2 Corinthians 2:5-11 - Showing Magnanimity

Paul told the Corinthians he had changed his plan for good reasons. His motive was right as he was demonstrating God’s grace for the benefit of His people. In this passage, Paul was also indicating to the Corinthians that they should also make changes in some of their circumstances, plans and practices to demonstrate God’s grace. In 2 Corinthian 2:5-11, Paul then went on and dealt with an area they needed to change.

 

In 1 Corinthians 5:1 he mentioned a man who was living in a sexual relationship with his mother or step mother. In 1 Corinthians 5:2 we are told that they were apparently nonchalant and were arrogant about it. He wrote to them, in 1 Corinthians 5:4-8, to put that man out of fellowship to help bring sense to him and help him to repent. Here in 2 Corinthians 2:6, Paul picked up from that account and expressed what happened as a result of his earlier instruction. Apparently they had listened to Paul and disciplined that man. And God graciously worked in his life and he had repented. But the Corinthians, in verse 7, failed to follow-through with that man’s repentance and restore him to the fellowship. They ostracized him and continued to treat him like an outcast although he had repented of his sin. Paul said that although he, as well as the church, was grieved, they had no reason to continue to dissociate with that man after he had shown genuine repentance. So here the apostle urged them to change, and to restore him to fellowship so that he would not be overwhelmed by sorrow.

 

He asked them to forgive and comfort him. Discipline had been applied. Now forgiveness and comfort was the right thing to do. So he told them to restate their love for him. The fellowship had exercised discipline on that brother but pride was so evident in them that they would not restore him to fellowship. Although he had repented, that brother was kept in continual despair. This was a thing they should have avoided.  In verse 9 Paul said that since they had been obedient in disciplining that brother, they should now show their obedience by restoring him. This would be a test of true obedience, not just concerning this matter but also all things.  In verse 10 he told them that their forgiveness of their brother would also reflect his own forgiveness for him. When the apostle forgave he did so in the presence of the Risen Christ.

 

Paul rounded up in verse 11 telling the Corinthians to thwart the scheme of Satan and not to be outsmarted by him. We know that this enemy’s intention had always been to bring disunity between brethren. He had always been the one who had caused brethren to devour and malign each other. Whereas Christ came to bring unity in the fellowship when he died on the cross. Paul said we are not ignorant of the devil’s scheme to divide. Hence we should not give him the avenue to do so.

 

Disciplining a wrong must be done but when genuine repentance is shown, forgiveness, love and restoration should be given. The church is called into a ministry of reconciliation. We ought not to be stubborn and hardheaded allowing the devil to divide the fellowship. Pride, arrogance, bitterness, etc. are indications of one’s wilful disobedience when one chooses to remain unforgiving.  

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4 - Paul's reasons for changing his plan.

In these few verses, Paul now went on to explain the reasons for his changed plan. He began ine beagn oin verse 23 by insisting that God could be his witness that he did not vacillate. For God alone knows everyone’s motive and he was open prepared for His condemnation if he was not telling the truth.  Then he gave several reasons for his change in plan.

 

His first reason is given in 2 Corinthians 1:23. The apostle said he did it in order to “…spare you (the Corinthians)….” This was truly in keeping with the apostle’s attitude of care and love. If he had come to them he would be in such a tirade that they would not feel saved. He wanted them to feel saved rather than hurt. We all know that a wrong discovered must be punished but love would cause one to be disinclined to search out the flaws that must be punished. Love is kind in that sense.

 

In verse 24 he gave his second reason. He wanted to come and labor among them and not lord over them. To him the time to visit was not conducive and would not give him the latitude to achieve his purpose of ministry. In the kind of state the Corinthians was in at that point, Paul could not be gentle in his dealing. Hence his dealing with them would be seen as lording over them. He didn’t want to dictate over them but would rather labor among them as God’s servant, to help them achieve joy and stability in their faith. Like Paul we must be conscious that the only Lord the church has is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In 2 Corinthians 2:1 we see his third reason. His plan was changed because as he said, “…I would not come to you in sorrow again.” The apostle wanted a pleasant encounter and not a sorrowful or painful one. Paul had already made a painful visit and was grieved by it. He changed his plans because he did not want a replicate of the same experience. He stated that his preference was for a joyful visit rather than an unpleasant one.

 

Now in 2 Corinthians 2:4, Paul wrote to let them know the depth of his love for them. Obviously Paul was grieved by his first visit to them and it was painful. The letter he wrote after that visit reflected how distressed and anguished his heart was. It was precisely out of the depth of this love for them that he changed his plans.

 

The motivation of Paul was love for the people. While love is all the time tender it ought to be tough when the time calls for it. Knowing these two sides of love will definitely help us not to dismiss it when tough love is shown.  Let us remember to serve with love.   

2 Corinthians 2:15-22 - Promises must be made with integrity

Let us examine some backdrop to help us to understand the issue Paul was confronting here. In verse 16 we are told that Paul intended to visit the Corinthians twice. Once on his way to Macedonia and once on his way back. But in his letter in 1 Corinthians 16:5, he said he would come to them after he had gone to Macedonia. His intention was to spend a longer time with them and perhaps to stay with them for the winter. But by the time he wrote them this second letter he had not even made his intended visit. This invited his critics to malign him. They accused him of being a double-talker. He was slandered as one who didn’t mean what he had said and didn’t say what he meant. They could have bad-mouthed him for just being interested in the offering collected for the needy in Judea. They even implied that Paul was vacillating when it came to keeping promises. 

