2 Corinthians 1-7

Notes compiled from my BSF group


2 Corinthians 1–2, 7:5–11
Acts 19:21–20:6
1 Corinthians 16:5–6


Paul left Ephesus before he intended because a riot caused by silversmiths (who made silver shrines of Artemis) were afraid they would lose money because Paul was preaching to them about the one true God (Acts 19:21-20:6).


In Troas...


1. Paul had no peace of mind because he did not find Titus in Troas (2 Corinthians 2:13)


2. God opened a door for him to preach the gospel of Christ


3. Paul was able to continue his mission of spreading of the gospel




2 Corinthians 1:3-11
From Paul's experiences in Asia, we learn that God will always deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:10). When we are in despair, this is our chance to rely on God instead of ourselves (2 Corinthians 1:9), because there is nothing our God, who is the Creator of this world and the Conqueror of death, cannot do. And when we place our trust in God during trying times, we will gain personal experience that God delivers us from trials. These personal experiences will then give us strength when we are confronted by future trials and will also allow us to provide strength for those who are in despair (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).


In short, God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). And, our limitations teach us to rely on God's comfort, which can be received through prayers by many (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).




Ephesians 1:13–14
1 John 2:27


The Holy Spirit seals our salvation and continually anoints us in the Way of the Lord.


That is, once we have invited Jesus into our hearts, our salvation is made secure (or "sealed") by receiving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). As we continue to walk in the Way, the Holy Spirit cleanses (or "anoints") us and helps us mature in the Word, teaching us all things about God (1 John 2:27).


Jesus is the Truth, and the Gospel is about Jesus and the salvation that Jesus brings.


To those who choose to ignore the Gospel, the presentation of the Gospel will be a “smell of death” because they will have heard the message but chose to reject it. They thus choose do die in the absence of God and will therefore die both a physical and spiritual death.


To those who take the Gospel to heart, the presentation of the Gospel will be a “fragrance of life” because they understand the sacrificial death of Jesus; they understand that only through Jesus could they be declared righteous in the eyes of God. They thus choose to be born again in the spirit of the Lord and will therefore die only a physical death but have eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 3:16).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 2 Co 2:16 smell of death ... fragrance of life. As the gospel aroma is released in the world through Christian testimony, it is always sweet-smelling, even though it may be differently received. Ultimately there are two kinds of people: "those who are being saved and those who are perishing" (v. 15). To the latter, testifying Christians are the smell of death, not because the gospel message has become evil-smelling or death-dealing, but because in rejecting the life-giving grace of God unbelievers choose death for themselves. To those who welcome the gospel of God's grace, Christians with their testimony are the fragrance of life.




2 Corinthians 3–4
Here, Paul is talking about false teachers who have been coming to the Corinthians with “letters of recommendation” (2 Corinthians 3:1) and causing dissension in the church. However, unlike these false teachers, Paul and the other Apostles do not need such letters, because the Church,
including the Corinthians, is their best letter (2 Corinthians 3:2)! The Corinthians were saved by Paul’s ministry through the Holy Spirit and by applying the Word that is written on their hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3).


The Letter Kills
Under this context, the phrase, “the letter kills,” thus refers to the fact that Law of the Old Covenant brings death because no one can abide by it perfectly and be saved based on their own works. The Law itself brings condemnation, because it makes us realize how imperfect we are, and how, on our own, we would never be able to fulfill the Law perfectly. For we are all sinners, and not one is righteous (Romans 3:10). Hence, those who believe they can fulfill the Law perfectly on their own are proud and blind to the Truth, which leads to spiritual death.


The law condemns us to death because no one is perfect and all have broken the law.


The Spirit Gives Life
However, since Christ has come in our place, obeyed the Law perfectly, and died in our place, we are thus saved through Jesus Christ. And by placing our trust in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit gives life,” because the Spirit “writes the “letter,” the Law, the Word, into our hearts. When our hearts belong to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will work within us and guide our understanding of the Word, continually cleansing our minds from sin, therefore bringing us spiritual life.


The Holy Spirit changes our hearts, teaches us to love God's law and gives us power to keep it.


