Meditations from 2 Corinthians: Part 1 – God shines the light

            We have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph 1:3). What does that mean?  Part of the problem is that we don’t know what the blessings are that God has blessed us with.  This verse suggests that they are many.  It may surprise us to see just how much God has done in our lives. Meditating on 2 Corinthians has highlighted this aspect of that blessing for me.

God’s work and blessing begins with Him opening our eyes to the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.  I am sure that many times we have wondered why people are so blind to the truth of God’s love for us.  But we were there once ourselves before we believed.  2 Corinthians 4 tells us, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (v.4).  Our adversary, Satan, keeps people in the dark by blinding their eyes to the truth about God.  His purpose is to keep people from believing in the Lord Jesus.

However, God in His mercy towards us has shone a light into the darkness of our hearts so that we could see and understand the glory of God in Christ Jesus (v.6).  It is the illuminating of the Spirit of God that enables us to appreciate who Jesus is, and so to respond to the love of God that we see demonstrated in Christ on the cross for us.  This is not something that happens by persuasive arguments or clever stories, nor is it dependent upon us.  Paul was quite open about that in verse 2 where he says that he didn’t seek to distort or deceive, but rather “by setting forth the truth plainly” he presented the good news to the people there in Corinth.  But it was God who opened their minds and hearts to see the truth so that they could act upon it.  As Paul goes on to say in verse 7, this treasure of knowing God’s love is in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power will be seen to be from God and not of us.  Paul was just the instrument in God’s hand, just as we may be as well.  Anything that may transpire in the heart of another person is all God’s doing.  No place for any pride on our part.  We cannot save a person but God will use us as His instruments to communicate this saving message to others.  

In chapter 5 Paul describes the end result of what happens to the person in whom God’s light has illuminated his heart.  He becomes a new creation.  “[T]he old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God…” (5:17,18).   It is a gift.  It is a complete change.  It is a transformation, so much so that we now have new desires, a changed purpose in life and we are now facing in a new direction.  With God’s help and the Holy Spirit’s leading we can move forward together now with God.  This is not something that originated with us, but it is all of God.  “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (5:21 NLT)   Paul calls this an “indescribable gift” (9:15), and it is certainly that. 

The more we appreciate all that God has done for us in giving us this new life, the more humbled we are that we are the recipients of this tremendous gift. Without God moving towards us, we would never have made a move towards God.  This is God’s grace towards us.  Paul therefore exhorts us not to receive this grace in vain (6:1).  “Now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation” (6:2).  Now is the time to accept what God has done for us and not resist even if we find it difficult to understand.  If we are willing to acknowledge our lack of understanding, or hesitation in accepting all that God has done for us, even in that, God will patiently bring us to a position where we can trust Him fully.  If you would like to talk to someone more fully about these things, please get in touch with someone you can trust.