The talks were very to the point and clear, here is a summary of what i learned:
Paul is writing a letter to the church in Corinth. He planted a church there and has since left to visit other churches. Paul has heard from them that other 'super apostles' are trying to teach them in ways which are not consistent with what Jesus taught, mainly that salvation is through your own strength and performance.
Because what Paul was teaching was counter-cultural to the Corinthians, they tried to discredit him by pointing out that he was not pleasant to look at and perhaps had a speech impediment. Through this discussion we see Paul emphasis a few key points.
- do not compare your life to other people's, but to Christs standards.
- boast only in the Lord because:
- it is not through our own power that we become strong, but through our weaknesses that God's power rests on us. (2 Cor 12:9-10)
- our weaknesses create a trustful dependence on God, so we can endure through all circumstances
- our weaknesses and 'thorns' given to us show that we must become humble before God (2 Cor 12:7-8)
- every action in our lives should glorify God, as did Paul's
- Paul's love for the Corinthians was a self sacrificial love, spending his time, energy and resources to spread the word of God. (2 Cor 12:15)
Do you have any thoughts on this topic?
No comments:
Post a Comment