 

But Paul truly had the intention to visit the Corinthians and he wrote to them twice about it. But circumstances forced him to change his plan which invited the criticism against him. In verses 12-14, he partially answered his critics. Now in verses 15-18 he continued to deal with those criticisms. Paul began in verse 15 saying confidently that he knew that they were aware of his intention when he wrote them about his visit. He told them that he had no other motive except to bless them. His goal was to visit them as he made his way to Macedonia and to visit them again on his journey back from Macedonia. In this way they would be blessed twice by his ministry. Besides, he was hoping that they would help him on his journey to Judea.

 

He was conscious that he had made changes to his travel plan but he insisted that he had not vacillated. He also insisted that he did not make his plan according to his flesh saying yes and no at the same time. As a person who knew the faithful God, Paul had always sought to emulate God’s faithfulness. Hence his yes would be yes and no would be no. He would not vacillate. Besides, Paul had a very positive motto in life. The message he shared was a positive one and not an indecisive one. The Corinthians should know that Jesus Christ, whom he, Timothy and Silvanus preached about, is positive. So also are the promises of God.

 

Notice that Paul connected every promise of the Father to Christ Jesus, His Son. God had fulfilled His promise by sending His Son and letting this precious Son die on our behalf. If God would do that, we should also be confident in every promise that He had made since we are now in Christ. Therefore, we can affirm it with a strong Amen in Christ. However, we need to note that it’s everything in Christ. Paul was not encouraging us to say amen to our self-designed will but to God’s purpose and activity through Christ. Hence, we should say amen only to what’s in keeping with God’s purpose and plans. We can all be assured that God will keep His promise because of what Jesus Christ had done. And we should also be assured that God will keep His promise because of what He had done and would continue to do in us who are his children.

 

In verse 21 the apostle tells us that God is the one who brought believers together and established them as one together in Christ. He was the One who had brought the Corinthians and Paul together and established their fellowship with each other and with Christ. When Paul said God anointed us, he meant that he was commissioned by God to fulfill God’s purpose. God was the one who had equipped him with the power in the Holy Spirit to serve God’s purpose.  The Holy Spirit is the anointing and the seal. He is the pledge and earnest given to Paul and to Christians to mark them out as God’s property. It was God who had sealed the Apostle Paul and his team, including us Christians, by depositing the Holy Spirit in all our hearts as a pledge or earnest. 

 

God is trustworthy and so must we be. Trustworthiness is the key to gain the trust of others. Words should not be broken without overpowering divine reasons. It is needful that we make commitment with sincerity and integrity as Paul did. It was the apostle’s principle and it must be ours as well. The best way to make a decision with integrity and sincerity is to ensure that it is guided by the Holy Spirit. For God has deposited the Holy Spirit in our hearts, thus giving a guarantee of His leading.           

2 Corinthians 1:12-14 - Stand fim in Christlikeness

In these verses we see Paul doing something that was extremely uncomfortable, i.e. to defend his personal ministry. However uncomfortable, it became necessary for him to do so. From the writing of his first letter to the Corinthians and this present one, the opposition against him had worsened. In 2 Corinthians 2:17 Paul was accused of peddling the Gospel and being insincere. In 1 Corinthians 15:7, we see that he made a promise to visit them and spend some time with them. He changed his traveling plan and instead made only a short and painful visit. This was taken up by his opponents to accuse him of being insincere, of having a hidden agenda, and of making false promises. So Paul felt a necessity to defend himself. For the benefit of other believers, there would be times that one needs to be flexible and there would be times when one needs to be inflexible in the name of Jesus. When it comes to character and being positive in thinking, one should be inflexible. But do be flexible in a plan, when the benefit to others would outweigh the promise made.

Paul began his defense in verses 12-14 by openly boasting about his motives and character to prove that his traveling plan was changed out of sincerity. Firstly, he based it on the testimony of his conscience. He was not pricked by a guilty conscience in doing this. In these verses he was not referring to the act of boasting but to the reason for his boasting. He wanted them to know that his boasting was not based on the standards of the world. Neither was it done because of his own ability. His confident boasting was based in his inner motives and Christ-like character of holiness and godly sincerity. These qualities which the Corinthians themselves could affirm. They were developed in him by the grace of God given to him. And it was for these reasons that many, as he had said in verse 11, had joined in prayers and continued to pray for him despite the opposition.

 

The word holiness reveals Paul’s motives. This word means “to set apart to God.” Paul did everything with his commitment to God in mind. He didn’t do it to gather a group of followers for himself. In the word sincerity, Paul wanted them to know that his relationship with them was characterized by “sincerity.” He was transparent with them. He dealt everything uprightly and nothing he did was fake. Paul was in essence inviting them to examine him, and they would discover that he was genuine and sincere through and through. He went on to show that it did not come from worldly wisdom but the result of God’s gracious activity in his life

 

Verses 13-14 tell us that Paul was defending the letter he wrote to them. He insisted that his letter to them was characterized by integrity. Here Paul was apparently accused of being saying one thing and then doing another.  His motive was questioned. Paul assertively said that he hid nothing from them when he wrote the letter. There was no hidden agenda. He had said what he meant, and meant what he had said. There wasn’t even a bit of variation in his meaning. And Paul hoped that they would understand him till the very end. Some of the Corinthians accepted everything he had said but evidently there were some who didn’t. Paul wanted everyone to be able to accept everything he had said as some had already done so. He wanted to prove that what he had written to them he wrote with integrity.  

