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Notes on 2 Corinthians

“Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s,” 2 Cor. 10:7, NKJV.

“…But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us….” 2 Cor.10:12-13, NKJV.

The danger among Christians is the tendency to glorify one’s faith as an individual as a mark of superiority. We know that our core belief is absolutely true—that is, the gospel of Christ—but are wont to extend that sense of absolute truth into all areas of our life, so that we become more or less convinced that because we are correct in our belief of Christ, we are correct in all things. Are our political beliefs guided by our belief in Christ? Certainly. Are our domestic habits guided by our belief in Christ? Absolutely. Any diligent Christian may attest to these things. But, reader, we are still human. As Christians, our common ground is Christ because He is the Absolute, but in our earthly affairs, while we are guided by that Absolute, our vision of the universe and its workings is still blurred, and we are liable to fall.

Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians is to be cautious in judging other believers based on one’s own convictions. If you are Christ’s, good—but remember that I also am Christ’s. One learns little about oneself by comparing oneself only with likeminded persons. Know that God has placed you in one position, and your brother in another—you do not see all that is to be seen, nor does he. When you examine a fellow believer, examine his core belief first. Does he confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Lord and Savior? Does he hold the Bible as the holy and inerrant Word of God? Then do not be too quick to denounce his personal convictions. Do not “look at things according to the outward appearance.” If a brother’s habits do not quite suit you, if his manners do not please you, if his political beliefs do not quite match yours, he is still your brother if he holds the basic tenets of Christ’s gospel as truth, and you must treat him as your brother. You are both Christ’s. In those other, extraneous, temporal circumstances, either you or he are liable to be wrong or right or neither. Lay the absolute truth of Christ as your foundation, meet on that ground, and build upwards.

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