2 CORINTHIANS 3:1\u20136<\/b><\/p>\n
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men<\/i><\/p>\n
(2 Cor. 3:2)<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Unlike some of Paul\u2019s more general letters which were probably circulated among various churches, 2 Corinthians is deeply personal and, as we said in yesterday\u2019s study, filled will emotion. Two chief themes in this epistle provide insight into the type of ministry Paul had among the people of Corinth. In chapters 1\u20137, we find the apostle offering words of comfort and encouragement to a people in the midst of suffering and trouble. Not only were the Corinthians suffering, but Paul himself suffered\u2014hardship, persecution, anxiety over the churches, and false accusations. Because Christ has promised that the church will encounter suffering, just as He did, this comes as no surprise to Paul. Yet, he does not give a cold dissertation about the purposes of suffering; instead, he offers the same consolation and comfort he had received from the churches of God. It is not until chapter 10\u201313 that he gets into how God\u2019s strength is manifested in human weakness, how we learn dependence on Him, and how He is glorified in our trials.<\/p>\n
Some supporting themes of the letter include the glory of the new covenant ministry, principles of Christian stewardship, and a defense of Paul\u2019s conduct, which was still under question by the false teachers who were leading people astray. We also find passages describing Paul\u2019s frequent suffering for the sake of the church, which is ultimately for God\u2019s glory. Such is the mark of a faithful minister! If he is faithfully serving God and ministering to the church according to the revealed Word, he will face hardship. A world of hostility, constantly spreading its tentacles into the church, threatens to strangle the growth of grace among God\u2019s people. When a minister, or any Christian for that matter, stands fast against this attack, he will very often suffer for it. But, as Paul so often says, we must stand fast in our faith and give glory to God.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s ministry was always based on the standards of Christ and not according to worldly standards, no matter how much opposition he faced. In the same way, the church today needs to stand fast in the face of opposition and accept suffering with faith. In this, our consciences will be clear and our boasting will not be in ourselves, but in God who gives us grace to endure all things.<\/p>\n
CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n
Psalms 96\u201398<\/p>\n
Romans 12<\/p>\n
If you were an apostle writing a letter to your church, what would you say? During this week, work on a letter to your church. What concerns do you have? Praises? Model Paul who wrote with love and forthrightness. Let this be an exercise to develop an awareness and love for the church. (It\u2019s not for the church to read).<\/p>\n
For further study: 2 Corinthians (skim the letter and focus on its various themes)<\/i><\/p>\n
wednesday<\/p>\n
august<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2 CORINTHIANS 3:1\u20136 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men (2 Cor. 3:2). Unlike some of Paul\u2019s more general letters which were probably circulated among various churches, 2 Corinthians is deeply personal and, as we said in yesterday\u2019s study, filled will emotion. Two chief themes in this epistle … Continue reading “THEMES OF 2 CORINTHIANS”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12824\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}