To receive this, Paul had to believe that God’s grace is sufficient. We usually don’t believe God’s grace is sufficient until we believe we are insufficient. For many of us, especially in American culture, this is a huge obstacle. We are the people who idolize the “self-made man” and want to rely on ourselves. But we can’t receive God’s strength until we know our weakness. We can’t live in the truth that God’s grace is enough until we know that we, in ourselves, are not enough.

My grace is sufficient for you is a great declaration, and you may emphasize any aspect of this sentence.

“My grace is sufficient for you.” Grace is the favor and love of God in action. It means He loves us and is pleased by us. Can you hear it from God? “My love is enough for you.” Isn’t it true?

“My grace is sufficient for you.” Whose grace is it? It is the grace of Jesus. Isn’t His love, His favor, enough? What will Jesus fail at? Remember too that Jesus also suffered thorns; He cares, and He knows.

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is right now. Not that it will be some day, but right now, at this moment, His grace is sufficient. You thought something had to change before His grace would be enough. You thought, “His grace was sufficient once, His grace might be sufficient again, but not now, not with what I am going through.” Despite that feeling, God’s word stands. “My grace is sufficient for you.”

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is rather modest of God to describe His grace as sufficient. That word can be used of something that barely meets the need, but God’s supply is far more than sufficient. The grace of the triumphant, resurrected Jesus is enough – and more than enough!

“My grace is sufficient for you.” I’m so glad God didn’t say, “My grace is sufficient for Paul the Apostle.” I might have felt left out. But God made it broad enough. God’s grace is sufficient for you! Are you beyond it? Are you so different? Is your thorn worse than Paul’s or worse than many others who have known the triumph of Jesus? Of course not.

Brother, sister: this sufficient grace is for you. By faith, receive it in Jesus’ name.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 12

It was important that the Corinthian Christians understand and trust Paul’s apostolic credentials because Paul knew they were attracted to the false apostles who preached another Jesus.

The troublemakers among the Corinthian Christians who stirred up contention against Paul didn’t only attack Paul; they also attacked the true Jesus by preaching another Jesus. Who was this “other Jesus?” Because of the way the Corinthian Christians despised Paul’s image of weakness and unimpressive appearance, the false Jesus promoted among them was probably one who knew no weakness, persecution, humiliation, suffering, or death. This “super Jesus” was another Jesus, not the real Jesus, and another Jesus isn’t real and cannot save.

The Jesus different from what Paul and other faithful apostles had preached was from a different spirit andpresented a different gospel. This was the dangerous, even spiritually deadly error that Paul had warned the Christians in Galatia against (Galatians 1:8-9). In that Galatians 1 passage, Paul explained that those who preached a different gospel should be accursed by God.

Paul described these “different gospel” preachers as he who comes. This set them in contrast to God’s true apostles. An apostle is “one who is sent.” These troublemakers were the opposite of apostles. One could say of them, he who comes. Of an apostle, one would say “one who is sent” by God. These false apostles had simply come; they were not really sent by God.

The problem wasn’t so much that these false teachers had come among the Christians in Corinth. The more significant problem was that the Corinthian Christians put up with them when they should have rejected them and cast them out. These false teachers were a bad influence that were accepted among the Corinthian believers.

The church has the same problem today. It is not surprising that there are false teachers in the church today; the problem is that the church puts up with them and embraces them. Christians of this generation will have to answer to Jesus for their lack of discernment when it comes to the false teachers and leaders accepted and promoted by the church.

Don’t put up with those who preach in a different spirit than Jesus, presenting a different gospel than the New Testament presents.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 11

In this verse, Paul reminds all believers that God is the ultimate giver, who is able to make all grace abound toward His people. As believers give, they must be persuaded that God is able to reward their giving. Just as God is able to make the sowing of seed abound to a great harvest, so God is able to bless the generosity of His people.

In rewarding our giving, God does it with all grace. Our giving is rewarded in many ways, including both the material and the spiritual. Materially, God may bless our giving by job promotions with better pay, by unexpected gifts of money, or by making things last so we don’t suffer the cost of replacing them. Spiritually, God may bless our giving by freeing our hearts from the tyranny of greed and materialism, by giving us a sense of blessing and happiness, and by storing up rich reward in heaven. There is no end to the ways we can be blessed when God is able to make all grace abound toward us.

Part of God’s blessing to the giver is for their always having all sufficiency in all things. That word sufficiency may also be translated contentment and is so in 1 Timothy 6:6. God gives a special gift to the giving heart: always having all contentment in all things. That is a lot of all!

It’s easy for many Christians to say they have this contentment; but whether they have it or not is often more truthfully known by their spending and shopping habits. How much of a place does shopping and buying have in your life? How much does material loss affect your happiness? How happy do you get from having some material thing?

With this contentment, believers can be the richest people in the world. A man might have the wealth of the richest man in the world yet lack contentment. But if we have this contentment, it really does make us better off than the wealthiest people who don’t have it.

Also notice that God blesses His people materially and spiritually so that they will have an abundance for every good work. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. God wants us to be channels of blessing, not reservoirs of blessing.

Dear believer, learn to live in the generosity that is fitting for the people of God. It’s an important step in the path of God’s great gift of contentment.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 9

First, there is something to take away, as we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness. There is a main aspect of cleansing that comes to God’s people as they trust in Jesus and His work for them. This work of cleansing is really God’s work in us and not our work. But there is another aspect of cleansing that God looks for us to do with the participation of our own will and effort; not that it is our work apart from God, but it is a work that awaits our will and effort: let us cleanse ourselves. This aspect of cleansing is mostly connected with a closer relationship with God and usefulness for service.

Sometimes it is easier to deal with the filthiness of the flesh than of the spirit. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, those who were stained by the filthiness of the flesh (such as harlots and tax collectors) found it easy to come to Jesus. But those stained by the filthiness of the spirit (such as the scribes and Pharisees) found it very hard to come to Jesus. Pride, legalism, self-focus, self-righteousness, bitterness, and hatred can all be far worse to deal with than the more obvious sins of the flesh.

Then, there is something to add, as disciples are perfecting holiness in the fear of God. It isn’t enough to only cleanse ourselves from all filthiness. The Christian life is not only getting rid of evil, but also continually doing good and growing complete in holiness. Paul wasn’t writing about a state of sinless perfection. Perfecting has the idea of “complete” and “whole.” Instead of a state of sinless perfection, Paul wrote about a complete, “whole,” holiness.

There are a couple more things to notice in the phrase, cleanse ourselves. Note that Paul included himself among the Corinthian Christians in the category of those who need to be cleansed. If Paul includes himself among those who needed to be cleansed, then what about us?

Also, note that we must take care that we cleanse ourselves and not concern ourselves with cleansingothers. Most of the time we are more concerned with the holiness of others than our own holiness! It’s easy to point at the sins, failings, and weaknesses of other people, but first we should give attention to our own. This is a principle from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:3-5).

If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, there are things God wants you to take away, and things He wants you to add. In the power of God’s Spirit, give attention to these today.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 7

Physical appearance is relatively easy to change, but it is much more difficult to genuinely become a new person. No one has the power to make themselves a person made in the image of Jesus Christ. But Jesus can and does change us. Once He does, then we are called to go out and live like “the new you.”

This promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is remarkably broad, being for anyone. It doesn’t matter what class, what race, what nationality, what language, or what level of intelligence. In Jesus Christ, anyone can be a new creation. However, it is a promise for anyone who is in Christ. This is not a promise for those who are in themselves, or in the religion of men, or in someone or something else. This is for those in Christ.

Paul here taught the great principle of regeneration. Jesus Christ changes those who come to Him by faith and who are in Christ. The saved are not “just forgiven.” They are changed into a new creation.

In 1954, Billy Graham led a remarkable crusade in London. It lasted for weeks and weeks, and ever since, Billy has met people all over the world who were brought to Jesus Christ during that crusade. One story was worthy of mention.

One of Billy Graham’s associates noticed two men come into the crowded arena, and the men sat near the back. They apparently did not know each other, but in just a few moments of loud conversation, they found two things to agree upon: they did not like Americans, and they especially did not like American evangelists like Billy Graham. They agreed that they had both come to see the show, just to make fun of it.

So, they sat in the back and joked around through the whole service. But as Billy Graham presented the message of the gospel – the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done, especially in His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection – the hearts of both men were touched by the Holy Spirit. Both recognized their need for salvation and decided to go forward at the invitation to express their faith and to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. The first man turned to his new companion and said, “I’m going forward.” The other one said, “I am too. And here’s your wallet back – I’m a pickpocket.”

That’s evidence of new life. Have you been made new in Jesus Christ? If you have, are you living like it?

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 5