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Lesson 34 of 50 - New Testament (part two of eight)
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New Testament (part two): Second Corinthians; Galatians

Second Corinthians

56 AD

“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and
through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”  2:14

Author: Paul
Written From: Philippi in Macedonia as Paul traveled to Corinth from Ephesus
Sent To: Church in Corinth

Purpose: Oppose false apostles and false teachers who undermine the Gospel and Paul

Theme: Paul defends his apostleship

Basic Outline:

  • Chapters 1-7, Paul’s Ministry
  • Chapters 8-9, Jerusalem Offering
  • Chapters 10-13, Paul Directly Attacks the “Super-Apostles” and Defends Himself

Memorable Verses:

  • “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 1:5
  • “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.  And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 1:20
  • “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2:14
  • “If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!” 3:9
  • “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 4:4
  • “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from god and not from us.” 4:7
  • “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 4:17
  • “. . . has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 5:5
  • “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 5:17
  • “He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 5:20
  • “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” 6:14
  • “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 7:10
  • “See that you also excel in this grace of giving.” 8:7
  • “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 9:6
  • “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 9:7
  • “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” 10:4-5
  • “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.” 11:13
  • “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 12:10
  • “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test.” 13:5

Greek Words:

  • diakonoV – diakonos – minister, servant, deacon, 3:6; 6:4; 11:15, 23
  • diakonia – diakonia – ministry, administration, service, 3:7, 8, 9; 4:1, 5:18; 6:3; 8:4; 9:1, 12, 13; 11:8
  • ’adokimos – adokimos, “a-“ means “not”; “dokimos” (10:18; 13:7) means “to test, to approve, to prove, to approve after examination”.  Together they mean “disapproved, rejected after examination, not usable.” 13:5, 6, 7
  • ’apostolos – apostolos – sent one, 1:1; 11:5, 13; 12:11, 12

Healthy Doctrine:

  • Reconciliation – 5:17-21
  • Ambassadorship – 5:20
  • Glorification – 4:16-5:8
  • Substitutionary Atonement – 5:21; 8:9
  • New Covenant – 3:6-16
  • Holy Spirit as deity – 3:17, 18
  • Satan – 4:4; 11:15;


In chapters one through seven Paul describes his ministry both at the level of the divine calling and from the personal experience.  There is a heavy focus on the suffering of the ministry and the divine mandate for the ministry.  Paul sees himself as a mere human living in time and space equipped by the glorious God of eternity.  Paul is confident that his earthly labors and hardships he faces in the flesh will be more than compensated for in eternity.  With this insight and understanding Paul continues faithfully and courageously in his ministry.

In chapter eight and nine Paul gives instructions about money that will be collected from the Corinthians and taken by a selected and responsible delegation to believers living in Jerusalem.  Paul begins by using the Macedonians as an example of grace giving.  Paul gives scriptures best description of financial giving and ties it to the principle of grace, human will along with a promise based on the principle of an appropriate return on the giving.  Giving is clearly compared to sowing seeds.  These verses are a prosperity teacher’s dream, if they were not preceded by seven chapters of Paul describing his ministry as a state of suffering and then followed by four chapters of the apostle’s most fevered description of false teachers as self-promoting and condemned servants of Satan.  The irresponsibly wealthy name-it-claim-it claim it preachers can only hope their listeners are too lazy to read these verses in context.

Qualities of an Ambassador
  • Ambassadors do not appoint themselves – we are appointed by Christ.
  • Ambassadors do not support themselves – God supplies all our needs ( Ep. 1:3; Phil. 4:19)
  • Ambassadors are not citizens where they serve – we are citizens of heaven (Phi. 3:20)
  • Ambassadors have instructions in written form – we have the scriptures (2 Tm. 3:16)
  • Ambassadors cannot take insults personally – “the insults of those who insult you fall on me” (Rom. 15:3; Ps. 69:9; John 15:19)
  • Ambassadors do not enter a country to profit themselves – no longer live for self (2 Co. 5:15)
  • An Ambassador is a personal representative of someone else – (Jn. 13:35; 17:18-23; 20:21)
  • An Ambassadors purpose is service his hope is reward – (Mt. 5:12; 2 Jn. 8; Rev. 22:12)
  • Ambassadors are called home when war is declared – (2 Thes. 2:1-12)

 

 

GALATIANS

49 AD

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? . . . Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.”  3:3, 6

Author: Paul
Written From: Antioch, Syria
Sent To: Churches in Galatia

Purpose: Remove motivation to follow the Judaizers teaching to the Gentiles to first fulfill the Law of Moses in order to be qualified to receive Jesus as savior

Theme: Grace not law is the means of salvation

Basic Outline:

  • Chapters 1 and 2, Paul defends his apostleship and his gospel
  • Chapters 3 and 4, Paul contrasts bondage to the Law with freedom of grace
  • Chapters 5 and 6, Paul describes the characteristics of the life of a believer justified by grace

Memorable Verses:

  • “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all.” 1:6
  • “The gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” 1:11
  • “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.” 2:11
  • “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 2:20
  • “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” 2:21
  • “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse.” 3:10
  • “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” 3:26
  • “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.” 4:6
  • “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” 5:1
  • “You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” 5:13
  • “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” 5:22
  • “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.” 6:7
  • “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.” 6:15

Greek Words:

  • ’ergon – ergon - work, labor, deed, 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10; 5:19; 6:4
  • nomoV - nomos – law, 2:16, 19, 21; 3:2, 5, 10-13, 17-19; 4:4, 5, 21; 5:3, 4, 14, 18, 23; 6:2, 13
  • sperma – sperma – seed, 3:16, 19, 29
  • ’epaggelia – epaggelia – message, promise, 3:14, 16-18, 21, 22, 29; 4:23, 28.

Healthy Doctrine:

  • Justification by Faith in Jesus alone as the means of salvation
  • The Law and Legalistic Righteousness
  • Believer’s crucifixion with Christ - 2:20
  • Adoption - 4:5-7
  • Universality of sin - 3:22

In chapter one Paul expresses his surprise at how easily the Galatians had switch from believing his gospel to a different message.  Paul then explains that the gospel came to him by revelation from Jesus Christ which qualifies Paul as an apostle since he did not hear the gospel from men.  Paul reviews the first time he visited the disciples in Jerusalem as a believer when the other apostles accepted the gospel that Paul preached.

In chapter two Paul discusses the Jerusalem Council and parts of the discussion they had there.  Once again, Paul’s views of the gospel were accepted and defended by this council of apostles and church leaders.  Paul also discusses the time that legalistic righteousness and the law of the Judaizers began to infect the church in Antioch, Syria.  In this case, even Peter and Barnabus had been led astray and had to be brought back to the truth of the gospel.

In chapter three and four Paul questions the Galatians on why they made the switch to a new gospel of legalism.  Paul then contrasts legalism and grace using the text, examples and illustrations from the same Old Testament that the Judaizers were supposedly defending to prove his gospel true.

 

In chapters five and six Paul explains that the greater way to live is by faith and by the power of the Spirit since in this way the believer will produce the character God with the power of God. 

 

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