2 CORINTHIANS

Chapter 2, Verses 1-8

The Overwhelming Responsobility Of Rebuking!

[2-26-17]

Review: “Yes! Amen!”

2 Corinthians 1:11-24) [KJV] Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

17) When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?

18) But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

19) For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

QUESTION: What is Paul saying here?

ANSWER: I meant it when I said it because the God I serve always means it when He says it.

Matthew 5:34-37) [KJV] But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

35) Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37) But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

NOTE: Jesus wants us to say what we mean and mean what we say!

20) For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

QUESTION: What do we learn here?

ANSWER: The life of Jesus fulfilled around 355 O.T. promises. Because of that we can trust all of God’s promises to us! Also, Everything God says is absolutely true; absolutely certain!

This Week’s Lesson: “The Overwhelming Responsibility Of Rebuking!”

1 Corinthians 16:5) [KJV] Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.

2 Corinthians 1:15-16) [KJV] And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;

16) And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.

2 Corinthians 2:1-8) [KJV] But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.

QUESTION: Why is Paul writing this particular sentiment?

ANSWER: He is explaining to the Corinthian believers why he didn’t stop to see them while he was passing by them on his way to Macedonia, and then again on his way back. As you see in the above passages from last week’s lesson [1 Cor. 16:5 and 2 Cor. 1:15-16], he had told them in his first letter he would do that.

2) For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?

3) And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10) [KJV] For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

(GW) If my letter made you uncomfortable, I’m not sorry. But since my letter did make you uncomfortable for a while, I was sorry.

9) Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

QUESTION: What do we learn from the above verses?

ANSWER: It pained Paul that he knew his first letter to them would cause them pain. He wrote what he thought he had to write to correct their misbehavior, but it hurt him that his words would hurt them.

4) For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

1 Timothy 5:20) [KJV] Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.

“rebuke” – “1) to convict, refute, confute; 1a) generally with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted; 1b) by conviction to bring to the light, to expose; 2) to find fault with, correct; 2a1) to reprehend severely, chide, admonish, reprove; 2a2) to call to account, show one his fault [Thayer].

QUESTION: What do we learn about rebuking others from the above passages?

• Some believers determine that loving others means they must always speak the truth, at any cost, to them.
• Other believers love their fellow believers but hate conflict; and they think the best path to maintaining their friendships is to simply put up with the actions of those they love.
• Paul approached it from somewhere between the above 2 categories. He rebuked them “with many tears.”

QUESTION: What was Paul’s motive for rebuking the Corinthian believers?

ANSWER: He wanted to correct their misbehavior; but he also wanted them to know he was doing that because of his great love for them.

Setting Up What Comes Next:

1 Corinthians 5:1-5) [KJV] It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

2) And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

3) For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Deuteronomy 22:30) [KJV] A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.

5) But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

(NIV) If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent-not to put it too severely.

6) Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

7) So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

8) Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

QUESTION: What man is Paul referring to in vs. 5-8?

ANSWER: He’s referring to the man he wrote about in his first letter to them, the man who either married, or was living with, a former wife of his father.

QUESTION: What is vs. 6 telling us?

ANSWER: The punishment imposed on him [1 Cor. 5:4-5] was sufficient to bring him to repentance.

QUESTION: What should the church do now, in reference to this offender?

ANSWER: They ought to forgive and comfort him, and confirm their love for him, so that his sorrow doesn’t destroy him.

Matthew 18:15-17) [KJV] Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16) But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

17) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Galatians 6:1) [KJV] Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

QUESTION: What instructions do we find in these passages when it comes to correcting/rebuking another?

• We should try to resolve conflict one on one, keeping it from spreading into the whole church.
• We should involve 1 or 2 others if step 1 doesn’t work.
• We should involve the church if steps 1 & 2 don’t work.
• We must recognize our own possibility of being overcome by sin so that we have compassion.

 

 

2 CORINTHIANS

Chapter 2, Verses 9-11

The Absolute Responsobility Of Forgiving!

[3-5-17]

Review: “The Overwhelming Responsibility Of Rebuking!”

2 Corinthians 2:1-8) [KJV] 4) For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

6) Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

7) So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

8) Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

NOTE: Paul’s referring to the man he wrote about in his first letter to them, the man who either married, or was living with, a former wife of his father. Now, Paul writes, the punishment imposed on him [1 Cor. 5:4-5] was sufficient to bring him to repentance. The church ought to now forgive and comfort him, and confirm their love for him, so that his sorrow doesn’t destroy him.

