December 22th, 2014. OUR SPIRIT AND OUR MOUTH But since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13 The apostle Paul shows us the importance of our spirit and mouth in experiencing Christ in the midst of our environments. In this verse Paul quotes David from Psalm 116:10. There David describes his afflictions and trials, and then speaks of how he called upon the name of the Lord in the midst of them. When Paul says, We have the same spirit of faith, he is identifying himself with David both with Davids trials, as well as with how he handled his trials. Davids way and Pauls way of passing through trials was to release their spirit of faith by speaking. To understand the spiritual law of opening our mouth to draw from our spirit of faith is the key to experiencing Christ in a practical way. This is how Christ can become our relationship to everything. It is also how the church is Christ in its expression. For example, in the middle of your feelings of hurt and bitterness when you can feel them wanting to take you over, when the feelings are turning into anger, when your reasoning begin to fuel your feelings and you are about to give vent to them in words and deeds at that moment you can exercise your spirit by opening your mouth and saying, Lord Jesus! When we call His name, He operates within our spirit to change us. Thus, He becomes our relationship with others. This is how the content of the church is Christ. HAVING THE SAME SPIRIT. This is a correction of the foregoing irony. He had represented the condition of the Corinthians as widely different from his own, (not according to his own judgment, but according to their erroneous view,) inasmuch as they were desirous of a gospel that was pleasant and free from all molestation of the cross, and entertained less honorable views of him, because his condition was less renowned. Now, however, he associates himself with them in the hope of the same blessedness. Though God spares you, and deals with you more indulgently, while he treats me with somewhat more severity, this diversity, nevertheless, will be no hinderance in the way of the like glorious resurrection awaiting both of us. For where there is oneness of faith, there will, also, there be one inheritance. It has been thought, that the Apostle speaks here of the holy fathers, who lived under the Old Testament, and represents them as partakers with us, in the same faith. This, indeed, is true, but it does not accord with the subject in hand. For it is not Abraham, or the rest of the fathers, that he associates with himself in a fellowship of faith, but rather the Corinthians, whereas they separated themselves from him by a perverse ambition. However my condition, says he, may appear to be the worse for the present, we shall, nevertheless, one day be alike participants in the same glory, for we are connected together by one faith. Whoever will examine the connection attentively, will perceive, that this is the true and proper interpretation. By metonymy, he gives the name of the spirit of faith to faith itself, because it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. AS IT IS WRITTEN. What has given occasion for the mistake is, that he quotes the testimony of David. It ought, however, to be taken in connection with the confession — not with the oneness of faith, or if you prefer it, it agrees with what follows — not with what goes before, in this way:Because we have an assured hope of a blessed resurrection, we are bold to speak and preach what we believe, as it is written, I believed, therefore have I spoken. Now, this is the commencement of Psalm 116, where David acknowledges, that, when he had been reduced to the last extremity, he was so overpowered that he almost gave way, but, having soon afterwards regained confidence, he had overcome that temptation. Accordingly, he opens the Psalm thus:I believed, therefore will I speak. For faith is the mother of confession. Paul, it is true, stirring himself up to imitate him, exhorts the Corinthians to do the same, and, in accordance with the common Greek translation, has used the preterite instead of the future, but this is of no consequence For he simply means to say, that believers ought to be magnanimous, and undaunted, in confessing what they have believed with their heart. (Romans 10:9, 10.) Let now our pretended followers of Nicodemus mark, what sort of fiction they contrive for themselves in the place of faith, when they would have faith remain inwardly buried, and altogether silent, and glory in this wisdom — that they utter, during their whole life, not a single word of right confession. It is interesting to note here, and this is very important to see, that Paul did not consider death to be the end. He is looking on beyond. Death is merely one of the experiences which he will have. In the next chapter he will speak of the comfort in the ministry of martyrdom for Christ. There is a comfort in laying down your life for Jesus sake. He is saying here that he is joined to a living Christ. He is dead to the things of the world because he is joined to a living Christ. He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 15:09:49 +0000
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