QUESTION
Could you give me help on these 2 scriptures: II Cor. 2:15-16 How many groups of people are concerned? Who is “we… in them”? What is the “sufficient” question about?
RESPONSE
I think the best way for me to address the particular issues that you asked about in these verses is to first go over the general thrust of what it is that Paul is teaching in these verses. Then once we understand and appreciate the general effectual working of what God has Paul saying, we can look at the verses more closely and what they say and their meaning will become apparent.
So first off we need to understand that verses 15 and 16 are part of the overall issue that Paul is setting forth in verses 14–17, which means that we need to deal with all of verses 14 through 17. And then we also need to understand that in verses 14–17 Paul sets forth the conclusion to what he has been dealing with since the beginning of chapter 2. Wherefore we need to make sure that we at least understand and appreciate the gist of what Paul is dealing with in chapter 2 before we can properly look at the conclusion to it in verses 14–17.
Now in the overall epistle of II Corinthians Paul is dealing with the subject of “the sufferings of Christ” from the policy of evil against us that he, (and we), can be subject to in our lives and ministries, and of which we can be partakers. Specifically in chapter 2 Paul deals with the issue of his proper and positive response to the second category of “the sufferings of Christ” that he partook of, which particularly involved the policy of evil endeavoring to trouble him, discourage him, and disrupt his ministry, and thereby deject him and/or cause him to compromise his ministry, by subjecting him to pointed attacks upon aspects of his personal integrity and the like. Now as Paul deals with the details of this second category of “the sufferings of Christ” throughout chapter , and as he describes all of the “consolation and salvation” from it that he received from God as “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” that He is, he concludes dealing with it by what he says in verses 14–17. And this is what we will now focus upon.
Simply put, in verses 14–17 Paul concludes dealing with the second category of “the sufferings of Christ” by describing “the consolation and salvation” that he operates upon when it comes to him being tempted by the policy of evil to be dejected, or disappointed, or even defeated in his ministry, due to the prevailing negative response or rejection that he receives, and in turn causing him to feel inadequate, insufficient, or incompetent, and because of this being tempted to adjust his ministry and message to make it more popular and acceptable to people. (As part of the second category of “the sufferings of Christ” this is exactly what the policy of evil wanted and worked to have happen to Paul, and also wants and works to have happen to us as well, as a consequence to our message being rejected and despised by far more people than those who respond positively to it.) But as Paul describes, even though he was subjected to such feelings of dejection, and even defeat, due to the far greater negative response that he always received; and even though such feelings led to feelings of inadequacy and the like; and even though these led to the temptation to compromise his ministry and message to make it more acceptable; he did not succumb to any feelings of dejection, nor to the feelings of inadequacy, nor to the temptation to compromise. Instead he operated upon what “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” provided for him to operate upon, and in so doing he ‘always triumphed in Christ’ and he made his message known in every place regardless of the prevailing negative response that he received. And this is what he is describing and teaching in verses 14–17.
As Paul declares in verse 14…
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (II Corinthians 2:14)
Once again, in view of the tendency and temptation for him to think in terms of dejection, disappointment, and even giving up and defeat due to the prevailing negative response that there always is to his ministry and message, Paul proclaims, “thanks be unto God.” And the reason for his joyful “thanks” is because “in Christ” God causes him to ‘always triumph’ over the tendency and temptation to be dejected and the like, and in so triumphing he is able to ‘make manifest the savour of God’s knowledge’ in every place despite the prevailing negative response that there always is to it.
Now in view of this the question is, what is it that effectually works within Paul to successfully so comfort him and encourage him in the face of such a tendency and temptation? Or in other words, what is it that “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” has said that effectually worked within Paul to overcome such a tendency and temptation? And the answer is that it is the very knowledge and understanding that Paul goes on to relate in verse 15 and the first part of verse 16. Which knowledge and understanding is all about what the message about Christ means to God Himself regardless of whether it is responded to positively or negatively. Hence as Paul explains…
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16a To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. (II Corinthians 2:15-16a)
Now this is the truth of the matter to God Himself when it comes to ‘the gospel of Christ,’ despite whether it is received positively or negatively by people. In either case the truth of the matter is that the message of Christ is a “sweet savour” to God, and as such it effectually does its job not only in those who respond positively to it, but also in those who respond negatively to it. And as Paul operated upon this truth it effectually worked within him to overcome the tendency and temptation to be dejected, discouraged, or defeated; and instead it effectually worked within him to ‘cause him to always triumph in Christ, and to make known the savour of God’s knowledge in every place’ despite the fact that far more people rejected the message about Christ than received it.
Now after teaching this Paul ends verse 16 by asking…
16b And who is sufficient for these things? (II Corinthians 2:16b)
By asking this question Paul brings up the issue of the other tendency that he, and we, have. And this other tendency is to possess feelings of inadequacy and insufficiency when it comes to dealing with the prevailing negative response that there is to our message, even though we realize that “we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.” Plus by asking this question Paul brings up the corresponding issue of the other kind of temptation that we will have, which is the temptation to compromise or alter our message in order to make it more popular and acceptable, or more receptive, to people.
Wherefore when Paul asks, “And who is sufficient for these things?” the answer is that none of us are sufficient in and of ourselves. And because this is the case there is the natural tendency for us, (along with the natural temptation presented to us from the policy of evil), to take steps to make our message and ministry more popular and more acceptable to people so that we will get more of a positive response than a negative response. However to do this we would need to compromise or alter God’s word and so corrupt it, and actually pervert “the gospel of Christ.” But even though we are not ‘sufficient for these things’ in and of ourselves; and even though in view of this we might be tempted to alter our message and ministry to be able to have a more acceptable response; the truth is that we are ‘sufficient for these things’ through the effectual working of what Paul has said in verses15-16a. For knowing the truth that we are “unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish,” is also designed to effectually works within us to cause us to cast down and reject any temptation to alter our message and ministry in anyway. It effectually works within us to cause us to be completely honest unto God with our message and in our ministry, regardless of the consequences. Wherefore what God teaches us to understand and to know about “the savour of his knowledge” effectually works within us to constrain us be just what Paul declares in verse 17 about himself when he says…
17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. (II Corinthians 2:17)
So this is the gist of what Paul sets forth in II Corinthians 2:14-17. And as he teaches us about how God as “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” provided for him to be delivered from this troubling aspect of “the sufferings of Christ,” God has made it so that the same knowledge and understanding can effectually work within us and so deliver us from the same aspect of “the sufferings of Christ” when we become partakers of it as well.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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