Tag Archives: 2 Corinthians 2

December 3, 2023 Bible Study — We Are Not Competent in Ourselves, Our Ability Comes From God

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Corinthians 1-4.

There is a lot of valuable stuff in this passage, but I am going to focus on what Paul writes in chapter three verses four and five.

Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

First I want to point out that Paul tells us that we should have confidence.  We should not be timid as followers of Christ, but we also should not be arrogant.  We should have confidence that we will be able to accomplish whatever task God has given us.  This confidence does not derive from our own abilities.  So, we should not necessarily believe that we have better skills to perform a task than others.  God does not call us to do something because we are better than someone else.  God calls us to a particular task so that others can be shown His power (or, perhaps to show us His power).  Paul goes on in chapter four to expand on this point.  He tells us that he refused to use deception or distortion to bring people to faith in Christ and calls on us to do likewise.  Many will refuse to see the light of the Gospel, but that is not our problem.  He writes that we should allow Christ’s light to shine through us, not attempting to gain glory for ourselves but to allow people to see and glorify God through what they see in us.  Our competence to do the tasks which God has set before us does not come from ourselves.  Rather, we can confidently believe that we will accomplish the tasks God has given us because His Spirit will work through us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

December 3, 2022 Bible Study — Do Not Allow Our Emotions To Overcome Our Reason

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Corinthians 1-4.

When Paul writes about his planned visit to Corinth, he explains why he chose not to make that visit.  Apparently, he had heard about members of the Church in Corinth using the man who was sleeping with his stepmother as an example of how tolerant and loving they were and this infuriated Paul.  As I understand what he writes here, he was afraid that if he visited them he would say the wrong things to the wrong people.  He was afraid that he would speak with anger to people with whom he was not angry, hurting their feelings and creating a rift between him and them.  Which teaches an important lesson about not allowing our emotions to overcome our reason when dealing with others.  Closely related to that, Paul has apparently heard news indicating that the man at the root of the problem has turned from his sin and instructs the Church in Corinth to forgive him and bring him back into fellowship, another important lesson for us.

Paul transitions to speaking about the source of his confidence.  His confidence does not come from his belief that he had particular talent.  Rather, Paul’s confidence came from his trust in God.  Paul did not believe that he had any competence in and of himself to accomplish God’s will or to spread God’s word.  He believed that God would use him to accomplish God’s purposes and he believed that we should share his confidence.  And if we put our confidence in God we will not use any sort of deception or lies in an attempt to promote the Gospel.  In fact,  we should recognize that everything we do should be done in service to God, and that our ability to serve God only comes from God working within us, not from any skill or ability for which we can take credit.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

December 3, 2021 Bible Study — Do Not Distort The Word Of God, Nor Use Deception To Promote The Gospel

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Corinthians 1-4.

There are a couple of minor points I want to highlight out of what Paul writes in today’s passage.  Paul begins by mentioning that he had gone through some terrible troubles in Asia, troubles which were so severe that they were more than he could withstand.  Paul writes that he experienced such troubles in order to experience God’s comfort in such troubles and to teach him to rely on God rather than on himself.  His experience gave him confidence that God would carry him through any future troubles which he might experience, and it gave those who witnessed it comfort from knowing that God had rescued him and would do likewise for them in similar circumstances.  Paul transitioned from that to speak about why he did not visit Corinth as he had originally planned.  As I read what Paul wrote, he did not visit Corinth as planned because he was not sure that he would be able to control his anger over the situation and might have said something he would later regret.  We should follow his example and avoid allowing our emotions to influence us when we debate in the Church.

Later in today’s passage Paul writes that his confidence comes from Jesus and that he has no competence in and of himself to claim anything.  Any competence which he has to accomplish anything comes from God working through him.  As a result of this knowledge, Paul refuses to use any deception or distortion to convince others of the gospel.  I think that his point here is one of utmost importance.  We are not smart enough, knowledgeable enough, or wise enough to know how to “massage” the facts in order to get others to make the right decision.  Therefore we should present the facts and the truth plainly about whatever subject we are discussing.  Let us trust God’s Spirit to make clear to those who hear us what is the right decision for them to make.  We must not make the mistake of thinking we are enough smarter or wiser than those to whom we speak to make their decision for them by distorting the facts which we present to them.  This is important on whatever issue we discuss, but even more so when presenting the Gospel.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

