Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committedc unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Overview
[1] 2 Corinthians, from Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3), Abounding Grace (PDF), The God of All Comfort (PDF), Homesick for Heaven (PDF), The Next Happening in the Program of God (PDF)
Shortly after Paul had written 1 Corinthians from Ephesus, where he was in grave danger (2 Corinthians 1:8), he wrote 2 Corinthians from Philippi. Paul was in Ephesus approximately three years. He had sent Titus to Corinth because he could not personally go there at that time. Timothy was with Paul in Ephesus, and these two proceeded to Troas to wait for Titus to bring word from Corinth (2 Corinthians 2:12, 13). When Titus did not come, Paul and Timothy went on to Philippi where Titus brought good news from Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:5-11). Any breach between Paul and the Corinthian church was healed.[2] Book of 2 Corinthians, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)
This epistle is difficult to outline, as it is less organized than any of Paul’s other letters — but it contains more personal details. In each chapter there is always a minor theme developed (which sometimes seems to take the place of the major theme) and generally expressed in some striking verse.
First Corinthians deals with conditions and corrections in the church. Second Corinthians deals with conditions of the ministry within the church. (Read the complete article)
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul expresses his relief and joy that the Corinthians had received his “severe” letter (now lost) in a positive manner. That letter addressed issues that were tearing the church apart, primarily the arrival of self-style (false) apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13) who were assaulting Paul’s character, sowing discord among the believers, and teaching false doctrine. They appear to have questioned his veracity (2 Corinthians 1:15-17), his speaking ability (2 Corinthians 10:10; 11:6), and his unwillingness to accept support from the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:7-9; 12:13). There were also some people who had not repented of their licentious behavior (2 Corinthians 12:20-21).[3] 2 Corinthians, Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)
Paul was overjoyed to learn from Titus that the majority of Corinthians repented of their rebellion against Paul (2 Corinthians 2:12-13; 7:5-9). The apostle encourages them for this in an expression of his genuine love (2 Corinthians 7:3-16). Paul also sought to vindicate his apostleship, as some in the church had likely questioned his authority (2 Corinthians 13:3).
Positively, Paul found the Corinthians had well received his “severe” letter. The Apostle encourages them for this in an expression of Paul’s genuine love (2 Corinthians 7:3-16). Paul also sought to vindicate his apostleship, as some in the church had likely questioned his authority (2 Corinthians 13:3). (Read the complete article)
WRITER: The Apostle PaulDiscussion
DATE: A.D. 60; probably from Philippi, after the events of Acts 19:23-20:1-3.
THEME: The Epistle discloses the touching state of the great apostle at this time. It was one of physical weakness, weariness, and pain. But his spiritual burdens were greater. These were two kinds--solicitude for the maintenance of the churches in grace as against the law-teachers, and anguish of heart over the distrust felt toward him by Jews and Jewish Christians. The chilling doctrines of the legalizers were accompanied by detraction, and by denial of his apostleship.
It is evident that the really dangerous sect in Corinth was that which said, "and I of Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:12). They rejected the new revelation through Paul of the doctrines of grace; grounding themselves, probably, on the kingdom teachings of our Lord as "a minister of circumcision" (Romans 15:8); seemingly oblivious that a new dispensation had been introduced by Christ's death. This made necessary a defence of the origin and extent of Paul's apostolic authority.
The Epistle is in three parts:
1. Paul's principles of action, Romans 1:1-7-16.
2. The collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem, Romans 8:1-9:15.
3. Paul's defence of his apostolic authority, Romans 10:1-13:14.
[1] Proofs of Paul’s apostleship:
- “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1)
- “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia” (2 Corinthians 1:1)
- “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead)” (Galatians 1:1)
- “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1).
- Paul received a unique revelation from God (Galatians 1:11, 12, 15, 16; 1 Thessalonians 2:3, 4) which he transmitted to churches and individuals (Titus 1:2, 3)
- Simon Peter confirmed that Paul’s writings were of divine authority (2 Peter 3:15, 16).
Scriptural giving is one of the fundamentals of the Faith. We are commanded to bring our gifts into the storehouse (common treasury of the church) upon the first day of the week. Under grace we give, and do not pay, the tithe. We are commanded to bring the tithe into the common treasury of the church. (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:10; Acts 4:34,35, 37)Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] Don’t Mistake Meekness for Weakness, Commentary on the Book of 2 Corinthians, by Paul G. Apple
[2] Series Title: Religious Affections: A Study of Paul’s 2 Corinthian Correspondence, from bible.org
[3] Studies in 2 Corinthians, from bible.org
[4] 2 Corinthians in Chinese and English
Sermons (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] Sermon Illustrations on 2 Corinthians, from bible.org
[2] Changing Course, by Matt Neace, Jr. First Baptist of Silver Grove, KY
[3] Changed Lives is Our “Business” by Jeffrey A. Brown, GracePointe Baptist Church
[4] What Is A Christian -1, by Michael James Swales
[5] You Must Be Born Again, by Jacky Duncan
[6] A New Creation, by Daniel P. Johnson
[7] Every Day is New Year’s Day, by Frank Walker
[8] God's New Creation, by Malcolm Macleod
[9] Experiencing God 06 - God pursues a loving relationship with you, by Richard DeRuiter
For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner
Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.
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