Thu, Jun 24th - 1:36PM

2 Corinthians chapter 13 study: END NOTES

Brothers and sisters, praise our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom we owe our salvation, and even ourselves. Lord we your priests under your High Priesthood offer unto you from our heart’s the sweet sacrifice of praise, and  offerings of love, peace and blessings and worship for you are worthy: Heb 13:15; 1Pe 2:9 - But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Brothers, and sisters, it is necessary for believers to reinforce the absolute truth of God’s word, which must be defended and upheld by all who belong to Jesus Christ. Gospel is preached not so that people can have a nice life, but be saved and escape the wrath, condemnation and punishment of God to come against unrepentant sinners.

Mat 24:36 - But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 2Pe 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 - Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

The eternal destination of unrepentant unbelievers all scoffers, mockers, contentious, debaters, doubters, brawlers, disputers, deniers, those in the church as a social club and or social climbing, those adding to or taking away from the word therefore perverting it: Mat 13:39 - The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The authentic Christian will hear, trust, and obey God’s word. Paul understood the big picture in dealing with the opposing Corinthians. Brothers and sisters, we are commanded to keep the big picture of God in mind, because there is terrible eternal punishment from God for those who remain impenitent in rejecting the truth of scripture:  

Rev 21:8 - But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

All who impenitently reject the truth are calling God a liar: 1Jo 5:10 - He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

All who impenitently reject the truth not only blaspheme God, but also the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth: Matthew 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Paul well understood and so should we that it is not a small thing for anyone claiming to be a Christian who rejects the word of God despite having been taught the truth consistently and often. The impenitent must be warned of the inescapable consequences should they die in unbelief:   Heb 6:8 - But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.; Heb 10:29 - Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Yet it is not the will of God that any should perish, but that they would repent:  2Pe 3:9.

Paul well understood, and so should we brothers and sisters, that we contend for the gospel with doubters in hope that they will believe and turn to God and away from inescapable, everlasting punishment, and death in the lake of fire.

Jas 5:19 - Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;  20 - Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Tue, Jun 22nd - 1:10PM

2 Corinthians chapter 13 study

2 Corinthaisns 13: 8For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. 10Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

Brothers and sisters, we see the humility of our brother and apostle Paul. Although he warns them his aim is not to destroy the opposing Corinthians, but to keep them from destruction, after all his joy is in seeing them strong and built up in God. No one has any power to destroy the truth as it is the power of God Himself. Paul is glad that there are those built up in the truth. However if in his absence those who oppose the word will heed and believe the word of God, he will have no need to use His God given apostolic powers of correction on them when he returns.

Paul ends his letter to the Corinthians with instructions and on a hopeful note:

2 Corinthians 13: 11Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12Greet one another with an holy kiss. 13All the saints salute you.

14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. {The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.

Be perfect: to render, i.e. to fit, sound, complete; to mend (what has been broken or rent), to repair; to complete; to fit out, equip, put in order, arrange, adjust; to fit or frame for one's self, prepare; ethically: to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be in believing and living the truth of  the principles and doctrines of Lord Jesus Christ.

Mon, Jun 21st - 5:46PM

2 Corinthians chapter 13 study

Thanks be to God, dearly beloveds, for His eternal grace through His Son our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. All praise and blessing to the Father, the Holy Spirit and to the Son Jesus Christ for the incendiary love, truth and power, wherein we are made one in Him. In His determinate indomitable will, Lord Jesus will absolutely bring home to God our Father all the children, His people who believe in Him before the very throne of the Father.

It is the habit of some in ministry, saints (G40 hagios) to say that they agree with all Christians on the majors and tolerate difference and go in peace on the minors wherein there is disagreement. Such persons rarely explicitly put forth in details regarding what they consider what is “major or minor” in the doctrine of gospel of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, they do not say who gave them the authority to even do such a thing, certainly God never will be, seeing there is no compromising of the gospel throughout the entirety of scripture. God forbids the compromise of the Bible whether in part or the whole.

