2 Corinthians

Book Outhne

Key theme: God encourages His people

Key verses: ,

I. Paul Explains His Ministry ()

A. Triumphant ()

B. Glorious ()

C. Sincere ()

D. Believing ()

E. Loving ()

II. Paul Encourages Generosity () (He was receiving an offering for the Jewish saints.)

A. Principles of “grace giving” ()

B. Promises for “grace givers” ()

III. Paul Enforces His Authority ()

A. The warrior, attacking the opposition ()

B. The spiritual father, protecting the church ()

C. The “fool,” boasting of suffering ()

D. The apostle, exercising loving authority ()

Book Overview

Discouragement is no respecter of persons. In fact, discouragement seems to attack the successful far more than the unsuccessful, for the higher we climb the farther down we can fall. We are not surprised, then, when we read that the great apostle Paul was “burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that [he] despaired even of life” (). Great as he was in character and ministry, Paul was human just like the rest of us.

Paul could have escaped these burdens except that he had a call from God () and a concern to help people. He had founded the church at Corinth and had ministered there for a year and a half (). When serious problems arose in the church after his departure, he sent Timothy to deal with them () and then wrote the letter that we call 1 Corinthians.

Unfortunately, matters grew worse, and Paul had to make a “painful visit” to Corinth to confront the troublemakers (see .). Still, no solution. He then wrote “a severe letter,” which was delivered by his associate Titus (; ). After a great deal of distress, Paul finally met Titus and got the good report that the problem had been solved. It was then that he wrote the letter we call 2 Corinthians.

Paul wrote the letter for several reasons. First, he wanted to encourage the church to forgive and restore the member who had caused all the trouble (). He also wanted to explain his change in plans () and enforce his authority as an apostle (, ; ). Finally, he wanted to encourage the church to share in the special “relief offering” he was taking up for the needy saints in Judea ().

One of the key words in this letter is “comfort” or “encouragement.” The Greek word means “called to one’s side to help.” The verb is used eighteen times in this letter, and the noun eleven times. In spite of all the trials he experienced, Paul was able (by the grace of God) to write a letter saturated with encouragement.

What was Paul’s secret of victory when he was experiencing pressures and trials? His secret was God. When you find yourself discouraged and ready to quit, get your attention off of yourself and focus it on God. Out of his own difficult experience, Paul tells us how we can find encouragement in God.

“Be Transformed”

As we study this letter to the Christians at Corinth it is obvious that Paul addressed the believers as one “earthen vessel” speaking to other “earthen vessels” (see ). He was very much aware of the role to which God had called him, but he did not lose sight of the frailties and failures he shared with the struggling believers in a city saturated with ungodliness. We can learn not only from Paul’s exhortations, but also from his example.

When God got hold of Saul’s life on the road to Damascus, He enlisted the help of a local believer named Ananias to put a human touch on God’s acceptance. God told Ananias, “Go, for he [Saul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (). We are vessels and containers that carry God’s Spirit and God’s message everywhere we go. What God did with Paul He will do with us. Our response is to be willing vessels in God’s hands.

The important thing about a vessel is that it be clean, empty, and available for service (see ). We are vessels so that God might use us. We are earthen vessels so that we might depend on God’s power and not our own., because of the value we contain, the focus must be on the treasure and not on the vessel. The emphasis is on the Master and not on the servant.

The vessel may experience hardship (see ) yet never fail to carry out its “containing” role. In suffering, “[We are] always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (). In many and unexpected ways our lives in Christ will provide examples that point to Him and His power in ways that could never be explained by our efforts or abilities.

The intimate insights into his own character that Paul gave the Corinthians (and us), along with the specific instructions he gave them, combine to offer us a lot of encouragement in our own role as fragile vessels. God gave us each a design suited to His purposes. Transformation comes when we settle into a continuous desire to be exactly who God shaped and chose us to be—to His glory.

Greeting

1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Comfort in Suffering

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

6Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

7And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Delivered from Suffering

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,

you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

Paul’s Sincerity

12For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end

14(as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Sparing the Church

15And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit—

16to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea.

Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No?

18But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.

19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,

who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

23Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.

24Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.

But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.

2For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Forgive the Offender

3And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.

4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe.

6This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,

so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.

8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.

10Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Triumph in Christ

12Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,

13I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

17For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

Christ’s Epistle

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?

2You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

And we have such trust through Christ toward God.

5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,

6who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Glory of the New Covenant

But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,

8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

10For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.

For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

12Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—

13unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

15But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

16Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Light of Christ’s Gospel

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

3But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

4whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

6For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Cast Down but Unconquered

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

8We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

10always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

11For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12So then death is working in us, but life in you.

13And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

Seeing the Invisible

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Assurance of the Resurrection

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,

3if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.

4For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

5Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.

7For we walk by faith, not by sight.

8We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

9Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

11Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Be Reconciled to God

12For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.

13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;

and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Marks of the Ministry

1We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

2For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.

4But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,

in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;

6by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,

7by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

8by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;

9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;

as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Be Holy

O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.

12You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.

13Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

15And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

16And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them

And walk among them.

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.”

17Therefore

“Come out from among them

And be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean,

And I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you,

And you shall be My sons and daughters,

Says the LORD Almighty.”

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The Corinthians’ Repentance

Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one.

3I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.

4Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.

6Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

7and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.

9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

10For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.

The Joy of Titus

13Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

14For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true.

15And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.

16Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.

Excel in Giving

Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:

2that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.

For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,

4imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.

7But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

Christ Our Pattern

8I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;

11but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

12For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened;

14but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.

15As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

Collection for the Judean Saints

16But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

17For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.

18And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,

and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,

20avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—

21providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

22And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.

23If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

24Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

Administering the Gift

Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you;

2for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.

Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready;

4lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

The Cheerful Giver

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

9As it is written:

“He has dispersed abroad,

He has given to the poor;

His righteousness endures forever.”

10Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

13while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,

and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.

15Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

The Spiritual War

Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.

2But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

4For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

6and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Reality of Paul’s Authority

Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s.

For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed—

9lest I seem to terrify you by letters.

10“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”

11Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present.

Limits of Paul’s Authority

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you.

14For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;

15not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere,

16to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.

17But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

18For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

Concern for Their Faithfulness

Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me.

For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

3But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul and False Apostles

5For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles.

6Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?

8I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.

And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.

10As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows!

12But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.

13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

14And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Reluctant Boasting

I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little.

17What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

18Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast.

For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise!

20For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face.

21To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

Suffering for Christ

22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.

23Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

24From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

25Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—

28besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

30If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.

31The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

32In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me;

33but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

The Vision of Paradise

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:

2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

3And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—

4how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

5Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.

For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

The Thorn in the Flesh

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

8Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Signs of an Apostle

I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing.

12Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

13For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Love for the Church

Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

15And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

16But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning!

17Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you?

18I urged Titus, and sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?

Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification.

20For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;

21lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Coming with Authority

This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

2I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—

3since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.

4For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Paul Prefers Gentleness

7Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.

For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.

10Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

Greetings and Benediction

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

12Greet one another with a holy kiss.

13All the saints greet you.

14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Annotations for 2 Corinthians

Paul began his letter with a doxology. He certainly could not sing about his circumstances, but he could sing about the God who is in control of all circumstances. Paul had learned that praise is an important factor in achieving victory over discouragement and depression. Whatever the Father did for Jesus when He was ministering on earth, He is able to do for us today. We are dear to the Father because His Son is dear to Him and we are citizens of “the kingdom of the Son of His love” (). We are precious to the Father, and He will see to it that the pressures of life will not destroy us.

Praise Him because He is our merciful Father! To the Jewish people, the word “father” means “originator.” Satan is the “father of lies” () because lies originated with him. According to , Jubal was the “father” of all who play the harp and the flute because he originated those instruments. God is the Father of mercy because all mercy originates with Him and can be secured only from Him. When we find ourselves discouraged because of difficult circumstances, it is easy to look at ourselves and our feelings, or to focus on the problems around us. But the first step we must take is to look by faith to the Lord and realize all that God is to us.

There are ten basic words for suffering in the Greek language, and Paul used five of them in this letter. The most frequently used word is thlipsis, which means “narrow, confined, under pressure,” and in this letter it is translated “anguish” (), and “trouble(s)” (, ; ). Paul felt hemmed in by difficult circumstances, and the only way he could look was up.

Catalyst

The subject of human suffering is not easy to understand, for there are mysteries to the working of God that we will never grasp until we get to heaven. Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin and rebellion, as did Jonah. Sometimes we suffer to keep us from sinning, as was the case with Paul (). Suffering can perfect our character () and help us to share the character of God ().

Suffering can also help us to minister to others. In every church, there are mature saints of God who have suffered and experienced God’s grace, and they are the great “encouragers” in the congregation. Paul experienced trouble, not as punishment for something he had done, but as preparation for something he was yet going to do—minister to others in need. Just think of the trials that King David had to endure in order to give us the great encouragement that we find in the Psalms.

makes it clear that there is always the possibility that the situation might be reversed: The Corinthian believers might go through trials and receive God’s grace so that they might encourage others. God sometimes calls a church family to experience special trials in order that He might bestow on them special abundant grace.

God’s gracious encouragement helps us if we learn to endure. “Patient endurance” is an evidence of faith (). If we become bitter or critical of God, if we rebel instead of submit, then our trials will work against us instead of for us. The ability to endure difficulties patiently, without giving up, is a mark of spiritual maturity ().

God has to work in us before He can work through us. It is much easier for us to grow in knowledge than to grow in grace (). Learning God’s truth and getting it into our heads is one thing, but living God’s truth and getting it into our character is quite something else. God put young Joseph through thirteen years of tribulation before He made him second ruler of Egypt, and what a great man Joseph turned out to be! God always prepares us for what He is preparing for us, and a part of that preparation is suffering.

Go to the

We must never think that trouble is an accident. For the believer, everything is a divine appointment. There are only three possible outlooks a person can take when it comes to the trials of life. If our trials are the products of “fate” or “chance,” then our only recourse is to give up. Nobody can control fate or chance. If we have to control everything ourselves, then the situation is equally as hopeless. But if God is in control, and we trust Him, then we can overcome circumstances with His help.

God enables us to bear our trials. The first thing He must do is show us how weak we are in ourselves. Paul was a gifted and experienced servant of God, who had been through many different kinds of trials (see ; .). Surely all of this experience would be sufficient for him to face these new difficulties and overcome them. But God wants us to trust Him—not our gifts or abilities, our experience, or our “spiritual reserves.”

God “deliver[s]” us from our trials. Paul saw God’s hand of deliverance whether he looked back, around, or ahead. The word Paul used means “to help out of distress, to save and protect.” God does not always rescue us immediately, nor does He always rescue us in the same way. Sometimes God rescues us from our trials, and at other times He rescues us in our trials.

God is glorified through our trials. When Paul reported what God had done for him, a great chorus of praise and thanksgiving went up from the saints to the throne of God. The highest service you and I can render on earth is to bring glory to God, and sometimes that service involves suffering. God works out His purposes in the trials of life, if we yield to Him, trust Him, and obey what He tells us to do. Difficulties can increase our faith and strengthen our prayer lives. Difficulties can draw us closer to other Christians as they share the burdens with us. Difficulties can be used to glorify God. So, when you find yourself in the trials of life, remember what God is to you and what God does for you.

Paul opened his heart to the Corinthians (and to us) and revealed the trials he had experienced. To begin with, he had been severely criticized by some of the people in Corinth because he had changed his plans and apparently not kept his promise to visit them again. When Christians misunderstand each other, the wounds can go very deep. Then, there was the problem of opposition to his apostolic authority in the church. One of the members—possibly a leader—had to be disciplined, and this gave Paul great sorrow. Finally, there were the difficult circumstances Paul had to endure in Asia (vv. ), a trial so severe that he despaired of life.

Misunderstandings among God’s people are often very difficult to untangle, because one misunderstanding often leads to another. Once we start to question the integrity of others or distrust their words, the door is opened to all kinds of problems. But, no matter what his accusers might say, Paul stood firm because he had a clear conscience. What he wrote, what he said, and what he lived were all in agreement. And, after all, he had added to his original plan “if the Lord permits” (; and see ).

