Sermon on 2 Corinthians 6:1–7:1: Remembering your identity in Jesus to endure hardship and pursue holiness
A sermon by James de Costobadie, Senior Pastor at Latimer Church, preaching through 2 Corinthians 6:1–7:1.
Summary
James de Costobadie preaches on 2 Corinthians 6:1–7:1, arguing that the key to the Christian life is remembering who you are in Jesus — and that this remembered identity is what equips believers to do two things: endure hardship and pursue holiness. He opens with the story of Simba in The Lion King as an illustration of how identity drives calling, then moves into Paul's appeal to the Corinthians to open their hearts to him and to the gospel he represents. De Costobadie explains that the Corinthians were being drawn away from Paul by worldly "super-apostles" whose apparent success and comfort made Paul's suffering look like failure — and that Paul's response is to argue that enduring hardship is actually the mark of authentic gospel ministry. He then addresses the command not to be yoked with unbelievers, arguing that this applies primarily to the Corinthians' temptation to follow false teachers, but extends to marriage, friendships, and workplace integrity wherever relationships would compromise commitment to Christ.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
The Lion King and the Question of Identity
James de Costobadie: One of the movies that we've watched several times together as a family is The Lion King. It's a really good movie to watch with kids because the kids enjoy it, but so do the adults. The turning point in that movie is when Simba, who is meant to be reigning over the Pride Lands, is reminded that he is the king who's meant to reign.
If you don't know the story, Simba's father Mufasa is killed, and Simba runs away when he's meant to be ruling. He runs away and has a great time with his friends Timon and Pumbaa — hakuna matata, that means no worries — and they just live this life of fun and pleasure. Meanwhile, his homeland, where he's meant to be ruling, is in ruins, being governed by his wicked uncle Scar. And in this scene where Simba's having fun, he has this vision of his father Mufasa, who appears in a cloud, and the vision ends with Mufasa saying, "Remember who you are." It's at that moment in the movie that Simba remembers he's the king, and he returns home and restores order.
The key for Simba in pursuing his real calling and purpose as king of the Pride Lands is remembering his identity. And I put it to you that it is the same in the Christian life. Remembering who you are in Jesus is the key to living out your true calling and purpose. The key to the Christian life is remembering who you are in Jesus.
Paul's Appeal to the Corinthians
In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul shows us how who we are in Jesus ought to affect how we live. Our identity as Jesus' people should change us. We should be different. It should make a real, tangible difference to how we live our lives as we align ourselves with Jesus and not with the world.
Paul wants the Corinthians to remember who they are in Jesus so that they'll do two things in particular. First, so that they will endure hardship with Paul. And secondly, so that they will pursue holiness. We're going to think about those two things in turn.
Part One: Remembering Who You Are Will Enable You to Endure Hardship
One of the greatest battles of being a Christian is that of allegiance. The question we face all the time is: will we align ourselves with Jesus and Jesus' people, or will we align ourselves with the world? I don't know where you're feeling that battle at the moment. It could be a number of places.
Perhaps it's a battle with a particular sin. The world says that sin's no big deal — it's your life, you just do what you please. But God says sin is destructive and wicked. So who will you align your life with — the world or God?
Or perhaps this question of allegiance is seen through hardship, because the world says there can't be a good God who loves you when you go through a time of hardship. What kind of God would let you suffer like that? But God says he loves us in our hardship and he teaches us in our suffering. So who are you going to align with — the world or God?
Or perhaps it's a battle in your own mind as you wrestle with truth, because there are things which God says in the Bible are sinful, but these same things the world embraces as good. So who are you going to align yourself with — God or the world?
Or perhaps the question is seen when it comes to success, because the world says that everything you do to make yourself happy and embrace freedom is worth doing. Make yourself rich and successful, live your dream. But God says that the real road to happiness is actually the road of sacrifice and service, generosity, not greed. So who are you going to align your life with — Jesus or the world?
This question of allegiance is the tension that the church in Corinth felt in the middle of the first century. Will they align themselves with Paul and the Jesus Paul proclaimed, or will they align themselves with the world and its leaders? Paul urges the Corinthians to align themselves with him and his message.
Have a look at chapter 6, verse 12. He says, "We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange — I speak as to my children — open wide your hearts also." Or have a look ahead to chapter 7, verse 2. Paul says, "Make room for us in your hearts. We've wronged no one, we've corrupted no one, we've exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you."
