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So the Corinthians had been reconciled to God and were not working with Him in the ministry of the Gospel as Paul was. They had accepted the Grace (reconciliation) of God, now, Paul says, God's Grace should not be accepted without results. It is not right for God to reconcile us in vain. There should be evidences of this in our lives and now is the "acceptable time" to do it, now is the day of our salvation.
Then Paul endeavors to clear his own "skirts" of any fault that they might find in his ministry. He has endeavored not to put any obstacle in any ones way for the sake of his ministry. He had endured hardships, beatings, imprisonments, hunger, for the sake of his ministry, that he might be able to display some degree of purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, evidences of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God. These Paul called the "weapons of righteousness" that he used for his ministry for the Lord.
In spite of all of this, he was treated as an imposter. He found himself at times,
being treated in dishonor, have false reports circulated about him, being treated
as an unknown, but whatever state he found himself, he strived to be content and he
realized that even though, by worldly standards, he had nothing, he possessed
everything.
Seek only Christian Fellowship
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Paul continues his discourse on what he considered to be the problems at the church at Corinth. "My mouth is open to you Corinthians, but so is my heart." He was saying that he was going to continue to admonish them but he was doing it out of love for them. It was not Paul that was restricting them, it was their problems (afflictions). They had not matured as Christians therefore Paul had to speak to them as he would to children.
It would seem that the Corinthians had married non-believers. Some believe that Paul was speaking about socializing with non-believers. Either way, he makes it clear that there is danger in this un-holy alliance. There is no compatibility between righteousness and iniquity or between light and darkness. What accord has Christ with Belial, a pagan god? By being in-dwelled by the Holy Spirit, we become the "Temples of God", therefore, and Paul quotes from Isaiah, "Come out from them, be separate from them, touch (associate) with nothing unclean (pagan) and I will welcome you."
Paul is here talking about our close associates. He is not talking about our ministry to the lost. We must go to them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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