Epistles of Paul 52

Well, good evening, brethren. After Paul's first corrective epistle, a number of brethren did repent, and that was a source of great joy for Paul. And because of that, he did write 2 Corinthians to command them for their obedience and asking them to show love to the offender, as we will discuss in this study. However, there was still a rebellious minority, and in this letter he appeals to them to accept his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ. In this letter, he also urges the Brethren in Corinth for the collection for the signs in Jerusalem. So, in a way, this epistle is an epistle of the apostles' love and relationship with a troubled church, and the story of an unreturned love, as we read in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 15, and I quote, The more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. Well, in previous studies, we saw how Paul started this letter, a letter of mercy and comfort, by establishing his apostolic authority and saying that it came from God, and he emphasized his sincerity.

He then concludes that introductory chapter by saying that the reason he delayed writing to the Brethren was that he wanted to give them a chance to repent. And let's just, therefore, pick up in the last section of chapter 1 of 2 Corinthians, in verse 23, which shows why Paul changed his travel plans.

And he says, Moreover, I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. In other words, I delayed my trip to give you an opportunity to repent. And then he says, Not that we have dominion over your faith, but our fellow workers of your joy, or for your joy. As the King James Version puts it, we are helpers of your joy. For by faith you stand. And that is a principle that we as ministers, we try our best to conduct our ministry by.

Well, let's move on then, onto chapter 2, by reading verse 1. But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. And again, he is saying he had corrected them in the letter of 1 Corinthians, as we know quite strongly. And so he didn't want to come to them in sorrow. So for if I made you sorrowful with his first letter, then who is he who makes me glad?

But the one who is made sorrowful by me. There was if I made you sorry, and who's going to make me happy? It's you that I made you sorry. You are going to make me happy. And then in verse 3, And I wrote this very thing to you, lest when I come, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you, in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

So what he did, he wrote that letter, he followed it up with two ministers visiting him, Timothy and Titus, to help, I remember visiting them, to help them overcome the problems. And he wanted to have the joy that they had repented. And then he says in verse 4, For I don't match affliction and anguish of heart. I wrote you. So in other words, I wrote 1 Corinthians to you with a lot of stress.

It was not done lightly. And he says, With many tears, not that you should be grieved, that you might know, that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. So he wrote this letter, the first epistle, 1 Corinthians. He wrote out of love. And you can see how he spent quite a bit of time referring to love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

And then continue in verse 5. But if anyone has caused grief, in other words, if the sinner has caused grief, that person that was sinning, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent. So he is who he hurt more, that sinner, was a number of you to some extent, not to be too severe.

So he's just kind of saying just to some extent, not being too severe in the statement. Verse 6. This punishment, this punishment, he says, which was inflicted by the majority, is sufficient for such man. This punishment, you know, was he had been, let's put it this way, asked to leave the church, but now he had repented. And this was a punishment by the majority because he didn't have fellowship with the majority of the brethren.

And he says he's sufficient for such a man. Why? Because he had repented of his sin. And so Paul, as a loving minister, pleads for this man. He says that punishment was enough. Verse 7. So that on the contrary, you might or you ought rather to forgive and comfort him.

Let's perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. And so let's not drive that person that had sinned to the spare. Let's welcome him back. It's time to move on. So don't give him too much sorrow. And then reading in verse 8. Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

Now, in other words, when he comes back to church, usually to come back to church is very difficult. Because, you know, people have to forgive and forget. And people tend to to judge others. And when I say forgive and forget, I mean, you really never forget. But you just put it out of your mind. Try your best to just not keep thinking about it all the time. So people tend to judge others.

People might say, whoa, he's back, but I'm not sure if he has really repented. You know, people could say that. So welcoming back with open arms, reaffirm your love to him. That's what we read. Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. As we read at the end there in verse 8. Now, verse 9. For to this end, I also wrote that I might put you to the test whether you're obedient in all things.

And so he's basically saying, yeah, you've you have obeyed him other things in what I wrote to you in 1 Corinthians. Now, on this as well, forgive. So be obedient on this point as well of forgiveness and showing comfort to him. Like God is a God of mercy and comfort, as he referred to that in chapter 1 in verse 3.

Because our Father is a God of mercy and of all comfort. So he's bringing that in. God is a God of mercy and comfort. We, to be like God, we need to do the same thing. In verse 10 now, now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive.

For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sex in the presence of Christ. You see, so Paul had forgiven him and he's expecting likewise and, you know, it's mutual. We all need to forgive him because he's repented. And verse 11, lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. You see, Paul was concerned that if they would not forgive, they would not restore him back to church in loving kindness and comfort him, then Satan would get an advantage.

You see, the word Satan means an accuser. The word itself, the Greek word means an accuser. Satan is an accuser. And in Revelation 12 verse 10, well, we know Revelation 12 verse 9 says this is a deceiver and he deceived the whole world.

And in Revelation 12 verse 10, he says, he says, Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation of our God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down. So Satan is the accuser. Satan is not merciful.

He will take advantage of every opportunity to cause problems, to cause the vision, and he will get an advantage of any little gap, any little gap. And that's why it says lest he should take advantage of us. And so be careful of his devices, you know, was of his purpose, of his plan, of his schemes he wants to destroy us. Verse 12, Furthermore, when I came to throw us to preach Christ's gospel, and the door was open to me by the Lord, so when he left Ephesus and then he went up to throw us in in the hope of seeing Titus, you know, and there was an open door there. Now, when it says a door was open, and that's actually referring to preaching the gospel in that area, in throw us and you would go further north into Europe, so there were doors and opportunities to preach the gospel in other areas. And so opportunity to preach the gospel, a door was open. Now, we know that a door was open is to preach the gospel. We'll look at a few scriptures that backed that up. The first one that I want to look at is in Colossians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 4 verse 3. It says, meanwhile, praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains. So, yeah, it is that God would open a door for the word, for God's word, so that he could speak the mystery of Christ, the hidden truth that the world does not understand and see, which is the gospel of the kingdom God through what Jesus Christ has done for us that's made it possible. Another example that proves that an open door refers to preaching the gospel is in 1 Corinthians 16, just maybe a page before the section in 2 Corinthians that we're reading now, maybe a page or two. 1 Corinthians 16 verse 9, it reads, for a great and effective door as open to me, and there are many adversaries.

And so, so he's again referring to a door being open to preach the gospel. Another example is in Acts 14 verse 27. Acts 14 verse 27. And now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. And so, yeah, is Paul had basically completed his this trip, this first journey of ease, and then he went back to Antioch, and then he reported to them how God, what God had done, and then he opened the door, the door of faith, being able to preach the gospel and people understanding to the Gentiles, not just to Israelites, to the Jews, but to the Gentiles again.

Another example is related to the sixth letter to the churches, to the letter of Philadelphia in Revelation 3 verse 8. Revelation 3 verse 8, which is probably a scripture or a verse that you know pretty well. Revelation 3 verse 8, it says, I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it. For you have little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name. So, opening a door is to preach the gospel, and going back to 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 12, we see that God had opened a door at that time as he went to preach the gospel in Troas.

So, God had opened that door, and Paul wanted to walk through that door, but he was deeply concerned, and he was not able to concentrate on that open door, because he did not yet, or he had not yet received the news of what was happening currently. He did not know yet whether they had repented or not. He did not know yet the outcome of his first epistle. So, let's read verse 13, and I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. So, he went further north to Macedonia, and there it goes on, now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us defuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. Now, this is an interesting statement, because he found Titus there in Macedonia, and therefore he gives God thanks for the triumph in Christ. Now, the word triumph is an interesting word in the context. According to Adam Clock's commentary on this verse about triumph, and a quote from Adam Clock's commentary, he states, the people at Corinth were sufficiently acquainted with the nature of a triumph.

About 200 years before this, Lucius Mumeus, the Roman consul, had conquered all Achaia, destroyed Corinth, Tibis, and Calchis, and by order of the senate, had a great triumph, and was named a kayakus. And so, in that triumph, quote-unquote, is like, for instance, today, let's say your home team wins the Super Bowl. And so, you have a huge parade and a reception for those people coming back, celebrating that that win. And this is what happened. And that, they called a triumph, like a triumph parade. They called it a triumph. And then they would throw things like flower petals, think of it like a rose parade, and the animals and the horses and things like that would trample on those flowers, and they would release a pleasant aroma.

And that's what it is. Now, thanks to God, who always leads us in triumph, in Christ, and through us defuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. So now, understanding that a little bit in me, more in context, we can start understanding what diffusing the fragrance is actually talking about. Continuing reading that comment from Adam clock's commentary, he says, Paul had now a triumph, but of a widely different kind, over the same people. In the words of Corinth, his triumph was in Christ, and to Christ's degree, he gives all the glory. And so, he was very grateful to hear that they had repented, they had followed that instruction, and he gives glory to God and through Christ. So, and so he says, that is a pleasant aroma, a sweet-smelling aroma, as for instance, we read about some of the sacrifices. It diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge. Diffusing the fragrance is like a box of perfume that you open it, and it, that aroma, that fragrance is diffused, and it's spread out, and it gives you a pleasant smell. The preaching of the Gospel, the truth, is like this pleasant smell. The good news of the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ is a sweet-smelling aroma. And then he says, of his knowledge. You see, because it says the aroma, I'm reading now in verse 14, the fragrance diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge. And so, of his knowledge, basically we are taught to grow in the knowledge, in the grace and knowledge, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We read that in 2nd Peter 3 verse 18. And so, the knowledge is that knowledge of God in Christ, and we know that Christ is the image of God. Let's just look at two interesting, important scriptures here. The first one I want to look at is in Colossians chapter 1 verse 15.

Colossians chapter 1 verse 15, which says, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all the creation. So, the firstborn from the dead, as we read in verse 18. So, this knowledge of Christ, who is the image of God, which is the knowledge of God in Christ, it is a pleasant, the good news that God wants us to be like him. This is an amazing good news, and it is a pleasant aroma, a fragrance of this knowledge, a very pleasant aroma. The other scripture that I want to refer in relation to that is in Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians chapter 4, the section here, is very encouraging, and I'm not going to go through it.

That whole section, because starting from verse 11, it says God's given us ministers to serve, for equipping the saints, equipping the brethren, for the work of the ministry, of serving, for the building up, the edifying of the body of Christ. And then in verse 13, which is the one that I want to focus, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. So the knowledge of the Son of God is the image of God, so is the knowledge of God.

But till we come to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature, of the fullness of Christ.

And so our goal, what God has given us an opportunity and help, is for us to become perfect, like Christ is perfect. Now, we will not fully reach that in this physical life, but God sees our heart, God sees our intent, God sees our efforts in working towards that, and therefore, at a resurrection, you'll make up the difference. Because that's ultimately for us to be a perfect man, like Christ is. And then continue to read in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14, that last section says, fragrance of his knowledge in every place. Our example should be a fragrance, an example that goes everywhere. Our example should, it's like a light that spreads. It's, in this case, using the analogy of a fragrance, is one that spreads everywhere. And look at verse 15, continuing with that thought, for we are to God the fragrance of Christ. Now, let's think about what is the fragrance of Christ. And to understand a little bit more about the fragrance of Christ, let us just briefly look at 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 6 to 8.

1 Peter chapter 2 verse 6 to 8.

He says, yeah, starting in verse 6. Therefore, it is also contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. So, yeah, we have Christ, which is to those that are obedient, that those that serve God, he's precious. That's what he says there. He's precious. Those who believe on him is a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. Therefore, to you, verse 7, who believe he is precious, but at the same time, Christ, to those that are disobedient, to those that are against God's way, Christ is an offense. He's a stumbling block. So, yeah, we see Christ to one group of people is precious, but to other group of people is offensive. And going back here, then, to 1 Corinthians, a big part of 2 Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 15, it says, "...for we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing." In other words, we are, like Christ is, either precious or a stumbling block.

That's basically what he's saying, and he's going to re-emphasize that in verse 16. But before I go to verse 16, let's complete verse 15, is that it says here in verse 15, "...for we are to God the fragrance of Christ amongst those who are being saved." A key word here is being saved.

You see, we could put salvation into, let's call it, three stages.

The first stage is when you and I were saved from death, redeemed, saved from the penalty of our sins. Our sins have been forgiven.

We've accepted Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

Jesus Christ's sacrifice is applied. Our past sins are forgiven.

We are reconciled to God, and that's when we're baptized.

And therefore, we're taken out of that water symbolically, like a drowning person that is being saved from death. And at that moment, with that baptism, our past sins are forgiven.

We are saved because we accepted Jesus Christ's sacrifice. But that's the first stage. We are reconciled to God. After baptism, we've got the laying on our hands, and we receive God's Holy Spirit.

And as we read in 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23, having been born again, but as we know, the Greek word is canal, which should be rather better translated, having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible. In other words, we have been begotten the first time when the corruptible seed from our physical dad caused us to be impregnating in our mother's womb. And that was the first time we were begotten. But now we're begotten again by receiving not a corruptible seed, but incorruptible, in other words, God's Holy Spirit, upon the laying on of hands. And so we have been given this guarantee, as we discussed in the previous Bible study, we were given God's Holy Spirit. We're given this guarantee that we have God's Holy Spirit, we are God's children. Right, and that is in a sense what Titus 3 verse 5 talks about the washing of regeneration of the spirit. Let's look at Titus chapter 3 verse 5. Titus chapter 3 verse 5. In fact, let's just start reading from verse 4.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, in other words, the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man, is a Christ's appearance. Christ's appearance is the kindness and the love of God towards us by sending us his only begotten Son to save us. So God, in a sense, is our Savior. Yes, Christ is our Savior, but so is the Father. Right, so when the kindness and the love of God our Savior towards man appeared, in other words, when Christ appeared, verse 5, not by works, not by my works, not by your works of righteousness, which we've done. No, but according to his mercy, he saved us. And so, yeah, he saved us. He took us out of that death, and Christ, therefore, through his blood, he has caused us to be reconciled to God. That's the first step, through the washing of regeneration. And that washing of regeneration is when we receive God's Holy Spirit. And so that is, let's call it, the first stage of salvation, when we were saved from death. Let's just call it that way. The second stage is that we are now in the process of being saved. We are now to grow in the grace and knowledge. We now have to overcome till the end.

In other words, we need the washing of the renewing of our minds with the Holy Spirit. So, continuing reading here in Titus chapter 3 verse 5, it says that he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, because we receive God's Holy Spirit, and God's Holy Spirit pricks our minds, pricks our conscience, and that is the sanctification of the Spirit that we receive for obedience. If we go back to 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 2, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 2.

I'm talking about Peter, an apostle of Jesus, to the pilgrims, and it says that our elect, according to the firm knowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of Spirit for obedience. So, we are elect in sanctification of the Spirit. In other words, God's Holy Spirit is, as we have received God's Holy Spirit, as God's Holy Spirit is in us, this is the washing of renewing our minds, of transforming our minds, as it says in Romans 12 verse 1 and 2, that it's our reasonable service to be transformed, to transform our minds. How? With the help, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, as we read in John, that the Holy Spirit is our Helper, and helps us to change for obedience.

And with that, the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. In other words, as our eye priest, we have access to God's throne, as we read in Hebrews chapter 10 in a new and living way, and through Christ's body, through the veil, and we have access to God's throne. And now, as we have access to God's throne, even though we still have 11, we still imperfect. It's now like those two wave loaves that we're still being baked with leaven. We're still going through trials with leaven, but we have access to the Father's throne. And through Christ's body, and He as our eye priest, does what is called the sprinkling of blood, for as we confess any sins that we may have, as we go on, He sprinkles with His blood. That's why it says, Centrification of the Spirit for Obligious and Sprinkling of the Blood of Christ. So this is the second stage of salvation that we are going through, which is a stage of growth, of spiritual growth, of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and overcoming till the end.

