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2
Corinthians Chapter Two
I. Content of the Chapter
The
Ministry of Diffusing the Fragrance of Christ
A.
Share the joy and
sorrows with other members together (v.1-4);
B.
Discipline and
forgiveness in love (v.5-11);
C.
Be concerned about
the condition of the church more than the work of the gospel (v.12-13);
D.
Preach and boast
everywhere in Christ through God (v.14-17);
II. Verse by Verse Commentary
2Cor. 2:1 “But I determined this
within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.”
YLT: “And I decided
this to myself, not again to come in sorrow unto you,”
Meaning of Words: “determine”: judge, distinguish, conclude; “sorrow”:
grief, heaviness, sadness;
Literal
Meaning: “but I determined this
within myself, that I would … come again to you”, “again”, it showed that Paul had visited
“Not …in
sorrow”, we can see that
believers in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers should treat all the
saints as fathers to the children without making them sorrowful easily.
2) Wherever
the Lord’s servants go, they should manifest peace and joy and avoid strife or
sorrow.
2Cor. 2:2 “For if I make you
sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful
by me?”
YLT: “for if I make
you sorry, then who is he who is making me glad, except he who is made sorry by
me?”
Literal
Meaning: “for if I make you sorrowful”, it means that Paul
had rebuked their faults
straightly in his previous
visitation, which made them grievous. Here, it is grieving to repentance (see
7:9).
“But the one who is made sorrowful by me”, there are two explanations for this
verse: 1) “the
one who is made sorrowful” refers to
believers in Corinth, which means “but you who are sorrowful because of me”; 2)
“the one”, some Bible exegetes think it refers to the foreign false apostle,
who was rebuked in public, so this verse means “is it the false apostle who was
rebuked by me and felt sorrowful?”. This explanation suggests that the false
apostle had repented, but we can not see such meaning from this book (see
11:13; 13:2-3). The first answer is better. And the singular number “the one”
refers to the whole group.
“Then who is he who makes me glad”. According to the explanation above, it means
that “it is only you that can make me glad”. Paul had also expresses such
meaning in this epistle: he rejoiced when he heard the message brought by Titus
of the grief and repentance of believers in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If the lost sheep is found (Matt.
18:12-14)and the saints who have made mistakes return to the right way, it will
make those who are of the Lord joyful mostly.
2) “Man” is much more important than “things”
in the church. It is indeed that the faults in the saints should be corrected,
but we should not do it for the sake of things only, but for the purpose of
gaining the saints (see Matt. 18:15) and helping them return to the normal
condition.
2Cor. 2:3 “And I wrote this very thing
to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to
have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.”
YLT: “and I wrote to
you this same thing, that having come, I may not have sorrow from them of whom
it behoved me to have joy, having confidence in you all, that my joy is of you
all,”
Literal
Meaning: “I wrote this very thing to
you”, Paul had ever written
an epistle to visit them so as to spare them (see 1:23). And yet this epistle
ought not to be the First Epistle to the
Corinthians, but another epistle which was failed to be handed down from the past
generations between the First Epistle and the Second Epistle (see v.4, 9). Paul
had strictly reproached believers in
“Lest, when I came”, if I did not visit you by the epistle beforehand, there
might be no good condition when I came to you.
“Those from whom I ought to have joy”, “those” refers to
believers in
“I should have sorrow over”, if Paul visited believers in
“Having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you
all”, “having confidence”, though the church in
Corinth built by Paul was misled and distracted from the right way, she would
still yield good fruit on account of the life planted in them and the
foundation laid in them (1Cor.3:6, 10). Such faith of him is the faith in the
life of God and Christ Himself rather than faith in man or works.
Since Paul rejoices at the joy of God and
all the saints in the life of God and Christ (see Rom. 5:11; 1Cor. 12:26), He
is confident that they will also rejoice at his joy when they are brought back
into the life of God and Christ.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Word in written form can often generate unanticipated
effect as well as make up the shortcomings of oral languages, e.g. handing out the
paper of the glad tidings: it sometimes produces unexpected effect in
unexpected occasion.
