2 Corinthians by Jim Leffel (2007)

Christians can develop a more thorough knowledge of God as they willingly participate with how He wants to use our sufferings. As we experience sufferings, we get a greater awareness and understanding of God's comfort for us, and are empowered to give that to others as they need comfort amidst suffering. Christians who grow in their endurance amidst suffering are able to have increased hope in light of unfavorable circumstances and can view their suffering as a new way to develop further dependence on God over self.

Paul speaks to the Corinthians about spiritual confidence. Spiritual confidence is based out of God's love, His power, and His grace. When we develop spiritual confidence based on who God says we are, we can experience freedom in serving Him firstly and develop outward focus in our other key relationships. As we are faithful to God's message, our consciences can strengthen and reflect the confidence we have through our relationship with God.

Paul's desire to see the Corinthians again highlights characteristics of their relationship. Paul's relationship with the Corinthians could be described as high-risk with close-bonds. He was genuine and clearly communicated his love for the Corinthians, shared deep compassion with them, was convinced of this relationship based around God, and encountered much joy and confidence in them. These types of close relationships are effective and satisfying and should be the general trend within Christian community.

Paul gives instructions to the Corinthians on how they should approach a brother who has undergone church discipline. The purpose of discipline is redemptive by nature, desiring a change of mind and moving away from damaging habits. Paul calls on them to extend forgiveness and grace toward the offender and affirm their love for him. As people experience reconciliation, they are able to humbly respond to God out of gratitude for His grace, eager to be used by Him.

Paul shows that the basis of Christian's adequacy comes solely from God. Christians are competent and adequate through God to serve in the new ministry of grace by the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. This sense of God-given adequacy allows others to sense God's presence in our lives and provides us with assurance to serve Him and others based on God's stamp of approval through His Son. As we live this way, the sincerity of what God has done in our lives is made more evident.

As Christians, we can experience deep transformation as we live in newness of the Holy Spirit, knowing God has provided us the ability to serve Him adequately. In God's new way, we can more substantially know God in His glory as we understand His love and mercy more deeply. By being in His presence, we are able to live in real freedom under God's grace, which allows Christians to minister effectively according to His power. Living in the New Covenant shows the futility of relating to God under the Old Covenant.

Paul uses clay pots to explain how God can be manifested more and more in Christians lives. God often times has to break our selfish tendencies in order to have His light shine through our lives more radically. In the midst of hardship, Christians can have real hope as they focus on the eternal purposes of how God can be manifested through our hardships.The willingness to give up the self-focused life in favor of further dependence on God can lead us into spiritual renewal.

When we encounter failure as we follow God, our response to failure is vital. Judas Iscariot and Peter are two examples of two radically different responses to failure. If we choose to despair after failure, we will encounter a loss of hope that God is committed to us. However, real repentance allows for closer fellowship with God, a deeper appreciation of His love, and an active pursuit to love others and learn from failure. God is committed to using failure in our lives for good.

The way we view and live our lives as Christians is based on the biblical hope we have from eternal life. Having eternal life as an assurance despite the troubles of this life provides Christians with courage to stand up for what God cares about. We can experience a deep satisfaction in our relationship with God as we learn to please Him in this life, knowing that we will give an account to Him in the next. Setting our minds on eternity gives us wisdom on how to live our present lives as foreigners in Christ.

Knowing God and what He did for us through Christ impacts our interactions with others. Convinced Christians see the importance of effective persuasion to help others see their personal need for Christ. This type of motivation comes from the love God and affects our view of others as we begin to understand the love God has for people. As a result, we see the urgency to play our role as trying to help people become reconciled to God through Jesus Christ as Christ's ambassadors.

Paul highlights the tension of Christians being engaged in the culture around them while remaining distinct. Christians that are committed to God's Will for their lives will stand out against the values and priorities of the culture. However, as they view how God sees other people, they are able to love those around them and show Christ's love authentically to all types of people. Radically identifying with people's interests while remaining distinct in our moral and spiritual priorities can help God shine through our lives into others who need Him.

Paul's message to the Corinthians highlights the important elements of having difficult conversations. The basis for these types of conversations is a committed, Christ-centered relationship that seeks the good of the other person. The content of the conversation is one of correction over condemnation, while valuing the personal identity of a person in Christ. With God at the center of people's lives, we can express confidence in people's ability to move towards Him. These types of conversations are outcome oriented, seeking to see people restored to God while remaining direct and without apology, standing on His truth.