 

Where there’s no trust there cannot be edification. At Christ’s return, Christians will have fellowship and be in total unity. There would be total acceptance of each another. When Christ returns all we hope for will be fully realized. Meanwhile on earth, we should work towards accepting each other and be confident in each other’s ministry.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 - God, our ever present help

In these verses Paul spoke about an affliction that he and his companions were undergoing. The difficulty was something way beyond their ability to endure.  It was of such an intensity that they even despaired of life. Paul didn’t reveal what difficulty that was but apparently the Corinthians knew what it was. However, they didn’t know the intensity of the affliction. At the beginning Paul apparently doubted that he would get out of it alive.

The word Paul used to describe this experience is affliction. It’s a word used to describe an animal that is made to carry a load so heavy that it is breaking that animal down. In verse 9 he said it was like a death sentence. Paul probably was not saying that he had a literal death sentence. He was describing the state he was in at that moment. He was probably going through a very low point of his life. When a person is at that low point of his life, it’s like a death sentence. We have all been there before and we know how it feels like.

The word affliction was also Paul’s graphic way of describing how burdened he was for the believers in Corinth and also the conditions of the other churches in Asia. We have a glimpse of what Paul went through in 2 Corinthians 2:4, where he described his experience of sorrow, distress, anguish of heart, and tears. And then in 2 Corinthians 11:28, he revealed that daily he faced the pressure of his concern for all the churches. The apostle had been trying hard to minister to the Corinthians and his effort didn’t seem to work with them and he must have felt crushed. In those moments he could have wished for the Lord’s return immediately. Or he could also be saying “Lord if you’re not coming now what about taking me home?” In saying he bore the sentence of death could be his way of describing those moments of pressure that led to the musing of death.  He was discouraged, disappointed, and had reached a point where he felt he just couldn’t go on anymore.  Paul could have been on the brink of a burnt-out.

 

Then he suddenly realized that he was doing it all by his own strength and effort. He realized that he had relied too much on himself and not God, who specializes in delivering us from our own “death sentence.” He immediately switched his focus and turned to trust the Lord. Instead on looking inward or outward, he looked upward to God who alone could deliver from death. It’s implied here that Paul realized that no matter how capable he was, when death comes knocking on one’s door, everything would be done for. Hence it would be wiser to rely on the Lord.  

 

In verse 10, it also dawned on Paul that the Lord, whom he and his fellow workers set their focus on, not only could but also would deliver them from their present and all their future problems. And in verse 11, Paul expressed a spirit of interdependence. Not only must he turn to God but he must also solicit the prayers of his brethren in the community. Paul knew and believed in the power of the intercession of fellow believers. We see here that the marvel of the collaborated effort of the tri-ology - God, Paul and fellow believers. The combination of the three would bring a resounding victory in his trying time. God would deliver, Paul must trust Him, and believers must support in prayers. As a result many people would be offering their thanks to God for the favor He had bestowed on Paul and his fellow workers, in answer to their prayers.  This is worth our emulation. Leaders must trust the Lord, members must pray for the leaders and we shall see God’s deliverance.  

 

Be reminded that troubles in life need not crush us. We can leverage it by relying more on God. We must trust God and don’t rely on our feeling. Let’s recall past victories and let them be an assurance of future ones. Let’s stay open to God’s leading and dealing. Let’s allow tough circumstances of life to develop our reliance on God. And let’s cultivate a life of interdependent prayers because of the great potential it has for the community of faith.        

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 - Enabled to comfort others

Immediately after his salutation, Paul launched into offering praise to God whilst revealing several aspects of God. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies or compassion and the God of all comfort. In saying that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul had put God the Father and Christ His Son as inseparably One. The God of the Jews and the God of Christianity is one and the same. Only that the centrality of God in Christianity is shifted to Christ Jesus, His Son.

Then, He is the Father of mercies and comfort. Being the Father of mercies and comfort tells us two things about Him. His mercies and comfort always go hand in hand. He mercies show His concern for the plight of those who suffer, and His comfort would cause Him to do something to alleviate those sufferings. Mercies describe God’s inner temperament or nature while comfort describes the outward display of that inner disposition. Paul carefully chose these words because they are appropriate and would aptly convey God’s help in the trails Paul himself went through for the sake of the Gospel. It is interesting to note that God is not only the Father of mercies and comfort for us but He is also the Father of mercies and comfort in us. This is one aspect of the image of God in us. These qualities of the Father in us enable us to show mercies and comfort to others.

 

Notice the word mercies is put in the plural. This is to show that God could customize His mercy according to our varied needs. Being a personal God, He tailors His mercies accordingly and specifically to meet our needs. As the God of all comfort, He will comfort us in all our troubles. The adjective “all” covers troubles of every imaginable area, regardless of size or dimension. Whether the need be spiritual, mental-psychological, social-emotional, physical or domestic, economical or financial, God can provide the comfort. However, the comfort He gives us are not to be an end in itself. It is to be the means to an end. We are to comfort others with the comfort demonstrated to us by God.  We must see God’s ministry to us in this way. He assist us in our needs to enable us to assist others in their needs. 

 

Verse 5 tells us that while Christians are not immune from suffering. Sharing the suffering of Christ would be part and parcel of Christian life. The wonderful news is that Christ will also comfort us abundantly through our sufferings. God will always match suffering with comfort. The presence of the Holy Spirit will be ours in abundance through Christ. Paul always viewed his life positively. He would not indulge in self-pity when things did not happen as he desired. He saw affliction and distress in the light of strengthening and ministering to others. He also viewed God’s comfort to him as his training and equipping process to enable him to help others. 

