2 Corinthians 1–3: Our Letter & Our Hearts

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Read the Bible in 2023 ◊ Week 17: Sunday

You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men.
2 Corinthians 3:2 LSB
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Sunday’s Bible reading of 2 Corinthians 1–3, intro­duces this wonderful letter in which we find Paul’s love for the Lord Jesus and his love for other Christians reflected in sentence after sentence; Paul teaches by word and by example.

In many ways this letter shows us how to live as Christians in its reflections of Jesus’ teachings in His Upper Room Discourse of John 13–16. The night before He was crucified Jesus gave His disciples commands to obey, told told them what to expect in their lives as believers in Him, and gave assurance of His comfort and care. In 2 Corinthians we find Paul living out those words of Christ, and by his example and teaching calling the Corinthians to do the same.

The first chapter of 2 Corinthians introduces one of the major themes of the letter: suffering. In John 13–16, Jesus taught that tribulation and suffering is to be expected because we are His, and even as the world hated Him, we will be hated because we are His. He did not leave us as orphans, however, to endure this alone, because in John 13–16, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us, commanded us to love one another, and taught on prayer and abiding in His Word. He also explained why He said these things as He finishes with these words of encouragement:

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 LSB
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In 2 Corinthians 1, notice Paul’s lack of pretense as he describes the intense suffering he and Timothy underwent in Asia and how difficult their affliction was, “we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live.” He did not attempt to cover up the fact that their suffering was overwhelming, nor try to puff himself up about his incredible faith. Instead, throughout the chapter, Paul points us to God over and over again, as he writes of the great comfort and deliverance given to them by God, and in doing this, he gives to us real encouragement to trust God.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. But whether we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is working in your perseverance in the same sufferings which we also suffer. And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3–7 LSB
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In 2 Corinthians, we see Paul’s humility and great love for believers. The following sentence is such an incredible thing to write to a church that was as raucous as the church at Corinth:

Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.
2 Corinthians 1:24 LSB
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He doesn’t lord it over them! He considers himself as a worker with them for their joy! This is the apostle Paul writing this—should we not heed his example and repent of our pride, our love of power and being first, and of any attempt we may make to lord it over fellow believers?

Look at what he was thinking and feeling as he wrote his previous letter to the Corinthians about the sin they had tolerated in their midst:

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have abundantly for you.
2 Corinthians 2:4 LSB
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His love and humility are evident again in chapter 3, as he tells the Corinthians they are his letter of commendation written on his heart.

You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, ministered to by us, having been written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of hearts of flesh.
2 Corinthians 3:2–3 LSB
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Again, rather than puffing up himself in his ministry, he gives honor and glory to God:

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:5–6 LSB
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He continues to contrast the old covenant of the Law with the new covenant of the Spirit, and closes chapter 3 with this wonderful truth about the transformation of our lives, another theme of this letter, through knowing the Lord Jesus.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18 LSB
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May God strengthen, comfort, and transform you through this letter—for the purpose of God’s Word is to change your life.

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Silvesterzug Laterne: Bk muc. (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Folio from Papyrus 46, containing 2 Corinthians 11:33-12:9: Public Domain.

I’m using Michael Coley’s Bible reading plan (one page PDF to print) to read through the Bible in 2023. Each day my posts are on different books because he divides Bible readings into seven categories, one for each day of the week: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy and Gospels. There’s more information on his plan and other ones at Read the Bible in 2023.

Copyright ©2011–2023 Iwana Carpenter

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