Sunday, May 19, 2013

Can you describe salvatioin? 2 Corinthians 9-10


2 Corinthians 9:15 (NASBStr)
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

It is fitting that in a chapter (chapter 9) completely focused on the aspect of giving gifts to the church for the support of poor brothers and sisters in Christ, Paul ends with the above verse: A Doxology to God.    Paul has just spent a significant portion of the scroll he is using to write this epistle commending and boasting about the aspect of the churches giving.   He tells them that their act of kindness is a motivation for other churches to give (verse 2).  He tells them their act of kindness through the liberal gift is a result of true righteousness and quotes Psalm 112:9 to confirm it (verse 9).   But, to assure them that they don't let this go to the hears and become overly filled with pride (the Corinthian church already had that problem) he reminds them that God is the ultimate example of given.   Although Paul can both describe and quantify their financial gift to the churches, he knows he CAN'T even describe God's gift to man: His Son's death, burial and resurrection.   We should let that whole verse sink in.  We are talking about the greatest mind in Christian thought, Paul, and he states he can't describe the gift of salvation.    Isaiah described it in the closest words we can grasp in such a way that John the Baptist quoted it to the Pharisees (Isaiah 40:3 and Luke 3).  Paul, himself attempted to describe this gift in the books of Galatians and Romans.  The first chapter of Ephesians is wholly committed to the description of this salvation.   Yet, Paul tells the Corinthians it is an undesirable gift.    Paul knows that the words he wrote and Isaiah composed are the Spirit's Words to give us some understanding of the depth and the riches of God's gift.  In Ephesians 1:18 Paul prays that that church will "know the riches" of God's gift to us.   Although it is often described it is an indescribable gift we never fully grasp.  Our entire Christian life is a life of searching and surrender to its full meaning and complete implications for our freedom and redemption.   Study the indescribable gift.  

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