Paul describes his relationship with the Corinthians as like that of a father with his children. He says they're like his dear children. He loves them, but they don't reciprocate it. They don't accept him. It's really painful, isn't it, when the relationship between a parent and their child is broken. Many of us know that pain. And Paul says that's how he feels. He's their spiritual father. He would live or die for the Corinthians, and yet they're turning away from him. And so he appeals to them to open their hearts to him.
But it's not just their relationship with Paul that he's worried about. Paul is worried that their rejection of him as their spiritual father is actually a rejection of Jesus. Because Paul is an ambassador of Jesus. The Apostle Paul speaks on behalf of Jesus, and he calls the Corinthians to be reconciled to God. To reject Paul and his message is actually to reject Jesus.
The Gospel: Be Reconciled to God
Paul's message is helpfully summarised for us in chapter 5, verses 20 to 21. Have a look there. Paul says, "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors. As though God were making his appeal through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
It's an appeal that Paul makes to the Corinthians to be reconciled to God — a reconciliation that is made possible through Jesus, who knew no sin. He lived a perfect life, loved God perfectly, always loved people perfectly. He who knew no sin, we're told, became sin for us. There is a sense in which as Jesus hung on that Roman cross 2,000 years ago, he actually became the most sinful man who's ever lived as he took on the sins of the whole world upon himself. He took on all of your sin and all of my sin. He became a murderer, a liar, an abuser, a cheat, a thief, and an enemy of God, as he took our sin upon himself — and then he paid for it. God's anger at all of that sin was poured out on Jesus, so that we might be declared righteous before God.
Friends, if you accept this offer to have your sin paid for, then when God looks at you, he no longer sees your sin. It's been removed from you and placed on Jesus, and he's paid for it. And so God looks at you and me, trusting in Jesus, and he sees the perfect life of Jesus. A righteous life. Isn't that incredible? Instead of seeing all the things that we're ashamed of, all the things that we know make us guilty, he doesn't see it. It's been dealt with. We can be friends with God and receive his grace.
And so Paul says, "I implore you, Corinthians, to be reconciled to God, for today is the day of salvation." And that same message rings out from Paul to each of us here even tonight. For right now, in this very sentence written by Paul, speaking on God's behalf, God says to each of us tonight: be reconciled to me, because today is the day of salvation. Do not keep your distance from God. Don't keep ignoring him. Don't keep living in hostility to him. Be reconciled to God. He is holding out his hand to you, offering you peace, offering to pay for all of your sin. And Paul says, accept it. Be reconciled to the God who made you.
Paul speaks as God's representative. His message is God's message. Sometimes I send one of my kids with a message for one of my other kids. I send Asher to go and tell Mariah that she has to turn the TV off. And if Mariah refuses to listen to Asher, she's actually rejecting me, because I sent Asher. Well, that's Paul. God sent Paul with a message: be reconciled to me. And to ignore that is not just to reject Paul — it is to reject God who sent him.
You cannot drive a wedge between Paul and Jesus. You can't say, "I really love Jesus, but I don't really like Paul. I really love the teachings of Jesus, but I don't really like the teachings of Paul." Liberalism, even in our day, keeps doing this — driving a wedge between Paul and Jesus. Jesus is all good, he talks about love, but Paul, well, he's a bit of a homophobe and a misogynist, I don't like him. But you can't do that. Paul is Jesus' ambassador. To reject Paul is to reject Jesus.
The Super-Apostles and the Discrediting of Paul
Now, if you've been with us through this series, you may remember that one of the reasons the relationship is breaking down between Paul and the church of Corinth is that new leaders have come into the church. Paul rather sarcastically calls them super-apostles in chapter 11. They were impressive men, gifted men, powerful preachers, successful in the eyes of the world, and successful in the eyes of the church of Corinth. And these new leaders had begun to discredit Paul. In comparison to them, Paul was markedly unimpressive. He wasn't a gifted preacher. He didn't live a particularly successful life. He often, as we'll see in a moment, suffered for his ministry.
And so these so-called super-apostles said to the Corinthian church: don't listen to Paul. He's a fake. He's not a real man of God. He wants you to suffer with him, but God doesn't want that for you. Don't listen to him. We're the real deal. We want you to be happy, to be successful, to enjoy life.
And so Paul writes this letter to defend himself and to call the Corinthians back to himself, to open their hearts to him and back to his simple message of Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Corinthians were tempted to have nothing to do with Paul because of the hardship he faced. They would rather live the impressive, successful, influential lives of the so-called super-apostles.
And we can understand that, can't we? If you're choosing a leader, someone to follow, wouldn't you rather choose a leader who appears successful than someone who appears to be a failure? Of course you would. And Paul appeared to be a failure. In the world's eyes, that's what he was.
