2 Corinthians Chapter 6 Explained: Understanding God’s Grace in Action

Understanding Grace: 2 Corinthians Chapter 6

The theme of God’s grace weaves through the pages of the Bible, lingering for a little while in Paul’s writings. To Apostle Paul, grace is like the air he breathes.   Of the 150 times the New Testament mentions grace, 100 references come from Paul himself. And, as you are about to see, grace is the heartbeat of Chapter 6.

In this Chapter, Paul shows us how God’s grace permeates every aspect of our lives. He demonstrates how grace empowers us to do God’s kingdom work, withstand challenges with faith, and set ourselves apart as His servants. Gaining a better understanding of grace helps us understand Paul’s writings. While we can’t expect to fully comprehend God’s grace on this side of heaven, its influence and presence in our lives is unmistakable. 

Defining Grace

Let’s back up a minute and look at biblical grace’s definition before we dive into 2 Corinthians Chapter 6.

Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language characterizes grace  as “the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from them.” Similarly,  the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines God’s grace as “the undeserved favor of God in providing salvation for those deserving condemnation.”

Finally, Ephesians 2:8-9 perfectly illustrates biblical grace:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast (NIV).

Simply put, grace is getting what we don’t deserve—God’s favor, especially salvation. I am a sinner. The punishment for sin is death.  I deserve death, but I get eternal life because of God’s grace.

But for Paul, God’s grace isn’t just about what we receive; it is about what drives us, empowers us, and calls us to action. 

God’s Grace In Ministry: 2nd Corinthians Chapter 6 Explained

Previously, in Chapter 5, we learned that as Christians in God’s Kingdom, we are all called to a ministry of reconciliation – that God pleads His Son’s case through us. As ministers of reconciliation, we are also Christ’s ambassadors sent by God into the world to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of His Son. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 6, Paul urges the Corinthians, in light of their immense responsibilities as God’s fellow workers, “not to receive God’s grace in vain” (v.1 BSB). But what does Paul mean by not receiving God’s grace in vain? And what does this have to do with our calling and ministry as followers of Christ?

The Call to Action

We don’t have to read much further to find out. In verse 2, Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8, where God reminds the Israelites that He heard them at the acceptable time, and on the day of salvation, He helped them. Paul then emphasizes the urgency of God’s calling, saying that the time of God’s favor and the day of salvation is NOW! In other words, he tells the Corinthians that God’s grace demands a response. Paul is not asking the Corinthians to do anything he hasn’t done himself. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul says this:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Paul acknowledges that what he accomplished for God’s Kingdom wasn’t a result of human efforts but God’s power. God’s grace was at work within him, empowering him to work hard for God. Paul didn’t take God’s grace in vain. No, it compelled Him to work harder, to be Christ’s ambassador, and to minister reconciliation to the lost.

Examples of God’s Grace in Action

We must not waste God’s grace but act upon it. Grace motivates and equips us as God’s partners in His kingdom work. God’s grace urges us to GET UP and not take His grace in vain.

Moses didn’t take God’s grace in vain. When God called him, sure, he hesitated at first. But history tells us that eventually, he embraced His role as God’s chosen leader to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.  (Exodus 2-12)

Esther didn’t take God’s grace in vain. When she heard of a conspiracy to destroy her people, she fully embraced the opportunity and responsibility placed before her. She risked her life to save the Jewish people. 

Nehemiah didn’t take God’s grace in vain. When he learned about the broken walls of Jerusalem, he didn’t ignore the heaviness he felt in his heart for his homeland. Instead, he took God’s grace and favor and used it as an opportunity to rebuild the city walls and restore his people’s faith (Nehemiah 1-2).

God has given us this same grace, this free gift we don’t deserve but get anyway. Like Paul and all the others before him, we have kingdom work to do. Thank God for His grace, which empowers us and equips us to partner with Him to accomplish His perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

Fully Embracing Grace

I urge you, friends, to fully embrace the opportunities and responsibilities God has placed before you. Don’t ignore the burden He has placed on your heart. Get up and move towards God’s plan and purpose for your life. Remember, when we fail to respond to His grace – when we remain silent instead of speaking up, and when we remain seated instead of standing up, we take His grace in vain.  And when we take His grace in vain, this free gift of grace cannot accomplish ALL it’s meant to.  Friends, that hurts my heart. Don’t receive God’s grace in vain.

God’s Grace in Ministry and Hardships

As Paul challenges us to embrace God’s grace in our ministries (all Christ-followers have them), he also reminds us that this grace does not guarantee us an easy life.  In fact, God uses hardships and trials to demonstrate that His grace is sufficient for us – that no matter what challenges we face, His grace empowers us to persevere and remain faithful. Let’s explore how God’s grace strengthens us when we face trials and troubles.

Paul’s Integrity In Trials

Paul, as an ambassador to Christ, has a responsibility to protect the integrity of His kingdom ministry. In verse 3, he says, “We do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that no fault may be found with our ministry” (NET). Despite Paul’s many trials and troubles – from beatings to riots to sleepless nights – he always responded with patience, kindness, and genuine love (vv. 5-6). Whether honored or dishonored, slandered or praised, Paul maintained his integrity in his response, preserving both his ministry and ambassadorship. But he did not do this through his own strength.

In Titus 2:11-12, Paul explains that God’s grace helps us live upright and godly lives. He writes:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (NIV). 

So you see, not only are we offered salvation through God’s grace, but grace also cultivates godliness within us. Grace enables us to face every trial, trouble, and temptation head-on with purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, and genuine love (vv. 4-6). Through God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to live upright and godly lives, no matter what the world around us looks like.

Grace as a Source of Strength

God’s grace also positions us to see our circumstances from God’s point of view instead of the world’s. Paul understood this aspect of God’s grace well. The world viewed Paul as an impostor, yet he was authentic. The world saw Paul as poor, yet he made many spiritually rich. The world saw Paul as having nothing, yet he possessed everything he needed. Because of God’s grace, Paul could say this: 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)

Paul could rejoice, knowing that things aren’t always as they seem. To him, spiritual realities were more true than the realities the world sees through veiled faces.

God’s grace strengthens us and helps us focus on His call on our lives. Although others may see our struggles as negatives, we view them through God’s eyes as opportunities to grow. Though some may see our faith as naïve, we understand through God’s perspective that our faith pleases Him. While others may look at our circumstances and say we are finished, we know that as long as we have breath in our lungs, we are not done yet. God’s grace compels us towards our calling and drives us to our eternal destiny. We are victorious in Christ!

Grace in Relationships and Reconciliation

God’s grace not only saves us, empowers us, and helps us see things as they really are, but it also helps us love generously. Paul had opened his heart up wide to the Corinthians, making himself vulnerable to rejection. Yet, the Corinthians, still angry and hurt, resisted reconciliation and closed their hearts to Paul. God’s grace empowered him to love the Corinthians from a distance until they could open their hearts to him, move closer, and reconcile. 

Vulnerability

In the same way, we are called to extend God’s grace and love generously, even when it leaves us vulnerable. That can be hard sometimes. Hurt is never fun. But Paul’s example reminds us that our kingdom work can’t accomplish much without love and that love often requires us to risk pain and rejection. However, God’s grace empowers us to forgive and reconcile, just as God has forgiven us. God’s grace humbles us and strengthens us so we can keep our hearts open and trust that reconciliation and healing will come in God’s time.

Unequal Yoking, Being Set Apart, and Grace

In the last part of the chapter, Paul encourages the Corinthians not to be unequally yoked to unbelievers (v.14 BSB). So what does Paul mean by “don’t be unequally yoked?” Unequally yoked is a foreign concept to many modern readers of the Bible – including me. Understanding what a yoke is and does will help us understand Paul’s point.

In ancient and even some modern agricultural practices, oxen were used as work animals to pull a plow and other heavy equipment. Teams of two oxen, joined by wooden bars, pulled the plow or any other load assigned to them. When two oxen are “unequally yoked,” one of the oxen on the team is stronger than the other. When this happens, whatever the load the oxen is pulling goes around in circles. Unequally yoked oxen are incapable of doing the work given to them. Instead of working together, they are working against each other. (gotquestions.org)

So When Paul says, ‘Do not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever,’ he is warning the Corinthians against partnering with unbelievers because such mismatches hinder them from fulfilling God’s kingdom work. When you partner with someone who doesn’t share your beliefs and values, you are bound to have conflict. 

Paul illustrates his point by contrasting righteousness with wickedness, light with darkness, Christ and Satan, and the temple of God with idols (vv. 14-16). He then reminds the Corinthians that they are the temple of the living God, and because they carry God’s presence, they should set themselves apart from the world. 

So what does it mean to be set apart?

Being Set Apart

From the beginning, God called His people to be set apart, separate, and distinct from other people (Genesis 24:3). He required them to be holy, as He is holy (Leviticus 11:45). In Ephesians 1:4, Paul explains that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence.” God requires His people to be different so that they will be unstained from the world’s corruption and be able to represent Him and His character in the world accurately.

Likewise, as Christ’s disciples, we are called to be salt and light – not blending in but standing out in a hurting world that needs to see Jesus. As His ambassadors, we must represent Him and His character with integrity and grace. To do this, we guard our hearts against those things that pull us away from living godly lives. Guarding our hearts doesn’t mean we avoid associating with unbelievers; as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, we just shouldn’t partner with them.  If we don’t engage the world, how can we do kingdom work? We are to be His disciples, drawing others to Him, not pushing them away, and at the same time guarding our hears. We are to be in this world, not of this world. 

Final Thoughts On 2 Corinthians Chapter 6: Living Fully in God’s Grace

In 2 Corinthians Chapter 6, Paul illustrates how God’s grace does more than just save us; it empowers and calls us to action. God’s grace is not meant to be received in vain. It equips us to carry out His kingdom work, endure trials with godliness, and love others generously. Whether we are ministering to others, facing hardships with perseverance, or reconciling broken relationships, grace is at the center of it all. Like Paul, we must recognize that without God’s grace, we can do nothing, and accomplish nothing. But with it, we are empowered to live lives that honor Him, fulfill His purposes, and reflect His character to the world. So, let’s not take this beautiful gift in vain. Let’s embrace His grace, allowing it to motivate and guide us in everything we do.