2 Corinthians 7 "Godly Sorrow"

"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (v.10)

Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience. One is ‘the sorrow of the world,” a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught. This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary change of heart, but not to a genuine turning to Christ for forgiveness. Which our text tells us, leads to spiritual death. The other is "Godly sorrow" which is accompanied by conviction of sin through the work of the Holy Spirit. This stems from the realization of offending a holy God and leads to genuine repentance by piercing the heart (Acts 2:37).

Here in chapter 7, Paul references his former “letter” (v. 8), which many believe to be 1 Corinthians, an epistle where Paul pulled no punches. Divisions, immorality—even turning the Lord’s Supper into a drunken feast. From our reading today we see that Paul did not relish his prophetic role. He genuinely cared about this church, and Paul makes clear that he did not rebuke them merely because he was angry or disappointed in them, Paul made them “sorry” in the hopes that it might produce godly repentance (vv.8-9)

God’s heart towards sin is that none should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Peter 2:9). His desire is to show mercy, for us to have renewed fellowship with Him, to restore relationships, mend fences, receive worship, and bestow blessings, if we would only lay down our pride and repent. So often people can carry unresolved feelings and attitudes around with them for years. They think they can ignore the elephant in the room, but yet, there it is - hidden behind the eyes, in the mind, and deep within heart. 

O what freedom comes from repentance, from giving your burden over to Jesus. For us as believers comes restoration, for the unbeliever salvation. If you have some unresolved issues to reconcile, go to God in prayer first, repent, then go to whom the Spirit has placed on your heart and resolve those issues. Speaking from experience, you will be eternally thankful you did. And like our text says, "not to be regretted."

The Truth: “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us for all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

2 Corinthians 6 "Give No Cause For Defense"

  “Giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited..” (v.3)

Fault-finding is a popular pastime, and unfortunately a lot of us find it’s easy to, "see the speck in our brothers eye, but ignore the beam in our own." Concentrating on the faults of others is a great way to feel better about ourselves. And that’s just the problem. Avoiding the faults that need to be fixed in our own lives not only stunts our spiritual growth, but also obstructs God’s work through us. God’s effectiveness through our lives is enhanced or hindered by the way we live.

It’s no wonder, then, that Paul made a concerted effort to “put no obstacle in anyone’s way.” For him there was nothing more important than his usefulness for Christ in the lives of others. Anything that got in the way of that was dispensable. Paul wanted to be authentic, genuine, Christ-like, especially during the trials of his life. For he once was the "chief" of all sinners, persecuting God's people, and did not want to do anything that would give cause for anyone to doubt his witness, his life, his conversion, and certainly not his ministry.  

If you want to be authentic and useful for God, take an obstacle inventory. Replace your fault by giving it to Jesus, thereby giving no cause for offense to others.

The Truth: “Let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” (Romans 14:13)

2 Corinthians 5 "Standing Perfect In Christ"

"For He hath made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (v.21)

Wow! So much in this chapter; Assurance of the Resurrection, The Judgment Seat of Christ, Being reconciled to God. But, what jumped out at me this time around was our text, "God made Him." Think about that. 

The idea that any man could be sinless was foreign to Jewish thinking (Ecclesiastes 8:5). Despite that, no one challenged Jesus when He claimed to be sinless (John 8:46). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul carefully chooses his words here. He does not say Jesus was made to be a sinner. Jesus never became a sinner, but He did become sin for us. Even His becoming sin was a righteous act of love, not an act of sin.

When Christ was born an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21). Christ, born of a virgin, sinless, and remained so His entire life, to fulfill one purpose, that He might be the sinless sacrifice to God (who made Him) for all who would believe in His name, to make a way for us (positionally) to enter into heaven through His righteousness. 

Jesus took our sin, but gave us His righteousness. It is a tremendous exchange, all prompted by the love of God for us! Therefore, when God looks at us, He sees only the righteousness of His Son, and we will stand perfected in Him before the throne of God, because God made Him for us (John 3:16). Hallelujah!    

The Truth: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

2 Corinthians 4 “Renew The Inner Man”

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (v.16)

I find it very difficult to be around negative people who do nothing but complain about life. Their grumpiness, cynicism, doubt, and fear, create a depressing environment to be around. Positive people on the other hand, are a pleasure to be around. Their uplifting faith, hope and joy can be an inspiration when going through difficult times in life and inspire us to contentment.

The Apostle Paul knew all about difficult times. He was stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, thrown overboard, and cast into dungeons. If anyone earned the right to be negative about life, it would be him. Instead, he chose to encourage those around him to “not lose heart,” by focusing not on “the outward man,” but to focus God’s Word and renew the "inward man” through His Spirit.

Difficulties in life are givens. We will all struggle in one way or another. And yes, life sometimes just isn't fair. But, projecting that 24/7 can do nothing for our inner man. When going through tough times, Paul encourages us to, "Look not at the things which are seen, but to the things which are not seen." Meaning not the temporal, but the eternal, and to focus on renewing our spirits through God's Word. Then, whether grieving or searching for: His voice, His guidance, His direction or His comfort, the Word will always lift you up and renew your Spirit.

The Truth: "Be anxious for nothing, but in all things by prayer and supplication, and with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the Peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

2 Corinthians 3 “Sufficiency In Christ”

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (vv.3-5)

Paul is telling us here that God Himself makes us sufficient as His servants of the good news. This is an encouragement to all who desire to be obedient to the great commission and be used by God to bring His message of hope to others. Paul reminds us that the law makes demands (“for the letter kills”), but that His Spirit makes a way to life.

The "letter" spoken of in out text is the law in its outward sense, written on tablets of stone. But the Spirit is given so that the law can be written internally, on our hearts. The law is discouraging because it constantly reminds us that we are guilty sinners before our holy God. The stone tablets Moses brought down from Mount Sinai charged men with treason against God, condemning even Moses himself. The law said murders were to be stoned to death, and that no sacrifice was sufficient for a guilty murderer like Moses or King David.

The law then acts as a ministry of death because no one can satisfy its demands on their own merit, and they are therefore condemned. Only the grace of God can transform lost sinners. Only God’s Spirit brings true life, not lists of rules. The sacrificial blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin, as Hosea said, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, / And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6). Therefore, the Old Testament prophets looked forward to the New Covenant, when the law of God would be written in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) and said, God would grant hearts of flesh to replace hearts of stone (Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26).

We can see here that Paul doesn’t consider himself sufficient for the great task of changing lives for Jesus. Only God's Spirit is sufficient for such a big job. Charles Spurgeon wrote,  “Brethren, if Paul is not sufficient of himself, what are you and I?" The indwelling of the Spirit then becomes for us a law written on our hearts. He is in us to guide us and be our “law.” It isn’t that the Holy Spirit replaces the written law, but completes and fulfills the work of the written law in our hearts. The Spirit gives life, and with this spiritual life, we can live out the law of God.

The Truth: "For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7:5-6)

2 Corinthians 2 “Forgiveness And Restoration”

Sufficient for such a one (who had caused sorrow to the church) is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority. Now forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.” (vv.5-8)

Church discipline can be controversial, but it's intended to bring about repentance and restoration. The Corinthians had responded to Paul's painful first letter requesting that a certain individual be disciplined (1 Cor. 5). Although the Corinthians had complied with Paul's request (2 Cor. 2:6), they were apparently having a hard time restoring the person who had been disciplined (v.7). So Paul urges them to reaffirm their love for him (v.8). 

When dealing with any type of misconduct, discipline is only one half of the coin; the other half must include forgiveness and love. Paul’s example here is powerful. Although he had probably been the one wronged, he took the lead in forgiveness and stressed the necessity of the restoration toward this individual. 

C. S. Lewis once said, “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.” May that not be the case with us as individuals or as a church body. May we always reflect the love of Christ in this area of forgiveness and restoration. For failure to do so leaves an open door for an all-too-ready adversary. 

Is there someone in you life that needs your love, your forgiveness, and the restoration of your fellowship? If so, take Paul's example to heart - reaffirm your love to them and defeat Satan's hold against you both. 

The Truth: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

2 Corinthians 1 "God Of All Comfort"

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (vv.3-4)

Paul opens this letter by praising the God who gives so much mercy and comfort to the apostle and all believers. As we read through this letter, we get the feeling that Paul knows the mercy and comfort of God on a first-hand basis.

Paul found real comfort in God and was able to comfort others because he experienced God’s faithfulness first hand. Being able to speak from experience has a tremendous power of immediately putting you on the same level with the person you are trying to help. This is the great purpose of God in comforting us, to enable us to bring comfort to others. Unfortunately many never receive the comfort God wants to give us through another person. Pride keeps us from revealing our needs to others, so we never receive the comfort God would give us through them.

Jesus expressed in John 16:33: In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Jesus who also suffered, is fully qualified to comfort us in our time of trial. (Hebrews 2:18) Even God Himself experienced the pain of watching His only Son beaten, whipped and nailed to a cross for us. So when we turn to Him and His Word, it has the power of comfort from His experience.

Therefore, He is able to comfort us in all tribulation so that we in turn may comfort others.

The Truth: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

1 Corinthians 16 "Above All Love"

"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (vv.13-14)

Paul ends his letter to the Corinthians like he started it. After all the time spent to correct, rebuke, and exhort them, he now affirms his confidence in them. Returning to the theme of love, he urges the Corinthians to; stand firm in the faith, don’t waver; act like men, lead don’t follow; be strong, firm, solid in your resolve not weak; and finally, all that you do should be done in love, and expressed in tangible ways to one another.

It should be noted that we all continue to struggle with some of the same issues in the 21st century, as the Corinthians did. However, the key point for all of us to draw on from in this chapter is, the attention to love. 

We as Christians are all brothers and sisters in Jesus, no one is perfect, we are all under construction but, we are His children. As such, we all need instruction, exhortation, at times correction, most certainly direction, and above all - love. 

All the watching, all the standing fast, all the bravery, and all the strength the Corinthian Christians might show meant nothing without love. They were called to do all those things in a meek, humble spirit of love.

Therefore, all that we do should be done in love. For, “There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Be on alert brothers and sisters, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and all that you do, let it be done in love.

The Truth: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, and will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)