2 Corinthians

The Second Epistle

This second epistle to the Church in Corinth differs from the first. It is certainly shorter.^[1] It is actually to all the churches in Achaia which included much of what we would call Greece today. Eventhough it is much shorter the word "Grace"^[2] appears twice as much in 2 Corinthians than it does in 1 Corinthians.

And the English term love appears 5 times in 1 Corinthians, and a 11 times 2 Corinthians. While the Greek word "agape"^[3], a noun, appears 11 times in 1 Corinthians, 9 times 2 Corinthians but "agapao" the verb, appears 11 times in 1 Corinthians, 9 times 2 Corinthians. The term love in some form, either verb or noun, love or charity, actually appears 22 times in 1 Corinthians, 18 times 2 Corinthians.

It is clear that the second epistle is focused on love and forgiveness, grace and charity.

But as we will clearly see Paul is not without his warnings and a reference to those who fall amongst the long lists^[4] of people who are clearly not saved in chapters 6^[5] and 12^[6] and chapter 13 in reference to his "sharpness" if they fail to heed his warnings and examine their faith.^[7]

Corinthians Index

↑ There are 6,830 words in 1 Corinthians and only 4,477 words in 2 Corinthians
↑ 5485 ~χάρις~ charis \@khar’-ece\@ from 5463; n f AV-grace 130, favour 6, thanks 4, thank 4, thank + 2192 3, pleasure 2, misc 7; 156
1) grace
1a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
2a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues

3) what is due to grace
3a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace

3b) the token or proof of grace, benefit
3b1) a gift of grace

3b2) benefit, bounty

4) thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward
↑
26 ~ἀγάπη~ agape \@ag-ah’-pay\@ from 25; n f AV-love 86, charity 27, dear 1, charitably+ 2596 1, feast of charity 1; 116
1) {Singular} brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence {#Joh 15:13 Ro 13:10 1Jo 4:18}
1a) Of the love of men to men; esp. Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or expressed {#Mt 14:12 1Co 13:1-4,8 14:1 2Co 2:4 Ga 5:6 Phm 5,7 1Ti 1:5 Heb 6:10 10:24 1Jo 4:7 Re 2:4,19} &c

1b) Of the love of men towards God {#Lu 11:42 Joh 5:42 1Jo 2:15 3:17 4:12 5:3}

1c) Of the love of God towards man {#Ro 5:8 8:39 2Co 13:14}

1d) Of the love of God towards Christ {#Joh 15:10 17:26}

1e) Of the love of Christ towards men {#Joh 15:8-13 2Co 5:14 Ro 8:35 Eph 3:19}

2) {plural} love feasts expressing and fostering mutual love which used to be held by Christians before the celebration of the Lord’s supper, and at which the poorer Christians mingled with the wealthier and partook in common with the rest of the food provided at the expense of the wealthy. {#Jude 12 2Pe 2:13 Ac 2:42,46 1Co 11:17-34}
- Syn.: ~φιλία~ 5373 ~ἀγάπη~, signifying properly (v. s. ~αγαραω~ 25) love which chooses its object, is taken from the LXX, where its connotation is more general, into the NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thus distinct from ~φιλία~, \@friendship\@ (#Jas 4:4 only), ~στοργη~, \@natural affection\@ (in the NT only in its compounds, v. s. ~ἄστοργος~ 794) and ~ερως~ \@sexual love,\@ which is not used in the NT, in its place being taken by ~επιηυμια~ 1939.
↑ Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
↑ 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
↑ 2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: 21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
↑ 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7 ¶ Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. 10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

[1] There are 6,830 words in 1 Corinthians and only 4,477 words in 2 Corinthians

[grace-2] 5485 ~χάρις~ charis \@khar’-ece\@ from 5463; n f AV-grace 130, favour 6, thanks 4, thank 4, thank + 2192 3, pleasure 2, misc 7; 156
1) grace
1a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
2a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues

3) what is due to grace
3a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace

3b) the token or proof of grace, benefit
3b1) a gift of grace

3b2) benefit, bounty

4) thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward

[charity-3] 26 ~ἀγάπη~ agape \@ag-ah’-pay\@ from 25; n f AV-love 86, charity 27, dear 1, charitably+ 2596 1, feast of charity 1; 116
1) {Singular} brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence {#Joh 15:13 Ro 13:10 1Jo 4:18}
1a) Of the love of men to men; esp. Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or expressed {#Mt 14:12 1Co 13:1-4,8 14:1 2Co 2:4 Ga 5:6 Phm 5,7 1Ti 1:5 Heb 6:10 10:24 1Jo 4:7 Re 2:4,19} &c

1b) Of the love of men towards God {#Lu 11:42 Joh 5:42 1Jo 2:15 3:17 4:12 5:3}

1c) Of the love of God towards man {#Ro 5:8 8:39 2Co 13:14}

1d) Of the love of God towards Christ {#Joh 15:10 17:26}

1e) Of the love of Christ towards men {#Joh 15:8-13 2Co 5:14 Ro 8:35 Eph 3:19}

2) {plural} love feasts expressing and fostering mutual love which used to be held by Christians before the celebration of the Lord’s supper, and at which the poorer Christians mingled with the wealthier and partook in common with the rest of the food provided at the expense of the wealthy. {#Jude 12 2Pe 2:13 Ac 2:42,46 1Co 11:17-34}

Syn.: ~φιλία~ 5373 ~ἀγάπη~, signifying properly (v. s. ~αγαραω~ 25) love which chooses its object, is taken from the LXX, where its connotation is more general, into the NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thus distinct from ~φιλία~, \@friendship\@ (#Jas 4:4 only), ~στοργη~, \@natural affection\@ (in the NT only in its compounds, v. s. ~ἄστοργος~ 794) and ~ερως~ \@sexual love,\@ which is not used in the NT, in its place being taken by ~επιηυμια~ 1939.

[4] Syn.: ~φιλία~ 5373 ~ἀγάπη~, signifying properly (v. s. ~αγαραω~ 25) love which chooses its object, is taken from the LXX, where its connotation is more general, into the NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thus distinct from ~φιλία~, \@friendship\@ (#Jas 4:4 only), ~στοργη~, \@natural affection\@ (in the NT only in its compounds, v. s. ~ἄστοργος~ 794) and ~ερως~ \@sexual love,\@ which is not used in the NT, in its place being taken by ~επιηυμια~ 1939.

[4] Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

[5] 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

[6] 2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: 21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

[7] 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7 ¶ Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. 10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

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2 Corinthians

The Second Epistle

Corinthians Index

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