2) Only the one who rejoices at the normal
spiritual condition of others can deliver his joy to others so that his joy
will also become that of others.
3) The joy of the workers of God is the joy of
the church, and the joy of the church is the joy of the workers of God, for all
the true joy is the joy (boast) in God (Rom. 5:11).
2Cor. 2:4 “For out of much affliction
and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be
grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.”
YLT: “for out of much
tribulation and pressure of heart I wrote to you through many tears, not that
ye might be made sorry, but that ye might know the love that I have more
abundantly toward you.”
Literal
Meaning: “for out of much affliction
and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears”,
this epistle was the so-called “epistle with
many tears”, not the First Epistle to the
Corinthians, because there was little proof of the “much affliction and anguish
of heart … with many tears” in the first epistle, though there is much
reproach and encouragement therein. Therefore, many Bible exegetes think it may
refer to the lost epistle between the
First Epistle to the Corinthians and the
Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
“Not that you should be grieved, but that you might know
the love which I have so abundantly for you”, “love abundantly”, it responses to the
above-mentioned “much” anguish and “many” tears, showing that such love is
exceedingly superfluous and beyond measure. The abundant and deep love of Paul
is manifested from his words, so believers will feel his love instead of his
reproach.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Sometimes, the Lord reproaches us in us or
chastens us through the external environment. Both of them are due to His love
to us. We shall receive His love willingly.
2) Only those who “have abundant love” to the
church and even have “much
affliction and anguish of heart … with many tears” have the right to reproach the church severely
in the name of God, because the rebuke of such ones is not fleshly rejection,
but restoration in love.
3) Knowledge profits men within limits, and
only love edifies (1Cor. 8:1). Let all things we do be done in love (1Cor.
16:14).
2Cor. 2:5 “But if anyone has caused
grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent--not to be too
severe.”
YLT: “And if any one
hath caused sorrow, he hath not caused sorrow to me, but in part, that I may
not burden you all;”
Meaning of Words: “too severe”: be heavy upon, be expensive to, and over-charge;
Literal
Meaning: “but if anyone has caused
grief”, concerning the one who caused grief, there are two
explanations: 1) the traditional explanation refers to the one who commits
sexual immorality (see 1Cor. 5:1). It is shown that he thoroughly rectified his
errors and was exceedingly mournful after he was excommunicated, so Paul exhorted
the church to receive him again in love (see v.6-8). Such explanation does not
go against the truth, for God will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness if we believers are willing to confess his sin (1John 1:8). It
is not like what some Bible exegetes hold that man who has committed sexual
immorality should be excommunicated forever. If this man was the brother who
had committed sexual immorality, the epistle mentioned below ---- “for to this end I also wrote” (see v.9; 7:8, 12) ---- might be the First Epistle to the Corinthians,
not the lost epistle “with tears”.
2) During the past few years, many Bible
exegetes agreed that the one referred to someone else. Possibly, it might be the
brother who opposed and gainsaid Paul in the presence of all and questioned his
apostleship as well as the gospel Paul preached, which made not only Paul but
also believers in
The two explanations above
are reasonable. Let every reader choose what is acceptable in his sight.
“He has not grieved me, but all of you”, here, the “grief”
(see Matt. 5:4) is being grieving for sins in the church and normal conditions.
“To some extent--not to be too severe”, Paul said “to some extent” in order to
avoid exaggeration.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Paul has not clearly pointed out who the man
is, but mentions “anyone
has caused grief”, so the man will
not feel embarrassed. We should learn to consider others in the church.
2) If we do not speak or walk carefully in the
church, we have not only offended one member but also sometimes offended a lot
of brothers and sisters and hurt their hearts.
3) Believers should not speak in an exaggerated
way, but speak with propriety.
2Cor. 2:6 “This punishment which was
inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,”
YLT: “sufficient to
such a one is this punishment, that by the more part,”
Meaning of Words: “punishment”: penalty, pay the cost;
Literal
Meaning: “this punishment which was
inflicted by the majority…for such a man”, “such” refers to the brother who
committed sexual immorality or rebelled against Paul, “this punishment which was
inflicted”, be punished by
the church.