 

Paul evidently had a very positive outlook of life. This is seen in how positively he viewed people. He shared in verse 7 on how firmly his hope for others is grounded.  By the trouble the Corinthians gave to him and the problems they had generated in the church, Paul could have easily given up hope. But we hear it from his lips – he never gave up on them. That’s because He believed in the God of all mercies and comfort. He knew that this God would comfort everyone in any kind of trouble and would certainly see them through.

 

Going through life challenges is God’s equipping and training process. He takes us through the school of hard-knocks to make us the instrument that would be yielded to him, and shaped to walk others through their problems. The attitudes and response we bring to our challenges in life will determine how long we will have to go through them. Let us keep the end in view. Today’s experiences, no matter how difficult, will equip us for tomorrow’s challenges.    

 

 

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 1:1-2 - Introduction and salutation

In the first Letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we have seen how self-absorbed they were. Their lifestyle was filled with selfish attitudes and totally controlled by self-centered activities. In 2 Corinthians we will see that they had undergone some changes and Paul was following up on those changes. In the process, he came up with two key themes for this epistle. Firstly, he shows us that a Christian and his or her ministry are inseparable. Secondly, he tells us that the purpose of ministry is always to serve and benefit others. We saw how he changed his travel plan to accommodate others. Paul was always thinking of others and how to benefit them. He saw difficulties and troubles as part and parcel of his own training and equipping to serve others, who would also go through difficulties in life. 

Paul was concerned how his letter to them would be received. He knew that their reception of the precious content of this letter, and their readiness to be involved in ministry to others, would only occur when they are committed to change tirelessly. Then, and only then, would they understand Paul’s motives for ministry. Similarly, we must grow out of our own self-centeredness too if we are to receive the truths in 2 Corinthians.

Conscious or not, every believer in Christ is called into ministry. No Christian could employ someone else to do ministry on his behalf. When believers face the judgment throne of God, all will be appraised by the Father. They will be called to account for the gifts and abilities that they had been given. They will be evaluated on how they have exercised those gifts in Jesus’ name for the benefit of others. Christians will be judged for their stewardship and the exercise of the gifts given, and not for their sins which were already dealt with on Calvary. In this letter, Paul made it clear that every of his attitude, action and experience must be understood in terms of ministry to others in the body.

 

The first two verses of 2 Corinthians contain a whole load of lessons. Valuable truths can be gleaned from Paul’s relationship with Christ Jesus, Timothy, his co-worker and the Corinthian Christians whom he was writing to. Paul called himself an apostle. It’s not about a title but a role given to him by the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not just a prestige but a privilege. It’s not just a status symbol but a call to service. As an apostle of Christ Jesus, what he spoke would be from Christ. And the people in his days understood that perfectly. Besides, his apostleship was not a self-designated one. Neither was it a position given by man. He received it by the will of God. It was part of God’s plan for him. He was doing the very opposite of an apostle till Christ confronted him on the road to Damascus.  

 

Verse 1 also shows us how he regarded Timothy. Although he was like a father to Timothy, yet he called him brother. And he also wanted the Corinthians to treat him the same way. Hence he referred to Timothy as our brother. His message was not only for the church of God in Corinth but also for all the precious saints in the whole Achaia. The phrase, “…the church of God…” speaks of the people of Corinth, whom God called into relationship with Him through Christ. The word “saints” simply means sanctified ones. All believers are saints because of the sanctifying work of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

 

The order of the two words grace and peace in his greeting tells us that grace needs to precede peace. Without the grace of God peace cannot be experienced. Grace comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God’s enablement to embrace the provision made for our redemption. Grace ensures our relationship with God the Father resulting in the experience of peace with Him.

 

As we reflect on Paul’s message to the Corinthians in this second letter, let’s be geared up not just to know but to practice the principles drawn from this writings. We must exercise wise stewardship of the grace we are privileged to experience. Let’s embrace all that God has installed for us in our discovery.   

1 Corinthians 16:13-24 - Paul's closing exhortations and greetings

In these last 14 verses, Paul closed the letter with a series of short reminders. He pointed out that believers must be alert, i.e. to be on guard and watchful because the enemy is always on the prowl. Being alert helps us to resist the enemy better and deny him any avenue of exploitation. To stand firm in the faith means to hold on to the belief in Christ. To act like man is to be mature. To be strong is to stop caving in to the wrong morals.  Verse 1 is a call to act in love. It is to do everything out of love. To let love be the motivation regardless of how awkward or disappointing people may be.  

 

In verses 15-18 Paul highlighted the household of Stephanas for the Corinthians to emulate. Apparently, they were the first converts in Achaia and were exemplary in their devotion in serving Paul and the fellow believers. These were Christians at Corinth who evidently made Christ their Lord. They have grown in maturity and had also traveled outside of Corinth and ministered to Paul and other Christians. Paul exhorted the Corinthians to submit to such faithful men who had given their lives to serve God. Apart from Stephanas, Paul also mentioned Fortunatus and Achaius in verse 17. Evidently, these men visited Paul and lifted his spirit and had also done so for the Corinthians. To refresh is to give rest. These mature people gave rest to Paul’s spirit. Like Paul, haven’t we also encountered people who just dumped their loads of negativism, defeatism, questions, and problems on us? But these three were specially mentioned because they came with maturity and help to Paul, as well as some other believers. They did not load on but lift up their burdens. These men ought to be acknowledged and honored.

