This week, we
shall continue the study of Second Corinthians of the New Testament.
(1) Is it easy to rebuke someone you love dearly? Why or why not?
(2) When Paul wrote his (first) letter to the Corinthians, why did he say that he regretted it?
(3) Why does he change his mind now? (v.8)
(4) If his letter did not bring about repentance, should he then regret writing it?
(5) How will you define “godly sorrow” versus “worldly sorrow” according to v.10?
(6) If “this matter” in v. 11 refers to the matter accused by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 or 6, in what sense have they proved themselves to be innocent?
(7) What are the proofs, according to v. 11 that their sorrow is indeed godly sorrow?
(8) V. 12 is rather odd statement: Why does Paul say that he wrote not because of the one who sinned nor because of the one who was injured?
(9) How was this a test of their devotion to Paul? Shouldn’t their repentance be directed to God alone and have nothing to do with men, including Paul? (Note especially the words, before God or made known to God, v.12)
(10) Judging from v. 4, does Paul really have confidence in the Corinthian believers?
(11) The rebuke of Paul in the former letter could produce repentance, but it could also produce disobedience. What do you think was the reason that these Corinthian believers would choose the former and not the latter?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it….” (2 Co. 7:8)
As much as Paul praises the Corinthian believers for their repentance and obedience, I do not think that Paul was 100% sure of their response when he first wrote the former letter. Otherwise, he would not say that he did regret at first in having written the letter (7:8), and that he is now glad that they “have not embarrassed” him (7:14). In other words, he must have struggled quite a bit as he penned his former letter, and so should he.
To see the “speck” in the eyes of our brothers and sisters is easy (Matt. 7:4-5). Even if we are sure that rebuke is in order because of their ignorance or willful disobedience of the Word of God, we should still struggle as Paul did before we lash out, especially with harsh words.
Paul was fully qualified to rebuke the Corinthian believers, not only because he was an apostle and because he led many of them to Christ, but because he proved to them that he loved them.
I have heard so many seemingly righteous words spoken especially in public by self-appointed guardians of the truth, but they have not demonstrated as Paul did, their love for the people they seek to rebuke. Without such love, those words are bound to be empty (1 Co. 13:1).
However, even if we have demonstrated our love as Paul did, we should still be mindful of the potential consequences of our rebuke as Paul did. The more severe our rebuke, the more sorrow we would bring with our rebuke. The more love that we have demonstrated, the deeper the hurt our rebuke will bring. Our rebuke is always not meant to simply “clean house”, but to restore (Gal. 6:1). Therefore, we should pray much before, during and after our rebuke, so that it will bring “godly sorrow” which leads to repentance.
Now, the Apostle Paul turns to a very practical matter and that is the collection from other churches to aid the Jerusalem believers of their need in famine (likely referring to the incident in Acts 11:27-30). Paul appears to be using the Macedonian churches to “shame” the church in Corinth in the matter.
(1) Why does Paul call the giving of the Macedonian churches “grace”?
(2) According to vv. 2-3, how special was the giving of the Macedonian churches?
(3) In v. 4, Paul explains the core reason why the Macedonian churches could give even in extreme poverty, with great joy, beyond their ability and entirely on their own. What is it?
(4) What lessons concerning giving can you learn from the Macedonian churches?
(5) Pause for a while and examine your giving in comparison to the Macedonian churches.
(6) In what areas does the church in Corinth excel in?
(7) Do they necessarily translate also in excelling in the grace of giving? Why or why not?
(8) What reason does Paul give in mentioning the Macedonian churches to them?
(9) Do you think it will work? Why or why not?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” (2 Co. 8:1)
I always am thankful that for whatever reason, many churches, including the ones that I am closely connected with, do not pass around the offering plate during the Sunday service. The reason I say that is because, as a pastor, I often see people scrambling at the last minute to reach into their wallet or purse for they have not come prepared to give of their tithe. It makes me feel that it has to be one of the most displeasing moments during the worship to the Lord.