And then the third stage of salvation is when we finally will receive salvation as a gift.

When we really are actually then born again as a spirit being at the resurrection, which is future, which is symbolized by trumpets. And that's when we ultimately receive eternal life, and we will finally be saved. That's why we read in Matthew 24 verse 13, that it says, that He who endures to the end shall be saved. Future tense. Shall be saved. So we have to endure till the end, and the end is when Christ comes or when we die, whichever comes first. Also, back to Colossians chapter 1 verse 18. Colossians chapter 1 verse 18.

It says, And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead.

So Christ is the first born from the dead. In other words, that salvation is through a resurrection, because Christ resurrected is through resurrection. Through the resurrection, we will be given eternal life. So salvation, in a sense, is in three stages. And yeah, in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 15, it says, For we are to God the fragrance of Christ amongst those who are being saved.

So we are the fragrance of Christ to those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing. Like we saw, Christ is precious, but Christ is also a stumbling stone. We likewise are the same.

Look at verse 16. To the one, we are the aroma of death leading to death.

To those in the world, we are not appreciated, and we hated. In John 15 verse 18, John 15 verse 18, it says, What they've hated me, they'll hate you. Let's just get it. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. So the ones in the world don't appreciate us. And when they see what we do, they hate us. They're against us. So that's why it says here, to the one, we are the aroma of death, leading to death.

And to the other, in other words, those that see and understand God's way, he says, we are the aroma of life leading to life. You see, to the ones that see God's ways, we are precious. We are precious. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 7. Let's just look at 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 7.

1 Peter chapter 2 verse 7. Therefore, to you believe he is precious. So like Christ is precious, we then are a fragrance of life, and we are precious. So let's continue back in verse 16.

And we're sufficient for all these things. Verse 17. For we are not as many as so many peddling the Word of God. Now the word peddling is an interesting word. In my New King James Bible, it's got a margin that says, adulte rating for gain. In the old King James version, authorized version, it says corrupt. So it says there's so many corrupt the Word of God.

Now I don't remember when I was very small, very small. I don't know what age I was, but probably was maybe 10 years old or something like that. I remember I went with my mom from Mozambique, the capital of Mozambique. That time was called Lorenzo Mox, now it's called Maputo.

And we went by boat because in those days, basically you can you have commercial flying like we have today. So we end by boat all the way around southern Africa, all the way up the coast to go to Portugal. And it took like two or three weeks on the boat, I can't remember now. And then likewise on the way back. Maybe it wasn't three weeks, but maybe a good one week, maybe two. But the interesting thing is when we stopped at different ports or harbors along the road and people get out of the boat just to look at the marketplace and we're all these peddlers, all these peddlers trying to sell you things, giving exorbitant prices, and then people have to negotiate. But most of them were really junk, maybe appeared good, but was junk.

I remember once I was in Istanbul in a marketplace and it's just junk. People are just selling you junk, fake stuff. And so these peddlers in those days, and you get them today as well, they were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain.

Think about it. It's like they're selling you a basket of fruit, and at the bottom of the basket, they put the bad fruit that they bought for very little, and at the top, they would put the nice looking fruit. And they were hiding. You know, was they selling a product as if it was good, but they were selling an adulterated product. So, it kind of happens today as well.

People sell sometimes things that appear good, and they're not good.

Even, for instance, in industry, some people may sell you or upsell you a product that you really don't need, but it's maybe one that gives them a greater commission. So, it's that wrong situation. And so, what we had here in the first century, they had false teachers who peddled the Word of God. They said what looked good, but they changed it so that the real content was bad, you know, for gain, for profit. So, it says here in verse 17, for we, God's witnesses, specifically Paul, are not as so many peddling the Word of God, as so many peddling the Word of God for gain, but we are preaching God's Word of sincerity, in sincerity. So, it says here, but as from God, we are sincere, we're from God, and we speak in the sight of God and Christ. So, Paul was teaching what was right, was sincere, and it was from God. Next week, brethren, we'll then go into chapter 3.