2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 1:1-11,
“Introduction To 2 Corinthians”
By
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our study today
we are going to look at the introduction to the epistle of 2 Corinthians
2.
BACKGROUND
FOR THE BOOK:
2.1.
PAUL’S
PREVIOUS RELATIONS WITH THE CHURCH IN
In order for us to
best understand the reasons for Paul’s writing the epistle of 2 Corinthians one
needs to learn about Paul’s previous involvements with the Corinthian church.
2.1.1. Paul was used to plant the Corinthian church during
his 2nd missionary journey
2.1.1.1.In Acts 18:1-4 we read that during Paul’s
second missionary journey, about 50AD, that he was used to plant the church in
Corinth, “1 After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth.2 And
he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from
Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to
leave Rome. He came to them,3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed
with them and they were working; for by trade they were tent-makers.4 And he
was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and
Greeks.”
2.1.1.2.In Acts 18:11 we read that the Lord opened a door of
effective ministry for Paul in
2.1.1.3.From the eighteenth chapter of the book of Acts we
learn that Paul (probably around 52AD) finally had to leave the city of Corinth
when the people of the city began to persecute the church leaders and Paul knew
that if he stayed that great persecution would come upon the whole church, and
the people of the city would probably kill him shortly.
2.1.2. The lost letter written before the writing of 1
Corinthians:
2.1.2.1.Before the writing of the letter of 1 Corinthians,
there is a reference in the letter of 1 Corinthians to show that Paul had
written a now lost letter to the Corinthians in which we know that he had
exhorted them specifically not to associate with immoral people. The church thought that Paul meant for them
not to associate with unbelievers who were immoral, however Paul meant for them
not to associate with immoral people who had come into the church claiming to
have become Christians, yet who had not given up their immoral lifestyle.
2.1.2.2.In 1 Cor. 5:9-11, Paul clarified that what he meant by
telling the Corinthians not to associate with immoral people was ‘immoral
people who had come into the church,’ otherwise if they didn’t associate with
immoral people outside of the church they would never be able to win the world
to Christ for the world is full of immoral people.
2.1.3. Paul sent Titus to arrange an offering from the
Corinthians for the poor brethren in the
2.1.3.1.Paul writes about this in 2 Cor. 8:6,10; 9:2 and 1
Cor. 16:1-2.
2.1.3.2.In 1 Cor. 16:3, Paul originally told the Corinthians
that they could arrange for some faithful men of their choice to deliver the
letter with the financial gift for the
2.1.4. The writing of the letter of 1 Corinthians:
2.1.4.1.The church in
2.1.4.2.He wrote this letter to answer their questions and to
deal with issues, such as:
2.1.4.2.1.Divisions that were present in the church.
2.1.4.2.2.Brother taking brother to court with lawsuits.
2.1.4.2.3.Instructions and a warning concerning the Lord’s
supper.
2.1.4.2.4.Eating food which had been sacrificed to idols and
thereby causing your brother to stumble.
2.1.4.2.5.Matters concerning marriage and divorce.
2.1.4.2.6.The proper use of spiritual gifts.
2.1.4.2.7.The primacy of agape love amongst brothers and
sisters.
2.1.4.2.8.The fact of Christ’s resurrection (as some were saying
there was no resurrection).
2.1.5. Paul sent Timothy to the church in
2.1.5.1.We read about this trip by Timothy in 2 Cor. 4:17.
2.1.5.2.In 1 Cor. 16:10-12 Paul told the church in Corinth
basically to treat Timothy well, give him no reason to be fearful, and allow
him to return when he felt that his ministry with them was complete.
2.1.6. Apollos desires to go out as a missionary and is sent
to the area of Achia and the Church in
2.1.6.1.We read at the end of Acts 18 and in Acts 19:1 that
Apollos went to Achia, being sent there by Priscilla and Aquila in
2.1.6.2.Apollos was a very strong orator and one who was
strong in the scriptures, and thus his ministry there with the Corinthians
caused the unfortunate experience of the people comparing his superior oratory skills
with those of the apostle Paul who was better at penning letters than
preaching. Having Apollos in Corinth
then began the undermining of Paul’s apostolic authority in some of the
people’s minds as they began to consider that perhaps there were others who
were just as entitled to be apostles in the church as was Paul.
