2 Corinthians Chapter 1: Commentary

 

       1: Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheos our brother to the out-called of God which is at Corinth with all the saints which are in all Achaia 2: Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ 3: Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort 4: The one consoling us in all our affliction that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the consolation wherewith we ourselves are consoled by [1] the God 5: For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ 6: And whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation 7: And our hope over ^hyper you is steadfast knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings so shall ye be also of the consolation 8: For we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia that we were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life 9: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead 10: Who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us 11: You also helping together by prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf 12: For our rejoicing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we behaved in the system and more abundantly to you-ward 13: For we write no other things to you than what you read or acknowledge and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end 14: As also you have acknowledged us in part that we are your rejoicing even as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus [2]15: And in this confidence I was minded to come to you before that you might have a second benefit 16: And to pass by you into Macedonia and to come again out of Macedonia unto you and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea 17: When I therefore was thus minded did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh that with me there should be yea yea and nay nay? 18: But as God is true our word toward you was not yea and nay 19: For the Son of God Jesus the Christ who was preached among you by us even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him was yea 20: For all the promises of God in him are yes and in him Amen ^{let it be so} unto the glory of God by us 21: Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God 22: Who hath also sealed us and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts 23: Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth 24: Not that we are being lords over your faith but are fellow-workers of your joy [3] for by faith you stand

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[1] 2 Corinthians 1:4 The Greek word , hypo, translated as “of.” The same word is translated as "over" in 2 Corinthians 2:11.

[2] 2 Corinthians 1:14 is a reference to standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ, which will take place in Heaven after the resurrection and catching up but before the 2^nd Coming and the Judgment of the Nations, which will take place on earth after the Battle of Armageddon. These events are covered in detail in the book, Bible Prophecy Simplified.

[3] 2 Corinthians 1:24 is one verse of many establishing that there are no hierarchies in the Christian faith. It is entirely relational, and not hierarchical, as is the Godhead.

Do you have insights, comments, or questions about 1 Corinthians Chapter 2? Leave them in the comment section.

1 Corinthians Chapter 16: Commentary

  

  1: Now concerning the collection for the saints as I have prescribed to the out-calleds of of Galatia,[1] even so do ye 2: Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay aside themselves in store as God has prospered that there be no collections when I come 3: And when I come whomsoever you shall approve by your letters them will I send to bring your generosity to Jerusalem 4: And if it be worthwhile that I go also they shall go with me 5: Now I will come to you when I shall pass through Macedonia for I do pass through Macedonia ^{Acts 16:9} 6: And it may be that I will abide yes and winter with you that you may send me forth on my journey where-so-ever I may go 7: For I will not see you now by the way but I trust to tarry a while with you if the Lord permit 8: But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost 9: For a great door and fruitful is opened to me and many ones opposing 10: Now if Timotheus come see that he may be with you without fear for he works the work of the Lord as I also do 11: Let not any therefore despise him ^{1 Timothy 4:12} but conduct him forth in peace that he may come to me for I look for him with the brethren 12: As touching [our] brother Apollos I greatly desired him to come to you with the brethren but his will was not at all to come at this time but he will come when he shall have convenient time [2] 13: Watch Stand fast in the faith Be strong [3], staunch 14: Do everything, your all, in love 15: I beseech you brethren you know the house of Stephana[4] that it is the firstfruits of Achaia and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints [5] 16: That you yield to [cooperate with] such[6] and to every one that works together and toils [7] 17: I am glad of the coming of Stephana and Fortunatus and Achaicus for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied 18: For they have refreshed my spirit and yours therefore be recognizing them that are such 19: The out-calleds of Asia salute you Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord with the out-called that is in their house 20: All the brethren greet you Greet ye one another with a holy kiss 21: The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand 22: If any love not the Lord Jesus Christ they are bound under a great curse ^anathema when our Lord has come when our Lord has come  ^{maranatha maranatha} [8] 23: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you 24: My love be with you all in Christ Jesus Amen

