Ortlund 2 Corinthians

A 12-Week Study
1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4335-4795-9
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 96 Seiten

Reihe: Knowing the Bible

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) 'Gospel Glimpses' highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) 'Whole-Bible Connections' show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) 'Theological Soundings' identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul defends the authenticity of his authority and teaching, helping his readers see that the gospel is full of seemingly paradoxical truths-strength from weakness, life through death, and comfort in affliction. Highlighting how the gospel confronts our own culture's expectations and drawing implications for all of life, Dane C. Ortlund helps us discover the truth that the gospel humbles the powerful while strengthening the weak

Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) serves as senior pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners. Dane and his wife, Stacey, have five children.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ortlund, Dane

Leseproben

WEEK 2: THE STRANGE PATH OF COMFORT

2 Corinthians 1:1–11

The Place of the Passage

Paul opens his letter by introducing himself as an apostle and then immediately teaching the Corinthians about the nature of true comfort. Unlike every other Pauline letter, Paul begins not by addressing the readers directly (usually with thanksgiving) but by speaking about God. Right from the start of this letter, Paul draws the Corinthians’ eyes to the source of true comfort: God himself. And this comfort is experienced most profoundly in the midst of our own perplexities and trials.

The Big Picture

Second Corinthians 1:1–11 drives home the paradoxical nature of true comfort—those in Christ experience comfort not by avoiding but by going through affliction.

Reflection and Discussion

Read through the complete passage for this study, 2 Corinthians 1:1–11. Then review the questions below concerning this introductory section to 2 Corinthians and write your notes on them. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 2223–2224; available online at www.esvbible.org.)

1. Greeting (1:1–2)

Paul opens his letter by immediately designating himself as an apostle, literally “one who is sent.” Skim through 2 Corinthians and note places where Paul returns to the theme of his legitimacy as a true apostle. What appears to have been the problem Paul is addressing regarding his own apostleship?

What does it mean for Paul to call the Christians of Achaia (the region in which Corinth was located) “saints” (1:1)? Are you a saint? Why or why not?

“Grace1 to you and peace” (v. 2). With the exception of Galatians, Paul begins all his letters this way. Notice the wordplay used here, as explained in the ESV Study Bible notes. Why is grace the note on which Paul begins his letters? What does this remind us about concerning the Christian faith?

2. Comfort through Affliction (1:3–11)

Reflect on Paul’s description of God the Father in verse 3. Consider your own life from this past week or so. Has God (as described in this verse) been real to you? Consider the calm that would descend into our generally frenetic lives if we were to walk with such a God and know him as such. Jot down a few thoughts for future reflection.

The Bible is not naive but utterly realistic. Notice this passage’s honesty about the difficulties of life. According to verses 4 and 6, why do we experience affliction?

What does it mean to “share . . . in Christ’s sufferings” (v. 5)? Does it mean Christ’s sufferings were not enough to atone for our sin, so we need to help with our own suffering? Along with the ESV Study Bible note on this verse, consider also Philippians 3:8–11.

How would you put the message of 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 in your own words? Is this a familiar way to think about Christian discipleship in your own life and mind?

We can’t be certain of the exact circumstances Paul is describing in verse 8, but we don’t need to know exactly what he is referring to. The point is the purpose and result of this terrible experience. What, according to verse 9, is that purpose and result? What “death”-like experiences have you experienced in your past, or might you experience in your future, that make this verse a solid rock of hope and comfort?

How does Paul integrate Christian prayer into his delivery from death (v. 11)?

Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to consider the Personal Implications these sections may have for you.

Gospel Glimpses

GRACE AND PEACE. This is the note on which the letter opens. The point of Christianity, according to Paul, is not to tell us to try harder or dig deeper or get more radical or obey better. There is a place for such exhortations. But the point, above all else, is to bring a word of comfort to the destitute, a word of grace to the sinful, a word of peace to the hostile. If the gospel has only one thing to say, this is it: grace to you. Be calmed. Be at rest. In Christ, the friend of sinners, there is grace for you.

COMFORT IN CHRIST. In fortifying the Corinthians through all their afflictions, Paul speaks of the comfort “we ourselves” have received from God (2 Cor. 1:4) and experience through Christ (v. 5). The gospel has a clear, objective, black-and-white side to it, in which sinners are pardoned once and for all. But the gospel has also a subjective, felt side to it: comfort. In Christ, not only are we forgiven; we are comforted. The miseries of this fallen world, horrific or unbearable as they often are, can be borne, for we walk with Christ, the Savior sent from the God of all comfort. Making this happen is the ministry of the Holy Spirit,2 who now dwells within believers (see also John 14:25–27).

Whole-Bible Connections

AFFLICTION. In Eden, God and his people dwelt in happy fellowship. Sin had not come. Affliction was nonexistent. With the fall into sin, affliction and suffering began their long and sad history in this world. And God’s own people are not immune to them. The book of Exodus, for example, shows the unique afflictions God’s people often have. While not all affliction is a direct result of specific sins, sin in general is indeed the reason there is affliction in the world. The ultimate affliction is hell—which, for believers, Christ has borne in their place. One day, therefore, we will live in a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1), where no affliction will ever touch us. In the meantime, it is often through affliction that we are brought into true and close dependence on Christ.

Theological Soundings

GOD’S FATHERHOOD. Paul speaks of the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 1:3). Christian orthodoxy teaches that Christ is the eternal Son of the Father. The Son was never created (contrary to what Arius and his followers taught in the early centuries of the church). Father and Son have existed in eternal, perfect fellowship. The marvel of history is that this Son took on flesh and entered into this fallen world so that we, too, could call God “Father,” being adopted into God’s family through the atoning work of Christ on our behalf. This is why Paul can call God “our Father” in verse 2 and the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” in verse 3.

UNION WITH CHRIST. Paul speaks of sharing in Christ’s sufferings in verse 5. What does this mean? We can make sense of what Paul is saying only if we understand that Christians not only trust in Christ but are vitally united to him by the Holy Spirit. Paul explains this more fully elsewhere, where he speaks of sharing not only in Christ’s sufferings but also in his death and resurrection (e.g., Rom. 6:1–6; Phil. 3:10–11). More fundamental to a Christian’s identity than any other aspect of salvation is our union with Christ.

Personal Implications

Take time to reflect on the implications of 2 Corinthians 1:1–11 for your own life today. Consider what you have learned that might lead you to praise God, repent of sin, and trust in his gracious promises. Make notes below on the personal implications for your walk with the Lord of the (1) Gospel Glimpses, (2) Whole-Bible Connections, (3) Theological Soundings, and (4) this passage as a whole.

1. Gospel Glimpses

2. Whole-Bible Connections

3. Theological Soundings

4. 2 Corinthians 1:1–11

As You Finish This Unit . . .

Take a moment now to ask for the Lord’s blessing and help as you continue in this study of 2 Corinthians. And take a moment also to look back through this unit of study, to reflect on some key things that the Lord may be teaching you.

Definitions

1 Grace – Unmerited favor, especially the free gift of salvation that God gives to believers through faith in Jesus Christ.

2 Holy Spirit – One of the persons of the...