“2 Corinthians 1–7,” Scripture Helps: New Testament (2024)
Scripture Helps
2 Corinthians 1–7
In the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, we see evidence of a growing rift between some of the Corinthian Saints and Paul. A small group of Church members in Corinth opposed Paul and wanted him to have less influence among them. Paul defended his conduct and expressed affection for the Corinthians. He taught of the peace that comes from loving and forgiving others. He testified they could be reconciled to their Heavenly Father through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Paul expressed joy that the Saints in Corinth had accepted his counsel in an earlier epistle. He taught the importance of “godly sorrow.”
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Background and Context
To whom was 2 Corinthians written and why?
Shortly after Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, a riot developed in Ephesus in opposition to his teachings. As a consequence, he went to Macedonia. He may have written 2 Corinthians while he was there. This letter was likely written between AD 54 and AD 56.
In general, this letter aims to:
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Express gratitude for and strengthen those Saints who responded favorably to his previous letter.
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Warn of false teachers who corrupted the pure doctrine of Christ.
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Defend Paul’s character and authority as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Encourage generous financial offerings from the Corinthian Saints to the impoverished Saints of Jerusalem.
Much of this letter emphasizes Paul’s love and concern for the Corinthian Saints. Though Paul was firm in his opposition to critics, we also see him as a leader caring for the happiness and well-being of the Saints.
In this letter, Paul referred to a very sacred moment in his life. In 2 Corinthians 12:2–4, Paul described himself as “a man in Christ” who was “caught up to the third heaven.” In this vision he saw and heard unspeakable things.
Why did Paul teach about God’s promises?
These verses appear to be Paul’s response to an accusation that he had shown light-mindedness in promising to visit Corinth and then changing his travel plans. Some said he could not be trusted—one day he said “yea” (“yes, I am coming”), but the next day he said “nay” (“no, I am not coming”). Paul’s critics seemed to imply, “If we cannot trust Paul, how can we trust what he taught us about God?” In response, Paul said that the message he and his companions taught was true. He declared that God and Jesus Christ are trustworthy and do not vary.
What guarantees come through the Holy Spirit?
Paul stated that he and his missionary companions had been “anointed” and “sealed” by God. The Greek word Paul used to indicate being sealed implies that God had placed His stamp of ownership upon them.
In connection to this anointing and sealing, Paul used the Greek word arrabōn, which can be translated as “earnest,” “pledge,” “deposit,” “the first installment,” or “guarantee.” The word is a commercial term referring to a buyer making a deposit as part of an agreement for full payment later. Paul used this term to mean “that the Lord gives us His Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord’s surety that He will fulfill His promise to give eternal life to the faithful.” When we experience the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord, we can know that we are accepted by the Lord and that His promises are in effect in our lives.
In what way are the Saints like a sweet savor or fragrance to God?
To describe the Saints, Paul used the imagery of sacrifices and incense burned in the temple. Just as the smoke of temple offerings was described as a sweet savor or fragrance to God, the lives of righteous Saints represented an offering that was pleasing to God.
Verse 16 describes the effects that the Saints and the gospel of Jesus Christ had upon listeners. To Christ’s enemies, the sweet fragrance of the Saints and their witness of Christ was like the savor of death. However, to those who accepted the Apostles and their teachings, it was the savor of life.
What letter of recommendation did Paul need?
In response to those who tried to discredit him, Paul asked, rhetorically, if he really needed letters of recommendation to prove he was a legitimate Apostle. Paul was referring to the ancient practice of carrying letters of recommendation when visiting a new community. These letters usually introduced people, testified of their character, and witnessed that they were not impostors.
Paul taught that the changed lives of Church members were his best letters of recommendation. These letters would not be written with ink but with the Spirit of God on their hearts. President Russell M. Nelson explained that when truths of the gospel are written in the fleshy tables of our hearts, “they become an integral part of our nature.”
What does it mean to be changed into the image or likeness of the Lord?
The Greek word metamorphoō can be translated as “change, transform, transfigure” or “change in form.” In this passage, metamorphoō is used to indicate a gradual transformation into a glorious being in the likeness of God. Alma similarly taught that when we are spiritually born of God, we receive His image in our countenances.
Who is the god of this world?
The Greek word translated as world “generally refers to an era or historical period.” In the phrase “god of this world,” it conveys “the age and the place where the devil rules the thoughts and deeds of people—thus, the current world.” The god of this world is Satan, who seeks to lead God’s children astray. While Satan has power over “the world,” his power on earth is limited. Jesus Christ has assured us, “I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth,” and “the heavens and the earth are in mine hands.”
