I’ve had my share of tests. I’ve done well on many. I’ve done poorly on some. In today’s Bible reading*, Paul urges the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if they pass the test of faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Actually, Paul asks the Corinthians two questions: 1) Are you in the faith? and 2) Do…
Here we are again, looking at frequently-occurring words. Today’s word is grief. It appears in one form or another eight times in only four verses (2 Corinthians 7:7-10) in today’s Bible reading*. The Greek word translated as grief in English means “to be sad as the result of what has happened or what one has…
Again, I’ll highlight what I have said before, that when you see a word or phrase repeated in close proximity in the Bible, it’s a signal of its importance. In today’s Bible reading*, Paul uses reconcile five times in only three verses. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) The word reconcile is used in accounting. You may have…
Paul brings out a very important and highly applicable point in today’s Bible reading*. I’ve already pointed out that the Corinthian church had many problems, including pride and narcissism. They thought it was all about them. This worldview is man-centered or anthropocentric. If their ideas were correct, then what could they think when they go…
When the New Testament writers told their stories, they had the memorized and printed Word of Scripture to draw from. Their Bible (our Old Testament) was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. It had been recorded in the language of the common people at the time. By the First Century, many people in what is now…
I mentioned yesterday the importance of noting repeated words and phrases in a limited number of Bible verses. In today’s Bible reading*, “pain” and its derivatives occur seven times in 2 Corinthians 2:1-7. Evidently, not all was well between the Apostle and the church at Corinth. Where the first paragraph in 2 Corinthians 1 was…
