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2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTERS 6 & 7 KJV WEB See previous page 2Cor 6,1-10 (101h) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Be an ambitious businessman for God >> Managing God’s business 2Cor 6-1,2 (31f) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> God is willing to respond to man’s need (116k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> His Grace in us is in vain without Him 2Cor 6-1 (131k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Working together for one cause (137j) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Stages of maturity are levels of accountability >> Maturity is working with God – This verse says there is a way to receive the grace of God in vain: by not working with Him. To listen and obey His voice is our calling, even as He called Abraham. His grace is effective only when we dedicate ourselves to follow Him. When we made our commitment to follow Jesus, He listened to us; therefore, when He calls us to do His will, we should reciprocate and be faithful and help Him fulfill His will in our lives. Being children of God, we are obligated to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and do what He says, just as Jesus’ mother said to the wedding servants at His first miracle in Cana, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (Jn 2,1-11). Working with Him to fulfill His word is the very purpose of receiving His grace, for we are not passive spectators of our salvation but are active participants of His grace. We will always be the beneficiaries of doing His will, leading us into further righteousness. (171a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Vanity >> Vain effort >> Vain religion – We should think this verse doesn’t belong in the Bible, the way the gospel is preached in the pulpits of our churches all across America. Many say that God is like a doctor, and we are His patient, anesthetized and lying on the operating table, unconscious of what God is doing. Then we awake to a grace infused life. People who teach this are still on the operating table asleep. Meanwhile God is calling them and they can’t hear His voice. Almost everywhere we go we hear teachings that God’s grace is something He does, and we are mere recipients of it, but Paul told Timothy that after receiving the grace of God to do something with it. We use His grace to accomplish things He has called us to do; and if we don’t work with Him, then we have received His grace in vain. Many people waste years sitting on their hands waiting for God to enlighten them, but He has called us to work with Him, for He refuses to work alone. Act 1-8 says, “You shall be My witnesses.” How can we be His witnesses if we are asleep? Do we tell people that God has to do everything for us because we are like filthy rags and like an unclean thing (Isaiah 64-6), and that we are too decadent to work with Him? Isn’t the point of grace that a perfect God is willing to work with an imperfect people? He wants us to become more like Him, and He needs us to work with Him to accomplish this, but if we are unwilling to get involved in what God is doing, we will come to the end of our lives with nothing to show for it. (199c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating Jesus >> Frustrating the Holy Spirit 2Cor 6-2 (82a) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> What to pray for (214j) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s time is soon >> God’s time is always now – These are two separate days: the day we asked God for help and today. A day has come when we asked God for help, and another day is coming when the evangelist sweeps through town carrying his message of salvation to the ears of those who would believe and be saved, and Paul is saying, ‘Let these two days converge.’ On the day we hear the gospel, let it be the day we ask God for help and be saved. This is an Old Testament verse that Paul is quoting (Isaiah 49-8) about a person who asked God for help thousands of years ago (Israel), but Paul is telling us not to wait. There are days when we ask God for help and don’t get it, and there is another day when we hear the word of God when we are not seeking Him, and the answer to our prayer is calling us in a way that we may never hear again. We must respond to receive the salvation that He has made for us. A day is coming when we will need His help, and if we procrastinate, if we let the moment slip, the devil may steal the word from our heart. If we promise to consider another day, the next day we may not remember the urgency of our date with God. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,3-10 (7b) Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >> Defend the word of God by obeying it – In effort to protect the gospel through his reputation, Paul commended himself as a servant of God, suffering all things so the lies that went ahead of him would be virtually unbelievable. Why would someone willingly suffer this level of treatment to then destroy his own life’s work in an act of self-betrayal? This was the question he wanted to generate in people’s minds, and it cost him dearly to create that protective shield around his reputation. Living in a world like this, preaching the gospel of Christ, one that speaks of love and change that totally revamped his Jewish faith and customs, suffering was unavoidable. (116f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through hardship (142g) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Reputation exposed to slander >> Your reputation under attack – Paul was considered a deceiver by his enemies, but to the Church he was a saint. There were many reports spoken against Paul in his day. He tried not to give offense in anything to protect the administration of the gospel. Paul didn’t worry what people thought of him, knowing they would talk no matter what he did, but he didn’t want to put himself in a position of explaining to others what they had heard about him before he could preach the gospel to them. 1Cor 4-1 says, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” Paul took great pains to protect his reputation, but in the end he was the only person who could discredit his ministry. He wrote extensively about reputation being the single most valuable asset in a Christian evangelist's arsenal; our reputation is everything. He offended a lot of people, but really it was the gospel that offended them in the process of spreading the message of salvation. In that sense His reputation was marred, but in Paul’s view the gospel bolstered his reputation. The churches understood that the world condemning Paul didn’t mean he was guilty of anything; it just meant they were haters of God and of Paul’s message. This is the true condition of the world, and it is the reason Jesus died for our sins. The world will do what it can to discredit the gospel if only in their own minds, yet all the lies perpetrated against Paul did nothing to tarnish our historical view of him, meaning their dishonor had little effect. Regardless of being a deceiver or found true, none of the lies against him had any relevance; for without evidence, their accusations were untenable. His negative reputation in the world actually helped the cause of Christ, according to the old saying, ‘bad publicity is good publicity.’ Paul would rather have bad publicity than none at all, for then at least people were talking about the gospel, and when Paul visited their town and discovered that his name had preceded him, he could straighten out the facts in person with the advancement of the gospel continuing unhampered. 2Cor 6-3 (1d) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God and people >> Maintain a good reputation – Some people actually want us to offend them, so they can excuse themselves from the message of Christ while salvaging their conscience. They are interested in destroying the gospel in society, because personally they don’t want to hear it, but they are not being fair to themselves to get off the hook so easily. Perhaps if they heard the word in power they would repent of their unbelief. Paul writes a long list of things he did to ensure not to nullify the grace of God, and at the top of the list was giving no offense to anyone in order that his ministry be not discredited. He did everything in His power not to offend anyone, knowing that if he did, those offended would tell others and their words would spread like wildfire. Myths and untruths about him already multiplied without him doing anything wrong; imagine how fast the news would have traveled had he actually misstepped from living as near perfect as humanly possible. He didn’t want to arm his enemies with ammunition they could use to knock down his life’s work, which was the work of God. Rather, he sought to expose his enemies, so when they spoke evil against him, those he reached with the gospel would not listen to them. He especially didn’t want to offend his non-enemies, because many of them were giving ear to the gospel. As it was, people tried to get dirt on Paul, but since the vast majority of their claims were unfounded, little stuck to him. (9a) Responsibility >> Prevent being blamed for something you did not do >> Prevent accusations KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,4-10 (14f) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers obey Christ – Helpers help through thick and thin, through hardship and persecution, whatever it takes to nourish the saints. Paul was not alone in his confidence in God; the ministry of helps strove to take the Church to the next level of faith and love. (46b) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Preparing for battle (129e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Bear fruit by dying to self (148l) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Obligation to preach the gospel >> Slave laborers – Paul was a servant of God, regardless of the slanderous reports about him. Likewise, when Paul said, “by good