Teachers who are faithful to the Bible rightly speak of the importance of good works. Good works do not prove that we are saved from the lake of fire. A lack of good works does not result in the loss of eternal salvation, which is impossible. Good works result in intimacy with the Lord now, and eternal rewards in eternity.
Related to this is the idea that our sins negatively impact our intimacy with the Lord and the rewards we will receive in eternity. Sins in the life of the believer are important. Unfortunately, when we think about these truths, we usually do so in a highly self-focused way. We think of the negative consequences our sins will have for us. This should, of course, motivate us to live godly lives.
However our sins have other negative consequences. They can impact how others receive what we teach.
In 2 Cor 6:3-4, Paul writes: “We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God…” The Greek word translated “ministers” is the word for servant. Paul served the church at Corinth. For example, in the epistle, he describes how he acted completely aboveboard when he collected an offering for Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Chapter 6 discusses living godly and serving others.
Why did Paul do that? No doubt he wanted rewards in the kingdom. No doubt he wanted to have intimacy with the Lord. But in the epistle he says that he did not want his ministry to be blamed. In his ministry, he taught that righteous living resulted from walking by the Spirit and from an inward transformation (2 Cor 3:18). A godly person endures suffering and trials for the good of others. Paul modeled what that meant. He wanted to be a servant, as Christ was.
If Paul had ripped off the congregation when he collected that offering, it would have brought discredit upon what he taught. If he wanted others to serve him, his message would not match his conduct. This would provide a good reason to reject what he preached.
A Greek dictionary explains what Paul meant by the word offense: Christians are not to provide outsiders with any reason for finding fault with the Christian message, through either conduct or immoral behavior (BDAG, p. 882). I would add that it is not just “outsiders” who can be offended by our conduct. We can also harm the spiritual growth of those within the church. If we speak the truth doctrinally, but our lives preach something else, others will take offense and be less likely to listen to what we say.
We should think about how our actions affect whatever ministry we have in the local church. While Paul primarily has leaders in mind in these verses, what he says applies to all Christians. Grace people have a message that desperately needs to be heard and adopted by others. May our lives not give offense to that message. Our actions can affect our message and bring it into disrepute in the eyes of others.
We see this most clearly when a Grace leader, for example, falls into sexual sin. Others point to that failure and say that it shows that the message of grace and rewards is wrong. The ministry of grace is “blamed.” It is claimed that Grace teachings are unbiblical and do nothing to promote a life that pleases the Lord.
Many already reject the Grace message. If it is attacked, let it be because the hearers reject the truth of the message. May it not be because of our ungodly behavior.
