What accompanies the appeal not to receive grace in vain?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Paul lists ministerial conditions and virtues, appeals for enlarged hearts and contrasts unbelief with the living God’s temple and family promise.

Chapter breakdown

Helping, Paul exhorts the readers not to receive God’s grace in vain. The quoted accepted time and salvation day lead to his declaration that now is the acceptable time and salvation day. Give no offence so ministry is not blamed. Exhibit themselves as God’s ministers in patience, tribulation, necessities, distresses, stripes, prisons, seditions, labours, watchings and fastings. No particular riots, manual work, anxiety diagnoses or voluntary fasting circumstances are described.

The list continues chastity, knowledge, longsuffering, sweetness, Holy Ghost, unfeigned charity, truthful word, God’s power and armour of justice on right and left. It does not assign attack to one hand and defence to the other. Honour and dishonour, evil and good report, deceivers yet true, unknown yet known, dying yet living, chastised not killed, sorrowful yet always rejoicing, needy yet enriching many, nothing yet all things: these contrasts are retained without making them a legal no-property claim or an unconditional survival guarantee. Unknown-yet-known is not specifically expanded to known only by God.

Paul’s mouth is open to Corinthians and heart enlarged. They are not straitened in him but in their own bowels; speaking as to children, he asks them likewise to enlarge. The source does not identify a particular suspicion, emotional chill or completed reconciliation.

Do not bear the yoke with unbelievers. Paul asks about participation of justice with injustice, light with darkness, Christ with Belial, faithful with unbeliever and God’s temple with idols. The readers are the living God’s temple; the quoted promise says God will dwell and walk in them, be their God and make them his people. Go out and be separate, touch no unclean thing, and the Almighty will receive and be Father to sons and daughters. No specified business partnership, civil festival, marriage policy or comprehensive social-isolation exception is supplied here. The exhortation and promise are not a reported completed response by the congregation.

The story inside

The contrasts remain textual images without invented riots, diagnoses, property rules or a specific social partnership policy. Commands remain instructions rather than completed outcomes.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Now is declared the acceptable time.
2
Armour is on right and left without attack-defence assignments.
3
The final promise names sons and daughters.

Test your recall

Which promise accompanies the command to come out and be separate?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 131182–131187
6:1. And we helping do exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. 6:2. For he saith: In an accepted time have I heard thee and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time: behold, now is the day of salvation.
Lines 131191–131201
6:4. But in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses, 6:5. In stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, 6:6. In chastity, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned, 6:7. In the word of truth, in the power of God: by the armour of justice on the right hand and on the left:
Lines 131220–131228
6:14. Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness? 6:15. And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever? 6:16. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God: as God saith: I will dwell in them and walk among them. And I will be their God: and they shall be my people.
Lines 131230–131234
6:17. Wherefore: Go out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: 6:18. And I will receive you. And will be a Father to you: and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.