report and by bad report,” he was talking about the many fables that people in the world had conspired against him in attempt to at least slow the gospel's circulation, which was spreading like wildfire. The Church's first and second century experience was that of revival, which the world since then had seldom seen. Jesus alluded to this in Jn 4-35, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” The people were ready for the gospel, as Gal 4-4 also speaks, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son....” The right time was with respect to the openness of the gentiles to receive the message of Christ. The Romans had the world under oppression and the peasant community were ready for something positive in their lives. They were tired of their stale, pagan religions, serving the same moldy gods. None of these things had any satisfaction, so people were ready for change, and this is why Jesus came when He did. So the gospel found root and spread rapidly and increased among the people who were ready for it, so that when the dark ages came, the gospel would survive. Today we worship God according to His Truth that was virtually unscathed by the religious abuse of past millennia, and is ready to reach another generation whose fields are white with harvest. Thank God for the written word! Without it, man would be lost. (164j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is at enmity with God >> The world hates the Church (188c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Growing pains >> Growing outwardly – Paul was whipped and beaten many times for the sake of the gospel of Christ, yet God spared his life that he may continue preaching the gospel and encouraging the saints, managing the Church and protecting it from wolves. Paul traveled the world often suffering cold and exposure, half starving at times, preaching a gospel of unimaginable wealth, promising the parishioners that they would walk down streets of gold if they would but believe. He spoke of a spiritual wealth that transcended the human imagination that will one day be ours to enjoy forever, as having nothing, yet possessing the one who owns all things, as we are possessed by Him. (234h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Sold out >> Placing no boundaries on your commitment to God >> Going to any extreme to fulfill the will of God – As a complete unknown along his travels among those in a new land, a new country, a new village, they knew nothing about his message, yet he was well known by God. As dying to the evil nature of sin that never rests in our flesh that bombards the truth that dwells within us with weapons of opposing stamina, being stripped of our dignity and self destiny, taking on God’s purpose, incurring much sorrow and hardship, yet behold we live by the power of God. (236g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest your treasures into the kingdom >> Invest your flesh (250c) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be a servant in all things (250m) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of physical circumstances 2Cor 6-4,5 (99e) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Endure the position of a servant (242kb) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Enduring persecution >> Having a reputation of being persecuted 2Cor 6-4 (165l) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The hardship of affliction 2Cor 6-6,7 (80c) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To fight in the Spirit (111f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the power (meaning) of God >> Word in obedience cannot evade the power of God 2Cor 6-6 (78d) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity >> Taking God to heart >> Having a genuine heart (105a) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> A pure heart is a genuine heart (124d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is one of the fruits of the Spirit (126j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> The patience of God >> Have the patience of God (127a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> Be kind like God >> Practice the kindness of God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,8-10 (53a) Paradox -- Key verse for the entire chapter – The study of paradoxes takes a break from the theological platform and examines the many anomalies of Scripture. Observe an extensive compilation of ironies, opposites, two implied meanings and a host of other related topics prepared for a wide variety of uses. While most paradoxical studies examine the apparent contradictions of Scripture, this chapter conceptualizes the aberrations of human nature that have been largely overlooked until now. (94f) Thy kingdom come >> God’s perspective >> His perspective on the gift of God – Paul is showing a dual-perspective: the world’s view of Christians versus God’s view of His own people. We know that God’s view of us is the true one, who sees us as partakers of the divine nature and possessing His wisdom and glory, which opposes the world’s view of us as fools. While we strive to maintain a good reputation, the world sees us as evil and deceivers; meanwhile, God testifies that we are His children. To the world we are ignored, by-passed, insignificant and not worth mentioning, but to God we are well-known, chosen, beloved and the subject of conversation in heaven. The world sees us as dying, yet all they see is the things we sacrifice to do God’s will. The world has tried to kill the Church since its onset; it tried to kill Paul for years, yet he lived to be an old man. They tried to silence him from the very beginning of his ministry, yet he turned the world upside down with the gospel of Christ. There is nothing the world can do to us. We are sorrowful; there are pressures on us that the world does not know; we struggle with things that are incomprehensible to those outside the Church; we have the weight of the world on our shoulders with the commission to save human souls for Jesus’ sake. The stakes are infinitely high, yet we do it with joy that is greater than the passing pleasures of sin. The world sees us as poor; in fact, most Christians have little to nothing, yet our gospel makes many rich with the hope of eternal life and rich with the promise of God’s love and acceptance. To the world we appear to have nothing, yet to God we possess all things. This dual perspective contrasts the temporal with eternity and this life with our life reserved in heaven. The world slanders us that we are nobodies in a world of some-bodies, yet we are known by God and they are not, and so our faith strives to maintain a true perspective by rejecting the world’s perception of us. (243l) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to His increase >> God's kingdom is Infinite >> We will reign with Christ forever – Believers in Jesus who are poor in this life hide it very well, because God always provides for them. They may not enjoy living in this world, yet they are always rejoicing. They have few material possessions, yet they have the gospel to offer, and those who receive them are made rich beyond their wildest dreams, not in this life but in eternity. Some have nothing at all, yet they possess all things. Paul is comparing this life to the one to come and saying that material wealth is immaterial to the gospel and to our faith and to our relationship with Jesus and even to our effort to convey the gospel to the world. The true gospel should not be costly, yet people have made it very expensive. The more it costs to be a Christian, the less truth we possess. That’s not how Jesus set up the Church, and it’s not what Paul taught. Usually words like “everything” refers to certain parameters, but outside those parameters the word doesn’t apply, but Paul was vague in his speech for a reason. God will create a new heavens and a New Earth, and we will possess it. He will create galaxies spanning the endless universe, and we will go to them. We don’t possess it all now; man can hardly go to the moon. They are talking about going to Mars, but that is yet to be seen, and there is no reason to go there, except to say they did. In the life to come, though, we will be able to visit galaxies billions of light-years away, not just to say we did, but for a reason. God will create a new Adam and a new Eve and command them to be fruitful and multiply, and over the course of eternity, the new man will colonize the new universe, and we will go to them and teach them about God. Yes, Paul speaks vaguely on purpose. If he tried to be specific we might think he was only talking about those things He mentioned, but in fact he was talking about literally "all things". We know about drawing parameters around such phrases as "all things", but in this case Paul was hoping we would refrain from limiting our vision of God's infinite generosity. 2Cor 6-8 (107h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> The Church is of the truth >> God’s people are the true witnesses of God – There are highly religious charlatans who go to church every week who are not the true witnesses of God. It is a travesty that there are some born-again Christians who regularly attend churches that do not teach being born-again. Generally, a church that does not teach the truth is not of the truth, nor are those in attendance. We are living in very difficult times; one of the most difficult things about these days is knowing who to trust. Many Christians know and love God with all their hearts, and we can usually trust them, but they are far and few between, and the fact is, many of them go to the same church together, and so the task is to find that church. It does no one any good to be a born-again Christian and attend a church that doesn’t teach the truth; for if they tried to tell them the truth, they wouldn't listen, and so all the vexation that accompanies membership with such a church is in vain. (153l) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Shame >> Living for Jesus exposes sin >> Suffering shame for the cause of righteousness (182i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Being deceptive with people >> Distorted perception of others 2Cor 6-9 (53a) Paradox >> Opposites >> Of life and death >> Die in order to live (254c) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live because He is life >> We live because we died with Him 2Cor 6-10 (34e) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> All things belong to us (35c) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> God’s immeasurable generosity (54m) Paradox >> Opposites >> As having nothing yet possessing all things (54n) Paradox >> Opposites >> As sorrowful yet always rejoicing (109b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Revelation of the gift of God – Believers in Jesus who are poor in this life hide it very well, because God always provides for them. They may not enjoy living in this world, yet they’re always rejoicing. They often have few material possessions, yet they have the gospel to offer anyone who would believe, and those who receive them are made rich beyond their wildest dreams, maybe not in this life but in eternity. Some have nothing at all, yet they possess all things. Paul is comparing this life to the one to come, saying that material wealth is immaterial to the gospel and to our faith and to our relationship with Jesus and to our efforts to convey the gospel. The true gospel should not be a costly endeavor, yet people have made Christianity very expensive. The more it costs to be a Christian, the less truth there is in Christianity. That’s not how Jesus set up the Church, and it’s not what Paul taught. Usually words like “everything” has certain parameters, but Paul was vague in his speech, because he didn't want to suppose any parameters on what he was saying. God will create a new heavens and a New Earth, and we will possess it. He will create galaxies spanning the endless universe, and we will go to them. If we say we possess it all now, man can hardly go to the moon. They are talking about going to Mars, but that is yet to be seen, and there is no real reason to go there. In the life to come we will be able to visit galaxies billions of light-years away for a reason. God will create a new Adam and a new Eve and command them to be fruitful and multiply, and over the course of eternity, the new man will colonize the new universe, and we will go to the people where they live and teach them about God. Therefore, when Paul says, “Having nothing, yet possessing all things,” he meant it with no limitations. (125e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy is the result of partaking of the Holy Spirit >> Joy of the revelation of Jesus Christ (188h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Sorrow >> Grieving over your own loss >> Grieving over your sinful nature (249h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus – We can afford to be content; we have everything. There is one thing a believer does not have apart from contentment, and that is character. If we endure we will receive the inheritance of all things, but the one who toils after the wind wants it all right now, not knowing he already has it in his spirit, where Jesus lives. The wealth that God put in us is of greater value than all the riches of heaven, for Jesus is priceless above anything He could ever create. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,11-13 (74g) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is central value system >> Man’s treasure chest (194i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Yield to God’s right to direct your way (196d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Immaturity >> Not mature enough to die to self >> Unable to put down the flesh – Most people live and walk according to their feelings, and it makes perfect sense to them, but there are things God wants us to do that conflict with certain feelings that we like to chase, requiring us to put down our affections. What many Christians fail to understand when they live according to the impulses of their flesh is the value of freedom. When we tell them they have sacrificed their freedom for the passing pleasures of sin, they just shrug their shoulders. 'What good is freedom if we can't enjoy our lives?' they ask; 'What is so important that we must sacrifice this life to attain it?' Most people who sacrifice the freedom of Christ to serve their flesh have an invalid definition of freedom, being the reason they are so willing to sacrifice it. What does any of this have to do with salvation and going to heaven? Our affections lead us astray, so the way we feel makes the decision about what we do, which leads us down a blind ally, and we lose our way and falter in our faith, faith being the very thing we use to find favor with God. Following our affections will never lead us to Christ; this is why Paul commanded us to die to self. See also: Freedom; 197c / Freedom defines us as made in the image of God; Lk 15,11-32; 4i (197c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants you to go >> Refuse to walk in freedom – We have been told that freedom is having the right to do whatever we want. We live in a democracy and have freedom of speech among other things, but Jesus' definition of freedom was different. He wants us to be free to do what God wants us to do, but a person enslaved to sin cannot do the will of God, for everyone who practices sin is the slave of sin (Jn 8-34). Unbelievers say they could do the will of God if they wanted; they just don’t feel like it, but this is a lie; they are in bondage to their affections that forbid them to obey God. Paul spoke in Romans chapters 6&7 about freedom from sin and freedom to righteousness. We know many of our fleshly impulses are sinful and lead to demonic influences, and Jesus wants us free from these things, which means we must sacrifice our affections. The unbeliever might say that he would be happy to serve the Lord so long as it didn’t infringe on their affections, but Paul’s answer is that we cannot do what we please (Gal 5-17). That is, unbelievers simply cannot prioritize the freedom of Christ over their affections, for their freedom to act impulsively is more important to them than doing the will of God, and this is the problem with the world, and it is a growing problem in the Church. When the world sees the Church acting impulsively, sacrificing the freedom of Christ to do their own thing, they learn this behavior very quickly, and the floodgates of depravation open wide. Now that the world has seen the Church acting this way, they feel they have a green light to explore their sinful passions and desires, and it has produced every imaginable crime against humanity. Now, if someone wants to shoot somebody or a whole crowd of people, they just do it. See also: Freedom; 196d 2Cor 6-11 (85g) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Testify of God’s works (150j) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word >> Preaching the word to the Church 2Cor 6-12 (22f) Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly desire (96f) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude toward God >> Good attitude toward the Father (163b) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Prison – “Restrained” is a variant of restraint, which means fetters and bondage. Their own affections were putting handcuffs on the Corinthians, keeping them from doing the will of God, and the devil was behind it. Satan and our flesh both come from a common realm that God has cursed. Therefore, the devil and man’s flesh understand each other and are in perfect agreement, so when the devil speaks to us, our flesh understands and agrees with him, but we also can understand and agree with the Spirit of God that He has given to those who are born of Him, and so it reduces to either listening to God or listening to the devil. Just as our flesh leads us astray, so does the devil, and whether it is the devil or our flesh is unimportant, for God holds us accountable for what we do, not the devil. Conversely, when we do the will of God, it is not we doing it but God working in us to do His will, for we are working with Him (v1). We can work with God or we can work with the devil, and this is our daily choice. Paul is saying to the Corinthians that their hands were tied when it came to doing the will of God, for Satan had placed them in a prison of their own making. (167f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Carnal mind is fueled by our emotions – The Corinthians were restrained from doing the will of God, which is how Paul started this chapter, encouraging them not to receive the grace of God in vain. He denounced their complacency, placing the onus completely on them, urging them to rise above their affections to avoid being overcome by them. (202c) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running to your sinful nature >> Run from God by running to your flesh – The Corinthians were the most carnal Christians of all the Churches, according to his epistles, so much that the Corinthian Church best represents American Christianity today. The Scriptures do not restrain us from serving the Lord; rather, we are restrained by our own affections, and by our own affections we have misinterpreted the Scriptures and devised doctrines that appeal to our flesh, undermining Paul's epistles and the administration of the Holy Spirit, reducing them both to just a lot of doctrines and a few miscellaneous duties, as though the Holy Spirit acted apart from our will. People teach the grace of God these days in the sense that we have no part in it. It is true that God’s mercy is sovereign; Jesus died on the cross for our sins without asking us, but His grace is a concerted effort between God and man, requiring our cooperation with Him. If we are not willing to work with His grace, it is questionable if we believe enough to receive His mercy. (241g) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Obstacles in the way of the kingdom >> Distractions – Christians are restrained by their own affections. Most people are too busy following their feelings to obey God. They don’t feel like getting saved, so they don’t; they don’t feel like a religious person, so they remain secular in their thinking. Their affections distract them from the truth that is literally all around them. There are man-made influences in the world that lead in directions that oppose the truth. There is only one truth, and there is only one God, and if we understand Him and His creation differently, than we are idolaters worshipping a false god, proving that we don’t know Him (Mat 7-23). 