 |
|
     |
|
|
|
The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
2 Corinthians 5:16: From now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
It’s not too much to say that the truth expressed in our sermon text is the heart of Calvin’s understanding of the Lord’s Supper. In his mind, the Roman Catholic Church tried to know Christ according to the flesh. They wanted to have Christ, flesh and blood, on the table and in the mouth.
Calvin saw that as a denial of the gospel. Christ came in flesh, but He no longer lives according to flesh. He was born of Mary in the flesh, but He was reborn from the grave by the Spirit. We do know Him, intimately, know Him as members of His Body and His Bride. But we know Him not because He is with us in flesh, but because He died to flesh and now lives in and with us by the Spirit.
At this table, we encounter, we fellowship with, we feed on, the crucified and risen Christ, the Christ who appeared in flesh, but has been glorified in a Spiritual body, the Christ sown in weakness, raised in power, sown in shame, raised in glory, the Christ in flesh, raised by the Spirit.
For even though we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, October 30, 2011 at 5:57 am
“From now on,” Paul says in today’s sermon text, “we know no man according to the flesh.” Paul defends his ministry against Corinthians who find him unimpressive and weak. Paul understands this fleshly perspective because he once shared it. Before Jesus revealed His glory, Paul saw Jesus Himself as a pathetic failure.
In that moment on the Damascus road, everything changed. Everything. Now Paul knew that if Christ died for all, then all died. Now Paul knew that flesh itself died on the cross, and all fleshly values had been transvalued. Not flesh but the Risen Jesus is the lens through which we view everyone and everything.
Everyone, and that includes you.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, October 30, 2011 at 5:48 am
In his commentary on 2 Corinthians (The New American Commentary Volume 29 – 2 Corinthians), David Garland asks what “in Christ” means in 5:17, and answers:
“This phrase, ‘in Christ,’ can mean several things that are not mutually exclusive: that one belongs to Christ, that one lives in the sphere of Christ’s power, that one is united with Christ, or that one is part of the body of Christ, the believing community. Paul’s assumption is that being in Christ should bring about a radical change in a person’s life.”
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:30 am
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul gives his apostolic resume, his reason for boasting, and it is mostly a catalog of suffering and opposition. It is also a rhetorically and symbolically rich catalog.
He begins with a fourfold summary of his privileges and status, and at each point he emphasizes that he holds the same status as the false apostles against whom he fights (vv. 22-23). He gives a triple designation for the Jews – Hebrew, Israelite, seed of Abraham (perhaps related to different stages of Israel’s history – patriarchal, exodus, back to patriarchal), and then climaxes the list with the name of the final Hebrew, Israelite, seed of Abraham – Christ. The fourfold list indicates the extend of his status; to every point of the compass, Paul has the same privileges as his opponents.
The reference to his service to Christ least into another fourfold list. He is “more” a servant in labors, imprisonment, beatings, dangers of death (v. 23). Again, his service is global, to the four corners of the earth. He offers himself as a living sacrifice in service to Jesus on the four-cornered altar of apostolic suffering.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 5:44 am
AE Harvey exaggerates, but his suggestion is provocative:,. Speaking of Paul’s meditation on suffering in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, he wrote “For the first time in his extant letters, and possibly for the first time in the entire philosophical and religious tradition of the West, we find the experience of involuntary and innocent suffering invested with positive value and meaning in itself.”
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 6:16 am
INTRODUCTION
Parenting is future-oriented. You are raising children to be faithful disciples of Jesus in the next generation. We can do that well only when we parent in the Spirit, since the Spirit is the Spirit who makes future.
THE TEXT
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:1-10).
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 5:18 am
At the end of 2 Corinthians 6, Paul quotes a series of Old Testament texts in support of his exhortation, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers.” God’s temple has no agreement with idols, and the Christian and the church are temples (v. 16). The church fulfills Yahweh’s promise to dwell and walk among His people (v. 16b; quoting Leviticus 26:12 among other passages). Because the Lord dwells in the church, Christians must “come out from their midst and be separate” and avoiding touching anything unclean (v. 17, quoting Isaiah 52:11).
Verse 18 raises several questions.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 8:23 am
2 Corinthians 2:15-16: For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
The world was created to be a holocaust to its Creator, a living breathing tasty and aromatic sacrifice to the Lord of heaven and earth. On this great offering, the disciples of Jesus are the salt, the seasoning, that makes the sacrifice of the world pleasing in the mouth of God. If we are tasteless – in both senses of that word – we are cast out like the refuse of the sacrifice into the garbage heap.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, September 2, 2007 at 8:44 am
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