There is no yes-and-no about Jesus Christ. He is God’s “eternal yes” to those who trust Him. Jesus Christ reveals the promises, fulfills the promises, and enables us to claim the promises! One of the blessings of a good conscience is that we are not afraid to face God or men, or to claim the promises God gives in His Word. Paul was not guilty of “manipulating” the Word of God in order to support his own decisions (see ).

All Christians have been anointed by the Spirit. In the Old Testament, the only persons who were anointed by God were prophets, priests, and kings. Their anointing equipped them for service. As we yield to the Spirit, He enables us to serve God and to live godly lives. He gives us the special spiritual discernment that we need to serve God acceptably (, ).

The Spirit is God’s “guarantee” (down payment, first installment, security) that one day we shall be with Him in heaven and possess glorified bodies (see ). He enables us to enjoy the blessings of heaven in our hearts today! Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Paul was able to have a clear conscience and face misunderstandings with love and patience. If you live to please people, misunderstandings will depress you; but if you live to please God, you can face misunderstandings with faith and courage.

One of the members of the Corinthian church caused Paul a great deal of pain. We are not sure if this is the same man Paul wrote about in , the man who was living in open fornication, or if it was another person, someone who publicly challenged Paul’s apostolic authority. Paul had made a quick visit to Corinth to deal with this problem (see ; ) and had also written a painful letter to them about the situation. In all of this, he revealed a compassionate heart.

Love puts others first. Paul did not think of his own feelings, but of the feelings of others. In Christian ministry, those who bring us great joy can also give us great sorrow, and this was what Paul was experiencing. He wrote the Corinthians a stern letter, born out of the anguish of his own heart, and bathed in Christian love.

, Love also seeks to help others grow. It is worth noting that Paul did not mention the name of the man who had opposed him and divided the church family. However, Paul did tell the church to discipline this man for his own good. If the person referred to was the fornicator mentioned in , then these verses indicate that the church did hold a meeting and discipline the man, and that he repented of his sins and was restored.

Love forgives and encourages. Paul urged the church family to forgive the man, and he gave solid reasons to back up this admonition. To begin with, they were to forgive him for his own sake, “lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow” (vv. , ). Forgiveness is the medicine that helps to heal broken hearts. It was important that the church assure this repentant member of their love.

, Paul told the Corinthians they should confirm their love to the forgiven brother for the Lord’s sake. After all, discipline is as much a matter of obedience to the Lord as it is obligation to a brother. The problem was not simply between a sinning brother and a grieving apostle: It was also between a sinning brother and a grieving Savior. The man had sinned against Paul and the church, but he had most of all sinned against the Lord.

The Corinthians must forgive the offender for the church’s sake. When there is an unforgiving spirit in a congregation because sin has not been dealt with in a biblical manner, it gives Satan a “beachhead” from which he can operate in the congregation.

The image here is that of the “Roman triumph,” their version of our modern “ticker tape parade.” The victorious general’s sons would walk behind their father’s chariot, sharing in his victory; and that is where believers are today—following in Christ’s triumph. We do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. Neither in Asia nor in Corinth did the situation look like victory to Paul, but he believed God—and God turned defeat into victory.

Paul was sure that God was using him as he was leading him. As the Roman priests burned the incense in the parade, that fragrance affected different people in different ways. To the triumphant soldiers, it meant life and victory; but to the conquered enemy, it meant defeat and death. They were on their way to be killed by the beasts.

Paul gives a picture of the Christian ministry. He sees believers as incense, giving forth the fragrance of Jesus Christ in their lives and labors. To God, believers are the very fragrance of Jesus Christ. To other believers, we are the fragrance of life; but to unbelievers, we are the fragrance of death. In other words, the Christian life and ministry are matters of life and death. The way we live and work can mean life or death to a lost world around us.

The Judaizers boasted that they carried “letters of commendation” from the important people in the Jerusalem church, and they pointed out that Paul had no such credentials. It is a sad thing when a person measures his worth by what people say about him instead of by what God knows about him. Paul needed no credentials from church leaders: His life and ministry were the only recommendations needed.

The ministry of grace changes the heart. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God and writes it on the believer’s heart. The Corinthians were wicked sinners when Paul came to them, but his ministry of the gospel of God’s grace completely changed their lives (see ). Their experience of God’s grace certainly meant more to them than the letters of commendation carried by the false teachers. The Corinthian believers were lovingly written on Paul’s heart, and the Spirit of God had written the truth on their hearts, making them “an epistle of Christ.”

Paul was not suggesting that the law was a mistake or that its ministry was unimportant. Far from it! Paul knew that the lost sinner must be slain by the law and left helplessly condemned before he can be saved by God’s grace. John the Baptist came with a message of judgment, preparing the way for Jesus and His message of saving grace. A legalistic ministry brings death. Preachers who major on rules and regulations keep their congregations under a dark cloud of guilt, and this kills their joy, power, and effective witness for Christ. Christians who are constantly measuring each other, comparing “results,” and competing with each other soon discover that they are depending on the flesh and not the power of the Spirit.

, The new covenant glory means spiritual life, not death. When Moses descended from the mountain, after conversing with God, his face shone with the glory of God. This was a part of the glory of the giving of the law, and it certainly impressed the people. Paul then argued from the lesser to the greater: If there was glory in the giving of a law that brought death, how much more glory is there in a ministry that brings life!

, The new covenant glory means righteousness, not condemnation. The law was not given for the purpose of salvation, for there is no salvation through obedience to the law. The law produces condemnation and is the mirror that reveals how dirty our faces really are. But we cannot wash our faces in the mirror.

The ministry of the new covenant produces righteousness and changes lives to the glory of God. Man’s greatest need is righteousness, and God’s greatest gift is righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. The person who tries to live under the law will find himself feeling more and more guilty, and this can produce a feeling of hopelessness and rejection. It is when we trust Christ, and live by faith in God’s grace, that we experience acceptance and joy.

