2 Corinthians 5 in your Bibles this morning. If you were to go to Corinth today, you would see a small city in Greece. It would not be imposing. It would not be super populated. It would just be a rather smaller city, certainly a city, but a smaller city. But under Roman rule, Corinth was a really important city. It controlled the northern and southern travel routes, and it had three main harbors in it.
What does that mean? Well, it means like any city that is a transportation hub, there are a lot of people coming through it all the time, and that was the case with Corinth. It also means that they had a lot of money. Transportation hubs—if you go to places like Dallas-Fort Worth or Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that have highways like I-35 going north and south, and I-40 going east and west through Oklahoma City—you see a community that has a lot of financial stability just because of the trade routes. We call them highways, but they are trade routes where goods are taken from warehouses or manufacturing plants to distribution centers, to local shops where you and I buy whatever we need, or to an Amazon warehouse.
That is what Corinth was in its day: a shipping center. The city of Corinth financially was like New York City. If you were to list the top financial cities in the world, New York City would certainly be towards the top of the list. Tokyo or a couple of others might be up there, but New York City would be near the top for most people. Corinth had the finances of New York City and the sinful depravity of Las Vegas.
It was a very wicked city. What happened in Corinth stayed in Corinth. Like most harbor cities, it was wicked on every level. The Apostle Paul, on his missionary journey, started a church in Corinth, and he is writing this letter to them—2 Corinthians—which is his fourth letter to them (two have been lost). Paul wrote this letter while preparing to visit them. It is intensely personal, written during a difficult time between himself and the church at Corinth because people in the church were attacking his apostolic authority and credibility.
Paul wrote this letter to help them understand what I have titled this message: The Source of His Motivation. Why does Paul do what he does? Have you ever asked yourself that question, "Why do you do what you do?" Sometimes we do what we do simply because we like to do it. I was thinking back to my childhood this week as I was meditating on this passage of scripture. I like to win. I just like to win things, and I try to win. Our church has an NCAA bracket right now, and this is the best I have ever done. I am currently tied for first place with Summer's class—a class of first graders. That does not bother me at all. Someone asked, "How do you feel about that?" I will spike the ball on your four-year-old all day long. That does not affect me at all. I just like to win. Whoever wins the bracket gets to go to Ruth's Chris with me and Debbie. If I win, whoever is in second place gets to go, and we have a good time with that.
I began to ask myself where that desire came from. I remembered back to the first time in my life where I knowingly desired to really win. Some of you who are older will remember this: Saturdays, 3:00 PM Pacific Time, ABC's Wide World of Sports. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, Howard Cosell. I remember as a seven-year-old kid in 1979, when pants were bright and bell-bottoms were big—it was an amazing time to be alive—Sugar Ray Leonard was fighting on ABC's Wide World of Sports. He was one of the greatest welterweights to ever fight and won the gold medal for America. My grandfather, who I was not close to and who almost never came to our house, came over that day. We watched that fight with him, my uncle, my dad, and my brother. After that fight, I wanted to be the world's greatest boxer. That year, my parents got me a speed bag for my room, and I would sit there and hit that bag for hours on end. For the first time outside of football, I was motivated to win.
When I was 13, our family went through a crisis, and I found a motivation for making people laugh. Then in college, I met my beautiful wife, Debbie. I was motivated to win her heart. Truth be told, I am still motivated to win her heart. Like most people, I have been motivated by many things.
So let me ask you this question: What gets you out of bed in the morning? Money? Survival? Anger? Your job? Politics? The truth is, you might actually be here because you are questioning what gets you out of bed in the morning.
Paul, before he became a Christian, had everything. He was renowned. He had power, influence, money, authority, and a cause, even though it was the wrong cause. He was on the fast track to be one of the top leaders of Israel. In Acts chapter 9, he met Jesus on the road to Damascus while traveling to persecute believers. He realized Jesus truly is the Son of God, his entire life changed, and his motivation changed. Standing before Jesus motivated Paul.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." — 2 Corinthians 5:10
The judgment of God motivated Paul. In verse 11, he says:
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." — 2 Corinthians 5:11
The word "terror" means deep reverential accountability or fear of God. Paul said, "Knowing that I am going to stand before the Lord one day and give an account of the things done in my body really motivates me."
For theological accuracy, understand that the judgment Paul is talking about here is called the judgment seat of Christ. That is where believers will stand before the Lord to give an account of how they lived their lives. As a believer, you and I are going to have to answer to God for what we did with our lives. If you say, "I'm a Christian, but I'm doing my own thing," you are going to answer to God for doing your own thing.
However, that is a far better judgment to stand before than the Great White Throne judgment. The Great White Throne judgment is for everyone who is not a believer. They will stand before the Lord and answer for why they rejected Jesus Christ. If you reject Jesus Christ, no answer you give will be good enough to prevent judgment. You will be found guilty of rejecting the God who loved you enough to send His Son to die for you, and you will be cast into hell for all eternity. I do not say that harshly; I say it so you understand that you do not have to go to hell. Jesus loves you enough that He offers heaven as your home if you will trust Him.
Paul writes to believers in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. One of the things that motivated Paul was the reality that he would give an account to God for how he lived.
Scripture speaks of this elsewhere:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." — Proverbs 1:7
Understanding what God requires and having a reverential respect, humility, and obedience toward Him is the sign of knowledge. Rejecting that is foolishness.
