THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians
Message One
Faith, Love, and Hope
Scripture Reading: 1 Thes. 1:2-10; Eph.1:18; 1 Cor. 13:13; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:3; Titus 1:2; Rev. 21:1-7
I. Faith, love, and hope are the structure of a holy life for the church life, which is the genuine Christian life, and the content of Paul’s first Epistle to the Thessalonians—1:2-3; 1 Cor. 13:13:
A. Faith is the nature and strength of the work; love, the motivation for and characteristic of labor; and hope, the source of endurance—1 Thes. 1:3.
B. Faith is toward God, love is toward the saints, and hope is in the Lord’s coming—v. 8; 3:12; 4:9-10; 2:19; Eph. 1:12.
C. To turn to God from idols is accomplished by faith infused into the new converts through their hearing the word of the gospel; to serve a living and true God is by love produced within the believers by the Triune God as the all-inclusive Supplier who lives in them; to await the Son of God from the heavens is the hope that strengthens the believers to stand steadfastly in their faith—1 Thes. 1:3, 9-10.
II. The work of faith is the foundation of our Christian life and service—v. 3:
A. The word faith refers both to the things the believers believe in (the objective faith) and to the believing action of the believers (the subjective faith)—Eph. 4:13; 1 Tim. 1:19b; 2 Tim. 4:7; Gal. 2:20.
B. The faith of the believers is actually not their own faith but Christ entering into them to be their faith—Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:16.
C. Faith comes from hearing, hearing is from the word of Christ, hearing equals seeing, and seeing equals knowing Christ—Rom. 10:17; Matt. 13:17:
1. When the word of the Bible is spoken to us and heard by us, we contact Christ as the living Word in the written Word, and He becomes the applied word as the life-giving Spirit in us—John 1:1; 5:39-40; 6:63.
2. When we look away unto Jesus, He as the life-giving Spirit imparts Himself as the believing element into us that He may believe for us; hence, He Himself is our faith—Heb. 12:2a; Luke 17:5.
D. Faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen; nothing is impossible to faith—Heb. 11:1; 2 Cor. 4:18; Matt. 17:20b.
E. Faith is the indicator of the believers’ life in the enjoyment of the Divine Trinity—1 Thes. 1:3, 5, 7-8; Rom. 1:8:
1. Faith is God’s word accepted by us; because this faith is living and active, it results in the work of faith, which includes all the proper actions that issue out of our living faith—1 Thes. 1:7-10.
2. Faith is to believe that God is; to believe that God is implies that you are not; He must be the only One, the unique One in everything, and we must be nothing in everything—Heb. 11:6; Gen. 5:24; John 8:58; 2 Cor. 5:7.
F. The way to receive such a faith is to contact the source, the Lord, the processed and consummated God, by calling on Him, praying to Him, and pray-reading His word—Heb. 4:16; Rom. 10:12; 2 Tim. 2:22; Eph. 6:17-18.
G. We must exercise our spirit of faith to believe in and to speak forth the Lord; faith is in our spirit, which is mingled with the Holy Spirit—2 Cor. 4:13; Heb. 4:16.
III. The labor of love is the key of the fruitfulness of our work of faith—1 Thes. 1:3; Gal. 5:6:
A. Love is the intrinsic motivation, the inner life, and the real strength of our work of faith—Gal. 5:6; cf. Col. 1:28—2:1; 1 Cor. 15:58; Acts 20:20, 31.
B. God is love; we love because He first loved us—1 John 4:8, 19:
1. God’s love motivates us, His children, to love people without any discrimination—Matt. 5:43-48; cf. Matt. 9:12; 27:38; Luke 23:42-43.
2. Love motivates us to shepherd people with the loving and forgiving heart of our Father God and the shepherding and seeking spirit of our Savior Christ—Luke 15:2-10, 17-18; John 10:11, 16; 21:15-17; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4.
3. Love is not jealous, is not provoked, does not take account of evil, covers all things, endures all things, never falls away, and is the greatest—1 Cor. 13:4-8, 13.
