August 29, 2022
NEITHER LEGALISM, NOR LICENSE, BUT LIBERTY In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he taught them that true liberty came not from legalism, nor license, but from the Spirit of the Lord. The law is external to man, written on stone tablets, it has no power to overcome the sin nature. It reveals man’s sinfulness,
August 28, 2022
PREACHING FOR GOD’S APPROVAL ALONE The apostle Paul contrasted the authenticity and authority of his preaching team with those who preach for personal profit. The wealthy church of Corinth was apparently susceptible to the hucksters of that day. Paul wanted to protect them from these false teachers, who invariably show up to steal sheep when
August 27, 2022
DON’T LET SATAN OUTSMART YOU Paul instructed the believers in Corinth to forgive the man who had received church discipline. He does not name the man, but he may be referring to the incestuous person of 1 Corinthians 5. At any rate, Paul is making it clear that church discipline is intended to be corrective,
September 13, 2021
A BEAUTIFUL BLESSING With this beautiful benediction, Paul closed his second letter to the Corinthians. Paul’s great trinitarian doxology bestowed three powerful blessings of the Godhead upon the believers at Corinth. These three blessings belong to all those who would believe and receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior: 1) The “grace” (Greek:
September 9, 2021
DON’T BE SWAYED FROM THE SIMPLE GOSPEL The gospel is simple. So simple that people nearly always want to complicate it. Just as the law of the garden was simple: “Don’t eat.” So the gospel is simple: “Take and eat” (Matt. 26:26). The apostle Paul had preached the simple gospel to the Corinthians. But false
September 8, 2021
THE WAR FOR OUR MINDS Paul used military language to describe his spiritual warfare against worldly arguments and philosophies that are raised against the knowledge of God. He rightly recognized that the flesh (especially pride), the world, and the devil were allies in the spiritual battle for the minds of humanity. So he fought a
September 6, 2021
PRAISED FOR HIS GOSPEL MINISTRY In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he informed them that he was sending three brothers to help with the collection of a gift to help the hurting Christians in Jerusalem. He named Titus as one of the trio who had volunteered to visit them for this purpose
September 3, 2021
THE ONE WHO BRINGS GOD’S COMFORT Paul told the Corinthians that the comfort that Titus brought from his visit with them filled him with great joy. In the midst of both external and internal conflict in Macedonia, news of the Corinthians’ repentance and love for him, was just the medicine Paul needed. Paul attributed
September 1, 2021
A NEW CREATION Becoming a Christian is not about self-improvement. It is an invitation to come and die, that we might be born again. It is not incremental nor partial, but drastic and total. By believing and receiving Christ, we are found in Him. Our old nature we count crucified with Christ. Our new nature
August 31, 2021
WE CAN KNOW “We know.” This faith we have is based on the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus. We look at this fact, believing it, and this faith becomes like confident knowledge. Believing that God raised Jesus in the past, we also believe that He will raise us with Jesus in the future.