A “Veil” over the Heart
In the Old Covenant, the sins of people could only be temporarily forgiven through yearly sacrificial offerings of animal blood. The veil is a symbol that separated God from man. In Moses’ time, this veil existed, because back then, they only had the Law (2 Corinthians 3:13).


The Veil Is Taken Away
However, with the coming of Jesus, the veil is taken away, because Jesus made us righteous (2 Corinthians 3:14). Through Jesus, our sins are eternally washed away, allowing us to be in the presence of God again, taking away the veil.


We are changed to Christ’s likeness by turning toward our Lord, who takes the veil away (2 Corinthians 3:16).
contemplate the Lord's glory with unveiled faces


The Holy Spirit changes us to be more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 2 Co 3:6 the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Does not mean that the external, literal sense of Scripture is deadly or unprofitable while the inner, spiritual sense is vital. "The letter" is synonymous with the law as an external standard before which all people, because they are lawbreakers, stand guilty and condemned to death. Therefore it is described as the "ministry that brought death" and the "ministry that condemns" (vv. 7, 9). On the other hand, the Spirit who "gives life" writes that same law inwardly "on tablets of human hearts." He thus provides believers with love for God's law, which previously they had hated, and with power to keep it, which previously they had not possessed.


* 2 Co 3:14 to this day the same veil remains. The veil that prevented the Israelites from seeing the fading of the glory of Moses' face kept them from recognizing the temporary and inadequate character of the old covenant - a "veil" that is removed only in Christ.


* 2 Co 3:17 the Lord is the Spirit. This statement should be linked with what was said at the end of v. 6: "the Spirit gives life." Only by turning to the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 16) can the condemnation and the sentence of death pronounced by the law on the lawbreaker be annulled and replaced by the free life-giving grace of the new covenant.


* 2 Co 3:18 with unveiled faces. In contrast to Moses. transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory. Christ himself is the glory of God in the fullness of its radiance (see Heb 1:2-3 and note); his is the eternal and unfading glory, which he had with the Father "before the world began" (Jn 17:5).


From Corinthians 3, we learn that...
1. God is the Creator of all.
2. Jesus is the Gospel, the Good News.
3. The Holy Spirit is our anointing mentor who seals our salvation.
4. When we invite Jesus into our hearts, we are no longer alone in this world. When we face difficult times and are helpless, we should rely on God to deliver us. This will solidify our confidence in God during future trying times and will help us mature in our personal relationship with God. It will also allow us to be better witnesses/letters of God, because our faith would be stronger, and we can turn and help those in need.




2 Corinthians 4


“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4).


Remember that “god of this age/world” is Satan (1 John 5:19).


Hence, Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot hear the Good News. And the less people knowing about the Gospel, the more souls he can collect to worship him.


We receive the light of truth ONLY from Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)


Those who are “perishing” are those who are blind and deaf to the Word of God. They perish because without Jesus in their hearts, they have no salvation. They will die a physical death and suffer eternally in Hell.


Because we are weak and do not have the power to overcome great difficulties, our ability to succeed under these circumstances shows the power of God and His glory (2 Corinthians 4:7).


Sharing the death of Christ is what the Gospel is all about. We cannot appreciate salvation until we understand the life and death of Jesus. By understanding Jesus’s death redeems us, we can then receive eternal life through Jesus. And by sharing the knowledge of Christ’s death, we can then bring the Gospel to those around us, allowing them to also choose eternal life with Jesus or eternal suffering with Satan (2 Corinthians 4:10).


“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).


Here, Paul is saying that our physical birth and our physical body are sentenced by death because we were born of sin. However, through our spiritual birth in Jesus, we receive eternal life and the Holy Spirit, who guides us toward God and away from sin, purify our souls day after day.


“Fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:18).


Paul is referring to the Glory of God (unseen) and the world (seen). Troubles of this world are light and momentary (2 Corinthians 4:17) when compared to the eternal suffering in Hell. Our focus should be where we spend our eternity and with whom we spend our eternity. God or Satan, Heaven or Hell. Our choices really are just that simple. If we want to spend our eternity with God in Heaven, then we should focus on doing God’s work and achieving God’s Glory. This is not easy to achieve in this world, because God and His glory are masked by Satan, the controller of this world. Satan is thus taking advantage of this opportunity to pull as many souls away from God as possible, blinding the people, deceiving the people, to make them become near-sighted and focus on worldly view, the things that we can easily see and hear. This is why Paul encourages us to focus on what is not seen (God) and not on what is seen (Satan), because “what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 2 Co 4:4 god of this age. The devil, who is the archenemy of God and the unseen power behind all unbelief and ungodliness. Those who follow him have in effect made him their god. this age. Used in contrast to the future eternal age when God's creation will be forever purged of all that now mars and defiles it. Paul calls it the "present evil age" in Gal 1:4 (see note there). blinded the minds of unbelievers. Paul continues to use the imagery of the veil that covers the divine glory so that those who reject the gospel fail to see that glory (3:13-18). image of God. Christ, the incarnate Son, authentically displays God to us, for he is the very radiance of divine glory (Heb 1:3). He is the image of God in which humanity was originally created (see Ge 1:26 and note) and into which redeemed humanity is being gloriously transformed (3:18) until at last, when Christ comes again at the end of this age, we who believe will "be like him" (1 Jn 3:2).


* 2 Co 4:6 Let light shine out of darkness. God said this at the creation (see Ge 1:2-4 and notes), and God says it again in the new creation or new birth (see 5:17; Jn 3:3 and notes; 1Pe 1:3) as the darkness of sin is dispelled by the light of the gospel. the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. The light that now shines in Paul's heart (qualifying him to be a proclaimer of Christ) is the knowledge of God's glory as it as displayed in the face of Christ - who has come from the glorious presence of God in heaven (see Jn 1:14 and note).


* 2 Co 4:7 this treasure. The gospel. jars of clay. Treasures were concealed in clay jars, which had little value or beauty and did not attract attention to themselves and their contents. Here they represent Paul's human frailty and unworthiness. all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. The idea that the absolute insufficiency of human beings reveals the total sufficiency of God pervades this letter.


* 2 Co 4:10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus. The frailty of the "clay jar" of Paul's humanity (v. 7) is plainly seen in the constant hardships and persecutions with which he is buffeted for the sake of the gospel and through which he shares in Christ's suffering (see 1:5; see also Ro 8:17; Php 3:10; Col 1:24 and notes). that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. Refers to Christ's resurrection life and power (see Php 3:10 and note). Once again (see v. 7 and note), human weakness provides the occasion for the triumph of divine power.


* 2 Co 4:13 I believed, therefore I have spoken. Faith leads to testimony. Paul therefore tirelessly labored and journeyed to bring the gospel message to others.


* 2 Co 4:16 we do not lose heart. Repeating the statement in v. 1. The intervening paragraphs explain why the apostle continues to have a cheerful heart, and the rest of the chapter summarizes the argument he has developed. wasting away. Because of the hardships to which he is subjected. being renewed. Because of the flame of resurrection life burning within.


* 2 Co 4:17 light and momentary troubles. Seen from the perspective of eternity, the Christian's difficulties diminish in importance. eternal glory that far outweighs them all. By comparison, the eternal glory is far greater than all the suffering one may face in this life (see Ro 8:17-18 and note on 8:17).


* 2 Co 4;18 what is seen ... what is unseen. The experiences and circumstances of this present life are visible to the Christian; but these are merely temporary and fleeting. To fix our eyes on them would cause us to "lose heart" (vv. 1, 17). By contrast the unseen realities, which are no less real for being invisible (cf. Heb 11:1, 7, 26-27), are eternal and imperishable. Accordingly, we look up and away from the impermanent appearances of this present world scene (see Php 3:20; Heb 12:2 and notes).


From 2 Corinthians 4, I am encouraged that it is okay that I am weak and do not have all the answers to life. God loves and protects me. He delivers me from all trials. With an amazing Father, who has conquered death, what have I to fear? With an amazing Father, who is the Creator of all things, what of this Satan-ruled world do I need? I need nothing of Satan. All I need, I have from God.




2 Corinthians 5


A tent is a temporary shelter.
A dwelling or a home is permanent place of belonging.


We do not belong to the world, and that is why Paul referred to our place on earth as an earthly tent. We belong to God, and that is why Paul referred to Heaven as our permanent home or dwelling.




2 Corinthians 5:8-10


If we know the Truth through Jesus, there is no reason why we’d ever be tied to the things of this world.


My personal goal is to do God’s Will and God’s Will only, and I look forward to spending my eternity with Jesus as my King of kings.




2 Corinthians 5:17-21
John 3:3-6
Ephesians 4:24


Sin keeps us from God. Since there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our sins, God sent His perfect Son to die in place of our sins. Because of Jesus, we are reconciled with God.


Paul’s following statements are very revealing: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sina for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 17-21).


Though we are sinners, God does not count that against us. Why? Because He loves us. Just like parents who would forgive their children of their mistakes, God forgives us of our sins. If we want to be reconciled with God, we need to open our hearts to Jesus, and that is what Paul implore us to do.


By placing the world's sins on Christ and piercing them on the cross, God has forgiven us of our sins by grace. However, this grace needs to be received by faith. Thus, only believers will be reconciled to God. This process is known as "born again".


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 1 Peter 1:3 = Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.




2 Corinthians 6:1-10


Physical Suffering of Christians (2 Corinthians 6:4-5)
1. great endurance
2. troubles
3. hardships
4. distress
5. beatings
6. imprisonments
7. riots
8. hard work
9. sleepless nights
10. hunger


Spiritual Characteristics during Physical Suffering (2 Corinthians 6:6-7)
1. purity
2. understanding
3. patience
4. kindness
5. Holy Spirit
6. sincere love
7. truthful speech
8. power of God
9. weapon of righteousness


Contrasting Circumstances of Christians (2 Corinthians 6:8-10)
1. glory and dishonor
2. bad report and good report
3. genuine yet regarded as impostors
4. known yet regarded as unknown
5. dying and living on
6. beaten yet not killed
7. sorrowful yet always rejoicing
8. poor yet making many rich
9. having nothing yet possessing everything


The lists above provide a bird's eye view of the challenges that face a Christian as he/she walks in the Way of God. Listing them out diminishes their importance in a way, because it's so easy for us to just skim over them without giving them much thought.


For me, the take-home message is that as a Christian, I have taken a stance. In the war between God and Satan, I have chosen God. Consequently, Satan now views me as his enemy. His attacks will bring me physical suffering--these sufferings could come in the form of temptations or people who have been blinded by Satan hating on me, etc. And how should I view such suffering? Certainly with pride. Why? Because, like Paul said, this shows that I'm walking with God. Because if I wasn't, Satan wouldn't bother attacking me, would he? By contrasting the list of suffering with the list of spiritual characteristics, we therefore can gain a better understanding for the list of contrasting circumstances.


Simply put, as a Christian, my main goals on this earth are 1) love God; 2) share the Gospel; 3) become more and more like Jesus. There are days where I am not as patient as I should be or as understanding as I can be, but with each day, I hope with the Holy Spirit guiding me, I can be more loving and compassionate like Jesus.




2 Corinthians 7:2-15


Paul was sorry that he caused the Corinthians sorrows by the words he wrote against them. However, because the Corinthians repented, he rejoiced.


“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

* * * * * * * *

There is only one Truth.


There cannot be multiple truths, because if one is right, then the others have to be wrong. Otherwise, nothing would make sense.


Jesus is that one Truth, and it is so important for us to tell the world about it, because those who don’t know fall easily under the deceptions of Satan.


When we see family and friends walk in the path of Satan, we need to pull them away because we love them. It may offend them and hurt them, just like how Paul’s letter hurt the Corinthians, but if these actions open people’s eyes and ears, then we can rejoice just as Paul did for the Corinthians who came to see the Truth.


The idea here is that the pain it takes to see the Truth is way less than the pain of eternal suffering. If people suffer a little, but they get to come back to God, then we can rejoice because their eternity is in God. However, if people remain attached to the world and want only the joy of this world, we have much to be sorrowful for because when this world ends, their joy ends and eternal suffering begins. Short pain for eternal life or short joy for eternal pain. That’s the choice we all have to make. I think the obvious choice is short pain for eternal life, don’t you?