“Is sufficient”,
the punishment should not be overdone
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The punishment by the
majority (namely, the punishment
of the church) is a severe thing (see Matt. 18:17-18), so it cannot be executed
on believers flippantly.
2) The punishment in the church aims to
restoring brothers instead of destroying brothers. Therefore, when the
testimony is maintained and the truth is exalted, the punishment should be
stopped.
3) To those who have been overtaken in faults,
men tend to be either too lenient or too severe. Especially to those who have
close relation with oneself, one may be too gentle to ignore righteousness. And
to those whom one has nothing to do with, one may only be concerned about the
truth but neglect love. Christians in the church should keep the balance impartially.
2Cor. 2:7 “so that, on the contrary,
you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest
perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.”
YLT: “so that, on the
contrary, rather for you to forgive and to comfort, lest by over abundant
sorrow such a one may be swallowed up;”
Meaning of Words: “forgive”: grant as a favor, pardon; “comfort”: call near,
exhort;
Literal
Meaning: “so that, on the contrary,
you ought rather to forgive and comfort him”,
“forgive”: not remember his
transgressions; “comfort”: to encourage him go ahead together; the former is
receiving, and the latter in fellowship in a more active aspect.
“Lest perhaps …
with too much
sorrow”, it shows that the
brother who had made mistakes had mourned and repented after being punished by the
majority.
“Such a one be swallowed up”, “be swallowed up”,
it is not perdition, but falling into the devices of Satan (see v.11) and totally departing from God
and thus being swallowed by the world.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Man who can only condemn and reject others
in the church without considering the soul of them at all is unworthy of condemning
them, for he has no sense of body and lacks the love among members.
2) No matter how great sins we believers have
had, we should not depart from the Lord because of fear, but shall repent toward
the Lord so that we can be received by the Lord.
3) Moreover, no matter how great sins believers
have had, as long as they are willing to repent and confess sins, we should
forgive and accept them, lest “perhaps
they be swallowed up with too much sorrow”.
4)
Many ones say
forgiveness but do not actually forgive within their hearts. Many ones
receive passively and have not entered into active fellowship.
5)
The exceedingly
severe punishment in the church and the undue sorrow of the one who makes the
mistake will both cause a believer too depressed to be restored and extricate himself
from the world.
2Cor. 2:8 “Therefore I urge you to
reaffirm your love to him.”
YLT: “wherefore, I
call upon you to confirm love to him,”
Meaning of Words: “urge”: invoke; “reaffirm”: make
authoritative, ratify (a legal word); “love”: divine love, perfect love;
Literal
Meaning: “you to reaffirm your love
to him”, to prove the love
of Christians by actions so that the one who has repented will indeed know he
has completely been received into the fellowship of the body.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) It is uneasy that we shall have no longer prejudice
against the one who has repented. However, the demand in the Scriptures is more
difficult that we shall love him. However, the words of God make us know that
we can not, but God can. It is the love of God that will be manifested through
us.
2) Love is the more excellent way (1Cor. 12:31).
Only love makes others know that there is indeed no gap between one and others.
2Cor. 2:9 “For to this end I also
wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all
things.”
YLT: “for, for this
also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether in regard to all
things ye are obedient.”
Literal
Meaning: “for to this end I also wrote”, if “the one who has caused grief” in this paragraph referred to the brother
who had committed sexual immorality (1Cor. 5:1), the epistle Paul also wrote in
this verse was the First Epistle to the
Corinthians. However, if the one was the brother who gainsaid and attacked
Paul (see the commentary of verse five), this epistle was the epistle “with
tears” that was lost.
“That I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient
in all things”, the purpose of “test”
is to test the reality of one’s spiritual characters ---- e.g. love, faith,
obedience (see 8:8, 22; 13:5). Someone says the object of “obedience” is the spiritual authority (see 7:15),
and someone says the truth of the gospel (see 9:13), but the real motive of
obedience should be Christ (see 10:5), that is, God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) There is truth and yet also falsehood. It is
difficult to discern many spiritual things in the church from appearance. The
reality can be known by trial only. Therefore, we shall not easily believe any
spiritual appearance (see 1John 4:1).
