Resources for 2 Corinthians

In these closing words of his letter, Paul gives his final words to the church, hoping that the next time they will hear from him will be in person. In the first four verses, Paul encouraged the wayward brothers and sisters to repent of their sin and promised to deal sternly with those who would not. Secondly, in verses 5-10, he pleads with the brothers and sisters to give serious attention to the nature of their relationship with Jesus and the genuineness of their salvation so that they might be sure of their salvation.

As Paul concludes his letter, he gives some final warnings and instructions. His final warning can be broken into two parts, confrontation of sin and examining your faith to test if it is genuine. In this sermon, I preach on the first part concerning the confrontation of sin.

Confronting sin and church discipline is something that most Christians know should be happening, but they have not seen a healthy or consistent model of how it happens. And a more honest assessment may be that many Christians have no motivation to faithfully participate in church discipline because they enjoy the lack of accountability in their church.

Understanding this passage and how to confront sin requires understanding three principles of healthy, godly discipline:

1. Discipline is motivated by love.

2. Discipline is connected to worth.

3. Discipline is connected to church fellowship.

The relationship of parent to child is one that Paul uses in this passage and is helpful in understanding the relationship between those who proclaim the gospel and those who receive it. Children do not always appreciate their parents' sacrifices and sometimes even rebel against their parents. What motivates all that parents do for their children is love.

In this passage, the Bible teaches how believers should respond to the gospel, the cost of ministry, and what motivates the preaching of the gospel.

Paul had seen God move in mighty ways. Often when many were coming to salvation, it also was a time when persecution and hardships were the greatest. Fourteen years earlier, while he and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, Paul noticed a crippled man listening who had believing faith. He healed the man, and he immediately stood up and walked. When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they did not praise God but began to worship Paul and Barnabas as pagan gods. Both Paul and Barnabas pleaded with the people not to believe such lies, but scripture says that “they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.” (Acts 14:18)

Jews from Antioch and Iconium convinced the people to turn on Paul and Barnabas. They stoned Paul until they were convinced he was dead, then drug his lifeless body through the streets and out of the city. Other believers gathered around his body, grieving and likely making plans for his burial. But while they were gathered around what they thought was the corpse of Paul, he rose up and returned to the work of the gospel. This event may be what Paul is referencing in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6. 

In recounting this amazing experience, we learn three characteristics of a true disciple:

• The mark of a true disciple

• The hope of a true disciple

• The desire of a true disciple

In these final verses of chapter 11, Paul continues his defense of his apostleship and denouncement of those preaching a gospel contrary to the true gospel.

Generally, it is good advice not to “toot your own horn.” However, sometimes, you must “toot your own horn” when defending against arrogant braggarts leading others astray. This is the case in this passage. To that end, Paul allows himself some room to brag. However, his boasting is not to take any pride in his accomplishments but to show the foolishness of all such boasts. Ultimately, Paul draws your attention to the glory and power of God.

No matter how far a child has wandered or how great a child has rebelled, godly parents do not give up hope that God will draw them back. No matter how long it has been, godly parents continue to call on the Lord to rescue their child and take every opportunity to speak the truth to their child.

This is the heartbreaking intensity with which Paul writes this passage. He loved the church at Corinth. He considered them his children in the faith. And he is brokenhearted that they may be led astray by wicked men. And so, he contends for them by preaching the truth in love.

Most everyone is generous to something. The question is not whether you will be generous. The question is, what will you be generous to? Whatever has your heart will also enjoy your generosity.

2 Corinthians 9 is more than just a command to be generous. This passage also teaches practical truths about how you can be a cheerful giver and how your giving is a testimony to the grace you have received and the transformation of your heart.

The Bible recognizes the sinfulness of man and man’s nature of rebellion. Recognizing the destructive nature of this rebellion, the Bible recognizes the need for rulers to establish and enforce the law. And the need for oversight for leaders because they, too, are sinful. 

In these final verses of the chapter, Paul gives testimony to Titus and the two brothers he is sending back to the Corinthian church. Here we find helpful teaching on the goodness of leadership and how to respond to those God has given such responsibility to.

In August of 2022, I preached this passage as part of a sermon series titled “Back to Basics.” Now that we have come to this chapter again as I preach through the book of 2 Corinthians, I trust that in the providence of God, this sermon, which was first preached only nine months ago, will again be used by God to bless and edify the church.

Paul encourages the church to excel not only in the good things of faith, speech, knowledge, and earnestness but also in the act of grace. Paul wanted the church to give generously to the Christians in Jerusalem, but he also wanted the Corinthians to give in a way that honored God and testified to the gospel they had received.

All relationships require some level of separation. Marriage requires "forsaking all others," citizenship requires "renouncing all other allegiances, and to be a child of God requires forsaking all other masters. Romans 10:9 declares that salvation comes from believing God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing Jesus as Lord. If Jesus is Lord of your life, you have forsaken all other lords and renounced all allegiance and fidelity to any other lord.

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 is not a passage that is hard to understand, but it is one that offends the one who seeks to be friends with Christ and the world. It has two commands. One is a prohibition, and the other is a response to the transformation of the gospel. Both commands call the saints of God to live according to the righteousness of God and put away all defilements of the world.

The image of a train leaving the station has long been a helpful image for a present opportunity. When the train arrives, you have the opportunity to get on. However, this opportunity will not last. The train will leave, and when it does, you will lose the opportunity for travel.

How many will miss the opportunity to get on board because they are too tied to the luggage on the loading dock? Weighed down by concerns and worldly affection other than the departing train, they will miss the opportunity. Likewise, how many will miss the opportunity of salvation? Clinging tight to the affections and concerns of this world, many will miss the gift of salvation.

I cannot promise tomorrow, but I can declare today that now is the day of salvation.

Let loose of the things of this world and take hold of Jesus.

From 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Pastor Ben preaches on how the gospel transforms your life. In this passage, Paul uses "therefore" three times to build his argument for how an eternal gospel perspective transforms how you live. The resurrection transforms who you live for; therefore, the gospel transforms how you live, and; therefore, the hope of the gospel transforms how you relate to others.

Is there something wrong with your body today? Is there something not working as it should, injured, or dysfunctional? Though there may be a few who would not admit to it, the answer for most is “yes.” For some, the dysfunction or injury is apparent. Others suffer from a physical or mental dysfunction that is not observable to others.

1 Corinthians 5:1-10 does not ignore the difficulties we experience in the flesh, but it does teach that there is purpose and blessing in your infirmities. The weakness and dysfunctions of your body remind you that your body is under the curse of sin and points you to the promises of God. Because Jesus died, was buried, and rose bodily from the grave, there is hope in a bodily resurrection to glorify bodies.

Perspective changes everything. An invading army is bad, but not when protected by a heavenly host. That is what Elisha's servant discovered when the king of Syria surrounded their city (2 Kings 6:8-23). In our passage, Paul continues to recognize the reality of suffering he had experienced and that all those who follow Christ will know. And yet he speaks of the afflictions of this world not as unbeatable foes but as temporary light annoyances because, in the light of eternity, they have no weight.

Leaders naturally want to project an image of power and strength. Any perceived weakness threatens their ability to command the attention, loyalty, and support of those they lead.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul makes a radically different claim. He does not claim strength, power, ability, intelligence, or any other characteristic of worldly admiration. Instead, he identifies himself with the forgettable, ordinary, and disposable jar of clay. His identification with such humility is not made in despair but in glorious hope. He recognized that God uses the powerless and ordinary to display His glory and power.

Paul knew something about the blindness of sin and the brilliance of the gospel light. He was given the name of Saul at birth, and from his earliest years, he was devoted to keeping the law.

The first introduction we have to Saul in scripture comes in Acts 7 at the stoning of Stephen. As Stephen was stoned to death, Saul watched over the coats of the men who threw the stones. (Acts 7:58) The next chapter describes how Saul became an enthusiastic persecutor of the early Christians (Acts 8:3).

As Saul grew in notoriety for his persecution, he asked the high priest for the authority to arrest Christians and bring them to Jerusalem. After receiving this authority, he made his way to Damascus, but before he arrived, he was confronted by a light from heaven.

Saul’s physical blindness would result in spiritual sight. (Acts 9) God would send a Christian named Ananias to Saul to pray for him. Once God removed the veil of blindness from Saul, God changed his name to Paul.

Paul knew what it was to be blinded to the truth. Paul knew what it was to be blinded to who Jesus is. And Paul knew what it was to see the gospel light. In Corinthians 4, he teaches on the transformation of the gospel, the opposing work of Satan, and the truth that only God can shine the light of knowledge that reveals His glory through Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul references the events recorded in Exodus 19-34. He compares the glory of the law with the glory of the new covenant and salvation in Jesus Christ.

You may ask, "what relevance does the law of Moses have today?" You may wonder what connection the events of the Israelites near Mt. Sinai have with you today. The relevance and connection are that all who are outside of the redemption of Jesus Christ still rely on the law of Moses. Under the law, you are attempting to be a good person through your own effort.

Even if you claim to be an atheist or, in some other way, totally disinterested in Christianity, you have some standard of goodness. You have some version of a moral code. You have a paradigm for what makes a person good or bad. These standards and codes are forms of law. 

Acceptance by God requires perfection under the law or redemption by the perfect blood of Jesus.

In comparison to the law of Moses, Paul makes clear that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the new covenant purchased by His blood is better than, greater than, and more glorious than anything the old covenant could bring, glorious as it may have been.

From 2 Corinthians 3, we see three ways the new covenant is better than, greater than, and more glorious than the old covenant of the law:

• Jesus provides true evidence of salvation.

• Jesus is more glorious than the law.

• Jesus makes you holy before the Father.

The imagery that Paul references in 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 is of a Roman General’s victory parade. When the victorious general returned home, there would be a parade to celebrate his victory and the general’s success. The sights and smells of the event would be memorable. There would be incense burned in honor of the hero. There would be processions of soldiers and officers. There would be grand ceremonies and celebrations for the victors. These events would be grand and glorious for the ones in the parade and the citizens celebrating their war heroes. However, there would be others in the parade that would not experience it as a joyful event. Slaves and other captured people conquered by the victorious army would also march in the parade. They would not be marching to places of honor but toward the arena to die fighting each other and wild beasts to entertain the crowds. 

The sights and smells of the parade would be cause for joy for the celebrating Romans. The sights and smells of the parade would be cause for dread for those marching toward their death. 

With this imagery in mind, I want you to see from this passage that regardless of the reception you may receive, Christians are to bear witness to the truth and serve God, not man.

Christians are called to be generous givers. In 1 Corinthians 8, while encouraging the generosity of the saints, Paul uses the phrase "excel in this act of grace." It is good and right to excel in faith, knowledge of scripture, and spiritual maturity. But let us also excel in grace, giving abundantly and generously as the Lord provides.

Thanksgiving and generosity are inseparable. One produces the other. Thanksgiving produces generosity. Generosity produces thanksgiving. And both thanksgiving and generosity bring glory to God.