On the surface, this is a passage that seems to deal with very diverse things. There is a section in which Paul refers to a disciplinary case that existed in the church in Corinth, and which had been handled, and to which he now responds. There is also a personal section where he begins to talk ab
In yesterday’s devotional, we looked at the third thing Paul does with respect to attacks, which is to evaluate his relationship to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. There are three aspects to this, and they are related to each other. The first aspect was Paul’s union with Christ.The second as
The second thing we need to do when God changes our plans is to relate the change to His sovereignty. Paul talks about his surrender to God’s sovereignty in verses 15-20. When God speaks, God speaks surely and directly. When He acts in our lives it is always the best course to where God wants to
Sometimes criticisms that come to us are utterly unfounded and utterly unjust. And yet, often it is the case that there is some truth to the criticism. What we need to do at that point is examine ourselves and see if any of the criticism is true. We sometimes say in common speech, “Let your consc
It is hard to believe that people who had benefitted by Paul’s ministry would be as petty as they were, or, even if they were not the ones who made the slander, that they were petty enough to at least listen to it. But that is sometimes the way it is, even in Christian work. I regret to say that t
In my opinion, it is a very difficult thing to have our plans changed when we have worked out something carefully. It is especially difficult when we are criticized as a result of having to change them. Now I acknowledge that people are different in this respect. I think perhaps at this point, I
As I read here about God’s comfort, I think Paul also says that because God comforts us in our suffering, we learn to trust Him. If you look back over your life and conclude that in the midst of a horrible situation, you knew that God was there upholding you and strengthening you, then you also kno
In yesterday’s devotional, we referred to the story of Job as an example from the Old Testament of how one can respond to suffering in a way that glorifies God.We have another example in the New Testament of how suffering results in God’s glory. In John 9 we have the story of the man who was born b
As I have studied this, it seems to me that there are a variety of reasons why different forms of suffering come into our lives. One is that such things are just common to humanity in our sinful world. Job was expressing that idea when he wrote, “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly
When they met in Macedonia, Titus told Paul that the church had dealt properly with the man whose sin had caused a significant problem (2 Cor. 2:5-11). Paul’s letter was well received, and the Corinthians were encouraged in that. But Titus would go on to inform Paul that apparently people had come
Every one of the letters of the apostle Paul, and indeed all of the books of the Bible, have their own particular appeal, and that is no less true of this great second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. What is the appeal of this book? I suppose it appeals to different people in different ways.
The third point he makes is to be men of courage, and fourthly, to be strong. It is so easy to lose courage or to be weak because we look out and we see the enemies that are arrayed against us. We say, “Well, we can’t stand against that. We’re just weak, insignificant, and small in numbers.” What
In verse 13 he has a series of statements in which he is encouraging the Christians at Corinth. There are five statements there: 1.) "Be on your guard"; 2.) "Stand firm in the faith"; 3.) "Be men of courage"; 4.) "Be strong"; and 5.) "Do everything in love." That is a good challenge for any group
Yesterday, we introduced the fourth principle, which is proportionate giving. In New Testament Christianity we do not have this mutual relationship between the governmental sphere and the religious sphere that we have in the Old Testament. Rather, we see this emphasis on the work of the Holy Spiri
As Paul begins 1 Corinthians 16, in the first four verses he mentions the collection, and he lays down some principles for giving. One principle is that of local giving. He informs the Corinthians that he is telling them to do the same thing that he had told the Galatian churches to do and presuma
Having concluded our study of chapter 15, which of course is that great chapter on the resurrection, we remember that Paul also needed to discuss other matters throughout this letter. For example, early in the book Paul contrasted the wisdom of God with the wisdom of the world. Chapters 12 and 14
I do not know if you ever noticed this, but when Hollywood makes movies that have to do with the life of Christ, they are often very good up to the point of the resurrection. When they show the mob crying out before Pilate’s judgment hall, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” that always carries conviction
Once we move into the second half of chapter 15, Paul still needs to deal with other areas surrounding the idea of resurrection. At this point, the Corinthians might have come to acknowledge that the resurrection of Jesus is true, and that because we are united to Jesus by faith, we too will one da
The Corinthians’ difficulty with the resurrection grew naturally out of Greek philosophical thought. The Greeks basically had a great difference between mind and matter in the sense that everything that was of the spirit or the mind was good, and everything that was of matter was evil. They would
In the twenty-second chapter of Matthew and also in Luke's gospel, there is a story about the Sadducees' coming to test the Lord Jesus Christ on the subject of the resurrection. It was one of a number of tests because people were trying to attack Him on different subjects. They had asked Him about
In my own opinion about this idea of being baptized for the dead, I think that what Paul is speaking of here is not so much the rite of baptism, but that which lies behind baptism as its primary meaning. I have said before when we talked about baptism that what is involved is not so much the mode o
This is a section of the chapter in which Paul puts the resurrection of Christ in a cosmic perspective. He is talking about Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection, and as we look at that within the framework of history, at least from the perspective in which he was writing, he is talking about
Paul had preached the Gospel of Jesus’ resurrection to the Corinthians, and they had responded positively to his preaching. They believed what he had taught them. So Paul has to tell them that if they follow the philosophical mood of their day and deny the resurrection, they must understand that t
As I read verses 13 through 19, I find that every verse except verse 16 has a consequence in it. This is no doubt because verse 16 is simply a repetition of a consequence that came earlier. Thus, every single verse talks about something that is bad if you deny the resurrection. In verse 13 Paul w
