2 Coríntios 1

2 Coríntios 1

Piper comments on Bunyan's words - The phrase that I have fastened on for the title and focus of this study of Bunyan is the phrase, "to live upon God that is invisible." He discovered that if we are to suffer rightly we must die not only to sin, but to the innocent and precious things of this world including family and freedom. We must "live upon God that is invisible." Everything else in the world we must count as dead to us and we to it. That was Bunyan's passion from the time of his conversion as a young married man to the day of his death when he was 60 years old. Gromacki points out that the verb had (had the sentence of death) is in "The perfect tense “had” (eschēkamen) (WHICH) indicates that "the sentence" was still in effect even though Paul had left Ephesus for Macedonia." (2 Corinthians - Stand Firm in the Faith) (ED: THIS RAISES THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN AN OFFICIAL VERDICT - WE CAN ASK PAUL IN HEAVEN!) So that (hina - term of purpose) we would not trust in ourselves, but in God Who (egeiro in the present tense - continually) raises the dead - In God is more literally "upon" (epi) which reminds me of the Psalmist's words "Cast your burden upon (Lxx = epi) the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." (Ps 55:22+) Paul says the ultimate purpose of the impending "death sentence" which was hanging over his head, was to cause him not to trust in his ingenuity or ability but to trust in the "everlasting arms" of God's provision and power ("resurrection power!"). Paul's "death decree" led to "divine dependence!" Paul's mention of raises the dead would mean that he was convinced that even if the outcome of the afflictions would mean physical death, he would still live for God raises the dead! Gromacki - The two greatest prospects that man faces in this life are spiritual death and physical death. If God can quicken a dead sinner and give him spiritual life, then He can solve man’s present spiritual, mental, and emotional needs. If God can raise the physical dead and give him an immortal, incorruptible, and resurrection body, He then can deliver man from his present physical problems. TECHNICAL NOTE ON "we would not trust in ourselves" - The words “should not trust” come from the Greek mē pepoithotes ōmen, which involves the usage of the perfect participle in a periphrastic construction with the present subjunctive of “to be.” This means that Paul had a crisis experience in which he learned a lesson that continued to dominate his pattern of life. (Gromacki) A T