Paul had a special love for Israel and a burden to see his people saved (). There was a spiritual “veil” over their minds and hearts. Their spiritual eyes were blinded, so that when they read the Old Testament Scriptures, they did not see the truth about their own Messiah. Even though the Scriptures were read systematically in the synagogues, the Jewish people did not grasp the spiritual message God had given to them. They were blinded by their own religion.

The result of old covenant ministry is bondage; but the result of new covenant ministry is liberty in the Spirit. Legalism keeps a person immature, and immature people must live by rules and regulations (see ). God wants His children to obey, not because of an external code (the law), but because of internal character. Christians do not live under the law, but this does not mean that we are lawless! The Spirit of God writes the Word of God on our hearts, and we obey our Father because of the new life He has given us within.

Catalyst

Under the old covenant, only Moses ascended the mountain and had fellowship with God; but under the new covenant, all believers have the privilege of communion with Him. Through Jesus Christ, we may enter into the Most Holy Place (, )—and we don’t have to climb a mountain!

Moses reflected the glory of God, but you and I may radiate the glory of God. When we meditate on God’s Word and in it see God’s Son, then the Spirit transforms us! We become more like the Lord Jesus Christ: “we . . . are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (). This wonderful process cannot be achieved by keeping the law. The glory of the law faded away, but the glory of God’s grace continues to increase in our lives.

Go to the

Paul confessed to the Corinthians that his trials in Asia had almost brought him to despair (). In spite of his great gifts and vast experience, Paul was human and subject to human frailties. But how could he lose heart when he was involved in such a wonderful ministry? Would God have entrusted this ministry to him so that he might fail? Of course not! With the divine calling came the divine enabling; he knew that God would see him through.

Paul had nothing to hide, either in his personal life or in his preaching of the Word. Everything was open and honest; there was no deception or distortion of the Word. The Judaizers were guilty of twisting the Scriptures to fit their own preconceived interpretations, and ignorant people were willing to follow them.

, The awesome fact that Paul had received this ministry from Christ kept him from being a quitter and a deceiver; but it also kept him from being a self-promoter. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (v. ). The Judaizers enjoyed preaching about themselves and glorying in their achievements (). They were not servants who tried to help people; they were dictators who exploited people.

From the glory of the new creation, Paul moved to the humility of the clay jar. The believer is simply an “earthen vessel”; it is the treasure within the vessel that gives the vessel its value. The image of the vessel is a recurring one in Scripture, and from it we can learn many lessons.

First, we must focus on the treasure and not on the vessel. Paul was not afraid of suffering or trial, because he knew that God would guard the vessel so long as Paul was guarding the treasure (see ; ). Also, we must remember that God permits trials, God controls trials, and God uses trials for His own glory. We can take heart that God is glorified through weak vessels.

If Jesus Christ has conquered death, the last enemy, then why fear anything else? People do everything they can to penetrate the meaning of death and prepare for it, yet the world has no answer to death. Until people are prepared to die, they are not really prepared to live. The joyful message of the early church was the victory of Christ over death, and we need to return to that victorious emphasis.

Paul was sure God would be glorified. This verse parallels and gives us the assurance that our sufferings are not wasted: God uses them to minister to others and also to bring glory to His name. How is God glorified in our trials? By giving us the grace we need to maintain joy and strength when the going gets difficult. Whatever begins with grace, leads to glory (see ; ).

Paul had nothing to fear from life or death! He had just listed some of the trials that were a part of his life and ministry, and now he was affirming that his faith gave him victory over all of them. Note the assurances that he had because of his faith.

This verse can be connected to , because both verses have to do with the spiritual renewal of the child of God. Of itself, suffering will not make us holier men and women. Unless we yield to the Lord, turn to His Word, and trust Him to work, our suffering could make us far worse Christians.

The things of this world seem so real because we can see them and feel them; but they are all temporal and destined to pass away. Only the eternal things of the spiritual life will last. We value the material because it can be used to promote the spiritual, and not for what it is in itself.

How can you look at things that are invisible? By faith, when you read the Word of God. We have never seen Christ or heaven, yet we know they are real because the Word of God tells us so. Faith “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (). Because Abraham looked for the heavenly city, he separated himself from Sodom; but Lot chose Sodom because he walked by sight and not by faith (; ).

This “earthly house, this tent” is not our heavenly home, promised in . It is our glorified body. Paul was a tentmaker (), and here he used a tent as a picture of our present earthly bodies. A tent is a weak, temporary structure, without much beauty; but the glorified body we shall receive will be eternal, beautiful, and never show signs of weakness or decay (see , ).

We groan” in our present bodies. Paul was not expressing a morbid desire for death. In fact, his statement is just the opposite: We are eager for Jesus Christ to return because we “earnestly desir[e] to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven.” Paul presented three possibilities, using the image of the body as a tent: We are (1) alive—residing in the tent; (2) dead—unclothed, out of the tent, “naked”; or (3) clothed with a new body—describing the transformation of the body at the return of Christ.

The people of God can be found in one of two places: either in heaven or on earth (). None of them is in the grave, in hell, or in any intermediate place between earth and heaven. Believers on earth are living “at home in the body,” while believers who have died are “absent from the body.” Believers on earth are “absent from the Lord,” while believers in heaven are “present with the Lord.”

Because he had this kind of confidence, Paul was not afraid of suffering and trials, or even of dangers. This is not to suggest that he tempted the Lord by taking unnecessary risks, but it does mean that he was willing to “be swallowed up by life” for the sake of Christ and the ministry of the gospel. He walked by faith and not by sight. He looked at the eternal unseen, not the temporal seen (). Heaven was not simply a destination for Paul: It was a motivation.

The judgment seat of Christ will be a place of revelation, as we “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” As we live and work here on earth, it is relatively easy for us to hide things and pretend; but the true character of our works will be exposed before the searching eyes of the Savior. He will reveal whether our works have been good or evil. The character of our service will be revealed () as well as the motives that impelled us (). It will also be a place of reckoning, as we give an account of our ministries (). If we have been faithful, it will be a place of reward and recognition (). For those who have been faithful, it will be a time of rejoicing, as they glorify the Lord by giving their rewards back to Him in worship and in praise.

