Labouring for Acceptance: Paul's Spiritual Ambition

When Paul wrote "Wherefore we labour, that... we may be accepted of Him" (2 Corinthians 4:9), he did not mean he laboured to atone for sin—that would be treason against Him who "by one offering hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). Nor did he labour to add to Christ's righteousness, which would defile it. Rather, Paul laboured for spiritual maturity: a mind reflecting Elohim's own character, an obedient spirit, a quiet heart that follows on to know Him.

Consider who speaks these words. Paul had been "caught up into the third heaven" and heard unspeakable revelations (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), yet he counted all of it as nothing compared to his soul's desire—acceptance before the judgment seat of Christ. This apostle of immense attainment declares: "We labour."

His remarkable declaration rests upon the atonement: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." No one utters these words without both feet firmly planted upon the cross.

Every person labours for something—pleasure, friends, intellectual gain, the grosser or purer walks of life. But without Adonai, this labour becomes the image of a man saving his goods while his house burns, only to perish with them. Thousands surround us doing precisely this. The true Christian's great ambition stands utterly distinct: labour for spiritual acceptance, knowing that metanoia (repentance) and obedience please the God who loves the holy heart.