Calvary Road Baptist Church
“CREDIBLE CHRISTIANITY”
Second Corinthians 1.21-22
One afternoon in the spring of 1967, my best friend and I, juniors in high school at the time, were standing on a track and field practice area behind our high school gymnasium. We weren’t involved in anything serious, just wasting time after school was out, when a casual friend of ours, who was also one of the better sprinters on the track team, walked over to us with what looked like a very big secret.
I remember the scene perfectly. Mr. Nelson was the track and field coach at our high school and a very casual and nonchalant guy who wasn’t likely to tell this fellow anything he didn’t want everyone in town to know about in fifteen minutes. As he walked toward us, looking in every direction, he whispered, “Hey guys, I’ve got something really important to tell you. But you have to give me your word that you will tell no one. If Mr. Nelson finds out I told you, he’ll kill me.”
Anyway, my best friend and I looked around, pretending to take our classmate seriously, and asked him, “What’s the secret?” “Now, you guys don’t tell anyone, but I just ran a practice hundred-yard dash and broke the world record. The coach doesn’t want anyone to know about it until I break the record at a track meet.”
My best friend and I should have been mad at the guy. But rather than get angry at him for thinking we were stupid enough to believe that nonsense, we pretended to believe him and then ridiculed him after he went back to track practice. My best friend and I, who I talk to on the phone occasionally, still laugh about that incident that took place more than half a century ago.
Getting back to the world record breaker ... Why did my best friend and I not believe a word this 17-year-old said to us? He had no credibility. That is, if you knew the guy, you’d realize that he was, by his lifestyle and by his reputation, not believable.
God wants to make sure that when you and I live out our lives, people do not think toward us how I felt toward that classmate. And to prevent that kind of thing from happening, God has determined that He will make sure that His children are credible.
In our text for today, let us examine two time frames that God works in your life and mine to make us credible Christians ... believable believers. Please turn to Second Corinthians 1.21-22:
21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul speaks to what God does in the time frame of the believer’s past, and there is the time frame of the believer’s present:
First, LET’S LOOK AT WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN THE BELIEVER’S PAST
Take note with me three things that God has done to every believer, and we will look at them one at a time:
First, every believer in Jesus Christ has been anointed by God with the Holy Spirit. Notice the declaration in the last half of verse 21. The Apostle Paul writes, “and hath anointed us, is God.” The word Paul uses, crisaV, indicates that this anointing occurred one time only and in the past. There are not many anointings of God for the believer, but one.
Murray J. Harris writes about this, “The one-time consecration of believers to the performance of the divine will as well as the constant strengthening of believers in their union with Christ are the prerogative, responsibility, and achievement of God alone.”[1]
First John 2.20, 27. In these two verses, the same word, translated by the terms “unction” and “anointing,” John writes believers and predicates his remarks on the fact that God has anointed them with the Holy Spirit:
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
Do you know what is necessary for a book of the Bible to display the assumption that every believer who reads it has been anointed of God? For that assumption to be valid, you have to receive your anointing when you come to Christ. And because of the form of the word used by Paul in Second Corinthians 1.21, which is called the aorist, it only happens once in the believer’s life.
Let us compare this usage of “anointing” with other verses in the New Testament.
Acts 4.27:
“For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together.”
“Anointed” here refers to the fact that Jesus was the Christ. Many of you realize that the word “Messiah” and the word “Christ,” both referring to the Lord Jesus, means “Anointed One,” Messiah being the Hebrew term and Christ being its Greek equivalent. This word does not apply to believers directly but to the Lord Jesus. Luke 4.27, Acts 10.38, and Hebrews 1.9 use the word similarly. Is it not strange? Every time the word translated “anoint” is used in the New Testament, except for Second Corinthians 1.21 and First John 2.20 and 27, it refers to Jesus, the Messiah, and His anointing by God the Father.
How many times was Jesus Christ the Son of God anointed by God the Father? Only one time, friends. When the Lord Jesus Christ was anointed, if anointing in the New Testament has any resemblance to the function of anointings found in the Old Testament, it was an anointing that authorized Him to function in a particular office or a particular capacity. In His case, as Prophet, Priest, and King.
Third, it is interpretation time. Paul has declared that anointing has taken place. John has written and assumed that every reader has this anointing, this unction, if you will, from God. For that to be true, this anointing must occur at the time the believer trusts Christ as his Savior. Second, if the anointing we have received bears any resemblance to the anointings found in the Old Testament or the anointing referred to in Christ’s ministry, then our anointing was to give us the authority to occupy a position or an office.
Think about it, my friends. Though you did not feel it when it happened to you, at the time you trusted Christ as your personal Savior, God anointed you with His precious Holy Spirit for the express purpose of authorizing you to represent Him. And since First Peter 2.5 refers to Christians as a “holy priesthood,” and Revelation 1.6 indicates that we have been made “kings and priests unto God,” I think this anointing authorizes us, as little kings and priests, to represent our Great High Priest and our King of kings, Jesus Christ. For what purpose did God anoint you and me? So that we might have the necessary ingredients in our lives to establish credibility.
Second, every believer has been sealed by God with the Holy Spirit. Paul’s declaration is seen in verse 22. “Who hath also sealed us.” This is also the form of the participle, which is termed aorist, which indicates that the sealing took place one time only, in the past.[2] In Paul’s day, it was common for merchants to wrap up packages to send to people and then seal the package, place valuables in a vase, and then seal the opening of the vase for shipment.
The seal, then, had a three-fold function. First, it was a guarantee that the contents of the container would be preserved. Second, it guaranteed the safe arrival of the merchandise to its intended destination. Third, it identified ownership.[3] Though the word is used about fourteen times in the New Testament, let’s look at just a few of the typical uses of the word.
Romans 15.27-28:
27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
Here Paul uses the word to indicate that he has sealed up an offering sent to needy believers in Jerusalem. The sealing of the money in the container preserves the contents from tampering and guarantees its safe delivery.
Ephesians 1.13:
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”
Here we see that believers have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Ownership indicated; God. Contents guaranteed. Delivery, no doubt. The two places where the word “after” is used in this verse do not refer to a chronological sequence of events but to a logical series of events in which no time-lapse occurs. This means that God sealed you with the Holy Spirit the very instant you trusted Christ.
Ephesians 4.30:
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
How long will the contents of this package be protected? Until the Day of Redemption. Any doubt about reaching its destination? None. Glory to God. Amen? I’m on my way to heaven, and nothing can stop me now.
We come once more to interpretation time. When the shed blood of Christ cleansed away all of your sin, Christian, you were neatly wrapped up and packaged by God the Father. What He used to seal the wrapper to identify the owner, protect the contents, and guarantee safe delivery was the Holy Spirit of God.
I don’t know about you, but I believe the Bible. My Bible tells me that the Holy Spirit of God is God. He is the Third Person of the Triune Godhead. That means He is infinitely powerful. Omnipotent. The question is, can anyone or anything break the seal to that package? Is anyone going to interfere with the safe delivery of the package to heaven? Is anyone strong enough to harm the contents of a package protected by the Spirit of the living God? No way. Another question. Why would God do this sealing thing? Credibility, again. God will use this in your life to establish your credibility. You will see more about this as we proceed.
Finally, on our list, but indeed not the last thing God has done to and for us ... every believer has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s declaration to the Corinthians reads, “and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” Two items that might be of interest to you here:
First, the Greek word translated “earnest” refers to earnest money. Then, the Holy Spirit is God’s down payment toward the complete salvation package we will not fully realize until we are in heaven with glorified bodies. The earnest money, which is the Spirit of God, I say reverently in this context, is God’s way of showing that He is serious about this transaction. God is going to go through with the deal called salvation. Amen?
Second, this Greek word has taken on a slightly different connotation in modern Greek than in New Testament Greek. In modern Greek, the word translated “earnest” has come to mean “engagement ring.” The precious engagement ring given to the bride by our wonderful Bridegroom, to be worn at all times until the marriage of the Lamb. What a way to think of our indwelling Spirit of God.
This word earnest is used, to my knowledge, in only one other letter in the New Testament, Ephesians 1.14:[4]
“Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Paul restates what he wrote to the Corinthians. But what do we see in this verse regarding how long we will possess the earnest of our inheritance? Until the redemption of the purchased possession. And how long is that? Until the Rapture.
Now for a third interpretation time in this message. In many respects, when God saves the sinner, He transacts this grand affair in much the same manner as a person in business would purchase a piece of property. The purchaser, God, begins purchasing the property by paying the earnest money. And the earnest is delivered to the recipient at exactly the same instant of time that the transaction is concluded. In this case, the earnest is the Holy Spirit.
From the time that the transaction is concluded until God receives delivery of that which is His, in heaven, and until that time in which we receive full delivery of that which is ours, which is our inheritance, we keep the earnest of the Spirit of God, Who dwells in our hearts. This gift from God is received at the instant the transaction takes place; the very instant the sinner trusts Christ. Why would God do that? Why would He give us the Holy Spirit to live inside us, teach us, and guide us? Why would He give the Holy Spirit to comfort and to console us?
Again, my friends, to prepare to establish our credibility with those around us. With the indwelling Spirit of God, we have access to insight; we have access to wisdom; we have access to power; we have access to comfort and consolation; we have access to guidance. We are enabled to be believers who are believable. This results in living a life of such a nature, a life on such a plane, a life of such wonder and marvel, that credibility is lent to us.
