Please read the passage before reading the comments.
Paul was a minister of God. His mission was to proclaim the grace of God among the people. He quoted Isaiah 49: 8 to insist that now, this particular time, the time of Paul’s mission to them, was the acceptable time for them.
Paul asserted that his presence among them, was God’s doing, that God had put Paul in Corinth at a time chosen by God to proclaim to the Corinthians God’s favor and forgiveness.
Paul did have some difficulties to overcome in preaching to the Corinthians. He seems to have had health problems and other personal problems. He was not readily welcomed by the people of Corinth. Despite these, and persecutions and other legal matters, Paul had proclaimed the Gospel boldly.
The results were fantastic with many conversions, for many had seen through the negative appearances to the truth of Paul’s message. Paul’s trials, which he endured, had convinced them of the truth of his message.
What hardships do we endure now, similar to Paul’s, that can attest to the righteousness of our behavior towards others? It is not that we must suffer according to some whim of God, but that God uses our sufferings as proof for the validity of God’s word. Our sufferings parallel the weakness Christ showed in his life so that as his human weakness showed the power of God, so likewise our human weakness shows forth the same power of God to save and protect.
As Paul, we must proclaim the gospel faithfully; as recipients of God’s word, we must welcome God’s word because now, this time, is the acceptable time for us.
Leave a Reply