CHAPTER ONE

Contents: Paul's interest in the Corinthian Christians and his encouragement to them in Christ.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul, Timothy, Silvanus.

Conclusion: Man's extremity is God's opportunity. Affliction to the people of God is but a pruning knife to the vine to prepare them for greater usefulness to others. One of the greatest evidences of God's love to His own is to send them afflictions with grace to bear them.

Key Word: Consolation, v. 6.

Strong Verses: 3, 4, 5, 12.

Striking Facts: v. 5. When we truly share the sufferings of Christ, we have in Him peace in the midst of it all, and grace to bear it. The sufferings of the Christian are the sufferings of Christ. He sympathizes with His members when they suffer for His sake.

CHAPTER TWO

Contents: Forgiving those who have fallen into sin. The ministry of the Christian.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul, Titus, an erring brother, Satan.

Conclusion: When a brother is truly penitent for his sin we should not be too rigid or severe with him, lest it give Satan an advantage by driving him to despair, but we should confirm our love to him by forgiving him and showing that our reproofs proceeded from love to his person rather than design to ruin him.

Key Word: Forgiveness, v. 10.

Strong Verses: 14, 15, 16.

Striking Facts: vv. 15-16. Unto some Christ becomes a savour of death unto death. Because they are willfully obstinate, they are finally blinded and hardened by it. They have rejected it to eternal spiritual death. To the humble and gracious, His Gospel becomes the savour of life unto life, quickening them who were "dead in trespasses and sins."

CHAPTER THREE

Contents: The ministry of Christ accredited. Its spiritual and glorious character.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul, Moses.

Conclusion: True ministers are Christ's instruments, for He is the author of all good that is in them and His love and His likeness are revealed in them by the Holy Spirit. They are ministers, not merely of the letter to read the written Word or to preach the letter of the Gospel only, but ministers of the Spirit also. The Spirit accompanies their ministrations and reveals Christ through their lives.

Key Word: Ministry, v. 6.

Strong Verses: 2, 3, 5, 18.

Striking Facts: v. 18. Those who yield to the working of the Holy Spirit may be made more and more into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The Holy Spirit longs to bring us into conformity to the "family likeness" even before the hour when we shall see Him face to face and be made like Him.

CHAPTER FOUR

Contents: Truth taught, commended by the life. The preaching of the Lordship of Christ. The suffering of true ministers with Christ.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul.

Conclusion: A steadfast adherence to the truths of the Gospel, backed by constancy and sincerity, will commend the servant of God to the opinion of wise men. They should not be of proud spirit, but realize that they themselves are but vessels of little worth and in their perplexities for Christ's sake let them know that God is able to support them and in Him they should ever trust and hope.

Key Word: Ministry, v. 1.

Strong Verses: 2, 5, 6, 7, 11, 16, 17, 18.

Striking Facts: vv. 13-14. A great sustaining power for the persecuted servant of Christ is the hope of resurrection through Him. This hope will save us from sinking. We know that Christ was raised and His resurrection is an earnest and assurance of ours. What reason has a Christian to fear death who dies in hope of being raised by the Lord Jesus?

CHAPTER FIVE

Contents: Why death has no terrors for the Lord's servant. The motive and object of ministry for Christ.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul.

Conclusion: The servant of God who has the earnest of the Spirit to give everlasting grace and comfort, with a promise of a glorious resurrection body and the eternal fellowship of the Lord Jesus Himself, cannot but despise the brief sufferings and persecutions of this life, and be constrained by the love of Christ, manifested in the great instance of His dying for us, to persevere in testifying as ambassadors of heaven, to lost men.

Key Word: Servant's hope, v. 1, and Motive, v. 14.

Strong Verses: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21.

Striking Facts: v. 21. Christ was "made sin" not a sinner, but sin a sin-offering or sacrifice. As He Who knew no sin was made sin for us, so we who have no righteousness of our own are made the righteousness of God in Him.

CHAPTER SIX

Contents: Paul's ministry to the . Corinthians. Appeal to separation and cleansing.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul.

Conclusion: The ministers of the Gospel should look upon themselves as God's servants and act in everything suitably to that character. As they are themselves so let them seek to make the followers of Christ under their charge, not only by profession, but in reality, the temples of the Holy Ghost, dedicated to and employed for the service of God and separated from all uncleanness.

Key Word: Separation, v. 17.

Strong Verses: 2, 14, 16, 17.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Contents: Paul opens his heart to the Corinthians concerning purpose of his former letter.

Characters: God, Paul, Titus.

Conclusion: The true servant of God cannot but be grieved that he must rebuke Christians for sin, nor can he shun to make those sorry for a season whom he would rather make glad. If the offenders will but let their sorrow work true repentance, God's minister may rejoice in the nature of their sorrow when it is turned again to joy that is durable.