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[1] A hierarchical translation of this verse would have been typical during times when the Pope was the premiere political power in Europe. Translators of that period, would naturally interpret biblical languages through filters of subjection to Popes, Queens, and Kings who wielded much more actual authority, then, than they do today. But, though times have changed, the bias continues as modern translators continue to follow suit, even when both the text and entire tenor of the the New Testament do not call for it. A predilection for power is the only explanation for hermeneutical discrimination in favor of a military-like power structure. Additionally, history records that, with few exceptions, it is only men who have been included in that power structure ^{Genesis 3:16}. Paul would have been contradicting the example of Jesus himself ^{John 13:14} if he began ruling over the churches. Peter wrote that leaders should do no such thing, but should rather lead by example ^{1 Peter 5:2-3}. Paul asked the churches to follow him only as he followed Christ. He commended the Church at Berea for searching the scriptures daily to judge everything he said by the Word of God ^{Acts 17:10-11} (as the scriptures commanded they do ^{Isaiah 8:19-20}). Tyndale, who died at the stake for bringing the scriptures to the people in English, did not translate this verse in a hierarchical fashion. He wrote, “As I have ordained in the congregations…see also Tyndale’s translation in the last verse of 2 Corinthians, chapter 1, ‘…not that we be lords over your faith but helpers of your joy…’”

[2] 1 Corinthians 16:12: Apollos did not have a problem saying no. Notice he did not say he “couldn’t” come. He said he “wouldn’t” come. It seems the only reason he gave for declining the request was that it was not convenient for him at this time. It is OK to say no.

[3] The old English phrase “quit you like men” simply means “Be Strong.” When men are speaking to one another, they might say something like, “Man up!” or “Be a man!” But Paul is writing to the out-calleds of Corinth, which included both men and women, so we know he was telling every believer in Corinth (not just the men) to be strong and staunch—steadfast.

[4] The Textus Receptus (Greek Text of Stephens 1550, as seen in the Berry Interlinear) uses the feminine name, Stephana. But Berry, when he renders it in English, deceptively adds an “s” to the end of the name, ^{See image below}, in an attempt to mask the feminine proper noun (although, even with the “s,” Stephana[s] is still feminine).

James Strong, also exhibits bias and aversion to the feminine name, Stephanas (Original Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, using the Textus Receptus, Elzevir 1624^[?])**, passing the word off as a proper masculine noun. Strong counters the feminine appearance of the name, by claiming the stand-alone root word is probably a derivative and contraction of the masculine name, Stephanoo (G4737). Among scholars, there is strong consensus on masking the feminine nature of the name, Stephana/Stephanas, by claiming it is, “perhaps,“ merely a nickname for the masculine Stephanoo or Stephanotos. The complementarian editors of the online Blue Letter Bible, go along with the deception. They admit to the etymology of Stephana, as a stand-alone root word, yet include the claim that it is “probably” derived from the name, Stephanoo (G4737). They mis-define the word as a, “proper masculine noun.” Rather than admit that Stephana is a woman, commentators prefer to appear ignorant of the fact that Stephana has always been a known female name. They falsely claim the word is a mystery. Stephana has always been a common name for Greek women, and in modern Greece, the name is still in use. It is the feminine form of Stephanos, just as in English, Stephanie is the feminine of Stephan, Michael is the masculine of Michaela, Roberta is the feminine of Robert, so on and so forth…. http://www.meaning-of-names.com/greek-names/stephana.asp

**Both Stephens’ and Elzevir’s texts are called, Textus Receptus, because, as Berry wrote, “In the main, they are one and the same.”

[5] There is one addiction permitted to believers, and that is serving others. Stephanas and her household were addicted to caring for the needs of believers.

[6] Paul pleads with the Church at Corinth to cooperate with the house of Stephana. Was that request necessary because Stephana was a woman? He reminds the Corinthians that she and her family are worthy of honor and cooperation.

