Commuter Bible NT

Paul and those with him are ministers of the gospel, in which they plead with others to be reconciled to God no matter the consequences. The reality of ministry is that it is filled with joys and sorrows, highs and lows, glory and dishonor. Paul highlights suffering for the gospel, which seems pointless to those who don’t know the treasure of Christ, but worthwhile to those who know the joy of our Savior. Keep in mind that one of the occasions for Paul’s letter is to persuade the church to stay away from those false apostles who claim to be better than Paul, as our reading concludes with admonitions to keep from partnering with those who do not believe the true gospel.

In today’s reading, Paul will bring up the judgment seat of Christ. This event is an for believers in which the Lord reveals and judges the life of the believer. It is not a judgment which determines whether or not someone will enter heaven, but a judgment for those who have already entered heaven by faith in Christ. There is another judgment seat that precedes this judgment known as “the great white throne judgment,” which is where men will be found in Christ or condemned. Later, we will read that Christ has reconciled us to himself and has given us a ministry of reconciliation; not that we would primarily be reconciled to each other, but that we would be reconciled to God, who grants us unity in Jesus.

Paul is an open book, and he longs to live his life in a way makes the truth of the gospel clear to all. Unbelievers cannot see the gospel clearly because the god of this age, that is Satan, has made their minds blind. The same God who pronounced “Let light shine out of darkness,” must also shine into the hearts of men so that might see and believe. Paul goes on to say that we carry the treasure of the gospel in jars of clay, for our frail and humble bodies carry the infinite worth of Christ. Though we are afflicted and persecuted, we do not give up, for our affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

As we get further into the book of 2 Corinthians, we’ll discover that the Corinthian church had become impressed with a group of teachers referred to as “super-apostles” who in fact were false apostles. They came with letters of recommendation, so when the church asks Paul about his letters of recommendation, Paul simply says, “You! You are my letter of recommendation!” He goes on to say that the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit gives life through Jesus Christ. His glory far surpasses the glory of the law, so much so that the law is no longer glorious. Think about how the light of a flashlight compares to the light of the sun, and you might get an idea of what Paul is saying here. One day, we will see him in his glory face to face.

Judging from Paul’s words of concern in today’s reading, it seems that he had a painful visit with the church at Corinth and wrote a letter after that visit. There are some of think it’s in reference to the letter we know as 1 Corinthians, but it could also be the case that we simply don’t have a record of the letter in question. There seems to be a reference to the act of church discipline and the restoration of a repentant sinner into the fold of the church. Later, Paul compares teaching and preaching the gospel to an aroma that spreads. This “fragrance of Christ” is an aroma of death leading to death for some, but an aroma of life leading to life for others.

Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth begins with a reminder that God is a God of comfort. He comforts his people who are under affliction, and even when one experiences comfort, the end goal is that the comforted person might comfort others. He makes it clear that has, in fact, endured a great affliction in Asia, one so terrible that he thought it would be better to die. In the end, however, God delivered Paul and those who were with him. Even in the midst of such affliction, Paul has a clear conscience that he has acted with godly sincerity and purity by God’s grace.

As Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth draws to a close, he reminds them to set money aside at the beginning of each week according to how each one prospers. This would have been a way of prioritizing the work of the church, funding and supporting other believers who labored in preaching and teaching. He continues on with updates about the work of various men and women who are doing such work, and as he does so, he encourages the church to honor and support those who labor in the gospel and to humbly submit to them.

What would the Christian faith be like if Christ had not been raised from the dead? It’s hard to imagine what that would be like, but we can assume that such a worldview would be devoid of power and hope, relegated only to teachings about morals and good behavior. In today’s reading, Paul addresses those within the church who say that Christ was not raised and that there is not resurrection from the dead. Declaring such a faith to be pitiable, Paul moves on to talk about the coming resurrection, reassuring the church that Christ’s resurrection guarantees our resurrection. The change that occurs between one’s earthly body and one’s heavenly body can be compared to a seed that is planted in the ground which sprouts something very different.

In chapter 12, Paul began to admonish the church to consider the nature of spiritual gifts within the church. Individuals within the church really wanted to have the gift of speaking in tongues, but Paul says that they should rather think of themselves as a body with many parts, all working together, though each part if different. It is within this context that Paul speaks of the nature of love. Yes, this is the chapter that is often read at weddings, and that can be fitting. However, in the original context, Paul is telling the church that these gifts of the Spirit, no matter how impressive, mean nothing if the church does not love one another. Furthermore, prophecy is a superior gift, and Paul explains why in chapter 14.

In today’s reading, Paul begins a new topic of discussion that will carry us through the next few chapters, and that is the topic of spiritual gifts. In the early church, speaking in another language by the Spirit must have been an incredible and awe-inspiring sight, as indicated in the books of Acts at Pentecost. This gifting was so unique and thrilling that everyone wanted to have that gift. Paul begins to tell the church at Corinth that there are different gifts given to different members of the church so that all might work together as one body for the building of the church to the glory of God. Some gifts are more notable, but this shouldn’t mean that other gifts are unimportant or disposable.