He died that we might live. This is the positive aspect of our identification with Christ: We not only died with Him, but we also were raised with Him that we might “walk in newness of life” (). Because we have died with Christ, we can overcome sin; and because we live with Christ, we can bear fruit for God’s glory ().

, He died that we might die, and He died that we might live. But He also died that we might share in the new creation. Our new relationship to Christ has brought about a new relationship to the world and the people around us. We no longer look at life the way we used to. “Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh” (v. ), but Jesus Christ is no longer “in the days of His flesh” () because He has ascended to heaven and is now glorified at the Father’s right hand.

Because of his rebellion, man was the enemy of God and out of fellowship with Him. Through the work of the cross, Jesus Christ has brought man and God together again. God has been reconciled and has turned His face in love toward the lost world. The basic meaning of the word “reconcile” is “to change thoroughly.” It refers to a changed relationship between God and the lost world.

Since Christians in this world are the “ambassadors” of Christ, this means that the world is in rebellion against God. This world is an “imperial province” as far as God is concerned. He has sent His ambassadors into the world to declare peace, not war. We represent Jesus Christ (; ). If sinners reject us and our message, it is Jesus Christ who is actually rejected. What a great privilege it is to be heaven’s ambassadors to the rebellious sinners of this world!

One of the greatest obstacles to the progress of the gospel is the bad example of people who profess to be Christians. Unsaved people like to use the inconsistencies of the saints—especially preachers—as an excuse for rejecting Jesus Christ. Paul was careful not to do anything that would put a stumbling block in the way of either sinners or saints (see ). He did not want the ministry to be “blamed” in any way because of his life.

Paul then listed a few of the trials he endured because of the opposition of people: He was beaten, put into prison, and faced angry mobs. These he experienced because he was faithfully serving the Lord. He then named some of the sacrifices he made voluntarily for the sake of the ministry: “in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings.” Of course, Paul had not announced these things publicly. The only reason he mentioned them in this letter was to assure the Corinthians of His love for them.

What a price Paul paid to be faithful in his ministry! And yet how little the Corinthians really appreciated all he did for them. They brought sorrow to his heart, yet he was “always rejoicing” in Jesus Christ. He became poor that they might become rich (see ; ). The word translated “poor” means “having the complete destitution of a beggar.” Paul was not begging for praise, but he was reminding his friends in Corinth that his ministry to them had cost him dearly.

Why were they withholding their love? Because they had divided hearts. The false teachers had stolen their hearts, and now they were cool toward Paul. They were like a daughter engaged to be married, but being seduced by an unworthy suitor (see ). The Corinthians were compromising with the world, so Paul appealed to them to separate themselves to God, the way a faithful wife is separated to her husband.

Note the nouns that Paul uses in these verses; God’s desires for His people are seen in these words. He wants us to share with each other (fellowship) and have in common (communion) the blessings of the Christian life. He wants us to enjoy harmony and agreement as we live and work together. When we try to walk with the world and with the Lord at the same time, we break this spiritual fellowship and create discord and division.

Catalyst

The important doctrine of separation () has been misunderstood and abused in recent years, but it is an essential truth. Some sincerely zealous Christians have turned separation into isolation until their fellowship has become so narrow that they cannot even get along with themselves. In reaction to this extreme position, other believers have torn down all the walls and will fellowship with anybody, regardless of what they believe or how they live. While we applaud their desire to practice Christian love, we want to remind them that even Christian love must exercise discernment ().

The concept of not teaming up with unbelievers comes from : “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” The ox was a clean animal to the Israelites, but the donkey was not (), and it would be wrong to yoke them together. Furthermore, they have two opposite natures and would not even work well together. It would be cruel to bind them to each other. In the same way, it is wrong for believers to “team up” with unbelievers.

God commands His people to “come out,” which implies a definite act on their part. “Be separate” suggests devotion to God for a special purpose. Separation is not just a negative act of departure; it is also a positive act of dedication to God. We must separate from sin and unto God.

God’s command of separation is found throughout Scripture. He warned Israel not to mingle with the pagan nations in the land of Canaan (); yet they repeatedly disobeyed His Word and were punished because of it. The apostles in their letters to the churches also emphasized doctrinal and personal purity. The believer was in the world, but he must be careful not to become like the world. The church must also separate itself from those who reject the doctrine given by Christ and the apostles. Even in the Book of Revelation, there is an emphasis on God’s people being separated from that which is false and contrary to holy living.

Go to the

God becomes our Father when we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior, but he cannot be to us a Father unless we obey Him and fellowship with Him. He longs to receive us in love and treat us as His precious sons and daughters. Salvation means we share the Father’s life, but separation means that we enter fully into the Father’s love. Jesus promised this deeper love in .

Because of God’s gracious promises, we have some spiritual responsibilities. We must cleanse ourselves once and for all of anything that defiles us. It is not enough to ask God to cleanse us; we must clean up our own lives and get rid of those things that make it easy for us to sin. No believer can legislate for any other believer; each one knows the problems of his own heart and life.

Too often Christians deal with symptoms and not causes. We keep confessing the same sins because we have not gotten to the root of the trouble and “cleansed ourselves.” Perhaps there is something that can defile our body, some pet sin that feeds the old nature (). Or it may be something that can defile our spirit, an attitude that is sinful. The prodigal son was guilty of sins of the flesh, but his “moral” elder brother was guilty of sins of the spirit. He could not even get along with his own father (see ).

Paul encouraged the church. The church had received Titus; now they should receive Paul (v. ). Paul asked them to trust him, for he had never done anything to wrong them. If the Corinthians would only cleanse their lives and their church fellowship, God would receive them () and they could again have close fellowship with Paul.

Paul is encouraged by the coming of Titus after they had been separated from each other. It was not easy to communicate or to travel in those days, and Paul had to depend on the providence of God for His plans to work out regarding the visit of Titus to Corinth.

Paul had written the Corinthians a stern letter and then had regretted it. But the letter achieved its purpose and they repented, and this made Paul rejoice. Their repentance was not merely a passing “regret”; it was a true godly sorrow for sin. The difference is seen in Judas and Peter. Judas was “remorseful” (full of regret) and went and committed suicide, while Peter “wept bitterly” and repented of his fall ().