Hardship as the Mark of Authentic Ministry
Have a look at the list of things Paul has faced in chapter 6. In verse 4, he says that he faced troubles, hardships, and distresses. In verse 5, things that were done to him: beatings, imprisonments, and riots. And then things he chose himself: hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger. Why would you follow someone like that, when you could follow leaders the world loves — leaders who appear to have a fantastic work-life balance, who are good-looking, drive fancy cars, play golf on the weekend, and say, "Come follow us and you can have it as well"? Why would you follow Paul?
But Paul says that this life of hardship actually commends the message he proclaims and commends him as a messenger of Jesus. It's his life of hardship which proves that Paul is actually the real deal.
And even as he endures all of this hardship, he says he does it with godly character. Verse 6: he does it in purity, understanding, patience and kindness, in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love, in truthful speech and in the power of God, with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left. Even as he endures all of his hardship — tired and exhausted, rejected and hated, beaten and imprisoned — he continues to love other people. He continues to be patient. He continues to be honest. He continues to be pure. He speaks truthfully. He speaks with sincerity. The weapons of righteousness in the book of Ephesians are the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith. And Paul says, "I held on to them." He endures hardship for the sake of Jesus, and he does so in godliness, whatever the circumstances of his life.
Verse 8: through glory and dishonour, through bad report and good report. Paul practises what he preaches. There's no gap between the message and the messenger. He's authentic. He walks the talk. And this, he says, commends him as a servant of God. This endurance in hardship is the sign of authentic Christianity.
Notice that in verse 3 he says, "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way." Paul is warning the Corinthians: do not be impressed by those super-apostles. They look impressive, they don't suffer, they've got everything they want, they look happy, they pursue happiness — but don't be fooled. The Christian life is often filled with hardship. And Paul's willingness to endure hardship is a sign of authentic gospel ministry.
That's a warning to us as well, isn't it? As we discern true Christian ministry, or perhaps as we try to choose a church to join or a particular Christian leader to follow and listen to — do not be fooled by the outward appearance of a church or a person that looks successful. Great graphic design, excellent music, a good image, excellent preaching — nothing wrong with those things. But the mark of authentic Christian ministry is enduring hardship for the sake of proclaiming Jesus.
Identity in Jesus Sustains Endurance
And what enabled Paul to do it? It was his identity in Jesus. Have a look down at verses 9 and 10. He says he was known and yet regarded as unknown. Paul knows that he's known by God. He's not famous among people. He's not understood by people. He's not listened to by people. But God knew him. God understood him. God listened to him.
He says that he was dying and yet lived on, beaten yet not killed. The world tried to get rid of Paul, tried to kill him, but he had life in Christ. God sustained him and protected him. And even if Paul was killed physically, he knew that he would only depart this world to live with Christ.
We're told that he was sorrowful and yet always rejoicing. Isn't that a wonderful description? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing. Because this world is full of sorrow — death and sickness, relationship breakdown, uncertainty and stress, hardship after hardship. We feel sorrow. But whatever sorrow comes our way, the Christian rejoices, because we belong to God. Rejoices because we know that we're safe in the hands of God. Rejoices because we know that we have an eternal hope in heaven.
Paul says he was poor, but he was making many rich. Paul had no material riches to give people, no money to give to the poor and needy. But he offered people something far greater. He offered people reconciliation with the living God. He offered them the message of Jesus. And so those who believed him became spiritually rich as they put their trust in Christ.
He himself had nothing, he says, but he possessed everything. He didn't own much in this world. He gave it all up for Jesus. But he knew that he possessed everything he needed in Jesus. He knew that all of his needs and desires would be eternally satisfied by God in the age to come. And so he had nothing and yet possessed everything.
Paul knew with certainty his identity in Jesus, and it enabled him to endure hardship. He knew that no amount of suffering or hardship in the Christian life would change who he was or what he had in Christ. And so he says in verse 13: open your hearts to me, be reconciled to me and to the God I represent. I commend myself as a servant of Jesus.
Paul knew who he was in Jesus and what he had in Jesus, and that enabled him to embrace hardship and to prove that he was a genuine messenger of Jesus. Because what marked Paul's life is also what marked the life of Jesus, isn't it? Read that list again with Jesus in mind. Jesus was beaten, hungry, sleepless, imprisoned, sorrowful. And yet through all of the hardship that Jesus faced, he was righteous, pure, honest, and sincere. Enduring hardship is the mark of authentic Christianity because it is also marked by the life of Jesus whom we follow.