4. The Body of Christ builds itself up in love—Eph. 4:16; 1 Cor. 8:1.
5. We need a burning spirit of love to overcome the degradation of today’s church—2 Tim. 1:6-7; 2 Cor. 5:14; 12:15.
IV. The endurance of hope is the long life of our work of faith—1 Thes. 1:3, 2:19:
A. The life that we have receive through regeneration, enables us to have a hope, with numerous aspects, for this age, for the coming age, and for eternity—1 Pet. 1:3; Titus 1:2:
1. In this age we have the hope of growing in life, of maturing and manifesting our gifts, of exercising our functions, of being transformed, of overcoming, of being redeemed in our body, and of entering into glory—Col. 1:27; 1 Pet. 1:3-5, 9; Rom. 8:23-25, 30; Phil. 3:21; 2 Tim. 4:7-8.
2. In the coming age we have the hope of entering into the kingdom, of reigning with the Lord, and of enjoying the blessings of eternal life in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens—Rev. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:18.
3. In eternity we have the hope of being the New Jerusalem, when we will participate fully in the consummated blessings of the eternal life in its ultimate manifestation in eternity—Rev. 21:1-7; 22:1-5.
B. The endurance of hope subdues all kinds of disappointments, discouragements and impossibilities; it overcomes all kinds of oppositions, obstacles, and frustrations—Heb. 4:16; Phil. 2:13; 4:11-13; 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Thes. 3:5.
C. Such endurance consummates in gaining sinners, feeding the believers, perfecting the saints, and building up the church, the Body of Christ, for the kingdom of God and of Christ—2 Cor. 6:4; 1 Cor. 15:58.
V. Our work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope are “according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us”—2 Cor. 10:13:
A. In spiritual work, the most important thing is to know “the pattern…in the mountain” (Heb. 8:5); if there is no comprehension of God’s plan, there is no possibility for God’s work (Acts 26:19).
B. Every worker has a specific work which God measures to him and a pathway upon which God wants him to walk; if you are standing in your rightful position, working in your rightful service, and walking on your rightful pathway, that is the highest glory—Acts 13:25a, 36a; 20:24; 2 Tim. 4:7.
Ministry Excerpts:
A HOLY LIFE FOR THE CHURCH LIFE
The books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians contain a total of eight chapters. All these chapters are on the same subject: a holy life for the church life. Whenever we read 1 and 2 Thessalonians, we should not be distracted by other matters. No doubt, in the eight chapters of these two books a number of other points are covered. We need to be careful in our reading not to be distracted by these points. As we read 1 and 2 Thessalonians, we need to keep in mind that the central thought of these Epistles is a holy life for the church life.
This holy life for the church life is constructed of faith, love, and hope. The way to carry out such a life is to be sanctified wholly. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul says, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If we would be sanctified wholly, we need to have our heart established blameless in holiness, and we need to preserve our vessel, our body, in sanctification and honor. Furthermore, all the parts of our being—our spirit, our soul, and our body—need to be preserved complete. This is to sanctify our entire being to have a holy life for the proper church life.
In 2 Thessalonians Paul repeats much of what he has said in 1 Thessalonians. Like a father with a loving heart toward his children, Paul is repetitious. This is characteristic of parents, especially as they grow older. Again and again, they may say the same thing to their children. Therefore, 2 Thessalonians is a repetition and a further development of 1 Thessalonians. It is a repetition with warnings and corrections. In 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul warns the believers not to be misled. He also corrects them in order to bring them back to the right track. Nevertheless, the main subject—the holy life for the church life—is the same in both books. Furthermore, in both 1 Thessalonisans and 2 Thessalonians we see the basic structure of the Christian life, a structure that includes faith, love, and hope.
Faith Growing and Love Increasing
In 2 Thessalonians 1:3 and 4 Paul says, “We ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers, even as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all to one another is increasing, so that we ourselves boast in you in the churches of God for your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions which you are bearing.” In verse 3 Paul speaks of the believers’ faith and love. He says that their faith is growing and that their love is increasing. In 1 Thessalonians 3:2 Paul says that he sent Timothy to establish and encourage the Thessalonians for the sake of their faith. From 1 Thessalonians 3:10 we learn that Paul was eager to see them again in order to perfect what was lacking in their faith. In 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Paul also urged the believers to increase in love: “And the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love to one another and to all, even as we also to you.” In 1 Thessalonians 4:9 Paul goes on to tell the believers that they have been taught of God to love one another. Therefore, in 1 Thessalonians Paul was concerned that the believers’ faith would be perfected and that their love would increase and abound. Now in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul encourages the new believers at Thessalonica by saying that the apostles thank God because their faith grows exceedingly and because their love is increasing. This indicates that, as Paul repeats the matter of faith and love, he adds a word of encouragement.
Endurance of Hope Being Always Accompanied by Faith
But where does Paul speak of hope in 2 Thessalonians? Paul’s first reference to the believers’ hope is in 1:4, where Paul says that he boasts of their endurance and faith in all their persecutions and afflictions. Hope is implied by the word “endurance.” Their endurance issued from the hope of the Lord’s coming back and was supported by it. Such endurance of hope is always accompanied by faith. For this reason, Paul speaks of their endurance and faith. In 2:16 Paul again speaks of hope: “Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope in grace.” Paul, an excellent writer, could not forget the basic structure of his Epistles to the Thessalonians with the elements of faith, love, and hope. (Life-study of 2 Thessalonians, msg. 5)
TWO ASPECTS OF FAITH
Faith has two aspects: the objective aspect and the subjective aspect. When we accept the word of God, it becomes both our objective faith and our subjective faith. Objective faith denotes the things we believe, and subjective faith refers to our action of believing. Through such a faith we are regenerated, born of God, and a relationship of life begins between us and God. Furthermore, through this kind of faith we are put into Christ. Formerly, we were outside of Christ. But now through faith we are in Christ. This means that there is an organic union between us and Christ. This is the beginning of the Christian life, and this life is a holy life that consummates in the church life. In this way the Triune God is transmitted into our being so that we may have a new life, the divine life. With this new life we have a relationship of life with God and an organic union with Christ. By means of this relationship and union we begin our Christian life, a life of holiness, a holy life for the church life.
THE WORK OF FAITH
Now that we have considered verse 1 in a rather full way, let us go on to verse 3. Here Paul says, “Remembering unceasingly your work of faith, and labor of love, and endurance of hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.” In this verse Paul speaks of three matters: the work of faith, the labor of love, and the endurance of hope. The work of faith comes first. Faith comes through our acceptance of the word that is the embodiment of the Triune God. When we accepted this word, faith was produced within us. We have seen that this faith is both objective and subjective.
In Greek there is a definite article in verse 3, the faith. This indicates that this verse speaks of the work of the faith. This faith is God’s word accepted by us. The word preached to us and received by us becomes faith. Because this faith is living and active, it results in the work of the faith.
All the Actions That Issue Out of Living Faith
The Greek word for work in verse 3 is ergon, a word usually rendered as work. Paul uses this word in Romans 3:20: “Because by the works of law no flesh shall be justified before Him.” In Romans 3:20 work mainly denotes our conduct, our behavior. Paul is saying that no fallen person can be justified before God by his conduct. Thus, in that verse work does not refer to an activity or a task that we do; it refers to particular deeds in our behavior. What, then, is the meaning of work in verse 3? Does it refer to deeds, or to some kind of task? Actually, in Greek this word denotes acts, actions, activities. It includes everything of our actions. Our actions involve deeds, conduct, and many other things as well. Therefore, the work of faith refers to all the acts, actions, of faith.
Suppose an evangelist preaches the gospel to an unbeliever. The unbeliever accepts the word, faith is produced in him, and through this faith he is born of God and put into Christ. Now that he has faith, certain actions are sure to follow. For example, he may spontaneously declare, “O Lord Jesus, You are so precious!” Then he may go home and speak to his wife and children about believing in the Lord Jesus. Both the declaration concerning the Lord and the preaching of the Lord are works of faith. Faith implies God, grace, power, light, and many other items. For this reason, when a new believer preaches Christ to his wife, the faith within him may enlighten him concerning his attitude toward her. Then he will confess his shortcomings to the Lord and apologize to his wife concerning certain matters. This also is a work of faith.
First Thessalonians 1:9 says, “For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entrance we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” Here Paul speaks of turning to God from idols. This is the first action of faith. Anyone who has faith will turn to God from idols.
The work of faith includes all the actions that issue out of our living faith. This includes our relationship with others and all our behavior. Before a certain person was saved, he may have been unkind to others and harsh in many aspects of his behavior. But once he has faith in the Lord, this faith will not allow him to treat others in such an unkind way. Furthermore, it will be difficult for him to behave in a harsh way. I can testify of this from my experience. From my youth, I hated dogs and sometimes mistreated them. But after I was saved, the faith within me no longer allowed me to behave in that way. Such a change in behavior is an action that comes out of faith.
The Proper Actions of a Genuine Believer
Those who have faith are very different from those who do not have faith. Before they had faith, some indulged in sinful things. Now that they have faith, they can no longer indulge in these things. Spontaneously, as an action, a work, of faith, they refrain from those things. Others before they were saved were not good neighbors. But after they were saved and came to have faith, they became very kind, gentle, loving, and considerate. No one taught them to be different. The change was produced by the faith within them. The faith caused them to be helpful to others, especially to other believers. This is another illustration of the work of the faith.
The work of faith denotes the proper actions of a genuine believer. It is not the performing of a certain task or the doing of certain good deeds to help others. No, it is our daily action as believers, the action that is a product of faith. This is Paul’s understanding of the work of faith. As he was praying for the Thessalonians, he remembered their action of faith.
THE LABOR OF LOVE
According to verse 3, the labor of love comes after the work of faith. This labor of love is truly a labor; it is not merely an action or some kind of conduct. It involves endeavoring, striving, working.
We have pointed out that the work of faith begins with turning to God from idols. The work of faith surely implies this kind of turning. Thus, the turning to God from idols is related to the work of faith. Now we must see that serving the living God is related to the labor of love. We are laboring to serve our God, who is living. We serve this living One because we love Him. Galatians 5:6 says that faith operates through love. This love is related first to serving our living God.
The faith within us produces many different kinds of actions. Moreover, this faith operates in love. In love, we as believers should endeavor to serve our living God. Our God is living. As the living One, He speaks all the time, and we serve Him.
It is not easy to serve God; rather, it is a labor. Paul even says that it is a struggle. Therefore, if we would serve the living God, we must struggle. Whatever God speaks in us and whatever He indicates to us, we need to follow Him. This is to serve Him as the living God. This service requires love toward Him. We should first love God, and this love will cause us to labor in serving Him. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, msg. 6)
THE ENDURANCE OF HOPE
In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul speaks of “endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” The hope of Christ’s coming is the cause of our endurance. This endurance comes from the hope in the Lord’s coming, or from the hope in the coming Lord. While we live on the earth as believers and witnesses of Christ, we experience suffering, for which we need endurance. In the church life as well as in the family we all need endurance. We must be trained and educated—first to work, then to labor, and eventually to endure. In the work of shepherding others, endurance is crucial. If we would be successful in shepherding the saints, we must exercise endurance. Endurance involves suffering, not enjoyment. Shepherding always involves an amount of suffering. We all need an incentive that encourages us to endure the suffering. Hence, we should have the hope of the coming of Christ as the cause of our endurance.
Endurance is a real strength to us. If we have endurance, we can do everything. Endurance comes from the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). We have the hope that we will see Him, that one day He will come, and that one day He and we will be in glory (3:4). We have the hope of seeing Him and meeting Him. Often we cannot and would not do certain things, and we determine to not be defeated, simply because we realize that we will see the Lord. We must stand and fight the battle to the end because one day, perhaps tomorrow, we will meet Him. This is our hope. By such hope we have endurance. This endurance is the power and strength for us to suffer, labor, press on, live for Him, and sacrifice everything for Him. Strength is in endurance, and endurance is in hope.
Our hope is in the coming Christ with His glory; the endurance of this hope brings about the long life of our work of faith. Through such an endurance we can subdue all kinds of disappointments, discouragements, and impossibilities; we can also overcome all kinds of oppositions, obstacles, and frustrations (Heb. 4:16; Phil. 2:13; 4:11-13; 2 Thes. 3:5). Such an endurance consummates in gaining sinners, feeding the believers, perfecting the saints, and building up the church, the Body of Christ, for the kingdom of God and of Christ (2 Cor. 6:4; 1 Cor. 15:58). We should be persons who endure in hope of the Lord’s coming. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 359)
ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE RULE WHICH THE GOD OF MEASURE HAS APPORTIONED TO US
Verse 13 says, “But we will not boast without measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach even as far as you.” The apostle is bold, but he is not bold without limit. This shows that he is under the restriction of the Lord. His boasting is according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure, the ruling God, has apportioned to him. Paul’s ministry to the Gentile world, including Corinth, was according to the measure of God (Eph. 3:1-2, 8; Gal. 2:8). Hence, his boast is also within this limit, not without measure, as that of the Judaistic teachers. The word rule in verse 13 literally means a measuring rod, as a rule used by a carpenter.
We should never boast without measure. In giving a testimony of what we have learned of the Lord, we should have a limit, a measure. The word measure in verse 13 indicates being ruled by God. God has allotted us just so much for our work and experience. Furthermore, He has given us just so much to enjoy. Therefore, when we give a testimony about our work, experience, or enjoyment of the Lord, we must testify within measure, that is, within a certain limit.
In giving a testimony or a report we should never exaggerate. However, the reports in certain Christian publications are exaggerations; those reports go beyond measure, beyond limit, without restriction. Thus, in testifying of our experience, we must stay within the measure God has given us. We should not boast without measure, beyond measure, but according to the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us. There is One who is ruling and measuring. This One is the God of measure, the God who rules. Therefore, we must stay within the limits of God’s ruling, of God’s measuring. Paul’s words “reach even as far as you” indicate that his coming to the Corinthians was under God’s ruling and measuring.
Verse 14 continues, “For we do not, as not reaching to you, overstretch ourselves, for we were the first to come even as far as unto you in the gospel of Christ.” In contrast to the Judaistic teachers, Paul and the other apostles did not overstretch themselves. They were the first to go to Europe, and hence to the Corinthians, with the gospel. If the Judaizers had gone there first, probably the apostles would not have gone, and that would have been the sign that Europe had not been measured to them under God’s ruling. This is related to Paul’s point in arguing with the Judaizers.
In verses 15 and 16 Paul says, “Not boasting without measure in others’ labors, but having hope, your faith growing, to be magnified among you according to our rule unto abundance, to preach the gospel unto the parts beyond you, not to boast in another’s rule in things made ready.” Here we see that the apostles have hope that through the growth of the faith of the Corinthian believers, their ministry will be magnified (in the sense of praise), by being enlarged and increased abundantly, yet still according to the rule, the measure, that God has apportioned to them. Paul hoped to be magnified among the Corinthians according to the limit of God’s measuring.
God’s Restriction
From verses 13, 14, and 15 we see that although we expect the Lord’s work to spread, we must learn how to be under God’s restriction. Do not expect a spread that is without measure. That kind of spread would certainly not be within the limit of a walk according to Spirit. From experience we can testify that if we spread the work according to the Spirit, there will always be a certain limit. Inwardly we shall have the consciousness that the Lord intends to spread the work only to a certain extent. Furthermore, outwardly, in the environment, the Lord may cause matters to restrict the spread of the work. Therefore, inwardly we do not have the peace to spread the work beyond a certain point, and outwardly the environment does not allow us to go beyond a particular boundary line.
The young people are not yet very much into the Lord’s work. Nevertheless, I would encourage them to keep this word within them, for one day they will experience it. We all need to learn that in serving the Lord and in working with God, there is always a limit. This is also true in the service of the church.
The Lord is especially interested in restricting the young people. If the young ones do not have a heart to serve the Lord, He will stir them up to serve Him. But once they have been stirred up, He will limit them. Human nature does not like this kind of limitation. For example, both in our sleeping and in our activity we may not like limitations. When, spiritually speaking, we are asleep, God will stir us up. But when we become too active, He will restrict us. I know some young people who have been offended because God has done this to them. A young brother may want to be a leader among the young people. If he becomes a leader, he may then want to be a deacon or an elder in the church. In these matters he may expect to make swift progress. God’s way, however, is first to speed us up and then to slow us down, first to raise us up and then to lower us down. When we are down, He will lift us up. But when we get too far up, He will lower us down. Hence, God’s way of dealing with us is up and down, down and up. If we can take God’s ups and downs, we shall eventually become useful in His work.
Learning to Take the Lord’s Restriction
God has many ways to bring us down. Some young people have been brought down by their married life. Before a particular brother was married, he may have been like an eagle soaring in the air. He could easily talk about the wonderful, glorious church life. But not long after his wedding, it seems that the church life is no longer glorious. God is using his marriage to calm down such an excited brother. In some cases, such a brother may stay down for a long period of time after his marriage. But eventually he is up again, although not in the same excited way as before. This is a sign of improvement.
Sometimes God may use one of the elders to bring you down. If such a thing happens to you, you should realize that God is the one who is putting you down, not the elder. He does it by means of the elder. Without having any intention, that elder may speak a certain word to you, and that word lowers you down. God deals with us in this way because He is a God of measure, apportioning to us a certain measure.
Acting within His Jurisdiction
Based on this principle of God’s measuring, Paul told the Corinthians that whatever he did and spoke was not beyond his measure. Paul always acted and behaved within his measure. Using today’s terminology, he acted within his jurisdiction. In contrast to the Judaizers, he never reached beyond his jurisdiction.
In verses 13 through 15 Paul seems to be saying, “Corinthians, as a church you have suffered a great deal because of the coming of the Judaistic preachers. These preachers, although Christians, are not willing to give up Judaism. On the one hand, they preach Christ; on the other hand, they still teach the Mosaic law. Therefore, they cause trouble and damage the church life. You Corinthians have been influenced by them. Therefore, you must realize that these Judaizers should never have come to Corinth. God did not measure the city of Corinth to them; Corinth is not in their jurisdiction. To be honest about it, Corinth is my jurisdiction, my territory.” This is Paul’s concept in these verses. However, it was difficult for him to speak about this in a direct, frank manner. But there is the implication here that Paul condemned the Judaizers for coming to Corinth. Thus, Paul seems to be saying, “We do not overreach ourselves, as the Judaizers do. We were the first to come to you with the gospel of Christ. That was a sign that Corinth has been measured to us. We came according to God’s ruling. God has apportioned Corinth to us, not to the Judaizers. Actually, God has not apportioned anything to the Judaizers. They should not go anywhere. Their movements are altogether illegal before God and without the proper jurisdiction.” This is the basic thought in these verses, and this was the feeling in Paul’s spirit as he was writing.
The apostles always moved according to God’s ruling. Whatever God measured out to them became their jurisdiction, and others should not interfere with it. If God had apportioned a certain territory to the Judaizers, the apostles would not have gone to that territory, for in so doing they would have overreached themselves. This is what Paul is saying here.
Today many preachers and teachers overreach themselves and interfere with the jurisdiction of others. This overreaching and interference always causes trouble.
Staying within the Measure Apportioned by God
In the church service we need to realize that God has only measured out so much to us, and we should not overstretch ourselves. We need to know our limitation, our jurisdiction, and not go beyond it into others’ territory. Like Paul, we should move and act according to our rule, that is, according to how much God has measured to us.
Paul knew from the Macedonian call he received that Corinth was under his rule, his measure. We know from Acts 16 that Paul became clear that God had called him to Europe. He came to Achaia with the gospel of Christ according to God’s ruling. Both Macedonia and Achaia were under Paul’s rule. Thus, the Judaizers should not have come into this territory to cause trouble. This was the feeling deep within Paul as he was writing these verses.
I encourage the young people especially to study this portion of the Word and learn from it how to conduct themselves in the church service and how to move in the Lord’s recovery. Young people, you must know your rule, your limit. This means that you must know how much God has measured to you, how much He has apportioned to you. This restriction, this limitation, is a very practical dealing with our flesh. Our natural man wants to be without limitation. However, God knows our problem. Therefore, He sets up boundaries and restrictions so that we may stay within the measure He has apportioned to us. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 51)