1 Corinthians 16:16 is an example of the Greek word, hypotasso (G5293), being used in the sense of mutual submission and cooperation among believers (with emphasis on cooperating with those who were of the house of Stephana). To say the word, hypotasso, is used here to mean a military-like chain of command, with Paul at the head (similar to a Pope), would be an exaggeration. Also, the emphatic “yourselves,” as in submit “yourselves,” is not found in the Greek. It is a translator supplement which is often used in tandem with the word, hypotasso. The addition of the emphatic, “yourselves,” aids in conveying a false understanding of a martial hierarchy that does not exist in the New Testament.   

[7] The hierarchical flavor of the passage increases with translator addition of the words “with us” (works “with us” ^AV), creating a non-existent military hierarchy consisting of the apostles down. All translations do not add the words “with us,” in verse 16, but some do even worse, such as the NASB mistranslating the Greek word, toioutos, as “men,” making that translation read, “be in subjection to such men…” Some of those from the house of Stephana (a woman) may have been men, but the scriptures do not specify that.

[8] 1 Corinthians 16:22, is a reference to the pre-tribulational resurrection and rapture of those who are “in Christ.”

The Greek word, maranatha, meaning “our Lord has come,” is repeated at the end of this verse: maranatha maranatha. Two things will happen when our Lord shall come…For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and 1.) the dead in Christ shall rise first (resurrection) then  2.)  we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (rapture); and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Maranatha, Maranatha…The dead in Christ—Maranatha. And we who are alive and remain—Maranatha.

The anathema, the curse of The Great Affliction will bind those who will be left behind. The Great Tribulation is referred to in The Revelation 7:14, “These are the ones coming out of THE GREAT AFFLICTION.” The Greek is clear on this. The Great Affliction is the anathema that will follow on the heels of maranatha maranatha. The Great Affliction is synonymous with the time Jesus warned of in Matthew 24 (For then shall be great affliction such as was not since the beginning of the Kosmos to this time No nor ever shall be (again)). It is synonymous with the horrific time known as the Time of Jacob’s trouble. It is the curse contained in the flying scroll that Zechariah saw going forth.

Acts Chapter 18: Visions Women in Leadership Nicolaitans

    1: After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth 2: And found a certain Jew named Aquila born in Pontus lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome and came to them 3: And because he was of the same craft he abode with them and worked for by their occupation they were tentmakers 4: And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks 5: And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ 6: And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed he shook his raiment and said to them Your blood be upon your own heads I am clean from now on I will go to the Gentiles 7: And he departed from there and entered into a certain man's house named Justus one who worshipped God whose house joined hard to the synagogue 8: And Crispus the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord with all his house and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized 9: Then spoke the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision Be not afraid but speak and hold not your peace 10: For I am with you and no one shall set on you to hurt you[1] for I have much people in this city 11: And he continued there a year and six months teaching the word of God among them 12: And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat 13: Saying This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law 14: And when Paul was now about to open his mouth Gallio said to the Jews If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness O you Jews reason would that I should bear with you 15: But if it be a question of words and names and of your law look you to it for I will be no judge of such matters 16: And he drove them from the judgment seat 17: Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes the chief ruler of the synagogue and beat him before the judgment seat And Gallio cared about none of those things 18: And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while and then took his leave of the brethren and sailed from there into Syria and with him Priscilla and Aquila having shorn his head in Cenchrea for he had a vow[2]  19: And he came to Ephesus and left them there but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews[3] 20: When they desired him to tarry longer time with them he consented not 21: But bid them farewell saying I must by all means keep this feast that comes in Jerusalem but I will return again to you if God wills And he sailed from Ephesus 22: And when he had landed at Caesarea and gone up and greeted the church he went down to Antioch 23: And after he had spent some time there he departed and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order strengthening all the disciples 24: And a certain Jew named Apollos born at Alexandria an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures[4] came to Ephesus 25: This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in the spirit he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the baptism of John 26: And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard they took him to them and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly[5] 27: And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia the brethren wrote exhorting the disciples to receive him who when he was come helped them much who had believed through grace 28: For he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ[6]