2.1.7. Paul told the Corinthians in chapter 16 of 1
Corinthians that he would return to them and spend the next winter with them:
2.1.7.1.Paul left for
2.1.8. More bad news arrived to Paul from
2.1.8.1.This probably occurred in the spring of 55AD and Paul
probably took Titus with him on his journey to
2.1.8.2.What brought about Paul’s desire to make an immediate
return was evidently that the church had fallen into significant immorality
(see 2 Cor. 12:21; 13:2).
2.1.8.3.When Paul was with them during this trip very heated
quarreling, anger, strife, and gossip erupted as Paul sought to correct the
grave situation in the church (see 2 Cor. 12:20), particularly as one man stood
up against Paul before the church.
2.1.8.4.Because of the nature of the sin of the church as well
as the church’s handling of Paul during this trip, there resulted great grief
and sadness both to the Corinthians as well as to Paul (see 2 Cor. 2:1-4;
12:21).
2.1.9. Paul told the church that he was changing his original
plans and that now he planned to return two more times to visit them:
2.1.9.1.Paul’s revising of his original plan was in Paul’s
mind going to provide a greater benefit and blessing to the church since he
would now be seeing them two more times rather than just one time.
2.1.9.2.However, Paul’s changing of his plans had the
unfortunate result of causing some in the church to began to criticize him for
being fickle, not being a man who kept his word, and making plans in the flesh
(see 2 Cor. 1:15-24).
2.1.10.After prayer and reflection Paul again changed his
mind about his plans to visit the Corinthians again right away, and instead of
visiting them right away he wrote to them what is referred to as ‘The Severe
Letter’, which he sent to them via Titus:
2.1.10.1.The grief that had been caused by the last visit by
Paul to the Corinthians caused him to decide that if he returned to them right
away that he would only bring them excessive grief (see 2 Cor. 2:1-2;
1:6). Thus, he decided to write to them
the “Severe Letter” to re-emphasize the importance of dealing with matters in
the way that he had instructed them to do when he was with them in person.
2.1.10.2.It is believed that Paul’s ‘Severe Letter’ to the
church addressed primarily the fact that there were several in the church who
were committing sexual immorality and that it was imperative that the church
take severe steps to remove this sin from their midst (see 2 Cor. 10:1-11;
12:14-13:14).
2.1.10.2.1.Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians that there were those
who had sinned earlier (see 2 Cor. 12:21; 13:2).
2.1.10.3.Paul apparently experienced a feeling of regret after
writing this “Severe Letter” and he was now afraid that he might completely
lose this Corinthian church.
2.1.10.4.Paul didn’t hear a word back from Titus on how the
church had received the letter, and so after months of anxiously waiting for
Titus to return he finally left Ephesus and went to Troas (see 2 Cor. 2:12).
2.1.10.5.Still not having Titus join up with him, Paul
proceeded to
2.1.10.6.Finally, Titus appeared in
2.1.10.7.There was a man specifically addressed in Paul’s
severe letter who had assailed him in his previous difficult visit with the
Corinthians, and whom the church had refused to discipline. However, Paul’s ‘Severe Letter’ evidently
admonished the church to deal appropriately with church discipline concerning
this man. Titus brought the good news
that the church had now disciplined this man (see 2 Cor. 2:5; 7:7-16).
2.1.11.Evidently, the major difficulties and/or persecutions
Paul experienced in
2.1.11.1.Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 16:6 that a wide
effective door of ministry had opened for him in
2.1.11.2.We read in 2 Cor. 1:8-9 that some difficulty had
occurred with Paul as he was ministering in the city of Ephesus that was so
difficult that he and those with him despaired even of life itself.
2.1.11.3.Also, in 1 Corinthains 15:32, we read that Paul fought
with wild beasts at Ephesus, however we do not know if he was referring
literally to wild animals that he was forced to fight with in an arena or in
the wild, or whether he was referring to the wild mob uproar of the city
against the church for destroying their idol designing business. This
forced Paul to leave the city and his ministry with the church.
2.2.
