Day #339

Sermon - Audio
2 Cor 5-9 - Reading
2 Cor 5-9 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

5.4: A

• 5.4: Paul’s longing is not for death or even for being with God in heaven, he longs deeply for the renewal of all things; including his body.

• 5.7: This verse is an important point that is in contrast with verse 6. Some may read verse 6 and believe that while we walk this earth that Christ is not with us. Paul wants his readers to understand that when we die we will have a heightened connection with Christ. Now that connection with Christ is by faith, rather than by sight. Faith is good, but he longs for the day when he will see Christ face to face.

• 5.10: This judgment refers to two things. First, our action reveal whether or not we are followers of Christ. They don’t make us followers of Christ, but they do reveal whether we really belong to him. Second, God does reward those who faithfully follow him. So this is a time when those rewards are given.

• 2 Corinthians 5.11: “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord.” These words refer back to the judgment that Paul just spoke of. Because of this coming judgment he seeks to persuade others to live for Christ.

• 5.17: To be in Christ is to be in union with him. Such a union means that we are justified, that God is sanctifying us, that one day we will be with Christ. It also means that we are now part of God’s new people and called to live with that community as we seek to live out the ways of the kingdom.

• 5.19: Paul here speaks of the broad scope of God’s reconciliation program. The word “world” is “kosmos” in Greek. Kosmos refers to the universe.

• 5.20: Paul not declares the message that he speaks to the world, “Be reconciled to God”. Paul speaks this message with urgency (We implore or beg…be reconciled). The Greek word for implore also has another subtext, it assumes that the audience has the need of reconciliation. In our day we may call people to be reconciled to God, but often one of the road blocks to that call is our assumption that life looks pretty good for those people we are calling to God, we don’t see their need for reconciliation as urgent.

• 6.4-5: Oddly, it is just this kind of suffering that is an obstacle to some at Corinth who are listening to the false teachers. What they consider an obstacle, Paul presents as a commendation of his message.

• 6.7: The weapons on right and left would remind the people of Roman Soldiers who held a shield which was carried in the left hand and a sword carried in the right. If this reflects the armor that Paul speaks about in the book of Ephesians then the shield is faith; a faith that makes it possible to endure hard times in his apostolic mission. The sword would be the word of God or more specifically the message that he brings or reconciliation to the world.

• 2 Corinthians 6.11-13: While Paul speaks out against certain manipulative styles of speech and writing in both 1 and 2 Corinthians it is good to remind ourselves that he also uses the communication styles and techniques of his day.
  

• 6.14: This verse is typically used to proclaim that marriage between a believer and unbeliever is wrong. However, marriage is not in view here. What is in view are false teachers and those who are rebelling against Paul’s leadership in the church of Corinth. Paul’s main concern for the church in Corinth and for us is not to be connected to unbelievers in such as way that they can form our identity. From this teaching of Paul we need to recognize any relationship in our lives that keeps us from being formed in the image of Christ.

• 6.16-18: Since we are the temple of the living God we need to maintain a purity of commitment to God. The danger here is that people withdraw from the world believing that touching the world will contaminate them. Two things need to be said in response to this withdrawal. The first is that Christ doesn’t withdraw from the world but enters into it. He becomes incarnate. When Christ enters the world he does an amazing thing; instead of being contaminated by the uncleanness of the world his touch brings purity to the world. One of the best illustrations of this is the woman who had a flow of blood. This made her unclean all the time. However, when she touches the hem of Jesus’ robe she is healed and becomes clean. At the same time, Jesus does not become unclean. The second important point is the Paul fully expects that the people in Corinth will interact with the world. In 1 Corinthians 5.9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. The danger is not in interaction with the world, but in allowing the world to shape and mold us.

• 7.5: The word that Paul uses for “harassed” NIV or “afflicted” ESV means to be pressed against, the picture is of a crowd that presses against a person from every side.
  

• 7.10: Sorrow (NIV) or Grief (ESV) is a state of unhappiness marked by regret because of what has been done. This kind of sorrow comes in two varieties according to Paul: Godly grief and worldly grief.

• 7.10: Worldly sorrow has not place to find forgiveness and does not move us forward in our life of salvation, therefore, it produces death.

• 7.15: “fear and trembling” means that they received Titus as a true representative of God and so treated him and his message with proper respect.

• Generous giving [ chapters 8–9 ]. The letter now takes an entirely different direction, as two chapters are devoted to the subject of a collection that Paul hopes to take to poor Christians in Jerusalem. This material is a small treatise on generous giving. Paul’s discussion winds through the following topics: the example of the generosity of the Macedonian Christians in contributing to “the relief of the saints” (8:1–4); exhortation to the Corinthian Christians likewise to be generous (8:5–15); details about an upcoming visit by Titus and a delegation to collect money (8:16–24); appeal to the Corinthians to be generous, with principles for godly stewardship (chapter 9). This whole passage is a masterpiece of persuasion, and a good approach is to note the various rhetorical techniques by which Paul seeks to move his audience to be generous in their giving. From the ESV Literary Bible

• 8.1: Paul uses the word “grace” in this verse to describe God’s work in the hearts and lives of the Corinthians in the area of giving. It is the same word for grace that is used when Paul speaks of our salvation. It is a reminder that grace is not only the gift of salvation, but grace works in us to live a certain kind of life. One of the primary ways this grace works is by remembering God’s many undeserved gifts in our own lives—especially the gift of Christ. Central to a heart of giving, then, a mind that remembers God’s good gifts.
  

• 8.5: They also gave themselves to Paul in that they offered him whatever help they could for his missionary work.

• 8.8: Although Paul says that his call to give is not as a command, the reality is that if one follows his logic and call in these verses only a heel would not give. Not only so, but to now give would raise the question of whether grace was truly working in you.

• 8.12: Paul goes back to the Biblical understanding of giving—one gives what they have, not what they don’t have. The danger in this understanding if one is not mature in their faith is to believe that one does not have when they do. The Old Testament, for instance, held that everyone could tithe if they trusted in God to care for them. However, it would be easy for many to say they could not tithe because they didn’t have the resources. What we can give always has to be seen not only in our financial means, but also in light of the Scriptures.

• 9.1-5: While Paul proclaims that he is looking for a willing gift, that there is no pressure to give, his rhetoric speaks differently. His words and style do not fully match each other, so that the style puts great pressure on the people to give generously.

• 9.3: Paul is taking no chances on being embarrassed. He sends some people ahead of the actual team that will gather the offering to make sure all is in place.

• 9.5: The Greek in this last part of this verse literally reads, “as a bountiful gift and not as a covetousness”. The idea is that one gives the money, but really covets that money, they want it for themselves. Oddly, giving in this case would turn into the breaking of the 10^th commandment “You shall not covet”.
  

• 9.8: “having all that you need” NIV; “having all sufficiency” ESV. The idea of having all sufficiency comes from a technical term used by Greek philosophers which spoke of being content if you have the basics of life. Paul carries this theme in the book of 1 Timothy when he says, 1 Timothy 6.6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. This theme of “sufficiency” should be helpful as we look at our own giving and God’s provision. God’s provision is for “sufficiency” not for excess. Our giving should reflect the fact that we begin with seeking to give while living as those who are content with sufficiency, not those who give only after we have excess.

• 9.11: Psalm 112 provides the background for being enriched in every way and being generous in every way. The righteous person in Psalm 112 is generous in giving, in lending, in grace, mercy, and justice.