Autobiography of a Christian Apostle

One of the books we have in the New Testament is Paul's Second Letter to the Corintians. In this letter he is forced to defend himself against a very critical congregaton. They question his motives, his methods, his authority, his authenticity and many things.Paul has no choice but to tell them a lot about himself. In this letter you really get a glimps of what was in the mind of the Apostle Paul. I would like to examine various concepts that he had as evidence of the authenticity of his experience of the resurrected Christ.Either that or he was mad. Let's dive into the book of Second Corinthians which can be considered as an autobiography of the man Paul. It is also am excellent standard to hold up to those who would be servants of the Christian gospel today in purity, zeal, wisdom, etc.I propose it in Bible Study or Faith and Belief.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Second Corinthians is a tremendous window into the way the man Paul thought. We are so fortunate to have this book in the Bible. Studying this book is something like listening to US Presedent Lyndon Johnsen's recorded phone conversations or hearing the Nixon tapes. I mean in terms of the personal being made open and public.There is a lot in this letter which is not doctrinal. It is personal. You get to see how Paul the apostle thought and reasoned.I notice that many people like to adopt an attitude that Paul messed up the teaching of Jesus. In other words they claim that they can take the teaching of Jesus but Paul invented his own brand.Well, let's see some of the complaints the church in Corinth had against Paul and how he dealt with them.The first thing I would like to draw attention to is that Paul did not work independently alone. He did not try to be a superstar that needed no one else to help him. This letter he wrote with the assistance of his co-worker Timothy. Paul was not interested in "going it alone" as if he could move and act independently:"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy the brother, to the church of God in Corinthe, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia. (2 Cor .1:1)Just like the first Corinthian letter is the letter from Paul and Sosthenes, so the second letter was from Paul and Timothy. Whoever heard of Sosthenes? You have to blame and give credit not only to Paul but to Paul and his partner for this letter of Second Corinthians.I get fascinated by things like this. Paul the apostle and Timothy the brother are the authors of this letter. Timothy was his young protogege so to speak. Timohty was his junior partner. Paul needed Timothy to be with him to write this letter.This reflects very much the practice of Jesus to send the discples out two by two to preach.Paul was not independent, isolated, doing his own thing needing no help. He was coordinated and cooperative. He was a team player.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Good points. Paul was forced to talk about himself. He said that he sounded like a fool to have to boast of his experiences. In essence he was saying "You people are making it so I have to brag. This is embassessing to me. You are forcing me to brag""Again I say, Let no one think me to be foolish; but if otherwise, accept me even as if I were foolish, that I also may boast a little.

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What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord but as if in foolishness, in this condifence of boasting.