Friends, if you're someone who trusts Jesus and has been reconciled to God, then like Paul, you need to know this and you need to remember it. We are known by God. He knows you. He knows your name. He knows your circumstances. He knows your sorrows. He knows your hardship. He knows your temptation. He understands you, even if no one else does. Even if your friends or your family write you off as some crazy Jesus freak, or you get written off as some religious hypocrite — friends, don't worry. You are known by God.
And you have life. You have life even if it feels like right now your life's not really worth living. Even if right now your life is full of pain and suffering, friends, in Jesus you have real life — eternal life. And even if you lose everything in this world — your family, your wealth, your popularity, your job, even if you lose it all — we are rich in Jesus. You possess everything.
Which means you don't need to shy away from hardship or distance yourself from those who suffer for Jesus' sake. Have you ever felt that temptation? To distance yourself from those who suffer for Jesus' sake? Perhaps when you hear of some Christian who's stood up for their Christian faith in the media and they get slammed, and instead of saying, "Yeah, I'm with them," we kind of distance ourselves — "Oh, he's a bit hardcore, I'm not like that." Never do that. Don't be afraid. We're known by God. An authentic disciple of Jesus will remember who they are and endure hardship.
Part Two: Remembering Who You Are Will Enable You to Pursue Holiness
We come now to a verse that's very well known — verse 14: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." It's a verse which is often cited as a proof text saying that if you're a Christian, you shouldn't marry a non-Christian. But before we jump to that, that's not actually what Paul has primarily in mind.
To be yoked together is a picture of two oxen pulling a plough. The yoke was the wooden frame that went over their shoulders and bound them together. And so Paul says that as Christians, the church in Corinth should not be bound together with unbelievers. And in order to understand what Paul means, we need to remember the context he's writing to.
The church of Corinth is in danger of deserting Jesus and rejecting Paul, and instead pursuing and following these so-called super-apostles. They're impressed by the gifts and success of these worldly men, and so they're ready to walk away from the gospel in order to follow them. They're in danger of yoking themselves — partnering with these super-apostles who preach a different gospel. And so Paul says, don't be yoked together with unbelievers. First and foremost, he is talking about these false apostles, because that's the context — that's the particular temptation for the church of Corinth.
He explains why they must not be yoked with them in a number of rhetorical questions. Have a look at verse 14. He says, "What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Or what harmony is there between Christ and Belial?" — which is another name for Satan — "Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" And the answer to each of the questions is: nothing. Jesus and Satan have nothing in common. Light and darkness have nothing in common. And believers and unbelievers have nothing in common, because we're trying to live for Jesus and they are not. And so Paul says, have nothing to do with them.
We Are the Temple of the Living God
Instead, he says, remember who you are. We are the temple of the living God, in verse 16. "What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God."
Then Paul reminds the Corinthians of two extraordinary promises which God made to his people in the Old Testament. First, he promised to live with his people and walk with his people. In verse 16, God promised that he would be their God and the people would be his people. And then secondly, he promises to adopt his people to be his children in verse 18: "I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
And in between these two great Old Testament promises are God's commands to his people to come out of the nations and be different to them — to be pure and not to touch what is unclean.
What is going on here is that Paul is referring to Old Testament events in which God rescued his people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt. He called the nation of Israel to be his special people and he told them that they would be his people and he would be their God. He promised that he would be their father and they would be his children, but they were to live differently. They were not to be like the pagan nations around them. They were to be holy. They were to obey the living God.
And Paul says that these realities — these promises made to Israel many hundreds of years earlier — are now applied to all who trust in Jesus. Those who trust in Jesus have become the people of God. God lives in them by his Spirit. The Corinthians who have accepted Jesus are the temple of the living God. God dwells in them. And therefore he says, don't take the temple of God and unite it with unbelievers. Don't unite righteousness and wickedness.
When we give in to sin and love sin and unite ourselves with sin as followers of Jesus, we are defiling the temple of God. Have you ever thought about it like that? To defile the temple of God — the temple is where God dwells. To defile the temple of God in the Old Testament was punishable by death. And now we're told that we are the temple of God. God dwells in us by his Spirit. And so when we give in to sin, we defile his temple.
The Call to Holiness
And so chapter 7, verse 1 is a summary of what Paul is saying: "Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."
Because of your identity in Jesus, pursue holiness. Out of the reverence you have for the God who saved you — the God who made him who knew no sin be sin for you — out of reverence and love for that God, be holy. Have nothing to do with sin anymore.
