The Scripture readings I am doing right now are all from the letters of Paul. I am reading his letters and trying to put them into the context of the story told by Luke in Acts. I am presently re-reading 2 Corinthians. Any commentary I make is in italics:
2 Cor. 7 – Paul expresses his belief that together they can put off all that keeps us from being perfect in holiness: “let us wash off all that can soil either body or spirit, to reach perfection of holiness in the hear of God” (1). Still this hope of personal and communal perfection does not blind him to the fact that the wider community of churches is full of “trouble on all sides: quarrels outside, [and] misgivings inside” (5). He commends the “suffering” that the Corinthians have gone through that led to some repentance or change in them. “To suffer in God’s way means changing for the better and leaves no regrets, but to suffer as the world knows suffering brings death” (10).
2 Cor. 8 - Paul talks of the generosity of the Macedonians to encourage a like offering by the Corinthians. He links his concept of giving in the Church to Jesus’ giving of himself to make us rich in grace. “Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of this poverty” (9). Also interesting here is a concept of “equality”, which Paul develops—that when some in the Church have a surplus, that surplus should be used to bring a degree of equality to those who have less—and that it would work the other way too had others a surplus and the people of Corinth had need of other’s help. There should be “equality” of status in the church (13-14).
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