Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul asks the church to continue giving for the benefit of other ministries and believers in need.
• Here are some important principles in Paul’s request of the church to give:
  • It is a grace from God that we get to give to meet the needs of others.
  • Giving is usually done “according to our means.”
  • Acts of generosity above our usual means must be a decision made by the giver.
  • Paul led the church by encouraging them to give.  It was not a command.
  • Giving is an evidence of the love and grace of God working in the hearts of His people.
  • We are to look at giving through the lens of the gospel.
    • Jesus decreased so that we could increase.
    • We can decrease so that others would increase (And there are times, others will decrease so that we can increase).
• In verse 15, Exodus 16:18 is quoted.  This is from the gathering of manna in the wilderness.  God supplied the food each day.  Everyone gathered what they needed.  There was enough for everyone.

Questions to consider:

1. What are some principles of giving from this passage that stick out the most to you?  Why?
2. How does mentioning the Israelites measuring out the manna shape the way we think about giving?  How does remembering that giving is to be voluntary help us not to take that comparison too far?
3. Who are those who benefit from the generous giving of Christian people?  In what ways do they (or we) benefit?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul had earlier been speaking against false teachers who were trying to lead the church to question his apostolic ministry.  This passage serves to conclude his argument against that false teaching (Defending the authenticity of his ministry).
  • Paul’s faithful ministry spoke in his defense.
  • Titus’ faithful ministry and good report spoke in his defense.
  • The Corinthian church’s existence, obedient response to loving rebuke, and continued growth spoke in his defense.
    • The church was alive and well because they were believing, repenting, and adhering to the truth!
• There is a major difference between feeling bad about our sin and truly repenting.
  • Both godly and worldly grief can be accompanied with bad feelings/emotions.
  • Worldly grief does not produce change and is often centered on the self (How this made me feel bad; How this hurt me; etc.).
  • Godly grief produces change/repentance and is centered on the greatest commandments (How this grieves Him; How this hurts others; How I must change for their good; etc.)

Questions to consider:

1. How does this passage help us better evaluate some of the things that make Christians and the church healthy spiritually?  What happens when the truth is preached, taught, and followed (Even when we fall short and then make it right, which we all have to do regularly!)?
2. What kinds of evidence would we see in the life of a person who is experiencing/practicing worldly grief?
3. What kinds of evidence would we see in the life of a person who is experiencing/practicing godly grief?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Helpful thoughts:

• Verse 15 often gets utilized for marriage relationships.  While it is true that believers should marry believers (e.g. 1 Corinthians 7:39), verse 15 is being communicated to a church in the context of church relations/fellowship.
  • The direct application is this: While unbelievers can certainly be invited to attend a church service, hear the gospel, be encouraged to repent and believe, and so forth; unbelievers should not be welcomed into church membership.  And if there are people who have been welcomed into membership who afterward give evidence they are not truly converted (Through the process of church discipline) they should be removed from membership.
  • The application can then also be followed in principle to other types of union, such as marriage.
• The “we” of verse 16 is the church!  This is being directly applied to the church at Corinth.  And could therefore be applied to our church as well.  FBC, we are the temple of the living God.
  • That means all of us (And each of us) are responsible for and to each other, to pursue the purity and the health of the church.
• Verses 16-18 contain six Old Testament quotations, originally given to Israel.
  • We are God’s covenant people (Under the New Covenant).
  • We are part of the fulfilment of God’s promises made.
  • We have an incredibly special privilege!  It is to be cherished.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the illustration of being “yoked together” help us to better understand and apply the concept of church membership?  Whose yoke are we under (Matthew 11:28-30)?  What is the purpose of being yoked together?  What are the benefits of being yoked together as a body?
2. Why is it such a big deal to be part of the church?  How was this privilege granted to us (Hint: It wasn’t earned by us)?  How should the privilege of being counted among God’s people compel us to live?
3. Why (Or when) would being “yoked together” with a church be counted as a bad thing?  What makes it a good thing?  How can you help make it good (For yourself and for others)?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Helpful thoughts:

• “The grace of God comes about solely through the death of Christ (5:14-19). Those who turn back from Christ show that their initial, apparent reception of God’s grace was not real but in vain.” – Scott Haffeman.
• In verse 2, Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8.  The time and the blessings of the New Covenant have begun in Christ, though we await the culmination of all its promises.
• Paul defines the “weapons of righteousness” as purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way did Paul’s experiences confirm his apostleship to the church at Corinth?  In what way could Paul’s experiences encourage all of us in how to persevere in Christ through difficulties?  What is our hope, our future, our joy?
2. What are the things (Verse 6-7) that countered the hardships and sufferings of verses 4-5?  How are these actual “weapons of righteous” as opposed to using literal weapons to “fight back?”
3. How can a Christian be “restricted in your own affections” (Verse 12)?  How can the things we desire keep us from having all we could have in Christ? In relationship with the church?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Helpful thoughts:

• Knowing who God is and who we are compels us to share the gospel with others.
• Knowing the love of Christ compels us to share the gospel with others.
• Knowing our commission from the Lord compels us to share the gospel with others.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the job of an ambassador?  How are we to function if we are ambassadors for Christ?  What does that mean about what we consider to be our home land?  What does it tell us about the reason(s) we are still here on earth?
2. Whose sin was placed on Christ at the cross?  Whose righteousness renders you innocent (“not guilty”) before God?  How does this reinforce the truth that our salvation is wholly of grace and not of our works?
3. How do words like “persuade” (verse 11) and “implore” (verse 20) instruct our thinking about evangelism and our efforts to share Christ with the lost?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Helpful thoughts:

• This passage is a direct continuation of the thoughts from the latter portion of chapter 4.
• In this life, we can overcome temporary hardships with eternity in view.  But, that doesn’t mean we never groan!  In this “tent” (Our earthly bodies) we groan.
• To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  When followers of Christ close their eyes in death, they enter into the presence of the Lord!
• Knowing what we do about God, about eternity, about the judgment (And our opportunity for reward by the grace of God), we make it our aim to please God in everything we do.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is it important to know that we do (and even should) have times of groaning in this life?  What are things in this life that cause us to groan?  Is it right and healthy to force a smile on our face even when we are in times of groaning in the midst of this sin-cursed world?  Should we quickly assume when someone is saddened for a time that they don’t have the joy of the Lord in their life at all?
2. What are some reasons for joy in this passage that can help us to endure and even see victory in and through times of groaning?
3. What does it mean to do everything with the desire to be pleasing to God?  How can that godly desire be applied to even the “mundane” things in life?  How wonderful is it to know that for the Christian, the judgment seat of Christ is a place of reward, since all our sin has already been judged in full (Romans 8:1)?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Helpful thoughts:

• “Jars of clay” is a figure of speech referring to human weakness.  We are frail, easily breakable.  Yet, with God’s power working in us, “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed…struck down, but not destroyed.”
  • These are not words that describe jars of clay.  We persevere due to the power of God in us.
• Being followers of Jesus, even our dying can be used for good and for the good of others.
• For the Christian, our physical death is simply a part of the process in our eternal life.
  • When hardships come, when we endure trials, tribulations, persecutions, even death…we know these things are all temporary.  They are obstacles in the path that God will get us over and will turn for our good.  We’re going to be with God forever.

Questions to consider:

1. Why might a person be offended to be called a “jar of clay?”  Why is it so important we remember that’s what we are?
2. How does knowing who God is and who we are give us the right perspective to live life well?  How does it lead to our proper understanding of the gospel and repentance?  How does it produce greater joy and rest of spirit in us?
3. How long will eternity be?  How can thinking about eternity with the Lord help you endure your days on this earth?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Helpful thoughts:

• The truth of the gospel is not seen by all (Those who remained veiled from chapter 3).  But this does not require us to lose heart.  Nor does it require us to devise new strategies to sweeten the gospel.
• Paul’s method of communicating the gospel: The open statement of the truth.
• When someone rejects our open statement of the truth (The gospel), these things must be remembered:
  • Satan blinds minds.
  • They are first rejecting God, not you (“What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.”)
  • We have succeeded whether those who hear repent or not.  “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” has shone.

Questions to consider:

1. Sometimes we feel like we shouldn’t share the gospel until we have a PhD in apologetics.  How does this passage argue against that feeling?  What is it that we are responsible to share?
2. What other concerns can prevent us from sharing the gospel with others?  What truths must we consider to get over those fears?
3. Though we have no need to change the way we speak or write out the gospel message, where are all the places we could give an open statement of the truth (Maybe even some places Paul never had access to)?  Where (And/or with whom) could you share the gospel today?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul calls the Mosaic Law a “ministry of death” not because there was anything wrong with the Law or the Ten Commandments, but because man is unable to perfectly obey them.  The Law taught man that he is a sinner and deserves death.
• Those who read the laws/rules/commandments of God and thinks they can be good enough are living with a veil over their eyes.  They are blind and remain in their sin.  Those who acknowledge their sin and look to Jesus for forgiveness and freedom have had the veil removed.  They can see the purpose of the law and the grace of God through Christ!
• Staring at the Law and ourselves will never cause us to change and grow.  We look to Jesus.  We rejoice in our salvation in Him.  Beholding the Lord transforms us.

Questions to consider:

1. What must a person believe if he is to think he has performed adequately according to God’s commands to have earned eternal life?  What is wrong in that person’s theology, his understanding of himself, etc.?  In what way has the Law become a stumbling block to him?  Why would he find the gospel of Jesus Christ offensive?
2. What kind of glory does the Law of Moses have if a person does not understand the gospel?  What is the only way the true glory of the Law of Moses can be seen?
3. How should the truth of this passage affect the way we teach and disciple others?  If all we do is teach rules and reward or criticize, what are we missing?  If we never teach rules, what won’t we be able to introduce?  How does centering our teaching and thinking on Jesus and the gospel make all other teaching biblical accurate and constructive?

Today’s passage: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul’s qualification or role as an Apostle was being questioned by the church.  The very existence of the church and its growth was evidence of Paul’s calling.
• The New Covenant is written of in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:26-27.  The Corinthians believers were benefactors and participants (As we are) of this New Covenant.
  • Paul used the term “Minister” instead of Apostle in this passage.  Many of the things Paul did to serve the church are things we can and should still do today to carry on the task of building up the church.
• The letter of the law does not give people the ability to obey.  It simply instructs us concerning our inability and guilt.  The Spirit gives life, freedom, and the ability to follow after God.

Questions to consider:

1. Why was the obvious working of God better than a letter from a man?  While references can certainly be a good thing today when we get to know people (Especially candidates for ministry roles), how should we always weigh those references?
2. How was Paul made “sufficient” to be a minister of the New Covenant?  How are any of us made sufficient?  When we are obedient to minister (And the word in the Greek could be translated as a “servant”) who are we putting our confidence in to bear fruit?
3. How does the grace of the New Covenant (Saved by grace through faith in Christ), eliminate legalism?  Why are we able to encourage and teach obedience without being legalistic?  What comes first, justification or obedience?