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.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 15-16

Some people claim to be Christian but do not believe in Jesus’ resurrection.  In today’s passage, Paul summarizes the Gospel: Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day.  This is what all of those who taught the Gospel said.  In particular, those who passed on Jesus’ teachings made this claim.  If they lied about Jesus rising from the dead, which they claimed to have witnessed, how can we believe what they said about His teachings?  Further, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, than neither will we.  If we will not rise from the dead, than the suffering and ridicule which we face for following Christ has no point.  If there is no resurrection from the dead, we may as well party all the time for tomorrow we die.

I want to circle back to Paul’s first point.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, than everything in the New Testament is a lie.  Further, the teachings presented there as those of Jesus are not “great moral truths”, but the words of a conspiracy of con artists…or perhaps a gang of crazies.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 12-14

The Holy Spirit gives different spiritual gifts to different people.  The fact that someone does not have a particular gift does not indicate that they do not have the Holy Spirit.  There are three exceptions to this rule.  Everyone who has the Holy Spirit receives faith, hope, and love.  In fact, if we exercise our other spiritual gifts without love they are of no value whatsoever.  Paul even makes sure we know what it means to act in love:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I generally try to rewrite in my own words the meaning of a passage, but this is such a perfect summary of love, and not just romantic love, but the love which God asks us to have for our neighbor.  

Before and after writing about the importance of love, Paul writes that we should desire the less flashy, less attention grabbing spiritual gifts more than their counterparts.  Speaking in tongues is a wonderful spiritual gift, but prophecy is more to be desired.  We should seek the ability to comfort those who are hurting more than the ability to shine in the spotlight.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 9-11

Paul writes that when he preached to Jews, he lived as a Jew, but when he preached to Gentiles, he lived as a Gentile.  The first part is easy to understand.  When Paul preached to the Jews, he ate kosher and was careful to follow the other traditions which came from the law.    The part about living as a Gentile can be easily misinterpreted.  One could conclude that he took part in their debauchery and religious celebrations.  However, a little later in today’s passage he gives us a clearer picture of how he behaved.  As I noted, when Paul was preaching to Jews, he ate kosher.  However, when he was among the Gentiles he ate whatever was put in front of him.  But, if the person providing the food made a point that it had been sacrificed to idols, and thus made clear to Paul that by eating it he was taking part in a pagan worship practice, he declined to eat.  In the same manner, we should associate with non-believers on a non-judgemental basis.  If someone invites us to a party and we wish to attend, we are free to go and take part.  However, if they were to tell us that the party was so that people could discretely hook up sexually with someone other than their spouse, we should graciously decline. 

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 5-8

I do not know that I ever noticed the connection between Paul’s teaching about Believers going to court against each other and what he writes before and after.  The entire passage follows a natural progression from one topic to another, with a real overlap in the guiding principle behind most of Paul’s instructions here.  Paul starts off by telling the Church in Corinth that they have someone among them who is doing something that even the pagans living around them recognize as wrong.  But instead of confronting this Believer with his sin, the Church was bragging about their tolerance.  Paul instructs them to tell this man that what he was doing was wrong.  Then Paul takes the same idea, that the Church has people who can recognize when someone is doing wrong, and applies it to situations where business deals between believers go wrong.  If you think another believer has cheated you, take it to the Church.  Let the Church appoint someone knowledgeable in such matters examine the facts of your disagreement and render a decision on how to resolve it.  If the other party is unwilling to accept the Church’s judgement, let yourself be cheated rather than exposing the name of Christ to ridicule before unbelievers.  Paul does not say it, and we should be extremely careful before going there, but he seems to hint that if someone in a dispute refuses to accept the Church’s judgement of the matter they should, perhaps, be treated as the man he mentioned at the beginning of the passage.

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

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

Paul discusses division in the Church in Corinth.  Some people are claiming to follow Paul, while others claim to follow Apollos, some another Apostle, and some claim to be just following Christ.  Each group claims that their way of following the Gospel makes them superior to those who chose another path.  Certain non-denominational congregations claim this passage indicates that being non-denominational is the correct way, missing the point entirely (Paul mentions here those who make their claim as following only Christ).  Paul makes here the same point he made in the Book of Romans, none of us are superior to others; we all need God’s saving grace in the same degree.

Paul writes that God chose to use those the world thinks are foolish to shame the wise.  The Jews would not accept Jesus as the Messiah because of His death on the cross.  In that they saw Him as weak, not as the conqueror they imagined the Messiah would be.  The Greeks on the other hand thought the idea of resurrection from the dead was silly and foolish.  The Jews could not see how Jesus’ death demonstrated the power of God’s love.  The Greeks were convinced that resurrection from the dead was a fairy story for simpletons.  The elites were, and are, convinced that they are smarter and wiser than the common man.  Time and again throughout history God has used the simpletons of this world to show that those society deems wise to actually be fools.