Day 338 (2 Corinthians 1-4) - Year 6
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

Today we jumped into 2 Corinthians, which is at least Paul's third letter to the Corinthians, because there's also zero Corinthians, which we've never found, and maybe more. Yesterday, as we finished off 1 Corinthians, Paul told him he hoped that letter would help smooth out some of the tension. He said he's coming to visit soon, and that in the meantime, they should collect money for the believers in Jerusalem. Between that letter and this letter, some people repented of the things he addressed, while others rebelled all the more.

And for some of those who rebelled, his subsequent visit is what God used to turn their hearts back to him. Paul writes this letter in response to the whole situation. He starts out by praising the God of mercy and comfort. Paul has experienced both of these things in the midst of all he has endured. He says God does that in part so that when we experience Christ's comfort, we know how to pass it on to others who are suffering.

It's always helpful for me to remember that he says to comfort those who are afflicted, not instruct them. Paul reiterates this later in Romans 12, 15, when he says to weep with those who weep, not put together a detailed list of how they could have avoided this, or why it's not actually a big deal at all, or how to solve it. Instead, he calls us to enter in and to speak comfort and hope.

Paul and his traveling companions endured a lot in Asia specifically, and he's probably talking about all the persecutions they experienced in Ephesus. He says they despaired of life itself, but God carried them through and he hopes God will continue to. He asked for them to pray for him and he says that helps. Prayer isn't pointless. It's engaging with God and it's encouraging to believers. It blesses them.

He wants them to know he is sincere in his ministry and his love for them. Even though he wasn't able to visit them at the time he planned to, it wasn't because he didn't want to. While it wasn't God's plan for him to visit them at that time, even God's no is still a yes to the best things. And Paul says the only appropriate response to that is amen, to God be the glory. By the way, the word amen basically means let it be so, Lord.

Then, as is his way, Paul drops some deep theology midstream. In 121-22, he says, So, first of all, we've got the whole Trinity here in one verse, Father, Son, and Spirit. And second of all, he says the Spirit is our seal. Kings put their seal on things they own. It's a name tag.

And the Spirit is our guarantee that we belong to God. We are filled and sealed. The relationship is a done deal. Marriage. Then Paul explains why it wasn't optimal for him to come visit when he wanted to. He knew his last letter had caused some problems, and he probably wanted to leave time for the Spirit to work in people's hearts instead of coming to them in the midst of what was almost certainly hurt feelings and grief.

The sins of the people were hurting the whole community, but the sin of the repentant sinner also left him sorrowful. So Paul says it's important for the whole community to comfort even the person who committed the sin and remind him that they love him. Otherwise, Satan will use it as an opportunity to create division. He will sing to the strings of pride and superiority, and before you know it, you're thinking things like, I'd never do anything that terrible. The arrogance.

Even though Paul's plans got derailed, he trusts that God used him wherever he went. He gives a metaphor that portrays Christians as God's perfume spritzer. We are the bottle and Christ is the perfume, or cologne if you prefer. Some people don't like the fragrance of Christ. Some will cover their noses and leave the room, but others will want to go and get more of it for themselves.

In much of this letter, Paul is having to defend his actions and his role. And you can tell he kind of hates it, probably because he feels like it's arrogant, but also because their perspectives are missing the point. But because he loves the locals, he doesn't want them to be led astray by false teachers. So he has to spend some time defending his ministry against claims of inadequacy. While he's been away, some other speakers have started coming to the church, and they're rich and flashy.

The not-so-wealthy Corinthians are impressed. So by comparison, some of the church members are beginning to question Paul's legitimacy as an apostle. Paul? Our Paul? Who was their guest speaker last weekend? Solomon?

The problem is rooted in the fact that the Corinthians care deeply about status and appearances. All the other itinerant speakers who come to Corinth have letters of recommendation. But Paul says, you are my letter. I planted this church. If my ministry isn't worthwhile, then why are you still here? But even then, he's quick to point out that all his worth and his only sufficiency comes from God.

Through the power of God, Paul brings the ministry of life, which is far more glorious than the law, the ministry of death. The law can't solve sin, it can only name it. The law is the MRI that diagnoses our problems, and Jesus is the surgeon. The ministry of death was glorious and necessary in its own right, for sure, but the ministry of life and grace far outshines it.

Paul believes in this truth so deep in his bones that it gives him a boldness in sharing the gospel. But even still, he knows that some people won't connect with it, no matter how powerful and bold his words are, because their hearts are covered with a veil that only God can remove. Only God gives the freedom to see the freedom that is in God.

But once we're finally able to behold him, we begin to reflect him. Through the powerful work of his spirit, we are transformed. Paul says some people don't understand what he's doing and don't believe the gospel. And he's probably referring to the other itinerant speakers and those who follow them. He says it's because their eyes are veiled to the truth. Satan has blinded their eyes from seeing the glory of Christ.

Satan is referred to as the god of this world here, but that doesn't mean he's in charge of the world. We've seen multiple times that he's absolutely subject to God's authority. This is likely pointing to the fact that the world follows his ways. He does have some level of power here though, but only as it applies to accomplishing God's ultimate will. He's on a leash.

Paul says those who carry Christ carry a light in them that God shined into their hearts. And that light lives in fragile vessels, human bodies. On the other hand, you can't kill light. You can't gather up a bunch of darkness and bring it into the room with light and even do so much as dim a match with it. Light is always more powerful. So while lots can happen to mess up the vessel, the light will remain unscathed. And in

And in fact, every chip and every crack is just another way for the light to spread. And while Paul and his traveling companions are being physically tortured, the light is spilling out all around them. To prisoners and jail guards and governors and Jews and Gentiles, he can't help but speak what he believes. And if it ends up being the death of them, it will be for the life of others.

While he's being persecuted, his body is being destroyed, but his spirit is being renewed. So he looks past his afflictions to what's eternal. Most of us have never been persecuted, but whether you're 17 or 70, you're eight minutes older than you were when you started this podcast. Your body is wasting away. But as you press into him, your spirit is being renewed day by day. Aging and persecution and sanctification are just a few of the ways God's kids trade temporary things for eternal things.

It's a good trade. Today my God shot was in 4-6. Here it is. For God, who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

God did that. God shone in our hearts, our dark hearts, our hearts of stone, and he gave us new ones, hearts of flesh, and he drenched them with his light. And Paul says this light in particular is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The knowledge of the glory of God. That basically means to know and see God rightly, to see him in the face of Jesus. That's who God is.

Are you seeing it more all the time? Are you growing in the knowledge of the glory of God as you behold him? I bet you know it more today than you did yesterday, that he's where the joy is.

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