Towards the close of 2 Corinthians Paul, talking about his upcoming visit to the church, confesses that he is afraid: afraid that he will not find the church as he wants to find it, afraid that they will have been led astray from a sincere devotion to Christ, afraid that if he is forced to…
In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul’s ‘boasting’ takes another turn as he asks, Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? 2 Cor. 12:19 Because what Paul has been doing hasn’t been about protecting his own position or reputation but helping the Corinthian church. His parody of boasting is about…
For the Corinthian church, which has succumbed to the temptation to wage war as the world does, with the world’s weapons, in chapter 11 Paul describes A Real Warrior – taking for his example … himself. But his boasting has a sting in its tale as he shows them that … A Real Warrior takes…
There are a few seconds missing from the beginning of the recording 2 Corinthians 10 marks a significant shift in tone in the letter. Up to here Paul has dealt with a difficult situation with the church but seemed genuinely pleased with their progress. Now however he feels compelled to address a fundamental issue that…
Why is financial giving a part of our Christian worship? Is it an unfortunate practical necessity, imposed on our, otherwise, spiritual focus, or, is it an essentially spiritual act? To help us understand why we give, Paul walks us through three questions: What should we give? How should we give Why should we give?
It’s significant that, having focused on the way the Corinthians have confronted, and dealt with their sin, the First Steps Paul recommends immediately afterwards are not introspection or self-examination, but the service of others. He draws their attention to the power of God’s grace for, Grace made Visible Intentions made Real Needs made Clear
2 Corinthians 7 is the most encouraging part of the letter so far, and yet Paul feels he has to preface it with this appeal, Make room for us in your hearts 2 Cor. 7:2 Because this is a Turning Point, and turning points are hopeful but also fragile and Paul’s words here offer us…
Having talked about what drove him to persuade others to come to Christ, in 2 Corinthians 6, Paul now talks about what stops us from doing that, indeed from serving Christ at all. We are divided when we should be united, and united when we should be divided. Dividing when we should be united Uniting…
Having called us to, “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18), Paul now refutes any fear that this will make us ‘to heavenly minded to be of any earthly use’. He relates how these principles are actually the very Engine of Evangelism. And he does it…
Paul frames the fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians with the repeated declaration that, we do not lose heart. 2 Cor. 4:1, 16 And between these two claims he tries to explain why by drawing our attention to one of the central themes of the letter – the difference between the Seen and the Unseen. He…