The Apostle Paul obviously tries to shame the church in Corinth about their lack of desire to help the Jerusalem churches because of their plight (likely concerning the famine in Acts 11:27-30). He points out that such a giving is grace given by God. Indeed, it is.
I think we all agree that the ability to give from what we have is grace. We should always be thankful that we do not need to be at the receiving end of another’s aid and it is God’s grace.
However, the grace that the Macedonian churches demonstrate is not just their giving, but their giving in “extreme” poverty, or as one commentator would translate it, “rock-bottom” poverty. One wonders how the Macedonian churches could even give if they were at rock-bottom poverty? I guess, what they look at is not how little they have, but the “nothingness” that the Jerusalem churches have. Since they are not suffering from famine, they could work harder to get more, while the Jerusalemites have no ways to procure more, even if they want to work harder.
But Paul gives us a glimpse of the secret of this “grace” given by God to the churches in Macedonia, and that is, “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord…” (2 Co. 8:5). Indeed, when we give ourselves first to the Lord, we are making ourselves available to the immense possibilities and potentials to be used by His Spirit. This is the grace we need to pursue.
(2) In what sense was our Lord rich and in what sense was He poor?
(3) How did His poverty make us rich? How rich are we in Christ?
(4) How should Christ’s example motivate us to care for others who are poor?
(5) What do you think has happened to cause the believers in Corinth, who were the first to respond to Paul’s challenge to give, to have fizzled out after a year?
(6) What is Paul’s emphasis in his admonition in vv. 11-12?
(7) How does the quote from Exodus 16:18 speak to the principle of “equality” among the community of believers in God’s family?
(8) How might this principle be applied in within your local churches and beyond?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Our desire is not that others might be relieved, while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.” (2 Co. 8:13)
I think you would agree with me if I say, “Today’s churches are too self-centered”. Some churches even have a competing mentality with other Bible-believing churches in the same geographical area. It is sad.
I have also come across a church that rented the facility of another ethnic church which had a dwindling attendance. They eventually took over their church premise, only to refuse leasing it back to that ethnic church which used to own the building. That’s how self-centered we can be as a church of God.
However, I also heard a pastor who shared how his church, though not a mega church, opened their hearts and their eyes to see the needs of other struggling, smaller churches in their community and decided to “tithe” their pastor and resources to help them out. This particular church truly understands that we are all one in the family of God.
This part of the letter could have been the chief reason for the writing of the letter and that is to make sure that the church in Corinth would honor their pledges to support the believers in Jerusalem. Because of their “plenty” (8:14), their collection might be quite substantial:
(1) Paul decides to send three people for the purpose of bringing the collection to Jerusalem. What reasons does he give for so doing in vv. 20-21?
(2) What principle can we learn from Paul in the handling of money within the community of faith?
(3) Let’s consider the qualifications of the three persons chosen to handle the collection. The first is Titus. Why does Titus qualify for this task according to vv. 16, 17 and 23?
(4) What is the qualification of the second brother according to vv. 18-19?
(5) What is the qualification of the third brother according to v. 22?
(6) From the above qualifications, how may we choose people to oversee the financial dealings within the church?
(7) Why is it not enough to do what is right “in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of man” (v. 21), especially when it comes to financial dealings within the church?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Co. 8:21)
It may not be a wrong assumption that the main reason Paul wrote 2 Corinthians was to ensure that the church of Corinth would honor their pledge to help the Jerusalem believers in their famine. Titus and the other two brothers mentioned in chapter 8 are likely the bearers of the letter.
I am impressed with how Paul was “taking pains” to handle this matter of collection so as to avoid any criticism. The fact that the money so collected will be handled not by one, but three brothers, will lessen any suspicion there might be. And the qualifications of the three should eliminate any potential criticism there might be. Paul knows very well the power of rumors and the destructiveness of any attack on the integrity of a ministry or its ministers. However, throughout church history, many Christian leaders seem to ignore this minefield, and Watchman Nee comes to mind as such an example to avoid.