2) Spiritual things that are of God are true,
and yet of men are false. The obedience towards men is with limits. And the
obedience towards God is obedience in everything.
2Cor. 2:10 “Now whom you forgive
anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have
forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,”
YLT: “And to whom ye
forgive anything -- I also; for I also, if I have forgiven anything, to whom I
have forgiven , because of you -- in the person of Christ --”
Literal
Meaning: “now whom you forgive
anything, I also forgive”, it is because
that Paul and the church have been both grieved (see v.5), and the one who has
mostly been grieved is Paul himself. However, Paul does not take any action
before the church, so he firstly proposes forgiveness to the church (see v.7).
If the church receives the proposal, of course, Paul will be willing to take
the same action with the church.
“For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven
that one for your sakes in the presence
of Christ”, here, Paul shows the principles of forgiving that man: 1) Forgive in
the presence of Christ; “in the presence of”, it means the countenance
manifested abound the eyes in the original, namely, expression in the eyes, or hint
given with the eyes. Therefore, it means keeping according to the will of the
Lord known from the fellowship with Him and the light of His countenance. 2) Forgive … for your sakes;
“you” refers to the church in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Christians should have the sense of body and
take actions with the body together. This is the basic principle of building
the church.
2) Christians should walk according to the will
of the Lord. However, if we do not often have close fellowship with the Lord in
the light of His countenance, we cannot know His will.
2Cor. 2:11 “lest Satan should take
advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
YLT: “that we may not
be over-reached by the Adversary, for of his devices we are not ignorant.”
Meaning of Words: “Satan”: the accuser, the devil, the adversary; “take advantage of”: make a gain,
over-reach, be covetous (a military word in the original); “device”: perception,
purpose, intellect, disposition, thought, mind;
Literal
Meaning: “lest Satan should take
advantage of us”, it indicates the
constant device of the enemy of God Satan is lying in ambush for and waiting
for the best opportunity to knock one sideways.
“For we are not ignorant of his devices”, it tells us that since we have known the
device of Satan, we should beware of it, otherwise, it will be worse than anything
imaginable.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If the church lacks the spirit of
forgiveness, the enemy will take advantage of this chance to creep into the
church. If brothers condemn one another, Satan will overcome. Remember that if
brothers wrestle with one another, the one that really overcome is not anyone
of the believers, but the evil Satan!
2) If members in the body are unwilling to
forgive one another, it is foolish whatever the reason is. Only forgiveness in
Christ on account of love can build a solid wall to guard against all the
attacks of the enemy who have many devices.
2Cor. 2:12 “Furthermore, when I came to
YLT: “And having come
to
Literal
Meaning: “Troas” was a
harbor city in the northwest of the province of Asia near the
“And a door was opened to me by the Lord”, it indicated that Paul’s works of the
gospel in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Wherever Paul went, he always preached the
gospel and sowed the seed of the gospel. He is really a good example to the messengers
of the gospel.
2) The preachment of the gospel needs not only utterance
(see Eph. 6:19) but also the door of preachment opened by the Lord (
2Cor. 2:13 “I had no rest in my spirit,
because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I
departed for
YLT: “I have not had
rest to my spirit, on my not finding Titus my brother, but having taken leave
of them, I went forth to
Literal
Meaning: “I had no rest in my spirit,
because I did not find Titus my brother”, it could be inferred from many verses that Paul’s
epistle “with tears” might be brought to the church in Corinth by Titus and they
might make an appointment to meet in Troas afterwards so as to know the reaction
of believers in Corinth. However, Paul did not see Titus after waiting for him
some days.
“But taking my leave of them, I departed for
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Though the Lord opened the door of the
gospel in Troas for Paul (v.12), he “had no rest in spirit” for he “did not find Titus my
brother” and departed for
2) Today, there are many so-called servants of
God who forsake their fellow workers for the sake of works, thus causing “fellow
workers” “oppose one another”. They should learn the lesson from here.
3) Paul cares for the church more than his
works. And he is totally different from many servants of the Lord who only care
for works instead of the conditions of the flock. If one only preaches the
gospel but does not feed the lamb, the fruit of the gospel will be withered. Men
may ask why he should preach the gospel!