2Cor 6-13 (33g) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Children need a Father to care for them KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,14-18 (3c) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Instruction about marriage – The term “ignorant Christian” is an oxymoron; hence, a Christian who would marry an unbeliever knows it’s wrong. Faith is based on knowledge, and a true Christian supposedly has seen the light. If a so-called Christian has no knowledge of God, and if he lives in a country where a Bible is in every house and a Bible-believing church in every city, town and village, then he has no excuse for his ignorance. If he were a real Christian, he would have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, who would be screaming in his ear not to marry an unbeliever. (10a) Responsibility >> Bring order to the Church >> Dealing with problems in the Church – If a person is unequally yoked to an unbeliever, it can only end in tragedy. To repent after we have married has no legitimate manifestation, for God hates divorce, and so it is a hopeless situation. Many believers have indeed married unbelievers and have spiritually awakened to realize what they have done. A day came when she wanted to grow in the faith and discovered there is an unbeliever strapped to her back. Being unequally yoked is comparable to helping a farmer plow his field, and you are one of the oxen tied to his plow, and you notice that the ox tied to you is waiting for you to move the farmer’s plow forward so he can reach the next clump of grass; it is at this point you realize that you would be further ahead without him. The farmer represents the Law of Moses that hates divorce; this is the arrangement that will remain until the field is plowed, and the field represents their lives together. It is one thing if the other person respects your faith, though he doesn’t personally believe; that is like the ox that walks with you but does no work. However, it is another thing when your spouse despises your faith and resists your every step, and the farmer is putting the whip across your back, not noticing the dynamics between the two oxen tied to his plow. This is why they say marriage will be your biggest decision in life, just under your commitment to follow Christ. Marriage says, ‘I will live with this person for the rest of my life,’ and divorce turns that into a lie. Someone might say, ‘I lie all the time; why should I keep this promise?’ This attitude is why divorce is rampant and society is about to implode. If your relationship is well enough that you can actually get along with each other, God would prefer that to divorcing the other person for the cause of Christ. (112e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Jesus light in us overcomes darkness >> The light of His truth (167k) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world’s unbelief – There are those who believe we have some sort of right to indefinitely remain in a state of disobedience as Christians, yet the Bible in no way teaches this. Yes, we are all disobedient at times, and we all make mistakes, and for this reason God has instituted the ministry of repentance through the blood of Christ to forgive our sin and to cleans us from all unrighteousness (1Jn 1-9). Sometimes we get into a bad situation and fall under bondage to sin even as Christians and remain there sometimes for years, until finally we learn the error or our ways, but during that time we are utterly miserable. The one in bondage to sin who feels comfortable and even revels in it is something other than a true Christian. Later when he looks back, a true Christian who has lived in sin will see that those were some of the most miserable years of his life, because the Holy Spirit was constantly hounding him to break free of bondage through the power of Christ. (185h) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> Blasphemy >> Responding with contempt to the Holy Spirit >> Resisting the Holy Spirit – We know that we must follow the convictions of the Holy Spirit; we must remain reverent of Him, knowing that if we spurn Him too often or if we become too brazen, eventually He will give up on us, and we don’t want to put ourselves in that position, because then we would have less hope than an unbeliever. The unbeliever has hope of possibly being saved one day, but the Bible teaches that if we let our lamp expire, we have no way of re-igniting it. There is a difference, though, between the lamp of our salvation and the lamp of anointing. The lamp of anointing normally flickers brighter and dimmer as a function of our spiritual and natural circumstances, but our lamp of salvation is a steady light without hills or valleys, and if we allow that light to dwindle until if finally dies, the Bible lends no hope of rebirth, for we cannot be born-again-again. We dare not blaspheme the Holy Spirit to the point of complete disintegration of our faith, and this is what often happens to those who marry unbelievers. (191j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart from the world – Paul warns Christians not to marry unbelievers; he shouldn’t have to say this, but it happens all the time. Christians become emotionally tied to someone before knowing anything about the other person, and before long they start talking about marriage without the subject of faith ever entering the conversation. She wakes up one morning with an unbeliever in her bed and can hardly retrace her steps how she allowed it to happen. Meanwhile their spiritual differences cause them to drift apart, and it often ends in divorce after children have entered the picture. Why would a born again Christian who is in love with God marry someone who doesn’t love God? It is a common and a very big mistake to think you are going to lead the other person to the Lord after you get married. What fellowship has light with darkness? Why would you be attracted to someone like that anyway? If you are of the light, how could you possibly be attracted to darkness? (222i) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> God shares no intimacy with dogs >> Do not fellowship with dogs KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,14-16 (1m) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Carrying a false burden >> Making commitments that contradict Scripture – Do not feel obligated to pair up with an unbeliever or to have unbelieving friends, and if you should marry an unbeliever, it may quite well be the biggest mistake of your life. The trouble it will spiritually cause will weigh you down, while having very little to show for of your misery and endurance. (195d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >> You cannot serve righteousness and sin together – Paul didn’t understand why anyone would marry an unbeliever. Spiritually, they have nothing in common, anymore than light has with darkness. The moment we turn on the light, darkness disappears, so there is no fellowship between them. The Christian who marries an unbeliever must have spiritually more in common with an unbeliever than he should, suggesting that anyone who makes this mistake must have a mixture of secularism, carnality and rebellion in his heart. Unfortunately, “believers” have a lot in common with unbelievers nowadays, having many rooms in their hearts that are not lighted with the truth, but this is not God’s will. What fellowship had Jesus with the devil or with the Pharisees? They were polar opposites, and so is the believer with the unbeliever. They should not be able to coexist together, and in most cases they don’t for long. For a Christian to marry an unbeliever, most likely means there are rooms that are unlit in their hearts, but God wants our entire lives to be a light for all the world to see, being no dark place in it. (242i) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Worldly pressure >> World pressures you to forsake your values (250j) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> List of traits that can be found in man >> List of traits of the heart 2Cor 6-14 (181f) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Lawlessness >> Having no regard for the law >> Forsaking the law KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 6,16-18 (33b) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Believers are His sons and daughters (104h) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> God is in our presence (132a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit of man >> Spirit of the Father – We are individually temples and collectively the temple of the living God. This is in reference to Israel's ancient form of worship using the old covenant temple as their house of worship, whereas our bodies have become the house in the new covenant, which is the reason it is a better covenant. (172e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the wheat >> Communion between the world and the Church >> The Church in the world – We know that the Church today is a facet of the world and society, but it shouldn't be that way. In addition, there are true believers that assemble in churches filled with worldly people. The Church is a mixture of saved and unsaved people all posing as the true children of God. Many false brethren have infiltrated the Church, and what did Jesus say? "An enemy has done this!" (Mat 13,24-30) The world has accepted the Church, not on God’s terms but on their own, and for this acceptance the world has imposed upon the Church an unwritten code dictating that the Church should also accept the world and society. The Church and the world do not make good bedfellows because they live by different principles, and if we try to put them together, it dilutes the saint's effectiveness in the world. Jesus said in Mat 9-16, “No one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.” The world says that it is repulsed by the Church, but the opposite is also true; the Church is repulsed by the world. (213g) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are reflectors of His glory – It says He will dwell in us and walk among us; these are two separate things. For God to dwell in us refers to being born-again as the seal of our salvation, but what does it mean to walk among us? For Him to dwell in us is invisible to others, being a greater proof to the individual, but for God to walk among us refers to the anointing, which is a proof to others that we belong to God. In the second and third chapters of Revelation it refers to the days of Jesus’ return, saying that Jesus walks among the various churches, not within them but among them, outside the churches, suggesting that the churches were manifesting Jesus Christ on their outer form just prior to His return, meaning the anointing will be very important in the last days, which is defined as an external manifestation of an inward work. See also: Armageddon; Rev 16,12-16; 50k (231k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> Don’t look back >> Don’t look back to bondage 2Cor 6-16 (132a) Your Body is the Temple of God (Key verse) 2Cor 6-17 (31a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> He favors the Church to spite the world – Paul is talking about two things at once, being essentially the same: the indwelling Holy Spirit and the anointing. In order to have and maintain an anointing from God, we must come out from among them and be separate, which refers to sanctification. We must be separate from the world in order for our anointing to become evident. If we integrate into the value system of the world and believe in the natural realm, then the world, the flesh and the devil will rob us of the anointing so that it never becomes evident, but if we respect the process of sanctification for the purpose of carrying an anointing from God, originating from the indwelling Holy Spirit, then God will lead us to do exploits for Him. (134a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Your body >> Mediator between the natural and the spiritual realms >> Manifesting the Kingdom of God through obedience – The Bible says that God is both in us and among us, “I will dwell in them and walk among them.” For one person to have an anointing is not as meaningful as many people having an anointing, for it implies synergy, where the effect is greater than the sum of its parts. Sharing an anointing among each other describes this concept of God walking among His people. The anointing originated from the indwelling Holy Spirit, for if God’s inward work doesn’t manifest, then neither is it meaningful. There is very little mention of the anointing in the New Testament, and what is mentioned in the Church today is mostly a muddling of doctrines, concepts and ideas thrown every which-way with no agreement or cohesion, so the teaching of the anointing is totally misunderstood to the point that people have completely given-up on it, yet it will manifest in the last days. (145g) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> That which Is unclean _________________________________ 2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 7 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 7-1 (4i) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your sinful nature (43l) Judgment >> Satan destroyed in the absence of sin >> Perfecting the will of God (85c) Thy kingdom come >> Your words can lead to your own demise >> Your mouth defiles the rest of your body (88j) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God causes repentance (103h) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Cleanse yourself – There are two kinds of sin: fleshly sins and spiritual sins. Fleshly sins refer to the sins we commit every day. Fleshly sins that do not pertain to bondage are sins that Jesus implied in John chapter thirteen when He washed His disciples feet. He washed them because they walked on dusty ground, and the dust clinging to their feet represents sin what happened through no fault of their own. The rest of their body was clean, because they had bathed in the baptismal waters. However, bondage is something else; there are fleshly sins that can lead to bondage and bondage can lead to spiritual sins. As Christians, we have an obligation to cleanse ourselves from all forms of fleshly bondage, but if we allow them to continue, they can turn into spiritual defilement after the Holy Spirit has confronted us about them numerous times and we continue to resist Him. Based on this description it is obvious that spiritual sins are far more corrosive to our faith than fleshly sins. (115ja) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through obedience of faith >> Through determination >> Determined to be set apart from the world (133k) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> Having an awareness of God’s holiness >> The fear of God makes us aware of His holiness (138a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing by the word of God (145f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Deliverance from demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Being defiled – Paul is talking about Christians, yet the subject is about deliverance from demon possession, though Christians cannot be demon possessed. A person doesn’t need to ask the Holy Spirit to come dwell in his heart to be born-again, for God knows when we have had a change of heart and migrates into us as we move toward Him. To be saved a person only needs to believe in Jesus and commit his life to Him, and if he is willing to do God's will, everything falls into place. His faith commitment toward God is enough to evict any demons that may have been previously living in him. The incentive for a Christian to commit his life to God is the promise of eternal life, but that doesn’t mean a Christian must know the promises of God before he can become a Christian. Rather, by the leading of the Holy Spirit into all the truth he can know that God has good intensions for him. This is the reason he has become a Christian in the first place, and with these promises the Christian cleanses himself from all defilement of flesh and spirit. However, if he doesn't seek the freedom of Christ but gives freedom to his flesh to explore its corrupt desires, it can lead to fleshly bondage, then to spiritual bondage, which can possibly lead to losing his salvation, and even back to demon possession. (162e) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >> Bondage to an inability to believe – Spiritual sins are far worse than fleshly sins. On the one hand, fleshly sins are like the abrasive properties of sandpaper that cause our faith to slowly erode, which if not put in check can lead to spiritual sins. On the other hand, spiritual sins are like a hammer and chisel that takes out chunks of our faith at a time. Hence, fleshly sins cause us to backslide, whereas spiritual sins ultimately cause us to fall away from the faith altogether. We commit spiritual sins through a spirit of unbelief. The way back from fleshly sin is a simple matter of repentance, whereas repenting from spiritual sins is not as straightforward. To cleans ourselves from the defilement of flesh and spirit is a matter of praying the word of God over our lives and rooting out various sins committed by the flesh and evil spirits associated with them. (183i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of error will lead you astray – To commit a sin is nothing compared to living in bondage to sin, because it defiles the conscience to the point of rendering it inoperative. This is an example of spiritual sins being more dangerous than fleshly sins, for they tamper with the conscience and separate us from our faith. In Rom 8,35-39 Paul swears that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, but he didn't mention the believer himself. Defilement of flesh leads to defilement of spirit, meaning we can walk out the same door we entered into the grace of God. If we neglect to take appropriate measures to cleans ourselves from fleshly bondage, they can progress into spiritual defilement by repeatedly resisting the Holy Spirit. Each time God calls us to repent and we resist Him, it causes us to step away from Him. Eventually, we will be so distant that His pull on our lives will weaken, like a lost planet separated from its solar system, or as Jude put it, “wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever” (Jd-13). The most obvious example of spiritual sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. There are many forms of blasphemy. We can be in bondage to sin that can distance us from the love of God. We don’t lose our salvation over it, but it marks the beginning of a slide that if not corrected can take us down a steep grade. It is the road that leads to ruin. For example, had Peter not repented, Satan would have multiplied his guilt and separated him from the love he knew Jesus had for him, until His love was too painful to contemplate and it became unbelievable. The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith, but if we lose our faith, we lose the grace too. (187e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self to be set free – This is the main verse in the Bible that makes a distinction between sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit (Catholics separate them into venial sins and mortal sins). We all know the sins of the flesh, those our fleshly body is tempted to commit, such as sexual immorality, anger, stealing, lying, essentially all the sins that the Ten Commandments condemn. The difference between fleshly sins and spiritual sins is that one we commit against man and the other we commit against God; for instance, we can lie to man and we can lie to God, though ultimately all sins are against God. (192j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Stop practicing sin >> Stop sinning (205d) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> Promise of His inheritance KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 7,2-10 (74g) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is central value system >> Man’s treasure chest (123i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Being in love with the body of Christ >> Emotional situations -- These verses go with verse 13. We hear a wide range of emotions in this passage, contradicting the reason people don’t want to be Christians, because they don't want to have a boring life. Most people live for their emotions; they chase passions, thrills and good moods like an addict searches for utopia in his next high. Their emotions are god to them, their idol; they worship and serve them, but Christians have emotions too. Unbelievers consider depression to be self-betrayal; they don’t want anything to do with mourning or grieving. On TV we see all the happy people, but they are being paid to look happy. The world's acceptable range of emotions are far narrower than the Christian's. Of course, unbelievers would say, ‘What a ridiculous defense, who wants to be unhappy?’ What they don't understand is that a Christian getting depressed doing the will of God is a rich experience. In contrast, depression and mourning of unbelievers is just that, very depressing, sad and pathetic, and nobody wants any part of it. The so-called negative emotions of the Christian doing the will of God adds to the richness of his emotions, for the flipside of depression is the joy of knowing there is a reward for faithfully obeying Christ regardless of the circumstances. For this reason Christians are more willing to accept negative feelings: they will be rewarded for their suffering, whereas the unbeliever has no reward or benefit or purpose. See also: Godly sorrow leads to salvation; 2Cor 7,4-7; 228a 2Cor 7-2,3 (131l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Having soul ties (161j) Works of the devil >> Carried Away >> Condemnation without basis of sin 2Cor 7-2 (11j) Servant >> Paul is our example of how to walk with God (92m) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Walk it for the sake of your brother (155c) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> Conscience >> Having a good conscience >> Conscience testifies that we obey God’s law KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 7,4-10 (93n) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on the circumstances of this life – When we struggle doing the will of God through hardship and difficulty and strive to accomplish the things that God has called us to do, it has a way of separating us from our fleshly perspective and renders a rich spiritual understanding of God through His grace. One of the benefits of serving Christ is having a spiritual outlook on life, and part of that is divorcing our fleshly and carnal views. These things have been sown into us from birth, and our flesh has an affinity to believe the world is real at face value. Most people don't stop to wonder if the world is actually real or if it is just one gigantic lie, but they should. What pain, difficulty and hardship does for a person who is suffering under the hand of God: it separates him from the world, making it less attainable, so we can get a wider perspective and actually perceive the world in a more accurate way, that the world is not as deeply rooted in reality as it often appears. 2Cor 7,4-7 (29l) Gift of God >> God knows our needs; therefore we don’t have to care (98h) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> (Faith > Suffering > Glory) – What temporal sufferings are we willing to endure in order to live forever with God? He lets us suffer because this is man's relationship with the world, now that he has transgressed the Lord's command starting with Adam and Eve. He said to them, ‘I told you that you would die if you ate the fruit.' How did Adam and Eve die after they sinned? God removed His presences from His creation, and death and destruction rushed in to fill the void. Regarding the subject of suffering and evil, some might say, what good is Jesus if He doesn’t deliver us from our troubles? God might reply, ‘And what good is your faith if I must deliver you from every difficulty before you will believe in Me?’ Faith is not about God serving us but we serving Him. If God had to deliver us from every circumstance that we encountered, it wouldn’t be long before His sovereignty took a backseat to our demands. God is God, and He intends to stay that way; He knows He is worthy of our faith during difficult times, and He knows our eternal destiny in heaven is worth any suffering we endure in this life. It might be painful; we’re not going to like it and it might seem to last a long time, but eternity is longer. Once this life ends, eternal blessing and glory will be ours forever. What are we willing to endure in order to have such a future? See also: Death rushed in to fill the void of God's absence; Jm 3,13-16; 167d (125g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of unity (228a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Comforted >> God comforts you in times of adversity >> He comforts you in your suffering -- These verses go with verse 13. There will be heavenly rewards for the things we suffer for Christ, and there are rewards in this life that produce a range of knowledge and wisdom that unbelievers cannot achieve. When they are depressed, nothing comes of it; their sadness has no benefit, and so they try to avoid it, but the things we suffer for Jesus’ sake are the stories we tell to encourage others to continue in the faith. It might sound discouraging to tell them how depressed we felt while serving the Lord; it might even discourage some from getting saved, but the faithful look forward to their time in the trenches, so they too might boast among the ranks of those who are faithful in Christ and have stories of their own to encouragement those who are going through the same things. These times have a beginning and an end; we come out the other side testifying that Jesus was worth our suffering because of the fruit it produced for the sake of those who have come to Christ from our extraordinary efforts on their behalf and through the ministry we have fulfilled. See also: Godly sorrow leads to salvation; 2Cor 7,2-10; 123i 2Cor 7,4-6 (57c) Paradox >> Opposites >> The more you love the less you fear (188c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Growing pains >> Growing outwardly – Titus comforted Paul and his companions with his report of the Church, that the people of God were doing well. That was all Paul needed to hear. He was willing to go though just about anything after that, but the one thing that would discourage him to the point of death would be a report that the churches were falling away from the faith. Those words hitting Paul’s ears would have destroyed him, but when Titus came and presented the good news of faith and love, that the churches were growing spiritually and numerically, it bolstered him so the circumstances of his affliction didn’t matter anymore. They took a backseat to the report he heard from Titus, because he was suffering for a reason, for human souls. Though Paul will be rewarded for his efforts, he was more interested in giving glory to God than he was in the rewards that he expected to receive for his faithfulness. The only thing Paul wanted for all his trouble was for the Church to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wanted nothing more than to enjoy the presence of Christ in heaven, and he did everything in his power to fulfill His ministry to spite his flesh. 2Cor 7-4 (84d) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Boasting >> It needs to be said and no one is saying it >> Boasting of my accomplishments in Christ -- This verse goes with verse 14 (122h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >> Confidence in the Church through your ministry -- This verse goes with verse 16 2Cor 7-5 (24a) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Fear of hardship (punishment) (46e) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Being fearless in battle (231b) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The mystery is solved in contentment -- The greatest weapon we have that most directly opposes our enemies is to be absent from fear. It is incomprehensible to them. Their very strategy is to provoke fear in us, and if they succeed, they have won, but if we remain fearless, fear will befall them. The problem is being fearless in fearful situations, and the secret is keeping our hands off the circumstances and letting God deliver us. He can turn everything around and work in hundreds of people and custom design our deliverance so in the end we will be facing the right direction for the next odyssey. We must accept our circumstances, and wait for God to turn them in His way and in His time. 2Cor 7-6,7 (130m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Interdependent on each other >> Depend on your brother to walk in the gifts of God’s calling 2Cor 7-7 (101b) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> For the manifestation of God’s kingdom >> Zealous for good works -- This verse goes with verses 11&12 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 7,8-11 (32a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Grace >> God’s grace seeks man – Sin has one of two effects: it either sickens us, driving us back to God, or it embitters us, driving us further from Him, and when we go the other way, we pay the full price of our sin in sorrow. God is mostly responsible for man’s salvation in that Jesus not only went to the cross apart from