But as you abound in everything- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us – see that you abound in this grace also. (9) For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (13) For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; (14) but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack – that there may be equality. (15) As it is written “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

2 Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul. He was writing to the Corinthians in chapter 8 and 9 about the financial collection for famine struck believers in Jerusalem. This collection for the church in Jerusalem took a great deal of Paul’s time and attention and was a practical act of service. It is a great theological statement regarding the grace of God and the example of Christ Jesus. Paul invoked no legalistic requirements – believers have been forgiven by grace and should respond by generous giving in gratitude – any compulsion to do so would be contrary to the gospel of grace. Giving should be done without demand or expectation of return.

The Gentile churches owed a spiritual debt to the Jewish church. Gentiles were not compelled to keep Jewish law resulting in a great deal of tension between Gentile churches and the Jewish church in Jerusalem. Paul had written in 1 Corinthians advising them this collection was not unique to Corinth and was purely voluntary – there was no appeal to the Jewish tithing laws of the Old Testament. The collection was to be a statement of unity and diversity of the church. Giving was fellowship; ministry/service and Paul’s most frequent description, an “act of grace”; a blessing and divine service that should be voluntary and bountiful.

Jewish Christians in the early church suffered loss of income and were objects of persecution – they were ostracized from the Jewish community with the subsequent loss of economic benefits. The church in unity was the approach of Paul for this message – how we are to handle material blessings. The Lord’s example spiritually is the ultimate example of grace giving.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if one died for all, then all died; (15) and He died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (16) Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.

The second letter to the Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul. Our verses today were written correcting the ambition and judgment of the Corinthians which was based on external appearances which they considered of more value than real sincerity. The point here is all NOT reborn by the Spirit should be considered as nothing by whatever accomplishments they may be distinguished. Paul had written earlier in chapter 5 that one of the motives for Christian living was the fear of judgment ALL face and now he introduces the primary motive; the love of Christ which compels us to seek holy (separate) living. This love that saved the faithful – so that we no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us and reconciled us to God that we may be delivered from judgment and brought into a new creation – forged a new relationship with God altogether. Christ’s death for all meant we might die to ourselves ; renounce ourselves and live to Christ. All seeking distinction and everything which man holds to be valuable in this world is vanity.

The prophets foretold there will be a new heaven and a new earth and Paul is setting forth the value of regeneration/rebirth in the Spirit. The old is passing away – of short duration; to everything there is a season. It is only the new man who inherits the kingdom of Christ. All things will be changed for the better. The faithful will pass out of death to life. They become a new creation and once the faithful are in Christ, they are in Christ forever.

All have sinned; all are in their human nature alienated from God; all are dead in sin and all are children of wrath. In faith alone, in Christ alone, we become a new creature changed in heart and life. Our sin is remembered no more and we are, in Christ, a child of God. We look not at things that are seen but things that are eternal.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. (7) For we walk by faith, not by sight. (8) We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (9) Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The apostle Paul wrote the second letter to the Corinthians. He is defending his ministry and writing of things that really moved his mission as an apostle – Paul faced constant threats of death because of preaching the gospel. He is confident of his future in the heavenly unseen things; Paul knows that his present body is ephemeral and his place in heaven is eternal. There are indications that Paul expected the imminent return of Christ Jesus – not that He will come soon but that He COULD come. We are either in our mortal bodies and absent from the Lord or with the Lord and absent from our mortal bodies. The soul does not sleep. This strong statement tells us that at death we go immediately into the Lord’s presence – there is no purgatory. Paul here is not concerned about any judgment of man as the reality is we will be judged by God. Our deeds are already known by God but will be made manifest to us at judgment.

We must ALL by judged by God. There will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust – one is the resurrection of life and the other of damnation. We cannot disregard this body – this earthly life. Sin has already been dealt with in Jesus Christ. Judgment is not to condemn the faithful but they are judged that each may receive his/her reward (wages) for things done while in their bodies and we will see the reality of what God has done in us. Everything worthless will be stripped away and revealed to us – a time of evaluation and rewards. Whatever we do in this body is going to be the issue at judgment.

c.s.Lewis put it so well in Mere Christianity: “Most of the man’s psychological makeup is probably due to his body: when his body dies all that will fall off him, and the real central man, the thing that chose, that made the best or worst out of this material will stand naked……..We shall then, for the first time, see everyone as he really was. There will be surprises.

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is not of this creation. (12) Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (13) For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean,sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (15) And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews is unknown. This letter is written to Hebrew Christians, facing persecution, who were tempted to leave the Christian faith and return to Judaism which was culturally and legally protected by Rome. The author is showing them in this letter why that would be spiritually fatal.
The old covenant was inferior to the new covenant that Jesus initiated; the old covenant was temporary and imperfect in its sacrificial system dealing with the “blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of heifers” but it pointed ahead to Christ. The old system allowed only limited access to God through the High Priest and had to be repeated annually showing the incomplete nature of forgiveness. Only in Christ’s blood are the faithful provided complete access to God. In Christ it is not just a ritual but a perfect once and for all sacrifice. Christ redeems and cleanses the faithful from dead works – the focus is NOT on men but on God. Man’s works were dead because man in his human nature is spiritually dead and his works are to no avail. If eternal life could come through man’s good works then Christ died needlessly.
Jeremiah prophesied that God was going to make a new covenant with the people which would set aside the old. The first covenant was established on man’s obedience and faithfulness. The new covenant is established on God’s faithfulness through Jesus Christ. The first failed because man could not live by it but the new covenant is established forever and in Christ as our high priest our redemption is eternal. Christ became the offering itself and He was the one entering the presence of God with the offering. Christ once and for all made atonement for us: He is our mediator – our High Priest.
The message to the wavering Hebrews is clear: don’t do it.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are Sons of God. (15) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out “Abba, Father.” (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

The letter to the Romans was written by the apostle Paul. The theme of chapter 8 is the security of believers – the security of those who accept the offers of the gospel is certain. The whole chapter is a series of arguments to support this one point and the proposition is contained in the first verse; ‘There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.’

Our verses today tells us that believers shall enjoy eternal life not because they have the spirit of life but because they are children of God. Paul uses the word adoption – a very common practice in those ancient days – as a picture of what God has done for us; in our human nature we were condemned but we are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, not by trusting ourselves or our good works. God first chose us. Our faith doesn’t originate in ourselves. Natural man does not accept things of the Spirit of God which is foolishness to him. Natural man does not understand or seek God but faith is a work of the Spirit in us – it is that inner witness of the Spirit to our spirit that we are God’s child.

It is certain that Jesus will inherit all God has promised and in faith we are fellow heirs with Christ. Our salvation – our inheritance – is secure not because of anything in us but because we are in Christ in faith. Those who love God and to whom the Spirit witnesses that they are children of God cannot doubt that they are indeed His children and know that they are heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs in Christ. The words inherit, heirs, inheritance are all through the Bible because possession by inheritance is much more secure than that obtained by purchase or another method. Paul here is talking of the right, the certainty, the inalienable character of the possession.