“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
In this passage Paul quotes Isaiah 49.8. As with any passage, when you quote from a portion, the whole is implied. Here is the title of this passage from Biblegateway.com and the two verses that follow:
“Restoration of Israel — 8 This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9 to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.”
Paul is reading from a book scholars indicate was written around 740 B.C. This is seven centuries before Paul writes this letter to the Corinthians. The same God then was the same God now. The promise God made then, to restore Israel and bring salvation, is the same promise today.
Can’t you just imagine Paul either copying from an Isaiah scroll from a local synagogue or from his extensive memory, and writing what would later be canonized in the early church as Scripture. Both written by human hands but inspired and delivered by God as a message to the world. Paul is conveying a word of hope to the early church. Reminding them of a common theme that has been circulating even before the Prophet Isaiah received this word — “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you.”
The prophecy is being fulfilled in the person of Jesus as Paul writes, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.“
Look at these dates — 740 BC, 55 AD, and 2019 AD (the year I am writing this entry). The God who inspired the words of Isaiah almost 3000 years ago, also inspires the words of Paul 2000 years ago and still reminds us today that salvation has come to all who believe in Jesus.
Have you followed Jesus? Have you obeyed him? Turned to him for hope? Leaned upon him as your comforter and peace? Why not do so today? Come to Jesus, the author and perfect or of our faith. For today is the time of God’s favor, and now is the day of salvation.”
“O Lord God, you are good. I praise you Lord for loving me and for allowing me to be all that you have called and created me to be. I thank you for your loving kindness and for the abundance of your mercy. Come now, Holy Spirit, fill me with your power and love. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen