Looking on the Outward Appearance 2 Corinthians 10:7

Paul the apostle shared with the church members in Corinth, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, because “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;), and he continued, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”, and “having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”. In chapter ten and verse seven of Second Corinthians, Paul questioned the church members concerning looking, “on things of the outward appearance” where we read:

Do you look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

The verse begins, “Do you look on things after the outward appearance?” Paul began with the words, “do you look which means “do the church members discern, have the power of seeing, perceive and gaze” “on things after or “down from, through out, according to and toward” “the outward appearance” or “the face, front, countenance and external circumstances ”? Paul asked the church members whether they were “judging” others by their “external” “looks and circumstances”.

The verse continued, “If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.” Paul continued with the words, “if any man” or “whether any person whether male or female” “trust to himself” which means “is persuaded, induced to believe and confident” “that he is Christ's” or “that the person belongs to the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”, “let him” which means “allow and permit that person” “of himself” which refers to “the person themselves” “think” or “reckon, count, compute, calculate and make an account of” “this again” which means “”, “as he is Christ's” or “according, in proportion and degree the person is the anointed One's, the Messiah's and the Son of God's” “even so” or “also and indeed” “are we” which refers to “Paul and his companions” “Christ's” or “the anointed One's, the Messiah's and the Son of God's”. Paul referred to people within the church who “believed” they belonged to Jesus Christ, and in the same way, Paul and His companions belonged to Jesus as well..

When we consider these words of Paul, we discover there were people within the church of Corinth who were judging others including Paul and his companions according to “the outward appearance”. Paul wanted them to know that the same Christ who saved them, saved he and his companions as well. Those who belong to Jesus Christ are His own, and regardless of whether one group of people who are believers make judgments concerning them, it has no bearing on their relationship with Him. Let us learn not to “look on the outward appearance”, but rather whether people have received Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”.

Next time we see Paul tells the church members, “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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