The word translated "comfort" in our Bibles has a stronger meaning than we commonly use. It means to strengthen, fortify, encourage in the midst of adversity. God's comfort is an expression of His character. He is not distant nor aloof, but full of mercy and compassion. God's comfort is available for and fully adequate for all kinds of suffering. Receiving God's comfort enables us to give His comfort to others. We experience God's comfort as we patiently trust Him in our suffering. Suffering can displace self-reliance and lead to deeper confidence in God's future faithfulness.

Paul address accusations made by the Corinthians--that he keeps promises only when convenient. This bred mistrust and cynicism, but Paul shares that his choices were made out of love. Cynicism can be defeated as we put our trust in and focus on God's faithfulness, not blindly in a leader. This mindset helps us see people as we should, especially when they let us down.

Paul addresses the aftermath of a painful situation in the Corinthian church, in which a man was disciplined by the church for refusing to abandon a destructive sin. It's an example of church discipline, a concept that the Bible teaches is a key part of a loving Christian community, but is unfamiliar and unpopular in our morally relativistic culture. Paul gives some insight into its use, saying it is most effective in a caring community, it should be reserved for people engaged in serious sin, and if the person repents, they should be welcomed back into community.

We, as Christians, are able to manifest the sweet aroma of the knowledge of God by understanding and communicating the New Covenant instead of the Old Covenant. The new Covenant surpasses and replaces the Old Covenant in three ways. First, the new Covenant is the ministry of the Spirit, and the Old Covenant is the ministry of death. Second, the New Covenant is the ministry of righteousness and the Old Covenant is the ministry of condemnation. Third, the New Covenant brings about profound change in your life but the Old Covenant only brings superficial change.

God promises that suffering in this life will bear fruit in this life as well as the life to come. We can be encouraged by this because we know that whatever we endure is nothing in comparison to the glory to be revealed in the next life. If we fix our eyes on the unseen realities to come, we can bear up under the sufferings this world has to offer.

Three features of being a new creature in Christ are one, that we have a new motivation for a new life, second, we have a new way to measure success, and third, we have a new role as "sent ones." Our new motivation is to no longer live for self but to life for Christ. We no longer measure success as the world does, but we see people with new eyes. We now have a new role as ambassadors of Christ, entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation.

Having received reconciliation through Christ, God offers us the ministry of reconciliation. Not only are we to speak the message of reconciliation, but we are to live in a way that validates the message. We demonstrate the reality of our faith in Christ by our costly commitment, our genuine godliness, and our dependence upon God. This results in a paradoxical quality of life where some will thank us and some will vilify us. We will live difficult lives, but our quality of life is ensured by our relationship with God.

God in Christ restored relational closeness with fallen man by removing the root cause of alienation. By accepting the offer of forgiveness through Jesus' death on the cross, anyone can be reconciled to God. When Paul said to not be unequally bound to unbelievers, he was not saying don't associate with anyone who is not a Christian. He was saying don't be in relationships with non-Christians that involve compromising your commitment to Christ.

The Greek word for repentance means to change your mind. True biblical repentance means changing your mind about what you did. First, go to God and acknowledge your sin. Focus on His kindness. You need God's resources to change. You will receive healing, and release from regret.

God wants Christians to be generous and will give great opportunities to be generous. Grace-based giving is not bound by our circumstances. It is inspired by Christ. Grace-based giving shares resources with those in need and is accountable to handle money in an honorable way. Grace-based giving remembers God's role in supplying the resources to give. Grace-based giving results in recipients giving thanks and glorifying God.

Paul's weapon against false teachers was God's Word communicated with God's power. Church leaders are responsible to protect members from spiritual deception by providing spiritual nourishment, examples of Christ-like love, direction and protection from falsehood. Church members are responsible to grow in spiritual discernment by practicing discernment of external messages and internal though-habits.

Christ won a great triumph on the cross. As Christians follow him, he leads us in triumph by making us a sweet aroma of of the knowledge of Him wherever we go. People react in different ways to this aroma. To some it is an aroma of life and to others it is the stench of death. We can be aromatic in a good way by following Christ's lead, by giving your life to God to love others, and by remaining true to God's Word.

God allows us to experience suffering to break down our self-reliance and let more of His aroma out. This process of Christ being formed in us occurs as we die to self and live for Christ. God sustains us with His power and He enables us to have greater spiritual impact on others.

Paul uses sarcasm to rebuke the Corinthians for being so easily deceived by false teachers. He gives three ways to be spiritually deceived. First, assume everyone who mentions Jesus or uses spiritual language is from God. Second, when listening to someone teach, prioritize the experience over their content. Third, accept "spiritual" justifications for greed. If you do not want to be spiritually deceived, then instead, expect counterfeit forms of Christianity, evaluate the message in light of the Bible, and look for evidence of financial integrity.

God says His power works best in weakness. When we depend on our own strength, we are rejecting God's superior strength. Sometimes God sends a "thorn in the flesh" to bring us to a point where we will accept His strength over our own. If we can see our weakness, we can receive salvation.