4) We shall closely remember that what God
desires to gain is man, not work. Only those who are possessed by God will
please God. If man catches the works closely, it makes the works of God even
suffer loss.
5) Though Paul prearranged his journey, he did
not totally walk according to the plan. What he really cared for was the
guidance of God in Him. He seemed to use lightness and be Yes and No (see
1:17), but actually he kept the will of God and walked according to the Spirit.
6) When we Christians rely on the guidance of
God, we see the proof of God in our environment ---- whether the Lord has
opened the door (see v.12), but ignore the voice of God in us ---- whether
there is rest in spirit. However, Paul pays more attention to the internal
guidance than the external environment, and honors the “forbiddance” of God
more than the “allowance” of God.
2Cor. 2:14 “Now thanks be to God who
always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of
His knowledge in every place.”
YLT: “and to God
thanks, who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ, and the
fragrance of His knowledge He is manifesting through us in every place,”
Meaning of Words: “leads … in triumph”: make an
acclamatory procession; “diffuse”: manifest, reveal;
The Background: at that time, the highest glory of the generals
of the
Literal
Meaning: “now thanks be to God who
always leads us in triumph in Christ”, it indicates that God is the leader of the triumphant
army (see Jos. 5:14). “We” shows that we believers are spiritual soldiers; “lead
us in triumph in Christ”, in all these things we more than conquer through him
that has loved us (
“And through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in
every place”, it points that
believers bear witnesses to the Lord everywhere and diffuse the fragrance of the
gospel. “Knowledge”: a kind of knowledge from revelation; it is a kind of
particular fragrance that believers show their knowledge about Christ among the
world.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God does not lead us in triumph in ourselves, but “in Christ”, for Christ
is the reason and accordance of all our victory.
2) “The fragrance of
Christ” (v.15) is from the “knowledge of Christ”. And such knowledge is not
obtained from letters, but from one’s personal experience in Christ.
3) The fragrance of Christ revealed from those
who really know Christ is not restricted by space (“in every place”), and is
even beyond the time so that men of later generations can also smell it.
4) The most important point of the way in which
the workers of God walk is to manifest Christ and provide Christ in many ways
so that men can meet Christ everywhere.
5) When we are willing to put down our own
will, opinions and power, we will let others see the authority of God (“God who always leads”) on us and know the fullness of Christ.
2Cor. 2:15 “For we are to God the
fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing.”
YLT: “because of
Christ a sweet fragrance we are to God, in those being saved, and in those
being lost;”
Literal
Meaning: “for we are to God”, “we” refers to Paul and his fellow
workers, and also all believers. “To God”, it indicates that all the being and
doing are for God and unto God.
“Among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing”, here, men are
divided into two kinds: “those
who are being saved” and “among those who are perishing”. One has no other end except for “being saved” or
“perishing”.
“The fragrance of Christ”, the odor that pleases men, which refers to the fragrance
diffused when the sacrifices were burned in the Old Testament (see Lev. 1:9,
13, 17; 2:2). All those who are devoted to God and live to Him are a living sacrifice
acceptable to God (see
The whole verse shows that all those who
love God and live to God are a living sacrifice to God and their ministry is
manifesting the fragrance of Christ among men in the world through the
preachment of the gospel and the testimony of life. He who receives the fragrance
will be saved, and he who refuses will perish.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We shall firstly live to God and then will
manifest the
fragrance of Christ among men.
2) The fragrance
of Christ will be revealed in
those who obey His guidance ---- he who follows the Lord’s guidance shall have
the fragrance. He who does not follow the Lord’s guidance will lose the fragrance.
2Cor. 2:16 “To the one we are the aroma
of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.
And who is sufficient for these things?”
YLT: “to the one,
indeed, a fragrance of death to death, and to the other, a fragrance of life to
life; and for these things who is sufficient?”
Meaning of Words: “sufficient”:
competent, ample, fit, enough;
The Background: when the triumphant Roman army marched to
celebrate their victory, the fragrance of the burning censers could be smelled
everywhere. Such fragrance was a pleasant and joyful message to the people and
generals of the
Literal
Meaning: “to the one we are the aroma
of death leading to death”, “the
one” refers to the one who does not believe. The
gospel of the crucified Christ will condemn (see John 3:18) those who have
heard the gospel but are still hardened and refuse to believe Christ.
