Tue, 14 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them– 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
Today we conclude Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth. He tells them he is planning to return to Corinth, and he warns that he will deal with any unrepentant sinners in their midst.
In this context, Paul makes this bold statement: Christ is speaking in me.
What do we learn from this?
Paul is not saying anything different than he did at the beginning of the book: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…. Paul is asserting his apostolic authority. Christ is speaking in him. He is God’s special appointed messenger. He is Christ’s apostle (literally “sent one”). He is able to deal powerfully with the unrepentant sinners because of his apostolic authority.
We do not have the same kind of apostolic authority that Paul had, but the leaders of the church are empowered (and commanded) to keep discipline within the church by enforcing God’s commands as related in the scriptures. We are to use the writings of the prophets and apostles as the basis of keeping order and calling sinning church members to repentance. We do not confront unrepentant sinners in our midst by enforcing what Christ has spoken through us (we are not apostles), but rather by enforcing what Christ has recorded in scriptures for us.
Where is Christ in this passage?
Jesus Christ sent apostles to speak for Him. He used them mightily to form and build the church. And He used them to record that which we need so that we are not left without guidance. The apostles are all now gone, but Jesus Christ has given us the scriptures so we still have His word to us. Jesus Christ speaks to us in the Scriptures He has given.