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[1] Even though Paul was bold, he had fears, just like everyone else. He had already been whipped (39 stripes), imprisoned, and stoned for the cause of Christ. God, in his infinite mercy, came to Paul in a vision to calm his fears. It is a sorry fact, that even though people must believe in the supernatural to even identify as Christians, God’s people are often taught to fear and shun the mystical which includes salvation itself, along with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, i.e., ministry gifts, the miraculous gifts, and fruits of the Spirit. This writer’s opinion is that this is done to empower the Nicolaitan-like, hierarchal, structure of all denominations and most churches. 

[2]  Paul consecrated himself to God by taking a Nazarite vow which is described as following:   Numbers 6:1 And YHWH spoke to Moses saying 2: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them When either a man or a woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite to separate themselves to YHWH 3: They shall separate themselves from wine and strong drink and shall drink no vinegar of wine or vinegar of strong drink neither shall they drink any liquor of grapes nor eat moist grapes or dried 4: All the days of their separation shall they eat nothing that is made of the vine tree from the kernels even to the husk 5: All the days of the vow of their separation there shall no razor come upon their heads until the days be fulfilled in the which they separate themselves to YHWH they shall be holy and shall let the locks of the hair of their heads grow 6: All the days that they separate themselves to YHWH they shall come at no dead body 7: They shall not make themselves unclean for their father or for their mother for their brother or for their sister when they die because the consecration of their God is upon their heads 8: All the days of their separation they are holy unto YHWH 9: And if any one die very suddenly by them and they have defiled the head of their consecration then they shall shave their heads in the day of their cleansing on the seventh day shall they shave it 10: And on the eighth day they shall bring two turtles or two young pigeons to the priest to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 11: And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering and make an atonement for them for that they sinned by the dead and shall hallow their heads that same day 12: And they shall consecrate unto YHWH the days of their separation and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering but the days that were before shall be lost because their separation was defiled 13: And this is the law of the Nazarite when the days of their separation are fulfilled they shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 14: And they shall offer their offering to YHWH one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering and one ram without blemish for peace offerings 15: And a basket of unleavened bread cakes of fine flour mingled with oil and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil and their meat offering and their drink offerings 16: And the priest shall bring them before YHWH and shall offer their sin offering and their burnt offering 17: And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto YHWH with the basket of unleavened bread the priest shall offer also their meat offering and their drink offering 18: And the Nazarite shall shave the head of their separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and shall take the hair of the head of their separation and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings 19: And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram and one unleavened cake out of the basket and one unleavened wafer and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite after the hair of their separation is shaved 20: And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before YHWH this is holy for the priest with the wave breast and heave shoulder and after that the Nazarite may drink wine 21: This is the law of the Nazarite who has vowed and of their offering to YHWH for their separation beside that that their hand shall get according to the vow which they vowed so they must do after the law of their separation.

[3] Because of his shaved head, the Jews could readily see that Paul had recently taken a Nazarite vow. The shaved head was therefore a holy thing to the Jews--not a fashion statement—as was the uncut hair of the Nazarite. Only those who had taken a Nazarite vow were forbidden to cut their hair, but only during the days of their vow—it did not matter whether they were men or women. Nowhere in the Bible are women commanded to allow their hair to grow or forbidden to cut their hair—both are associated with the holy vow of the Nazarite. Ezekiel wrote about people who did not know the difference between the holy and the profane. 

[4] To be “Mighty in the scriptures” consists not only of knowing the Word of God, but obeying the Word of God. Jesus said strength comes from being doers of the Word not hearers only. 

