Pastor's Blog

2 Corinthians 7:1 Sanctification through Promises Every time, without fail, Chandler would take a shower after he had been with Sharon, the woman he was having an affair with. Sharon would question him each time: “Why do you shower after…

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Either/Or People tend to hate ultimatums. When a boss, for instance, says, “It’s my way or the highway,” he’s just tempting the employee to quit. Egging him on really. No one likes to be handled that way.…

2 Corinthians 6:3-13 Open Wide I don’t think I’m stepping out on a limb here by supposing that you’ve been under-appreciated for the things you’ve done for others. (Do know that I’m not writing this to butter you up; Lord…

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 Not in Vain but NOW! If you’ve lived even just a few short years, especially in America, you’ve felt the tug to make an immediate decision to make a purchase. You’ve felt the pressure from within to…

2 Corinthians 5:21 The Great Exchange Quiz time. When we talk about justification of the sinner before God, which is a more accurate picture? The crediting of righteousness to the sinner’s legal bank account, or the injection of righteousness into…

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 The Reconciling Christ of Creation If you’ve lived long enough, you’ve had a rift in one of your relationships that, by grace, ended in reconciliation. I suppose you needn’t have lived long. Even children experience this. Some…

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Solo Christo Gloria What have you recently been searching to buy on the Internet? What have the TV and social media advertisements been trying to persuade you to purchase? Most likely, it has something to do with…

2 Corinthians 5:12-13 Craziness for God “Girl, you crazy.” When I hear a woman say that to another woman, I usually laugh. It’s normally light-hearted and intended to evoke some laughter at the thought that she’d do something so strange,…

2 Corinthians 5:11 Fear-fueling Persuasion Should we fear? Some say that all fear is bad. Others say that there’s a kind of fear we ought to imbibe. My answer (which I believe is the biblical answer): that depends on whom/what…

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 We Aim to Please Whenever I read this section, in particular v. 9, I often picture a lowly servant simply doing his duty, and saying to his thankful master, “I’s aim’s to please, sir” (with a British…

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 Comfort in Our Heavenly Home Do you groan? I’m not talking about the groaning a mother utters when her teenager has neglected to do his homework or has talked back for the umpteenth time. I’m not talking…

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Eternal Weight of Glory My belly lightly chortled when I recently saw the following bumper sticker: “But did you die?” Many thoughts flooded my mind when I read that, the first of which being that of a…

2 Corinthians 4:13-15 The Psalm 116 of the New Testament Did you know that Psalm 116 is in the New Testament? It appears in brief form in 2 Corinthians 4:13 with the short phrase, “I believed, and so I spoke,”…

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 En-Clayed Treasure You know you’re a 90’s kid when you read “jars of clay” in 2 Cor. 4:7 but think immediately of the Christian rock band Jars of Clay. (If you, like me, didn’t know, they’re apparently…

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 Blinding or Shining To see or not to see? That is the question. That is the contrast that Paul is making in this section. The open statement of the truth (v. 2), the gospel, is veiled (v.…

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 The Right Ways to Let the Light Shine “I don’t care how you do it; just get it done!” You’ve heard something like that, no doubt. What matters for that person is not so much the means…

2 Corinthians 3:18 Ever-increasing Eikonic Reflection Closing out chapter 3 is a deeply eschatological verse (speaking of our end goal and our present trajectory thereto). As he begins the verse, there is a definite dividing line between those who’ve been…

2 Corinthians 3:13-14 A Christological Termination of Moses In this post, I want to circle back the wagons and zero in on a couple of truths: one in v. 13, the other in v. 14. These are truly remarkable and…

2 Corinthians 3:12-17 New Covenant Boldness “Out with the Old, in with the New” was the name of the game last post. In these next verses, our Apostle Paul still contrasts New Covenant realities with Old Covenant foreshadowings. The contrast…

2 Corinthians 3:6-11 Old v. New Covenant Out with the old, in with the new. That idiom sums up a key truth from Paul, as he continues his defense of his own apostleship. Paul’s concern in these verses is to…

2 Corinthians 3:1-5 Letters of Recommendation Living in an age when we demand evidence and authentication of almost everything from almost everyone, we are no different from the Corinthians in these verses. Remember, they have challenged Paul’s apostleship, and in…

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 The Aroma of Christ Smells are good if they smell good. Smells are bad if they smell bad. Profound words, right? Not everyone likes the same smells. The smell of yogurt might drive a teenager away from…

2 Corinthians 2:12-13 Rest in Search of Brotherhood   Today we’re looking at just two verses, which seem inconsequential. Paul speaks more about his change of travel plans. No biggie, right? Two things from the outset can be said. First,…

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 Comfort the Repentant Sinner Who’s your cheerleader: Paul or Satan? I suppose you’d profess the former. But did you know that if you don’t forgive your repentant brother, you’re on Satan’s team? That’s a bit terrifying, isn’t…

2 Corinthians 2:1-4 Paul’s Painful Visit Have you ever been so hurt by someone that the relationship is on the rocks, and it’s painful to carry on a relationship with that person? That’s Paul in 2 Corinthians. Paul’s affections, both…

2 Corinthians 1:24 Working for the Joy of Others This post marks the final post for chapter 1 (10 in toto). In it we see a theme that Paul introduces from the start. He emphasizes their (Paul’s and the Corinthians’)…

2 Corinthians 1:23 Paul’s Oath You’re familiar with the oath that a witness makes in a court of law: “Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” (Do they…

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Established in the Spirit In Paul’s continued self-defense against the Corinthians—a defense, mind you, that he shouldn’t have to give in the first place, as the Corinthians should readily accept his apostleship by now—he further evidences his…

2 Corinthians 1:20 Yes and Amen in Christ We’ve all been there. Someone agreed to meet us at a place at a specific time. We arrive first at the appointed time, and we wait. And wait. And wait. Turns out…

2 Corinthians 1:15-20 Entrusting Travels (and all things!) to God’s Faithful Sovereignty We pick up the text remembering Paul’s confidence that he and the Corinthians will one day boast of each other because of what God has been doing in…

2 Corinthians 1:12-14 Grace-influenced Boasting Is boasting ever morally permitted? Yes? No? Maybe so? There’s a bunch of boasting happening all over the place, isn’t there? And it’s coming not only from the world but also the church. Anyone who’s…

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 Deadly Affliction You’ve heard people say, “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” right? Well, someone needs to tell that to Paul, because he certainly thought otherwise. After telling the Corinthians that God comforts his…

2 Corinthians 1:5-7 The Comforted Comfort You’ll recall from last time that Paul blesses God because he is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. When God comforts us, he reminds us of his strong presence, perfect providence,…

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed Be We begin today where we left off last time: with Paul’s benedictory doxology. It is Paul blessing God. But it is also Paul praising God. After Paul greets and graces his siblings the Corinthians, he…

2 Corinthians 1:1-2 And so it begins: By “it,” I mean an almost 2-year, weekly dose of 2nd Corinthians. This entry is the first among a lot of short devotionals that address 2nd Corinthians. We will travel from chapter to…