A congregation has confronted a serious offense. Now Paul warns that its response could leave a repentant sinner overwhelmed by sorrow and give Satan an advantage. What happens when a church knows how to discipline but hesitates to forgive? Writing as a pastor who has shed tears over these Christians, Paul urges them to reaffirm their love. The stakes reach beyond one troubled relationship: this congregation receives the Gospel whose proclamation Paul describes as the aroma of Christ. What should that mean for someone who needs to hear that his sins are forgiven?
The Rev. Mark Loder, pastor of St. James Lutheran Church and School in Howard Lake, Minnesota, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 2 Corinthians 2:1–17.
To learn more about St. James in Howard Lake, visit stjameshl.org.
What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.
In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.
Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