What is Paul’s message about the Final Judgment?
Paul taught that we will all stand before Christ to be judged for the things we have done in our mortal lives. A careful reading of the Greek text suggests that “though each individual is judged on the basis of his or her behavior, the person’s habitual action, and not his [or her] individual acts, is the basis for judgment.” Speaking of the Final Judgment, President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “We will be judged according to our actions, the desires of our hearts, and the kind of person we have become. This judgment will cause all of the children of God to proceed to a kingdom of glory for which their obedience has qualified them and where they will be comfortable. The judge of all this is our Savior, Jesus Christ … . His omniscience gives Him a perfect knowledge of all of our acts and desires, both those unrepented or unchanged and those repented or righteous. Therefore, after His judgment we will all confess ‘that his judgments are just’ (Mosiah 16:1).”
What does it mean to become a new creature in Christ?
Paul taught that we can become new creatures or creations “in Christ.” In the Greek, “in Christ” indicates a “close relationship to Christ,” even a “covenantal union with the Lord.” Elder David A. Bednar taught that we are meant to be “spiritually changed and transformed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. … We are instructed … to become ‘new creature[s]’ in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), to put off ‘the natural man’ (Mosiah 3:19), and to experience ‘a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon ‘the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah’ (2 Nephi 2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn.”
What does it mean to be reconciled to God?
The primary meaning of the Greek word katallassō (“reconciliation”) is the exchange of hostility for friendship. Our sins distance us from God and strain our relationship with Him. In this sense, “God [is] the injured partner who nevertheless seeks reconciliation with us. He does so by sending His Son.” To provide us with reconciliation, Jesus Christ provides “what might be called ‘the great exchange.’ … [Jesus Christ] came to exchange with us. In Gethsemane and on the cross our Lord took upon him our sins. He offers to convey to us—to put on our spiritual account, as a part of our eternal assets—his righteousness.” Significantly, the word atonement “describes the setting ‘at one’ of those who have been estranged and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin.”
What cautions did Paul have about associating with unclean things?
Paul used the image of mismatched animals yoked together to discourage Church members from being “yoked together with unbelievers.” The law of Moses prohibited the yoking of an ox and an ass to plow together. To yoke an ox with an ass would cause the ass (the weaker animal) to hold back the ox (the stronger animal). Moreover, the stronger animal could inflict pain or discomfort on the weaker one if they were yoked together.
One Bible translation captures Paul’s concern as follows: “Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with the unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?”
Put simply, Paul discouraged the Saints from entering relationships with idol worshippers or participating in their unclean practices. Paul concluded by affirming a promise the Lord gave through Isaiah: if believers separate themselves from false practices and unclean things, the Lord will receive them.
What is godly sorrow?
Elder Neil L. Andersen taught:
“[Godly sorrow means] to feel profound sadness and remorse for behavior that added pain and suffering to the Savior, as our soul removes any denial or excuse. …
“Perhaps the greatest awakening of this life to a spiritually sensitive son or daughter of God is the uniquely personal realization that Jesus Christ’s payment for sin is very real and that His suffering is not just for everyone else—but also for you and me! … As we spiritually understand that He has suffered for our sins, we feel sadness for our part of His pain. We realize that it is part of the plan of our Father, but we are overwhelmed with the gift He is offering to us. This wonder, this appreciation, this adoration of a Savior who has done this for us, takes us to our knees as our spirit is filled with godly sorrow.”
Worldly sorrow may include feelings of remorse for the negative consequences of our actions. For example, regret for being “caught and punished for [our] actions.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a member of the First Presidency, observed, “Worldly sorrow pulls us down, extinguishes hope, and persuades us to give in to further temptation.”
Learn More
New Creatures in Christ
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Rebecca L. Craven, “Keep the Change,” Liahona, Nov. 2020, 58–60
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Topics and Questions, “Conversion,” Gospel Library
Godly Sorrow
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Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Godly Sorrow,” New Era, Sept. 2019, 32–33
Reconciliation
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Jeffrey R. Holland, “Ministry of Reconciliation,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 77–79
Media
Videos
“Reconciled to God” (1:59)
“Repentance” (1:44)
Image
Covered Wagons, by Gary L. Kapp. Two oxen yoked together. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14–17).