2 Corinthians 5:9 Why we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. I. WHAT WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND BY THE TEXT. 1. The apostle did not mean that he "laboured" — (1) To make any atonement for his sins. That had been high treason against the sovereign authority of Him who "by one offering hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified."(2) To add to the righteousness of Christ; for if he and all the saints of God had attempted to add to it, it had been to defile it. (3) To be more a child of God than he was; for he had taught that "we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." Labour is lost here. 2. Then in what sense did he "labour"? All things that are spiritual are acceptable to God. He loves a spiritual mind; it is the reflection of Himself. Observe, there is a regular climax, an ascending gradation of expression, in these three passages (Romans 12:1, 2; 1 Thessalonians 4:1.; Colossians 1:9, 10). God loves high and holy service, the obedient spirit and the quiet heart, those who "follow on to know Him." The apostle did desire these things, and "laboured" for their attainment. Oh! with what deep self-renunciation did he labour! (1 Corinthians 15:10.) II. WHO IT IS THAT GIVES THIS REMARKABLE DECLARATION. Was he a whir behind the very chiefest of the apostles? The Lord signally owned him. But did his apostleship, his ministry, satisfy him? This is what he says, "Wherefore we labour," etc. The apostle had been "caught up into the third heaven"; he had heard things which "it was not lawful for him to utter." Was he satisfied with revelations? He counted them all as nothing, compared with this object of his soul's desire. Paul was a man of no small attainment either, yet he said, "We labour." III. THE REMARKABLE EXPRESSION HE CONNECTS WITH IT. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." No one could ever say these words that had not both his feet standing firmly upon the atonement. Conclusion: There is not one but is "labouring" for something. It may be but the floating bubble in the water. Is it pleasure? friends? intellectual attainment? the grosser or the purer walks of life? — but still without God? Oh! solemn thought I If we saw a man with his house on fire, labouring to save his goods, and then we saw him burning with his goods, no one could look without shuddering at the sight. And yet we see thousands of sinners doing it all around us. (J. H. Evans, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.WEB: Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. |
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