Second Corinthians Quotes

“First, everything he does—including writing this letter—is undertaken as one who stands in the sight of God.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“The more we are aware of our personal inadequacies, the more inclined we are to turn in prayer to the risen Lord and open ourselves to the grace he generously offers. When we open ourselves to the power of this grace, we can”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“What he needs most, grace—the gift of divine life imparted to him at his baptism and the divine power that commissioned him to be an †apostle—is what the Lord continues to offer to him. And this grace is “sufficient” because, paradoxically, the mysterious divine “power” (dynamis) accomplishes its purpose in the arena of weakness.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“For the most part, prayer in the New Testament is directed to God the Father (e.g., 2 Cor 1:3; 2:14). However, from the earliest times in the Church, prayers were also offered to the Lord Jesus (e.g., Acts 7:59–60; 9:10–17; 22:19; 1 Cor 1:2; 16:22). In fact, the New Testament ends with the prayer “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Paul’s begging three times to be relieved of his affliction echoes Jesus’ threefold prayer in Gethsemane, on the night before he died, that the cup of suffering be taken from him (Mark 14:36). Jesus’ prayer in the garden concluded with the petition to God the Father: “not what I will but what you will.” Similarly, Paul has now committed himself to aligning his will with the divine will, as revealed to him in verse 9.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Paul’s point is that God has permitted Satan’s “angel” to afflict him in order to keep him from becoming overly proud. 12:8 Paul’s pain and”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Third, it is thought that he suffered some physical malady, such as headaches, fevers, or problems with his eyes (see Gal 4:13–14; 6:11). This line of interpretation is widely accepted today.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“That is, within the context of the community’s worship, Paul prioritizes teaching over tongues because others can benefit from teaching, whereas uninterpreted tongues are, in effect, a personal experience of prayer (1 Cor 14:2, 4). In doing so, he insists that the fundamental call of all Christians is to build up the body of Christ. This is what Paul wants the Corinthians to see in him in 2 Cor 12:6. His purpose is not to denigrate or stifle spiritual experiences or the life of prayer; nevertheless, he consistently directs his spiritual children to focus on the fruit of self-giving love (e.g., 1 Cor 13:4–7) produced by the Spirit.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“the final analysis, these are deeply personal experiences. What Paul desires is to be regarded solely on the basis of what one sees in him or hears from him. Rather than being highly thought of because of his mystical encounters with God, he wants the Corinthians to focus on how he lives and what he says (see Phil 4:9). What does Paul preach? The good news that Jesus Christ is Lord. How does he comport himself? As a slave whose self-giving love is modeled on Jesus (2 Cor 4:5). It is solely the proclamation of the †gospel—verbal and embodied—that the community is to heed, not the reports about unverifiable spiritual encounters.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“At a deeper and more ironic level, he criticizes the interlopers for boasting about such spiritual experiences. There is a certain playfulness with which Paul recounts his journey to the third heaven: he is not certain how he was taken up, he does not report what he saw, and he cannot repeat what he heard.[6] He thereby suggests that, while this mysterious experience was important to him personally, it did not provide him with information he could use in his ministry. It is”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“The word Paradise derives from a Persian word for a walled garden. The †Septuagint uses this term to translate the “garden” of Eden where God placed Adam and Eve (Gen 2:8). By Paul’s time, Paradise had come to be understood by many Jews in an †eschatological sense, referring to a place where the righteous deceased reside, a place hidden at the present that will appear at the end of history when God will definitively set all things right. It is often described as resembling the original Garden of Eden (e.g., 2 Enoch 8). This is similar to how Paradise is used in the New Testament (Rev 2:7; see also Luke 23:43).”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“The mysterious, extraordinary, and transcendent quality of his experience is also suggested by the twofold use of the verb was caught up (vv. 2, 4). The same verb is used in 1 Thess 4:17 to describe how believers, both living and dead, “will be caught up,” or snatched up, in the clouds to meet the Lord at his coming in glory. It conveys a sense of suddenness and surprise. Note too the passive voice of the verb. This is an instance of the †divine passive, which puts the accent on God’s initiative and activity rather than on any action of Paul, who was merely the recipient of the revelation.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“the passage unfolds, it becomes apparent that Paul is referring to himself. Why, then, does he use the third person? Such an intimate, spiritual experience is best kept to oneself. He”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Visions” and “revelations” should be understood as a hendiadys, the use of two words to express a single reality—in this case, revelatory experiences that have both visual and audible features.[1] Paul qualifies these “visions and revelations” with the phrase of the Lord. In doing so, he suggests that the Lord Jesus is the source of these profound spiritual experiences and that their content concerns things about Jesus himself.