Since the New Testament is the historical source document for the information that we have about the Lord Jesus Christ, we have to examine the New Testament to ascertain whether the history that the New Testament transmits to us meets the burden of historical proof. If it does, then we have to reevaluate our preconceived ideas about the Lord Jesus Christ to put them in line with that which the New Testament tells us.

That which grows from that which is sown is glorious. The seed of the rose plant sits in the hand as a negligible object, but throw it in the ground, and we cherish the glorious rose flower that comes from that same seed that we would never put in a vase on put on our table. And that same cycle of life exists for us.

The Lord Jesus Christ went through the most painful of circumstances on His way to Joseph’s new tomb. The Lord Jesus Christ did so in order to provide us with salvation, to pay the penalty that we owe for the sins that we have committed. And when Paul says that he knows how to be abased and how to abound, Paul is simply recognizing that in his ministry, his will have to endure some painful situations as well as some pleasant situations as he spreads the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world.

If anyone fit the definition of a new creation, it was Saul, who even stopped using his Hebrew name and began using his Greek name, Paul. But the fact of the matter is that anyone who is converted to Christianity has some radical changes to make.

Thinking Biblically, we come to the conclusion that that which we have is from the Lord, and we have the responsibility to not hang on to that which should be given, but we should keep our obligation to the Lord God to provide for those whom He sends to us for provision.

The truth is that although the Lord Jesus Christ did not come to the world to condemn it, those that do not develop and understanding and appreciation for the truth will in fact be condemned. Our eternal salvation is not based upon our personal goodness or righteousness, because in the day of judgment, our personal righteousness will be found wanting. Our eternal salvation is based upon our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who paid the price that we owe for our sins and can grant us the free gift of salvation.

But by convincing young women to defer marriage to a later date, the devil is actually convincing young women to allow their male peer group to move on to different women. Young women are finding that their career successes during their twenties put them in competition with the young men in their peer group, and when a man looks for a wife, he is not looking for someone with whom he can compete. So, the young men in their natural peer group look for younger women with whom they can be husband and wife, not co-husbands.

Paul kept in touch with the Corinthians through the emissaries that he sent there, and had this back and forth, culminating in this second letter to the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit decided should become part of the canonical record.