2 Corinthians 6: Don’t Waste the Gift of Grace

The Apostle pleads with the Corinthians, and with us, not to receive the grace of God in vain. That is, not to treat it casually, not to compartmentalize it, and not to keep Jesus at arm’s length when He’s called us to new life. As an Apostle, Paul shares the cost of faithful ministry—beatings, imprisonments, sleepless nights—and yet he opens his heart wider, not smaller. He reminds us that the Christian life is lived now, in the tension between earthly hardship and heavenly promise. It’s not enough to avoid evil; we’re called to be visibly, purposefully set apart.

The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 2 Corinthians 6.

To learn more about Trinity Lutheran, visit trinitylutheranministries.org.

What does it mean to follow Christ in weakness? What does true ministry look like in the face of criticism, suffering, and spiritual warfare? And how can the Church hold fast to the Gospel when pressured by the world—and even by false teachers within?

On Thy Strong Word, we walk verse by verse through, arguably, the apostle Paul’s most personal, emotional, and paradoxical letter: 2 Corinthians. From forgiveness and reconciliation to generous giving and boasting only in the Lord, 2 Corinthians calls every believer to follow Christ boldly. This is the way of the cross, where God’s grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in you.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.