2 Corinthians Exposition
An exposition of 2 Corinthians by Doug Van Meter.
Finally (2 Corinthians 13:11–14)
It has been said that the most frequently uttered lie is when a pastor says, “in conclusion.” Well, to quote Paul, “I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness” (Romans 9:1). This is the concluding message in our studies of 2 Corinthians. One clear indication is...
Gospel Restoration (2 Corinthians 13:1–10)
Paul’s purpose for writing this epistle is clear: “Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building...
Authentic Ministry (2 Corinthians 12:11–21)
Paul is nearly finished with his uncomfortable self-defence undertaken to guard the flock in Corinth from false teachers—unscrupulous outsiders who have done a right royal job of slandering him. As he brings his argument to a close, he prepares the church for his...
Power Revealed in Weakness (2 Corinthians 12:1–10)
As we saw previously (11:16–33), Paul did not suffer fools gladly, yet he gladly suffered as a fool for Christ (Casto). Having articulated his sufferings in his service to Christ, he concluded pointing to what was perhaps one of the most humiliating episodes in his...
Answering Fools (2 Corinthians 11:16–33)
We learned previously that outsiders were threatening the welfare of the Corinthian church. These spiritual “authorities” were actually dangerous spiritual pretenders; messengers of Satan dressed up to look like angels of light. To change the metaphor, they were...
A Father’s Concern: Beware the Pretender (2 Corinthians 11:1–15)
Fathers today are depicted in the entertainment media as dorks, fools, and clueless idiots. Though this is a twisted caricature, nevertheless, sadly, in many cases, the caricature is closer to reality than to fiction. For many families, long gone are the days of...
God’s Metric System (2 Corinthians 10:7–18)
Reading 2 Corinthians, particularly chapters 10–13, is a bit like, to use a South African idiom, picking up stompies (a South African term for cigarette butts). That is, it is a little like joining a conversation late without understanding the context. We are entering...
The Church Militant (2 Corinthians 10:1–6)
On 11 March 1942, the Japanese army was advancing on the Philippines, which at the time was protected by the US army under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur. Realising he did not have sufficient troops and artillery to hold them off, he made the strategic...
Grateful Giving (2 Corinthians 9:1–15)
We have seen, in chapter 8, that Paul’s instruction for receiving a collection for the suffering church in Jerusalem was motivated by grace, by the gospel, and by the glory of God. In chapter 9, he concludes this section by highlighting the motive of gratitude. The...
Glorious Giving (2 Corinthians 8:16–24)
Over the past two thousand years, I think it is safe to say that camels have not gotten any smaller, nor the eye of a needle any larger. Therefore, it is still easier for a camel to be threaded through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of...
Gospel Giving (2 Corinthians 8:8–15)
“While it is possible to give without loving, it is impossible to love without giving.” So observes Trent Casto. This succinctly summarises the text before us. God loves and thus God gives (John 3:16). Those saved by God’s gospel do likewise. If we don’t, we should...
Grace Giving (2 Corinthians 8:1–7)
In his excellent book Money, Possessions, and Eternity Randy Alcorn observes, “Giving is not God’s way of raising money. It’s his way of raising children.” That is brilliant, insightful, biblical, and precisely Paul’s aim as he pens these next two seemingly...
A Refreshing Church (2 Corinthians 7:13–16)
Joni Mitchell’s classic song, “Big Yellow Taxi,” contains the line, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” That line, sadly, could describe much of church history. That is,...
Good Grief (2 Corinthians 7:2–16)
Gospel faithfulness can be grievous. It can rip your heart out as unbelievers reject the truth and when believers bite the hand that feeds them the truth. The apostle Paul experienced such grief. But he also knew the experience of God’s grace transforming this grief...
Biblical Separation (2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1)
It has been observed by many that the greatest danger to the church, both local and universal, is often from within; that is, professing Christians either denying the gospel, or behaving like they deny the gospel. So it was in Corinth. Having poured out his heart to...
Credentials that Commend (2 Corinthians 6:3–13)
Paul identifies himself and his co-workers as ambassadors of Christ and co-workers with God for the reconciliation of sinners through the gospel of the triune God (5:18–21). God used Paul in Corinth as a messenger of this reconciliation. Many believed the gospel and...
The Wondrous Exchange (2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2)
One of the challenges of preaching a familiar passage of Scripture is just that: its familiarity. We can become so accustomed to the content and cadence that the text both loses its awe and its meaning. John 3:16 is like that and most every preacher I know comes to...
New Creation Living (2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2)
C. K. Barrett observed concerning this passage, “Christian existence means that by faith one lives in the midst of the old creation in terms of the new creation that God has brought about through Jesus.” This new creation has everything to do with God reconciling...