Jealous with A Godly Jealousy 2 Corinthians 11:2

Paul the apostle asked the church members in Corinth to, “bear a little in” his “folly: and indeed bear with” him, and in chapter eleven and verse two of Second Corinthians, Paul told the church members to,“I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy” where we read:

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

The verse begins, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: ” Paul began with the words, “for” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “I am jealous” or “Paul was burning with zeal, desiring earnestly, striving and busying himself” “over you” which means “concerning the church members” “with godly” or “with supremely divine” “jealousy” which means “zeal, desiring earnestly and busying”. Paul “divinely” “burned with zeal and striving” over the church members.

The verse continues, “for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Paul added the words, “for” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “I have espoused you” or “Paul wooed, betrothed, joined and fit together the church members” “to one husband” which refers to “to a certain single male spouse”, “that I may present you” which means “so Paul could bring the church members in to fellowship or intimacy” “as a chaste virgin” which refers to “as a pure, venerable, sacred, modest and immaculate marriageable maiden” “to Christ” or to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”. Paul “betrothed” the church in Corinth to Jesus so He might “bring them into fellowship and intimacy” with Him as a “pure unmarried maiden”.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we see how he passionately cared for the church members in Corinth. He wanted them to be dedicated to Jesus and to “present” them to Jesus like a “pure” unwed woman is presented to her husband. Being “jealous” for a group of people to be in alignment with Jesus is a great pursuit, and those who “present” others as “chaste virgins” before Jesus have followed the path set before them by Paul.

Next time Paul refers to how, “the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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