One of the things we know about Corinth is that it and the world at large was a hot bed of idolatry well before the arrival of Paul the apostle. Some might have thought to not even bother to go to Corinth due to the embeddedness of idolatry there. But God sent Paul, and He went although his life was continually threatened by the unbelieving Jews. Nevertheless, he preached the gospel which won many in Corinth of Jews and non- Jews to Christ. Paul was very vigilant and explicit to remind them and teach them that idolatry was absolutely forbidden, and they should steadfastly refrain from even the practice or appearance of any of it.Top of Form

 1Co 12:2 - Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.Bottom of Form

2Co 6:16 - And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We are commanded to watch over and defend the word of God, brothers and sisters. The Bible teaches that anyone who after being taught the truth, but still refuse to believe it should put themselves through spiritual diagnostics of self-examination to determine for themselves whether they are truly Christian.

Evidently it can be said that Paul was hoping that in self-examination the opposing Corinthians would find the need to repent and do it.

We note that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians confirming the evidence of their faith as authentic:  1Th 2:13 - For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Tue, Jun 15th - 5:14PM

2 Corinthians chapter 13 study

Thanks, and praise be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, holy people, who loves us with His abundant lavish eternal love. In His mercy in saving us- all who believe on Him past, present and future, and forgiving us eternally of all our sins, He seals us and all who believe in Him with the Spirit of Truth the Holy Spirit, besides indwelling us with Himself and the Father, so that we can know, understand, and live the truth of His commands.

Jesus did not have to die for us on the cross to save us, but He went of His own will in love and obedience to the Father and out of love for lost sinners. He did not go to the cross because as some who want to diminish God in order to elevate sinful mankind and falsely say poor God was lonely, and his creations were of such a great value and He needed them so badly that He had to go and save them. To the contrary: We-the whole of mankind was dead in sins, Eph 2:5 - Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

We-the whole of mankind were the enemies of Lord Jesus Christ: Rom 5:10 - For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Had our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ not stepped up to the plate, there being none other than Himself acceptable to God to offer up the only sinless sacrifice of Himself to atone for all sins, then without delay God the Father in wrath and indignation against sin, and sinners, would have wiped out mankind: AMP Jh 14:6Jesus said to him, “[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Act 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

God does not need mankind nor anything:  Mat 3:9 - And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Every drop of salvation is through Jesus Christ. Salvation is the eternal and absolutely free gift of God through His only Son Jesus Christ. Free gift meaning it is unbuyable, un-earnable, and unrepayable, but free in its entirety to all who believe out of every nation equally.

Tit 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

God is extremely picky about who He allows to worship Him and has designated only true worshippers all who believe in His Son as acceptable worshippers, moreover, brethren we know that: Jhn 4:23 - But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is absolute eternal truth and there is no lie in Him. Therefore, all those who despite being taught the truth and still resist it shows the heights of their pride, arrogance, stubbornness, evil, wickedness corruptness, and insolence beyond disrespect, which distains and slanders the truthfulness of God the 2 Ti 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

I.Resist: to set oneself against, to withstand, resist, oppose

II.to set against.

Rom 2:8 - But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Gods word trans: Rom 2: But he will bring 8 anger and fury on those who, in selfish pride, refuse to believe the truth and who follow what is wrong. 9There will be suffering and distress for every person who does evil, for Jews first and Greeks as well. 

The Bible convinces, convicts, and fully persuades us that it is evil, wicked, to continually resist the truth of God, who absolutely grants none any excuse for it. Therefore, upon examining ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith, it comes down to either we are all in believing God, or all out in unbelief. God absolutely rejects those who having been often taught the truth, stubbornly remain as “half believing” or continually wavering between truth and doubt, or just refuse to believe period.

Paul had the teachings of Jesus and so do we. At some point the teachings of Jesus has to be applied to those who resist the truth unrepentantly:  Mat 7:18 - A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Luk 6:43 - For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Sun, Jun 6th - 5:13PM

2 Corinthians chapter 13 study

All praise and thanks be to our Father, our Holy Spirit, and His only Son Lord Jesus Christ who is our everlasting salvation and peace. Thanks be to our blessed God forever, holy brethren, who has in His mercy and grace made us fit and able to walk in His blessed love, truth and grace. Let us love Him and one another, let us be salt and light in a sinful and dying world, that others might be delivered from sin unto everlasting salvation and life.

