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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll see how Paul comforted the Corinthian church by demonstrating that God’s grace is sufficient for every trial we face.

Key Verse

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Introduction

Paul knew that the Corinthians needed to hear about the comfort, love, and grace of God. That’s why 2 Corinthians begins and ends with God’s comfort. In his previous letter, Paul had corrected many of their false beliefs and practices. But Paul didn’t want the Corinthians to become discouraged by his strong words of correction.

Consider how Paul frames his earlier correction:

1 Corinthians 4:14-15: I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

This is why he begins 2 Corinthians with encouraging words. Paul tells the Corinthians that he rejoices when he thinks of what God is doing in them. Paul’s prayers and teaching were producing fruit in the Corinthian church. The man who was disciplined in 1 Corinthians 5 had repented, and Paul exhorts the Corinthians to forgive him and restore him to fellowship.

2 Corinthians 2:6-11: The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Paul is encouraged by the progress of the Corinthian church. But there is more he needs to teach them. In this lesson we’ll focus on the important doctrinal and practical teachings that Paul gives, and we’ll see how they all point to one central truth: God’s grace is sufficient for every circumstance of life.

In this lesson, we’ll explore four main areas: ● The doctrinal heart of 2 Corinthians: our new life in Christ ● The ministry of reconciliation that God has given us ● Practical teachings on holy living and generous giving ● Paul’s personal testimony of God’s sufficient grace

The Doctrinal Heart of 2 Corinthians: Our New Life in Christ

The doctrinal center of 2 Corinthians is found in chapters 4 and 5. Paul presents a detailed analysis of the work that God is doing in us through Christ. There is nothing that can give us more comfort and joy than to understand the work of Christ in our lives.

Paul reminds the Corinthians of several amazing truths about what Christ has done for them:

First, we were saved out of darkness and deception. Paul explains that Satan, “the god of this age,” had blinded the minds of unbelievers. But God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Second, God is revealing His glory in us. Despite our weaknesses and frailties, God has chosen to display His power through ordinary people like us.

2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

(Notebook Moment: How does it encourage you to know that God chooses to display His power through “jars of clay” like us? What does this tell you about God’s love for ordinary people?)

Third, we have identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. Paul describes how believers experience both the suffering and the life of Jesus in their daily experience.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Finally, we have an eternal hope that lies before us. This hope gives us strength to persevere through temporary troubles.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Paul concludes his teaching on the work of Christ by showing us what Christ accomplished. The key verse of the entire letter captures this beautifully: we are new creations in Christ.

In these verses Paul has given us the clearest expression of the atonement of Christ. Christ took our place on the cross. Our sin was placed on Him. His righteousness has been given to us. We are reconciled to God through Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:19-21: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Paul reminds us that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We have a responsibility to bring this good news to others. Since Christ died for all, we should be motivated to share this message with everyone we meet.

2 Corinthians 5:11-15: Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Paul knew that the Corinthians were becoming faithful witnesses. He tells them that their lives are like letters written by Christ for the world to read. They were showing what it means to be a new creation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3: You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Practical Teachings: Holy Living and Generous Giving

There is much practical teaching in 2 Corinthians as well. Paul reminds us that we should live holy lives in all that we do. Since we have been made new creations in Christ, our lifestyle should reflect this transformation. Paul makes this call to holiness very clear in his instructions to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

When Paul calls believers to “come out from them and be separate,” he is drawing from God’s ancient call to Israel to be a holy nation, set apart from the pagan nations around them. Just as God called Israel out of Egypt to be His special people, He has called us out of the world’s value system to live as His children. This separation isn’t about physical isolation, but about moral and spiritual distinctiveness—living by God’s standards rather than the world’s standards.

The apostle Peter echoes the same Old Testament passages. He reminds believers that we have inherited the same calling that God originally gave to Israel:

1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Paul also teaches extensively about generosity and giving. Christians should help one another and help support ministry work. Our example for giving is Christ Himself, who gave up His heavenly riches to become poor so that we might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

In chapters 8 and 9 Paul describes how the churches supported one another when they were in need. He encourages the Corinthians to continue giving with the same generous spirit. How should we give to the Lord? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. We should give in the following way:

• Individually – “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give”
• Joyfully – “God loves a cheerful giver”
• Generously – “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously”
• Consistently – “Not reluctantly or under compulsion”
• Expectantly – “God is able to bless you abundantly”

(Notebook Moment: Think about your own attitude toward giving. Which of these characteristics comes most naturally to you, and which do you find most challenging? How might God be calling you to grow in generosity?)

We have been given everything in Christ. God has been so generous with us. This should be our greatest motivation to give to the Lord.

2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Paul’s Personal Testimony of God’s Sufficient Grace

2 Corinthians is a very personal letter. Paul relates many details of his life and experiences. He does this to encourage the Corinthians and use himself as an example of what faithful service looks like.

There are several things we learn about Paul’s life only from 2 Corinthians:

How he escaped from Damascus in a basket when his life was threatened by those who opposed his ministry.

2 Corinthians 11:32-33: In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

How he was caught up into the third heaven and heard inexpressible things that he was not permitted to tell.

2 Corinthians 12:1-4: I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.

How he suffered from a persistent physical ailment that he called his “thorn in the flesh.”

2 Corinthians 12:7: Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Paul also tells how he suffered and experienced much persecution for the sake of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 11:23-27: I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Why does Paul tell us these things? Why does he give so much personal detail? He wasn’t boasting about himself by doing this.

First, Paul was defending his position as an apostle. He needed to do this to prevent false teachers from corrupting the truth that Paul had taught.

2 Corinthians 11:1-3: I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Second, Paul also told of his suffering so that the Corinthians would be encouraged. Paul had experienced the comfort and grace of God in his trials. He wanted the Corinthians to know that they could experience this same sustaining grace.

Conclusion

(Notebook Moment: What current difficulty or “thorn in the flesh” are you facing? How might Christ’s words to Paul apply to your situation today?)

The most encouraging truth in all of 2 Corinthians comes from Paul’s description of how Christ responded to his prayers about his thorn in the flesh. This passage reveals the heart of God’s grace and gives us hope for every trial we face.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10: Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Notice that Christ didn’t say to Paul, “My grace will be sufficient”—as if it were a future promise. He said, “My grace IS sufficient”—a present reality. God’s grace is available to us right now, in this moment, for whatever trial we are facing.

This doesn’t mean that God will always remove our difficulties. Sometimes, like Paul, we will continue to carry our “thorns in the flesh.” But God promises that His grace will be enough to sustain us through every hardship. His power is actually made perfect in our weakness.

The beauty of God’s grace is that it meets us exactly where we are. We don’t have to be strong enough, wise enough, or good enough to earn it. God’s power flows most freely through our weaknesses, not our strengths. This is why Paul could actually boast about his weaknesses—because they became opportunities for Christ’s power to be displayed.

As new creations in Christ, we have been reconciled to God and given the ministry of reconciliation. We have been called to live holy lives and give generously as Christ gave for us. And when trials come—and they will come—we can rest in the beautiful promise that Christ’s grace is sufficient for us.

The God who comforted Paul in his suffering is the same God who offers comfort to us today. His grace is sufficient for every trial, His power is made perfect in every weakness, and His love never fails. Whatever you are facing today, take courage from this eternal truth: God’s grace is sufficient for you.

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