Grace in Vain?
8/1/25 Bible Thought (2 Corinthians 6)
The grace of God encompasses everything that God has given to us that we don’t deserve.
Certainly, it’s an inexhaustible category filled with all manner of God’s blessings including, but not limited to, His forgiveness of our sins.
The apostle Paul has recounted much concerning God’s grace in the new covenant (2 Cor. 3) the hope of eternity and the final resurrection (2 Cor. 4) and the newness of life in Christ (2 Cor. 5).
Now, in light of all God’s gracious gifts, the apostle Paul issues a plea:
“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor. 6:1).
Paul knows that he is writing to believers. They are those who have received the grace of God. The question now is, “What will that grace do to them?”
According to the whole counsel of the New Testament, grace not only forgives, but grace is intended to transform. The nonbeliever can come as they are to the foot of the cross, but no one who comes as they are is expected to stay as they were.
The apostle himself echoed this in yesterday’s reading where he cried out,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).
As such, a new creation isn’t to live as an old creation!
One of the ways this is done, according to the present chapter, is by separation from those who work darkness.
In light of God’s marvelous, unfathomable, and completely undeserved grace how could we live unchanged?
The apostle commands,
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols” (2 Cor. 6:14-16a).
The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (ZIBBC) explains this image of being unequally yoked well:
“The term heterozygeō, to yoke differently, refers to placing two animals of different species under the same yoke (e.g., an ox and a donkey). The obvious difference in strength, height, and disposition could lead to disastrous consequences.”[1]
Different species! If we are made new, brought out of the domain of darkness (Col. 1:13) then we shouldn’t partner with darkness! That’s no longer who we are.
We shouldn’t “team up” so to speak with those who don’t believe for we aren’t on the same team. One is at work for the Kingdom of God and of light, and the other at work for the domain of darkness or the kingdom of Satan.
Now, throughout Scripture we see the clear reality that we cannot escape the world; however, we can escape worldliness.
The Christian is to be in the world, but not of it.
We are here on assignment as ambassadors for Christ—knowing that we represent another Kingdom. Yet, this is still our temporary home.
While we’re stuck here, we ought to make an intentional distinction through the lives that we lead.
The whole idea of “holiness” is one of separateness. If the believer looks just like the world around them and is teamed up with the world, then to what avail has come the grace of God?
We are the temple of the living God. God has made His dwelling amongst us! “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17a).
If a change has been wrought internally, it ought to manifest externally.
[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 228.