As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Paul urges his readers not to receive God’s grace in vain. The mention of God’s grace in chapter six refers back to the end of chapter 5. The righteousness of God in 5:21 speaks of God’s grace shown towards us by sending his Son to die for us. Becoming the righteousness of God describes how in our beaten-down lives and ministries we come to embody the death of Christ. (For a deeper look at what it means to become the righteousness of God, see this article by Tom Wright.)

Paul urges the Corinthians not to receive God’s grace in vain. I take this not as a reference to grace as a commodity to be transferred, but rather to the process of becoming God’s righteousness, becoming God-filled, becoming grace-filled.

Reconciliation, a key theme in 2 Corinthians, happens by grace. God favors us when we do not deserve it, we respond to God with favor, and are reconciled to God. In his letters, Paul calls the Corinthians to be reconciled to God, to one another and to Paul as apostle, pastor and friend.

 

 

In 2 Cor 6:2 Paul quotes the first portion of Isaiah 49:8; here is the entire verse from Isaiah:
This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances…

Salvation/reconciliation is gracious help from God, empowering us to become and embody God’s covenant. Believers become the righteousness of God and embody God’s covenant faithfulness.

Grace happens when God gives of himself to us. Grace happens when we give of ourselves to others.

Full. Free. Undeserved. Grace.

run to Sunday!