Key Word: Sorrow to repentance, v. 9.

Strong Verses: 10.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Contents: Collection for the poor. Exhortation concerning the grace of giving.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul, Titus.

Conclusion: Those who truly love the Lord Jesus Who became poor for our sakes, making us rich in eternal things, cannot but dedicate their temporal riches to His disposal for the relief of brethren in Christ who are in need. His rewards for Christian liberality will be based on the will to do, rather than the ability to do, and He takes notice, not of what we give, but what we have left.

Key Word: Liberality, v. 2.

Strong Verses: 7, 9, 12, 21.

Striking Facts: v. 9. Our Lord Jesus, equal in power and glory with the Father, rich in all the glory and blessedness of the upper world, yet for our sakes became, literally, "a beggar." We are thereby made rich in the blessings and promises of the new covenant and the hopes of eternal life. Shall we hold on to our dollars when they are needed for His cause? The best arguments for Christian duties are those taken from the love Christ has manifested to us.

CHAPTER NINE

Contents: Offering for the Jerusalem saints. Encouragement for givers.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul.

Conclusion: Our return in blessings will be proportionate to what we sow. Let our works of charity be therefore done with thought and prayer, rather than by accident, giving cheerfully, not grudgingly, being glad we have ability and opportunity to be charitable. God loveth a cheerful giver, therefore no man can be the loser by doing that with which God is pleased for He is able to make His grace the more abundant toward us.

Key Word: Giving, v. 7.

Strong Verses: 6, 7, 8, 15.

Striking Facts: v. 15. The one Gift, Christ, outshines all others and draws all other divine gifts after it (Rom. 8:32). How can one who is in possession of the "unspeakable gift" grudge money for His service?

CHAPTER TEN

Contents: Vindication of Paul's apostleship, and his appeal to Corinthians as brethren in Christ.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul.

Conclusion: The servants of Christ should be sensible of their own infirmities, thinking humbly of themselves, keeping within their own province and careful to give glory to God in all their work. At the same time let them not betray their authority in Christ. Believers should render humble obedience to them as men set over them by God, not comparing their personal appearance or ways with other popular leaders.

Key Word: Boasting in the Lord, vv. 8, 17.

Strong Verses: 3, 4, 5, 17, 18.

Striking Facts:

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Contents: Paul's godly jealousy for Christ's cause. Warning against false teachers. Paul's enforced boasting.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul, Satan, Eve, Abraham, Aretas, governor of Damascus.

Conclusion: It is no pleasure to a good man to speak well of himself, yet in some cases it is lawful, namely when it is for the advantage of others or for the vindication of the cause of Christ. Those who boast in the Lord can never boast of what they have done, though they may glory in what they have suffered for His sake. Thus are false teachers distinguished from true, for they boast of their works and shun sufferings.

Key Word: Paul's glorying, vv. 10, 30.

Strong Verses: 3, 14, 15, 30.

Striking Facts: v. 2. The Church is the Bride of Christ, Eph. 5:25-32; Rev. 19:6-8; affianced, yet not married, yet as a Body. The espoused Bride is often found flirting with old lovers of the world, a source of grief to the true Bridegroom.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Contents: God's dealing with Paul.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul, Titus, Satan.

Conclusion: The exalted experiences of the Spirit-filled Christian overbalance all he is called upon to bear for Christ's sake. Whom God loves, He will keep from being exalted above measure, and spiritual burdens will be ordered, with grace to bear them, for the keeping down of spiritual pride. As we communicate our experiences let us remember to take notice of what God has done to humble us, as well as to advance us.

Key Word: Glorying (in Christ), v. 5.

Strong Verses: 9, 10.

Striking Facts: vv. 7, 9. The thorns Christ wore for us and with which He was crowned, sanctify and make easy all the thorns in the flesh we may ever be afflicted with. His grace is sufficient and what is health if His grace is not possessed?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Contents: Closing exhortations of Paul to the Corinthians.

Characters: God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Paul.

Conclusion: The great burden of God's faithful representatives is that the Gospel they preach may be honored, however their persons may be vilified. Their heavenly commission is verified through the lives of those in whom Christ is living with power, having believed in Christ through their ministry. Let us examine ourselves whether we be in the faith.

Key Word: Examine yourselves, v. 5.

Strong Verses: 4, 5, 8. 11, 14.

Striking Facts: v. 4. As Christ was crucified in weakness, or appeared to be weak to men, but lives by the power of God, so His representatives, however contemptible they may seem to some, yet are instruments manifesting the power of God, as proven by the souls regenerated, and will yet be vindicated before all men, by their resurrection unto life eternal in Christ.