In the second letter of Paul the Apostle to the church in Corinth, he told them that he was testing the sincerity of their love by the diligence of others, which was a reference to the church in Macedonia.
2 Corinthians 8:8 [AMP]:
I am not saying this as a command [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the enthusiasm of others, the sincerity of your love as well.
The church in Macedonia was being used by Paul the Apostle as a standard for the Corinthians, not to shame them but to inspire them, as he made known in his letter the evidence of the grace of God in the church in Macedonia.
2 Corinthians 8:1 [AMP]:
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
More also, Paul the Apostle writes about the proof of Christ's love in 2 Corinthians 8:9 as a bases for his remarks in 2 Corinthians 8:8;
2 Corinthians 8:9 [AMP]:
For you are recognizing [more clearly] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [His astonishing kindness, His generosity, His gracious favor], that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich (abundantly blessed).
Moreover, beyond the scope of the collections that were going on in the Churches in Macedonia and Corinth with respect to the brethren in Jerusalem; what did Paul the Apostle actually imply by stating that Jesus Christ became poor so that the brethren might become rich?
Paul the Apostle's statement as stated in 2 Corinthians 8:9, makes reference to the period before the revelation of the pre- incarnate Christ Who was the Word at the beginning, the resurrected Christ, the purpose of His death, and also how we fit into God's purpose through the death of Jesus Christ. In furtherance of this thought, it's imperative that we isolate and treat these subjects distinctly;
1. The riches of Jesus Christ:
The word RICH as stated in the letter of Paul the Apostle, is a borrowed term from the Greek word PLOUSIOS which is interpreted as abundance, having great substance or excess. Paul the Apostle used this term to describe the status of the pre - incarnate Christ who existed as the Word at the beginning, through Whom all things were created, and without Him nothing was created that was created.
John 1:1 [AMP]:
In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.
John 1:2 [AMP]:
He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God.
John 1:3 [AMP]:
All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.
The pre - incarnate Christ Who is the Word at the beginning, was in a position of eternal coexistence in God and with God [ Father], where all things ever made by God and which existed through God can be attributed to Him [The Word], Who was made in the likeness of the sinful flesh.
Romans 8:3 [AMP]:
For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son].
THINGS TO NOTE:
1. The riches in Christ refers to all possibilities in God.
2. The pre- incarnate Christ [The Word] is the wealth and resource of God.
3. The pre- incarnate Christ is the extension of God in eternal coexistence.
.... To be continued.
Min. Awe Hilary
#TheMessenger
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