In the height of his ministry, for whatever spiritual reason, Watchman Nee decided to operate a business in the field of pharmacy and the consequent harm done to his ministry and his own reputation are well documented. Business and ministry should never be mixed, and by the same principle, a pastor should never handle or touch the finances of the church or any part thereof.
(1) As much as the Corinthians appeared to have cooled down from their initial zeal, what was the effect of their initial enthusiasm?
(2) What if the Macedonian churches find out that the one who ignited their zeal to help the Jerusalem churches had not followed through with action. What impact would it have on them?
(3) Why is Paul so worried that he arranges for the brothers to visit them in advance? (v.5)
(4) What lessons might we learn from this?
(5) In ensuring that the Corinthian church would follow through with their promise, Paul, apart from using the “shame” tactic in chapter 8, uses the following things to further admonish the Corinthians regarding giving:
a. What is the reason he gives in v.6? Is it a valid motive to give? Why or why not?
b. What is the reason he gives in v.7? What if they really do not have a heart to give, should they?
c. What is the reason for God blessing us abundantly?
d. Consider v. 9 which is a quote from Psalm 112:9. Why does the Bible link “righteousness” to giving?
(6) It appears the quote from Psalm 112:9 introduces something that deserves more explanation, and so Paul expands more on this in vv. 10-15:
a. What, according to Paul, is the direct result of their generosity (in v. 11)?
b. According to v. 13, what is that praise about and by whom is it given?
c. How will the recipients of their generosity reciprocate?
d. See if you can now link God’s increase of their store of seed to the enlargement of their harvest of righteousness (according to v. 10).
(7) If you were among the Corinthian believers, what is the one motive among all these admonitions that will enable you to follow through with giving generously to aid the suffering believers in Jerusalem?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we –not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.” (2 Co. 9:4)
In trying to appreciate Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian church with regard to the follow-through of their promise to give toward the collection from various churches to aid the suffering churches in Jerusalem, we have to understand the genuinely intimate relationship of Paul with this church, in spite of the many misunderstandings and hurts. This is a church he would give his life for, and indeed he did. So, to shame them is not necessarily a wrong thing to do—he knows them too well, and the shame or embarrassment is mutual, felt not just by the Corinthians.
However, Paul does not want to use the “shame” tactic only. He cares about whether or not the Corinthian believers understand the true meaning of giving, and so he reminds them in chapter 9 of the various proper motives or reasons for giving which include:
(1) God’s general principle of blessing His children: The more we sow, the more we reap (9:6).
(2) God loves a cheerful giver and not a reluctant one (9:7).
(3) God’s purpose of blessing us is for us to bless others (9:8).
(4) Our giving will reap a harvest of righteousness (9:9).
Of the above four admonitions, I find the last one quite convicting, because the harvest of righteousness is expressed through the thanksgiving and praises offered to God “for the obedience that accompanies (the) confession of the gospel of Christ” (9:13). It means that whether it is the recipients of our generosity or those who can see our good work in this respect, they recognize that our giving is out of our obedience to God and is an outflow of our confession of the gospel of Christ. In other words, our generous giving will bear testimony of the gospel that we preach and will bring glory to God, not to ourselves ultimately. The flip side of this is that our lack of generosity towards the need of our fellow believers reveals the phoniness of our claim to be Christians and brings dishonor to God whom we claim to worship.
Having dealt with the issue of a collection, Paul now turns to defend himself against criticisms that he has already alluded to in 1:17—about his alleged “worldly manner”, especially in reneging his promise to come to visit the Corinthian church.
(1) How important is it for Paul to begin his defense of his own character and integrity with the emphasis on (a) this being done as an appeal, and (b) being done in the humility and gentleness of Christ?
(2) Could Paul have used rebuke, and in anger and pride? Why or why not?
(3) How could the Corinthians avoid having Paul approach them in boldness?
(4) In a church dispute, how can we tell that we have waged war as the world does? What does the secular world use to settle disputes? What “weapons”, in particular does the world use?
