Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Corinthians 5-8.

Throughout his letters Paul references how our resurrected bodies will be different from our current bodies.  Here he compares our current bodies to a tent, contrasting that with an eternal house which will serve as our permanent homes after our resurrection.  I think his metaphor here does a wonderful job of making his point.  A tent can certainly be home, and a place where we have great comfort.  But a permanent building, a house, has much greater possibilities for comfort.  In the same way, we have a certain comfort living in our bodies, but we should desire the much greater comfort of living in the bodies which God will give us.  We should seek to live as Paul did, eagerly awaiting leaving our home in this physical body to be at home with Christ.  That means living in this body so as to prepare ourselves to spend time with Him.

In this passage Paul tells us not to be yoked together with unbelievers, a passage which when I was young was interpreted to me as meaning that a Christian should not marry a non-believer.  While the idea that a Christian should not marry a non-believer is correct, I have come to realize that is not what Paul is writing about here.  Rather, Paul is warning us against partnering with unbelievers to accomplish the ministry which God has given us.  One example of what he was writing about comes to my mind.  Many years ago, when I was still a young man, some young women I knew became active in an organization of Christian women who were fighting against pornography.  Some time after they became active in this group and had risen to leadership positions within it, they were approached by a secular feminist group which also was working to oppose pornography for the two organizations to work together.  The two organizations made common cause to combat pornography.  Because the two organizations were composed primarily of women (perhaps entirely, it has been too many years for me to remember one way or the other), their focus became the ways in which pornographers exploited women.  After another period of time the secular feminist group began using the partnership to advocate for abortion.  The Christian women failed to recognize that the secular feminists with whom they had partnered did not care about the immorality of pornography and opposing it was merely one more way of promoting their ideology.  This is but one example of where a group of Christians made common cause with non-believers to work on a goal which served God’s will only to have the cause coopted to for other purposes.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Corinthians 1-4.

There are a couple of minor points I want to highlight out of what Paul writes in today’s passage.  Paul begins by mentioning that he had gone through some terrible troubles in Asia, troubles which were so severe that they were more than he could withstand.  Paul writes that he experienced such troubles in order to experience God’s comfort in such troubles and to teach him to rely on God rather than on himself.  His experience gave him confidence that God would carry him through any future troubles which he might experience, and it gave those who witnessed it comfort from knowing that God had rescued him and would do likewise for them in similar circumstances.  Paul transitioned from that to speak about why he did not visit Corinth as he had originally planned.  As I read what Paul wrote, he did not visit Corinth as planned because he was not sure that he would be able to control his anger over the situation and might have said something he would later regret.  We should follow his example and avoid allowing our emotions to influence us when we debate in the Church.

Later in today’s passage Paul writes that his confidence comes from Jesus and that he has no competence in and of himself to claim anything.  Any competence which he has to accomplish anything comes from God working through him.  As a result of this knowledge, Paul refuses to use any deception or distortion to convince others of the gospel.  I think that his point here is one of utmost importance.  We are not smart enough, knowledgeable enough, or wise enough to know how to “massage” the facts in order to get others to make the right decision.  Therefore we should present the facts and the truth plainly about whatever subject we are discussing.  Let us trust God’s Spirit to make clear to those who hear us what is the right decision for them to make.  We must not make the mistake of thinking we are enough smarter or wiser than those to whom we speak to make their decision for them by distorting the facts which we present to them.  This is important on whatever issue we discuss, but even more so when presenting the Gospel.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 9-13

Paul gives us two lessons about giving in today’s passage. The first, and the reason he wrote about it, is actually twofold.  People often say they will make donations with the full intent of doing so, then get distracted by other events and forget to do so.  Which means that we need to follow Paul’s example and remind people of the promises they have made.  Perhaps just as important, we should not wait until our promises come due to begin the process of fulfilling them.  The other point which Paul makes is that we should give cheerfully, not out of a sense of obligation or duty.  God will bless those who give purely out of their own desire to help those in need. Closely related to that is the idea that there is no formula about how much one should give.  Each person must determine how much they feel inspired to give.

Starting in Chapter 10, Paul makes the case for why the Corinthian Church should accept his guidance and teaching as opposed to that of those who were counseling them to disregard what he wrote.  I want to focus on what he writes about how he addresses false arguments and human reasoning which is contrary to God’s.  He does not attempt to counter the arguments with further human reasoning.  Instead, he uses the weapons and arguments which God gives him.  He captures his every thought and makes it obedient to Christ.  He counsels us against judging teachers and teachings by appearances.  Instead he advises us to judge them by their results.  When someone has authority over others, do they use it to build them up? Or, to tear them down?  Those who are serving Christ do the former, those who do the latter are serving themselves.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 5-8

Paul makes a point here that the physical bodies we will have in heaven will be different, and better, than the physical bodies which we have here on earth.  He makes the point that we should not fear death because it will only be after the death of our earthly body that we will be able to live in our heavenly bodies.  In fact, Paul was eager for death so as to leave his earthly body and enter into his heavenly body.  As we live in these earthly bodies we continuously experience death, but once we enter into the heavenly bodies which God will give us we will never experience death again.  However, Paul was content to continue to live because as long as he lived he could serve God.  As long as we live in these earthly bodies we must seek to live not for ourselves, but for Christ.  Let us seek to make every action we take, every word we speak, bring glory to God.

