Motives for Ministry

¹¹ Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. ¹² We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. ¹³ For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Motives matter. A gift to a judge can be generous. But when given to sway his opinion in court, we call that a bribe. Motives matter. If someone dies in a car accident, what will our legal system investigate? Did the driver swerve his vehicle at the other in a fit of rage? Or was she looking at her phone in negligence? Motives matter. Or maybe the last two cookies went missing without permission. But when you leave to address it, you find two cookies on a plate next to your chair and a scribbled note: “You’re the best momma ever!” Motives matter. It changes everything.

Motives matter to God. He once told Israel, “[this people] honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.” Hebrews tells us that God’s word “discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Elsewhere the Bible tells us that God’s judgment will one day “disclose the purposes of the heart.” Motives matter.

Motives mattered to the apostle Paul as well. In fact, 2 Corinthians is a letter where Paul seems intent to explain his motives. Like when he says in 1:12, “we behaved in the world…with godly sincerity.” Or 2:4, “I wrote…not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love I have for you.” He says things like this because some had started questioning his motives. They did so not for any good reason, but because a handful of false apostles spread doubts about Paul.

Paul finds himself in a place where he must now defend his integrity as Christ’s apostle—ultimately so that this church doesn’t abandon the gospel he delivered. As part of his defense, Paul discloses his motives. Why does Paul act and speak and write and suffer the way he does? What makes him tick? What are his motives for ministry? Throughout his letters, Paul reveals many good motives for ministry. But I see at least three motives for ministry here in verses 11-15…

The Fear of the Lord

The first motive you’ll find in verse 11—the fear of the Lord. He begins with “Therefore.” It points back to verse 10: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.”

The “fear of the Lord” looks back to “the judgment seat of Christ.” But what is this “fear of the Lord”? Is Paul terrified? Is he scared silly of Jesus? Is his obedience a matter of external duty—staying in line lest the Lord crack his whip? Several clues tell us he has something different in mind. In verse 5, Paul already enjoys the guarantee of the Lord’s Spirit. In verse 8, he’d rather depart now and be with the Lord. Here in verse 11, he takes great comfort in his ministry being an open book before the Lord. In verse 14, he’ll discuss the Lord’s love for him. And in verse 19, God has worked in Christ to reconcile Paul to himself, not counting his trespasses against him.

So, this fear describes something other than a worrisome dread. Across the centuries, theologians have recognized in Scripture two different fears of God—servile fear and filial fear. Servile fear is a slavish, fearful anxiety that God is out to get us. It doesn’t draw near to God but runs from God. But filial fear arises from confidence and love to God. You take God seriously, much like you’d take a loving father seriously. You’re mindful of God’s presence and majesty. Filial fear is more than mere reverence and respect; it’s an awe-struck, trembling appreciation of God.[i]

In his book The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame describes a scene in which Rat and Mole meet the Piper—who, in the story, is the great god, protector of nature and animals. But listen to the way Grahame describes Mole’s fear: “suddenly the Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror—indeed he felt wonderfully at peace and happy—but it was an awe that smote and held him…”[ii]

Filial fear is like that—awestruck by God who is overwhelmingly and lovingly wonderful. Filial fear drives away all other fears—the fear of man, the fear of death, the fear of punishment—and it produces an obedience to God. It’s the same “fear of the Lord” that Proverbs calls “the beginning of wisdom.”[iii] It’s the fear that God promised to put in our hearts as a gift of his new covenant.[iv] It’s the fear that characterizes Jesus in his humanity: “his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord,” Isaiah says.[v] Paul knows that he will stand before the Lord of glory; and he is overwhelmed with awe.

Because of this fear, Paul says, “we persuade others”—the sense being, “we try to persuade others.” People will sometimes say, “You can’t argue anyone into heaven.” Okay…if you mean that arguments alone can’t cause the new birth. Yes, only God can remove bias against the truth. But God also uses means like human persuasion. The word means “causing someone to come to a particular point of view;” and you do that with arguments and sound reasoning. Read the book of Acts. Acts 17:3-4, Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead, “and some of them were persuaded.”

Sometimes he was reasoning from the Scriptures—especially with those who knew the Scriptures—connecting the dots to Jesus. At other times, he’s reasoning from what pagans can observe in natural revelation. He’s even drawing from their own poets who happened to state something true about God. Or he’s pulling from something their culture gets wrong about God—like when he sees the altar to an unknown god and says, “Hey, the true God isn’t like that. He doesn’t dwell in temples made by hands.”

