2 Corinthians 1-4

2 Corinthians 1:1-2 Paul was called to what he did, and he obeyed. He was an ambassador for Christ, by the will of Christ. These were his self-proclaimed credentials. In other places we learn of the evidence of the genuineness of this claim. The Corinthians knew this. They were part of a body of believers throughout Greece. Paul pronounces grace and peace upon them. Something all need, but few enjoy. They are able to receive it, if they will, through faith in and obedience to Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Praising God in the midst of suffering is not natural, it is supernatural. Firstly, God comforts us in our suffering by His presence. Secondly, suffering produces endurance, which is one of many godly traits that He is working to shape in us, to conform us to His image. Being a good father, He is helping us grow to maturity. (Hebrews 12:10-11)

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 Paul has been through graduate school, facing death and learning total dependence on and trust in God. He has also seen the power of the prayers of the saints.

2 Corinthians 1:12-14 God’s wisdom is transcendent - not of this world. Relying on His grace in this world runs counter to the world’s ways. So more explanation is given…

2 Corinthians 1:15-22 Paul changed his plans, but this was not being deceitful or disingenuous. He had preached the gospel to them, along with Timothy and Silas. God is unchanging in His commitment to those who receive Jesus. He sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts as a deposit that guarantees what is to come, like a down payment on buying a house. In this case, it is His first step in shaping us into His image. That is what is coming.

2 Corinthians 1:23-24 Paul did not return in person to Corinth to spare them so that they could sort things out with God directly, through their own faith in Him. He did not want them to be dependent on him (Paul), but only on God, so that their faith would be unshakeable in the end. He was not waffling on his plans to return because of his personal needs or desires, but because of their need to grow in this dimension. 

2 Corinthians 2

2 Corinthians 2:1-4 Paul was distressed by the emotional pain he had caused the Corinthians. Like a parent who sternly disciplines a child he loves, he felt emotional pain as well, and sought to limit their pain to that necessary to correct them, even though it would have not been loving to allow them to continue unchecked.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 With respect to the brother whose sin he had addressed in the previous letter, Paul instructs them to limit their discipline of him based on his response. Once he had repented, they were to welcome him back into fellowship, just as a parent loves a child after disciplining him or her. In raising children, we know it is better to punish in a way that limits pain when they are young than to let them become fully engulfed in bad behavior (sin) and reap what they have sowed in a larger way. Restoration is part of community. Forgiveness is hard but necessary. Jesus died on the cross so God can forgive us, so we need to do our part, however difficult.

2 Corinthians 2:12-13 Paul explains changes in plan as based on circumstances and events. Our plans are not carved in stone. He was looking for Titus, not for Troas, and Titus was not there. Apparently he wasn’t answering his cell phone either.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Being the aroma of Christ only happens when we exemplify His nature and character. To believers, we are attractive because of the love He sheds through our hearts, shared with others. To unbelievers, this aroma is convicting, because deep down they know they want His love, and they don’t experience it internally, but see it in believers. This, of course, points out that legalism is not perceived as love by unbelievers. Few people want to be around prosecuting attorneys to begin with. Paul was commissioned by God to take the gospel to gentiles. The good news of Christ reveals His love. This is not done either for personal prestige or personal profit, but solely to bring people to connect to the Truth. Even unbelievers recognize hypocrisy - preaching one thing but living another.

2 Corinthians 3

2 Corinthians 3:1-6 Paul points out that the Corinthians themselves - the faith they have, the lives they live - are his credentials. This is not actually his production, but the fruit of his sharing the gospel with them. The result is because he is God’s ambassador, and Jesus is the one whose work in their lives through the Holy Spirit has changed, transformed their lives. This is to further elaborate on the rejection of legalism. The law by itself only brings a death sentence, whereas the work of the Holy Spirit brings restoration, healing, wholeness of life. The sinning brother had been under condemnation, because the law justly judges his actions, but Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the body of believers, were able to save him and bring him back into communion with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:7-16 There is a contrast between two stories. In the Old Testament we read of how Moses’ face glowed so brightly after he communed with YHWH that the Israelites could not bear to look at him, so he covered his face with a veil. (Exodus 34:29-35) This was when Moses was receiving the law from God directly. (Probably the book of Leviticus.) This revelation was a beam of light from the unseen realm, that supernatural dimension of the third heaven, where Paul later said he heard things he was not permitted to repeat. (12:3-4) This record of Moses is different from that of Peter, James, and John when they saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:1-3; Mark 9:2-4; Luke 9:28-31) They saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. They talked about the coming events, Jesus’ departure (crucifixion). Then the voice of the Father spoke of His love for His Son. This was not veiled, but an open revelation of an ultimate spiritual reality - the plan of redemption. This revelation is now unveiled whenever the gospel is preached.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Paul identifies that the Lord is one with the Holy Spirit - They are one. Hence the Holy Spirit frees us from the power of sin supernaturally, whenever the gospel is received. We become more like the Lord, supernaturally transformed into His image, when the veil is removed from our faces. In Moses’ case, the Israelites put the veil on his face, but in our case, we veil our face to not see the Lord’s glory clearly or directly, until we choose to remove it. Not that a veil would protect us from His sight, but the realization that He sees everything terrifies us until we are at peace with His glory.

2 Corinthians 4

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 The contrast between the gospel and the ways of the world is stark. The gospel is the light of Truth, but the god of this age, i.e. the devil, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they do not see Him. This is the veil that was described in the previous chapter. Paul quotes from the creation narrative that in the very act of creation, God said let the light shine. (Genesis 1:3) The light of Christ in our hearts is only visible to unbelievers through our lives, because of the veil on their mind. 

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 The trials that believers endure, Paul’s being the point at hand, are the very means by which God displays the resurrection  power of Christ to unbelievers. One example, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, leading to the jailer’s conversion. (Acts 16:22-34) 

2 Corinthians 4:13-15 Paul quotes from the Old Testament with respect to trusting God in the midst of trials. (Psalm 116:10) The psalmist, in the midst of great trials, said that he believed in and trusted God, even though and in contrast to the lying nature of humans that surrounded him.  When Paul said that he believes and speaks in faith, this is not a ‘name it and claim it’ doctrine of wealth acquisition. (Mark 11:23-24) This is speaking for the benefit of Paul’s listeners, that they will see and know the resurrecting power of God, not just through hearing about Jesus rising from the dead, but from seeing God’s glory demonstrated in Paul’s life. Paul focused on Christ regardless of circumstances. 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Beyond faith in Christ, there is an eternal weight of glory that is in the unseen realm, where Jesus dwells, which was previously alluded to in discussion of the veil that Moses wore and the transfiguration on the Mount. Paul insists they fix their eyes on this unseen glory, as Peter also did (1 Peter 5:10), because that is what is eternal, as previously stated.  (3:18) This present world is rich and vibrant enough to enchant us - can we appreciate our future glory which God has promised, other than by looking at Him?