Paul had this ministry of the new covenant only by the mercy of God. Paul didn’t qualify for this because of who he was and certainly not because of his past. It was that same mercy that sustained Paul as he worked so that, even though he faced many difficulties and was certainly discouraged, he could say, “we do not lose heart.” Because of God’s mercy, Paul did not give up. Again contrasting himself to the false teachers who aimed to discredit him, Paul renounced any disgraceful or underhanded way. He didn’t try to trick people or tamper with God’s word. Instead, he openly proclaimed the truth with a clear conscience before God. If Paul was preaching only the truth, why didn’t more people believe? The gospel message remained veiled to those who were perishing. They refused to believe because they had been blinded by Satan, the god of this world, who has worked hard to keep unbelievers from seeing the light of the gospel, which is the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Paul wasn’t preaching or promoting himself but Jesus Christ as Lord. He saw himself as a servant to those he was ministering to for Jesus’ sake. The same God who spoke to create light out of darkness has also shone His light into the darkened hearts of believers to give us knowledge of Him in the face of Jesus Christ. While we are all darkened by sin, God gives us glimpses of His light which we have the opportunity to respond to. Everyone who responds to the prompting of God will have the veil removed and the glory of Jesus Christ will fully shine in their hearts (John 1:9; 12:32; 16:8-11).

It is God’s mercy that saves and it is God’s mercy that sustains. When life seems hopeless, don’t focus on the darkness, focus on the light of Jesus Christ.

In contrast to the false teachers who were peddling God’s word in self-interest (2 Cor 2:17), Paul asks if he needs to commend himself or bring letters of recommendation. Instead, he points to the Corinthians themselves as his letter of recommendation. The fruit that has come from his ministry among them is all the proof that they need that He can be trusted. While they represent the fruit of Paul’s ministry, they are not a product of Paul’s ministry. They are a letter of Christ’s, a product of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives. Thus a letter written by the Spirit of the living God is much better than any letter that could be written by pen and ink. Also, this letter is not written on tablets of stone like Moses received from God, but directly on the hearts of believers.

Earlier in his letter, Paul asked who can be sufficient for the work God does through them (2 Cor 2:16) and now he answers his question—his sufficiency is not from himself, but from God. They don’t see their accomplishments in ministry as a result of their own skill or wisdom but entirely from God. God is the one who made them sufficient ministers of the new covenant of Christ. This new covenant through Christ is the only way to be reconciled to God. The letter, a reference to the law of the old covenant kills because it requires perfect obedience, something impossible for any person to accomplish. But the Spirit gives life. When Moses descended from Mount Sinai, the Israelites were afraid to approach him because of the radiance of his face (Ex 34:29-30). If the old covenant, which brought condemnation and was going to be phased out, came with such glory, then how much more does the ministry of the Spirit, the new covenant which is permanent, have surpassing glory. Paul’s point is clear that the new covenant is superior in every way.

Because of the certain hope found in the new covenant, Paul could be bold in his speech and action, unlike Moses who veiled his face when he addressed Israel. It is not certain why Moses veiled his face, perhaps it was as a testimony of their hardness of heart. This turned out to be prophetic because Paul says that this hardness of heart has prevailed and they were still not able to see that the old covenant was only a preliminary step before Christ brought in the new covenant. Only through Christ can that veil be removed. Now, believers, have the veil removed like Moses did when he went before the Lord. Believers behold the glory of the Lord as we gaze into the Word of God like a mirror(Jas 1:22-25). When we focus on God’s Word, then we are transformed into the same image of Christ through the process of sanctification that comes from the Spirit. Becoming more like Christ doesn’t come from personal wisdom, determination, or ability, but as Paul said of his ministry, our sufficiency to be Christlike comes from submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s ministry through the Word of God.

Just like salvation doesn’t come from anything we can do but is completely from God, so becoming more like Christ doesn’t happen by self-effort. You can’t try harder to be more like Christ. You need to submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in you as a result of spending time in God’s word. It’s not about trying harder, it’s about spending more time in His presence. Are you spending enough time in His presence?