(5) Paul says that the “weapons” they use have divine power to demolish stronghold (10:4):
a. What are the strongholds he is talking about in this context (v. 5)?
b. Given what the strongholds are, what do you think his “weapons" are?
c. What has he been using so far against the various issues (sins and weaknesses) of the Corinthian church?
(6) Now, Paul’s “boldness” has come to a climax in v.6. He is fully prepared to deal with those who attack him, except that he is waiting for the completion of obedience of the Corinthian believers.
a. What is meant by “once your obedience is complete”? What “obedience” is Paul talking about?
b. How will he “punish” every act of disobedience (presumably of those who attack him in Corinth)?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you.” (2 Co. 10:1)
Commentators, in general, agree that the tone of this part of the letter beginning with chapter 10 is markedly different from the first 9 chapters. While the early part of the letter also contains direct admonition, “the tone is basically that of relief, comfort, of confidence in God and in the Corinthians", while the tone of the latter part is “marked by satire and sarcasm, spirited personal defense, reproach…” (TNTC, 2 Corinthians, 169). As a result, some commentators opine that the latter part, perhaps, belongs to a different letter, which is, of course, pure speculation.
However, even in the latter part of this letter, it is obvious that Paul is addressing both the Corinthian believers (whom he considers the victims) and the intruders (those he considers the true offenders, the disobedient). To the former, he still addresses them in “humility and gentleness” (10:1), while to the latter, in boldness.
It is to these intruders that he directs his warning in 10:6: “And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”
What Paul means is that before he lashes out his punishment to these intruders, he will give a chance to the Corinthian believers to disassociate themselves from the intruders, by obeying the teachings of Paul.
Although, Paul has not spelled out how he would punish the disobedient and what his divine weapons are, we understand from the Book of Acts and in his other letters that his power is always the word of God—the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the preaching of the unadulterated word of the gospel that will demolish every argument and pretension that is against the knowledge of God and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (10:5).
Having warned the Corinthians about the importance of their obedience to his admonitions and teachings, Paul now defends his apostolic credentials and authority:
(1) Paul accuses them of judging him by his appearance (10:7). What did some of the people say about his appearance (10:10)? (You may want to consult various translations to get a deeper sense of v. 10.)
(2) If you were the Apostle Paul, how will you handle such criticisms?
(3) Why is it not wise to compare ourselves with ourselves (10:12)?
(4) With whom does Paul compare himself? Or, does he compare himself with anyone? Why or why not?
(5) How does Paul justify his “boasting” about the authority given by the Lord for building up the Corinthians? (10:8, 13-15)
(6) Is Paul really boasting in himself? (10:17-18)
(7) What is his reason for clinging to his authority over the Corinthians as given by the Lord, according to vv. 15-16?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“You are judging by appearances…For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” (2 Co. 10:7, 10)
Allow me to quote the following to help our understanding of how Paul was probably judged by his appearance:
“It is clear from his defensive tones in 1 Corinthians that Paul has been made to feel inadequate in rhetorical speech (1 Co. 2:1-5; cf 1:18-31). Possibly the arrival of the verbally gifted Apollos between Paul’s first visit and the writing of the (extant) First Letter created some sense of dissatisfaction with Paul’s capacity as a public speaker…Although the Corinth of Paul’s day had a Roman foundation, the Greek cultural influence should not be underestimated. For centuries Greek art and sculpture had expressed evident appreciation of outward form, both of buildings and of people, in particular athletes and warriors who were customarily presented “heroically”. Consistent with this, the public orator was judged for their excellence of his rhetoric as well as for his physical appearance, both the power of his voice and imposing bearing…According to an oft-quoted second-century work The Acts of Paul and Thecla, Paul was unpromising in this regard, ‘A man of middling size (some translate of small stature), and his hair was scanty (some translate bald), and his legs were a little crooked, and his knees were projecting, and he had large eyes and his eyebrows met, and his nose was somewhat long (some translate hooked)…”
(TNICNT, 2 Corinthians, 476-7)
If this account is authentic, would it change your impression of the Apostle Paul? And would you appreciate more of his challenges as an Apostle, especially to these people in Corinth?