Calvary Road Baptist Church

(Preached at Bharatpur, Nepal)

“A GOSPEL MINISTER’S INADEQUACY”

Second Corinthians 2.16; 3.5; 12.9 

The Apostle Paul is the best example of a Gospel minister following the exaltation of our Lord to God’s right hand on high. And we have his resume. From Philippians 4.4-7, Paul wrote it out: 

4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 

Look at his qualifications, which he points out in verse 4, were superior to anyone else’s.

In other words, Saul of Tarsus was among the most qualified Gospel minister in history by human standards. He checked all the boxes. But in verse 7, he declared that those qualifications were of no use to him in the Gospel ministry. If that be so, of what benefit are a good speaking voice, good platform bearing, a camera-friendly smile, organizational skills, and business savvy, in the Gospel ministry? What natural public ministry skills George Whitefield had, Jonathan Edwards did not have. And what natural organizational skills Charles Spurgeon had, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones did not have.[1]

Understand, I am not comparing those men to each other for the purpose of evaluating their value or worth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, Second Corinthians 10.2: 

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” 

The apostle wrote those words because the Corinthian believers had previously engaged in the comparison game, comparing different Gospel ministers by physical appearance, quality of voice, party affiliation, etc. And whether we realize it or not, each of us is profoundly susceptible to slipping into that comparison mode, judging Gospel ministers on the basis of things the Apostle Paul declared to be of no consequence.

This brings us to Paul’s three inspired appraisals of competency for the Gospel ministry: 

First, WE HAVE SECOND CORINTHIANS 2.16 

“To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” 

Let me rehearse Paul’s run-up to this verse, beginning in Second Corinthians 2.12 and continuing through verse 15: Beginning with verse 12, Paul will spend about three chapters in this letter explaining to his readers the ministry of the Gospel, the good news that Jesus saves. In verses 12-15 he was very personal with his readers, telling them what his feelings were, that he had no rest in his spirit, and that he missed his beloved brother in Christ, Titus. Paul was lonely. Despite how he felt, however, no matter how discouraged he might have been, the Lord opened a great door of opportunity for him to preach the Gospel. Notice what Paul wrote about the Gospel, in verse 12. He identified it as “Christ’s gospel.” The Gospel was not his, and he had no right to keep it to himself. He had a duty, an obligation, a holy responsibility to tell the good news to those who had not heard it because it wasn’t his to do with as he pleased. The glorious Gospel is Christ’s Gospel after all.

Reflecting on what happened after he arrived in Troas, a troubled man, a lonely man, the implication being he was a somewhat discouraged man, he continued on from the city of Troas to Macedonia. What conclusion did he arrive at in retrospect? If you look on a Bible map, you will see that Troas is on the western coast of what is now the Turkish peninsula. Thus, by continuing from Troas, Paul passed from Asia to Europe. What happened then? The Churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea were established. That is why, in verses 14-15 he thanked God, Who always gives victory in Christ, and we always smell sweet to God because of Christ, whether those the Gospel is preached to are ultimately saved or remain lost. What conclusion did Paul draw from the example of his loneliness, his possible discouragement, his continuance in the ministry into Macedonia despite how he felt, and God’s delight with him regardless of the responses to his preaching he might see, some being saved and others lost? Verse 16 again: 

“To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” 

Some who are spiritually dead remain dead when they are exposed to the Gospel. Others who are exposed to the Gospel come to Christ and eternal life. Either way, Paul asks about Gospel ministers, 

“And who is sufficient for these things?” 

Next, WE HAVE SECOND CORINTHIANS 3.5 

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 

Let me rehearse a second run-up by Paul, this time in 3.1-6: Paul found himself in the unenviable position of dealing with Church members who were scrutinizing him and judging his credibility. So he asked them if he needed to establish his credentials with them. This is a bit of irony. What is amazing, of course, is that their Christian lives were the proof they needed about Paul’s ministry. That they had passed from death to life under the ministry of the apostle ought to have been some validation of his calling. They were his letters of credit written in their hearts, known and read by one and all. Thus was Paul fully credentialed through Christ toward God, Second Corinthians 3.4. And it was God who made Paul and his ministry team able ministers of the New Testament, the New Covenant, of the life giving Spirit of God, verse 6.

What conclusion did the Apostle Paul arrive at, verse 5, the inspired opinion of the greatest example of the Christian life to ever walk the earth? 

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 

Here comes this word sufficient again. Meaning sufficient, qualified, capable, the Apostle Paul, just like he did in Second Corinthians 2.16, wondered “Who is sufficient for these responsibilities?” “What kind of minister ought he to be who preaches a gospel which may prove fatal to those who come in contact with it?”[2] The obvious answer, of course, is that not only was the Apostle Paul not up to the assignment he was called to. No Gospel minister is up to the task we are called to. God has never called to service anyone who is up to the task, and He never will. That is why Paul ends verse 15, “our sufficiency is of God,” the word sufficiency here sometimes translates as the name of God. He is the All-Sufficient God![3] Thus, twice in a short span of this second inspired letter to the Corinthian congregation the Apostle Paul strongly asserts, though he is (humanly speaking) the most qualified of men to ever serve in the Gospel ministry, that he was not up to it, that no one is up to it. Whatever sufficiency he and his ministry team had came from God! Remember Moses pleading with God, saying in effect “I cannot do this,” and God saying in so many words, “That’s the point.”[4] 

Finally, WE HAVE SECOND CORINTHIANS 12.9 

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 

A quick overview is in order. From Second Corinthians 11.1 through 12.18, Paul wrote about how his apostleship was demonstrated in a variety of ways to those with the eyes to see. The first four verses of Second Corinthians 11 are concerned with Paul’s concern for them. Verses 5-15 address the issue of counterfeit Gospel ministers, with Paul holding nothing back about them and who empowers them, verses 13-15, where they are described as “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” No great surprise, verse 14, since “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Do you think it is difficult or unusual that counterfeit Gospel ministers are “transformed as the ministers of righteousness,” verse 15? But they will get their reward, “whose end shall be according to their works.” Paul then reminds the Corinthians about his personal history to verify his credibility, verses 16-33, from his lineage, to his many beatings, to his great suffering, to the time he barely escaped with his life from Damascus shortly after his conversion. The point of Paul’s reminders? To show he was no easy believer, no convenient Christian, but was all in for the cause of Christ, with both hands and both feet, no matter the cost.

In chapter 12 Paul focused on a single portion of his life of persecution and great suffering he overcame to serve God no matter the personal cost, begging God for deliverance from his thorn in the flesh. We are not explicitly told what the issue was. Some think it was a persistent spiritual attack from a foul spirit. Others think it was a severe physical issue that caused debilitating pain and inconvenience. Pentecostals are so committed to physical healing, that some go so far as to suggest Paul had a moral problem with women, which explanation we reject out of hand. Whatever the issue was, Paul pleaded with God on three occasions to remove the thorn in the flesh, and God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” The word sufficient refers not to Paul’s own adequacy for the task, but to God’s provision of adequacy leading to satisfaction.[5] What did Paul, the greatest example of the Christian faith in action ever seen, have? Spiritually, concerning what really counted in ministry, he had nothing. God’s strength was perfected in Paul’s weakness. The power of Christ rested on him in his infirmities. 

Reflect with me on what we have, and the implications that follow. Paul was the most qualified individual to ever serve in the Gospel ministry. I can think of no one who would dispute that. From bloodline, to training, to linguistic and theological skills, to character qualifications, to his willingness to suffer, to the persecutions he endured, to whatever else you might want to consider as a qualification, he had it all.

Yet in two places in his letter to the Corinthian congregation he set forth the reasons, both of them logical and rational, supporting his conclusion that he was sufficient for the task of serving as a Gospel minister. He was inadequate. His capacities were insufficient to the task at hand. His conclusions, being inspired, are undeniable.

What sufficiency he did exercise came from God, not from him or any skills, abilities, qualifications, or character he possessed. Period. Nothing in anything Paul ever wrote diminishes the impact of this reality. He was not up to it! He did not pretend to be up to it! He made no claim of being up to it! His successes, fruit, results, productivity, or whatever else you might want to call it, was God’s grace in his life.

The Corinthians needed to yield to spiritual leadership, despite the deficiencies they noticed in every Gospel minister’s life. They were now mature enough to follow someone who was not bigger than life, but who had been called and placed in leadership by God.

If a pastor cultivates the notion that he is bigger than life, he does not reflect the ministry philosophy of the Apostle Paul. He does not understand Biblical leadership and may very well suffer a catastrophic fall. Those who are mature enough to follow a leader who is less than perfect, a leader with personal flaws, a leader who is not infallible, are also those who gradually come to see the sufficiency of Christ.

Our Savior makes use of broken vessels to save the lost, to grow young believers, to build His Church, and to glorify God. As God told Paul, 

“My grace is sufficient for thee,” 

and Paul realized why God refused to remove his affliction, 

“for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me,” 

so we become better Christians when we glory in our infirmities, thanking God for His grace in our lives.

I stand before you an inadequate man. What a glorious Gospel we have that God makes use of men who are not sufficient, to preach a Savior who is sufficient, the Son of our God who is sufficient.

__________

[1] Iain H. Murray, Lloyd-Jones: Messenger Of Grace, (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2008), pages 109-125.

[2] See on verse 16, Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 396.

[3] Rogers, page 397.

[4] Exodus 3.10-4.31

[5] Rogers, page 417.

 

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