 

In verses 19-20, Paul then sent greetings to them from the churches of Asia. He also sent them hearty greetings in the Lord on behalf of Aquila and Prisca (Priscilla) and the church that was meeting in their house. Paul also exhorted them to greet one another with a holy kiss. This was done between people of the same gender, usually done cheek to cheek. In essence, Paul was calling on them to show warmth and fellowship. Paul did not exclude himself in sending greetings. He told them in verse 21 that he wrote it with his own hand. Together with the greeting which he wrote with his own hand, he included a postscript in verse 22. In his words Paul didn’t want anyone professing to be a believer but demonstrated no love for the Lord to be in the fellowship. So he said let that kind of people be cut off. They need to know that they do not belong to the fellowship. Here Paul seems to suggest that they should not be treated as brothers in the Lord. If the church would change, it would take the grace of the Lord Jesus. So Paul wished the grace of the Lord to be their perpetual companion. He ended the letter by sending his love to all of them who were in Christ Jesus.    

 

In these verses we are reminded of so many things. Let’s remember to be firm in our walk with Christ and to be mindful of the enemy who prowls about to stumble us. With a thankful attitude, let us rely on our continual companion -the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace. Let us trust Him to see us through every situation in life, no matter how tough it may be. Glory to His name!

 

1 Corinthians 16:5-12 - Paul's travel paln

First Corinthians 4:8 tells us that some of Paul’s critics were skeptical that he would ever come to Corinth again. But here the apostle made clear his intention to visit Corinth again. He would not have such a plan had he wanted to deceive them. His intention to visit Corinth in his next travel plan proved that he was truly a sincere apostle while he was with them. However, he would not do it immediately. So in verse 7 he said, “I do not want to see you now.” That was because he didn’t want to be there just to stop over. He wished to stay longer with them to spend the winter with them. After which, they could then send him on his journey wherever he intended to go. Not wanting to be presumptuous, he said all this would happen only if the Lord permits.

However, the apostle would start his next journey only after ministering at Ephesus, where he had been ministering for nearly three years. From his ministry in Ephesus, all of Asia had heard the gospel. In verse 8 he said he would remain in Ephesus, where he wrote this letter, until Pentecost. After Pentecost Paul would depart for Macedonia, stopping over at Corinth on his journey to Jerusalem with the collection (20:1–4).

Prior to his arrival, Paul intended to send Timothy to help them with their problems. In 1 Corinthians 4:17, we already read of Timothy being sent there to provide assistance to them. Now Paul is referring to the same incident because he anticipated this letter to reach the Corinthians before Timothy’s arrival. So 1 Corinthians 16:10 were instructions for them to receive Timothy kindly and view him as a co-worker along with Paul. He encouraged the Corinthians to help Timothy to be at ease and to give him no cause to be afraid. They were told not to look down upon him and also not to give him a hostile send-off. Paul was looking forward to have Timothy rejoining him so that he could hear from Timothy the progress in the Corinthian church. In the next letter we will see that Timothy’s report was evidently not good.

Verse 13 Paul shared concerning decision of Apollos, a member of the Corinthian church who had since moved to Ephesus. Apparently, the Corinthian Christians asked about Apollos. There could be some who wanted Apollos to return to help them in Corinth, but Apollos evidently had declined the request. Apollos must have known the situation and the people well, and felt that perhaps a better time in the future would be a more opportune time for meaningful ministry.

Paul was one who had right regards for his co-workers. Without a doubt, he had shown excellent leadership. He had shown how fellow ministers should be treated. He made sure that the people he ministered to would accord respect and cordiality to those serving the Lord with him. Paul would not allow his fellow workers to be mistreated. So must we!

These verses also tell us how we should view ministry opportunities. Paul certainly knew how to exploit the time and opportunity to serve the people. We must know that opportunity and opposition do go hand in hand. This was seen throughout Paul’s ministry. But he had learned to seize the opportunity despite the opposition. We must adopt this attitude too.   

1 Corinthians 16:1-4 - Collection for the needy

In this passage Paul dealt with another problem. Throughout this letter we see him introducing a subject with two words “Now concerning” (7:1; 8:1; 12:1 and 16:1). He is now introducing the final problem with the same two words “Now concerning.”

The backdrop to the situation is this: The church in Jerusalem was affected by a famine and was in need of help. Since the believers in Christ are interconnected, when one part of the body suffers every part suffers (1 Corinthians 12:26). So as he had written to instruct the churches in the region of Galatia to assist the church in Jerusalem, he now instructed the church in Corinth to do the same. Paul himself had taken much time to raise financial assistance for the needy brethren in Jerusalem. He would bring along with him people to assist the brethren in Jerusalem, to avoid being accused of mishandling the funds he had collected in his journey. The people traveling with him would also help in ensuring security as they travel with the money. These people were from the different churches where those funds came from. 

This issue Paul introduced here, concerning collection for the needy in Jerusalem, was a problem in the church of Corinthians. Why? We conclude from this letter that this church was internally divided. The division and quarrels had taken so much of their time that they had no time to consider their needy brethren elsewhere.

In verse 2, Paul advised them to set aside funds on the first day of the week as he did not want it to be collected only when he arrived. He probably didn’t want it to be a last minute exercise. His instructions provide some very sound advice on giving. Firstly, to give “On the first day of the week” tells us that giving ought to be regular. Secondly, it ought to be personal, “…each of you is to put aside.” This would allow for individual participation. When a member gives, he would be entering and participating in the pain of the one going through the suffering. Thirdly, giving should be planned giving, “…put aside and save…” Fourthly, it should be proportionate giving – “…as he may prosper…” i.e. according to his income he had been blessed with.  By the way, “The first day of the week…” has been taken as an indication that the church met on Sunday instead of Saturday. Here we also see that Paul did not only want them to give of their money but also to provide man power to accompany him to Jerusalem, should it be found fitting for him to go also.

 

How often do we consider giving to the needy? The attitudes of the Corinthians do reflect some of the tendencies of the more affluent.  We may be so caught up in the rat race and our personal progress that we can be blind to the needs of our brethren. There is no denial that there are always people less fortunate than us. What can we do to alleviate the plight of the needy? This is a challenge and a call to be less self-absorbing and to take a wider interest to participate in helping the less fortunate. May God be our help!   

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 - The ultimate victory of the resurrection

What will happen to the believers at the resurrection? Why must the resurrection take place?  In verse 51 we are told a mystery. It concerns a great transformation that will happen to us. In this transformation each of us will have an entirely new body, very different from this present one. This transformation must take place because the body we have now is flesh and blood. And what is made up of flesh and blood belongs only to the dimension of earthly living and cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, flesh and blood are perishable things and cannot receive what belongs to the imperishable. Thus, to be able to get into the dimension that’s beyond this earthly one, the body which is perishable must become imperishable. 

 

For every physical body to become imperishable there must be that great and dramatic change. However, not everyone need to die prior to that marvelous transformation. Because believers who are still alive when Christ comes back again will not have to experience death to be transformed. At that precise moment of His return, our present body, if we are still alive, will take on an entirely different fabric and character. Death will be dealt a final blow at that point.

 

Regarding this transformation, Paul said, Christians will experience change in the split of a second. He describes it as, “…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” Notice it’s not in the winkling of an eye, for that would be too slow. Christians everywhere will experience the change straightaway. The change will also be a universal one because Christians from all over the world will be able to hear the final trumpet when it sounds. The change will also be a permanent one. How will it be so? Paul tells us that the perishable will put on the imperishable and the mortal will take on immortality. It will also be a triumphant change because death, the scourge of sin, will be swallowed up in victory. It will no longer have any power over our resurrected bodies. This victory brings an end to sin and the power of the law. In eternity, we will operate by the fruit of the Spirit, against which there will be no law. We praise God for the victory which he has secured for us through our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. As a summation to the whole discourse on the resurrection, Paul wrote, exhorting Christians to…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our toil is not in vain in the Lord.

 

The resurrection is a great hope to anticipate. It stands as a reminder for us to be steadfast, to be steady in our Christian witness and to be conscientious in our service to the Lord. We will ultimately know, without a doubt, that whatever hardship or difficulty we endure in living and serving Him, are all worth the effort. They will all be proven at His coming. So brace up and move on!   

 

1 Corinthians 15:35-49 - The nature of the resurrection

The two questions in verse 35 tell us that some of the Corinthians must have doubted the idea of the resurrection. So they asked, “How are the dead raised?” “And with what kind of body do they come?”  The objective of these questions was to challenge the idea of the resurrection. So in verse 36 Paul began his dealing with the issue by exclaiming, “You fool!” He was in effect saying, “How foolish can you get!” In raising questions about the resurrected body (one that is entirely different from one’s present body) is a failure to see what’s already presented in nature.

So Paul raised three illustrations to support what he was saying. The first illustration is taken from the world of agriculture. What Paul was essentially saying is this: The character of the fruit one harvests is entirely different from the seed that one sows. The second illustration is taken from the world of the animals. By looking at the different animals, we can see that they all don’t possess only one kind of body. Different animals have different bodies. They all don’t look alike. His point is this: our bodies in the timeless zone of eternity will certainly be different from our bodies we see in this time zone of earth. The final illustration is taken from the heavenly bodies. The entire planetary system, the sun and the stars, all the heavenly bodies are different from each other. Paul was showing that God did not stereo-type everything. He didn’t make every heavenly body the same. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that God has the power to make our resurrected bodies different from the nature of the bodies we now have on earth. 

From the illustrations, Paul quickly launched into showing the different natures between the resurrected body and the earthly body. Firstly, he said, the earthly body is perishable. It can undergo decay. The future resurrected body, on the other hand, will be imperishable. It will never be subjected to decay. Secondly, the earthly body is sown in dishonor. When the body is buried at death, it has no right and capacity to take any riches of the world with it. However, the resurrected body will be raised in glory. It will be raised in honor by Christ so that we can reign with Him. Thirdly the earthly body is sown in weakness. It is vulnerable, needing sustenance and also subjected to wear and tear of life. It can get tired, thirsty, hungry and sick. The resurrected body, however, will be raised in power. It will take on a new fabric. It will no longer require sustenance and will not be subjected to the wears and tears of earthly living. It will have the eternal durable strength. Fourthly, earthly body is sown a natural body restricted by physical law of this world. Whereas the resurrected body is a spiritual body not confined and trapped by nature and the laws that govern it. Finally verses 45-49, comparing between Adam and Christ, Paul shows us that the present body is of the dust of the earth and it’s earthly in nature but the resurrected body is from heaven, no longer trapped by the dimension of the earthly body. We shall bear the likeness of Christ’s heavenly body.

Let’s pause and think for a moment. How different should our service for God be as we are assured of our Saviour’s Resurrection and also the promise of our own resurrection? What sort of service should we offer to Him now? How has this hope of the resurrection impacted our daily living?

 

To God be the glory,

To God be the glory,
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.
With His blood He has saved me,
With His power He has raised me,
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.

1 Corinthians 15:29-34 – The resurrection motivates right service & living

Verse 29 tells us that some Corinthians practised vicarious baptism. Because of this verse many are engaged in debating the issue without seeing the drift of Paul’s purpose. Baptism speaks of one’s belief and identification in the certainty of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Apparently, there were some believers in Corinth who died before being baptized. Family members would then be baptized as their proxies. Paul picked up their mistaken practice to remind them that they believed in the resurrection. It would be pointless to teach that there wouldn’t be a resurrection and then practise something that affirmed it. The apostle was not recommending this practice. He was urging believers there to examine what they were doing to make sure that one’s practice should tally with one’s teachings.

 

In verses 30-32, Paul went on to prove that if there was no resurrection, it would not make sense for someone to sacrifice his life. The resurrection gave early Christians a hope to anticipate. No Christian martyrs would give their lives if they didn’t believe that Christ rose from the dead. They boldly became martyrs because they firmly believed in Christ’s resurrection. Paul had to face extreme dangers in his ministry. He recalled situations in Ephesus where he had to confront the enemies of faith who behaved like ferocious wild beasts seeking to tear him up. He asked, “Why should he endure all that if there was no resurrection?” “What profit would it be to him?” It’s easy as to adopt the common philosophy of just eat and drink for tomorrow we die, if there were no life beyond this earthly existence. In all these Paul implied that he went through much because he believed in the historical certainty of resurrection.

 

In verses 33-34, Paul proves that the resurrection of Christ is important to Christian living. In verse 32, he was referring to the worldly philosophy of “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” It is easy to adopt such a mindset without the resurrection.  When such a mindset is adopted, character would be corrupted. People who do not believe in the resurrection are bad company. They teach that death ends everything and it won’t make any sense to change one’s life conducts. There won’t be any motivation to be better. But when we know that there would be a resurrection it would motivate us to change our life and direction here and now. So in verse 34, Paul urged the Corinthians to return to their senses and stop sinning. He was telling them to stop being influenced by those who have no true knowledge.  

 

The importance of the resurrection cannot be overemphasized. It concerns not only our future but our here and now. Disregarding this hope will cause us to adopt a second rate living. But focusing on Christ and His coming and the life beyond this life, we learn to look away from the mundane things here. It will motivate us to seek the power of His transforming Spirit to renew our mind, character and life.    

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 – The certainty of a future resurrection

To clear the doubt about the resurrection of those who died, Paul set out to explain why there would be a future resurrection. He pointed to the reality of Christ’s own resurrection, saying that it is the pledge of the resurrection of believers who had died in Him. Paul went on to show that the resurrection is a critical part of God’s plan to reverse the outcome of Adam’s sin.  It was Adam’s rebellion and disobedience that brought the consequence of death. So through the resurrection of Christ, God dealt with the consequence of sin. As the head of humanity, Adam’s sin introduced death to all. Now Christ, the new Adam, the head of all who believe, has made alive all believers.

Paul here used a term that was referred to in Leviticus 23:10. The term first-fruits were the sheaf of the harvest that was brought to the Temple and offered to God. The first-fruits of any harvest is the indication that there would be more fruits on the way. When the Israelites brought their first-fruits to the temple, they were consecrating the whole harvest in anticipation of the promise of future fruits. In the same way, Christ’s resurrection is an indication of the future resurrection of believers when He comes again. In this, Paul was referring to Christ’s coming in glory again, to judge the world at the end of the age. What Paul briefly alluded here dovetails with what the book of Revelation teaches.

In Revelation 20, we see that when Christ comes again, He will banish sin for a thousand years and establish His Kingdom. This period is known as the Millennium. Believers will reign with Him and share His glory. After this period, there will be one last rebellion against God which Christ will put down by His power. At that time all unbelievers will be raised, judged, and thrown into the lake of fire. Death, the final enemy will be cast into hell. It will be destroyed and abolished. Christ will continue to reign until everything is placed under His subjection. In 1 Corinthians 15:27, Paul explained that “everything” does not include God. For God has placed everything under Christ’s subjection except Himself. And when everything, (all power and authority) is brought under Christ’s feet, He will then turn the kingdom over to the Father. Then the new heaven and new earth, the eternal state described in Revelation 21-22, will be ushered in.

In verse 28, Paul pointed out that the resurrection of the dead will demonstrate that everything is in God’s perfect order. It will clearly show that everything has been put in its rightful place and order and God will be all in all. When all these things have taken place, we will be able to rightly appreciate God in the way that He has always intended it to be.   

Our faith is not in an empty religion but one that rests solidly on the certainty of Christ’s resurrection. Although death entered through Adam’s sin, life is now  restored to believers through Christ’s resurrection. This historic event is part of God’s glorious plan. He rose from the dead so that believers will be raised from death at His coming. Everything is now placed under Christ’s Lordship including death which will be ultimately abolished. Christ will then take the Kingdom and everything else and hand them all to our Father God, setting everything in its rightful place just as God has intended.   

 

Hallelujah! What a name!

For the Son of God who came.

Ruined sinners to reclaim.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

  

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 - The significance of Christ’s resurrection.

From I Corinthian chapter 15 verse 12 to verse 19, Paul pointed out several things to show the significance of Christ’s resurrection. In verses 12 and 13, he explained that it is significant because the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of mankind are connected. Apparently there were some believers in Corinth who were promulgating that Christ had risen from the dead, but believers who had died would not experience the resurrection. As far as Paul was concerned, it was a heresy. He argued that if the resurrection of mankind would not take place than Christ himself had not been resurrected. Why would it be so? Because Christ died and was buried for our sins. His resurrection proves that in Him God forgives our sins. If God forgives our sins in Him than when we die, we would rise from death. If that won’t happen than Christ Himself couldn’t have risen from the dead. The only reason why He had risen from the dead proves that in Him God actually forgives our sins.

Secondly, in verse 14, Paul argued that if Christ did not rise from death then faith in Him would be meaningless. Faith is not an airy-fairy superstition but is solidly founded on evidential fact. The claim of Christ’s resurrection is a fact that gives faith substance.  

Thirdly, Paul’s argument in verses 15-16 is that the resurrection of Christ substantiates the preachers with this message.  If the resurrection didn’t take place, then preachers and their message on the resurrection would prove to be a lie. They would be labeled as false witnesses, not just about the resurrection but also of God. To deny the resurrection is to deny the work of God. The resurrection is not just a historical event, it also demonstrates and proves the power, nature and faithful character of God. 

The fourth significance of the resurrection of Christ is shown from verses 17-19. The resurrection of Christ validates man’s eternal salvation. Paul made clear in verse 17 that we would still be in our sin if Christ did not rise from the dead. Why is it so? When the Lord died He took our sins to the grave. His resurrection demonstrates that all our sins are forgiven. If He did not rise than our sin had not been forgiven, and all who had died in Him would have died in vain and are lost without hope. They would be eternally separated from God. That being the case, of all people, believers would be the most pitiful because they had believed in a lie.

However, of all people, Christians are the most joyful because of Christ’s resurrection. In it is our greatest hope. Our belief in the resurrection of Christ helps us to anticipate a marvelous future. Nothing in this life, no matter how dire it may be, should ever take us down. Let’s set our eyes and mind above, where Christ is seated.

1 Corinthians 15:3-11 – The message of Christ’s Resurrection

In the messages that Paul preached, his focal point had always been the resurrection of Christ. For that matter, all preaching in the book of Acts put Christ’s resurrection as the central theme. In Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost to the Jews recorded in Acts 2:31-32, he talked about the resurrection of Christ. So also was his sermon in Acts 3:11-16, preached at Solomon’s Colonnade.  When he was arrested, Acts 4:10 tells us that he also preached the resurrection of Christ to the rulers. For Paul, Christ’s resurrection was also the focal point of all his messages. In acts 17:3 he talked about this historic event in all his preaching in the various cities. When he was preaching to the Greek pagan philosophers on Mars hill in Acts 17:31, he also talked about Christ raised from the dead. He was tried because he preached about the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6). To the Governor Felix, and King Agrippa in Acts 24:21 and Acts 26:8 respectively, he also preached the resurrection of Christ.

So the centrality of the resurrection of Christ in the preaching of the early church was undeniable. So here in 1 Corinthians 15 when Paul brought up this historic event, it was not something new. All preaching, activities and programs of the church would mean nothing if Christ was not raised from death.

The Gospel and Christ’s resurrection are closely connected. In verse 8, when Paul mentioned his untimely birth, he was making reference to the resurrection of Christ. He was saying that his realization and acceptance of the Lord’s resurrection came after He had ascended into heaven, comparing with Peter, the 12 apostles and the more than 500 brethren. The others saw the resurrection with their physical eyes, but Paul saw him through the eye of faith. In his heart of hearts, Paul must have wished he had seen Christ’s resurrection earlier, then he would not have persecuted the church and was her bitter enemy.

Verses 3-4 describe the Gospel in a nutshell. It is not just about His death and burial but also His resurrection. These three experiences of Christ compositely made up the Gospel. It was not just a figment of someone’s imagination. It was bore out in history and attested to by the Scriptures. Each of the experiences of Christ was verifiable. These undeniable elements of the Gospel must not be overlooked. Firstly, Christ really died. It was a public thing. All that He went through, the torture by the Romans, the cross, the death by crucifixion, all point to the fact that Christ had died. Secondly, Christ was buried. There were witnesses who saw that He was buried and His tomb was also guarded. No one could deny that he died and was buried. Thirdly, He rose from the dead, from the place where he was buried. And fourthly, he appeared to different ones after his resurrection: Peter, then the 12, and then to more than 500 at the same time and last of all to Paul himself. At the time of Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, some of those who saw Christ’s resurrection were still alive. So in effect, Paul was saying that the fact of the resurrection could be checked out.

Paul’s life was transformed by the resurrected Christ. He became a proclaimer of the Gospel instead of the persecutor. The resurrection of Jesus affected him and changed the course of his life. By His grace, Paul was not only forgiven but also saved and equipped to be God’s messenger. And thus he had labored more intensely than any of the others. Just in case they thought he was being prideful, Paul assured them that he knew that it was all due to the generosity of God’s grace toward him. It was by grace that-he was enabled to do the tasks.

Every true and genuine preaching of the Gospel must include the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It was the message of the apostles and also of Paul himself. This was the same message they all preached and the message the people received and believed. Paul’s point is this: the messenger could not supersede the importance of the message. Every proclaimer of the message must first be captured and transformed by the message. That was what happened to Paul.

Has the message of the Gospel truly captured and transformed our lives? The evident of our changed lives are living proofs of the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection!