The Word of God taken verse by verse. The meanings of the words and verses are explained in context, and in many cases translation from the original written language for the words, phrases, and context are explained.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”— 2 Corinthians 8:9 Context & Key Themes Chapters 8 and 9 form a unit distinct from the rest of the letter. Paul turns to…
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”— 2 Corinthians 7:10 Context & Key Themes Chapter 7 closes the first major arc of the letter and resolves the narrative thread Paul had left open at the end of chapter 2. There, Paul had described his restlessness…
“For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’”— 2 Corinthians 6:16 Context & Key Themes Chapter 6 divides into two distinct movements that are nonetheless tightly linked. The…
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”— 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Context & Key Themes Chapter 5 stands at the theological center of…
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”— 2 Corinthians 4:7 Context & Key Themes Chapter 4 takes the transformation Paul described at the end of chapter 3 — the unveiled believer being changed from glory to glory — and places…
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”— 2 Corinthians 3:18 Context & Key Themes Chapter 3 answers the question chapter 2 ended on — who is…
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.”— 2 Corinthians 2:14 Context & Key Themes Chapter 2 continues the defense Paul began in chapter 1 and then opens outward into two of the most striking images in…
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4…
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”— Galatians 6:14-15 Context & Key Themes Chapter 6 closes the letter. After…
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”— Galatians 5:1 Context & Key Themes Chapter 5 turns from the theological argument of chapters 3 and 4 to the practical life of freedom. Paul has established that justification is by faith apart from works…