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Rather, he chooses once again to boast of his weakness, this time concerning a “thorn in the flesh” he received in the aftermath of his revelatory experience. Paul’s boast reaches its climax with the risen Lord’s revelation that power is made perfect in weakness (12:7b–”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Rather, he chooses once again to boast of his weakness, this time concerning a “thorn in the flesh” he received in the aftermath of his revelatory experience. Paul’s boast reaches its climax with the risen Lord’s revelation”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Paul therefore holds out as his “crowning achievement” his commitment to courageously proclaim the gospel and his following the way of Christ. This is the path to attain the only crown worth pursuing, “the crown of righteousness …, which the Lord, the just judge, will award” (2 Tim”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“during a siege. Paul turns this convention on its head.[15] Unlike the powerful, daring soldier who climbs up and enters the opponents’ stronghold, the Apostle portrays himself as a helpless figure who is lowered in order to escape the fray. Paul’s point is that he is a different kind of “soldier” (10:3–6). While he does wield powerful “weapons” (6:7), they are those of the gospel of a crucified and risen †Messiah; that is, they are manifested by wielding the sword of God’s word (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12) and by embodying the self-giving love of Jesus.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“What Paul does at all costs is to avoid their being led to sin (1 Cor 8:13—the Greek literally means “cause to stumble”). When others in the community cause the weak to stumble, he becomes indignant. In this, Paul shows the same compassionate zeal that Jesus manifested on behalf of the “little ones” (Mark 9:42) and demonstrates his own teaching that if one member of the body of Christ suffers, the whole body suffers (1 Cor 12:26).”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“While the Apostle can in truth boast about many things, he considers them as nothing in comparison with “gain[ing] Christ and be[ing] found in him” (Phil 3:8–9).”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“exercise self-control in the use of one’s powers is, in actuality, an act of strength. The reference to weakness introduces a key theme that he will develop in the course of his “fool’s speech” (11:29–30; 12:5, 9–10). It is weakness—understood in Paul’s sense of the term—that will become the object of his boasting.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Authentic “ministers of righteousness,” true ministers of the †new covenant (3:6, 9), are marked by their walking in Christ’s loving, self-giving way of life by which they participate in the ongoing revelation of God’s righteousness (5:21); they serve the gospel by courageously proclaiming its truths. Finally, the Apostle makes clear that for serving Satan’s purposes the interlopers will face harsh judgment (5:10): their end will correspond to their deeds.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“He now makes clear that his motivation is love. Just as Jesus’ manner of living, which culminated in his death on the cross, was an expression of his love (5:14), so is Paul’s commitment to minister to the Corinthians without taking financial remuneration from them. Indeed,”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Paul wants the Corinthians to understand the truth about the †Messiah, whose manner of life was marked by his unequivocal commitment to obey God’s will and by his innocence and self-giving love.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“This traditional interpretation of verse 3, while correct, misses a subtle point. An alternate translation that, in my opinion, reflects the Greek more accurately is: “I am afraid that … your thoughts may be corrupted from the single-heartedness and the purity that is in Christ.” Elsewhere I have argued at length that Paul refers here to two attributes of Jesus, his single-hearted devotion (haplotēs) to God and his innocent purity.[”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“In order to appreciate Paul’s meaning here, we must know something about Jewish marriage practices at that time. The act of betrothal was legally binding in a way that engagement in our society is not.[2] Once it was agreed that a woman was betrothed to a man for marriage, it was her father’s legal responsibility to safeguard her virginity until the time when she left her parents’ house to move in with her husband—usually a period of one year. Notice that Paul refers to himself once again as the spiritual father of the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:15; 2 Cor 6:13; 12:14–15). In founding the church in Corinth, he betrothed the community to Christ as their “husband.” It is now Paul’s obligation to protect the Corinthians from paramours and other suitors so that he can present them “as a chaste virgin to Christ.” The consummation of this marriage will take place when the risen Lord returns in glory.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“Paul’s teaching here reminds us that authority is given for service. In doing so, he echoes Jesus’ teaching (e.g., Mark 10:42–44; John 13:12–17).”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“is striking that, in reporting his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus—the encounter that constituted his apostolic calling—Paul employs the language of Jeremiah’s call (Gal 1:15–16; see Jer 1:5). Thus he also alludes here to his original call from the Lord, which is the basis of all his missionary activity. Unlike Jeremiah, however, Paul’s authority is solely for building people up and not for tearing them down.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“envisions his work of proclaiming the gospel as a type of rescue operation—and, in doing so, he adapts the notion of taking captives, turning it into something positive for those so “captured.”[6] That is, he seeks to bring his hearers into the light of “the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ” (4:6). While Paul refers here to “thoughts,” his real concern is for the persons who hold them. His assumed logic is that people must correctly understand the gospel if they are to live by it.”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS

“The true gospel, proclaimed by Christians through word and deed, reveals the emptiness of any theology that does not take full account of the power of the cross. The gospel makes manifest the harmful consequences of setting one’s mind on “the things of the flesh” (Rom 8:5–8). It also deflates all forms of arrogance. Indeed,”
― Thomas D. Stegman, Second Corinthians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS