A Year to Remember Michael Mock: June 10, 2019 The Mocks had a life-altering experience. One year ago today, I was ordained and installed as a pastor. Before June 2018, I had been a full-time teacher. I taught for 14…
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,…