“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart.”
2 Corinthians 5:10-12 NLT
The Bible is full of verses on many topics. There are those that we like to read because they give us that warm glow inside, that God loves us and is looking after us. Look at Psalm 121, for example. Some great verses there of God’s protection, and the Psalm ends with “The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever”. And a Psalm much favoured for funerals ends with “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). I love this translation because it uses the word “pursue” rather than “follow”. Our God is far from being passive. But there are other verses that make us feel a bit less comfortable. In fact, they may even make us squirm a bit in our seats. James starts his Epistle with, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:2-3). We hope and pray that our faith never has to be tested by “troubles of any kind“.
But in the verses we are looking at today, Paul wrote, “Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others”. This is an action verse, one that demands that we do something. The word “fearful” doesn’t imply some form of terror but rather a great sense of awe about God, who He is, and what He has done for us. We do have a responsibility to Him because of Jesus, who took on the punishment we deserved on a cruel Roman cross at Calvary, and what He has asked us to do for Him since then. When we truly understand, we realise that our lives matter eternally and what we choose to do or how we live will have a spiritual impact. And as we recently considered, one day we will give an account of our lives before the Bema seat of Jesus. So the “fearful” bit must never paralyse us with fear, but rather it provides a reverence that mobilises us to do something for Jesus.
Paul then wrote, “We work hard to persuade others”. Many Christians choose to keep their faith private. It’s their choice, of course, but that was never Jesus’ intention. Such people should be a bit worried about the third servant in the parable of the Talents. The servant who was given the one talent and didn’t put it to use. Instead, he buried it. He dug it up and gave it to the master when he returned from his journey, but received quite a rebuke. “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it’” (Matthew 25:26-27). Sadly, the parable ends, “Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Our faith has never been meant to stay private. Paul didn’t casually mention Jesus. He reasoned, explained, pleaded, and engaged hearts and minds. Paul was driven by a sense of loving urgency because the Gospel proclaims that eternity, either in Heaven or hell, is real. But because of Jesus, he knew that people have the opportunity to be reconciled to God through His grace and love. And because human lives are time-limited, urgency is required. Paul tried to persuade people because he had compassion for them. Why? Because Christ first loved him. 2 Corinthians 5:14a, “For Christ’s love compels us, …”.
The next part of 2 Corinthians 5:10 is “God knows we are sincere”. Paul never considered human accolades. What mattered to him was God’s approval. He knew that God could see his motives, his struggles and his obedience. He wasn’t concerned about his reputation before men, but rather about doing God’s will. He knew that one day he would hear those marvellous words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. As we emulate Paul’s mission, God too sees our hearts and motivations, and with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, even our stumbling, imperfect words can carry a weight far beyond their syllables. Paul goes on to write that he hopes the Corinthians could grasp that he was truly sincere. Paul’s life matched his words. He “walked the walk and talked the talk”.
For us pilgrims, we must follow Paul’s example when it comes to sharing our faith. There are many people around us, not just our friends and families, who need to hear the life-saving words of the Gospel. Jesus did so much for each one of us, so how can we keep our testimonies to ourselves and not share them with others?
Thank You Lord for saving us from perishing in a place where we would never want to be. Please help us find opportunities to share the Good News about You and Your death and resurrection, to save mankind from the consequences of their sins. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 