The Corinthians encouraged Titus. They went to great lengths to do the will of God. First of all, they received Titus and refreshed him by their fellowship (v. ). They rejoiced his heart as they proved to be all that Paul boasted that they were. They accepted his message from Paul and acted on it.

, Paul was encouraged when Titus told him of the way they repented and showed concern and zeal to do what was right. Paul assured them that the purpose of his letter was not only to rebuke the offender and help the offended, but to prove his love for the church. Paul had suffered a great deal because of this situation, but his suffering was worth it all now that the problem was solved.

Unfortunately, there are many shattered relationships today—in homes, churches, and ministries—and they can be repaired and strengthened only when people face problems honestly, deal with them biblically and lovingly, and seek to get right with God. As you and I examine our own lives, we must determine to be a part of the answer and not a part of the problem. We must show appreciation, practice separation, and encourage reconciliation if God is to use us to restore broken relationships.

Paul had other blessings in mind besides the material assisting of the poor. He wanted this offering to strengthen the unity of the church as the Gentile churches shared with the Jewish congregations across the sea. Paul saw the Gentiles as “debtors” to the Jews (), and the special collection was one way to pay that debt. This offering was also evidence to the Jewish believers (some of whom were still zealous for the law) that Paul was not the enemy of the Jews or of Moses (.).

, The Macedonian churches that Paul was using as an example had experienced severe difficulties, and yet they had given generously. They were in “deep poverty,” a term that describes a beggar who has absolutely nothing and has no hope of getting anything. Their difficult situation may have been caused in part by their Christian faith, for they may have lost their jobs or been excluded from the trade guilds because they refused to have anything to do with idolatry.

, The Macedonians gave enthusiastically. Their giving was voluntary and spontaneous. It was because of grace, not pressure. They gave because they wanted to give and because they had experienced the grace of God. Grace not only frees us from our sins, but it frees us from ourselves. The grace of God will open your heart and your hand. Your giving is not the result of cold calculation, but of warmhearted jubilation!

They gave as Jesus gave. If we give ourselves to God, we will have little problem giving our substance to God. If we give ourselves to God, we will also give of ourselves for others. It is impossible to love God and ignore the needs of your neighbor. Jesus Christ gave Himself for us (; ).

, Unfortunately, the Corinthians were not doing their part. Like many people, they had made promises, but they failed to keep them. Paul knew that it would be difficult to get the Corinthians to participate, so he lifted his appeal to the highest spiritual level possible: He taught them that giving was an act of grace. Paul used nine different words to refer to the offering, but the one he used the most was “grace.” Giving is truly a ministry and fellowship (v. ) that helps others, but the motivation must be from the grace of God in the heart. It is a wonderful thing when Christians enter into the grace of giving, when they really believe that giving is more blessed than receiving.

It is important to give willingly. There is a great difference between promise and performance. The Corinthians had boasted to Titus a year before that they would share in the special collection, but they did not keep their promise. Note that in these verses Paul emphasized willingness. Grace giving must come from a willing heart; it cannot be coerced or forced.

The Gentiles were enriched spiritually by the Jews, so the Jews should be enriched materially by the Gentiles (see ). Furthermore, the Gentile churches at that time were enjoying some measure of material wealth, while the believers in Judea were suffering. That situation could one day be reversed. There might come a time when the Jewish believers would be assisting the Gentiles. The early Christians (like many Christians today) voluntarily shared what they had, but did not force people to participate. The entire program was temporary; and the fact that Paul had to take up a special collection to relieve their needs is proof that the program was never meant to be imitated by later generations of Christians. Grace giving is a matter of faith: We obey God and believe that He will meet our needs as we help to meet the needs of others. As the Jews gathered the manna each day, so we must depend on God to “give us this day our daily bread” ().

The most spiritual thing a church can do is use its money wisely for spiritual ministry. We glorify God by using what He gives us the way He wants it used. If the people who manage church finances are not burdened to glorify God, they will soon be using those funds in ways that dishonor God.

While Christians must not compete with each other in their service for Christ, they ought to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (). When we see what God is doing in and through the lives of others, we ought to strive to serve Him better ourselves. There is a fine line between fleshly imitation and spiritual emulation, and we must be careful in this regard. But a zealous Christian can be the means of stirring up a church and motivating people to pray, work, witness, and give.

Far more important than the money itself was the spiritual benefit that would come to the church as they shared in response to God’s grace in their lives. Paul had written to the church before to tell them how to take up the contributions (), so there was no excuse for their delay. Paul wanted the entire contribution to be ready when he and his “finance committee” arrived, so that there might not be any last-minute collections that might appear to be forced on the church.

Paul did not see anything wrong or unspiritual about asking people to promise to give. He did not tell them how much they had to promise, but he did expect them to keep their promise. When a person buys a house, he promises to pay a certain amount each month. If it is acceptable to make financial commitments for things like houses, cars, and credit cards, certainly it ought to be acceptable to make commitments for the work of the Lord.

Our greatest encouragement for giving is that it pleases the Lord, but there is nothing wrong with practicing the kind of giving that provokes others to give. This does not mean that we should advertise what we do as individuals, because that kind of practice would violate one of the basic principles of giving: Give secretly to the Lord (). However, Paul was writing to churches; it is not wrong for congregations to announce what they have given collectively.

The principle of increase: We reap in measure as we sow (v. ). This principle needs little explanation, because we see it operating in everyday life. The farmer who sows much seed will have a better chance for a bigger harvest. The investor who puts a large sum of money in the bank will certainly collect more dividends. The more we invest in the work of the Lord, the more “fruit” will abound to our account ().

, The Christian motive in giving (or in any other activity) is vitally important. Our giving must come from the heart, and the motive in the heart must please God. We must not be “sad givers” who give reluctantly, or “mad givers” who give in response to pressure, but we should be “glad givers” who cheerfully share what we have because we have experienced the grace of God. “He who has a generous eye will be blessed” ().