“And to the other the aroma of life leading to life”, “the other” refers
to the one who believes. The gospel is the power of God, and will save all
those who have heard and believed the gospel (Rom. 1:16) and lead them into
life eternal.
“And who is sufficient for these things?” Possibly, it has several meanings as
follows:
1) “These things” refer to the fragrance of
Christ that diffuses everywhere. Who is worthy of there things?
2) “These things”, the fragrance of Christ will
cause two opposite ends. Who can change or hinder this principle?
3) “These things”, it indicates that the fragrance
of Christ will make those who refuse to believe Christ die. Who can still
refuse to believe Him and yet feel not dreadful?
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The fragrance of Christ on one hand has the
killing power that makes one experience death and on the other hand has the
risen power that makes one experience resurrection. This is the ministry of the
New Testament that “provides Christ to men”.
2) Men’s response to Christ decides whether men
will live or die. What is most worthwhile to do is choosing to receive Christ. And
what is most pitiful is choosing to refuse Christ.
2Cor. 2:17 “For we are not, as so many,
peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the
sight of God in Christ.”
YLT: “for we are not
as the many, adulterating the word of God, but as of sincerity -- but as of
God; in the presence of God, in Christ we do speak.”
The Background: “peddle”, at that time,
some peddlers in the low social status walked along the street to sell some
fake goods and defrauded men of profit. In the times of Paul, there were some
Bible scholars who changed the scriptures slightly and added something and
spoke as they wished to attract men’s ears for the purpose of profits.
Literal
Meaning: “for we are not, as so many,
peddling the word of God”, “many” refers to the false apostles; “peddling the word of God”, they added men’s words into God’s words
and even (see Matt. 15:9) and
taught teachings commandments of men in order to serve their own belly (see Rom. 16:18).
“But as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the
sight of God in Christ”, it points out
four conditions of normal preachment:
1) As of sincerity, which means cutting in a
straight line the word of truth (2Tim. 2:15) and not varying the content of the
preachment according to the difference of hearers;
2) From God, which means preaching in the inspiration
and guidance of God;
3) In the sight of God, which means being responsible to God for the
preachment;
4) In Christ, which means
preaching the words of God in the union with Christ so as to manifest Christ;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) From ancient times to the present, “peddling the word of God” made the church suffer loss. How shameful!
Therefore, we should not covet for any profit in the church, but seek the Lord
and worship God of sincerity.
2) The Lord’s faithful and good servants decide
their steps according to the guidance of God sincerely and preach the message
given by God in Christ before God.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
How Does Paul Deal With the Attacks of Others?
A.
He has lenient tolerance
(1:23-2:2);
B.
He has courteous response
(v.3-10);
C.
He catches the opportunity
to preach the word of God (v.11-13);
D.
He boasts of the triumph in Christ (v.14-17);
The Reasons Why Paul Changes His Plan of Journey
A.
To spare the saints
so as to avoid the punishment of chastisement (1:23-24);
B.
To avoid the sorrow
of all (v.1);
C.
To avoid the
opposition to those whom he loves (v.2);
D.
To avoid being hurt
because of attacks of men (v.3);
E.
To show his love by
epistle instead of personal visitation (v.4);
The Hidden Reasons Why Paul Changes His Plan of Journey
A.
For the sake of
making all joyful and void of sorrow (v.1-4);
B.
For the sake of
forgiving those who are repented (v.5-11);
C.
For the sake of
preaching the gospel and diffusing the fragrance of Christ (v.12-17);
The Good Examples of the Lord’s Worker
A.
He cares for men
than works (v.12-13);
B.
He manifests Christ and boasts of Christ everywhere (v.14).
C.
The fragrance of Christ to God and among men (v.15-16);
D.
He takes the
responsibility of preaching the
word of God (v.16-17):
1.
Sincerity;
2.
Of God;
3.
From God;
4.
In Christ;
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou