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General Outlines of the Book of 2
Corinthians
The
Main Objects of the Teachings in This Book
1.
To
most of them (Chap. 1-7);
2.
To
the whole of the church (chap. 8-9);
3.
To
those who have not repented (chap. 10-13);
The
Apostle of Christ Jesus
1.
The
narrations of the apostle (chap. 1-2);
2.
The
manifestations of the apostle (chap. 3-9);
3.
The
proofs of the apostle (chap. 10-13);
The Qualifications and Experiences of Paul
1.
He
is called by God (1:1, 21; 4:1).
2.
He
conducts himself in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity (1:12).
3.
He
is straightforward and genuine (1:13-14).
4.
His
word is true (1:18; 4:2).
5.
He
has the Spirit of God (1:22).
6.
He
loves the believers he shepherds (2:4; 6:11; 11:11).
7.
He
speaks by the power of Christ (2:17).
8.
He
works among them and changes their life (3:2-3).
9.
He
is the model of believers (3:4; 12:6).
10.
He
never loses heart (4:1, 16).
11.
He
teaches them by manifestation of the truth (4:2).
12.
He
preaches Christ Jesus the Lord ((4:5).
13.
He
suffers the persecutions when preaching the gospel (4:8-12; 6:4-5, 9-10).
14.
He
is the ambassador of Christ and is called to preach the gospel (5:18-20).
15.
He
endeavors to lead a blameless life so as not to prevent men from turning to God
(6:3-4).
16.
He
is innocent and understands the truth and has infinite patience toward
believers (6:6).
17.
He
is faithful and is full of God’s power (6:7).
18.
He
is always faithful to God (6:8).
19.
He
has corrupted no one and has cheated no one (7:2; 11:7-9).
20.
He
is blameless in dealing with the money collection (8:20-21).
21.
He
does not was according to the flesh, but uses the weapons of God (10:1-6).
22.
He
is confident that he is Christ’s (10:7-8).
23.
He
boasts only of the Lord (10:12-13).
24.
He
has the authority, for it is Paul that preached the gospel to them (10:14-15).
25.
He
suffers danger and distress in order to fulfill his works (10:23-33).
26.
He
has obtained the heavenly visions (12:2-4).
27.
He
has a thorn, and God does not remove it and yet lets him experience His grace
(12:7-10).
28.
He
does signs among them (12:12).
29.
He
has his heart set on establishing believers’ spiritual life (12:19).
30.
He
is full of God’s power (13:4).
31.
He
stands firm in trial (13:5-6).
32.
He
cares about his spiritual children all the time and expects them to be grown up
soon (13:9).
The
Bowel of the Apostle
1.
The
sincerity of the apostle (1:3-2:17):
A.
Conduct
himself in godly sincerity;
B.
Conduct
himself in simplicity;
2.
The
glory of the apostle (3:1-5:10):
A.
Turn
to the Lord and receive the glory of ministry;
B.
Have
the hope of glory (the glory of the Lord shines in our faces and our glory will
then shine all the things around us);
3.
The
zeal of the apostle (5:11-6:10):
A.
The
zeal toward Christ;
B.
The
zeal toward the ministry;
4.
The
wideness of the apostle (6:11-9:15):
A.
Accept
those who are against him;
B.
Encourage
those who are against him;
5.
The
gentleness of the apostle (10:1-18):
6.
The
jealousy of the apostle (11:1-29):
7.
The
infirmity of the apostle (11:30-12:21):
8.
The
strength of the apostle (13:1-10):
The
Conversation of the Apostle
1.
The
sincerity manifested in his conversation (1:1-2:17);
2.
The
glory manifested in his conversation (3:1-4:6);
3.
The
zeal manifested in his conversation (4:7-6:2);
4.
The
discreetness manifested in his conversation (6:3-10);
5.
The
wideness manifested in his conversation (6:11-7:16);
6.
The
honor manifested in his conversation (8:1-9:15);
7.
The
purity manifested in his conversation (10:1-13:14);
The
Conceptions and Attitudes that the Preachers Are Supposed to Have
1.
Have
right value and attitude of patience toward tribulation (1:1-11; 11:23-33);
2.
Conduct
themselves in godly sincerity, by the truth of God (1:12-22; 2:17; 4:1-2);
3.
Toward
the fellow workers, trust and praise and be in the same mind and the same
spirit (1:19; 8:16-23; 12:17-18);
4.
Manifest
Christ in the works, (2:14-16; 3:3-4, 17-18; 4:5-6);
5.
Have
the right value and pursuing attitude toward the flesh and spirit (4:7-5:10);
6.
Be
faithful to the ministry that is entrusted to them (5:18-6:10);
7.
Be
wide to believers and care about them in everything (6:12-13; 7:3-16; 11:1-3;
12:12-18);
8.
Have
right knowledge of the world and keep separated (6:14-7:1);
9.
Have
pure and sober attitude toward money and keep the right value (7:2-3; 8:16-24;
9:6-12; 11:8-9; 12:13-18);
10.
Have
right knowledge of spiritual authority and not use them until it is necessary
(10:8; 13:10);
11.
Not
show the transcendent revelations and experiences flippantly (12:1-10);
The
God that Paul Knows From His Experience
1.
The
Father of mercies and God of all comfort (1:3);
2.
God
who raises the dead (1:9);
3.
God
is faithful (1:18);
4.
He
who establishes us in Christ is God (1:21);
5.
God
has anointed us and sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a
guarantee (1:21-22);
6.
God
who always leads us in triumph in Christ (2:14);
7.
God
who writes on the tablets of the heart by the Spirit (3:3);
8.
God
who made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant (3:5-6);
9.
God
who commanded light to shine out of darkness (4:6);
10.
God
who makes the eternal house in the heavens for us (5:1);
11.
God
who has prepared us for this very thing (5:5);
12.
God
who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ (5:18);
13.
God
who has made us the righteousness of Him in Christ (5:21);
14.
The
almighty God who calls us separated (6:17-18);
15.
God
who comforts the downcast (7:6);
16.
God
who is able to make all grace abound toward men (9:8);
17.
God
who is jealous of those whose minds are corrupted (11:2-3);
18.
God
who humbles men because of the unsatisfactory result of works (12:21);
19.
The
God of love and peace (13:12);
The
True Comfort
1.
The
source of the comfort ---- the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (1:3);
God who comforts the downcast (7:6);
2.
The
need of the comfort ---- in all our tribulation (1:
3.
The
functions of being comforted:
A.
That
we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with
which we ourselves are comforted by God (1:4b);
B.
The
consolation is effective for enduring the same sufferings (1:6);
C.
Comfort
him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow (2:7);
D.
Comfort
us by the consolation with which he was comforted in you (believers) (7:7);
4.
The
conditions of being comforted:
A.
As
the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through
Christ (1:5).
B.
As
you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the
consolation (1:7).
C.
The
Lord’s work is filled with comfort on account of the condition of believers
(7:4).
D.
God
comforted us by the coming of the fellow works (7:6).
5.
The
encouragement of being comforted ---- be of good comfort (13:11);
The
Ministries of Christians
1.
The
ministry of providing comforts by suffering tribulation (1:4-7) ---- he who
experiences tribulation personally can give men true comfort.
2.
The
ministry of the sentence of death (1:8-11) ---- not trust in ourselves but in
God who raises the dead;
3.
The
ministry of simplicity and sincerity (1:12-14) ---- conduct oneself according
to God only;
4.
The
ministry of the seal of the Spirit (1:15-22) ---- the union with and the
manifestation of the holy Trinity;
5.
The
ministry of making one stand by faith (1:23-24) ---- not have dominion over…,
but for …;
6.
The
ministry of many tears (2:1-11) ---- sympathize and manifest love and not leave
any opportunity to Satan;
7.
The
ministry of Christ’s fragrance (2:12-16) ---- diffuse the fragrance of His
knowledge in every place;
8.
The
ministry of preaching in sincerity (2:17) ---- not peddle the word of God;
9.
The
ministry of the New Testament (3:1-18) ---- by the Spirit, not by the letter;
make men’s heart turn to the Lord and be shone and transformed by the Lord;
10.
The
ministry of light (4:1-6) ---- walking in craftiness nor handle the word of God
deceitfully;
11.
The
ministry of the broken vessel (4:7-18) ---- Even though our outward man is
perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day; provide life through
death;
12.
The
ministry of walking according to the light before the judgment seat of Christ
(5:1-10) ---- by faith, not by sight;
13.
The
ministry of the constraint (5:11-16) ---- be constrained by the love of Christ
and not live for oneself any more;
14.
The
ministry of reconciliation in the new creation (5:17-21) ---- be the new
creature and make men reconciled to God;
15.
The
ministry of the paradoxical seal (6:1-10) ---- as … in the sight of men, yet …
in the sight of God;
16.
The
ministry of open mouth and wide heart (6:11-13) ---- accept all those whom God
has accepted;
17.
The
ministry of separation (6:14-7:1) ---- be separated from all men or things not
of God;
18.
The
ministry of joy in tribulation (7:2-7) ---- because of the comfort of God;
19.
The
ministry of sorrow in a godly manner (7:8-16) ---- lead to true repentance and
be more joyful in the end;
20.
The
ministry of helping the saints to fulfill their love (8:1-9:15) ---- be freely
willing to receive the fellowship of the ministering to the saints;
21.
The
ministry of pulling down strongholds of Satan by the power of God (10:1-15)
---- bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;
22.
The
ministry of godly jealousy (11:1-6) ---- do not want the minds of others be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ;
23.
The
ministry of seeing through the deceives of Satan by the truth of Christ (11:7
24.
The
ministry of deep concern for all the churches though in tribulation (11:23b-33)
---- manifest that he is the true servant of Christ by experiences;
25.
The
ministry of the revelation of the third heaven (12:1-4) ---- manifest that he
is the true servant of Christ by the revelations he has received;
26.
The
ministry of having a thorn in the flesh (12:5-10) ---- boast of one’s weakness
because of sufficient grace and the power of Christ;
27.
The
ministry of all perseverance and signs and wonders (12:11-13) ---- to show that
he is the servant of Christ;;
28.
The
ministry of the bowel of the father (12:14-13:14) ---- all is for believers’
edification so that believers will become perfect;
Believers
and Tribulations
1.
Be
comforted by God in tribulation so that we may be able to comfort those who are
in any trouble (1:4).
2.
As
the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through
Christ (1:5);
3.
If
we are afflicted, it is for others’ consolation, which is effective for
enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer (1:6);
4.
As
you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the
consolation (1:7);
5.
When
we are afflicted, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises
the dead (1:8-9);
6.
Our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory (4:17);
7.
In
all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in
tribulations, in needs, in distresses (6:4);
8.
Be
exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation (7:4);
9.
Be
troubled on every side; and God who comforts the downcast comforted us by good
news (7:5-8);
10.
In
a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy (8:2);
11.
The
ministers of Christ in labors more abundant in weariness and toil (11:23, 27);
12.
Take
pleasure in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's
sake (12:10);
The
God-centered Life and Service
A.
Not
trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead (1:9);
B.
Not
with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God (1:12);
C.
Be
jointed with Christ and be anointed and sealed by the Spirit (1:21-22);
D.
Be
captured and captivated by Christ and diffuse the fragrance of His knowledge in
every place in Him (2:14-16);
E.
Take
Christ as the spiritual letter and be written by the Spirit of the living God
on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart (3:3-6);
F.
Turn
to the Lord and behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (3:16-18);
What
the Lord’s Workers Boast of
A.
Our
boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves
in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by
the grace of God (1:12);
B.
You
(believers) also are our boast in the day of the Lord Jesus (1:14);
C.
Triumph
in Christ (2:14);
D.
Boasting
on your behalf (7:4, 14);
E.
Boast
of the authority which the Lord gave us for edification (10:8);
F.
Not
boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors (10:13,
15-16);
G.
Boast
in the Lord (10:17);
H.
No
one shall stop me from this boasting as the truth of Christ is in him (11:10);
I.
Boast
in the things which concern my infirmity (11:30; 12:5, 9);
Know
the Devices of the Devil
1.
The
devices of Satan ---- take advantage of us (2:11);
2.
The
nature of Satan ---- the adversary of Christ ---- Belial (6:15);
3.
The
stronghold of Satan ---- arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God (10:5);
4.
The
means of Satan ---- deceive man and makes his mind corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ (11:3);
5.
The
appearance of Satan ---- transform himself into an angel of light (11:13);
6.
The
messenger of Satan ---- buffet one by the thorn in the flesh given to him
(12:7);
The
Parables of How the Ministers of the New Testament Fulfill the Ministry
1.
They
are captives in the triumphal procession who boast of the triumph of Christ (2:14);
2.
They
are those who diffuse the aroma who manifest the fragrance of Christ (2:14-16);
3.
They
are the living epistles of Christ, making all know Christ (3:1-3);
4.
They
behold as in a mirror with unveiled face the glory of the Lord and are
transformed into the same image (3:18).
5.
They
are the earthen vessels that have this treasure, manifesting the excellence of
God’s power (4:7).
6.
They
are the earthen tents that will be destroyed, testifying that mortality may be
swallowed up by life (5:1-4).
The
Principles of Reproach
1.
Approve
one’s positive points (7:4);
2.
Keep
determined attitudes (7:9; 10:2);
3.
There
should be works after reproach (7:13; 12:14);
4.
Aim
at the questions precisely and be sincere (7:14; 8:21);
5.
Keep
the firm position and gentle guidance (7:15; 13:11-13);
6.
Put
forward the views of Christ only, not yours(10:3, 12-13; 12:19);
7.
Be
clear about the fact (11:22-27);
8.
Spare
all those who are willing to repent (13:2);
Paul’s
Examples of Encouraging Money Collection
1.
Be
persistent (8:2-9:9);
2.
With
distinct purpose (8:4);
3.
Make
believers have the liberty in money collection (8:5);
4.
Have
the capability of leadership (8:7-8, 11);
5.
Be
honest and upright (8:21);
6.
There
are members who go on promoting the work (8:18-22)
7.
Have
the sense of responsibility (9:3);
8.
Be
prepared and willing to do it (9:7);
Know
the “Infirmity” Mentioned by Paul
1.
Who
is weak, and I am not weak? (11:29);
2.
If
I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity (11:30);
3.
yet
of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities (12:5);
4.
The
Lord’s strength is made perfect in weakness (12:
5.
Most
gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me (12:9b);
6.
For
when I am weak, then I am strong (12:10);
7.
Christ
is not weak toward you, but mighty in you (13:3);
8.
He
was crucified in weakness (13:
9.
we
also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him (13:4b);
10.
For
we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. (13:9);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou