Behold, now is a favorable time, behold, now is a day of salvation

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— ² for He says,

“At a favorable time I listened to you,
And on a day of salvation I helped you.”

Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”— ³ giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, ⁴ but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, ⁵ in beatings, in imprisonments, in mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, ⁶ in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, ⁷ in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, ⁸ by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; ⁹ as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold, we are alive; as punished and yet not put to death, ¹⁰ as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

¹¹ Our mouth has spoken freely to you, you Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. ¹² You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. ¹³ Now in the same way in exchange—I am speaking as to children—open wide your hearts to us, you as well.

In today’s text it says: And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—  for He says, “At a favorable time I listened to you, And on a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”   What does it mean that we should not receive the grace of God in vain?  Ephesians 2:8-10 says: By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  God’s grace, His salvation for us is a free gift to us. We receive the gift of salvation by grace, but if it does not effect a change in our lives, we receive it in vain. Having received salvation, we are recreated into the image and likeness of Christ for good works. 2 Corinthians 5:17;21 says:  If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come… He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  

That we are changed, that we become a new creation in Christ, no longer doing what is evil, but rather what is good and righteous, is vital to our standing with Him. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says:  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”   In Luke 9:26 Jesus says: “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”  God’s grace for us is in vain if we continue to practice lawlessness rather than walking in His righteousness.  Isaiah 53:5-6 says: He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him.    If we are too ashamed to walk in the change that His grace has worked in us, we don’t receive the benefits of the shame He bore for us.  In John 19:30, on the cross, Jesus said: “It is finished!”  All that was accomplished in the finished work of the cross, was in vain for us, if we do not also walk in the power of the resurrection, the new life He has given us.

Working together with Him, I also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—  for He says, “At a favorable time I listened to you, And on a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”    Amen.