When I began the previous paragraph I had a clear idea of what I wanted to write, and I thought it would be utterly clear.  I sought to make the point that we should not fear death, instead we should eagerly look forward to it.  This does not mean that we should seek out death for death’s sake, but what awaits us on the other side of death is more desirable than anything we have here.  We should not seek out death because as long as we live we can further serve Christ, which will bring us joy.  The great thing about Paul’s message here is that it provides us with the basis to not fear the consequences of serving Christ.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4

Early in this passage Paul writes that his letters are straightforward with nothing written between the lines.  Then later he refers to the veil which Jews wear (wore? I do not know if this tradition continues today)  when reading the Torah.  He explains that no such veil is needed by those who hear, read, or speak Christ’s teaching.  In fact, he makes clear that the only obstacle to knowing and understanding God’s commands through Christ is one’s unwillingness to accept it.  In all of this Paul makes the point that everyone is capable of understanding Christ’s commands.  There is no secret knowledge reserved for those who have been initiated into it.  There is no special education necessary to understand what God wants of us.  While I like to think that my daily writing about Scripture provides those who read it a unique insight into said Scripture, anyone who reads that Scripture can obtain a thorough understanding of it just by reading it and meditating on it.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that those who preach the Gospel are entitled to receive payment from those to whom they preach.  However, here he distinguishes himself from those he calls hucksters, who preach solely for personal gain.  These two statements for not contradict each other, Paul is not saying that all of those who are paid to preach the Gospel are hucksters.  Rather, he is pointing out that some of those who are paid to preach the Gospel are hucksters, preaching what makes them the most money.  Further, since he does not accept payment for preaching the Gospel, he cannot be accused of being in it for the money (let alone of tailoring his message to make the most possible money).

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 9-13

I skipped over Paul’s comments about giving to aid those in need in yesterday’s passage and I do not want to do that again today.  In yesterday’s passage Paul wrote about the importance of setting aside the money to be given systematically rather than trying to come up with the whole amount one intends to give all at once.  In today’s passage he writes about giving joyfully, not from a sense of obligation.  We should give to those in need because we are grateful for what God has done for us.  Between yesterday’s and today’s passage Paul lays out a great guideline for giving.  We should not give more than we can afford, we should not give so much that we suffer hardship as a result.  On the other hand, we should not refrain from giving because we are afraid we might need the money for some unknown expense down the road.  God will provide for our needs, so we should not fear unexpected expenses.  The more we give, the more we will be blessed.  When Paul says that he is not speaking of material blessings, although sometimes God gives greater material prosperity to those who give generously.  If the latter is the case, it usually means that God will be giving them even more opportunity to give to those in need.

When Paul defends his authority to speak on behalf of Christ and of God, he makes the argument that he is no less than those whose preaching he disagrees with.  He states that his authority builds up those over whom he has authority rather than tear them down.  In doing so, Paul echoes Jesus’ teachings about leaders being servants.  So, authority in the Church comes from building up and strengthening others, not from making them dependent on the one with authority.  Authority does not come from being superior to others, in which case authority would be enhanced by weakening those over whom one has authority.  Rather authority comes from making others stronger and more capable.  In addition, elsewhere Paul exhorts us not to think more highly of ourselves than of others, here he reminds us not to think ourselves less than them either.  True leaders are those who help us recognize our worth without either holding themselves as better than we are or allowing us to make them feel small.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 5-8

In yesterday’s passage Paul wrote that our heavenly bodies will be different from our earthly bodies in ways which we cannot comprehend, much the same way that a plant differs from the seed from which it grew (and this is about as far as that particular metaphor can be taken on that subject).  In today’s passage he writes about how he longs to be clothed in that new, heavenly body, not because of any desire to be rid of his current body, but because the heavenly body will be with Christ.  We should share Paul’s desire to leave our earthly bodies and enter into our heavenly bodies.  This desire should remove all fear of death from us.  Our desire for our future heavenly bodies should inspire us to serve Christ in all that we do.

We believe (well, I believe, and hope that you do as well) that Christ died for everyone.  This belief means that I must strive to live not for myself, but for Christ.  Living for Christ leads me to strive to be His ambassador to the world, calling on all I meet to come to God and receive His gift of life transforming salvation.  

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4

Paul writes this letter to explain his change of plans, and to make amends for not visiting Corinth as he had told the Corinthians he was going to do.  First he tells them that the rumors they had heard about his troubles in Asia were true.  Paul tells the Corinthians that he did not expect to survive the troubles there.  Perhaps this was a reference to what happened during the riots in Ephesus, or perhaps some other incident which Luke did not include in the Book of Acts.  In any case, while Paul wanted to make sure that they were aware of the truth of the rumors they had heard, he also wanted to make sure that those events were not why he had not visited Corinth yet again.

No, the reason Paul did not visit them again was because he had been very upset by the news he had heard from Corinth.  He had been afraid that if he visited at that time he would say things which he would regret.  So, instead of visiting Corinth he wrote them a letter about the situation, a letter which deeply troubled Paul to have to write.  I think it is worth noting that Paul chose to write a letter rather than address the issue in person.  By writing a letter, Paul could take the time to choose his words with care and not accidentally escalate the situation by blurting out something worded improperly.  Further, the Corinthian believers could read and re-read what he wrote so as to understand exactly what he said and avoid putting words in to his mouth.  The lesson here is that there are times when it is best to put our thoughts in writing rather than presenting them in person.