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Relationships: The
Integrity Factor
Week of August 1
Background
Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:1–2:17
Lesson
Passages: 2 Corinthians 1:3-12;
2:14-17
LESSON
PASSAGES OUTLINE
1. Live
for Others (2 Cor. 1:3-7)
2. Live
in God’s Strength (2 Cor. 1:8-11)
3. Live
So God Approves (2 Cor. 1:12; 2:14-17)
BIBLICAL
TRUTH
Christians
can exhibit integrity amid imperfect relationships.
LIFE
GOAL
To help
adults live with integrity
Bible
Commentary
People are flawed, and these flaws lead
to disruptions in relationships. The church, of course, should be a model of
love and grace. However, church members have flawed relationships too. Handling
disagreements as they arise and with Christian integrity, patience, and mutual
understanding better ensures that flawed relationships will not continue to
fray around the edges.
This lesson focuses on Paul’s efforts
to address his sometimes contentious relationship with the Corinthian
Christians. The lesson passages demonstrate the vital connection between Paul’s
commitment to Christ and his commitment to working out difficult relationships.
His example of gracious integrity can help your learners move toward the Life
Goal of living with integrity.
The
Bible In Context (2 Cor. 1:1–2:17)
First and Second Corinthians present a
unique opportunity to learn about Paul’s ongoing relationship with a particular
group of Christians over a period of several years. During this time, Paul
encountered some challenges arising in the church; and the problems often
strained his relationship with the church. Reviewing the various contacts Paul
had with the Corinthians can help us relate his situation to challenges we
might have in relating to other Christians. The way Paul responded to unfair
and false accusations against him demonstrates the necessary balance of
commitment to people and commitment to Christian principles that is the
foundation of integrity.
Prior to writing 1 Corinthians, Paul
wrote a letter to the church that now is lost. He mentioned this letter in 1
Corinthians 5:9 and indicated that in it he had instructed the church members
not to associate with sexually immoral people. Later, Paul received disturbing
news about continuing problems in the church. In addition, a letter arrived
from the church asking for Paul’s guidance on a series of questions (see 7:1).
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in response to these problems and questions.
Later still, Paul returned to
Live
for Others (2 Cor. 1:3-7)
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and the God of all comfort.
4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so
that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through
the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
5
For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so our comfort overflows
through Christ.
6
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted,
it is for your comfort, which is experienced in the endurance of the same
sufferings that we suffer.
7
And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the
sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.
Verse 3. After Paul’s
introductory remarks in his letters, he often included a prayer of thanksgiving
and praise to God. That is the case here. The form, beginning with blessed,
is reminiscent of a Jewish blessing uttered in synagogue services. The
difference is that Paul offered this prayer to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s multiple use of this phrase in
his letters (Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph.1:3) plus its appearance in 1 Peter 1:3
indicate the phrase may have been commonly used in Christian worship. In any
case, by acknowledging God’s gracious gift of His Son, Paul underscored God’s
love.
Two additional phrases hint at the
specific challenges Paul faced with the Corinthians. Their relationship had
gotten rocky. They had been through some hard times. Two of God’s attributes
especially enabled and motivated Paul to work to repair this relationship.
First, he noted that God is the Father of mercies. The
word for mercies indicates
deep compassion. God looks on us with compassion and tenderness.
The second attribute Paul noted is the
God of all comfort. One form of the Greek word for
comfort, Paraclete [PAR uh kleet],
is used in reference to the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16).
The root word means to comfort and encourage. It underscores God’s activity in
drawing near to us.
These qualities of God relate
specifically to Paul’s desire to reconcile with the Corinthians. Had Paul not
considered God’s mercy toward him, he might have simply turned away from the
Corinthians. God’s pattern of outreaching and merciful love motivated Paul to
do all he could to repair the relationship.
Verse 4. This verse
highlights the connection between God’s work in our lives and our
responsibility to work on mending frayed relationships. In His mercy, God
encourages us in all our affliction,
a word that can refer to any form of trouble. Paul had certainly encountered
his share of affliction from the Corinthians!
God’s kindness enabled Paul to comfort
those who are in any kind of affliction. For Paul, the
obstacle had become an opportunity. Instead of turning away from the
Corinthians, he pursued the relationship and sought to encourage them. However,
Paul didn’t conceive of this ministry as being an expression of his own
strength or desire. He saw this offer of mercy as an extension of the comfort
he has received from God.
Understanding that we as believers are
merely conduits of God’s grace and mercy should prevent us from feeling
superior toward others. A restored relationship is a product of believers who
understand and are motivated by God’s character.
Verse 5. When Paul
referred to the sufferings of Christ,
he spoke from the experience of one who had experienced them. Living faithfully
as a Christian is not easy. Those who do so will suffer because of their faith
and in spite of their faith. That is, Christianity is no insurance policy
against trouble.
In their sufferings, however, believers
can be sure that Christ both understands and walks beside them. The scars on
His hands, feet, and side are eternal reminders that He understands and aids
His followers when they endure suffering for their faith.
Jesus’ identifying with us as believers
means that our efforts to heal relationships, or our
comfort to others, overflows through Christ.
As He suffered, we suffer. But as He comforted, so can we comfort others. This
powerful truth takes us from the realm of the psychology of relationships into
the spiritual realm of God’s work in and through us. We are not merely trying
to develop coping mechanisms to handle difficult relationships. In Christ, we
can relate to others with grace and integrity.
Verse 6. God uses
affliction in our lives with purpose, and that purpose is not merely personal.
It has a community aspect to it. Recall that Paul underscored the interrelated
nature of the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:12). He emphasized that truth also
in this verse. As the Corinthians shared in Paul’s affliction, they also shared
in his comfort and salvation. Salvation
here refers to being delivered from an affliction, not to becoming a Christian.
Likewise, Paul’s comfort from God
resulted in comfort for the
Corinthians.
As the Corinthian believers saw God
deliver and comfort Paul, they also would gain the benefit of greater trust in
God. Thus they would develop endurance of the same sufferings.
Paul’s example and testimony helped them grow in their faith.
Verse 7. Paul was
confident that his readers would learn the lessons of suffering and comfort, so
his hope for them was
firm. The specific application of this principle for Paul and the
Corinthians lay in their troubled relationship. They had caused Paul much
heartache, yet Paul chose to turn it into an opportunity of enduring love. He
sought to restore the frayed relationship.
We should never doubt the extent or
consistency of God’s mercy toward us. Living with integrity in relationships
means applying the same depth and consistency of mercy in our relationships.
Paul didn’t say one thing and practice another. He knew that God’s comfort was
meant to be shared. May we too strive to show consistent integrity in our
relationships.
Does God’s mercy and comfort
motivate you to act with consistent integrity in your relationships? How so?
Live
in God’s Strength (2 Cor. 1:8-11)
8
For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took
place in the province of
9
However, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves so that we would
not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.
10
He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us; we have
placed our hope in Him that He will deliver us again.
11
And you can join in helping with prayer for us, so that thanks may be given by
many on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.
Verse 8. Paul referred
to an example of how God’s strength helped him through a difficult situation.
We don’t know the specifics of the affliction that took place in the province
of
Verse 9. No
expression of suffering is beyond our ability to endure (see 1 Cor. 10:13) or
beyond God’s purpose for allowing it in our lives. Though Paul felt as though
he had received a death sentence
(whether literal or not at this point in Paul’s ministry is unclear), God used
that experience to reveal His faithfulness and power more deeply to Paul.
We need to remember that result is more
important than cause in terms of understanding our suffering for the faith.
When Paul suffered the affliction, he could have analyzed the reasons and
sought to construct a solution; but that would merely be an expression of trust
in self.
As a result of the affliction, Paul
affirmed that his trust was in God who raises the dead.
Thus the result of Paul’s affliction was greater trust in God, which was more
important than the precise cause or nature of the affliction. The specific
application of this powerful truth for Paul was that the God who raises the
dead intervened and helped him live with integrity as he related to the
Corinthian Christians.
Verse 10.
God’s faithfulness to Paul in the past—God had delivered
him from … a terrible death—created
confidence for Paul in the future. Paul trusted in God to deliver
him again. As Paul reflected on the pain of his experience in
Verse 11.
This verse highlights the community aspect of suffering and comforting. The
Corinthians could join in helping
Paul through the ministry of prayer. Intercessory prayer
never fails to strengthen a relationship among the person
who prays, the one prayed for (in this case Paul), and God. The result is that
when God provides deliverance, thanks may be given by many.
Let’s keep in mind Paul’s ultimate
purpose in writing this letter. His relationship with the Corinthians had grown
complicated and troubled. He was attempting to highlight any means of building
up that relationship. Praying for one another would have a tremendous healing
effect on their strained relationship.
We often tend to look at pain in life
as though looking through a knothole in a fence. All we can see with our
limited vision is the pain. We need to remember that God never wastes an
experience and that no trouble is beyond His redemptive power.
This lesson focuses mainly on repairing
relationships, and all of us have been in troubled relationships that appear to
be beyond our ability to solve or even endure. That’s because they are beyond
our abilities! However, they aren’t beyond God’s power. God can provide a way
for you to endure, grow stronger, and live with integrity in the midst of a
challenging relationship.
What examples of God’s delivering
you in the past bolster your confidence in Him concerning the future?
Live
So God Approves (2 Cor. 1:12; 2:14-17)
12 For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience that
we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with
God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God’s grace.
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ, and spreads
through us in every place the scent of knowing Him.
15
For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and
among those who are perishing.
16
To some we are a scent of death leading to death, but to others, a scent of
life leading to life. And who is competent for this?
17
For we are not like the many who make a trade in God’s message ëfor profitû , but as those with sincerity, we speak in
Christ, as from God and before God.
Verse 12.
Throughout 1 and 2 Corinthians we find examples of Paul’s defending himself
from unfair criticism. Either some of the Corinthian Christians or persuasive
leaders from outside the church (or both!) had accused Paul of being
untrustworthy.
Paul’s response is found partially in
this verse, where he claimed he had conducted
himself, especially toward them,
with three God-given qualities.
First, he always had acted with sincerity. This
word carries the idea of “singleness.” It emphasizes that Paul served them with
focused devotion and generosity.
Second, Paul acted with purity.
The literal meaning of the Greek term may refer to being judged by the
sunlight. The idea is that Paul’s motive was without blemish just as the sun’s
brilliance is without a shadow.
Third, Paul acted with grace,
the word that refers to giving of oneself without concern for what one gets in
return. Paul’s concern in serving the Corinthian believers was only their
spiritual growth and maturity. He wasn’t using them.
Chapter 2, verse 14.
Paul believed that if the Corinthians viewed his ministry honestly, they would
see his sincerity. After reviewing the troubled history of his visits and
letters to
Verse 15.
Paul’s life was such a consistent exhibition of faith that God
used him to be the fragrance of Christ among those who
are being saved (Christians) as well as among those
who are perishing (non-Christians). Paul lived with such
Christian integrity that all people could see Christ in him.
Verse 16.
Paul’s ministry, particularly the proclamation of the gospel, was a two-edged
sword. For those who rejected the it, the gospel was the scent
of death leading to death. Their rejection led to their
condemnation. However, to those who accepted the gospel, it was the scent
of life leading to life. Every step taken toward Christ and in
Christ becomes ever more wonderful and fragrant.
The question Who
is competent for this? highlights Paul’s humility and
amazement at being called of God to proclaim the gospel. God had worked through
him. Paul’s ministry was never a demonstration of his own power and prowess. It
was simply God working through him.
Verse 17. Some
people had come into the Corinthian church from the outside and had undercut
the church members’ trust in Paul. This created a great turmoil in the church
and necessitated Paul’s defending himself and his ministry coworkers. Paul
described those outsiders as those who make a trade in God’s message for
profit. In contrast, Paul’s conduct was grounded in sincerity.
(This is the same Greek word as the one translated purity
in 2 Cor.1:12. See the comments on p. 103).
He was spotless in his conduct. Paul’s life and ministry were open and
transparent. He made the faithful presentation of the message of Christ.
To be from God and before God means that
Paul invited God’s scrutiny to reveal if he was deceitful in any way.
We are responsible for our behavior in
our relationships. We can’t control how others live and respond to us, but as
Christians we can commit to always act with Christian integrity. While we may
at times be the target of unfair criticism from others, we can always be open
to asking God to examine our hearts and our behavior.
In what ways do you review your
actions and hold them up to God’s review?
Conclusion
1. When we live with integrity as
Christians, we will express it through our concern for other’s welfare.
2. We can depend on God to strengthen
us so we can live with integrity in all circumstances.
3. When we live so that God approves of
our efforts, we are living with integrity.
What examples can you cite of
Christians’ living by the principles of integrity Paul wrote about in this passage?
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