Thinking Through Second Corinthians: A Study Guide and Exposition

THINKING THROUGH SECOND CORINTHIANS is a Bible study guide, but it is much more than just a study guide. Its 128 pages are packed with insightful exposition, and its questions are carefully formulated to truly guide students through the thought processes of the apostle Paul as he wrote his most personally revealing letter. Students who apply themselves to the study of Second Corinthians with this book as a guide will come away with a fuller, more accurate understanding of the meaning of the text, and of its application to their lives.

Paul taught the Corinthians— by example and instruction— how to look at the trials, the sorrows, and the mortality of this life from a whole new point of view— -- not from the myopic point of view of the world in which we live, but from the eternal point of view of heaven. Likewise, today’s reader of that epistle, with the aid of Mott’'s study guide, can learn to see this life more like God sees it and less like the unbelieving world.

THINKING THROUGH SECOND CORINTHIANS is divided into thirteen lessons, which fall within the three major divisions of the epistle: Chapters 1-7 (Discussion of Apostolic Ministry, Interwoven with Narrative of Paul’s Relations With the Corinthians), Chapters 8-9 (The Collection for the Needy Saints in Jerusalem), and Chapters 10-13 (Vindication of Paul’s Apostleship Against False Teachers). The thirteen lessons roughly correspond to the thirteen chapters of the book.

QUESTIONS provoke readers to a genuine engagement with the text, and toward an accurate understanding of the Holy Spirit’s intent.

NOTES explain word meanings, offer explanations of difficult or confusing passages, quote other scholars, point out other passages which shed light on the meaning, and generally give explanations which illuminate the text.

A SAMPLE OF THE RICHES OF SECOND CORINTHIANS

IT TEACHES US the mutual comfort that disciples can be to each other, even in the face of severe affliction.

IT TEACHES US the triumph that we have in Christ, and the glory of the new covenant.

IT TEACHES US that even while experiencing the dismaying decay of our earthly bodies, believers may exult in the spiritual renewal which they experience day by day.

IT TEACHES US that leaving this life is not something to be feared, because it is only through this transition that we can be united with Christ.

IT TEACHES US how to rejoice though sorrowful; how to be rich though poor; how to have everything even when we have nothing.

IT TEACHES US to avoid improper bonds with unbelievers and how to achieve the needful bonds with fellow saints.

IT TEACHES US the bountiful blessings that accrue only through sacrificial and cheerful giving.

IT TEACHES US how to hold fast to the Truth when teachers within our churches cause confusion and we are not sure whether they are leading us closer to God’s will or astray from it.

IT TEACHES US how to deal with those false teachers once they have been identified.

IT TEACHES US how to understand a situation in which we pray fervently for something we are convinced we deeply need, yet God seems to say, "No."

L.A. Mott, Jr. has been a serious student of the Scriptures for over forty years. Through lectures, books, tapes and magazine articles, he has shared the fruit of his study with students all across the U.S. and internationally.

Two fundamental principles from Second Timothy 3:16–17 undergird all his efforts: the sufficiency of Scripture and the value of all Scripture.

He has written study guides that cover the whole Bible and eleven commentaries on books of the Bible.