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BIBLE READING:2 Corinthians 4 Some religionists are materialists, contending that man is totally material.  Supposedly, he does not have a spirit or soul. The Bible does not endorse this thinking. In 2 Corinthians 4:8ff, Paul had discussed the great tribulations to which children of God are heir. In spite of these difficulties, he says, “we faint not.” Why? Although our “outward man” (the physical body) is progressively decaying, the “inward man” is being renewed day by day (energized by the divine Spirit through the Word of God). What is the “inward man”? Clearly it is the soul of the person that abides, in this case the Christian’s soul as strengthened by divine instruction regardless of what happens to the body (Eph 6:17). The Lord Himself taught that man may destroy the body, but he cannot destroy the soul (Mat 10:28). The inner man is accountable to the law of God (Romans 7:22) and is capable of being strengthened by divine influence through sacred truth (Eph 3:16;...

BIBLE READING:2 Corinthians 3 All Christians, not just one man as in the case of Moses, behold the glory of the Lord.  No veil is required. This has a transforming effect on all who do it. It is in the Christian looking upon the Lord in the worship of him that a miracle of transformation is wrought. Paul revealed the secret of how to be “transformed" (Romans 12:2). The word "beholding" in classical Greek means "looking at one's self in a mirror." That required steady looking when mirrors were metal, and so the word came to mean simply, to gaze steadily. G.W. McGarvey gave the importance of this to be, "Now Jesus is that Spirit, or new covenant of which I have been speaking (2 Corinthians 3:3,6,8); and where that new covenant is, there is liberty, especially the liberty of seeing (without a veil)." In this view, spirit would not be capitalized. Others also favored this understanding of it saying, "(What the Christian beholds) is the ...

BIBLE READING:2 Corinthians 2 In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 Paul revisits a problem that was explained in 1 Corinthians 5.  A man had taken his father's wife as his own.  Paul told the brethren to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved.  From what is said here, it seems they had done what Paul prescribed. The punishment delivered had the desired effect.   The man had already suffered sufficiently. Paul gave proof of his parental tenderness towards this great transgressor. The man had been disowned by the Church, he had deeply repented, and now the apostle pleads for him.   He had now suffered enough.   The punishment inflicted had answered the end for which it was rendered.   There was some danger that if this poor offender were not restored to the bosom of the Church, his distress and anguish would destroy his life or drive him to despair.   He may have felt that even though he had repented ...

BIBLE READING:1 Corinthians 13- 2 Corinthians 1                  Although we are very familiar with I Corinthians 13 being Paul’s chapter of love, that isn’t the only place that Paul addresses the subject.   As Paul concludes his letter to the church at Corinth, he includes this summarization of love.   “Let all that you do be done in love.” (I Corinthians 16.14).   If you think about it, that is exactly what Paul had done with this letter.   Did he rebuke them?   Yes, on their issues concerning their division and sexual immorality among other things.   Yet the driving force behind his rebuke was always love; his love for Christ, his love for the church, his love for the brethren in Corinth.   Sometimes we must do some unfortunate and uncomfortable things because of our love for others.   Solomon said, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is dil...

BIBLE READING:2 Corinthians 1 The sentence of death in this scripture does not mean any decree of heaven, or appointment of God that they should die, nor any sentence of death passed on them by the government, but an opinion or persuasion in their own minds.   They looked upon themselves as dead men.   The tribulation was so violent and overwhelming that Paul had no hope of escaping death. Paul means that there was such a violent upsurge of evil against preachers of the faith that death was staring them in the face. He was expecting death, but things had not come to that point. In the natural course of events he should have died, but God did not allow that to happen so that Paul would learn to trust in God and not himself.   Paul's troubles were of such a nature as to take away all expectation of help except from God alone.   God does not refuse His protection to people in extreme danger, especially when they belong to Him. He rescues them when they are in deep...

BIBLE READING:1 Corinthians 16 Every Christian should realize that we are in a spiritual fight.   We face an adversary that wants to destroy us.   As Christians we should dedicate our lives to the defense of the church and her members.   "Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life."   (Rev 2:10 ASV) I have heard some simplify this verse as, "Be faithful, even if it kills you." Christ has given us the equipment we need to carry out our duties:   watching, standing firm in the faith, acting like men, and being strong.   These can be considered masculine traits due to the military analogies, but they are not and should not be limited only to men.     Feminists might concede that men are strong and courageous in some cases, but foolishly so. W...

BIBLE READING:1 Corinthians 15 For centuries skeptics have mocked Christians for their belief in a bodily resurrection.   The mockers pose examples of people who died, and their bodies decompose.   As the body goes back to the earth, its molecules and atoms are absorbed by plants, the plants are then eaten by animals, and the scenario continues until the person's body is scattered into so many plants and animals that it cannot be recognized.   To Christians this is no problem.   We believe the God that created man is able to bring his scattered body back together again. Modern doubters raise the same questions as the Greeks had in the first century.   "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" (15:35)    Paul responded that the question was irrelevant.   There are bodies of all types.   God created them with glory of different sorts (15:35-41).   The body of the resurrected will be incorruptible, glorifie...