Points to Ponder in 2 Corinthians 1-7

To accompany your Come Follow Me study for September 11-17

In addition to reading the indicated chapters, you may wish to:

Read the applicable portions of the New Testament Institute Student Manual at:

See the following videos:

(1) Come Follow Me (September 11-17) |The Great Exchange | 2 Corinthians 1-7 – YouTube

Book of 2 Corinthians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview at Book of 2 Corinthians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview – YouTube

If you would like a Kahoot game related to this material which you could use for personal study or use with your family or your class, click here: https://create.kahoot.it/share/2-corinthians-1-7/c2cf2ec3-25f2-4685-8c42-b776a9093650. (To use it with a group, after clicking on this link, you will need to log into Kahoot, creating a free account if you have not done so previously, then click on the blue “Start” button.)

1. What two unique titles does Paul use for God in chapter 1? Why do you think Paul used those two titles?

2. What is Paul talking about when he speaks of “the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”? (1:22; 5:5) What word or phrase would be more intelligible in modern English?

3. Suppose a recently released Latter-day Saint showed up in your congregation after completing a several year prison sentence. How should you treat him? What does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 2 which relates to the subject? What passage from D&C 121 does Paul’s counsel remind you of?

4. Can you suggest both an interpretation and an application for what Paul means when he says in 3:2, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men”? Which is the more important?

5. Which two of the following are closest to Paul’s meaning in 3:6 when he says, “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”?

a. God tolerates minor deviations from the law, provided our general attitude is right.
b. Paul had written an epistle full of stinging rebuke, with fatal consequences to the spiritual life of its readers.
c. Even in New Testament times they had trouble with terrorists sending explosives through the mail.
d. Written communication is less effective than the spoken word, which more readily is accompanied by the Spirit.
e. Laws are subordinate to liberty.
f. Principles are more fundamental than policies.
g. Scriptures are less important than personal initiative.
h. The law of Moses by itself could never provide the eternal life which comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

6. What do you think it means that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”? (3:17)

7. Which verse in 2 Cor. 3 suggests man’s potential to become like God?

8. Who is the “god of this world” in 4:4, and why is the term appropriate?

9. What does Paul mean in 4:8 when he says they were troubled, but not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair?

10. What does Paul mean in 5:2 that “in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon”?

11. Which passages did you personally mark in chapter 5? Why?

12. What examples could you give of personal characteristics or habits which respond poorly to mere human effort or even psychological intervention but which could be changed with divine aid as we become “new creatures” in Christ? (5:17.)

13. What passage in the D&C does 6:6 remind you of? How do you account for the similarities in language?

14. How would you explain Paul’s apparent double talk in 6:10?

15. What is the most obvious application of Paul’s counsel not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers”? (6:14.) What other applications could you think of?

16. How can one “come out from among them [the wicked] and be … separate” (6:17) and still be the “salt of the earth” and an effective member missionary?

17. How do you account for Paul’s apparent concern about the Corinthians’ personal hygiene in 7:1?

18. In as few words as possible, explain the difference between “godly sorrow” and the “sorrow of the world.” (2 Cor. 7:10.)

19. What do you consider the most hopeful and encouraging passage in 2 Corinthians 7?

Possible Answers to Points to Ponder in 2 Corinthians 1-7

1. What two unique titles does Paul use for God in chapter 1? Why do you think Paul used them?

In 1:3 he refers to God as “the Father of mercies” and “the God of all comfort.” No doubt, given Paul’s past as a persecutor of the saints, he was especially grateful for God’s mercy in not only forgiving him but in considering him worthy of being in the forefront of the early Christian missionary effort. And, given the trials Paul had since endured, he knew from first-hand experience the comfort which came only through the Spirit of God, enabling him (and us) not only to feel comfort personally in times of affliction but to help comfort others.

2. What is Paul talking about when he speaks of “the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”? (1:22; 5:5) What word or phrase would be more intelligible in modern English?

Instead of “earnest” we would be more likely today to say “down payment,” “deposit,” or “pledge,” as it is translated in many modern translations. Paul is saying that when God lets us feel His Spirit in our hearts, it lets us know that the gospel really works. And since it has brought us that feeling of peace, love, joy, excitement, and certainty now, we can be confident that the promise of eventual eternal life will also someday be ours. It’s another way of saying what Jesus meant when He said, “these signs shall follow them that believe.” It’s like taking a road trip to New York and seeing signs saying “New York, 250 miles,” etc. If we didn’t see any such signs, or if they said instead, “Los Angeles, 119 miles,” we’d have reason to think we were lost.

In verses 4-8, Paul urges the Corinthians to forgive the former sinner, whom they had evidently treated rather harshly, when he deserved it. But now the man was evidently repentant, and it was time to “comfort him,” and “confirm [their] love toward him,” implying that just as Paul had shown them love “more abundantly,” so, too, should they. It brings to mind the Lord’s instructions to Joseph Smith in D&C 121:43, that there is a time for “reproving … with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost,” but also a time for “showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy.” If a recently released Latter-day Saint shows up at church, there is every reason to assume he is repentant and wants to make a fresh start. He needs our love and encouragement, not our scorn.

The “interpretation” would be that Paul was telling the Corinthian saints that he didn’t need to send literal letters of recommendation about his character that they could present to their unconverted friends. Rather, their newly changed and happier lives would be witness enough that his message was worth listening to. The larger “application,” of course, is that our lives should also radiate what the gospel means to us and may be the best sermon others may ever encounter. This question is intended to provide a reminder that the personal application of a scriptural passage is always more important than whatever its original meaning may have been.

5. Which two of the following are closest to Paul’s meaning in 3:6 when he says, “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”?

a. God tolerates minor deviations from the law, provided our general attitude is right.
b. Paul had written an epistle full of stinging rebuke, with fatal consequences to the spiritual life of its readers.
c. Even in New Testament times they had trouble with terrorists sending explosives through the mail.
d. Written communication is less effective than the spoken word, which more readily is accompanied by the Spirit.
e. Laws are subordinate to liberty.
f. Principles are more fundamental than policies.
g. Scriptures are less important than personal initiative.
h. The law of Moses by itself could never provide the eternal life which comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

By the “letter,” Paul is here speaking of the law of Moses. He goes so far as to call it “the ministration of death,” since it was impossible for a mortal man to keep the law perfectly, and even one deviation from it made the offender unworthy of eternal life with God. But through the gospel of Jesus Christ, which Paul here calls “the spirit,” forgiveness is available to the repentant sinner, who thus can qualify for eternal life in God’s presence. The law of Moses was supposed to point toward and symbolize Christ’s atonement, but ancient Israelites seldom saw beyond the multitude of ritual ordinances themselves. Their focus only on the “what,” or the policy, obscured the more fundamental underlying principles. Thus, options “h” and “f” above are the only viable answers to the question, despite the fact that many misunderstand it and think “a” is acceptable. The other suggested options are just silly distractors.

6. What do you think it means that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”? (3:17)

Paul presumably means that one filled with the Spirit of the Lord is free from feelings of sin, guilt, fear, and bondage. Or, as he says in Romans 8:2, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death,” or the law of Moses, which by itself could lead only to those feelings of captivity to sin. It is worth noting that only Satan employs chains and captivity. The Lord brings freedom and agency, with all their attendant blessings. This has applications in the political arena, as well. Captain Moroni, during the Nephite wars with the Lamanites, spoke of “the Spirit of God, which is also the spirit of freedom.” (Alma 61:15.)

7. Which verse in 2 Cor. 3 suggests man’s potential to become like God?

Verse 18 certainly sounds like that. What else would it mean to be “changed into the same image [as the Lord’s] from glory to glory”?

8. Who is the “god of this world” in 4:4, and why is the term appropriate?

The reference is to Satan. If a “god” can be defined as an object of admiration or adoration, then it is certainly an appropriate title for the sponsor of indulgence, selfishness, and sin since the beginning. Satan, of course, is not the “God of this earth,” but he is the “god” most followed and honored by the worldly.

9. What does Paul mean in 4:8 when he says they were “troubled,” but not “distressed; perplexed, but not in despair”?

Paul is essentially saying that they were challenged but not defeated by the opposition they encountered. The New Living Translation renders it as: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” In this mortal journey we can all expect to find similar challenges, but Paul’s example and testimony show us we can rise above them, as he did. He summarizes it well in 4:17: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

10. What does Paul mean in 5:2 that “in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon”?

The New Living Translation is a bit clearer: “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.”

11. Which passages did you personally mark in chapter 5? Why?

Your choice. I personally marked:

5:6: Paul reminds us that we are on this earth more as visitors than as residents. “Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.”
5:8: Paul obviously didn’t fear death, as he was perfectly willing to “be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
5:10: A good reminder that we will be judged for our works, not simply for intellectual acquiescence, masquerading as “faith.”
5:17: Those who are “in Christ” are “new creatures,” much like the caterpillar which is transformed into a butterfly. This offers great hope to those who feared they would have to forever remain “the way they were.”

12. What examples could you give of personal characteristics or habits which respond poorly to mere human effort or even psychological intervention, but which could be changed with divine aid as we become “new creatures” in Christ? (5:17.)

I have known alcoholics who lost the desire to drink and life-long smokers who finally conquered the habit after turning to the Lord in fervent fasting and prayer. Ben Carson tells of losing his bad temper through a spiritual conversion. Future First Presidency member George Q. Cannon conquered his intense distaste for poi overnight through prayer as a young missionary in Hawaii. Presumably, those with same-sex attraction could do more to control and even change their inclinations through spiritual means than in any other way. As the Lord asked Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14.)

13. What passage in the D&C does 2 Corinthians 6:6 remind you of? How do you account for the similarities in language?

It sounds a lot like D&C 121:41-42. Because of Joseph Smith’s familiarity with the Bible, due in part to his work on the Joseph Smith Translation, he was able to borrow language from it to clothe divine concepts given to him by the Lord later in his life.

14. How would you explain Paul’s apparent double talk in 6:10?

It is not double talk at all. Even God, who has a fulness of joy, wept in Moses 7:28 over the wickedness and consequent unhappiness of His children. Paul was doing much the same. It is quite possible for both emotions to dwell in the same individual at the same time. And though materially poor, Paul helped make many rich spiritually. And again, having virtually “nothing” materially, he was “possessing all things” in the sense of being heir through his faithfulness to all that God Himself possesses.

15. What is the most obvious application of Paul’s counsel not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers”? (6:14.) What other applications could you think of?

This counsel is often cited as an argument against interfaith marriages—or marriage to a partner to whom the gospel is less important. It could also apply to a righteous nation’s making binding treaties with other countries with different standards. The Lord constantly counseled ancient Israel against such. It could even apply to business arrangements with those whose standards of honesty are different from one’s own.

16. How can one “come out from among them [the wicked] and be … separate” (6:17) and still be the “salt of the earth” and an effective member missionary?

We can assume Paul would want us not to do what the wicked do nor participate with them in unwholesome activities, but he would surely want us to befriend them, set an example for them, and be ready to teach them when occasion permitted.

17. How do you account for Paul’s apparent concern about the Corinthians’ personal hygiene in 7:1?

The “filthiness of the flesh” to which Paul refers is not the kind that soap and water can fix. He is rather speaking of spiritual filthiness involving our physical bodies, presumably primarily relating to the law of chastity but also including any other desecration of the physical “temples” God has provided for each of us.

18. In as few words as possible, explain the difference between “godly sorrow” and the “sorrow of the world.” (2 Cor. 7:10.)

“Godly sorrow” is regretting doing something. “Sorrow of the world” is being sorry you got caught.

19. What do you consider the most hopeful and encouraging passage in 2 Corinthians 7?

Your choice. For me it has to be 7:4: “I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.” One could get the impression Paul was a happy man!