Matthew 18:15-17) [KJV] Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16) But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

17) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Galatians 6:1) [KJV] Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

QUESTION: What instructions do we find in these passages when it comes to correcting/rebuking another?

• We should try to resolve conflict one on one, keeping it from spreading into the whole church.
• We should involve 1 or 2 others if step 1 doesn’t work.
• We should involve the church if steps 1 & 2 don’t work.
• We must recognize our own possibility of being overcome by sin so that we have compassion.

 

This Week’s Lesson: “The Absolute Responsibility Of Forgiving!”

2 Corinthians 2:9-11) [KJV] For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

10) To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

QUESTION: Who is being forgiven here?

ANSWER: The Church, and Paul, are forgiving the man who was living with his stepmother [1 Cor. 5:1-5] when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians.

QUESTION: What is Paul doing here?

ANSWER: He’s falling in line with the teaching of Christ. Please note:

John 20:19-23) [NIV] On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

20) After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21) Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

22) And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23) If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

QUESTION: When did this encounter between Jesus and His disciples happen?

ANSWER: This happened on the evening of the day of His resurrection. The disciples were seeing Him for the first time since His death.

 

QUESTION: What does the passage from John above teach us?

• Jesus wants His followers to walk in peace [vs. 19, 21].
• He tells His followers that He is sending them out to do His bidding just like His Father did Him [vs. 21].
• He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” [vs. 22].
• He taught them to forgive others and why that was so important [vs. 23].

11) Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

QUESTION: How can Satan “get an advantage” over us when we don’t forgive others?

Matthew 20:21-24, 33-35) [KJV] Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

23) Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

33) Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35) So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

ANSWER: When we look at the 2 sister passages to 2 Corinthians 2:10 that I’ve included we begin to understand how Satan can gain advantage over us if we fail to understand what Paul is teaching.

QUESTION: How does John 20:23 and the passage from Matthew 20 relate to 2 Corinthians 2:10?

• Paul said to the Church, “To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also” [2 Cor. 2:10].
• If we don’t forgive others there is a sense in which we tie God’s hands preventing Him from forgiving them [John 20:23].
• Jesus tells us that if we don’t forgive those who have sinned against us, and asked for our forgiveness, then we will be we give the tormentor the legal authority to torment us [Matthew 20:34-35].

NOTE: We’re not done with this yet:

Matthew 6:9-15) [KJV] After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11) Give us this day our daily bread.

12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

QUESTION: How does the Lord’s Prayer enter into this discussion?

ANSWER: Jesus taught us to pray that God would forgive us to the same measure that we forgive others.

QUESTION: What else do we learn from this prayer?

ANSWER: Forgiving others the very same way we are forgiven is the only part of this important prayer that Jesus adds specific commentary to after the prayer is over.

QUESTION: What is that commentary?

ANSWER: Jesus taught us to forgive the very way that we are forgiven; then He added the commentary that if we don’t forgive then we won’t be forgiven.

NOTE: If you’re truly saved then you will go to Heaven even if you aren’t holding a grudge against another in total rebellion to the teaching of the Scriptures. However, you will be delivered to the “tormentors” in this life.

QUESTION: Why?

ANSWER: God will allow the “tormentors” to torment you for the very same reason Paul turned the sinner in Corinth over to the devil; so that you will repent and get your life back in line with the Scriptures.

John 13:35) [KJV] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

NOTE: This is so important to Jesus because He has set up the new order of how the Church is to operate; which is, they will know we are genuine when they see us loving one another, which includes forgiveness. If we are not forgiving one another then we are marring the image God wants the Church to project.

2 CORINTHIANS

Chapter 2, Verses 12-17

Life Unto Life!

[3-12-17]

Review: “The Absolute Responsibility Of Forgiving!”  

2 Corinthians 2:9-11) [KJV] For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

10) To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

NOTE: The Church, and Paul, are forgiving the man who was living with his stepmother [1 Cor. 5:1-5] when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians.

QUESTION: What is Paul doing here?

