Galatians 2:1-16 As we read through Galatians, Paul builds our understanding of the gospel. He wanted the church to understand that grace is central to the gospel. The gospel and our salvation are not acquired by our capabilities but given by grace through the gracious work of Jesus. So, why is it we struggle with the concept of grace so much?Paul begins Galatians by narrating his autobiography an...

Galatians 1:1-24 If we do not understand the gospel accurately, then we cannot get anything else right. If we misunderstand it or stray away from it, then we fail to have a solid foundation for our lives. Paul writes to the Galatians to ensure they are living rooted in and built upon the gospel. The simple gospel is the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and by pl...

2 Corinthians 13:1-14 How do you feel about going to the doctor? Do you approach your appointments with great trepidation about what they might find? How would you feel about undergoing a spiritual examination? Would that make you nervous? Well, that is exactly what Paul asks us to do. Paul ended his letter by asking the church to examine themselves. He was writing to a diverse audience and wants ...

2 Corinthians 12:11-21 Impressive people called “super-apostles” had invaded the church in Corinth. These people probably looked great, were well-spoken, and had an aura of leadership that surrounded them. The problem is their hearts were far from God. They looked like Saul, the first king of Israel, who was a head taller than everyone else, and thus impressive on the outside, the problem was thei...

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Why does God allow hard things into our lives? On 9/11 it is hard not to reflect on the terrorist attack that happened so many years ago and the senseless loss of lives. We may struggle to make sense of situations like this and wonder why God did not intervene. I imagine Paul probably wrestled with this very same question.God allowed Paul to experience unparalleled things lik...

2 Corinthians 11:16-33 How do you know whether you can trust someone? How do you know whether someone is a messenger of God or using God for their own selfish ends? Paul tries to show the church in Corinth that he is a trustworthy messenger of God and does it through bragging. We may find it shocking that Paul will talk about his accomplishments in this way, but ultimately, he is doing it so that ...

2 Corinthians 11:1-15 Is it ever good to be jealous? It may seem strange, but we are told that God is a jealous God. Twice in Exodus God tells Israel that he is a jealous God because they are to be a people for him alone. He is jealous whenever they give themselves to false gods or worship something other than him. If God is jealous, is there ever a positive aspect to us being jealous?Normally jea...

2 Corinthians 10:1-18 How would you feel if someone said you were gentle and meek? Paul uses these descriptions of himself with Jesus being the ultimate model of these characteristics. The world may not value these attributes, but we need to be more concerned with what God thinks than what the world does. It is so easy to think like the world without even realizing it. Paul was concerned that many...

2 Corinthians 9:1-15 Generosity. Most of us would probably claim that we are generous, I mean, who wants to acknowledge that they are tight-fisted and selfish. But are we generous in the way God calls us to be?As Paul highlights the value of generosity, he gives us several principles that should be evident in the way we give. First, we should be eager to give (v.2). The abundance of what God has g...

2 Corinthians 8:16-24 When is the last time you got a heartfelt letter in the mail? It may have been a long time. Regardless, what is better than a letter, a FaceTime conversation, or a phone call, is an in person visit. It feels wonderful to receive the written correspondence, but it is even more amazing to meet with someone in person. As Paul writes the letter to the church in Corinth, he wants ...

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Grace. Often, we relegate this word to simply God's forgiveness of our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it is a far bigger reality than that. Grace encompasses every good thing which God puts in our lives. So, it includes spiritual realities like forgiveness and salvation, but it also includes physical things like food, money, etc. Are you aware of the ful...

2 Corinthians 7:8-16 Truth can cut like a knife. When we speak hard truth into someone’s life, it may feel like we are wounding them. This feeling may then cause us to fail to speak when we should. Paul leads us in this discussion in 2 Corinthians 7:8-16. He wants us to know that we need to be people who speak truth into the lives of those who are lost, hurting, and wandering from God.The primary ...

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7 The Bible is filled with images that were relevant to the original audience but seem foreign to us. Paul (and Jesus and many in the Old Testament) use the image of being “yoked together” with others. Animals were yoked together to help a farmer plow his land. For this to work effectively, both animals had to be similar; thus, Deuteronomy commanded Israel to not yoke an oxen ...

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Carpe Diem. If you know one Latin phrase this is probably it. Its meaning is to seize the day and is exemplified in 2 Corinthians 6. Twice Paul says that it is the “day of salvation.” That today is the day to decide for Christ. There is no room for putting him off or delaying our faith, instead we are to choose to live for him today.Paul’s life exemplified an urgency to make C...

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 It is an impressive honor to be chosen as an ambassador to another country. The truth in 2 Corinthians 5 is that all Christians are ambassadors. We all represent one kingdom in the territory of another. We are to represent God as citizens of his kingdom but do it in the kingdom of this world. There may be times where this creates a tension in our lives, but our ultimate ident...

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10 Where is your home? If you were asked this question, you might give your address, the city, the state or potentially just the country you live in, depending upon who is asking. Paul wants to give us the ultimate answer to this question in our reading today. He wants us to see that our final, eternal residence is to live with Christ in glorified bodies. We will live on Earth...

2 Corinthians 4:1-12 Commercials try to show off the best of a product. They don’t describe how it will soon be obsolete, how it will break after a few uses, or how it is simply a mediocre product. They try to hide reality to sell a product. Paul wants us to make sure that we do not present Jesus like these lying commercials.This passage calls us to present Jesus accurately and completely and not ...

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 Throughout history God has revealed himself in clearer ways over time. This concept is called progressive revelation. God never contradicts what came before, but especially through Jesus, God revealed himself in a fuller, more complete way than he had previously done. This means if we have Jesus there is nothing else we need to look for or pursue. In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul contr...

2 Corinthians 2:12-17 Are you smelly? No, I am not talking about needing to take a shower, but rather our need to smell like Jesus. When people get a whiff of us are they repulsed, or do they smell the fragrance of Christ. Paul stated that during his travels, he was used by God to "spread the aroma of the knowledge of him (Jesus) everywhere" (2 Cor. 2:14). Wherever Paul went, people could smell Je...

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11 How dependable are you? Are you the type of person that makes plans but does not follow through? Do you find yourself saying, “Yes, yes” and “No, no” in the same breath? Or are you the kind of person who reflects the character of God in being faithful, consistent, and trustworthy?As God’s children we represent Christ through our words and our actions. Paul understood that t...