Friends, if you're a Christian here today, then this is you. We must purify ourselves from anything that contaminates body and spirit. Get rid of greed and selfishness. Get rid of lust and pornography. Get rid of dishonesty and hatred. Get rid of idolatry and drunkenness. Get rid of sex outside of marriage. Get rid of slander and gossip. Be holy. Get rid of sin and get rid of anything that causes you to sin. Including, says Paul, relationships with unbelievers. Don't yoke yourself to them.
Now, we need to be really careful here, because if you mishear this, you're going to go and start some cult. You're going to withdraw from anyone who doesn't follow Jesus and think, "We're a little holy huddle and you're not allowed to be in this because you don't know Jesus." That's not what Paul is saying. We are to live in the world. We're to be involved in the world. We're to show the love of Jesus to the world. And I hope and pray that each and every one of us have deep and real friendships with unbelievers. I hope that we have unbelievers in our homes and we invite them in for meals. I hope we're actively engaged with unbelievers at work and school and uni and our communities and sports clubs, wherever we are. Because if we're not doing that, we will not win the world for Christ. If we don't really love people, we can't be effective ambassadors of Jesus.
So Paul is not saying we should cut ourselves off from all unbelievers. But here is the principle which Paul is giving the Corinthians: don't choose relationships with unbelievers over and above your commitment to Christ. That's the principle. Don't choose relationships with unbelievers over and above your commitment to Christ.
For the Corinthians, that meant: don't follow these super-apostles at the cost of distancing themselves from Paul and the gospel of Jesus. Don't do it. Cut themselves off. Have nothing to do with them.
Applying the Principle: Marriage, Friendship, and Work
And for us it means we must not follow leaders or join churches which will lead us away from Jesus into sin. If they don't call us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and endure hardship for his sake, if churches and their leaders are not calling us away from sin to holiness, then we are to have nothing to do with them. Don't align yourself with false teachers, regardless of how impressive they may seem.
But we can actually take this principle and apply it more broadly as well, can't we? It will mean, for example, that believers should not marry unbelievers. In 1 Corinthians chapter 7, Paul makes it clear that if you're already married to an unbeliever, then you ought to stay married insofar as it depends upon you. But the whole purpose of marriage in God's design for humanity is that we're to help each other in the Christian life. We're to work together in the service of God. That's the whole reason for marriage — it's a partnership for serving Jesus. And you can't do that if you marry an unbeliever. So don't yoke yourself to them. Don't choose relationships with unbelievers over your commitment to Jesus.
Or another way we might apply it is to friendships. It may be that there are people in your life who would not hang out with you if you stopped doing the things that they do. If you stop drinking, if you stop smoking weed, if you stop having sex, maybe they won't be friends with you anymore. And the temptation is to keep doing what you know is wrong in order to maintain the friendship. But don't do it, says Paul. If your holiness costs you a friendship, then it's a sacrifice worth making. Do everything you can to maintain friendship, but don't give in to sin. Purify yourself, says Paul, from everything that will lead to sin. Don't choose relationships with unbelievers over your commitment to Christ.
It could be applied to work as well. It may be that there are particular situations at work where unless you're dishonest, you won't do well at your job. Perhaps you'll even lose your job unless you mistreat people. You think you're going to lose your job unless you do what you're being asked, but you know what you're being asked to do is wrong. Well, Paul says, pursue holiness. Don't yoke yourselves to unbelievers. You are already yoked to Jesus. And so don't choose relationships with unbelievers over your commitment to Christ.
This principle which Paul gives us can lead to some really difficult decisions — really difficult. It is, as Jesus said, "I have not come to bring peace but the sword." It may cost us relationships. We must not choose relationships with unbelievers over our commitment to Christ.
Conclusion: Remember Who You Are
And what is it that enables a Christian to live like this and to make these costly decisions? It is our identity in Jesus. Knowing that we are the temple of God. Knowing that God himself dwells in us by his Spirit, and therefore we must not defile the temple of God with sin. It is knowing that God, the creator of the universe, is our God. We are his people. He is our Father. You are his son or his daughter. He has adopted you into his family. God Almighty has adopted us into his family, and we are his holy people. And so out of reverence for him, we must pursue holiness.
Christians are those who are out of place in this world. And to live differently, we must remember who we are. In a world that values peace, prosperity, health and wealth, we are called to endure hardship. In a world that values the right to do whatever you please with your own life without any regard to God, we are called to pursue holiness — to live for God, as God's children. That is who we are in Jesus. And it is remembering who we are that will enable us to do it.
So friends, remember who you are. Jesus, who had no sin, became sin for you, so that in him you might become the righteousness of God. Remember who you are. Endure hardship. And pursue holiness out of reverence for him.