? Do you repeat things when you don’t even have the information yourself? Do you second guess others? Are you busy with this kind of lifestyle? How can you call yourself faithful in Christ Jesus? You are not. You may be a saint. But you’re not a "saintly saint"! You are not living as God wants you to live. In Ephesians 4-6 Paul has to instruct, exhort and encourage the Ephesian believers. Why did he have to encourage them if they were already perfect? Faithfulness does not mean perfection. It is a measure of a person’s character. It is a love for the love of the Lord Jesus Christ (cp His constraining love - 2Co 5:14-+). So it points to the character of one who is a believer who is faithful in Christ Jesus. (Speaking of all "spiritual blessings" in Ep 1:3 Wayne reminds us that) Everything you have is in a Person, and His name is Jesus. And if you’ll come to Him and bow down to Him, you will begin experience inwardly what you’ve been looking for all along. The key is a repentant heart. When you are ready to bow, at that very moment, you attain access to the things that are yours in Christ Jesus because they’re all available in Christ. The problem with most of us is, we look for these things ("spiritual blessings") in everywhere except where they are found… And if we don’t have our needs met spiritually in Christ, they’ll never be met anywhere else. That’s the key. (Ephesians 1:1-3; see also Wayne's notes on Ep 1:4 Chosen in Christ ) F B Meyer in his "Devotional Commentary of Ephesians" explains "in Him" writing that… THE sponge, as it expands in its native seas, is in the clear warm water; and the water is in it. Thus there is a double In-ness between the Lord and the soul that loves Him. He is in the believer, as the sap is in the vine, and the spirit of energetic life in the body. But, in a very deep and blessed sense, the believer is in Christ. Of each of these sides of this marvellous truth there are many illustrations in this Epistle, so specially devoted to the study of the preposition in. We are dealing now with those passages only that assure us, as believers, of being in the Beloved. WE ARE IN CHRIST, IN THE FATHER'S THOUGHT (Ep 1:3, 4, 9, 11-see notes Ep 1:3; Ep 1:4, Ep 1:9, Ep 1:11) The disclosures made to the apostle Paul of God's hidden things, hidden from ages and generations, are perfectly overwhelming. He tells us that our connection with Christ, in the thought of God, is not a matter of yesterday, nor of the day before, but of eternity. The foundations of the earth were not laid in a day. But, ere the aeons of creation began to revolve in their vast cycles, before the earth or the world was formed, God chose us in Christ. He chose Christ, and all those who, down the far vista of time, should answer to the attraction of his Spirit and become one with Him in a living faith. How startling it would be if, according to a suggestion made by another, the geologist, mining deeply into the earth, should suddenly find, amid the footprints of animals long extinct, the initials of his own name cut in the primeval rock! How came those initials there? They must have been graven by the finger of the Creator! Ah, what a rush of awe would fill the breast! But a greater marvel than this awaits us here. For we learn that our names were engraven on the breastplate of the great High Priest before the amethyst or jacinth was wrought in the laboratory of Nature, among her oldest and rarest treasures. Is there a doubt that we shall be ultimately holy and without blemish, when the stream that is to bear us thither started in eternal ages from the Father's heart? Let us at least get comfort from the thought that He who foreordained works all things after the counsel of his will… IN CHRIST THE BLESSINGS OF REDEMPTION ARE STORED. (Ep 1:3, 6, 7, 14-see notes Ep 1:3, 1:6, 1:7, 1:13) All conceivable spiritual blessings needed by us for living a holy and useful life are stored in Jesus. We must therefore be in Him by a living faith to partake of them; as a child must be in the home, to participate in the provisions of the father's care. It is only they who know the meaning of the life hidden with Christ in God, and who abide in Christ, to whom God gives the key of his granary, and says, "Go in, and take what you will." How can mortal man exhaust the wonderful gifts of our Father's grace? But they are all freely bestowed in the Beloved, in whom we also stand accepted. Who can estimate the meaning of redemption, which begins with the forgiveness of our trespasses, and ends in the rapture of the sapphire throne? But it is to be found only in Him and through his blood. What do we not owe to the sealing of the Spirit, by which our softened hearts get the impress of the Saviour's beloved face, and are kept safe until He comes to claim us? But the sealing is only possible to those who are in Him. All things are ours, but only when we are in Christ. WE ARE IN CHRIST AS THE SPHERE OF DAILY LIFE AND EXPERIENCE (Ep 1:1, 3:17-see notes Ep 1:1, 3:17) It is the intention of God that we who believe should ever live in Christ Jesus, as the very element and atmosphere of our life; never travelling beyond the golden limits established by his Love, or Life, or Light: in Him as the root in the soil, or as the foundation in the rock. Always in his love, because never permitting in speech or act what is inconsistent with it. Always in his life, because ordering our activities by the laws of his being. Always in his light, because saturated by his bright purity, and illumined by his gentle wisdom. Oh to be always one of the faithful in Christ Jesus, and to be able to say with the Psalmist, "I have no good beyond Thee"! (Psalm 16:2)… IN CHRIST AS THE CENTRE OF UNITY (Ep 1:10-+) It is the evident purpose of God to finish as He began. He began by choosing us in Christ. He will end by summing up all things in Him, both the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth. All the landscape focuses in the eye; all creation finds its apex in man; and all the story of the ages shall be consummated in our Lord, the Divine Man. (For Meyer's full discussion of "In Him" click Chapter 3 - "In Him") RELATED RESOURCES ON IN HIM or IN CHRIST: What does it mean to be in Christ? The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked! How does God see me in Christ? How should we live our lives in light of our identity in Christ? Covenant: The Oneness of Covenant Covenant: Oneness Notes The Believer's Position in Christ - Iain Gordon Oneness With Christ - Ruth Paxson - chapter from Called Unto Holiness Rivers of Living Water - Studies on believer's possessions in Christ by Ruth Paxson The Mystical Union with Immanuel - Abraham Kuyper (index to Work of the Holy Spirit) Vital Union with Christ - A T Pierson What Does God Think of Me Now? - 33 page booklet on believer's position in Christ Union with Christ - Charles Simeon HE IS A NEW CREATURE : kaine ktisis: he is: Ps 51:10 Eze 11:19 18:31 36:26 Mt 12:33 Jn 3:3,5 Ga 6:15 Eph 2:10 See comments on the New Birth in John 3:3 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Dr Glen Spencer describes the Christian as a new creation… a creation of God's redemptive work. He is a new creature with a new Director, a new Determination, a new Demeanor, new Delights, new Desires, and a new Destiny. If our life is not different since we professed Christ as our Saviour—we need to examine our life in light of God's Word. (Expository Pulpit Series - 1 John: Living in the Light) I love John Wesley's comment on this phrase… Only the power that makes a world can make a Christian. He is - Note these words are in italics (NAS, KJV, NKJV) indicating they are added by the translators to facilitate smooth reading of this passage. It is interesting to note that some rabbinic texts referred to proselytes becoming new creatures when they converted to Judaism. Some rabbis claimed that bringing a heathen near to God is as though someone had "created him" (Gen. Rab. 39:4) New (2537)(kainos [word study] probably from root ken [qen] = freshly come, or begun) is an adjective which refers to that which is new in kind (unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of).. Kainos describes that which has come into being and was not previously present. R. C. Trench distinguishes neos and kainos as follows Contemplate the new under aspects of time, as that which has recently come into existence, and this is neos… But contemplate the new, not now under aspects of time, but of quality, the new, as set over against that which has seen service, the outworn, the effete or marred through age, and this is kainos Vine adds that kainos denotes “new,” of that which is unaccustomed or unused, not “new” in time, recent (Greek = "neos"), but “new” as to form or quality, of different nature from what is contrasted as old. Kainos denotes the new and miraculous condition that is emphasized especially in the church age. Thus we see kainos as a key term in eschatological statements -- the new heaven and earth in Rev 21:1-+. The new heavens and earth will be far more than merely new in time or chronology, for they will also be new in character -- a realm in which righteousness dwells = 2Pe 3:13-+. New Jerusalem = Rev 3:12-+; Re 21:2-+, new wine = Mk 14:25, the new name = Rev 2:17-+; Re 3:12-+, the new song = Rev 5:9-+, the new creation, unlike anything previously known = Rev 21:5-+. The idea of new creation is also used to describe the life of a sinner who has become a saint (a believer) and is now a new creation/creature in Christ (2Co 5:17-+). The new age has dawned with Christ's first coming and His provision of salvation, so that in this new age Jews and Gentiles are now one new man in Christ (Ep 2:15-+, Ga 6:15). Believers now charged to put on their new nature (Ep 4:24-+). God’s saving will is worked out in the promised new covenant that Jesus has established (Lk 22:20; 1Cor 11:25; 2Co 3:6, Heb 8:8-+, He 8:13-+; He 9:15-+). This covenant is new in several ways -- It is a better covenant (He 7:22-+), an infallible (faultless) covenant (He 8:7-+), an everlasting/eternal covenant (He 13:20-+), a covenant grounded on better promises (He 8:6-+). The fact that the old and the new cannot be mixed is repeated in all 3 synoptic gospels to emphasize the distinctive, unique nature of the new covenant (Mt 9:17 Mk 2:21, 22, Lk. 5:36, 37, 38). The new commandment of love has its basis in Christ’s own love (Jn 13:34, 1Jn 2:7, 8; 2Jn 1:5). NOT REFORMED BUT TRANSFORMED! Brian Bell commenting on new creature writes that… not turned over a new leaf, not reformed, not rehabilitated!…But All New…Transformed! One of the questions on the Hunter & Safety course I took was, “What was the 3 main parts to a rifle?” (Lock, stock, and barrel) We’re changed…“Lock, stock, and barrel”! (2Corinthians 5)