As we sow, we are enriched and we enrich others. The farmer reaps immediate physical benefits as he works in his field, but he has to wait for the harvest. The Christian who is motivated by grace reaps the blessings of personal enrichment in his or her own life and character, and this enrichment benefits others. The final result is glory to God as others give thanks to Him. Paul was careful to point out that grace giving does not bring credit to us; it brings thanksgiving to God.

In the process of giving, we are not the ones who get the glory; it is the Lord who is glorified (). Many people will give thanksgiving to God because of our sharing in the meeting of their needs. We may not hear that thanksgiving on earth today, but we will hear it in heaven when the church is gathered together.

, Giving unites God’s people. This, of course, was one of the major purposes that Paul had on his heart when he challenged the Gentile churches to assist the Jewish believers. The extreme legalists in the church had accused Paul of being anti-Jewish and even anti-law. The Gentile churches were removed from the “mother church” in Jerusalem both by distance and culture. Paul wanted to prevent a division in the church, and the “relief offering” was a part of that prevention program.

The Spirit led Paul to use a wise approach as he wrote to the Corinthians. He was writing to a divided church (.), a church that was resisting his authority, and a church that was being seduced by false teachers. So, first he explained his ministry so that they would no longer doubt his sincerity. He then encouraged them to share in the offering, for he knew that this challenge would help them grow in their spiritual lives. Grace giving and grace living go together.

, Many believers today do not realize that the church is involved in warfare, and those who do understand the seriousness of the Christian battle do not always know how to fight the battle. They try to use human methods to defeat demonic forces, and these methods are doomed to fail. When Joshua and his army marched around Jericho for a week, the spectators thought they were mad. When the Jews trusted God and obeyed orders, they brought down the high walls and conquered the enemy ().

One of the most difficult lessons Christ’s disciples had to learn was that, in the kingdom of God, position and power were no evidence of authority. Jesus warned His followers not to pattern their leadership after that of the Gentiles who loved to “lord it over” others and to act important (see ). The example we must follow is that of Jesus Christ, who came as a servant and ministered to others. Paul followed that example.

Keep in mind that Paul was not defending himself personally; he was defending his ministry and his apostolic authority. He was not involved in a “personality contest” with other ministers. His enemies did not hesitate to accuse him falsely, nor did they hesitate to promote themselves (). It was the worldly attitude of the Corinthians that forced Paul to defend himself by reminding them of his life and ministry. Paul never hesitated to talk about Jesus Christ, but he did refuse to talk about himself, unless there was good reason to do so.

The Judaizers were great on measuring their ministry, because a religion of external activities is much easier to measure than one of internal transformation. The legalist can measure what he does and what he does not do, but the Lord is the only One who can see spiritual growth in a believer’s heart. Sometimes those who are growing the most feel like they are less than the least.

When Paul founded the church at Corinth, his purpose was to exalt Christ and not himself (). Christians usually grow the way they are born. If they are born in an atmosphere of dictatorial leadership, they grow up depending on man’s wisdom and strength. If they are born in an atmosphere of humility and love, they learn to depend on the Lord. Paul wanted his converts to trust the Lord, and not the servant; so he deliberately “played down” his own authority and ability.

When Paul did boast, he limited himself to the ministry God had given him, and then he emphasized his sufferings, not his successes. When this letter was read in the Corinthian assembly, it must have brought shame to the hearts of those who had criticized Paul—and it must have made the Judaizers look foolish.

, True love is never envious, but it has a right to be jealous over those who are loved. A husband is jealous over his wife and rightfully resents and resists any rivalry that threatens their love for each other. A true patriot has every right to be jealous over his freedom and will fight to protect it. Likewise, a father (or a mother) is jealous over his or her children and seeks to protect them from anything that will harm them.

The picture here is that of a loving father who has a daughter engaged to be married. He feels it is his privilege and duty to keep her pure, so that he can present her to her husband with joy and not with sorrow. Paul saw the local church as a bride, engaged to be married to Jesus Christ (see .).

A loving parent provides for the needs of the family, and Paul sacrificed that he might minister to the church at Corinth. While Paul was there, he labored with his own hands as a tentmaker () and even received gifts from other churches so that he might evangelize Corinth. In other words, it had cost the Corinthians nothing to benefit from the apostolic ministry of this great man of God.

Paul did not bring up this matter of money in order to boast about himself. Rather, he was using every means possible to silence the boasting of the Judaizers. Paul knew that not a single person could accuse him of covetousness or selfishness (see , Paul’s testimony to the Ephesian church). His hands were clean. He wanted to “cut off” any opportunity for his enemies to accuse him.

Before listing the various kinds of trials he had experienced, Paul was careful to explain why he was “boasting” in this way. Paul never had any problem boasting about Christ and telling of His sufferings, but he was always hesitant to speak of his own painful experiences as a servant of God.

It was the immature and unspiritual attitude of the Corinthians that forced Paul to write about himself and boast in these experiences. However, he had to do it to prove his love for the Corinthians and protect them from those who would lead them astray.

, While any other traveler could have suffered these things, Paul endured them because of his love for Christ and the church. His greatest burden was not around him, but within him: the care of all the churches. Why did he care so much? Because he identified with the believers (v. ). Whatever happened to “his children” touched his own heart, and he could not abandon them.

Paul continues to assert his authority as an apostle: God honored Paul by giving him visions and revelations. Paul saw the glorified Christ on the very day he was converted (; ). He saw a vision of Ananias coming to minister to him (), and he also had a vision from God when he was called to minister to the Gentiles (). During his ministry, he had other visions from God to guide him and encourage him. Along with these special visions that related to his call and ministry, spiritual revelations of divine truth were also communicated to Paul (see ). God gave him a profound understanding of the plan of God for this present age. Certainly Paul understood the mysteries of God. God also honored Paul by taking him to heaven and then sending him back to the earth again. This marvelous experience had taken place fourteen years before the writing of this letter, which would place the experience in about the year A.D. 43.

Catalyst

From Paul’s experience, we may learn several practical lessons:

The spiritual is far more important to the dedicated believer than the physical. This is not to suggest that we ignore the physical, because our bodies are the temples of the Spirit of God. But it does mean that we try not to make our bodies an end in themselves. They are God’s tools for accomplishing His work in this world. What God does in developing our Christian character is far more valuable than physical healing without character.

