2 Corinthians 5:7 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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2 Corinthians 5:7

Comments

What is the difference between being absent and being present? Here, at the moment, ‘we walk by faith, not by sight.’ While we are in this life, we are missing all that fullness. ‘For we walk by faith,’ as far as the future is concerned, ‘not by sight’. We do not see him. The apostle had seen him; he had seen him twice. He had seen him when he appeared to him at the time of his conversion. Paul was unique in that respect, because he was the last of the apostles, born out of due time. He was given this special appearance of the Lord, to qualify him as an apostle. Then he’d seen Christ another time and we will read about that later in this book in chapter 12. He tells us about visions and revelations of the Lord and how he was caught up into heaven in order to receive truth which he would deliver to us through these letters, through the word. He saw many other things besides, which he was not allowed to speak about: things too high, too profound, too amazing to be allowed to put into his letters. But on that occasion, he certainly received all that from Christ. Nevertheless, those were the only occasions because he, like us, must walk ‘by faith, not by sight,’ and Christ and his presence by faith until the day we see him.

Application

We know Christ now through the word and if you don’t read the word of God every day and if you starve your souls, you will never see him. You won’t learn of him in such a way that he almost seems to be there. Sometimes it takes a while to tune into that experience and for the Spirit to give you this blessing, so if you read the word on Monday in private devotions, and then you leave it until Wednesday and then Friday, and the next week only twice, you will never see Christ. You have to come to the word often and learn to take it in, for the Spirit to move your heart and then you see more of him and you rejoice in him.

Then you know Christ now by what he does in you. As you walk with him and you pray and you serve him, he changes you, he strengthens you to resist temptation, he gives you new sensibilities and longings, so that you want the right things and your tastes are made spiritual. From this work going on in you, you know his touch and his nearness.

Then also you know him by the things he does not only in you, but by you because he blesses your witness. You find the words come more readily and through prayer that people respond. People who you pray for in your ministry of intercession, in due time are moved and affected and brought to Christ and you can contribute to his work and you recognise what he does by using you.

Of course, you know what he does for you because you are praying constantly and aren’t great needs a blessing to the Christian? Great needs, things that drive you to the throne of grace. Problems you cannot solve without his help. Situations you do not know what to do about, where to turn and you bring them to the Lord with such earnestness, and those are the prayers he chiefly hears.

Then, on top of that, if you are walking seriously with the Lord and you are not a semi-backslider, he directly, somehow, puts into your heart, into your soul, deeper conviction and certainty and we call it assurance but it is a blessing from the Lord. You just know it and you are certain by these means that Christ is close to you.

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2 Corinthians 5:7 Commentary and Bible Study