The problems of the Corinthians challenging the authority of scripture/servant leaders and opposed to correction of their sins, although written over two thousand years ago have a very familiar ring today. Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, let us be careful not to think that we should ignore those who do not adhere to the truth of scripture: AMP 2 Ti 2:15Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. 16But avoid all irreverent babble and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17and their teaching will spread like gangrene.

Again, and again the Bible hammers away in teaching all of us that those regardless of what office they hold in the church body or outside of it who are resistant to the absolute truth of scripture are damaging to the gospel and the church. All such persons are just like a chancre or gangrene a type of sore that will never heal of itself, will never resolve or go away on its own, instead it must be excised or cleanly cut off as God commands so that it does not corrupt or destroy the healthy tissue.

Paul gives us an example among many: AMP2 Cor 2: So it is with Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have deviated from the truth. They claim that the resurrection has already taken place, and they undermine the faith of some. 19Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God [which He has laid] stands [sure and unshaken despite attacks], bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord stand apart from wickedness and withdraw from wrongdoing.”

Those claiming to be Christians who impenitently resists correction in the word of God are lying.

There was a certain church who had certain members who remained resistant to biblical teachings regarding behaviors absolutely forbidden by God throughout scripture. However, this church wanted to be “loving” and so allowed these certain members to be in the ministry of the church and to attend the church, except they were forbidden to teach or evangelize although they continued to vehemently refused to accept or believe the commands of the Bible regarding righteous conduct and conduct that God absolutely forbids.

One day, brethren, these members showed up with major news stations (apparently, they had advanced notice from these members) who marched outside and into the church accusing it of “hate speech”.  These disruptions continued to interfere with church services week after week. Finally, the church resorted to calling the police and had them escorted out of the church as trespassers, so the church returned to regular worship services in peace.

• The church was ignorant of disorderly conduct laws and the right to protect itself from such: Disturbing an assembly: Interrupting a city council meeting, a public rally, or religious ceremony can be enough to qualify as disorderly conduct.
• There are terrible consequences for any Christian who minimizes or ignores the absolute truth of scripture. Not that the church of Jesus Christ needs man’s permission to operate; however even the constitution of the united states clearly gives freedom of religion and the rights of its people to peaceful assembly with like minded persons:  As American citizens, we are protected by the United States Constitution from government interference with our right of free speech. This includes the right to evangelize. Also, the Constitutions of every state in our country include guarantees of free speech, which are at least as protective of free speech as the federal Constitution.

Wed, Jun 2nd - 2:40PM

2 Corinthians chapter 13 study

Brothers and sisters, every time the apostles, and prophets before them found anyone in the church and also outside of it that were consistently resistant and hostile to the gospel message and the authority of the church it was made a public warning to all the church. By all biblical examples it was never handled by leaders nor the people as though it was a mere harmless polite disagreement of conflicting opinions equal in value requiring tolerance of differences so as to be in peace with one another.

The Bible continuously teaches throughout that the word of God is absolute, uncompromising, explicit, exclusive, exhaustive, inerrant, and eternal. Obedience to the word of God is not optional, it has no alternatives, or plan B’s. No one claiming to belong to Christ can ever justify being in league with those who oppose the eternal absolute truth of scripture. Again, how do we know this is true: 2Jo 1:10 - If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 2Jo 1:11 - For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

2 Cor 13: 6But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates

Paul and all those who faithfully teaches the gospel gives everlasting truth and witness that they are not reprobates. Paul does not make a slip of the tongue in praying that they will do no evil. Paul is not worried about being “polite” he uses the words EVIL-DO NOT DO EVIL.

 Holy people, we know the truth as God has revealed it to us: without exception it is never a good thing for anyone to remain resistant and hostile to the truth of scripture it is evil. Paul makes it clear to those in opposition to the gospel and his authority in the gospel that their resistance is evil. Those who knowingly accept such persons are doing evil too.

Those who challenge the gospel message in the church are harmful forbidden leavening to the gospel message and the church that will continue to spread and do harm unless checked: 1Co 5:6 - Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?  7 - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

I.Purge out: to cleanse out, clean thoroughly, to cleanse.