In 2 Corinthians 1:17 Paul says, “This therefore intending, did I then use fickleness? Or the things which I resolve, do I resolve according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes and no, no?” Paul did not purpose things according to the flesh so that he said yes at one time and no at another time. He was not a fickle person of yes and no. Paul was a person with whom there was no fickleness. When he said yes, he said it with Christ. When he made a decision, he made it with Christ. When Christ said yes, he said yes. When Christ said no, he said no. There was no fickleness, no changing with Paul because he said yes not by himself, not according to the flesh, but according to the indwelling Christ.
In 1:18-20 Paul says, “But God is faithful, that our word toward you is not yes and no; for the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you through us, through me and Sylvanus and Timothy, did not become yes and no, but in Him is yes. For whatever promises of God there are, in Him is the Yes; wherefore also through Him is the Amen to God, for glory through us.” With Christ there is no changing. Since the Christ whom Paul preached according to God’s promises did not become yes and no, the word he preached concerning Him was not yes and no. Not only his preaching but also his living was according to what Christ is. He was not a man of yes and no, but a man who was the same as Christ. He was a person living by Christ. When he said yes, he said it with Christ. In himself Paul had been reduced to nothing, so he could say that the yes of Christ was his. Christ is not yes and no, but He is always the same. Paul was always the same because he lived by Christ.
We need to pray that the Spirit would help us to realize and to see what kind of person the Apostle Paul was when he was on this earth. He was a person absolutely reduced to nothing, but taking Christ as everything in his spirit. We all have to be reduced to such an extent that we are in our spirit taking Christ as everything. When we say yes to people, we should say it with Christ. If Christ would not say yes, we should not say yes. We have no position, right, or standing to say anything apart from Christ because we have been crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20). Paul had been reduced to the spirit. He had been pressed out of measure (2 Cor. 1:8) so that it was no longer him but Christ who lived in him. Even when he said yes, he said it with Christ.
We may love the Lord and try to live by Christ, but how many of us practice this whenever there is a question for us to answer? Do you consider answering it with Christ? This is why some of the brothers are always changing-in the morning it is “yes,” but in the afternoon it is “no.” They are changing all the time. But if you would take Christ as your answer, as your Yes, as your Amen, there would be no changing. Christ is always the same (Heb. 13:8) and the Apostle Paul took Christ as his yes.
In 10:1 Paul says, “But I myself, Paul, entreat you through the meekness and forbearance of Christ.” We may be meek and forbearing but is our meekness and forbearance something of Christ? We all agree that we have to reject or repudiate the character that is not meek and forbearing. But have you ever realized that you have to reject your meekness and your forbearance? Some brothers and sisters may be proud of their meekness and forbearance. A certain sister may have an inward attitude that she is more meek than other sisters. But the Apostle Paul said that he entreated the Corinthians, not in his own meekness or forbearance but in the meekness and forbearance of Christ. This again shows us a person living in the spirit, always taking Christ as his everything. He experienced Christ not only as his power, but also as his meekness and forbearance. He was a person living by Christ.
In 11:10 Paul says, “The truth of Christ is in me.” We all would say that we have to reject the lies and speak the truth, but have you ever asked yourself whose truth you speak? Do you speak the truth of Christ or do you speak your own truth? Paul said that the truth of Christ was in him. We have to speak the truth of Christ, not the truth of the human nature, of the old man, of the self. We have to learn to not only repudiate all the lies but to also renounce or reject our truth. You have to repudiate your truth as well as your lies; then you could take the truth of Christ. Paul forgave in the person of Christ; he entreated in the meekness and forbearance of Christ; and he said the truth of Christ was in him. Since the apostle lived by Christ, whatever Christ was became his virtue in his behavior.
In chapter thirteen Paul told us something concerning the power of Christ (vv. 3-5). The power of Christ is not experienced when we are powerful but when we are weak. Paul said, “Whenever I am weak, then I am powerful” (2 Cor. 12:10). It is harder to be weak than it is to be powerful. Paul said that Christ was “crucified out of weakness” (13:4). We realize that Christ was the almighty God, but at the time He was crucified, He became weak. If He had not become weak, how could human beings have crucified Him? As the almighty, all-powerful God, how could He have been arrested? Who could put Him on the cross? But He was willing to be weak, and He became weak. Therefore, the Apostle Paul said, “We are weak in Him” (v. 4).
Have you ever learned the lesson to be weak in Christ? We always like to talk about being powerful in Christ, but have we ever tried to be weak in Christ? The power of Christ could never be perfected or manifested until we are weak. The power of Christ, which is His grace to us, is perfected in our weakness (12:9). When we are weak, we may experience the power of Christ in our weakness. Again we see that 2 Corinthians shows us a person who has been reduced to nothing, with no strength, that the power of Christ might be perfected in his weakness. Here is a person absolutely reduced to nothing but taking Christ as everything.
In 13:14 Paul refers to the grace of Christ and in 13:3 he says that Christ is speaking in him. Again we see a person that has been reduced to nothing but Christ. Christ speaks in him. Christ’s person is his person; Christ’s meekness is his meekness; Christ’s forbearance is his forbearance; Christ’s truth is his truth; Christ’s power is his power; and Christ’s grace is his grace. Whatever he is is Christ. This is a person who is living in the spirit.
Home | First | Prev | Next