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GODLY JEALOUSY (II)
LORD’S DAY, MARCH 8
2 Corinthians 11:1-2
Ephesians 5:25-27
 
The church is to be pure.
 
GODLY JEALOUSY (II)
 
In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul adopted a striking imagery where he was pictured as the father of a bride betrothed to a groom. In those days, there was a time interval between the betrothal and the consummation of the marriage. Both parties were expected to honour the betrothal until the time of the wedding festivity. The responsibilities of the father was to keep his daughter pure till the consummation of the marriage.
 
As part of the church of God (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1), the Corinthian church was the bride of Christ. Paul being the founding pastor was like the adopted father of the Corinthian church. His duty was to ensure that the church was pure and unadulterated until the coming of Christ when He would take up His bride.
 
As the spiritual father of the Corinthians, Paul had every right to be jealous over them. This jealousy was not one where Paul was envious of his opponents for drawing men away from him. Rather, as the Apostle, his duty was to make sure that no man takes the bride away from Christ. Just as Christ is jealous over His bride, Paul as the Apostle must also be jealous over the church to guard her from being adulterated by falsehood and wickedness.
 
The heart of the Apostle Paul for the church must also be the heart of every Christian today. There must not be an accommodating attitude towards falsehood and sin in the church. Are you zealous over the purity of the church that you will labour in prayer for her? Alas, there seems to be a growing apathy among Christians concerning holiness in the church. Have they forgotten that Christ is jealous over His bride? The jealousy of God requires us to be jealous over the faithfulness of God’s people. May we as God’s people be prepared to defend His name and truth.
 
THOUGHT: I must be jealous over the kingdom of God.
PRAYER: O Father, grant me godly jealousy for Thy name.

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