In this passage Paul begins by talking about his ministry as a gift of God's grace, making clear how undeserving he is, being the less than the least. But by the end of the passage he alludes to his suffering out of concern that it might be a cause of discouragement for them. There does seem to be a gap between the glorious and gracious nature of the "gift" of Paul's calling and the painful condition he suffered on account of it.
There was, even in that day, a natural suspicion of the virtue and legitimacy of any philosophy being promoted by a loser. And Paul looked like a loser who talked like the pope.
Ironing out this wrinkle and talking about the nature of the ministry has some relevance for us as modern day believers.
Philippians 2:12 (page 1827)
Call to Worship
Psalm 52 (page 890)
OT Reading
Nehemiah 6:1-9 (page 757)
NT Reading
2 Corinthians 4:1-11 (page 1797)
Message
The Gift and the Glory
Ephesians 3:7-13 (page 1820)
No comments:
Post a Comment