ANSWER: He’s falling in line with the teaching of Christ. Please note:

John 20:21-23) [NIV] Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

22) And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23) If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

11) Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Matthew 20:23-24, 33-35) [KJV] Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

33) Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35) So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

NOTE: God will allow the “tormentors” to torment you for the very same reason Paul turned the sinner in Corinth over to the devil; so that you will repent and get your life back in line with the Scriptures.

John 13:35) [KJV] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

NOTE: This is so important to Jesus because He has set up the new order of how the Church is to operate; which is, they will know we are genuine when they see us loving one another, which includes forgiveness. If we are not forgiving one another then we are marring the image God wants the Church to project.

 

This Week’s Lesson: “Life Unto Life!”

2 Corinthians 2:1) [KJV] But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.

NOTE: Journey from vs. 1 to vs. 12:

• Paul decided not to go to Corinth because of the heaviness of the first letter he wrote to them. He supposed they would not be happy to see him [vs. 1-4].
• On to the business at hand: forgive and restore the man who had lived with his stepmother [vs. 5-11].
• He now returns to the task of updating the Corinthian believers.

2 Corinthians 2:12-17) [KJV] Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

NOTE: We discover in vs. 13 that Paul went to Troas to meet up with Titus. However, while he was waiting for Titus he did what he always did; he began to share the Gospel with those around him, those in Troas.

QUESTION: How did Paul see this opportunity to share the Gospel to those in Troas?

ANSWER: He saw it as a “door was opened unto” him by “the Lord.”

Romans 1:14-15) [KJV] I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15) So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

QUESTION: If Paul went to Troas to meet up with Titus why did he begin to preach there?

ANSWER: He genuinely saw himself as a debtor to everyone who hadn’t yet heard the Gospel.

13) I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

“Paul then states the disappointment which he had had at Troas in not seeing Titus, from whom he had expected to learn what was the state of the church at Corinth, and what was the reception of his letter there” [Barnes].

QUESTION: What did Paul expect to learn from Titus?

• He wanted to learn how the church at Corinth was doing.
• He wanted to learn how well they accepted Paul’s first letter to them.

14) Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

“causes us to triumph in Christ” – “This rendering is inadmissible, the word being habitually used with the accusative (direct objective) case of the person or thing triumphed over, and never of the triumphing subject” [Vincent].

(ERV) But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.

(GNB) But thanks be to God! For in union with Christ we are always led by God as prisoners in Christ’s victory procession. God uses us to make the knowledge about Christ spread everywhere like a sweet fragrance.

Romans 1:1) [KJV] Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

“servant” – “1) a slave, bondman, man of servile condition; 1a) a slave; 1c) devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests” [Thayer].

QUESTION: What is Paul saying here?

ANSWER: We are Christ’s slaves! That’s where we enjoy His freedom! We need to allow Him to sit on the throne of our hearts! When we sit there, there is no freedom!

15) For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

16) To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

QUESTION: What else does Paul tell us in vs. 14, along with vs. 15-16?

ANSWER: The Gospel message we preach produces a spiritual fragrance:

• To all of us who have received Christ it is a fragrance of “life unto life.”
• To all who reject its message it is a fragrance of “death unto death.”

QUESTION: Do we really want to be a slave to Christ?

ANSWER: A thousand times “Yes!”

John 10:10) [KJV] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

QUESTION: What does our Master give to us in exchange for our giving ourselves to Him?

ANSWER: “Life!” He gives us LIFE! The Greek word means “to have a surplus” [Robertson].

QUESTION: What do those who reject the Gospel message receive?

ANSWER: They receive death, and then more death.

QUESTION: Is God a Brute then?

ANSWER: All unbelievers are already dead, just as we were before we received life in Christ. They are dead in their trespasses and sins [Ephesians 2:1]. That death leads to a greater death. Jesus offers an alternative; LIFE! Anyone can receive that LIFE! That LIFE  leads to a greater LIFE! God doesn’t kill those who reject them; they are already dead! He offers them LIFE!

17) For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

NOTE: The Gospel we preach is not politically correct! A politically correct gospel would be one that proclaims that everyone will go to Heaven when they die. Unfortunately, we don’t get to write the Gospel. God already did. And His Gospel tells us that we’re already dead because of our sin; but we don’t have to stay dead. God offers life to all who want to receive it. It’s as simple as that. It’s a free gift. But God won’t force it on anyone. It must be received.

NOTE: Paul refused to “corrupt” that Gospel.