Seminary
2 Corinthians 1–7

2 Corinthians 1–7

Overview

When the people of Corinth experienced hardship, Paul wrote to Church members there to offer continued support and counsel. He invited them to forgive one another, both for the good of the person being forgiven as well as for their own benefit. He taught that through Christ’s Atonement, they could be redeemed from sin and brought back into a favorable relationship with God. To his joy and satisfaction, he received word that the Corinthian Saints had experienced true repentance.

Prepare to Teach

The following information provides teachers with ideas of what may need to be prepared in advance for each lesson.

2 Corinthians 1, 4

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students to understand some of the ways God provides comfort to His children and to identify ways in which they can share His comfort with others.  

  • Student preparation: Invite students to think of different ways they receive comfort when things go wrong in their lives. If possible, encourage them to bring a picture or object that represents a source of comfort to them.

  • Video: “God Will Lift Us Up” (4:58)

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: When students are asked to think of things that comfort them, consider showing some personally comforting objects or pictures from home. Showing these objects on screen and explaining their importance can help bridge the distance and create a comfortable learning environment.

2 Corinthians 2

Lesson purpose: This lesson is intended to help students increase their understanding of the importance of forgiveness and their desire to forgive others.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to come prepared to share an example of someone they know who extended Christlike forgiveness to another person.

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: For 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, use the whiteboard function to create two columns. Label one column “How should we treat a person who has caused us grief?” and the other column “Why should we treat people this way?” Students could then be invited to share their thoughts for you to type in, or they may type in their answers themselves using an annotation tool.

2 Corinthians 5

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students draw closer to God and become who He wants them to become.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to ponder about times when they have felt close to God and times they have felt distanced from Him and to come to class prepared to draw upon these experiences.

  • Content to display: The three questions students will consider as they study 2 Corinthians 5:17–21, as well as the four ideas they will ponder later in the lesson (starting with “What might it look and feel like to be reconciled to God eternally?”)

  • Video: “I Know His Grace Is There When I Fall” (6:24).

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: At the beginning of the lesson, invite students to share in the chat some real-life scenarios that might be similar to those in the lesson. They could be invited to consider how the truths in this lesson could help in those scenarios.

2 Corinthians 7

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students understand an important component of true repentance and help them come closer to Jesus Christ.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to think about how they can know if they have experienced true repentance. They could also be invited to study the section “Godly sorrow leads to repentance” from the Come, Follow Me outline (“September 11–17. 2 Corinthians 1–7: ‘Be Ye Reconciled to God,’” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023).

  • Videos: “Godly Sorrow Worketh Repentance” (1:40) and “Repentance Is a Process That Brings Peace” (3:34; watch from time code 0:00 to 1:39)

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: Consider creating a chart with a column labeled “Godly Sorrow” and a column labeled “Worldly Sorrow.” Then share your screen and fill in the columns with students’ insights about those two types of sorrow. Alternatively, students could search ChurchofJesusChrist.org for images that illustrate either godly sorrow or worldly sorrow. Students could then add these to a shared chart that they can all see. Invite students to explain how the images they shared illustrate godly or worldly sorrow.

Doctrinal Mastery Review 19

Lesson purpose: This lesson is intended to help students memorize some of the New Testament doctrinal mastery scripture references and key scripture phrases.

  • Student preparation: Provide students with a copy of the scripture reference and key scripture phrase chart, and invite them to memorize as many of the five doctrinal mastery scripture references and key scripture phrases as possible. Students could also use the Doctrinal Mastery app. Alternatively, students could strive to memorize an entire doctrinal mastery passage.

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: Using the five doctrinal mastery passages from the lesson or any five passages that students need to review, consider inviting students to write the key scripture phrases on five separate strips of paper. Hold up one of the passages on screen, and then invite students to simultaneously hold up the correct key scripture phrase on the count of three. Continue this activity until all the passages have been reviewed and students feel confident that they can match the passages correctly.