I had finish reading john piper book "Doctrine matters"!!!!! YEYY!
In the last part, I stumble upon his writing of these 6 paradoxes and I just HAD to put it somewhere else (my blog?) hehehe.. Also wanted to share this with everyone :)
Below are the writing quoted directly from the book :)
Paul describes the paradoxes of the Christian life (2 Corinthians 6:8–10):
… through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
If you aren’t careful, you might take these to mean that Paul is correcting false perceptions of Christians, but it’s not quite like that. Every perception here of the outsider has truth in it. But Paul says, “What you see is true, but it’s not the whole truth or the main truth.”
1. Verse 9a: You see us “as unknown, and yet [we are] well known.”
Yes, we are nobodies in the Roman empire, a tiny movement following a crucified and risen king. But oh we are known by God, and that is what counts (1 Corinthians 8:3; Galatians 4:9).
2. Verse 9b: You see us “as dying, and behold, we live.”
Yes, we die every day. We are many human punishments and many divine chastenings, but over and over God has spared us from death. And he will spare us till our work is done.
3. Verse 9c: You see us “as punished, and yet [we are] not killed.”
Yes, we endure many human punishments and many divine chastenings, but over and over God has spared us from death. And he will spare us till our work is done .
4. Verse 10a: You see us “as sorrowful, yet [we are] always rejoicing.”
Yes, we are sorrowful. There are countless reasons for our hearts to break. But in them all we do not cease to rejoice, one of the greatest paradoxes of the Christian life!
5. Verse 10b: You see us “as poor, yet [we are] making many rich.”
Yes, we are poor in this world’s wealth. But we don’t live to get rich on things, we live to make people rich on Jesus.
6. Verse 10c: You see us “as having nothing, yet [we are] possessing everything.”
In one sense, we have counted everything as loss or the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8). But, in fact, we are children of God, and if children, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). To every Christian, Paul says, “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23).
-- Soli Deo Gloria --
In the last part, I stumble upon his writing of these 6 paradoxes and I just HAD to put it somewhere else (my blog?) hehehe.. Also wanted to share this with everyone :)
Below are the writing quoted directly from the book :)
Paul describes the paradoxes of the Christian life (2 Corinthians 6:8–10):
… through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
If you aren’t careful, you might take these to mean that Paul is correcting false perceptions of Christians, but it’s not quite like that. Every perception here of the outsider has truth in it. But Paul says, “What you see is true, but it’s not the whole truth or the main truth.”
1. Verse 9a: You see us “as unknown, and yet [we are] well known.”
Yes, we are nobodies in the Roman empire, a tiny movement following a crucified and risen king. But oh we are known by God, and that is what counts (1 Corinthians 8:3; Galatians 4:9).
2. Verse 9b: You see us “as dying, and behold, we live.”
Yes, we die every day. We are many human punishments and many divine chastenings, but over and over God has spared us from death. And he will spare us till our work is done.
3. Verse 9c: You see us “as punished, and yet [we are] not killed.”
Yes, we endure many human punishments and many divine chastenings, but over and over God has spared us from death. And he will spare us till our work is done .
4. Verse 10a: You see us “as sorrowful, yet [we are] always rejoicing.”
Yes, we are sorrowful. There are countless reasons for our hearts to break. But in them all we do not cease to rejoice, one of the greatest paradoxes of the Christian life!
5. Verse 10b: You see us “as poor, yet [we are] making many rich.”
Yes, we are poor in this world’s wealth. But we don’t live to get rich on things, we live to make people rich on Jesus.
6. Verse 10c: You see us “as having nothing, yet [we are] possessing everything.”
In one sense, we have counted everything as loss or the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8). But, in fact, we are children of God, and if children, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). To every Christian, Paul says, “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23).
-- Soli Deo Gloria --
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