co-workers

The letter that we know as 2 Corinthians is one of a number of correspondences between the apostle Paul and the believers in ancient Corinth. It is evident from the two documents that we have that there were at least two additional letters from Paul to the church, though these have been lost to history. These letters display evidence that the relationship between Paul and the Corinthians was not particularly good at this point in time, and the apostle admits to there being distance between himself and the believers.

2 Corinthians 6:1 comes as the apostle is working through the major theme of this correspondence: reconciliation. Paul believes that the church's ability to live as reconciled to God and one another is the natural outworking of the gospel's fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He is in the middle of this line of thought when he says, "As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain." There is, perhaps, a tendency to overlook the significance of Paul's use of co-worker in this passage. It is a familiar term that the apostle uses throughout his writings, but here it has a more powerful impact.

Paul is working to combat the adversity that exists between him and this congregation. There are some in Corinth who are openly challenging Paul's credentials and his ministry, and their pushing hard against the apostle is having adverse effects on the community. Paul will defend his ministry, but the big move in this verse is notable for how much he does not invoke his status or authority as an apostle. The use of the word co-worker thus places Paul and the members of this church on level ground: we stand together in the work that God is doing, and we are all participants in the gospel.

Rather than escalate the war of personality, Paul brings in another reality that supersedes human conflict. He points beyond himself and makes the case that true reconciliation will be found when every believer turns to Christ rather than be focused on personality or party. And this is the part of co-worker that speaks loudly to us today. The problems in Corinth were being made worse because people in that congregation had become too focused on Paul that they had lost sight of the work of the gospel. Paul's adversaries were unable to see the ministry as co-workers because they had become entrenched in their opposition to Paul as a personality and had lost sight of the work that God was doing.

This is such a poignant lesson for modern American evangelicalism. Over the past few years it has become a staple of many to point out that political conservatives have allowed their understanding of the gospel to be shaped by their politics, and there have been times when this has been a good and much-needed boundary. What has happened especially over the past four years has been the emergence of a (very loud) politically liberal evangelicalism that has become very anti- in its opposition to a personality (or party) that it is allowing American leftism to shape and form its own gospel worldview.

There has been such a clanging cymbal of "any-pro-Trump-sentiment-cannot-be-biblical" that has so focused being opposed to this personality that it is becoming difficult to see or hear the gospel within the noise. (And no, I do not, in any way, seek to equate the apostle Paul with any modern political figure in this: that is to press matters too far and miss the point.)

How loud certain voices in the church have become in standing against "Trumpism" and other conservative ideologies, while remaining silent on the exploitation of children, the shoving of anti-biblical lifestyles down our culture's throat, the assaults on freedom of speech and religion, the rampant racism that is being bolstered by a sitting administration, an out-of-control fiscal irresponsibility, among other injustices that Scripture and the Spirit would have us stand against. 

Silence.

Because so many have surrendered the voice of the gospel to a battle over personality, even those who think they have not capitulated and still sit above the fray. I believe the church needs to look beyond these personalities and parties (within the church and outside of it) and have every believer renewed by their commitment to Christ above all things and understand that the responsibilities of preserving freedom, while of great importance and sacred call, are to be surrendered to our first commitment through and through. And I hope that many so-called leaders and influencers in the church will come to understand, or lose their influence quickly.

Submitted to one another as a co-worker. Nothing more.