II Corinthians 5:11

Second Corinthians 5:11

The Bible says in Second Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” Starting in this verse and going to the rest of the chapter Paul is speaking primarily on the subject of why he says what he says and why he does what he does in his ministry of reaching out to people to help them get saved through Christ and to help them become better Christians once they are saved. The reason that he gives here is that he knows the terror of the Lord. Enter into God’s love through Christ while you can. The terror is coming.

In what ways will the terror of the Lord be manifest? It will be manifest at the Second Coming of Christ. Speaking of Jesus at the Second Coming when He comes back to the earth to destroy the enemies of God, Revelation 19:15 says, “And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” The terror of the Lord will be manifest after the battle of Armageddon when the antichrist will be cast into the lake of fire along with all of those who were deceived by the antichrist and who rejected the real Christ. Revelation 19:20 says, “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

It says in the book of Proverbs that the Lord is angry with the wicked every day. Why did Paul persuade men: because Paul knew the terror of the Lord. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The terror of the Lord is known by those who reap the sad results of sin in this life. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soeth that shall he also reap.” And the terror of the Lord will be known once for all at the great white throne judgment: the final judgment of all human beings before a holy and yes, a terrible God: a God of terror when He needs to be and when He decides to be. Revelation 20:11-15 says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Yes, God is a God of love. And, yes, it is appropriate to speak about the great love of God for the world. But we are not on that subject right now. We are on the subject of the holiness of God and the justice of God. The righteous demands of a holy God must be satisfied. God must punish evil, and He will. Run to the only salvation that is provided: the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. The judgment is coming, and it will be a terrible judgment. It will be especially terrible for those who have refused God’s salvation. They will be cast into hell. Another judgment, the judgment seat of Christ, will also be terrible for the believers. Many believers will lose rewards that they otherwise could have had if only they had gone God’s way and if only they had done what Paul did. Paul said, “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Daniel 12:3 says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Paul had the gift to teach. He was a great teacher. We are studying some of his teachings right now. But Paul was often opposed by false teachers who entered in among the believers and taught things that were contrary to the teachings of Paul. Paul knew that the effectiveness of his teachings was partly determined by the attitude of the listeners. In order for teaching to take place there must be a teacher, but there must also be a student who respects and receives the teachings of the teacher. This same principle is true in the parent-child relationship. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” That is true, but only when actual training takes place; and training only takes place when there is a wise parent who gives the proper training and when there is a receptive child who listens to the parent and willingly receives the instruction that is given to him or to her.

The problem with some Christians is that they do not know who to listen to. Paul wrote in Second Timothy 4:2-4, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Paul was appealing to the believers in Corinth to listen to him and to his teachings. That is what he was talking about in the last part of Second Corinthians 5:11 when Paul wrote “But we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest unto your conscience.” God knew what Paul was really all about, and the people in Corinth should have known also.

In Second Corinthians 5:12-13 Paul said, “For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God; or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.” Paul said that what he did, he did for two reasons: he did it for God, and he did it for the people to whom he ministered and brought the truth. This is in great contrast to the false teachers: the false teachers “glory in appearance, and not in heart.” False teachers major on the external: the appearance: the exterior, the way they dress, and the sound of their voice. They have a form of godliness, denying the power thereof. The false teachers have nothing in their heart. They are not true believers because they do not believe in their heart. False teachers are selfish. They do what they do and say what they say for entirely selfish reasons, because they have nothing in their heart. They seek riches or fame or control. But they do not seek God nor do they care about people. They only care for themselves and their purposes.

When Paul said, “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men,” Paul gave us one of his motivations. Now in Second Corinthians 5:14-15 Paul gives us another thing that motivated him. He said, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.” Paul mentioned the terror of God and the judgment of God, but now he mentions the love of God. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” “God is love.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” “We love Him because He first loved us.” Paul thought about the love of Christ, and then Paul immediately thought of the spiritual needs of people. Christ doesn’t just love you. He loves everyone else just a much as He loves you. That is one of the reasons that Jesus told us to love our enemies. God loves your enemies just as much as He loves you, and if you are going to be more like Christ then you must love your enemies also.

The spiritual needs of people, the fact that they are spiritually dead, is what we should be concerned about. When we see another person, we should not be thinking about their physical appearance: what they look like or how they are dressed or anything else about their material or physical life. We should think about their spiritual needs, and we should pray if there be some way we could help with their spiritual condition. Can we be a blessing to them, can we be a testimony to them, or can we say something to be a spiritual encouragement to them? That is what Paul means in the next verse by the phrase “we know no man after the flesh.” Paul wrote in Second Corinthians 5:16, “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.”

There was a time when the apostles actually saw Christ and heard His voice. In other words they knew Him “after the flesh.” But now that Christ is ascended into heaven, the only way to know Christ is to know Him spiritually. Paul is saying that he is taking that principle and applying it to human beings also. Because his relationship with Christ was a spiritual relationship, the apostle Paul wanted to view human beings entirely from a spiritual standpoint also. Is someone a lost soul? Pray for them, and find out if there is a way in which you can be a testimony to them. Is someone a believer? Pray for them, and find out if you can say a word of encouragement to build up their faith.

The Bible says in Second Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” One of the things that is different if you have a new life in Christ is the fact that you have the capacity to understand that people have spiritual needs. Someone who never shows a concern for the spiritual needs of others may be someone who himself has never become a new creature in Christ. The thing to remember about this verse is that if you are in Christ, you are a new creature. Paul was writing to a Christian church and he said, “If any man be in Christ.” In any given congregation there is a chance that some of the people are not really saved. You do not become a new creature through water baptism, you do not become a new creature through church membership, and you do not become a new creature through having repeated some words that someone told you to repeat. You are only a new creature if you are “in Christ.” If you do not have that spiritual connection with Christ that came from the new birth, then you are not a new creation in Christ. In other words, you do not have spiritual life yet.

The Bible says in Second Corinthians 5:18, “And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” The first phrase in this verse is an important one to remember if you want to live by faith in this world of sorrow and disappointment and disaster. “All things are of God.” God is all-powerful. He is everywhere. This is His world that He has made, and we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. This world is on His timetable, and He is involved in everything that takes place in it. God is using everything that takes place to work in the hearts of human beings so that they might awaken to their need of a Savior. That is an important part of the work of reconciliation. God is working in the hearts and lives of people so that they will come to the point of seeing their need of Christ.

In verse 18 the Bible says that we who believe have been given the “ministry of reconciliation,” and verse 19 says that we have been given the “word of reconciliation.” Second Corinthians 5:19 says, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” How do you fulfill or accomplish a ministry of reconciliation: by using the word of reconciliation. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Paul gives us a good example of what that word of reconciliation would be. He said in Second Corinthians 5:20, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” Once we believe, we become God’s ambassadors. God could come to the earth and speak Himself, if that had been His choice. But He did not choose to do it that way. Instead God chose to give us a written Word and then to have us speak the word of reconciliation to others.

Perhaps as a reminder as to why we become reconciled to God once we believe the Word concerning Jesus, we are told in Second Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” This is a wonderful description of salvation and of just how much Jesus did for us. He who knew no sin became sin for us. Sin was punished on the cross in the person of Jesus. That is why God can do for us exactly what is said in verse 19, “not imputing their trespasses unto them.” In other words if you are in Christ, your sins will not be held to your account. As far as your spiritual standing before God is concerned, God sees you as being a righteous person. God gives you the righteousness of Christ. He sees you as though you are the innocent one without sin.

If you have not been reconciled to God through faith in Christ, now is a good time to repent of your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you.

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