[5] Priscilla was teacher to this man, who was already a teacher and a preacher “mighty in the scriptures,” right along with Aquila. It is remarkable that this is the third-time Luke mentions Priscilla by her name. And in the previous mention, she was named first—before her husband. This was simply not done in ancient times, and rarely done now, even in modern times—unless it is a deliberate choice on the part of the writer—so it is certain that Luke (who was a Greek physician—the Greeks were even more misogynistic than the Jews) was deliberately challenging the gender biased social norms of his time by naming Priscilla at all, much less by naming her first in the previous mention.

[6] It was the scriptures of the Old Testament that he was expounding from. We should never cast aside the Old Covenant as irrelevant to New Testament Christianity as it was the Bible of the early Church. The Word of God is all one. Christians have a duty and high calling to know the Word of God—all of it. When Paul, in his letters to the churches, exhorted to study the scriptures, he was referring to the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Covenant (they had also been translated into Greek [the Septuagint—LXX]).

John 6:5-12 Miracles Hierarchy Bible Versions Pentecost The Time of Jacob's Trouble

 John 6:5-12 When Iesous then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come to him he said to Philip Where shall we buy food that these may eat 6: And this he said to test him for he himself knew what he would do 7: Philip answered him Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them that every one of them may take a little 8: One of his disciples Andrew Simon Peter's brother said to him 9: There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fishes but what are they among so many 10: And Iesous said Make the people sit down Now there was much grass in the place So the people sat down in number about five thousand 11: And Iesous took the loaves and when he had given thanks he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to them that were set down [1] and likewise of the fishes as much as they desired 12: When they were filled he said to his disciples Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost [2]

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[1] Some use the manner, described here, in which Jesus distributed the loaves and fishes to be an example of a military-like chain of command within God’s Church, but this is not the case. The King James Bible is criticized by many as reflecting the archaic biases of the time it was translated in. And this is true, but only in the English. The Greek text its New Testament was translated from does not reflect those biases—as almost all other Greek texts do. It is a surprising fact that almost all English translations not only retain a hierarchal flavor but the biases are also found in the Greek texts they are translated. That is why this writer calls the Received Text the friend of liberty and autonomy for all believers. It is true the translators of the King James Version were instructed to follow the Bishops Bible as closely as possible. The Bishops Bible was a beloved translation in its time, but it was translated under the established authority of the church, in 1568, and so reflected the hierarchal world view of the translators. But it must be remembered that our English Bibles were not originally written in English, rather in Hebrew and Greek (with a smattering of Aramaic). It is important to understand that there is diversity among the Hebrew and Greek texts our English versions are translated from. And it is vital to understand the difference between the facts of Bible history and the propaganda involved in educating believers on the subject. This writer is a proponent of the Ben Chayyim Masoretic text (Old Testament) and the Received Text (New Testament), but understands that no English translation is without flaws.

God has given ministry gifts to the Body of Christ—his Church—which is an organism, not an organization, in the form of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. Those who possess these gifts are instructed to use them for the feeding of the sheep (all believers) ^{John 21:16-17} the equipping of the Saints (all believers), the service of God, and the building up of the Body of Christ ^{Ephesians 4:11-13}. The illustration in this chapter, of Jesus distributing to his disciples and the disciples then distributing to the people, cannot be taken to mean that Jesus came to set up a hierarchal New Covenant system with an inviolable separation between laity and clergy. It does mean that those called of God to win souls and feed God’s flock, should take that calling very seriously, remain humble, and remember that they will answer to God for how they did or did not obey him in serving those under their care or within their spheres of influence. The New Covenant (Received Text) instructs all believers—Older, younger, pastors, church members, men, women, etc.—to be subject to (meaning to yield to/prefer one another before themselves) one another ^{1 Peter 5:5}.

[2] The act of gathering up the fragments that remain that “nothing be lost” brings to mind the harvest season of Pentecost (the time of "Christ in You" / Dispensation of Grace) and the gleaning season of The Great Tribulation/Time of Jacob’s Trouble, in relation to Jesus saying that he had come to save that which was lost.

Additional commentary pending for this chapter. Questions and comments are welcome.