2 Corinthians 6:1
This title is genuinely provocative, because on the whole Christianity could never be “in vain.” The Church is destined for success and glory. And yet, there are people whose believing may turn out to be in vain, and I pray that you and I will not be found among them. In 2 Corinthians 6:1 the apostle Paul writes:
1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. (2 Corinthians 6:1)
In this verse there is one word that sounds dreadful, and that word is “in vain.” If you have sown and watered and tended and fertilized and done everything necessary, hoping for some fruit, and in the end there is nothing, then a person is left disappointed. As we see from his various letters, the apostle Paul was especially afraid that his labor in the different churches might prove to be in vain. That is why here too he pleads with the Corinthians not to nullify by their conduct the grace of God with which they had been endowed. What does it mean to receive God’s grace in vain? Is it possible for someone to become a Christian and for it to be in vain? Sadly, the true answer to this question is, unfortunately, “Yes!” There are at least three ways in which we can receive God’s grace “in vain.”
IF WE DO NOT RESPOND TO THE GOSPEL
The first way, as our text shows, is simply not to respond to the gospel. The preacher may share with us the gospel of Christ, which is “the power of God for salvation.” He may even plead with us to receive it. But if we do not respond, all his efforts will be in vain. From Jesus’ parable of the sower we understand that whether there will be any benefit from the labor of the pastor or the evangelist depends to a large degree on the spiritual disposition of their hearers. The receptiveness and perseverance of people are decisive for how God’s grace is received. Three of the four kinds of soil in the parable receive God’s grace “in vain” (Luke 8:5-15).
5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Luke 8:5-8)
The path, the rocky ground, and the thorny soil received the seed in vain. In them it failed to produce fruit. Who are they, and what is the good soil? Let us hear Jesus’ own explanation.
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11 This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. (Luke 8:9-12)
The superficial hearers did not pay enough attention to the preached word of God and quickly redirected their minds to “more interesting things.” The cheerful enthusiasts believed, but their conviction was not deep enough to withstand the test of suffering. Temporary believing is also in vain.
13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. (Luke 8:13)
The materialists, too, fail to appreciate the worth of the kingdom of God. And so they allow their faith to be drained away by the weeds of daily worries and fleeting pleasures.
14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:14-15)
Only this group of people bears spiritual fruit. The good soil is the one that does not receive the seed partially, but fully. Which kind of soil are we? We will all say that we are of the last kind, that we are “good soil” that does not receive the seed in vain. And yet, I am convinced that if we had asked the first three kinds of soil as well, they too would have said they were “good soil.” In Proverbs 20:6 it says:
6 Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)
Whatever we say, what we truly are will be seen by whether or not we produce the desired fruit. And so, the first way for our Christianity to be in vain is not to respond to the gospel to a sufficient degree.
IF WE STOP HOLDING TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL
The second way to receive God’s grace “in vain” is to turn aside from the gospel we received at the beginning. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 the apostle Paul says:
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
According to the apostle Paul, believers are saved if they remain with their original convictions and hold fast to the apostolic gospel. Otherwise, their believing was in vain. In other words, if after we have believed we have turned aside from the simple gospel (in whatever direction) and have abandoned our original conviction, the fact that we became Christians will not profit us for salvation. I want to remind you that this is the goal — not a pleasant time at the meetings, but salvation.
Over every Christian hangs the danger of crossing over to another gospel. When I read the letters, I begin to think that it seems as though all the churches and Christians start out well at the beginning. But then something happens, and many of them turn aside in wrong directions. To a large extent, credit for all these problems goes to Satan, our adversary, as well as to his subordinates, who plot day and night how to lead us astray. Notice, they do not try to stop us — that would be much harder. But they know that if we take even one wrong step and do not return at once, every next step will carry us further from the goal.
Of course, none of our problems are without the participation of our old, unrenewed fleshly nature, which does not want to submit to the Holy Spirit. The Galatian church is an example of this. In Galatians 3:1-4 the apostle Paul exclaims:
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? (Galatians 3:1-4)
Crossing over to another gospel empties of meaning even the sufferings previously endured for the faith. The apostle Paul is seriously troubled by the spiritual sickness of the young Galatian church. In Galatians 4:11 he shares his fear:
11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (Galatians 4:11)
What lies behind all this anxiety? We find the answer in Galatians 1:6-7:
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7)
There is no other true gospel. The gospel is one single gospel, and it is the apostolic gospel. A person is saved “by faith in Jesus Christ” alone (Galatians 2:16). Every addition to this simple formula is a delusion. Every “plus” — whether it be works, a certain religious behavior, belonging to a particular group, or some other “modern teaching” — is mistaken. Crossing over to “another gospel” leads to receiving God’s grace “in vain.”
Every “other gospel” is spread by false teachers. And when we speak of “false teachers,” be sure that they do not present themselves as false teachers (most often they are so deceived by Satan that they do not even realize they are such), but as teachers. What they are interested in, however, is to gather as many enthusiastic followers and supporters as they can (Galatians 4:17-18).
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. (Galatians 4:17-18)
If someone wants to separate us from the church in which we came to faith, he is hardly a servant of Christ! The problem is that believers are often too tolerant, not to say too meek and spineless. Something just as relevant today, the apostle Paul also writes to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:4):
4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:4)
If we are swept away from our original conviction, we return again into the slavery of the law, sin, Satan, and death. Then, just as if we had not responded to the gospel to a sufficient degree, our Christianity may turn out to be in vain.
IF WE DO NOT STAND FIRM TO THE END AND FALL AWAY FROM THE FAITH
The third way to receive God’s grace in vain is not to stand firm to the end and to fall away from the faith. In 1 Thessalonians 2:1 the apostle Paul writes:
1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. (1 Thessalonians 2:1)
The Thessalonian believers were not among the people who do not respond to the gospel. On the contrary, they received the apostolic gospel as the word of God, and this led to their salvation (1 Thessalonians 2:13):
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
In the first chapter of the letter, the apostle Paul tells of the miracle of the Thessalonians’ initial success in the faith (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10).
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10)
What an astonishing good beginning. Truly the presence and work of Paul, Silas, and Timothy among these people were not in vain. Yet they were forced to leave Thessalonica and to abandon the young church without the constant care it so badly needed. A little further on in the same letter the apostle writes (1 Thessalonians 3:5):
5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. (1 Thessalonians 3:5)
The danger that our believing may be “in vain” does not pass away until the moment we cross over into eternity. Even today, though you may already have been in the faith for decades, the possibility that your believing may be in vain still continues to exist. That is why we must be careful! That is why we must make an effort, pray, and go to church! That is why, every day, we must examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith! Satan has a thousand doubts and deceptive suggestions with which to entice and tempt us, if only to rob us of our faith. No one is immune. If we give in to these temptations, then all the attempts and labor of Christ’s servants to pull us out of the mire of sin and the fire of eternal death will prove fruitless, and we will perish.
May it not be so! And yet, I would like to warn you that there are at least three ways in which our believing and our receiving of God’s grace may be in vain. The first is if, at the very beginning of our believing, the seed of Christ’s gospel fails to take full root in us. If, because of superficiality, persecution, or materialism, we prove permanently unreceptive to the gospel. The second is if, at some later stage, we are led astray and fall into heresy and false teaching. And the third is if, at any time, we give in to the attacks of the enemy — which are not material but spiritual (the battle is in our mind) — and in practice give up our faith. May it not be so!
I pray that this warning of mine will also not be in vain! As the author of the letter to the Hebrews says (Hebrews 6:9):
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. (Hebrews 6:9)
THE ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION
And indeed, the word of God gives us more than enough assurance so that we need not panic.
- We are convinced that “he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
- We know that “through faith we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).
- We praise “him who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 1:24).
- We are assured that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
- We thank God, “who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
- We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, “who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14).
- We are encouraged that “the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen us and protect us from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
- We boldly confess: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom!” (2 Timothy 4:18).
And yet, all these promises do not mean that we may relax and stop guarding ourselves. On the contrary, we see that in the New Testament the calls, the charges, and the warnings are far more numerous than the promises. Therefore, let us not grow slack! To stay watchful is to live!
IF PEOPLE RECEIVE GOD’S GRACE IN VAIN, IS THE LABOR OF GOD’S SERVANT ALSO IN VAIN?
When we speak of receiving God’s grace in vain, I as a pastor cannot help but ask myself the question: If some of the people I serve receive God’s grace in vain, does that mean my spiritual labor has also been in vain? To my joy, the answer to this question, which I find in the Bible, is no. Even if people receive God’s grace in vain, the servant’s reward is guaranteed. This is so because God rewards not results, but faithfulness! Isaiah 49:4 expresses very well one of the pastor’s hard experiences:
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” (Isaiah 49:4)
Sometimes I too say the very same words. I look at a given situation and say to myself: “So much effort, so much preparation, so much traveling, so much preaching, so many prayers, so many sacrifices — and it seems there is nothing to show for it.” In such moments I hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit: “Do not measure your work by what you see, because you do not stand before people, but before God. You have done what depends on you. From here on, the responsibility for the failure is not yours, but that of those who have rejected you.”
That the reward of God’s servant is guaranteed we also read in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 15:58 the apostle Paul says:
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
OUR REWARD IS FROM GOD, BUT OUR JOY DEPENDS ON PEOPLE
What we have read is encouraging. And yet, from experience I can say that although the reward of God’s servant is guaranteed, his joy is not. No one rejoices when he sees that there is no fruit from his efforts. In 1 Thessalonians 3:5-9 the apostle Paul says:
5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? (1 Thessalonians 3:5-9)
RECEIVE GOD’S GRACE FULLY!
Understand, brothers and sisters, that our joy depends on your success in the faith. As the apostle Paul says, “now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord,” otherwise we are “dead” — we may be saved, even rewarded, but not joyful. We do not want our labor to be in vain! Whether you will receive God’s grace “fully” or “in vain” depends on you! But know that to receive it in vain would be ruinous for you yourselves. Therefore, do not receive it “in vain.” Receive God’s grace “fully”! This will bring joy not only to you, but also to us, as your servants in the name of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)!
19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)