PURPOSES
FOR THE WRITING OF THE BOOK:
2.2.1. Paul wanted to defend and re-establish his authority
as an apostle to the church in
2.2.2. Paul wanted to explain to them that just because he
changed his mind about his plans to come to them that he was not fickle, not a
man who did not keep his word, and he did not his plans according to the
flesh. Paul was being led of the Holy
Spirit in all that he did, and when he made his plans he did so after prayer
and according to the best knowledge of the situations that faced him and the
church in
2.2.3. Paul wanted to reconcile and repair his damaged
relationship with the church in
2.2.4. Paul wanted to encourage the church to re-admit the
man to fellowship whom they had removed because of his exhortation to them in 1
Corinthians chapter 5.
2.2.5. Paul wanted to encourage the church to complete their
pledge of giving for the poor brethren in the church in
2.2.6. Paul wanted to teach them about and encourage them in
regular giving to the Lord of their first fruits.
2.2.7. Paul wanted to give detail to the church of the things
that he suffered as a result of being an apostle, and in doing so explain to
them that the suffering that he experienced has been used by God in their lives
to comfort them, and thus his suffering bound them together with him.
2.2.7.1.Some had been critical of Paul because they couldn’t
understand how if he was an apostle that he was always being persecuted and
suffering.
2.2.8. Paul wanted to encourage the Corinthians as he had in
1 Corinthians 15 about the hope they have in being resurrected and spending
eternity in heaven. He again admonishes
them to keep an eternal perspective and not get too carried away in temporal
matters.
2.2.9. Paul wanted to tell them to avoid being misled by some
self-made “super apostles” who had come into the church. This group evidently were Judaisers.
2.2.10.Paul wanted to call the church to examine themselves
as to whether or not they truly were in the faith, or not, and to come to
repentence. In a large sense Paul
realized that their getting right with the Lord was coupled with their again
coming to that place where they accepted him as being an apostle of Jesus
Christ.
2.2.11.He encourages them to press on into sanctification and
spiritual maturity, and to avoid being bound together with unbelievers.
3.
VS
1:1-2 - “1 Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which
is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:2 Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians by
calling himself ‘an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God’
3.1.
The primary
problem with the church in
3.1.1. Notice that in declaring his apostleship to the church
in Corinth he does not place pastor Timothy upon the same ground as himself, an
apostle, rather Timothy is called ‘our brother.’ Timothy was not called as an apostle and he
was also not co-author of this letter with Paul, he is referred to merely as a
brother and a faithful pastor.
3.1.2. If Paul was called as an apostle of Christ according
to the will of God, then the church had the solemn responsibility to recognize
his supreme authority over them and their faith and to follow his instructions
and admonitions.
3.2.
Paul did not
write this letter to the church in
3.3.
Paul writes
his characteristic salutation to the churches here of ‘grace’ and ‘peace’ from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (also found in 1 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 2 Thessalonians).
3.3.1. Paul knew that everything that we believers have has
come to us in spite of our not deserving it.
Everything we have has come about from the grace of God. In spite of our sinful hearts, the Lord has
chosen to pour out on us His grace, and we have received ‘grace upon grace’
from the Lord (John 1:16) which He has lavished upon us (Eph. 1:8).
3.3.2. Through Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross as
full payment for our sins we have come to have ‘peace with God’ through Christ
(
3.3.3. There were some ‘super apostles’ there in the church
in
4.
VS 1:3-6 - “3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God
of all comfort;4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able
to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God.5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours
in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.6 But if we are
afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is
for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same
sufferings which we also suffer;” - Paul tells
the Corinthians that the Lord allows us to go through sufferings so that He
might comfort us and then make us able to comfort others in the same sufferings
4.1.
Having given his
salutation, Paul pronounces a blessing upon the Lord, or as they same in some
denominations, he pronounces a “benediction upon the Lord.” Paul blesses the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
4.2.
Again we see
that Paul places Jesus Christ at the center of God’s plans and blessings for
mankind. This would not be the emphasis
that the “super apostle” Judaisers would place.
4.3.
Paul calls
God the Father, the ‘Father of mercies and God of all comfort.’
4.3.1. Paul saw rightly that in all of the world at that time
there was found very little, if any, of the giving of ‘mercy’ to people. In fact, in Paul’s time to show ‘mercy’ was
seen as being a weakness of person’s character, not a grace or anything that
was desirable or praiseworthy.
Christianity brought about an age of ‘mercy’ upon the earth, and thus
Paul saw that God the Father was also the ‘Father of mercies.’
4.3.2. Likewise, Paul saw that “all” comfort came from
God. People rarely if ever comforted
someone other perhaps than their own children, and that only at a young
age. People in the world then, as it is
now also, were constantly thinking about themselves and their well-being
primarily, and thus there was little thought even of other’s and their needs
and struggles, and of giving of comfort to others.
4.3.2.1.By the way, if a person does not know the Lord, what
kind of comfort can you ever give to him outside of comfort through the hope
that we have in Christ?
4.3.2.2.True comfort in this world comes from God through
Jesus Christ.
4.3.2.3.God is constantly comforting His people also. In all of our afflictions and difficulties,
the Lord comes alongside of us and encourages us with the hope of the things
that are eternal through Christ. We
could never even begin to count all of the ways that the Lord comforts us, His
people.
4.4.
Paul writes
that the Lord comforts us in “all’ of our afflictions. There is not a single thing that we
Christians suffer that the Lord does not come alongside of us and comfort us.
4.5.
Paul writes
that not only does the Lord comfort us in all of our afflictions, but He also
comforts us so that we can turn around and comfort others with the same comfort
that He comforts us with.
4.5.1. This brings a nice edge to the sharp pains of
affliction in our lives, doesn’t it? If
we know that though we may have to suffer and run into trials and difficulties,
the Lord will meet us in those difficulties, and then, He will bring people
into our lives that we will be able to comfort with that same comfort that the
Lord comforted us with.
4.5.2. In these verses, Paul is countering the fact that some
in the church in
4.5.3. Paul writes that the sufferings he and they have been
going through were in abundance, however the comfort of the Lord to him, and
also them, was also in abundance.
4.5.4. Paul writes that if he was afflicted that it was for
their comfort and salvation. This
indicates that going through afflictions as a result of following Christ and
trying to serve Him will result in his understanding of how to have victory in
Christ in the midst of that affliction, and thus he would be able to share with
them how they also could have victory in Christ, or salvation, in the midst of
their afflictions.
4.5.5. Paul also writes that his having received the comfort
of God in the midst of his afflictions and sufferings would enable him through
that comfort that he would receive from Christ, to be able to persevere in his
faith and serving Christ. Thus, Paul
through receiving of the Lord’s comfort would be able to help them to persevere
in serving the Lord faithfully.
4.6.
The things
that we Christians suffer qualify us to be able to effectively minister to
others.
4.6.1. In Heb. 4:15-5:9, Paul is attempting to show a
bunch of Jews who have become Christians yet not grown on into maturity in the
grace of God how that they must understand that Christ is superior to Moses and
that the many aspects of the priesthood of Christ are superior to the Aaronic
priesthood, and in those verses he demonstrates the superiority of the
priesthood of Christ by the fact that the temptations and sufferings that
Christ endured qualify Him to be the superior high priest, “15 For we do
not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who
has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.16 Let us therefore
draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and
may find grace to help in time of need.
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of
men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices
for sins;2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself
also is beset with weakness;3 and because of it he is obligated to offer
sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.4 And no one takes
the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron
was.5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but
He who said to Him, “Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee” ; 6 just as He says also in another passage,
“Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up
both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to
save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.8 Although He was a
Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.9 And having been
made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal
salvation.”
4.6.2. If you as a Christian desired to minister to others
and yet when you went to share with them about the Lord they told you about the
difficulties and sufferings that they have gone through, and you in turn could
only say to them that though you have never experienced any real suffering that
you understand that the Lord and His word can help them through their
difficulties, you would not be very effective.
The Lord brings difficulties into our lives as believers so that we will
be able to effectively relate to others in their sufferings and also to be able
to explain to them firsthand how that the Lord ministered to you and helped you
when you were in very similar circumstances.
4.6.3. In my life I have many times held back from sharing
some of my most profound sufferings and difficulties because they were so
painful and sometimes embarrassing to bring up and share with others, however
every day I seem to open up a little more with people who are in their times of
sufferings as the Lord leads, and tell them about how the Lord worked in my
life during similar times. Whenever I do
so I realize again just how powerful it is to be able to relate to others in
their difficulties when you can show them how God ministered to you.
4.6.3.1.I have found that sharing my failures with others can
minister to them as well. Many times
when people have fallen away from the Lord or fallen into a sin we in the body
of Christ can act like we have never or could never imagine falling ourselves,
when in fact if the truth were known we all have failed the Lord over and over
again.
4.6.3.2.Now, I do want to say that we need wisdom to know what
things from our past to share with others and what detail to bring up from our
times of suffering, because some details won’t be able to edify others. Some details of our sin can cause others or
even ourselves to be tempted also, so beware to share only the details that can
edify.
5.
VS 1:7 - “7 and our
hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings,
so also you are sharers of our comfort.” - Paul tells
the Corinthians that he had hope for them persevering firmly until the end in
their faith in and serving Christ because of the fact that they shared in his
sufferings and thus his comfort from God
5.1.
Not only did
Paul want the Corinthians to understand that he and they were bound together in
their sufferings and the comfort that came from God, and that each and every
one of his sufferings worked for their good, he also wanted them to know that
he knew that because of the sufferings that he experienced and the resultant
comfort with which he shared with them in their times of suffering, that they
would remain serving the Lord faithfully until Christ came to take them home to
be with Him.
5.1.1. Amazingly, Paul tells them that their eternal
salvation was even guaranteed because of his sufferings!
6.
VS 1:8 - “8 For we do
not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in
Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we
despaired even of life;” - Paul tells the Corinthians
that he wanted them to know how great the suffering was that he and those with
him had experienced in Asia
6.1.
As I read
this letter of Paul’s, I am impressed with how open and transparent Paul is to
them in expressing his own difficulties, trials, and personal weaknesses. It is as if Paul realizes that all that he
has to share with people that can benefit them comes from pouring out from his
heart the difficulties and humiliations he had experienced, alongside the
victories which the Lord had accomplished through him.
6.1.1. Paul also communicates that all of his victories had
happened in spite of his unworthiness and inabilities he experienced when in
the strength of his own flesh.
6.2.
Paul writes
here that in the last year that he and those with him ministering in
6.3.
Paul was an
apostle and a dedicated servant of God who was constantly laying down his life
for Christ, yet we see from the New Testament that he experienced times of
great depression in his life as well.
Many Christian men and leaders who have been greatly used by God have
likewise experienced profound depression in their lives, including even the man
I try to quote as often as I can, “Charles Spurgeon,” the great English
preacher. I heard a quote from Spurgeon
once where he claimed that he had experienced more depression than any
man. Sometimes I wonder if part of the
burden of being a pastor or in ministry is that occasionally you will
experience times of profound depression, as I have a couple of times
experienced this myself. I want to
express to you though that being in the ministry does not exempt one from times
of depression.
6.3.1. In the New Testament, we are promised that the
Christian life will have difficulties, tribulations, and persecutions. Charles Spurgeon once spoke about how
the life of a Christian will result in difficulties, persecutions, trials,
chastisements, etc., “I have sometimes heard religion described in such a
way that its high coloring has displeased me. It is true “her ways are ways of
pleasantness,” but it is not true that a Christian never has sorrow or trouble.
It is true that light-eyed cheerfulness, and airy-footed love, can go through
the world without much depression and tribulation: but it is not true that
Christianity will shield a man from trouble; nor ought it to be so represented.
In fact, we ought to speak of it in the other way, Soldier of Christ, if thou
enlisteth, thou wilt have to do hard battle. There is no bed of down for thee,
there it no riding to heaven in a chariot; the rough way must be trodden,
mountains must be climbed, rivers must be forded, dragons must be fought,
giants must be slain, difficulties must be overcome, and great trials must be
borne. It is not a smooth road to heaven, believe me; for those who have gone
but a very few steps therein, have found it to be a rough one. It is a pleasant
one, it is the most delightful in all the world, but it is not easy in itself;
it is only pleasant because of the company, because of the sweet promises on
which we lean, because of our Beloved who walks with us through all the rough
and thorny brakes of this vast wilderness. Christian expect trouble: “Count it
not strange concerning the fiery trial, and as though some strange thing had
happened unto thee;” for as truly as thou art a child of God, thy Savior hath
left thee for his legacy, — “In the world, ye shall have tribulation, in me ye
shall have peace.” If I had no trouble I would not believe myself one of the
family. If I never had a trial, I would not think myself a heir of heaven.”
6.3.1.1.We Christians are promised that we will experience
tribulations and persecutions in this world, just as Christ experienced them
himself. There are people all throughout
history who have experienced difficulties and sufferings that are of such a
great intensity that I pray that I will not have to experience them
myself. I have heard of some people
actually becoming gray over night because of profound grief and loss.
6.4.
In the midst
of times of depression, should you, child of God, experience them, and I don’t
wish this on anyone, you must learn to rely completely upon Christ and turn to
prayer about your circumstances and trust in the faithfulness of God and His
promises.
6.4.1. Though we will go through times of suffering and
persecution and at some time most likely even profound depression, it is not the
Lord’s will for us to remain depressed.
Rather, the Lord allows those times into our lives after having also
planned the profound comfort that He will bring to our life if we will just
allow Him to work.
6.4.2. In addition to external circumstances, there are many
things that a Christian can allow into his life and his heart that can bring on
depression, and this is a very big area to discuss in passing. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has written a book titled,
“Spiritual Depression,” which has helped me to get to the root of some of the
sources of depression that have occurred in my spiritual walk, and I encourage
anyone to read that book. But, let me
just say that we can bring on our own depression. Also, one thing that tends to bring on
depression is our own realization of our moral failures.
6.4.3. Phil. 4:6-7
must be the lifeboat during times of depression, “6 Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
6.5.
Paul writes
in 2 Cor. 7:6, that as he and those with him were waiting for the
arrival of Titus to bring news of how the church in Corinth was doing, that
when Titus finally came that God used him to comfort Paul, and those with him,
as he came with a mostly good report, “6 But God, who comforts the
depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”
7.
VS 1:9-10 - “9 indeed,
we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust
in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;10 who delivered us from so great
a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He
will yet deliver us,” - Paul writes to the
Corinthians that he and those with him had the sentence of death within
themselves
7.1.
There are
really two ways as I see it to look at this statement of Paul’s that they had
the sentence of death within themselves:
7.1.1. They knew they were going to die and were resigned
that their present persecution and circumstances would result in their physical
death.
7.1.1.1.This interpretation would seem likely due to Paul’s
having just explained how that they were depressed even to the point of wishing
that they were dead.
7.1.1.2.However, Paul then begins to express to the
Corinthians the victory they had over their circumstances because of their
trusting in the Lord who will deliver them.
7.1.2. They had come to the end of themselves and were dead
to self and their sinful nature.
7.1.2.1.This interpretation makes it a little awkward because
Paul had just been speaking of being depressed to the point of wishing they
were dead.
7.1.2.2.However, it does seem to suit what Paul writes just
afterward about their having the victory over their circumstances because of
their trusting in the Lord who will deliver them.
7.2.
I personally
believe that both interpretations may be true.
Paul and his companions were resigned to the fact that they were
eventually going to die for preaching the gospel, yet they were also dead to
self and trusting in God who can even raise the dead and who would yet deliver
them in the future.
7.2.1. Certainly, we can see that Paul and his companions had
hope in no one and nothing but the Lord Himself and that they knew that if
deliverance came, it came at the hand of the Lord. If they were to die, then they would just go
to be with the Lord and be removed for eternity from a life of sufferings.
7.2.1.1.In Phil. 1:21-24, Paul wrote about how he
looked at death as being a better option than being alive, yet if he remained
on in this life he could be used to build up the church and this would result
to their benefit, “21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.22
But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and
I do not know which to choose.23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions,
having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;24
yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”
8.
VS
1:11 - “11 you also joining in
helping us through your prayers, that thanks may be given by many persons on
our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many.”
- Paul asks for prayer for himself and
those with him on their missionary endeavors
8.1.
Though an
apostle, Paul knew that he needed the prayers of as many of the saints as he
could receive. He was not ashamed to ask
for prayer from any and all of the churches, and he believed that God answered
the prayers of every believer in Christ just as He answered his prayers.
8.2.
Paul desires to
give thanks for each and every prayer offered on his behalf, for in every area
of his life and ministry he was absolutely at the mercy of God and the prayers
of the saints.