Then you find Paul arrested and trying to persuade powerful guys like Felix and Festus and Agrippa. He’s forming arguments to persuade them of his innocence (with respect to Rome) but also his conviction that in Jesus of Nazareth, the Creator became a man to save us from our sins. Our sins separate us from God. But God acted in Jesus to reconcile us to himself. This same Jesus is now risen, Lord of all, and he’s coming again to judge the world. If you trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins, you will escape his condemnation. But if you reject Jesus, eternal punishment awaits you. Paul knew that all would give an account. The Lord Jesus is coming to judge.

That fear of the Lord drove Paul to persuade people of the truth, to convince them about Jesus. That included his attempts to persuade the Christians in Corinth. Not just the non-Christians, it was Christians who also needed convincing. This whole letter is trying to persuade them not to abandon the true gospel for a false one.

So, don’t for a minute think that once you become a Christian, you no longer need to be persuaded about Jesus. Oh no, there’s a whole bunch of things trying to pull you away from Jesus. They might be things inside of you like doubt, unbelief, false ideas, sexual temptation, desires for power, or you’re just worn out and weary. Or they could be things outside of us, drawing us away—like progressive theology on the Left or religious nationalism on the Right. And we need to persuade each other to stay with Jesus.

Paul attempts to persuade the Christians in Corinth. That’s why he goes on to add, “But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.” You see, Paul didn’t need the approval of others in ministry. He didn’t need anyone in Corinth to scratch his back. He wasn’t fishing for compliments. He wasn’t driven by paychecks or opinion polls or how many followers “Liked” his message. His highest concern was the Lord. Would his ministry hold up to the Lord’s scrutiny? What pleases his Lord? That’s what made him tick—the fear of the Lord.

Before the Lord, his life was an open book. He knew who he was before God. There was no doubt in his mind. His conscience was clear before the Lord’s judgment. And this fear made him bold to persuade others, including these believers in Corinth.

Would you say the fear of the Lord motivates you? Does it make you bold to persuade others about Jesus? Or are you driven by fears of another kind? A fear of losing your friend group, which then keeps you quiet about Jesus. A fear of family members disowning you for not supporting their moral or political choices. A fear of not gaining the approval of other parents at your school’s PTO. A fear of losing certain comforts when you stand for the truth. A fear of losing your life in certain contexts on the mission field. A whole bunch of fears can sway us from faithfulness.

But the one fear that matters most—the one fear that will keep you faithful—is the fear of the Lord. John Bunyan once put it this way: “‘[The fear of the Lord] is…not only a duty in itself, but, as it were, the salt that season[s] every duty. For there is no duty performed by us that can by any means be accepted of God, if it be not seasoned with godly fear.’ The right fear of God is part of the underlying grain of the new heart.”[vi]

How do we grow in this fear of the Lord? We first need God to humble us and give us a new heart. The Lord says in Jeremiah 32:40, “I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn away from me.” Cry to the Lord for a new heart. Also, humbly admit your sinful fears. Confess them openly to him. He is a God who forgives. Also, pray like Psalm 86:11, “[Lord,] unite my heart to fear your name.” And then meditate on his greatness revealed in Scripture—“Your majesty is above the heavens;” “The nations are but a drop in the bucket before him.” Turn these things over in your mind. And most of all, preach to yourself the cross.

John Brown once wrote: “Nothing is so well fitted to put the fear of God…into the heart as an enlightened view of the cross of Christ. There shine spotless holiness, inflexible justice, incomprehensible wisdom, omnipotent power, holy love. None of these excellencies darken or eclipse the other, but every one of them rather gives a luster to the rest. They mingle their beams and shine with united eternal splendor: the just Judge, the merciful Father, the wise Governor. Nowhere does justice appear so awful, mercy so amiable, or wisdom so profound.”[vii] Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others—that’s one motive.

The Good of Others

A second motive for ministry is the good of others. Look at verse 12. “We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us.” Now, not too long ago we read this in 4:2, “…by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” But here we read, “We are not commending ourselves to you again.” So, we must ask, “In what sense is he commending himself, and in what sense is he not commending himself?”

The rest of the sentence provides an initial clue: “We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what’s in the heart.” The opponents in Corinth boast about outward appearance—things like economic class, bodily appearance, social popularity, rhetorical skill. And it seems they would use these external measures to boast and commend themselves to an audience.

10:12-18 clarifies the dynamic at play. Paul writes, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” Paul is not commending himself in that sense.

Rather, his point all along has been to show evidence of God’s work—God’s work in Jesus’ death and resurrection, God’s work in missionary proclamation, God’s work in Paul’s sufferings, God’s work in Paul’s integrity, God’s work in the Corinthians themselves because of Paul’s ministry to them. These pieces become evidence that commends Paul. He doesn’t have to prove himself again; these things speak for themselves. And he’s saying, when these false apostles start trying to discredit Paul by pointing to their outward appearances, they now have answers to engage them and boast about the things that matter—like things God is doing in the heart.

Verse 13 then explains his point further. “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.” When Paul says, “we’re beside ourselves,” some think he’s talking about religious experiences like him speaking in tongues (1 Cor 14) or seeing a vision (2 Cor 12). Those things he does “to God;” but with the Corinthians his choice is understandable speech. I’m not sure how that fits the immediate context, but it’s one possibility.

Another take is to read this in light of what others have said about Paul before. Acts 26:24 is a good example where we find the same word on the lips of Festus. Paul is explaining his conversion, and Festus interrupts and says: “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” So, it’s possible that the first part represents the accusation of Paul’s critics: “If we are beside ourselves [as some say], it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.”

Either way Paul’s focus is glorifying God and serving these believers. Paul is not motivated by one-upmanship with the pretend apostles. He’s motivated by serving the good of the Corinthians. He’s equipping them to combat the false apostles. In fact, the word translated “cause” (“giving you cause to boast about us”)—it comes from a military backdrop. He’s giving them a “base of operations,” so that when opponents attack with their teachings, the Corinthians will have all they need to protect the gospel.

If falsehood about Paul’s character would lead the church away from Jesus, he does all he can to clarify the truth for them. So, in this way, Paul’s motive is the good of others in the gospel. Even when defending his integrity, his heart is set on serving them in the gospel. He wants them knowing Christ and clinging to Christ.

Is this true about your own motives? Sometimes, we can find ourselves serving with the wrong motives. Maybe we’re afraid that others might perceive us badly, and so we sign up to keep their opinions high. Maybe we serve not because we love others but because we love ourselves—our whole identity and self-worth is bound up with that service. Or maybe we serve from envious motives. We want what somebody else has: “Why am I always given the boring, tedious stuff and they get to do that?” Or maybe we’re tempted to measure each other by external appearances rather than what’s in the heart. What really motivates us is social class, skin color, numerical growth, charismatic personality, tribal loyalty, how many letters are behind their name.

Our motives reveal what we value. Paul valued the good of others in the gospel. He’s other-oriented in his thinking. Neighbor-love is his heartbeat. Such motives don’t come on their own. They aren’t natural to us. In our sinful condition, we’re “curved in on ourselves,” as Martin Luther once put it. So, how does my heart change? How do we grow in other-oriented love? What motivates, empowers, arouses the heart to seek the good of others in the Lord? Paul has your answer in verses 14-15.

The Love of Christ

The love of Christ—that’s the third motive Paul mentions here. He says, “For the love of Christ controls us.” Given what he says in the rest of verses 14-15, “the love of Christ” means “Christ’s love for us.” Yes, we love him. But Paul’s emphasis here is Christ’s love for us. It’s one thing to be loved by a family member or friend or spouse. But that love is limited. It’s limited by the person’s emotional capacity. It’s limited by the person’s ability to meet your truest needs. It’s limited by how long their love can last. Jesus’ love doesn’t have those limitations. He is strong to love in any circumstance. He is able to meet our truest needs. His love is forever because he is forever.

You cannot be loved by someone greater than Jesus. His love is also great in that it’s directed at sinners. Jesus does not love us because we’re so wonderful. He simply chooses to love us, unlovely as we are in our rebellion. This love drove him to the cross, where he pursued our good in God even unto death. Elsewhere Paul says, “the love of Christ surpasses knowledge;” and we have to pray for strength to even comprehend its breadth and length and height and depth (Eph 3:18-19). That love controls Paul.

Meaning it both compels him and constrains him—there may be some overlapping nuance here. Have you ever seen or built a magnetic accelerator? You set strong magnets in a line—or maybe two rows of magnets with a channel in between. Then you set a steel marble in the channel; and the magnetic force propels the marble down the track. The force is both compelling and constraining in a certain direction. Christ’s love controls Paul like that—it moves him to action and a certain kind of action that makes great sacrifices for the good of others in the gospel.

In other words, it’s more than mere external imitation (i.e., “Jesus acted this way and I need to copy him”). That’s true; that’s part of what life in Christ is like. But Paul is talking about empowerment by what Jesus’ love accomplished. Notice how he continues: “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

Who is Paul speaking about? “Died for all…all have died…died for all.” Some argue that “all” means every person without exception. But people holding this view then go one of two directions. One is universalism which argues that all humanity will be saved. But that makes nonsense of Paul’s evangelism efforts; and it doesn’t square with other passages about the necessity of faith in Christ or eternal punishment.

The other view accepts that, in some sense, “all” humanity died when Christ died. But when you get to “those who live,” Paul introduces a narrower group—namely, believers.[viii] This view is more commendable as it avoids the heresies of universalism. But I’m not sure it’s the best reading either. For instance, notice “therefore” at the end of verse 14: “[Christ] died for all, therefore all have died.” Just like he does in Romans 6, Paul is explaining how Christ’s death effects the spiritual death of those in union with him. We could also think of how Adam’s death brought condemnation for all his people; while Christ’s death brought life for all his people—Romans 5.

And that same death has a purpose—purpose being that “those who live [in Christ] no longer live for themselves.” So, the main question I have for the second view is, “How does Christ’s death effect the spiritual death of all humanity but then fail to bring about new life for all humanity?”[ix] It seems to place a disjunction in Christ’s work.

So that leads to a third view: the scope of “all” is further clarified by “those who live.” Those who died in Christ will live in Christ. Now, that’s a fine debate to have; and it’s one in which we’re seeking clarity on a text’s meaning. But if this text animates you only for debates about the atonement and not for winning your neighbors to Christ’s atonement, then you’re not getting Paul’s primary point either. In fact, you’re a functional universalist even if not a confessional universalist. Paul’s point is about living for Christ and seeking the good of others in the gospel.

Paul is talking about the power of the cross to kill our old, selfish ways; and the power of his resurrection to produce new life in those he died for. When we’re united to Christ, Jesus changes us from the inside out—“that those who live [those who live by the power of his resurrection, those who live by the power of his Spirit] might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

That’s how your motives change—the love of Jesus in his death and resurrection; and he is available to all who would have him by faith. If you’ve been thinking, “I don’t know if I could ever be part of a church like this one. That dude’s talking about motives and values; and mine are all over the place. Shoot, half the time I don’t even think about why I’m doing what I’m doing.” If that’s you, I’d say, “Yeah, I get you. We get you. That’s why we ran to Jesus. We’re messed up too.”

We’ve been sitting here talking about the love of Christ. Here’s a confession. My neighbor’s lawn is overgrown with weeds; his dandelions end up in my yard. What grieves me more: his weeds or his unbelief, his lawncare or his lostness? I can tell you that my internal grumbling three weeks ago didn’t reflect the love of Christ. I need Christ’s love controlling me more, so that I am looking for ways to serve my neighbor’s good in the gospel and not grumbling about him inconveniencing my suburban existence. So, trust me when I say, I get you. Our motives aren’t always pure. But Jesus is powerful to save; and he has loved us with a great love.

Do you know this love of Christ? Do you realize how much he has loved you in the cross? Tim Keller, who’s now with the Lord, once put it this way: “To be loved but not known is superficial. To be known but not loved is our nightmare. Only Jesus knows us to the bottom and loves us to the sky.”[x] Psalm 103:11 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.” Christ’s love transforms our motives and empowers us to love as he loved.

Does Christ’s love motivate you? What will control you on Monday morning, when you enter the office once again, or when you show up to teach a class full of unruly children, or when you care for others as a nurse, or when you lead a crew at the fire station, or when you interact with a classmate? What motivates us to keep forgiving those who sin against us? What motivates husbands to love their wives? What motivates wives to respect their husbands? What motivates us to share the gospel with a neighbor? What motivates us to be generous to those in need? What motivates us to love our political enemies and seek their good in the gospel? It is the love of Christ.

Beloved, motives matter. What’s controlling you? Is it the fear of the Lord? Is it the good of others in the gospel? Is it the love of Christ? Christ died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. There’s your hope for change. There’s your hope for a renewed sense of awe. There’s your hope for new motives. There’s your hope for new creation. Jesus died to put our old sinful nature to death, and he rose to give us new life in him. Let’s remember these things as we now move to the Lord’s Supper.

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[i] See especially Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 48, 58, 61.

[ii] Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (New York: Lambda, 2025), 117.

[iii] Prov 9:10; cf. Ps 111:10.

[iv] Jer 32:39.

[v] Isa 11:3.

[vi] As cited in Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble, 131.

[vii] As cited in Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble, 117.

[viii] For the best arguments favoring this view, see Murray J. Harris, 2 Corinthians, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 419-22.

[ix] Jonathan Gibson, “For Whom Did Christ Die,” in From Heaven He Came and Sought Her (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), 303.

[x] Matt Smethurst, “50 Quotes from Tim Keller,” The Gospel Coalition (May 19, 2023), accessible at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/50-quotes-tim-keller/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.