How can a sinner look forward to meeting his Judge? Paul longs to be at home with the Lord, even as he warns that we must all appear before Christ’s judgment seat. From the promise of bodily resurrection to the astonishing exchange in which the sinless Christ bears our sin, this chapter gives troubled consciences a reason for confidence. God has reconciled the world to Himself in Christ and entrusted His ambassadors with that message. Why, then, does Paul plead, “Be reconciled to God”? What does it mean to receive this reconciliation, become a new creation, and live for the Savior who died and rose for us?
The Rev. Roger Mullet, instructor of theology at Concordia University, Chicago in River Forest, Illinois, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 2 Corinthians 5:1–21.
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.
