The Inward and Outward Conditions of the Servant of Christ, and some of the Paradoxes of Faith.
(2 Cor. 6:4-10.)
"In all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report:as deceivers, and yet true ; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."
The above remarkable portion is primarily a revelation of the character of the ministry of the apostle Paul himself. Of no one else, save of his like-minded associates, could these expressions be taken as collectively true in an absolute sense;-circumstances vary, and all are not apostles. And yet they give a standard of devotedness for all time, from which no true servant of Christ should shrink. Nor let the thought of service be confined to the comparatively few who "labor in word and doctrine," but let it rather take in all those manifold activities of the body of Christ in which each member has a share. With this threefold thought of ministry, apostolic, special, and general,-we will endeavor to glean a few thoughts from the pregnant passage before us.
For it is indeed full to overflowing with thoughts that press for utterance from the heart of Paul, checked and held in because of the state of the Corinthians hitherto, but now, under the combined influences of the obedience of the saints, and a view of Christ in glory, expanded and set free. He would unbosom himself to them, and show them the jealous care he had for the preservation of that ministry he had received of the Lord Jesus," Giving no offense in any thing that the ministry be not blamed."
Next to the exuberance of thought, we are struck with the terse, epigrammatic style – indeed each thought finds expression in almost a single word, finely suggestive of the girded loins becoming the soldier-servant, and reminding us of the staccato in music, giving the emphasis of a heart in melody, and as well the bugle-call to those who would follow his lead.
And yet a slight examination will convince us that these words are not thrown together in a haphazard way, but present to us, in orderly connection and development, the circumstances and states of the Lord's servant. Let us endeavor to trace this order, or at least to gather words of warning, comfort, and encouragement from the passage as a whole.
It will be noticed that the first expression," much patience," is followed by a series of nine words describing the circumstances under which the patience, or rather endurance, is exercised.
Next follow eight words descriptive of what relates to the inward state rather than the outward circumstances, making with patience nine subjective conditions, if we may so speak.
We have thus two series of nine words each, relating respectively to the person and his circumstances. It is well to note that there is but one preposition used in the Greek, and not two, as in our authorized version-"in" and not "by" should be connected with each word.
Following, we have three phrases governed each by the preposition "by," and consisting of pairs of words, – "on the right hand and on the left," "by honor and dishonor," "by evil report and good report."
Closing, we have a series of seven paradoxes – shall we call them ?-where apparently contradictory expressions are linked together in pairs, giving us a complete and varied view of the experiences of a servant of Christ.
Returning now, we are tempted to point out some striking features in the numerical arrangement of these words. Those that speak of the inward state come first, in connection with patience, though the nine that speak of outward circumstances are linked with the patience, showing that theory and practice can never be divorced-that the inward state should always be connected with the outward circumstances.
There are nine of these words, which seem to fall into groups of three, in giving us thus an intensified three. (The same is true of the other group of nine). We have patience, pureness, and knowledge; long-suffering, kindness, and the Holy Ghost; love unfeigned, the word of truth, and the power of God. It will be found that the first of each of these series is suggestive of a similar thought, only increasing in intensity,-first, endurance, of circumstances; second, longsuffering, of persons; third, love unfeigned, far stronger than longsuffering. In like manner, the second words of each series correspond-first, pure-ness, entirely subjective; second, kindness, equally relative; third, the word of truth, a divine testimony. So also the last words will be found correlated – knowledge, the Holy Ghost, the power of God. What an ascending climax we have here,-and what divine instruction ! There must be knowledge, but that must be by the Holy Ghost, if there is to be the power of God.
But looking again at these groups, we have as the first requisites for the exercise of ministry, endurance, pureness, and knowledge. "Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." The keynote of all ministry is endurance. We are not to receive, but to give. How many enter upon a line of service and after a few discouragements, give up. They began to serve-in the Sunday-school, in tract distribution, in gospel ministry, and they found no encouragement; they met with rebuffs. Is a soldier on parade ? or is he to endure the hardships of an arduous campaign ? O, brethren, let us be stirred to endurance ! let us not be easily discouraged ! How significant it is that the nine words descriptive of the circumstances of trial are linked with that word endurance. At these we will look later.
"When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing "(Deut. 23:9). "Keep thyself pure" (i Tim. 5:22). These scriptures, from Old and New Testaments, emphasize that personal state described here by "pureness," which is an absolute essential to all ministry. Neglecting this, how many strong men have fallen, and how many a defeat, as at Ai, have the people of God sustained.
The third word of this first group is "knowledge," and it falls fittingly in its place. "Zeal without
knowledge" is worthless, and even pureness is but the white frame in which to exhibit the picture of-divine truth.
In the second group, which speak of association, we have, first, longsuffering, followed by kindness, but all to be under the leading of the Holy Ghost, without whose help and guidance both longsuffering and kindness may degenerate into weakness. We are tempted to apply these truths, but leaving that to the individual conscience, we pass on to the last of the three groups, where we find ourselves on high ground indeed,-love unfeigned, the word of truth, and the power of God. Love, truth, power ! Oh, for a ministry, both public and private, that exhibits these !
The group of nine words descriptive of the circumstances in which ministry is exercised will not require much in the way of exposition; experience is not doctrine.
The first three words,- "afflictions, necessities, distresses," suggest the general character of troubles the servant of Christ may expect to meet, increasing perhaps, in intensity. The next group of three,- " stripes, imprisonments, tumults "-bring in the hostility and opposition of man, of which illustrations can be found all through the book of Acts. These too seem to increase in violence from the stripes to imprisonment and thence to a tumult, such as that which drove Paul from Ephesus (Acts 19:). The third group-"labors, watchings, fastings"-speak of those exercises in behalf of the Lord's people which weary the outward man, while yet the devoted servant "will very gladly spend and be spent." Here too there is a progress, downward so far as the strength of man is concerned, though faith can say, "For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day."
We come next to a group of three phrases suggesting the moral means employed in connection with service.
"By the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." Practical righteousness is absolutely essential, if the servant is to be protected from the assaults of the enemy; and this armor must be complete. It suggests a word from this very epistle, "By manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (chap. 4:2). He is doubly armed who walks in uprightness; "The righteous is as bold as a lion." "Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward" (2 Cor. 1:12). Let it be remembered that this armor must be complete, on the right and left, in public and in private, in things sacred and common, so called.
Then one is prepared for the "honor and dishonor," "evil report and good report; " each will but contribute to the Lord's interests. The "sect everywhere spoken against" will but awaken inquiry, while men themselves will be ashamed at their evil speech, and others "report that God is among you of a truth." Paul might be thought a god one day and be obliged to refuse worship, and the next day be dragged out of the city. All winds blow fair for the sailor who can trim his sails to catch the gale and bound forward over the waves that would drive him back.
These balanced and apparently contradictory phrases bring us naturally to the concluding portion, where we have, not at haphazard surely, seven paradoxes enumerated. In these we have apparently the outward and the inward aspect of ministry, to the eye of the world and to the eye of faith.
To men the apostle might seem, as his Master before him, as "one who deceiveth the people." Truly the truth was presented in wisdom as men were able to bear it, and as it was received lead them, with eyes open, into further light for which they would not before have been ready. The apostle was thus "all things to all men," meeting them on their own level with the truth of God suited to their state. This is farthest removed from the Jesuitic practice, "the end justifies the means." The apostle says of those who would teach " Let us do evil that good may come," "whose damnation is just." "As deceivers and yet true." How true is that word which brings us to Him who is true-the Holy and the True.
"As unknown and yet well known." " The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." The Lord's servants are His "hidden ones"; their names are not among the great and the popular; but oh how well known there, where our Lord confesses them before His Father's face; how well known in that book of life-
" Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not,
The Master praises, what are men?"
And even here to those who receive the precious truth of God, how well known are Christ's servants. How well known was Paul in his day to the saints; and how the names of those who have ministered the things of Christ to us are enshrined in our hearts.
"As dying and behold we live." Paul perfectly exhibited this, "always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body " (2 Cor. 4:10).
And in our measure it should be true. That which to the world speaks of death is but the opportunity for the life of Jesus to be manifested. The chastening in like manner is not to death, but for further holiness and usefulness.
"As sorrowing yet always rejoicing." How true is this! Not only to the world does the servant of Christ seem a mourner; he must be a mourner in a world like this, where his Master was the "Man of sorrows." It seems as though the new nature gave capacity for grief-men perishing all around us, dear ones unsaved, the Lord's sheep scattered, His name dishonored-surely without extravagance the true-hearted servant could say with Jeremiah, "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night."
"Did Christ o'er sinners weep,
And shall our tears be dry?"
And yet there is a joy, not occasional, but in the midst of the sorrow-joy at the repentance of "one sinner," at the restoration or growth in grace of a saint, in sweet communion with Christ through His word, and in the hope of His speedy coming. Surely we all know something of that joy-may we know more of it.
"As poor yet making many rich." "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee," and Peter, in the name of Jesus gave the poor cripple at the temple gate what all the gold in the world could not buy. How much more is it true that saints are the dispensers of wealth, when we think of the "unsearchable riches of Christ" it is our privilege to unfold to the needy.
"As having nothing and yet possessing all things." Here we have the climax, the limit in both directions. To sight we have nothing, to faith-all things. "All things are yours." What cheer is this, what joy. He who has gone on high possesses and fills all things, and we are His, and in Him, and filled up in Him!
Do we wonder that the apostle passes on in the enlargement of his heart under the expansive force of these precious truths to urge the Corinthians,-to urge us-to be also enlarged? Why should we be straitened, why should service be perfunctory or desultory ?
We would note too, in closing, how this last series of seven gives us a true progress, with each stage corresponding to the significance of its number:first we have as a basis, truth; following this is the report, well known; the third, the resurrection number, tells of life, and the fourth of the chastening-the wilderness experience; number five gives the exercises through which we pass; six, the limit to man's need; while seven completes all, with nothing in ourselves and yet possessing all things. May the sense of our riches indeed make us bountiful to others; "freely ye have received, freely give."