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Since many baost according to the flesh, I also will boast." (1 Cor. 11:16-18) He goes on to speak of his credentials to be called an apostle. For some of Corinth were spreading rumors that Paul was a phony. Maybe they were saying "This Paul guy wasn't even one of the twelve disciples. He was persecuting the church when Peter and John and James were risking their lives for the Gospel. How can we trust this fellow. Maybe he wants our money to build up his own religion. We don't think he's a real apostle."The backround of the letter definitely are disputes and rumors against Paul.The first thing Paul seems to talk about is his sufferings on behalf of the Corinthian church. He doesn't imply that only he and his fellows suffer. He writes in essence "We are all suffering here together and being comforted together"."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our affliction that we may be able to comfort those who are in every affliction through the comforting with hwich we ourselves are comforted by God." (1:3,4)Paul is saying that he is able to comfort the church because he is also going through afflictions. This is not doctrinal comfort. This is comfort administered because he has been there. Actually he has been through a lot worst things as we will see. But he says he is only able to encourage the Corinthians in their afflictions because the same God of all comfort has upheld them also."For we do not want you to be ignorant, borhters, of our afflictions which befell us in Asia, that we were excessively burdened beyond our power, so that we despaired even of living." (v.8)Again Paul speaks not of himself alone but of "we" - he and his team of fellow workers. He was a team player.This is no small matter. Paul is saying that they had so many problems in Asia that they dispaired of living. Can you see an apostle in dispair? This should shake our preconceptions about a typical Christian minister. "We dispaired of living." Maybe some of them contemplated suicide or surrendering to death. I don't know. I do know that the man who wrote encouraging letters which have upheld Christians for over 2,000 years admits that he was in dispair of living things were so tough.I don't think he exagerated. Then Paul gives a positive reason for the terrible affliction that they were forced to endure:"Indeed we ourselves had the response of death in ourselves, that we should not base our confidence on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (v.9)Paul believed and preached that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Now he says that the crushing afflictions that his team had to endure forced them not to have any confidence in what THEY could do. They were forced to have confidence in the God who raises people from the dead. Specifically, they had to trust in the God Who raised Jesus from the dead - the God of resurrection."We're finished. It's all over for us. We have no way out. We have no way to go on. We cannot continue. If we continue it won't be because of our power. It will only be because of the God Who raised Jesus His Son from the dead."This is the essence of Paul's thought here. He really believed that only the God Who is able to conquer death could help them out.The comfort and encouragement that Paul offers the afflicted Corinthians is to look to the God of resurrection. He points them to the God of resurrection and not to their own self ocnfidence. He does so because this is his own personal experience. There was no way out except up. Only the God of resurrection can get you through.Paul really believed in the God Who raised Jesus from the dead to the point that it was his only hope in his afflictions. And it was also the only hope WORTH telling anyone else about.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

I agree.And in the last message I wrote that Paul said he and his associates "dispaired of life". The amazing thing about this is that this "life" Paul dispairs of is not the natural Psyche life of the soul. He said they were suffering so bad that they dispaired of the zoe, divine life of Christ.Paul is going beyond risking his life and all for the gospel. The opposition and trials got so bad that he dispaired of the gift of eternal life. He dispaired of Christ as his new spiritual ZOE life.It is hard to imagine how a Christian worker could get so pressed with troubles that there would be a dispair of Jesus Himself. This is brutally honest of Paul to admit.Yet as we can see, he was not left in dispair. The God of resurrection, he claims, delivered them. When pressed beyond themselves the God who raises the dead lifted them up and out of such depressing afflictions.Why was Paul doing this ? Was he a madman ? I think he knew that what they the apostles were working at was the real truth of the universe. They were gripped by such a sense of obligation that they had no other choice but to serve this Jesus Christ, God's Son.Come what may in opposition, rejection, persecution, betrayal, they were constrained by the love of Christ to be apostles.

Umm, the apostle Paul didn't have an arsenal of guns and rifles just in case things didn't work out. Nor was Paul accused of stealing the wives of men in his congregation.And Paul didn't have young female members of his group whom he had sex with wear distinguishing colors to indicate their superior status. The apostle Paul neither had a suicidal stew of poison to force feed his congregations just in case things didn't work out.Lame comparisons frako. Very lame comparisons. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Interesting enough, in no other epistle in the New Testament that I can recall, does a writer refer not only to "sons" of God but "daughters" of God as well. Therefore '"Come out from their midst and be separated, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you";

