Ep 298 – 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Fortunately for us, we don't live in a culture that condones slavery. It is an embarrassing and indefensible part of our past that we would prefer to forget. But as we look at 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, we will hear Paul using slavery as a way to describe his relationship with Christ. This will probably be somewhat of an assault on our modern sensibilities. But for the average Corinthian, slavery was a normal and ubiquitous part of their daily lives. Slaves were everywhere. There were slaves of war. There were indentured servants. There were those who had been forced into slavery because they couldn't pay their bills or settle their debts. While slavery in that day certainly had an ethnic and racial component to it, it was really more about economics and power. Those nations that were conquered by more powerful foes, often found their subjects turned into slaves and having to do the bidding of a foreign king. Their freedoms were lost and their rights to live as they pleased, taken from them. And that is the picture Paul describes concerning His relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ. But for Paul, this was positive, not negative. He was pleased to be the slave of Christ. He considered it an honor to do the will of God the Father as He submitted to the Lordship of Jesus in His life. He belonged to Christ and was more than willing to be His captive, and to live a captivating life that drew men to the saving work of Jesus and His gift of eternal life.