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II Corinthians
The Apostle Paul in the book of I Corinthians was very harsh on the Corinthians. In 57 AD, at this writing, the Corinthians have taken in doctrine and have grown. However they are surprised to find that they still are suffering. The basic theme of II Corinthians is 'suffering for blessing'.
It starts out with the Corinthians upset with Paul. He said in I Corinthians he would return to be face to face with them. He came that way and passed them by. They were hurt. They felt slighted. A lot of them said Paul was fickle and did not love them anymore!
Chapter
1
{Suffering
for blessings}
1~~Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ
{genitive of relationship}
through
the instrumentality of God's will,
and
Timothy our brother
{Timothy is bearing the Epistle},
unto
the church
which
belongs to God
which
is at Corinth,
with
all the saints
which
are in all Achaia.
{in Southern Greece}
2~~Grace
be to you all
and
peace
{relaxed mental attitude}
from
the ultimate source of God our Father,
and
from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3~~Blessed
be God,
even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the
Father of mercies,
and
the God of all comfort.
{Note: 'Blessed' in the Greek is the adjective 'eulogetos'. It is only applied to God in the New Testament- means 'worthy of praise and love'. Mercies is plural means many types. Comfort, on the other hand is singular and is part of God's omniscience and is therefore in the singular- and His comfort can be transferred to someone else.}
4~~Who
keeps on giving comfort to us in all our tribulation,
that
we may be able to comfort them
who
are in any trouble
through
the comfort
by
which we ourselves receive comfort
under
the authority of God.
{Note: God shares comfort with us so we can share with others in their time of trouble the secret of inner happiness - bible doctrine. And, there is only one way to truly be under the authority of God - to understand his plan - through the knowledge of Bible Doctrine.}
5~~For
as the sufferings of Christ
overflows
to us
{an analogy} . . .
so
our comfort also overflows through Christ.
{Note: Christ's suffering in his humanity was for blessing, the blessing overflows to US. In the same manner, our blessings from suffering, if faith rested, can have blessings that overflow to others.}
6~~And
if we
{Paul and his associates}
are
under maximum pressure,
it
is for the benefit of your comfort and deliverance.
And
if we are being comforted,
it
is for the benefit of your comfort and deliverance
which
{comfort and deliverance}
operates
in the patient enduring
of
the same suffering
which
we also suffer.
{Note: 'Patient enduring' is a synonym for the faith rest technique - having an RMA - relaxed mental attitude, living in Grace, putting it in the hands of the Lord and forget about it! Paul is stating that by handling pressure with Grace, using the faith rest technique, you become an example to others. You receive blessings from God through the suffering (as Christ also did) and the blessings overflow to others. If they understand faith rest, then they can handle adversities and their blessings overflow back to you. Paul is telling the people to be self-sufficient - you must survive on your OWN doctrine in your soul!}
7~~And
our hope/'absolute confidence' of you
is
steadfast . . . knowing,
that
as you are partakers of the sufferings,
so
shall you be also of the comfort!
{Note: This is because Paul knows the Corinthians have the doctrine and know how to use faith rest}
8~~For
we would not, brethren,
have
you ignorant of our trouble
which
came to us in Asia,
that
we were pressed out of measure
{lot of pressure on them - hopeless situation},
beyond
strength
{beyond human capabilities},
insomuch
that we despaired even of life.
{Note: Paul is saying he and his team were beyond help even of the details of life - friends, money, things etc.}
9~~But
we had in the past
-
and it keeps on being that way -
the
sentence of death in ourselves
{maximum suffering situations},
that
we do not have confident thinking in ourselves,
but
. . . {confidence} in God
Who
raised the dead.
10~~Who
delivered/rescued us
from
so great a death,
and
does deliver
{deliverance at death - dying Grace} . . .
in
Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us.
{deliverance in Phase III - everlasting life}
11~~You
also, helping together,
by
prayer for us,
that
for the gift bestowed upon us
by
the means of many persons . . .
thanks
may be given by many . . .
on
our behalf.
12~~For
our 'esprit de corps'/'team spirit'
keeps
on being this:
the
witness of our conscience,
that
in simplicity and godly holiness,
not
with fleshly wisdom
{not from the old sin nature},
but
by the grace of God,
we
have had our manner of life
and
more abundantly toward you.
{Note: The conscience is where you store your norms and standards. This verse means that Paul has a clear conscience. He knows he did the correct thing in writing the harsh I Corinthians epistle.}
{Note: 'Holiness' is experiential sanctification/'set-apart-ness' and discernment from God.}
13~~For
we write none other things unto you
-
to your advantage -
{Paul stuck to the issue in I Corinthians and wrote only what
God the Holy Spirit instructed him to write},
than
what you read again, again, and again
{learn by repetition}
and
learn.
And
I keep on hoping in the future
you
shall keep on learning
to
the maximum.
14~~As
also, part of you have learned to the maximum
{THESE are the ones Paul referred to above as the 'esprit de corps'
- the ones who have learned to the maximum},
with
the result that
we
are your 'esprit de corps',
even
as you are ours also
in
the day of the Lord Jesus.
{Judgement day}
{Paul
is Responding to Criticism for not stopping in Corinth as He Pasted by}
15~~And
in this
-
to your advantage -
the
confidence from my mentality,
I
intended to come to you
and
it kept on being my plan to come unto you before
{before Paul wrote this but God the Holy Spirit instructed him to
bypass Corinth and write the epistle},
for
the purpose that
you
all might have a second benefit.
{II Corinthians for ever and ever is the second benefit here}
16~~And
to pass by you into Macedonia,
and
to come again out of Macedonia face to face unto you,
and
of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.
{Note: Paul was being straight with them. Three times he COULD have stopped in Corinth and three times he passed them by! Why? So II Corinthians would be written.}
17~~When
I therefore had a desire from the soul,
did
I use lightness {levity or fickleness}?
Or
the things that I decide from my mind,
do
I do them according to the flesh?
That
with me there should be instability?
{Greek idiom 'yes yes no no' means instability}
18~~But
as God is faithful,
our
Word
face
to face with you
was
not unstable!
19~~For
the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
Who
was preached among you by us,
even
by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not unstable,
but
in Him was dogmatism!
{stability, means ONE THING and ONE THING ONLY, no hedging}
20~~For
all the promises of God in Him are dogmatic,
and
in Him . . .
'I
Believe it!'/Amen!,
unto
the glory of God by us.
21~~Now
He that stabilizes us with you in Christ,
and
has anointed us . . . is God!
{believers are in the Plan of God!}
22~~
Who has also sealed us,
and
given the down payment of the Spirit
in
our 'frontal lobes'/hearts.
{Note: The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the down payment of all the benefits that God has provided for us in eternity future - Ephesians Chapter 1.}
23~~
Moreover I call God as my witness upon my soul,
with
the purpose to keep on sparing you,
I
came not as yet unto Corinth.
24~~
Not for that we have lordship
{not to be a dictator}
over
your faith,
but
are helpers of your joy
{mental attitude under pressure}
for
by faith/doctrine you keep on standing.
{Note: Paul says that if he came to Corinth they would want him to tell them what to do! If he stays away and writes them, then they will rely on their study, study, study and learn . . . and become spiritually self-sufficient!}
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