2 Corinthians 10:7 … What already IS (11/20/16)
“Look at what is already before your eyes.”
~ Paul (2 Corinthians 10:07)
On its face this verse reminds us to humble ourselves, to consciously dismiss all familiarities & preconceptions in order to truly See our lives as if for the first time – to acutely notice and thereby clearly See the Wonders that are ever around us. And yet – much like life itself – there is more to this verse than immediately meets the eye …
Indeed, this verse happens to be taken from a section of 2 Corinthians where Paul is actually using passive-aggression to persuade his listeners – to convince them of his greatness, not the greatness of life – to laud his humility and his “righteousness”, not inspire them to awaken their own … And this reality reflects a deeper biblical Truth still: namely, the Truth that the vast majority of Paul’s biblical writings do not reflect The Way of Christ at all, but are actually enabling reflections of the opposite.
Where the Way of Christ would have us see ourselves as equally worthy Children of God, Paul’s teachings would have us demote ourselves as being innate & inevitable sinners … Where the Way of Christ would have us openly embrace our enemies as brothers & sisters, Paul’s teachings enable us to denigrate and even condemn those who do not believe as we do … Where the Way of Christ would have us reach out in acts of self-sacrificial Love in order to attain “the Kingdom of Heaven” (see Luke 17:20-21 & Matthew 10:7), Paul’s teachings tell us over & over again that thought & word are enough – that we merely have to believe in our minds that Jesus is the only Son of God (and profess the same with our mouths) to be “saved” ourselves.
As such, it seems that Paul himself would benefit the most from actualizing his own words here; that Paul himself should close his mouth & put down his pen – that Paul himself should stop trying to convince others to save themselves, and instead look for the opportunities already resting before his own eyes — opportunities to set aside the “frightening” and the “familiar” and the “beneficial” and the “boring” and seek to selflessly Care for all those nearby instead.
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