2 Corinthians 6:2
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
King James Version (KJV)
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Having appealed to the Corinthians not to receive God's grace in vain, Paul quotes Isaiah to underscore the urgency of responding to that grace in the present.
What Does 2 Corinthians 6:2 Mean?
Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation -- Paul presses the urgency of responding to God's grace without delay. Quoting Isaiah, he takes a promise that God hears and helps His people in the time of His favor, and applies it to the present moment. The prophetic "day of salvation" has arrived; the time of God's favor is open now. So Paul twice cries "behold," calling attention to the present opportunity.
The verse follows his plea not to receive the grace of God in vain. Grace offered must be answered, and the time to answer is today. Paul is not saying God's mercy expires at a deadline so much as warning against the danger of postponement -- of treating the open door as if it will always be open, of putting off until tomorrow the response God invites today. The repeated "now" leaves no room for delay: this is the favorable time, this is the day. There is a holy urgency here that resists the human habit of procrastination in spiritual things. God has acted; the way of reconciliation described in the previous chapter stands open; the only fitting response is to receive it now. The verse calls every reader, wherever they stand, to seize the present moment of God's favor rather than presuming upon a tomorrow that is not promised.
In the Original Language
The word dektos (δεκτός) means acceptable or favorable, and soteria (σωτηρία) means salvation, deliverance, marking the present as the time of God's favor.
Cross References
“Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;”
- Isaiah 49:8
“While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.”
- Hebrews 3:15
“Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
- Hebrews 4:7
Application
Do not put off responding to God's grace; the favorable time is now, so answer His invitation today rather than presuming on tomorrow.
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