WEEK 7: 1 Corinthians 15-16, 2 Corinthians 1-8
THE NEW COVENANT | Axioms 4 – 10
God works with his people through covenants. During the time of Moses, God had made a covenant with Israel – promising blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Israel was never able to obey God, but God had already planned something better. Through Jesus, a new covenant was introduced where God’s Spirit lives in us, enabling us to live as God desires and bring others to faith in Christ.
WEEK 8: 2 Corinthians 9-13, James 1-5
EVERYDAY CHRISTIANITY | Axioms 1 and 9
James was a practical kind of guy. He was concerned with seeing what our faith looked like in everyday life. As a result, James left us this handy book on how to live wisely as a Christian. Notice how God wants us to live in regard to our money, our speech, our relationships and a whole array of other areas in life.
Weeks 7-8 | Questions for Discussion
1. Read 2 Corinthians 5:20-21. What does it mean to be Christ’s ambassadors?
2. Read James 2:14-17. What kind of “faith” does James describe in these verses? How does James envision our faith working itself out in our lives?
3. Choose one of the areas in the Christian life that James mentions (speech, money, etc). What are some steps you can take to grow in this area?
COMMENTARY
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.In this passage we have a clear statement from Paul about the reliability and historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. First, he points out that Jesus’ death was “for our sins.” This means that Jesus died in our place, bearing the penalty of our sin. All this had been prophesied in the Bible. After his death, though, God raised him from the dead on the third day and he appeared to Peter, the twelve disciples, to a group of over 500 disciples, James, and then finally Paul.
1 Corinthians 15:42-49
Notice that Paul is talking about our bodies in heaven. Just as Jesus wasn’t resurrected as a disembodied spirit, we won’t be either. We’ll have “spiritual bodies” in heaven.
1 Corinthians 16
Just some closing remarks from Paul. Remember, this was a letter he wrote to the church in Corinth.
The Book of 2 Corinthians
Paul wrote this letter several months after 1 Corinthians. There was still a small group in the church there that tried to discredit Paul. Pay attention to Paul’s passionate tone in the letter.
Paul actually wrote three letters to the struggling church in Corinth. We do not have the first letter. Our 1 Corinthians is actually his second correspondence. The third letter (2 Corinthians) came after the church members acknowledged some of their problems. As with any healthy church, when spiritual growth occurs we begin to focus outward. We notice this in Paul’s final letter to the Corinthians as well: an emphasis on giving financially and sharing the gospel.
2 Corinthians 1:4
It’s important to note that when God comforts us, encourages us, blesses us, etc., it is not merely for our own growth. God does these things so that we will be able to pass on His comfort and encouragement to others. This reminds us that our pursuit of God is not ultimately just about us, it’s about what God wants to do through us.
2 Corinthians 2:5-11
Note Paul’s sense of forgiveness. He’s not trying to hold a sin over anyone’s head. The goal of warning and rebuke is redirection, transformation, restoration. When we turn from our sin – no matter what it is, we are totally free!
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Paul is contrasting the OT Law with the new way of the Spirit. When Moses came off of the mountain after receiving the 10 Commandments, his face was glowing with the radiance of God. All throughout the OT we see the separation between God and man, as the entire Temple system illustrates. But when Jesus came and died, he changed everything.
2 Corinthians 5:10
Judgment day: The Bible makes two things clear: first, we are saved purely by faith (see 101 again). Our works don’t add to it. When God judges us for entrance into heaven, there is only one question: “Did you genuinely trust in Christ to save you?” Some call this the “Judgment of Faith”. This is what we talk about all the time on Sundays.
The other thing the Bible clearly talks about is “reward in heaven”. There’s not as much on this, but it’s in there. Somehow we will be rewarded for our faithfulness, obedience, sacrifice, etc. It’s not a matter of our entrance into heaven, but our reward once we get there. The Bible doesn’t chart it out. It seems that some people (like the martyrs) will be rewarded more in heaven than others. This is often called the “Judgment of Works”. It’s not what we’re talking about when we say we’re saved by faith. It doesn’t contradict that gospel at all, but it’s hard for us to grasp.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.Christian teachers have called this passage the Great Exchange. The sinless Jesus took on our sinfulness on the cross and in exchange we took on his righteousness. This is at the core of what the Bible teaches about salvation. Our sinfulness was placed on Jesus and his righteousness was placed on us.
