2 Corinthians 5:11-15 One Died for All
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 27, 2020 2 Corinthians 5:11-15
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
(Understanding the Text) Paul says that the reason we tell others about Jesus is because we know that we have to answer to Jesus some day. He has just spoken of the judgment where we have to answer to God for what we have done, and now he calls that knowledge of judgment “the fear of the Lord.” He says that knowing God means persuading others. But then Paul says that the judgment is already here in that God knows us through and through now. This is Paul’s claim to innocence in the face of the Corinthians allegations in the past. He says that God knows who he is, and he also hopes that the Corinthians themselves know Paul’s character.
Paul says that he is not going to go into his background references again like he had done previously. He says that he is simply giving them the justifications they need to defend their trust in Paul’s capability and standing with Jesus so that people who put down his outward appearance will be pointed towards examining the heart as God does.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” What does this mean? I guess Paul is saying that he may have done some crazy stuff, but it was all for God. He says that for the Corinthians’ sake, he takes careful sane consideration of his words and actions. He says in all things, Jesus’ love controls him. His understanding of Jesus’ death on the cross for the sins of the world forces him to realize that he cannot live for himself. We would all be under a death sentence, except Jesus died for us. It follows that when we are raised to life in Jesus that we need to live as his followers. Living for Jesus means living in unselfish service to others.
(Application / Prayer) Paul is saying in this passage that we need to live for others because we live for God. We live for God because He died for us and in His death we receive life. My application for myself is that I need to better understand the love of Jesus and let it control me. I have started to understand a little of how that love affects my attitude towards others, but I still don’t have a clue about how that love affects my love for myself. I pray to know Your love and let it transform me.