God knows how to balance burdens and blessings, suffering and glory. Life is something like a prescription: The individual ingredients might hurt us, but when properly blended, they help us. Not all sickness is caused by sin. The argument of Job’s comforters was that Job had sinned, and that was why he was suffering. But their argument was wrong in Job’s case, as well as in Paul’s case. There are times when God permits Satan to afflict us so that God might accomplish a great purpose in our lives.

There is something worse than sickness, and that is sin; and the worst sin of all is pride. The healthy person who is rebelling against God is in worse shape than the suffering person who is submitting to God and enjoying God’s grace. It is a paradox—and an evidence of the sovereignty of God—that God used Satan, the proudest of all beings, to help keep Paul humble.

Physical affliction need not be a barrier to effective Christian service. Today’s saints are too prone to pamper themselves and use every little ache or pain as an excuse to stay home from church or refuse to accept opportunities for service. Paul did not permit his thorn in the flesh to become a stumbling block. In fact, he let God turn that thorn into a stepping-stone.

We can always rest in God’s Word. He always has a message of encouragement for us in times of trial and suffering.

Go to the

Such an honor as this would have made most people very proud. Instead of keeping quiet for fourteen years, they would have immediately told the world and become famous. But Paul did not become proud. He simply told the truth—it was not empty boasting—and let the facts speak for themselves. His great concern was that nobody rob God of the glory and give it to Paul. He wanted others to have an honest estimate of him and his work (see ).

, The Lord knows how to balance our lives. If we have only blessings, we may become proud; so He permits us to have burdens as well. Paul’s great experience in heaven could have ruined his ministry on earth; so God, in His goodness, permitted Satan to buffet Paul in order to keep him from becoming proud.

God permitted Satan to afflict Paul, just as He permitted Satan to afflict Job (see ). While we do not fully understand the origin of evil in this universe, or all the purposes God had in mind when He permitted evil to come, we do know that God controls evil and can use it even for His own glory. Satan cannot work against a believer without the permission of God. Everything that the enemy did to Job and Paul was permitted by the will of God.

, Suffering also is a tool God uses for building godly character (). Certainly Paul was a man of rich Christian character because he permitted God to mold and make him in the painful experiences of his life. When you walk along the shore of the ocean, you notice that the rocks are sharp in the quiet coves, but polished in those places where the waves beat against them. God can use the “waves and billows” of life to polish us, if we will let Him.

What a contrast between Paul’s two experiences! Paul went from paradise to pain, from glory to suffering. He tasted the blessing of God in heaven and then felt the buffeting of Satan on earth. He went from ecstasy to agony, and yet the two experiences belong together. His one experience of glory prepared him for the constant experience of suffering, for he knew that God was able to meet his need.

Paul admonished the Corinthians for their lack of commendation. They should have been boasting about him instead of compelling him to boast. Instead, the Corinthians were boasting about the “super apostles,” the Judaizers who had won their affection and were now running their church.

Paul admonished the Corinthians for their lack of appreciation. One of the dangers of the Christian life is that of getting accustomed to our blessings. A godly pastor or Sunday school teacher can do so much for us that we begin to take the ministry for granted. Paul had taken no support from the church, but rather had given sacrificially for the church; yet they were unwilling to show their appreciation by sharing with others. It seemed that the more Paul loved them, the less they loved Paul!

Finally, Paul admonished the Corinthians for their lack of consecration. There were terrible sins in the church, and Paul wanted them judged and put away before he came for his visit. Paul made it clear that his desire was to solve problems and strengthen the church. Sins in the church must be faced honestly and dealt with courageously. To sweep them under the rug is to make matters worse. Sin in the church is like cancer in the human body; it must be cut out.

The Judaizers in the church had accused Paul of being a weak man (see ). Their approach to ministry was heavy-handed and dictatorial, while Paul’s was gentle and humble (see ). Now Paul assured them that he would show them how strong he could be—if that is what it took to solve the problems. “I will not spare them!” was his warning, and he used a word that means “to spare in battle.” In short, Paul was declaring war on anybody who opposed the authority of God’s Word.

Paul told the Corinthians that they should examine their hearts to see if they were really born again and members of the family of God. Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart (, )? Do you love the Christian brothers and sisters ()? Do you practice righteousness (; )? Have you overcome the world so that you are living a life of godly separation ()? These are just a few of the tests we can apply to our own lives to be certain that we are the children of God.

, No doubt many of the problems in the church at Corinth were caused by people who professed to be saved, but who had never repented and trusted Jesus Christ. Our churches are filled with such people today.

The important thing is the truth of the gospel and the Word of God. Paul did not state here that it is impossible to attack the truth or hinder the truth, for these things were going on at that time in the Corinthian church. He was affirming that he and his associates wanted the truth to prevail, come what may, and that they were determined to further the truth, not obstruct it.

Paul’s closing challenge is that the Corinthians will become “complete.” The word is part of a word family in the Greek that means “to be fitted out, to be equipped.” As a medical term, it means “to set a broken bone, to adjust a twisted limb.” It also means “to outfit a ship for a voyage” and “to equip an army for battle.”

Paul encouraged the saints to cultivate grace, love, and peace. The command to “become complete” relates to Paul’s prayer in verse and carries the idea “be restored and fitted for life.” In spite of all their sins and problems, Paul said that the Corinthians had every right to “be of one mind.” “Live in peace” was a needed admonition, for there were divisions and dissensions in the church (see ). If the believers practiced love and sought to be of one mind, the wars would cease and they would enjoy peace in their fellowship. That does not mean that everyone will agree on everything, but that believers agree to disagree over matters that are not essential.

Balanced Christian growth and ministry is impossible in isolation. Someone has said that you can no more raise one Christian than you can raise one bee. Christians belong to each other and need each other. A baby must grow up in a loving family if it is to be balanced and normal. The emphasis today on the individual Christian, as apart from his place in a local assembly, is wrong and very dangerous. We are sheep, and we must flock together. We are members of the same body, and we must minister to one another.

2 Corinthians 1

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