"In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." — Romans 2:16
In that judgment day, God will judge the secrets of your heart that you did not deal with. Believer, you and I will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
If there is something in your heart that God's Word teaches against—if you consistently run back to pornography, live in bitterness, or steal what belongs to God or others—you are going to answer to God for that. Paul is saying, "I live my Christian life in such a way that I am motivated by Jesus Christ and the reality of judgment."
That ought to motivate us, challenge us, and confront us. Paul was motivated by standing before Jesus as judge and by a reverential walk with God. Every Christian should fear the judgment of Christ to such a degree that we are stirred to walk faithfully with God, persuading men and living a life of integrity.
Paul said, "I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." The word "manifest" means to be made visible or seen. Paul moves from the judgment seat of Christ to a reverential walk with God, and then addresses his relationship with the church:
"For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart." — 2 Corinthians 5:12
Paul was deeply concerned that some people in the church at Corinth thought he lived a double life. He was telling them, "I want you to understand I am not living a double life. Watch my life. Pay attention to my life." He was not claiming to be sinless—in Romans 7 he described himself as a wretched man struggling with sin—but he urged them to look at his overall life and integrity.
A pastor's life ought to be an open book to the church, showing how the Lord can work through a human life with all its flaws and struggles. When we mess up, we confess it; we do not live in defeat, but in victory. Paul wanted the church at Corinth to recognize his integrity.
If you ever hear a rumor and Satan tempts you regarding a leader, Matthew 18 instructs you to go to them directly and seek clarity with humility. Paul was motivated by his relationship with the church, and this should be the motivation of every mature believer within the local church. Accountability matters. You want your life to be an encouragement to those around you, rather than living a double life where you act spiritual on Sunday and live carnally during the week.
In verse 12, we see that false teachers were attacking Paul's credibility based on his physical appearance. History tells us that the Apostle Paul was of slight stature and physically unimposing—likely short, balding, and bearing visible scars from suffering. He had been beaten many times for the gospel, stoned and left for dead, and whipped five times with a cat-of-nine-tails, leaving him with stooped posture and scar tissue. He was also accused of not being an eloquent speaker. False accusers argued, "Look at him. God cannot be speaking through him." They gloried in appearance.
Maturity in the life of a believer does not glory in outward appearance. The issue in the kingdom of God is not physical stature or eloquence, but whether someone has a heart and a passion for the things of God.
Paul was motivated by his standing before Jesus, a relational walk with God, and his relationship with the church. His reverential awe for God's judgment was born out of his motivation for the truth:
"For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause." — 2 Corinthians 5:13
To be "beside ourselves" means to be out of one's mind. In the Book of Acts, during his trial before King Agrippa on his way to Rome, Agrippa told Paul that his much learning had made him mad. Paul was accused of being out of his mind for believing the gospel.
What elicited such an accusation? Paul's unwavering love for the truth and his commitment to the gospel. Truth is under attack in our world today. I would rather you be offended by the truth than accept a lie. The Bible is a book of truth. Satan is a liar who wants to destroy lives. Paul said, "If I seem out of my mind, it is for God; if I am in my right mind, it is for your benefit." I plead with young people in school or college to hold fast to the truth with grace and fervor. Truth is objective and cannot be changed.
Why would Paul hold so fiercely to the truth and suffer so greatly for it? Verse 14 gives the core motivation:
"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead." — 2 Corinthians 5:14
Christ's unfailing love motivated Paul. In AD 56, the idea that God loved individuals was completely foreign to the culture of Corinth. They believed in Greco-Roman polytheism, where gods were feared for their power but never expected to be loving or gracious. The revelation that the God of heaven loves you was life-altering.
Paul says the love of Christ "constraineth" us—it binds us, holds us, and compels us. Agape love is God's active, divine goodwill toward us.
Where is His love most clearly seen? In the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus died in our place because all of us were born spiritually dead.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." — Isaiah 53:6
"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." — Matthew 20:28
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." — John 1:29
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." — Hebrews 2:9
The love of God is available to every man, woman, and child. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, and anyone who places their faith in Him is guaranteed forgiveness.
Verse 15 shows our motivation to live for Him:
"And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." — 2 Corinthians 5:15
If you are alive and saved, you should no longer live for yourself or your own desires, but for Him who died for you and rose again. Jesus has a far better plan for your life than you could ever design for yourself.
One of the most remarkable stories of selfless sacrifice is that of Augustus Fuller (often retold as John Maynard), a helmsman on a Great Lakes steamer in 1841. On August 9, 1841, the steamboat Erie left Buffalo, New York, carrying 300 passengers toward Chicago. Eight miles out, a barrel of turpentine caught fire near the engine boiler. The wooden vessel quickly caught fire. The wheelhouse sat directly above the engine room, the hottest part of the ship. Fuller stayed at the wheel as flames engulfed the cabin, steering the burning ship toward the shore so rescue boats could reach the passengers. The captain called out through the smoke, "Can you hold for five more minutes?" Fuller, his clothes smoldering, yelled back, "I'll try, sir." Fuller stayed at the wheel and went down with the ship. When the wreck was examined later, divers found his body burned, but his hands were still gripping the wheel.
That story is inspiring, but Augustus Fuller remained in the grave. Jesus died for us and rose again. The ultimate motivation for the Christian is the love of Christ, who died and rose again to give us eternal life.
If you are here today and do not know Christ, understand that Jesus loves you, died for you, and offers you eternal life if you will put your trust in Him alone. And if you are already a believer, ask yourself: What motivates you to live for Christ? May the unfailing love of Christ compel us to live entirely for Him.