December 3, 2020 Bible Study The Gospel Contains No Secret Knowledge

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4

Early in this passage Paul writes that his letters are straightforward with nothing written between the lines.  Then later he refers to the veil which Jews wear (wore? I do not know if this tradition continues today)  when reading the Torah.  He explains that no such veil is needed by those who hear, read, or speak Christ’s teaching.  In fact, he makes clear that the only obstacle to knowing and understanding God’s commands through Christ is one’s unwillingness to accept it.  In all of this Paul makes the point that everyone is capable of understanding Christ’s commands.  There is no secret knowledge reserved for those who have been initiated into it.  There is no special education necessary to understand what God wants of us.  While I like to think that my daily writing about Scripture provides those who read it a unique insight into said Scripture, anyone who reads that Scripture can obtain a thorough understanding of it just by reading it and meditating on it.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that those who preach the Gospel are entitled to receive payment from those to whom they preach.  However, here he distinguishes himself from those he calls hucksters, who preach solely for personal gain.  These two statements for not contradict each other, Paul is not saying that all of those who are paid to preach the Gospel are hucksters.  Rather, he is pointing out that some of those who are paid to preach the Gospel are hucksters, preaching what makes them the most money.  Further, since he does not accept payment for preaching the Gospel, he cannot be accused of being in it for the money (let alone of tailoring his message to make the most possible money).

December 3, 2019 Bible Study — Sometimes the Written Word Is the Best Way to Convey Our Concerns

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4

Paul writes this letter to explain his change of plans, and to make amends for not visiting Corinth as he had told the Corinthians he was going to do.  First he tells them that the rumors they had heard about his troubles in Asia were true.  Paul tells the Corinthians that he did not expect to survive the troubles there.  Perhaps this was a reference to what happened during the riots in Ephesus, or perhaps some other incident which Luke did not include in the Book of Acts.  In any case, while Paul wanted to make sure that they were aware of the truth of the rumors they had heard, he also wanted to make sure that those events were not why he had not visited Corinth yet again.

No, the reason Paul did not visit them again was because he had been very upset by the news he had heard from Corinth.  He had been afraid that if he visited at that time he would say things which he would regret.  So, instead of visiting Corinth he wrote them a letter about the situation, a letter which deeply troubled Paul to have to write.  I think it is worth noting that Paul chose to write a letter rather than address the issue in person.  By writing a letter, Paul could take the time to choose his words with care and not accidentally escalate the situation by blurting out something worded improperly.  Further, the Corinthian believers could read and re-read what he wrote so as to understand exactly what he said and avoid putting words in to his mouth.  The lesson here is that there are times when it is best to put our thoughts in writing rather than presenting them in person.

 

December 3, 2018 Bible Study — Entering Into The Presence of God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

9Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4.

    The first thing that struck me today was the reason Paul changed his mind about visiting Corinth on his way to Macedonia. He changed his mind about visiting them because he was so angry over the news he had received. He was afraid that if he went to Corinth before the believers there had time to act on his letter that he would say hurtful things to the believers there that they would have trouble recovering from. Paul well understood human nature. When someone tells us that we have done wrong, our first reaction is to defend our actions, which can lead the other to more strongly state their accusation, causing things to escalate. On the other hand, the process of reading a letter and composing a reply gives us time to acknowledge the truth of the accusation of wrong-doing and temper our response. So, by writing a letter about the problems in the Church in Corinth, Paul was able to more calmly state what they had done wrong and suggest the remedy. Then by putting off his visit, he gave the believers in Corinth time to cool down after receiving his letter and put his recommendations into action once tempers had cooled.

    Paul talks about how Moses put a veil over his face to shield the people from the glory of God. He went on to point out how in Judaism there was still a veil between the people and the glory of God. He then goes on to make the point that the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was to allow us to come into God’s presence without a veil between us and Him. The human tendency is to put some type of barrier between ourselves and God. God, however, wants us to be directly in His presence and has worked throughout history since Adam ate the forbidden fruit to bring us back into His presence, into fellowship with Him. Even today we continue to attempt to put something or someone between ourselves and God. Many in the Christian Church elevate the clergy to be intermediaries between themselves and God. It is not God’s desire for us to do that. The only intermediary needed between ourselves and God is Jesus Christ. When we elevate the clergy to the position of intermediary we distance ourselves from God and make it harder to receive direction and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

December 3, 2017 Bible Study — Do Not Allow Anger To Override Your Love

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4.

    I am so glad I have been writing this blog for these last several years because I keep seeing things I never noticed before, sometimes things which always seemed convoluted and strange. For example, when I read Paul’s explanation for why he changed his plans about stopping by Corinth on his way back to Jerusalem. This has always seemed convoluted to me and like Paul is saying, “I really meant to come by, but I was mad at you and did not want to talk to you.” In fact what Paul said here was that he realized he was too angry about what he had heard and if he went to Corinth he would say things he would later regret. So, instead of visiting he expressed his anger in a letter, where he could carefully choose his words and not risk saying something which inaccurately expressed what he meant to say. In today’s world of instant communication this is a lesson we need to remember. There are times when we should pause and communicate in a way which allows us to carefully consider our words. Of course, there are also times when we need to communicate face to face because written words can be misunderstood and it is easier to know what you are saying that your audience is misunderstanding when you speak in person.