​As many of you may realize, this passage is one of my favorites as evidenced by the title of this blog, So I Fix My Eyes.  It’s a passage that has really ministered to my soul over these several years and has become a vision and mission in my life.  So I could not go through this II Corinthians study without taking a moment to ponder, discuss, and meditate on this powerful passage.

​We are the light of the world, the city set on a hill, the ones to whom God has shone in our hearts and given us the light of the gospel.  While all this may sound prestigious and noble, our calling is actually rather humble.  Paul was used mightily by the Lord because he understood this concept and fully accepted his role with humility, faithfulness, and gratefulness.   He wrote in II Corinthians 4:7:

​Utter darkness.  A world blinded by the lies and deceit of Satan.  Hopeless, lost, slaves to sin, and broken beyond human repair.  Into this bleak world, God brought hope, help, redemption, and light.

​Have you ever wondered why the world is still so dark?  Despite how advanced humanity may seem or how highly civilized everyday life has become there is still a level of savageness and depravity within our culture.  We see it revealed in the daily headlines, and the tragic tale of yet another massacre and act of terror. 
 
Why?  This is the question so many are asking as they try to figure out the cause behind mankind’s biggest morality issues.  Philosophers theorize, physiologists observe, and psychiatrists speculate, but they can’t seem to come up with an answer.  

​Paul was a minister of the new covenant.  He brought with him the good news of the gospel, the freedom found only in the Spirit, and foundational doctrines that shaped the early Church. 
 
We live in a day and age when right and wrong, truth and error, conviction and principle are fairly non-existent.  However, Paul was a man of greatness.  And just like all men and women who accomplish great things, he had a distinct set of ethics.  While many of these principles were evident from his life and actions, he gives us a short list of them here in II Corinthians.  So let’s take a look at these codes of conduct and see what we can learn from the Apostle Paul.