2 Corinthians Week 3

Day 1 

READ 

2 Corinthians 2:1-4 

1 So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. 3 That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. 4 I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you. 

Paul continued to explain why he had changed his plans about visiting the Corinthians as he returned from northern Greece. His major concern was his love for the people and not wanting to bring them more grief. He wanted his visit to be a joyful one, not a sorrowful one. The letter to which he referred may have been relating to 1 Corinthians 5 where he addressed a person living in sin and the people were not concerned about it.  

REFLECT 

Do people living in sin bother you? Perhaps all you can do is pray for them. Do you pray for them? 

RESPOND 

Visit with a fellow believer and carefully examine all of 1 Corinthians 5. There are many instructions in that chapter that Christ-followers should heed. Are you following those instructions? 

Day 2 

READ 

2 Corinthians 2:5-8 

5 I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. 

The goal of church discipline should be restoration, not punishment. When the offending people change the direction of their lives, they are to be taken back into fellowship. Christians are to be known for their tough love but also for their compassion for the persons involved. It does not honor the Lord to have an unforgiving spirit even after individuals have repented and changed the direction of their lives.  

REFLECT 

Is it difficult for you to receive one back into your fellowship when he or she has repented and changed the direction of their lives? 

RESPOND 

In considering that Paul wrote more than the two letters to the Corinthians recorded in the Bible, he may be referring to a different incident than in 1 Corinthians 5. There the people did not seem to be grieved by the sinning person; here Paul wrote, “Most of you opposed him.” The principles both here and in 1 Corinthians 5 should be followed regardless of the specific case.  

Day 3 

READ 

2 Corinthians 2:9-11 

9 I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. 

Paul said that if the people forgave this person, he would forgive him also. This indicates he was waiting to know of the Corinthians’ response. He also said that his forgiveness would be with “Christ’s authority.” As an apostle he was qualified to claim this. That is not what can be claimed today. Paul was also aware of how Satan works to cause division among believers. 

REFLECT 

Do you realize when there are divisions among Christians that it is likely due to Satan’s work? 

RESPOND 

With a friend, focus on John 13:35 and talk about how this applies to the fellowship group you attend. Does the watching world see this in your group? 

Day 4 

READ 

2 Corinthians 2:12-13 

12 When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me. 13 But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him. 

Note that even in the midst of spiritual victory where the “Lord opened a door of opportunity” for him, Paul’s heart was troubled. He was waiting on Titus to bring a report about the Corinthians. When this didn’t occur, he left Troas to find him. One wonders how he could have left the door of opportunity, but some opportunities never close and others may open. 

REFLECT 

Have you thought about how to determine whether something is an open door or not?  

RESPOND 

Visit with another believer how to decide if you’ve found an “open door” in your opportunities to witness for Jesus. For your discussion, read 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 and Revelation 3:7-9. The response of others can be an indication of an open door. Some say, “Go to where God is working and work there.” 

Day 5 

READ 

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 

14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? 

Paul broke off what he was writing to the Corinthians to express his thanks to God for how he and his team were being used. He likened their experience to a triumphal entry of a Roman conqueror after a battle. Their lives were a sweet perfume rising up to God. But to those who are unbelievers, that perfume is perceived as a “dreadful smell of death and doom.” Paul realized no one was adequate for such a task but God was enabling them to do it.  

REFLECT 

As you share the good news about Jesus’ death and resurrection with others, does it give you pleasure as well as cause you to feel inadequate to be sharing such important eternal truths? 

RESPOND 

Talk with another believer about being an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 6:19-20 to see how Paul did this in difficult circumstances. Make his prayer your prayer requests for others as you seek to be a representative for Jesus.