man's choice, He also draws man to Himself as a precursor to being saved. Man only needs to take God's hand in repentance and faith for salvation to be complete. The rest is all God seeking us, yet there are many in the world who claim that God has abandoned us. They say this only because they are unwilling to respond to the small, still voice in their hearts. (89l) Thy kingdom come >> God convicts us of sin >> Conviction reminds us to repent – The Corinthians were slowly realizing that Christ's salvation was more than just affirming certain doctrines about Him. When they came to the realization that they had to live what they believed in order to legitimize their faith, that is when they developed a godly sorrow. They wanted the hope of heaven; they wanted God’s love and acceptance, and they were willing to do anything for it, including patterning their lives after the Son of God. (104b) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >> Purified by dying to sin – Paul offered only two choices in life, and they both pertain to sorrow. Either we have sorrow as a result of following the world or we have sorrow as a result of following Christ. That might sound depressing to those who have made it their life’s goal to be happy. The truth brings sorrow, knowing the true condition of the world and of our own standing with God without Christ, who told us to pick up our cross and follow Him. This is not the actual life that God intended for us, but is a temporal life that He is using to test us to see if we are worthy of eternal life. It is not God who needs to know if we will serve Him, since He knows everything; rather, we need to know that we are faithful and love God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength. (188h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Sorrow >> Grieving over your own loss >> Grieving over your sinful nature – Paul was referring to the letter of First Corinthians when he mentioned how fervently he rebuked them for their fleshly ways. He didn’t regret it because it led them to repentance in order that they may not suffer any loss through his ministry. That is, he wasn’t about to let the Corinthians backslide or fall away from God. He didn’t have the attitude, ‘Oh well, they won’t serve the Lord, so that’s that.’ Instead, he fought for them. He got in the trenches with them and rooted out the problems they had, exposing them to the light of God’s word and gave them solutions. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but Paul was a good shepherd too, reminding them that the sorrow of the world produces death. Too often people are sorry for what they do, but only for their consequences after the fact, but if they are not actually sorry for sin being in their hearts, first chance they get they will make all the same mistakes again. See also: Grieving the Holy Spirit; 2Cor 7-11,12; 78f (192f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Waiting for God to do it His way >> Lose your rights to gain His vindication – We know by some of the things Paul said in First Corinthians that they were having all sorts of problems, and now Paul was saying they have vindicated themselves, meaning they have repented and have corrected the problems. Their walk wasn’t too steady; the way they lived accused their faith of being disingenuous, but they vindicated their faith through repentance, demonstrating that their faith was real, having indignation (anger) for living the wrong way as Christians and allowing themselves to think they could abuse the grace of God while considering themselves in His will. They developed a fear of God and a longing and zeal to do His will in avenging evil, not avenging themselves on others, but avenging their own wrongs they had done to others. 2Cor 7,8-10 (11c) Servant >> Standard for a servant >> Freedom – If we pursue happiness as a life-goal and shun anything that brings sorrow, we will find neither God nor happiness, but if we seek the will of God and strive to fit into His purpose, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. There are things more fulfilling than happiness; there is freedom, but with freedom comes sorrow, for there are sacrifices we must make if we are going to possess the freedom of Christ. The sorrow that God causes is in regard to sin. It is not fun to realize we are sinners, nor is it fun to repent, but the joy that comes with repentance replaces happiness. We are not guaranteed happiness in the world, but God promises godly sorrow with repentance in salvation, which leads to the ultimate reward of eternal life. It is ironic that the pursuit of happiness more often brings sorrow, yet joy is the result of doing the will of God. Therefore, anyone who would seek happiness from the world is gambling with his eternal soul with high risk and low potential yield, compared to God’s promise of eternal life, mixed with equal measures of sorrow and joy. (57b) Paradox >> Opposites >> World’s perspective versus God’s perspective – There is a process of substitution that transpires in the believer when we suffer for Christ, for we don’t endure hardship in vain. Not only are we rewarded for our suffering in the life to come, we are rewarded also in this life with wisdom and knowledge that we receive from God through suffering. It comes with a side order of added perspective that is invaluable to the believer to help us know God better. That is, the more we understand that the world is at enmity with God, the better we understand our relation to Him, but the more we are convinced that this world is the true reality, the less we seek God, assuming we have reality in a basket, yet more often people who assume they know the truth and have a firm grip on reality are the ones in Satan’s basket. (86j) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word >> Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Walk the truth (248c) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God is sometimes a mystery 2Cor 7-8 (170i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> All suffering is temporary KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 7-9,10 (188g) Sorrow (Key verse) 2Cor 7-10 (26f) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is the fruit of the world – People in the world spend an inordinate amount of time and money trying to be happy, and it is like propping up a corpse and sowing a fake smile on its face. The majority of their efforts lead directly to sorrow, and the sorrow of the world separates them further from God. When we seek happiness from the world and it turns sour, we get mad at God, but we are the ones at fault, because the world’s promises are not guaranteed, whereas God's promises are guaranteed in an equal measures of sorrow and joy. Nevertheless, people risk everything for the hope of momentary happiness based on their own terms, indicating their rebellion. They say after their lives hit rock bottom, ‘Had God told me this would happen, I wouldn’t have done it,’ but that is a blatant lie and an avoidance of accountability. We get ourselves in trouble pursuing happiness, and if we never repent and get saved, we’ll end up in hell, which is the second death, and then we will really be unhappy, so again the sorrow of the world produces death. (161i) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried Away >> Condemnation based on evidence of sin (165d) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is at enmity with God >> The world has no hope 2Cor 7-11,12 (78f) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity >> Embracing your first love >> Single devotion – To a person with sincere faith godly sorrow is like a spanking from the Lord, only it is one that we must agree to receive. 2Cor 10-6 says, “We are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” When we were kids, our parents spanked us against our will, but God doesn't do that; He never does anything against our will. If we don’t submit to His discipline, we won't receive it; instead, we will receive the discipline of the world, which is death. We can resist the Lord's correction; we can lie to ourselves and say that none of it is real, that what we did was not wrong, or that it didn’t happen in the first place, but we are only manipulating our mind and our conscience to our own demise. When we submit to godly sorrow, we elect it as our struggle, and it makes us determined to repent. We become dedicated to rooting out all wickedness so we don’t have to deal with the sorrow of grieving the Holy Spirit. It hurts when we grieve the one who loves us, who has come to live in our heart by a covenant He made with His own blood. We only want to please Him, and what did we do but just the opposite, and He made us aware of His grief. This can only happen to a person with a sincere faith in Jesus Christ. Any lack of sincerity turns this into a charade. Instead of feeling sorry for what we have done, our insincerity mocks God for the sins we committed, which multiplies the offense. Paul talks this way throughout all his letters; he lived this way, always striving to please the Lord in everything, never wanting to cause Him any heartache. See also: Grieving the Holy Spirit; 2Cor 7,8-11; 188h (101b) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> For the manifestation of God’s kingdom >> Zealous for good works -- These verses go with verse 7. Paul is talking about that case in First Corinthians chapter five about a man having his father’s wife (step-mother), saying that he did not write for the sake of the offender but for the one who was offended (the father). He commanded the Corinthians to expel the son from church, importuning the husband/father to let this be fair treatment for the injustice he suffered. We punish offenders in church for the victims’ sake and for the sake of righteousness. It is indescribably discouraging to those who are trying to serve the lord to see grievous sins committed by those who claim to believe in Jesus, for it makes them wonder who else lives like this in the church, making them wonder if any of the things preached in the pulpit about Jesus are actually true, discouraging faithfulness in the saints. Paul was trying to preserve earnestness and sincerity of heart in the Corinthian saints, for these things are what help people believe in Jesus. The whole world discourages Christians from believing in Him; the last thing we need is for the brethren to discourage us too. The sins of Christians are greater than the sins of the world, because we know better and are called to be an example of righteousness. 