(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV]) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV]) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
All of the studies, book or topical, found here, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, lexicons, concordances or commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, but they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and the New Testament for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc. There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:
(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!
CORINTH: RICH GREEK CITY/STATE
(Acts 18:1 [KJV])
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
(Acts 18:8 [KJV])
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
(Acts 19:1,2 [KJV])
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He
said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
(2 Corinthians 1:1,2 [KJV])
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are
in all Achaia: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call
upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
(2 Corinthians 1:23 [KJV])
Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
(2 Corinthians 6:11 [KJV])
O [ye] Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
(2 Timothy 4:20 [KJV])
Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
Lots of good, fresh water
Lots of good, arable soil
Lots of good clay for ceramics, pottery, etc., hence "Corinthian Pottery"
Shops, fountains, carved stone temples to the Greek gods, porticos, metal workshops abounded
As a part of a major shipping lane, Corinth has four ports, on the Gulf of Corinth, between two seas
A temple to Apollo was there
Another temple was one to Aphrodite, an acropolis known as Acrocorinth, that supplied prostitutes for the seafaring men, which made it a rich city
Perusing the two letters Paul wrote to them, it is obvious that they were apostate and backslidden.
2 CORINTHIANS 9: MORE ON GIVING
(2 Corinthians 9:1-2 [KJV])
For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
"Superfluous" as in useless, meaningless, unnecessary, overkill
Paul is encouraging them, respecting them, praising them for their giving, ministry help, service
Paul knew from their words, followed more importantly by their actions ,that they wanted to give as much as they could to help
This would be why he boasted about them in the first place.
(2 Corinthians 9:3 [KJV])
Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:
To show that Paul was not "Just Whistling Dixie" (being unrealistic, living in a fantasy world), he wanted them to now perform is all
It was his testimony abou them, and their testimony, visible to all, not just words ("Just Whistlin' Dixie")
(2 Corinthians 9:4 [KJV])
Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.
it was for their testimony in front of visitors there to collect to show they are ready to give, to be prepared beforehand, lest the messengers could not stay long, had to move on, take the donations, gifts and return
Things during the persecution days of the early church were often tenuous, so that people often had to wander place to place, not stopping long
As Paul would share their bounty, he would share their sufferings and, here, their shame, if this all failed and he boasted for nought, as no2w this was his testimony about them that gave them both a reputation
(2 Corinthians 9:5 [KJV])
Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
Paul always wanted things to abound to the account of others, knowing that they would also reap eternal rewards, not jusst temporal ones
"Bounty" here means God's riches, God's blessings, demonstrated in their liberality
(2 Corinthians 9:6 [KJV])
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
We sow now what we will reap later, we reap what we sow
it is not money wwe get back always, nor should we expect it, but we do get grace to help in time of need, abounding grace in money, relationships, opportunities, rest at night, spiritual blessings galore
The thing is, we should give expecting nothing back, which is true giving so that, when we do get back, we can see it is the hand of God and not a natural result, an echo of the ways of this world that do it, but God Who should always get the glory
God does not need our money; He owns it all. God uses our money for His work, His Glory above all and uses us to bless others to strengthen our relationships, our ministry, our fellowship together
if we plant a garden of corn, beans, wheat, radishes, onions, we get a crop of the same, in good soil, if we till, sow, weed it properly and God waters it
(2 Corinthians 9:7 [KJV])
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Giving is a willing thing; never coerced, never
Constantly harping on it by greedy televangelist leaders, which Paul did not do, leads to giving grudgingly, harbors ill will, giving expecting something back ("GIVE And it shall be given you
We (all of us) should seek God's wisdom above all, and in giving, and we should seek more of God, not more money, unless we intend to use it for God and His Kingdom
There are suffering Christians worldwide, being slaughtered for the faith, starved, beaten, no Word of God, no freedom, losing family members, in Muslim, Communist countries, soon here. Whatever little they have, the give, and get nothing back in this life except to expect perhaps suffering and death. They give anyways
(Luke 6:38 [KJV])
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
(2 Corinthians 9:8 [KJV])
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
This is the reason for God making us to abound, to serve Him, as He owns it all anyways
We have all we need in spiritual blessings and we see the physical blessings
We merely need to use it all for God's Glory, as that is Who gifted it to us that which we do nto deserve in the first place
(2 Corinthians 9:9 [KJV])
(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
God, if nothing else, has given us grace through His Son, unmerited favor to save us from hell for all of eternity
He did not have to do a single other thing for us ever, nor did He have to do that
God does not "help those who help themselves", God "helps the helpless", that is, us
God showed His mercy and grace from immediately after the Fall, not letting Adam and Eve and us, their descendants, live forever in these sin-plagued bodies, in this sin-plagued world, living liek this, however we live
(Psalms 112:9 [KJV])
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
(Genesis 3:24 [KJV])
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
(Revelation 22:1-5 [KJV])
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
(Revelation 22:14 [KJV])
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
(2 Corinthians 9:10 [KJV])
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
God give us seed, flour, bread and more seed to make more flour, bread, more to give an provide for others from that abundance
God multiplied and continues to multiply the loaves and fishes
God makes us fruitful for His Kingdom
(Matthew 14:17-21 [KJV])
And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
(2 Corinthians 9:11 [KJV])
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
All God does for us makes us thankful back, or at least should make us be thankful back
God did it first
(2 Corinthians 9:12 [KJV])
For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;
It is God's, it comes from God, it goes back to God, for the Glory of God, not us
Who will be the most thankful? The one receiving the gifts who will use it for the glory of God
In the end, it is the same God Who administers, supplies, multiplies, increases the bounty, ministers and then deserves thankfulness
(2 Corinthians 9:13 [KJV])
Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
The receivers will glorify God when we give to a local body that does so
This especially includes missions to foreign ministries supported by that same local body
(2 Corinthians 9:14 [KJV])
And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
They will return by what they can, by distribution to the needy and praying for us in return
That is our grace to them, from God, given back through God, to us, the circle around and to do it again and again
(2 Corinthians 9:15 [KJV])
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
God's provisions, first in His Son Jesus Christ and second the salvation of our souls
Lastly, the provision of our daily lives, which God rained down on us even before we knew Him
The purpose of Him providing Jesus Christ is for our soul and spirit
The purpose of Him providing physical things is to care for our physical body, and to take care of the body of Christ
