Lesson One

2 CORINTHIANS 1:1-11

Overview

First impressions

The best way to get acquainted with 2 Corinthians is to read the entire letter before doing any in-depth study. This should only take you about an hour if you read quickly to gain an overall impression of Paul's message.

If your Bible has subtitles for the various sections of 2 Corinthians, use them as guides to help you catch the drift of Paul's argument. At the same time, realize that these subtitles, like chapter and verse divisions, are not part of the original text and may at times lead you in the wrong direction!

As you read, jot down answers to questions 1–3.

1. What are your first impressions about 2 Corinthians? (For example: Why did Paul write it? What are the principal themes? What impression do you get of Paul?) ________________________________________ ________________________________________

2. Repetition offers a clue as to what a writer is trying to emphasize. What key words or phrases do you find repeated throughout 2 Corinthians? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

3. If you find outlining helpful, fill in the following outline with titles for the various sections. If you prefer, fill in the outline as you complete each lesson of the study guide. See detailed outline of 2 Corinthians.

1:1–7:16 Paul defends his conduct and apostolic ministry

1:1-11_____________________________________

1:12-22____________________________________

1:23–2:4_____________________________

2:5-11_____________________________________

2:12-13____________________________________

2:14–7:4 Major digression: Apostolic ministry described

2:14–3:6_________________________________

3:7–4:6__________________________________

4:7–5:10_________________________________

5:11–6:2_________________________________

6:3–7:4__________________________________

7:5-16 Return to Paul's narrative

7:5-16_________________________________________

8:1–9:15 The collection

8:1-15_________________________________________

8:16–9:5_________________________________

9:6-15_________________________________________

10:1–13:13 Paul vindicates his apostolic authority

10:1-18________________________________________

11:1-21a_______________________________________

11:21b–12:13_____________________________

12:14-21_________________________________

13:1-13__________________________________

Paul's introduction (1:1-11)

Paul's introduction here follows the same basic form as his letters. The apostle expands upon the standard contemporary introduction, "greetings" (Greek chaire; see, for example, James 1:1), by writing "grace [charis] and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2). In this way he underscores two major themes in his letters: the grace of God toward sinful humanity, and the peace between God and humankind that resulted from the coming of Jesus Christ and His work of reconciliation on the cross. Paul follows by thanking God for working in the lives of both himself and his readers.

Greeting (1:1-2)

Apostle (1:1). From the Greek apostello, "to send"; hence, one sent to preach the gospel. In the New Testament this word refers to those who (1) had seen the risen Christ and (2) had been commissioned by Christ as authoritative spokespersons in His stead. The word may also derive from the Greek Old Testament translation of the Hebrew, meaning one who was an "ambassador," or one who spoke with the full authority of the one who had sent him (see, for example, 1 Samuel 25:4-5 and 2 Samuel 10:1-2).

The fact that the New Testament apostles "saw, heard, and touched" the Word of Life (see 1 John 1:1-3) indicates that their authority in church history is unique, since by definition no one living after the time of Christ and the apostles could be an eyewitness. For this reason the church has always regarded the apostolic writings — our New Testament — as uniquely authoritative for Christian faith and conduct.

4. Paul refers to himself as an apostle "by the will of God" (1:1). State in your own words what you think Paul means by this phrase. Why do you think he emphasized it? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Thanksgiving (1:3-11)

5. As in all of his letters, Paul's major theme appears in this first section of 2 Corinthians. In 1:3-7, which two key concepts are consistently repeated by Paul? (A concept is represented either by one word, or by two or more words with the same basic meaning.) ________________________________________ ________________________________________

6. Taken together, these two concepts display the theme of 2 Corinthians. In your own words, write in one sentence what you see as the theme of 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Comfort (1:3-7). Both the noun ("comfort") and the verb ("comforts," "are comforted") derive from the Greek parakealeo. It means literally, "to call alongside" and hence, to "encourage" (Colossians 4:8), "exhort" (Acts 16:40, rsv), "console" (Matthew 2:18, rsv), and as here, "comfort." The noun form, "comforter" (parak-lesis), is the word Jesus used when speaking of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16,26; 15:26). It is translated "advocate" in the New International Version, and was used as a legal term meaning "counsel for the defense." The picture is one of the Spirit of Christ standing beside Christians to defend them from whatever opposition Satan might hurl at them.

7. How does God use "troubles" (1:4) in a Christian's life? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

8. Do "the sufferings of Christ" (1:5) refer primarily to (a) the pain Christ suffered on the cross or (b) the persecutions suffered by those who follow Christ faithfully? Explain your answer. (Note: Paul's view of "the sufferings of Christ" was probably shaped by his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus; see Acts 9:4-5.) ________________________________________ ________________________________________

9. What lesson does Paul want the Corinthians to learn from the terrible "troubles" (1:8) he endured in Asia? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

10. How does Paul's description of God as the one "who raises the dead" (1:9) strengthen the point he is trying to make in 1:8? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

11. What two results does Paul see coming from the prayers of the Corinthian Christians (see 1:10-11)? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

12. Read 1:3-11 again. Does "comfort" here mean (a) consolation in affliction or (b) deliverance from affliction? Cite evidence from the text to support your choice. ________________________________________ ________________________________________

13. On the basis of 1:3-11, how would you characterize Paul's relationship with the Christians at Corinth? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Your response

14. What truth from 1:1-11 seems personally relevant to you today? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

15. How will you respond to this truth? ________________________________________ ________________________________________

16. List any questions you have from this overview. ________________________________________ ________________________________________

For the group

This "For the Group" section and the ones in later lessons are intended to suggest ways of structuring your discussions. Feel free to select what suits your group. The main goals of this first lesson are to gain a general understanding of 2 Corinthians, and to get to know the people with whom you will be studying.

If you read the entire book, this may be the most time-consuming lesson of the study. The group leader should advise members to allow between one and two hours for reading 2 Corinthians. If reading the whole book is an impossible demand on someone's time, he or she should try to get a general impression of 2 Corinthians by skimming portions of it to take note of repeated ideas.

Worship. Some groups like to begin with prayer and/or singing. Some pray only briefly for God's guidance at the beginning, and leave extended prayer until after the study.

Warm-up. The beginning of a new study is a good time to lay a foundation for honest sharing of ideas, to get comfortable with each other, and to encourage a sense of common purpose. One way to establish common ground is to talk about what each group member hopes to get out of your group — out of your study of 2 Corinthians, and out of any prayer, singing, sharing, outreach, or anything else you might do together. You can include what you hope to give to the group as well. If you have someone write down each member's hopes and expectations, then you can look back at these goals later to see if they are being met. You can then plan more time for prayer or decide to cover 2 Corinthians more slowly if necessary.

You may decide to take about fifteen minutes at the beginning of your discussion of lesson 1 to discuss goals. Or, you may prefer to take a whole meeting to hand out the study guides, introduce the study, examine the "How to Use This Study" section on pages 5–8, and discuss goals.

First impressions. From lesson 1 you should get, above all, first impressions of the book's themes and purposes on which to build deeper discoveries later. To focus your discussion, each group member might choose a section that was especially meaningful to him or her, and explain why. Ask group members to describe briefly what sort of person Paul appears to be. This open sharing could help introduce members who do not know each other well.

You probably will not feel it necessary to discuss question 3 (the outline). However, do share ideas about why Paul introduced this letter the way he did (see 1:3-11).

Application. If application is unfamiliar to some group members, choose a sample paragraph from 2 Corinthians and discuss possible ways of applying it. Try to state specifically how the passage is relevant to you and how you might act in light of it. Think of responses that you might actually do, not just ideal responses. Don't forget to emphasize that ability, courage, discipline, and guidance to do something are all appropriate to pray for when applying a passage.

Give the group a chance to voice any questions about the book or its historical background. You may decide to postpone answering some questions until you deal with the relevant passage, but you can keep a list of the group's questions.

Wrap-up. The wrap-up is a time to bring the discussion to a focused end and to make any announcements about the next lesson or meeting. For example, at the end of the present session (lesson 1), lead into lesson 2 by asking group members to ponder how Paul's remarks in 1:3-11 were meant to prepare the Corinthians for what he would say in 1:12–2:13.

Worship. Praise God for Paul's dedication to the gospel and his love for the Corinthians. Praise God also for insight to understand Paul's message and wisdom to apply it to your daily life.