NOTICE, NOW, WHAT GOD IS DOING IN YOUR PRESENT LIFE TO GIVE YOU CREDIBILITY
“Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ....”
First, let us take note of Paul’s declaration. Paul is not suggesting that God might “stablish” us or that God will “stablish” us. He is declaring that God does, right now, “stablisheth us.” If there be any doubt that what God was doing with Paul He is also doing with every other Christian, read First Corinthians 1.8:
“Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul told his readers that God’s work of “establishing,” which is translated here by the word “confirm,” will continue until the time that Jesus comes.
Second, let us take note of Scripture comparison. See how “stablisheth” and “confirm” are used elsewhere in the New Testament. In Romans 15.8, the word is “confirm:”
“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.”
In Colossians 2.7, the word is again “stablished:”
“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
In Hebrews 2.3, the word is “confirmed:”
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”
And in Hebrews 13.9, the word is “established:”
“Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
What does Jesus Christ do when He confirms the promises of God that were made to the Old Testament Israelites? What happens when a believer is “stablished in the faith?” What happens when “so great salvation” is “confirmed unto us by them that heard him?” And finally, what happens when our hearts are “established with grace?” What happens in each of those cases is this: God confirms and makes sure, He nails it down and settles it once and for all, He gives it substance and credibility and backs it up to the hilt. So with His Word. So with His promises. So with His great salvation. So with His children.
Third, is our final interpretation. What do you do with all of these verses that deal with establishing and confirming? You use them as a yardstick to show Paul's meaning when he told the Corinthians that God establishes His children. Why does God establish His Word? To give it credibility. To give it the reputation of being believable. Why does God do the same thing for salvation? To give it credibility so people will want to be saved. Why does He do the same thing for His promises? So His people, trusting in the credibility of God’s promises, will act on those promises.
In like manner, though we are not told the specifics of what it is that God is presently doing in each Christian’s life, we do generally know: If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, God is presently doing something in your life so that, just like the Word of God, the promises of God, and the salvation of God, you will be credible, you will be believable, you will be seen as trustworthy.
Why is God doing this great thing? So you will possess a credible Christianity. So you will be a believable believer. And because you and I have been so wonderfully prepared for the trials and testings that will come that will establish credibility, there is no reason why every Christian should not be credible.
Think about what God has done and is doing in your life. In the past, at the very instant you and I trusted Christ, He anointed us, He sealed us, and He indwelt us. In each case, Scripture indicates that the events mentioned occurred only once, never repeated in our lives. And why not? Because when God does it, once is quite enough. You see, He does what He does right the first time. Amen?
And as if that wasn’t enough, He continually and consistently does something in our present lives, continuingly. It’s called “stablishing,” and it has to do with confirming and making steadfast and strengthening and making sure each and every born again child of God is credible, is believable.
Why does God do all of this? Why does God bring you to the places of decision, to the places of testing? Why will He even allow you to be tempted to commit sin? To give you an opportunity to establish credibility after you have been prepared by anointing, sealing, and indwelling.
Do you live the Christian life with credibility? Are you a believable believer? If you are, it is because of God. It is because God has done something to you and is doing something to you. If your life is a credit to the cause of Christ, you ought to jump up and rejoice.
If not, it’s because of you. If your life isn’t spiritual and dynamic, it isn’t because God hasn’t done His part. He did anoint you and sealed you, and give you the Holy Spirit of God to live inside you ... if you are a true believer in Christ. That was your past when you became a believer in Jesus Christ.
And what about your present? Is He not establishing you? He is establishing you, according to the testimony of the Bible. Then you are either interfering with His work, or He isn’t working in you, and you need the Savior for real.
Reflect with me on the past two years of Covid pandemic and lock down, when the federal, state, and local government agencies sought to frighten everyone and dictate to everyone that you must not faithfully attend Church, interact with other Christians, and serve God. Did you notice the reactions of so many pastors and Churches? Did you notice the reactions of so many professing Christians? Did they seem credible to you?
Were you impressed by the pastors who caved in to CDC demands that changed from week to week? Were you impressed by the spirituality and vitality of the healthy professing Christians with no comorbidity issues who went virtually unseen in the Church house for a year? More importantly, did those professing Christians seem credible to lost people? I ask because credibility is not established when the sailing is smooth in Christian life, but when the wind and waves make sailing a bit dangerous, the Bible is the only trustworthy guide.
__________
[1] Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle To The Corinthians - NIGTC, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), pages 206-207.
[2] Ibid., page 209.
[3] Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle To The Corinthians - NICNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), page 112.
[4] Paul employs the term a second time in 2 Corinthians 5.5.
Question? Comment?
Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Fill out the form below to send him an email. Thank you.