Monday, November 16, 2020

II Corinthians Twenty Questions

 1. When you write a letter to someone, how do you start it?  In what standard way does Paul begin this letter (and his other letters)?

2. How many times do variations of the word “comfort” appear in your translation in II Corinthians 1:3-7?

3. What is Paul saying with all the “yes” and “no” talk in 1:15-22?

4. What do you think it means that Paul and his companions simultaneously bring the aroma of life and of death in 2:14-17?

5. How does Paul contrast the old ministry of the law with the new ministry of the Spirit in II Corinthians 3:7-18?

6. II Corinthians 4:7 speaks of “treasure in jars of clay.”  What is the treasure?  What are the clay jars? 

7. What is the interplay between the life of the apostle and the death of Jesus, as well as the death of the apostle and the life of Jesus, as described in II Corinthians 4:8-12?

8. What terms does Paul use to describe our earthly body and our heavenly body in II Corinthians 5:1-4?

9. According to II Corinthians 5:17, what is true for those who are in Christ?

10. What is our role as Christ’s ambassadors?  What is our message to the world?

11. What does Paul say in II Corinthians 6:14-18 about unions between Christians and nonChristians?  Is this consistent or inconsistent with Jesus being “a friend of sinners”?

12. What is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, as Paul describes them in II Corinthians 7:10?

13. Based on II Corinthians 8:1-7, how did the Macedonians demonstrate their generosity?

14. Have you ever observed the truth of the proverb, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously?”

15. Why do you think God loves a “cheerful” giver?  How can you personally give more cheerfully?

16. What is Paul’s mood/tone toward the Corinthians in chapter 10?

17. Have you ever heard of another Jesus or different Spirit/gospel than the one preached to you, as Paul discusses in II Corinthians 11:4?

18. As you consider all that Paul went through as recounted in II Corinthians 11:22-33, how do such sufferings give him credibility?

19. What do you suppose Paul’s “thorn” in II Corinthians 12:7 may have been?  What was God’s answer each time he prayed for it to be removed?

20. When you write a letter to someone, how do you end it?  In what standard way does Paul close this letter (and his other letters)?   

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