2 Corinthians by Dennis McCallum (2018)

God is the God of all comfort. He comforts those who suffer. There are many different types of suffering and people who believe in Christ will suffer for their beliefs. Through this suffering, God can transform his followers into people who are more Christlike. God also uses a believer's sufferings to help others.

Working with people can be difficult. Sometimes people can be very suspicious of leaders. This is true in the case of Paul and the church in Corinth. Paul often has to defend himself and his actions to the church. The same if often true today. People are still suspicious. How to work with people who are often suspicious is covered.

Paul withstands various forms of sufferings including emotional and psychological. He worries about the Corinthians being taken advantage of by the devil and that they will fall away from God. Being a follower of God can bring the same type of suffering. Through this, God uses His church to reach people who don't know God.

Through God's free gift of grace, His followers can approach Him with confidence. This is a different covenant than what was in the Old Testament. Despite having this confidence, people often still approach God in a formalistic manner and forget that they do not have to perform for God. This teaching covers the Old Covenant versus the New and how we can approach God with confidence.

When people first meet Christ, part of God lives inside of them. Why then do Christians go on sinning? How do people become more Christ-like? The answer is in the breaking down of the outer man. God oftentimes uses circumstances and suffering to lead His followers into becoming more and more like Christ.

Paul is under some accusations from the Corinthians. He decides to forgo certain rights to make sure they Corinthians know that he is not interested in anything other than spreading the Good News.

Paul is plagued by a "thorn in flesh". He asks God to remove his suffering, but God allows it to continue. This teaching covers God's response to Paul and how Christians can grow in any circumstance.

At the end of 2 Corinthians Paul tells the Corinthians to examine themselves. Introspection is not something that is commonly prescribed in the Bible. When is introspection helpful and when can it be harmful?