Paul had gone to Troas where God had opened a door for him to preach the Gospel. There he planned to meet up with Titus. It seems that he had sent Titus from Ephesus to Corinth with his “sorrowful letter” (2 Cor 2:3) and agreed to meet in Troas so Titus could give him a report on the condition of the church. When Titus didn’t appear in Troas, Paul didn’t have peace of mind. He was concerned about the condition of the church and perhaps about Titus’s safety because he could have been carrying a portion of the Corinthian collection (2 Cor 8:6). So Paul left the ministry opportunity to head to Macedonia in search of Titus. The fact that Paul walked away from a God-given ministry opportunity reveals how deep his concern was for Titus and the church. He did later return to minister in Troas (Acts 20:5).

Paul digresses from this point and only returns to talk of his travels in 2 Cor 7:5. He switches focus from his own despair to the triumphant procession of Christ in which he finds himself. Paul uses the imagery of a Roman victory procession, a parade where a conquering general would lead his enemy prisoners who were forced to march behind him as a public spectacle. Through Christ, God has conquered His enemies and Paul views himself as marching in that parade. Paul saw himself as Christ’s captive (Phile 23, “fellow captive”). Incense was burned during these Roman processions and Paul saw his ministry as a fragrance to God. As they lived and preached in the world, they were an aroma of Christ. This aroma is diffused everywhere. To those who refuse to believe the gospel message, it is like the stench of death, reminding them of their future which they don’t want to think about. But to those who believe, the gospel is the fragrance of life. Paul humbly asked, “who is sufficient for these things?” He is amazed at what God did in and through him. He will answer his question later in (2 Cor 3:5-6). But now he contrasts his ministry with the false apostles who were so prevalent (2 Pet 2:1). The false teachers were peddlers of God’s word for profit. They were driven by self-interest and greed for money. But Paul and his team were sincere and had pure motives (2 Cor 1:12).

Does your life diffuse the aroma of Christ to those around you? When people see how you live and talk and act, do they see a light in the darkness (Matt 5:14-16)? Are you an encouragement to your fellow believers (1 Thes 5:11)?

In this section, Paul speaks about an offense that was committed against him and in some way, against the whole church. Tactfully, he does not revisit the offense, nor highlight the offender. The readers of the original letter know exactly who and what he is referring to but we are left with generalities. The offender was disciplined by the majority of the church (this implies that some may have sided with the offender or had some other issue with the chosen course of action) and it has served its purpose. The offender also has shown sorrowful repentance and Paul cautions the church against going too far. Discipline may be necessary for a period in order to bring someone to the point of realising their need to repent. But once repentance is reached, forgiveness and reconciliation must be swift to follow otherwise the offender may be left feeling hopeless and overwhelmed in sorrow. Paul wanted to know that they would be obedient in everything, first in his authority to instruct them discipline, but also in his authority to instruct them to forgive. Paul indicates that he has already forgiven the offender and trusts the Corinthians have forgiven them as well. A key reason we should forgive others is that Satan can cause even a situation of godly discipline to gain a foothold (1 Pet 5:8). Forgiveness is not only beneficial for the offender but also for the offended.

Forgiveness can be hard, especially when the offense against us is great. The only way to really grasp forgiveness towards others is to focus on the forgiveness we have received. When we fully grasp how great our offense against God was and how much He did to forgive us (Eph 4:32), then we will be more inclined to forgive others (Mark 11:25). Who do you need to forgive today?

Paul begins this section by boasting. Boasting has a negative connotation for us that seems to contradict the humility that Christians should have. But Paul is not boasting in prideful arrogance but in how he conducts himself in God’s strength. He is boasting in the Lord (Jer 9:23-24) with God as his witness about what God has done, not what he has done in his own strength. He wants the Corinthians to have confidence in his apostleship which has been undermined by false teachers who seem to have brought focus on the fact that he didn’t visit Corinth as he said he would. He explains that his behaviour has been simple and sincere, not double-minded or deceitful, and based on God’s grace rather than earthly wisdom. Paul explains that his letters are clear expressions of his intent, not written with hidden meaning or agenda. Paul has conducted himself with integrity and his readers can trust the plain meaning of his writing. He understood that up to this point they had only partially understood him but his hope is that they will now fully understand him and his intentions. He expects that on the day of our Lord Jesus (when Christ returns) he will be proud of them and they of him.

Paul had intended to visit them on his way to Macedonia (1 Cor 16:5-7) but his plans had changed. He denied making his plans according to the flesh, with self-interest. He did not deny the change in plans. He did not change his plans without concern for them. The change was unavoidable and he was unable to do what he had intended. Ultimately God is the one in control of his, and our, schedule. Paul pointed to God as the unchangeable and faithful One. When Paul was with them, he preached the unwavering truth about Jesus Christ as confirmed by Timothy and Silvanus. All the promises of God about the Messiah in the Old Testament were fulfilled in Jesus and proved God to be reliable. God fulfills His own promises for His own glory. Paul continued his digression into the reliability of God by pointing out that He has put his seal on us and given us His Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. He can be trusted to save us because He promised to save us and He is trustworthy. Paul then continued to explain why he had not visited as intended. One of the reasons he postponed his visit was to spare them the pain of correction and to give them time to work things through on their own. As an apostle he had authority but he didn’t want to lord it over them, but rather work with them, as servant leaders, for their joy and to aid them in standing firm in their faith. He didn’t want to visit them and cause them pain. Paul realised that having written a letter of correction, they would work through the issues raised without the need for a disciplinary visit. If he had visited them as intended, they would have had sorrow instead of joy. He wanted to have joy in their presence. He didn’t rejoice in the need to correct them or write to cause them pain. He wrote so they might know how much he loved them. Paul was a man of integrity. His intentions were motivated by love and his actions backed up his intentions even though they had to change.

Are you a person of integrity? Can people trust that your intentions are always God-honouring and that your actions will back that up in so far as God allows? Or are you someone who speaks out of both sides of your mouth saying “yes” and “no” at the same time?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

In the customary opening of his letters, Paul introduces himself as the author and indicated his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, not by his own choosing but appointed by the will of God. His authority is important in this letter because later he has to deal with the opposition of false apostles. Paul included Timothy in his opening greeting because Timothy shared in his ministry and had ministered in Corinth with Paul. The letter was written to the church of God in Corinth and expected to be shared with all the Christians in the whole of Achaia, a Roman province which included all of Greece south of Macedonia of which Corinth was the capital. Grace and peace was Paul’s customary greeting and his desire was that those he wrote to would experience these in their lives as he shepherded them.

Paul points to God as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. God is our source of comfort in every difficult situation we face so that we may in turn comfort those in any difficult situation they face with the same comfort we have received from God. Our trials and difficulties are not without purpose. Here we see that they serve the purpose of preparing us to be able to minister to others. While Jesus told us we would suffer (Matt 5:11; John 16:33), He also promised that He has overcome the world. He has not left us to suffer alone. The comfort of God is channeled through people as we comfort others with the comfort we have received. Paul mentions that the suffering we share is also for our salvation. This cannot be salvation for eternal life because then salvation would be by faith and suffering. Instead, he is referring to the ongoing transformation of sanctification leading to endurance (see Phil 1:19; 2:12), which Paul mentions in the second part of the sentence.

Paul indicates that his suffering in Asia was so beyond their ability to handle it that it brought them face to face with death. But that served to force them to rely on God, the one who raises the dead, rather than relying on themselves. Paul kept his focus on God who he trusted would continue to deliver them through their trials. But he also asked for help in prayer. Paul was completely convinced of the power of prayer knowing that God listens to the prayers of His people. When we pray for those who are going through troubled times, we also have the joy of giving thanks with them when our prayers are answered.

If you are going through a tough time, are you drawing on the comfort of God, physically manifest through the love of fellow believers? Are you asking others to pray with you? How can you provide comfort to others where they are going through something similar to what you have come through? Are you praying for others?

Three days after settling in Rome, Paul called the local Jewish leaders to come to him. Because he was under house arrest, he couldn’t go to them in the synagogues as was his custom. But he still chose to reach out to the Jews first with his message. He began by asserting his innocence. He had done nothing against the Jews or their customs. The Romans had put him on trial and found him innocent and not deserving the death penalty. But because the Jews of Jerusalem had refused to treat him fairly, he felt compelled to appeal to Caesar. His appeal to Caesar was for his own acquittal, not to accuse his nation. But his primary reason for calling them was to speak with them about the hope of Israel, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises made to Israel. He wanted to share with them that Jesus is the Messiah who will return as the King of Israel and Lord of the nations. Paul’s hope in the future made his present, unjust circumstance bearable. The Jewish leaders said they had received no official report from Judea about Paul and no one had spoken ill of him. But they wanted to hear his views because people everywhere were speaking negatively about his sect (Christianity).

They set a future date for this discussion, no doubt to allow more people to come and hear Paul’s message. And that is what happened. Paul spoke from morning to evening expounding the Scriptures and trying to convince them from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. Once again we see that Paul’s message is the truth that can be considered, evaluated, and tested. Some began to be persuaded by what he said but others refused to believe. From this point, they began to disagree amongst themselves. Paul left them with a prophetic insight from Isaiah. The Jews’ refusal to believe was because of calloused hearts, deafened ears, and spiritually blinded eyes. Because of their willful blindness and deafness, they lost the ability to respond to God’s revelation. Note that Paul indicated that Isaiah’s words were inspired by the Holy Spirit. As a climax to the book, for the final time, Paul states that because of the Jews’ disobedience and refusal to believe, the gospel has been sent to the Gentiles who will listen. Throughout Paul’s missionary journeys from Jerusalem to Rome, the Jews rejected the gospel and the message went out to non-Jews. This statement seems to represent God’s intention to focus largely on the Gentiles during the church age.

Paul remained under house arrest in Rome in a rented house. It was during this time that Paul wrote the “Prison Epistles” (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians). During this period the gospel was freely taught without restraint. God’s message of the kingdom had moved from Jerusalem to Rome and from Jew to Gentile.

The book of Acts shows God’s faithfulness first with a focus on Peter and then Paul. It also shows their respective faithfulness to God. Will you follow Paul’s example and boldly follow Christ and serve Him in the church and ministry He has placed you? Will you be a witness for Him and tell those around you the good news of Jesus Christ?

Having survived the shipwreck, they learned that they had landed on the island of Malta, south of Sicily. The island had good harbours and was ideally located for trade. The native people (the Greek word was used of people that were not Greek-oriented in culture) showed them unusual hospitality and welcomed them by kindling a fire because it was cold and had begun to rain. Paul helped gather some sticks for the fire. Because of the heat, a snake came out of the sticks and held fast to Paul’s hand. The local people figured Paul to be a murderer. They had no doubt realised that many of the survivors were prisoners and having survived the sea, justice was ensuring he received a just fate through the snake. Nonchalantly, Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm. The islanders waited for him to swell up or fall down dead and when neither happened, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. While Luke doesn’t record it, Paul no doubt dealt with their misguided view in a similar way to how he responded at Lystra (Acts 14:8-18).

In that area, the chief of the island, named Publius, received them and hosted them for three days. By God’s providence, his father lay sick with fever and dysentery. Paul prayed for him, laid hands on him, and healed him. Hearing of this, the rest of the people on the island who were sick came and were cured. Paul, who had not been harmed by the snake, was the one who healed others. In response, they showed them much honour by supplying their needs when they finally set sail for Rome.

After staying on Malta for three months, they set sail on a ship that had spent the winter in the port. This was a ship of Alexandria which had the twin gods of Castor and Pollux on the figurehead. These were the heavenly twins of Zeus and Leda which, according to Greek mythology, provided good fortune to mariners. We see the contrast between the superstition of the Greeks, Romans, and the people of Malta against Christianity. Luke then describes their voyage up to Rome. Along the way, they stopped at Puteoli (today Pozzuoli) where they had to remain for seven days and were welcomed by the believers there. When they arrived in Rome, believers from up to 70 kilometers away traveled to meet them. Paul thanked God for the encouragement he received from the church. When they arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself (in a rented house, Acts 28:30) along with the soldier who guarded him.

Throughout the book of Acts, and in his letters, we see that Paul was greatly encouraged by his fellow believers within the church. Do you find encouragement through fellowship within the church? Are you an encouragement to your fellow believers in the church? (1 Thess 5:11)