Depression In 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

Depression and even thoughts of ending it all are something I have some experience with. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, possibly the most influential and powerful preacher of the Gospel of 19th century England battled depression throughout his entire life. In fact, after a tragedy at a venue where he was preaching in which seven people were killed, Spurgeon said “he doubted anyone had ever passed as close to madness as he and yet

The passage that I chose to exegete is 1 Corinthians 14:1-6, the main idea of this passage is for the apostle Paul to confront the Corinthian church in Corinth about their misuse of the spiritual gifts, namely the use of tongues. The following is a full outline of the passage with the main point of each verse, it goes as follows:

Depression is a very hard thing to deal with, both for the victim and for families of the person suffering. The family may be tolerant, but may not understand. Friends may not understand why the person “just can 't be happy.” Some may consider the victim to be lazy because he or she may not have the energy to do much. To add to this, many well meaning Christians may get involved telling the victim and the family that the problem is a lack of faith. These people may consider depression a spiritual issue and attempt to counsel the person that way. All of these people mean well, but they do not understand the problem. These people may try to help, but may simply make it worse. Depression is a delicate subject, but there is help and no one is alone.

Paul was also concerned how this sin had affected the Corinthian Church. The consequences of our

Across the United States, depression is an issue plaguing individuals and their families. Many people have described the pain form depression and the treatment for it as unbearable. However, these people have taught for help in the wrong places. Depression is an illness that is not unbearable when the right cure is taught after. In fact, when the correct cure is taught after, the persons of depression often becomes a joy because it is proof that they are stronger than their weakness. This is the case for many people who have been healed from depression for Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, people are able to truly find the joy they receive and destroy the depression that once ruled them. Although other cures do help or remove depression from individuals, the only cure for the complete person for depression is Jesus Christ.

This paper will examine the books of Corinthians and the universal truth of love in the New Testament. Corinthians One and Two were written to the church at Corinth and deal with the need to recognize and put sin out of our lives.(Corinthians)

Depression is a fast growing epidemic in America, claiming the lives of an estimated one in eight people in our country; and several thousand in that number express faith in Jesus Christ (“Depression Statistics”) . But if God loves us, why does he allow us to feel this way? Where do we turn for up-to-date answers about this issue when the Bible was written over 2000 years ago? Believe it or not, the Bible contains some of the most compelling stories of painful and crushing depression, and the plan and purpose God had for those people who felt that way. You won’t find the word “depression” in the Bible, but you will find many biblical characters described as forlorn, downcast, heavy-laden, or brokenhearted. These are characters such as Job,

Depression, the dark illness of the mind that grabs you by the throat controlling what you need to do and to say. In this dark state of mind no joy goes through a person, no matter how hard they try it will not penetrate the soul. Suffocating in thoughts of sadness, hopelessness, and anger presses your mind including torturing your soul on a daily bases. I know I have been through this path which is not for the weak of heart, it is an endless road of temptations from drugs, alcohol, and suicide but the best thing to do is look forward, don’t turn to those temptations. Glimmers of hope show when a helping hand reaches out to you, that’s when the light shines the brightest. Many don’t know the cause of depression, but everyone knows the effects and consequences it can have on an adult, but it will mostly affect teens who are at that delicate stage of their lives. I’ve seen kids walk past me with the look of looking forward to nothing in life, by lunch time they stay isolated in their own world, I know how they feel I’m one of those kids I know how they feel. Modern medicine is a temporary healer but the scars are still in us, depression is an ongoing battle every day and night of our lives at any time it can take over and we are a different on the outside while our real selfs are trapped in a cage of our negative thinking. Therapist really do try

Paul found that some believers felt that by eating meat they had a weak conscience because it had been defiled by the idols (Krell, 1995). Paul tried to show his followers that it was safe to eat with a clear conscience by eating meat himself. Through this lesson Paul was also trying to teach that “love was more important than freedom (8:1-6) and that “knowledge can make us arrogant, but love edifies” (Krell, 1995). With these sayings Paul was giving permission for people to put their pride aside, remember that there is no such thing as idols and that there is only one true and loving God” (Krell, 1995).

Traditionally, 1 Corinthians is attributed to Paul, as are many of the New Testament letters. Paul was writing to a church in Corinth, a church and town that would have been primarily Gentile. This means the congregation would likely have been familiar with, and influenced by, pagan practices. Paul had since left Corinth and it seems that other Christian leaders had visited after Paul’s departure. Paul writes to correct and address issues that have arisen in the church. It seems the Corinthians have written Paul with a list of questions, but this has been lost. Some of the issues seem to have arisen from poor reports of the church reaching Paul. It is important to read this letter in the context of a church asking for direction regarding specific issues. This letter allows us to eavesdrop on Paul’s side of the conversation, but we not not privy to the other side of the conversation.

I Corinthians offers the reader an insight into the early beginnings of the New Testament church, its structure, methods, and message. I Corinthians is Paul’s answer to a previous letter he has written to the Corinthians regarding the conditions in the Corinthian church. The picture Paul painted of the early church also includes a problematic, non-typical congregation (Utley 18). Paul is not questioning their salvation per say but challenging their sanctification (Wallace). The goal of this paper is to communicate Paul’s dilemma of how a Christian is supposed to conduct himself and live in an appallingly

This basic feature of the Christian message brings the growing sense of unease within some in Paul’s audience (Fernando, p. 476). However, Paul’s strategy of reasoning with the Athenians is instructive of the gospel message. His message does not contain direct quotations or appeals to the Old Testament (Fernando, p. 476). However, such appeals would have meant nothing to his audience, who did not accept the authority of the Scriptures. But, the message was thoroughly scriptural (Fernando, p. 476). Paul uncovers the Athenians’ admitted need for the knowledge of the one true God.

Paul developed his answer seemed unorthodoxy. Paul provides an eschatological sequence and he moved from Christ’s resurrection to telos (end). It is curious that Paul defense resurrection and he gives an explanation which involved the kingdom and reign of Christ. But upon the analysis the readers will find that it is precisely because of resurrection regards the death, and death is a kingdom of enemy. But Paul must discuss the reign of Christ. Paul uses apologist model for his argument. The theology of resurrection was still buzzing the scholars as well as readers. We can see in this chapter 15 there were some skeptics in Corinth who did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. Paul logically develops his argument that if resurrection from the death is impossible, then Christ could not have raised from the death. Then Paul’s theology of resurrection is false. Paul asserts the faith of the Corinthians would be worthless for Corinthians all still be dead in their sin. but Paul’s own accounts of seeing the Lord can never be kept apart from the gospel account of the resurrection and the eyewitness experiences of “seeing the Lord” sediment in the whole tradition. Paul himself makes the point as his summaries the tradition in 1 Corinthians

As with most other Pauline attributed documents, 1 Corinthians is believed to be a single document that addresses salient topics and rationalizes Paul’s view of faithfulness to Christ with Corinth citizens. The newly founded church of Corinth was in correspondence with Paul requesting his answers to questions they posed on topics ranging from marriage to the resurrection of the dead; the latter being one of the most highlighted in 1 Corinthians. Paul’s assurance of resurrection illustrates a concern for Corinth as he admonishes their disbelief in resurrection of the dead with a series of explanations as to why such doubt would render the faith of Christ “in vain”. Given the context of the time, Paul’s correspondence with Corinth clearly

The previous section of the letter is the introduction and Paul’s note of thanks for the Corinthian believers. There is a distinct note of commendation and love in the first section before Paul begins to condemn and exhort the Corinthians for their poor behavior. Much of this behavior is linked to their boasting about their wisdom, or the wisdom of those whom they choose to follow. Therefore, much of Paul’s teaching is in relation to true wisdom, as opposed to worldly wisdom. Paul continues to address the issue of factions in the church by further concentrating on the issue of wisdom, before he begins approaching other issues from the report in chapters 5 and 6. Following this, Paul begins to address the questions posed by the