2Cor 7-11 (42e) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Innocent before God – This verse corresponds with Jm 4-9,10, “Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” This is something the world doesn’t understand; people run from sorrow, constantly pursuing happiness. They consider unhappiness a complete and utter waste of life, being why they have rejected Christianity. They are afraid of unhappiness, but Paul is telling the Corinthians to embrace godly sorrow, knowing it produces valuable fruit, and we will benefit in the end. Godly sorrow is all about repenting from sins that separate us from God. When we do things that grieve the Holy Spirit, we feel it in our heart where He lives. (96b) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude about suffering >> Abstaining from sin (194e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Hate evil >> Condemning sin >> Hate evil by being innocent of it – Paul was talking about the Corinthian’s repentance since his last letter to them. He tore into them about certain things, and after reading his letter they repented. They clearly had a ways to go as the most carnal church of all Paul's letters. There is only one way to condemn sin, and that is to be innocent of it. There are times when we get mad at ourselves for sinning; we try and fail; we get up and fall down again. The Corinthians had godly sorrow for their sins. They misunderstood the gospel, having abused the grace of God, figuring that since God had forgiven them, they could sin all the more, but then the question arose, how are they different from the world? The only difference between that kind of faith and downright unbelief is a set of doctrines they affirmed to be true. (234g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Sold out >> Placing no boundaries on your commitment to God >> Completely given over to the will of God (244i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of God’s word >> Manifesting the righteousness of His kingdom (250d) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be innocent of all Evil – Godly sorrow is the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding sin. God stops us and says, ‘No, this is wrong, don’t do it.’ Everybody who belongs to God has experienced this. Paul kept on the Corinthians, showing them their sin and how to correct their thinking and behavior. We must humble ourselves and admit we were wrong and repent. None of this is fun, like walking in the woods and getting lost; we walk for a while and then realize we are going the wrong way and have to stop and turn. No one likes to backtrack, but continuing in the wrong direction is worse, knowing we are only plunging further into the unknown and adding useless miles to our trip. Once we turn, our confidence builds that we are heading in the right direction, whereas the person who is defiant and refuses to admit he was wrong just gets more lost. Godly sorrow can cut very deep, exposing the severity of our mistakes, and the consequences accrue very quickly the longer we wait to repent, separating us from God. We find ourselves alone after we have made our lives a disaster and refused to repent. It’s a long journey back to the place where we deviated, making godly sorrow a good sign if we listen to Him and do what He says. If we do, our life will be spared, but if we don’t, we could lose everything. It is the valley of decision; will we obey what we know is God, or will we obey our fleshly pride and rebel? Human pride is the height of wickedness; it doesn’t even promise a reward, meaning it doesn’t even have a motive, and we deserve whatever consequences befall us if we follow it. God promises eternal life and intends to give us literally everything; all we have to do is humble ourselves, confess our sins and turn from our wicked ways. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 7-12 (104g) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> God can see us – we are in His sight – Paul didn’t write for the sake of the man who had sex with his mother-in-law, and he didn’t write for the sake of the husband but for the entire church in Corinth that everyone might know Paul's expectation of sincerity on them in the sight of God. This issue had not yet been put behind them; he was still praying for them and seeking God's wisdom where to go from here. To the degree that Paul struggled with the Corinthians, so did God, and just as Paul went through this with them, so God struggled with them through Paul; and just as Paul grieved over them, so did the Lord. 2Cor 7,13-16 (226h) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> Levels of reward >> God rewards us to the degree of our faithfulness – Paul used Titus as a gauge to measure the Corinthians’ sincerity by their reception of him, which indicted their earnestness. This was his second letter to them; all the effort Paul put into them based on his first letter has paid-off. They took what he said to heart and believed his message, conveyed by their reception of Titus. He didn’t have to report to Paul and tell him all the details of their conduct; the only thing Paul needed to know was how he was received; that said everything. We have all felt it after speaking to certain people about Jesus, when we see them again, they turn their heads in a scowl; by that we know our message was not received, or else they receive us, and it brings great joy and openness to speak freely to them about God, who want to hear more. 2Cor 7-13 (123i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Being in love with the body of Christ >> Emotional situations -- This verse goes with verse 15 (139h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Edification (228a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Comforted >> God comforts you in times of adversity >> He comforts you in your suffering -- This verse goes with verses 4-7 2Cor 7-14 (84d) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Boasting >> It needs to be said and no one is saying it >> Boasting of my accomplishments in Christ -- This verse goes with verse 4. Paul did a lot of boasting; people complain about that, and some outright condemn him for it, but maybe they are missing the point. Apparently the word “boast” is out-of-bounds, supposedly having an inherent negative connotation, but is this true about Paul’s boasting? He boasted about the Corinthians like a father is proud of his children. He was like a father to them, having initially brought the gospel to them. Prior to his coming they may have heard rumors about Jesus, but no one knew what to think of Him until Paul came and preached the gospel in purity of truth. He explained the importance of believing in Jesus for eternal life, the Son of God sent by the Father to save us from our sins. Many believed in the word Paul spoke to them, and it resulted in the Corinthian Church, and he was proud of their faith, and he was also proud to be their father in the Lord. 2Cor 7-15 (87l) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Minister to people through obedience – What are we supposed to obey in the new covenant? We know God commanded Israel in the old covenant to obey the Ten Commandments, but if we are not living according to the Law anymore, then what do we obey? To obey the written word until we have that word revealed to us by the Spirit, when we obey that, we are obeying God. Paul came preaching the gospel to the Corinthians, and His ultimate hope was to wean them off himself and onto the Holy Spirit. (88g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Fearing God's judgment is the beginning of wisdom >> Fear the consequences of your disobedience – A true sign of genuine faith is “fear”. This is a word the Church considers to have an inherent negative connotation, but is this true? The Bible’s definition of the fear of God is reverence. Everywhere Jesus went He told people, “Do not be afraid,” so obviously we are not talking about the paralyzing kind of fear, the kind that invokes the fight or flight response, that considers our lives in danger. Instead, the fear of God is like the caution we have around a turning saw blade at 1500 rpms. This is a healthy fear, a protective fear that keeps our fingers and hands intact. If we fill our mind full of crazy ideas that we can pass our hand through the blade and it won’t cut us, whatever mental calisthenics we contrive will be proven wrong if we touch the turning blade. We also know that if we do evil, judgment will ensue, and so we should fear God, who created this principle that where sin is unchecked by repentance, consequences closely follow. So long as we live in this body, we have reason to fear God, because there is a contrast between Him and the evil passions and desires of our flesh. Even in the purity of faith and love toward God and our fellow man we know sin is waiting for an opportunity to tempt us with greed, lust and pride. We know it only takes a moment for everything to flip on its head, meet the wrong person, run into adverse circumstances, be injured or contract a disease; we are put to the test and faith suddenly becomes difficult and we are tempted to sin. (123i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Being in love with the body of Christ >> Emotional situations – This verse goes with verses 2-10 2Cor 7-16 (122h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >> Confidence in the Church through your ministry -- This verse goes with verse 4 (125j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of hope See next page