Paul explains to the Corinthians that Christians now live under the "new covenant" ushered in by Jesus, and not the "old covenant" given to Moses. This means that we can be free of legalism and, instead, draw close to God based on grace, experiencing transformation, which will reflect God's glory to the watching world.

Paul addresses the inevitability of suffering, yet shares that God can use suffering in our lives to change our character, and produce in us perseverance. Focusing on our eternal destiny enables us to have hope during times of suffering, which allows others to see the life of Christ through us.

Paul writes to the Corinthians about hope for the afterlife. Unlike other religions, the Bible describes Heaven as a physical, earthly place, where we will have physical, resurrected bodies and meaningful experiences and relationships. This hope for the afterlife has several implications for how Christians live in this life.

Paul explains to the Corinthian church that God has chosen to use His people as "ambassadors" to reach lost people. As His ambassadors, we must consider how we present ourselves to the watching world--not discrediting ourselves, remaining committed to Christ, and displaying attractive spiritual qualities as we rely on the Holy Spirit to express genuine love for others.

Paul expresses his joy that his previous letter to the Corinthians brought about their repentance--even though it was quite painful. We can look to David's words in Psalm 51 as an example of what Paul calls "Godly sorrow," and draw principles of true repentance for our lives as well.

Paul urges the Corinthian church to be faithful and generous givers, in response to their experience of the generous grace of God. Christians today can draw important principles from Paul in regards to why, how, and to whom we should give.

Paul writes to the Corinthians about spiritual warfare, saying that we are engaged in a battle of ideas and truth with God's adversary, who wants to hurt God by hurting those he loves. Christians today must be alert and engaged in the battle, not retreating into a protectionist posture, but offensively countering Satan's lies with Biblical truth in order to stay spiritually strong ourselves and win others to Christ.

Paul writes to the Corinthian Church warning them about false teachers and defending himself and his message. Modern Christians must also be aware of the presence of false teachers and familiarize themselves with authentic biblical teaching and know how to identify false teaching when they hear it.

Paul describes his "thorn in the flesh," as an undisclosed suffering that remained with him despite prayers for God to take it away. From Paul's example, we can learn how to draw near to God during suffering and, though we may never fully understand it, experience God's grace and power in the midst of it.

Paul wraps up his defense against accusations from the Corinthian church and ends his letter by urging them to examine themselves as to whether they are truly in the faith. While Christians should examine whether they have truly received Christ, excessive introspection can be unproductive and unhealthy.