Paul expresses his desire for the Corinthians to give generously, giving principles about generosity and wealth. God desires a spiritual mindset concerning how we value wealth, to understand principles of stewardship and financial freedom and to understand affluence as it pertains to poverty. God-centered generosity is an extension of entrusting our lives to God.

God's grace revealed through Jesus Christ provides a basis for being generous. Some keys to be living generously include: 1) being intentional about giving generously; 2) being faithful to what you've decided to give; 3) be proportional with your giving to a sacrificial degree; and 4) be zealous. Since we are accountable to God with His resources, we should be excited to be a part of God's eternal purposes and should aim to be above reproach in our handling of His money.

Paul's instructions for the Corinthians on being generous was based on the principle of equality. The biblical picture for equality is the basis for universal human rights, reflecting God's personal concern for all people who are lacking in resources. With poverty around the world, there is more of a need to be generous (as Americans) with our vast resources to help those in need. Living in material affluence should motivate us to be generous with God's resources towards others. Addressing these big issues isn't a simple solution, but we should look to long-term strategic development in other areas of the world, where indigenous, self-sustaining solutions present themselves, and where God's message of hope can be at the center of the development work.

God's generosity towards us is the basis for us being generous to others with our resources. As we agree with God's way of generous living and giving, we can store up for ourselves a spiritual harvest of reward along with being enriched in every way, according to His Word. Our generosity will result in thanksgiving to God and prove a vital witness to those who don't know God. Convinced Christians that are generous will be blessings to those around them and will store up for themselves great reward in the next life for their service to God.

There is a deep spiritual divide in the world concerning what is objectively true. Amidst a whirlwind of ideas, it's important as Christians to stand firm on God's truth as they are opposed by different ideas, beliefs, and convictions that push people farther away from Him. In this spiritual war, our mind plays a crucial role in distinguishing the cultural views of others and how they stand against what God says, as well as distinguishing ways in which we ourselves can fall away from God's truth. Believing and living out of God's revealed Word produces real freedom to stand on in a world full of ideas that go against what He says. This teaching includes a clip from the movie Amistad.

Amidst spiritual warfare, it's vital to remember the importance of the mind. Taking our thoughts captive requires a deep understanding of the power of God's Word, along with our minds being shaped by what His Word says. As we conform ourselves to God's Word, we will be able to discern false thinking and combat it with His truth.

In order to defend himself against accusers, Paul must boast about himself to the Corinthians. Normally, boasting in self is offensive to God. However, boasting or praising God for who He is or what He's done is biblical and effective in pointing others towards Him. As we move away from puffing ourselves up through comparisons or trying to boost our ego, God is able to remind us that our real source of identity and significance are given by Him. This allows us to delight in the opportunities He gives us to serve.

Paul demonstrates to the Corinthians the importance of living to serve others and having a mind to suffer for Christ. As we live our Christian lives looking to meet others need, we can experience great peace and seeing God work through us in others lives. Christians who develop Paul's attitude toward the suffering in their lives are capable of experiencing deep spiritual transformation as their faith is increased as God works. As we suffer, we are able to see who God really is at a more profound level.

Paul's revelations and experiences were used by God to equip Paul for greater service. To prevent pride from creeping in, God allowed a unique type of suffering in Paul's life to cultivate humility before Him. As we experience similar sufferings, we can remember that God has allowed this for His purposes, as we learn to rely less on self and more on Christ's power. God can use suffering in our lives to create a proper boasting in Him rather than our abilities, and allows for a deeper appreciation for who He is.

Paul challenges the Corinthians to examine the genuineness of their faith. Biblical faith is rooted in objective reality based on God's revealed truth and is also deeply personal. Faith is also a position of held belief to what is actually true, based on evidence and reason. As people invite God into their lives through Jesus Christ and begin to walk by faith, they can experience a deep sense of connection and a transformed view of others. Biblical faith is the catalyst for real character transformation and for vibrant Christian community.

Becoming complete in Christ is an ongoing process where who we are in Christ becomes more and more evident in all aspects of our lives. Living out of our new identity in Christ necessitates believing what God says about who we are, including that we are forgiven, acceptable, and redeemed. Our responsibility in this process is to take steps of faith to live out God's Word of who we are. God's love and grace are motivating factors in this process to love others and help others reach spiritual maturity. When we do this, we are strengthened to be effective in the work God has for us.