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And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:18) What other writer in the New Testament emphasized that God had not only male sons but female "daughters" ? .If I were a woman I would prefer the spiritual worker who taught about "sons and daughters of God" to the worker who thinks his leadership role gives him right to steal other men's wives and commit fornication with young girls, convincing them that this is some priviledge for them.Your false dichotomy is bad enough. But you seem further befuddled to not see clearly that abusing woman physically is a further and more serious violation then just considering their social status to be much the same as the surrounding culture would. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Where is your evidence that the Corinthians challenged Paul about mistreatment of Christian sisters ? Where is evidence of their complaint about this ?Where do you see that the Corinthian church thought he was overbearing with the sisters ? I will deal primarily with the charges of his Corinthian audience. They knew him. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Paul put himself on the same level with those over whom he had some amount of apostolic authority. " But the One who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God" (2 Cor. 1:21)This is not Paul claiming that he alone is firmly attached to Jesus Christ. This is rather Paul reminding that the closeness he enjoys with Christ they too have.It is God who has firmly attached to the anointed One, Paul and his fellows apostles WITH the Corinthian church. In a real sense he and the churches under his ministry are on the same level of intimacy with Jesus Christ.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Paul says that he wants the Corinthian church to know how intense his suffering was. He and his co-workers "dispaired of living" or "dispaired of life [zoe]" "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were excessively burdened, beyond our power, so that we dispaired even of living." (2 Cor. 1:8) However, Paul uses this testimony of intense hardship to point to the God of resurrection who pulled them through with His resurrection power: "Indeed we ourselves had the response of death in ourselves, that we should not base our confidence on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead ..." (v.9) This suffering, Paul says, forced them not to have self confidence. They were in over their heads in trouble. They ran out of ideas. They dispaired of the whole thing. But because they were sorely pressed beyond thier abilities they had to trust the God who raised Jesus from the dead.This man believes himself to be in the experience of the raising up power of the God who raised his own Lord Jesus Christ.Paul has confidence that just as God delivered them once He will do so again when future difficulties come. "" .... God, who raises the dead; Who has delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver us; in whom we have hoped that He will also yet deliver us." (v.10) It is hard to stop this man. He has confidence that the next time he is crushed under trials God will again deliver him with resurrection power.This "death" involves depression, oppression, weakness to handle all the perplexing situations, and probably near physical death experiences too.He does not know what the future will hold for him. He has confidence that the God of resurrection will see them through no matter what the troubles may be.It is also noteworthy that Paul is dependent on the prayers of his audience too. And I think he alludes also to the financial support. "If you also help in this by petition on our behalf ...". This is Paul's dependence upon the petitioning prayers for his work by the Corinthians. "If you also help in this by petition on our behalf, that for the gift to us through many, thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf." This sounds to me then more then just a thankyou for financial support. This is Paul asking for prayers that the support would cause thanksgiving by others. In other words Paul's concern is the any financial support would bring fruitful assistance to others so that they would give thanks. He is just a channel for this benefit to reach others.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

There has been a lot of poohooing of the Apostle Paul. But this was a rare human being.I would have to say that "practice what you preach" must have been Paul's attitude to the uttermost. It was not so much WHAT he did in his work. It was by WHOM was he doing it. Paul did everything he could in the power of Christ's personality and power.I don't know how some people can say "But Paul never knew Jesus Christ".His message was his person. There was no disconnect between his methods and his daily living. The Jesus Christ that he ministered was the Jesus Christ that he lived on a daily, even hour by hour bases.This is a man whom God perfected for his task. And though Paul find it embaressing to have to talk about himself, he was forced to do so, I believe under the sovereignty of God.He says that he and his co-workers can do nothing against the truth. "For we are not able to do anything against the truth but rather for the truth." (2 Cor. 13:8) He and his colleague's conciences will not permit them to act hypocritically. His standard of ethics for himself and for those of his team is very high. They cannot act contrary to the truth.Yet this life he lives he expects his audience also will share. This is encredible to me. His not being able to do anything against the truth he holds out as normal Christian living whether one is an apostle a co-worker for the Lord or not: "Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong, not that we may appear approved, but that you yourselves may do what is good and we may be as if disapproved. For we are not able to do anything against the truth but rather for the truth." This sounds to me that Paul wants his Corinthian audience to surpass himself. He is far beyond simply wanting to be vindicated. He wants them to exceed him to the degree that in comparison he would look bad.This is a congregation arguing with him, debating with him, questioning his motives and methods.Wouldn't it be a honor to know such a man as Paul ? Yet it was the Jesus Christ that had been wrought into Paul is what we are seeing here. The man Paul was pressed out of himself and out of self centeredness to be a slave of Christ reliving Christ's sacrificial service for the Christians.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Okay. To our modern post Women's Suffrage culture this sounds pretty bad. To our sensitivity of Women's Liberation issues, that passages sounds pretty bad.Alright, alright. I don't care for it too much either. We have plenty of speaking from Christians sisters in our meetings.But I have to stick to the topic of what he said about himself. And I have to take into account all of his words and actions.The same man recommends a woman as being noteworthy among the apostles in Romans - "Junia". Could it be that she never opened her mouth in his presence ?How out of step was he with the cultural norms of the day in that region ? Women were not accepted as testifiers in a court of law, if I recall correctly.Anyway, Paul had a couple Priscilla and Aquilla whom he was helped by much. And most of his references to them have the woman's name mentioned first.Now, I don't know whether she was the financially better off. I don't know if she was the more spiritual of the couple or what. But Paul mentioned her name in front of her husband's a couple of times.I think it indicates his high regard for her in the Christian ministry. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Paul taught the same thing in all the churches (1 Cor. 4:17).The apostles were responsible for founding churches and establishing them. If Paul recommended Junia it had something to do with the positive aspects of establishing churches.If you are going to try to dedicate this entire dicussion to Paul and women, let me know. Concerning the criticisms of the Corinthians (that is the place to look for weaknesses right now), Paul said in his First Corinthian letter that he was aware of nothing against himself. "For I am conscious of nothing against myself; but I am not justified in this, but He who examines me is the Lord." (1 Cor. 4:4) This means that his conscience was first accountable to God. In Acts Paul said that he exercised to have a conscience void of offense before God and men.This also means that Paul was not a man pleasure. His greater concern was being under the examination of the Lord God whom he served. Yet he was not oblivious to man's feeling. He just counted man's criticism secondary to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. "Because of this I also exercise myself to always have a conscience without offense toward God and men." (Acts 4:16)I don't think Paul felt convicted of any sin in his instructions to the Corinthian church concerning the sisters and the meetings.He does not say that this aquites him of all blame. But it demonstrates his purity in doing nothing at which he is aware of as an offense toward God and men.Some people are offended where there has been no offense.If you want a lengthy discussion on Paul and women, maybe you could open up your own thread dedicated to that. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

"For out boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in singleness and sincerety of God, not in fleshy wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly towards you." (2 Cor. 1:12) Paul does boast in this letter. He boasts here on behalf of his colleagues.What is Paul's boast here? It is that they know that they labor by the grace of Christ, the empowering of Christ. They work through the Spirit of Christ. They do not work by "fleshly wisdom". That is the wisdom of the natural, unregenerated mind in its politics and worldly philosophy.Paul and his colleagues labored by prayers and fastings for the guidance of God. And Paul boasts that their conscience is clear and strong that this is so. "For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience ..." I don't think this means these men were perfect human beings. It means that they were clear before God that they purposely were doing nothing against the known will of God, as Christ has made it known within them.Now the Corinthians may criticise Paul where God was not criticising him. And today we may scold Paul but where God did not scold Paul.These men were not ruled by preference. What the Lord Jesus wanted is what they trained themselves to want. This is how the Son served the Father. And this is how the Son's apostles served the Son.Paul also says that the Corinthian church also boasted about their apostles. You don't write someone reminding them that they do boast about you if it is not true, I think.Here Paul indicates that at least some in the church boasted of the high quality of these visiting workers like Paul: "Even as also you know us in part, that we are your boast, just as you also are ours in the day of our Lord Jesus." (1:14) He expects that when he appears before Christ to be examined for the qualitiy of his service, he and his colleagues will be able to boast of the church in Corinth.They in turn can then and at the present time boast of the apostles as well.In the next section of this chapter we can see that some Corinthians, however, thought Paul was fickle in keeping his promise to visit Corinth. They did not understand the complexities of their responsibilities. They probably also did not realize how dedicated the apostles were not only to thier local congregation but to many many others as well.Paul has to explain to them that he is still following the Holy Spirit and not being fickle about his travels.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

I will not be continuing any discussion until I receive some explanation for why I was suspended. I see nothing on public records.

I got the reason. I'm back.I'll see if I can avoid the error in the future.