2 Corinthians 7
Notice how Paul talks about the “sorrow” he caused the Corinthians because he had to call them out on their sin in his other letter to them. Sometimes that happens in intentional relationships – but it’s worth it.
2 Corinthians 7:9
When Paul wrote about suffering, he concentrated not merely on the pain itself, but on what qualities that pain produced in those who had faith. In this case, he cites the emotional suffering the Corinthians had experienced because of his letter. Although the suffering was unpleasant, it produced something of great value, an abrupt change in their attitudes.
2 Corinthians 8
Paul talks here about “growing in the grace of giving”. As followers of Christ, we should desire to grow in every area of our lives – to include the area of finances. The reason the Bible talks about money so much is because our finances area really where the rubber meets the road in our faith. Nothing demonstrates more clearly our true priorities and values in life than how we use our money. When we financially give regularly, proportionately, and sacrificially toward God’s Kingdom, we demonstrate that God truly is our highest priority.
2 Corinthians 9:7
God’s desire for Christians is that they are to be givers to his church and to his work in the world. However, this giving isn’t forced on to Christians as an entrance requirement to get into heaven. It’s not set at a particular dollar amount or percentage. Rather, our giving should be based on joy. It should be a delight to support God’s work and his church. This joy should make giving a fun activity for every Christian.
2 Corinthians 9:11
According to this verse, why does God give wealth to the Corinthians? (Hint: look for the “so that”.)
2 Corinthians 9:15
I love how Paul concludes his discussion of financial giving. He doesn’t say, “Look what great givers we are!”, but rather, “Thanks for God’s giving!”
2 Corinthians 10:5
“…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. This is a powerful exercise. When you are tempted to stray toward disobedience, to justify things that you know are displeasing to God, take captive that thought and force it to submit to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:18
What a simple concept. You can say all you want to build yourself up, but in the the end what you say doesn’t matter. It’s what God says about you that counts.
2 Corinthians 11
Paul advocates grace and kindness toward all kinds of people, but he puts his foot down when he thinks about “false teachers”. These are people who come in and try to teach that we are saved by something other than true faith alone. Paul doesn’t put up with this nonsense (see Galatians 1). And we shouldn’t either!
2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Paul finally fights fire with fire. He doesn’t typically promote himself, but the false teachers were slandering him and elevating themselves. He finally lays out his own credentials, not to boast about himself, but to correct the deception that had been going on long enough.
2 Corinthians 12:2
Many ancient cultures viewed heaven in “levels” or “realms”. Many Jewish Rabbis thought of heaven as having seven realms. Other cultures adhered to three: the atmosphere, outer space, and a spiritual heaven. Paul uses the terminology here to clarify that he’s not talking about the sky or outer space, but the place where God dwells. He is not suggesting that there are different “levels” of heaven in the sense that Mormonism teaches. That idea is not taught anywhere in scripture, nor has it ever been seriously considered in historic Christianity.
2 Corinthians 13:10
This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. This is the reality of intentional relationships within the church. We have to be willing to speak God’s truth to people around us, but the goal always has to be positive. We try to add value to one another, building each other up for the greater good.
The Book of James
James is the first of a group of seven “general” letters, so called because they are addressed to groups of Christians in different parts of the Greco-Roman world, not to one particular church. James, although it begins as a letter, is more of an address, giving practical guidance on Christian conduct, covering various topics – most importantly faith and actions. There should be no discrepancy between the two. Real faith shows in the way Christians behave. It affects how they think of themselves and how they regard and treat others. James reminds his readers of the need for genuinely Christian standards and values in every area of life. (from The Zondervan Handbook to the Bible)
James 2:17
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.Faith, not what we do, is the only means to salvation and to a relationship with God. However, James insists that genuine faith will always produce good works in the life of a believer. James concern was that some people were defining faith as only a verbal profession. He says real faith involves more than just words. It is the deepest conviction of the heart that flows out into action.