Scriptural Highlights

• Overcoming tribulation.
• Forgiving others.
• Feeling godly sorrow for our sins.
• Becoming reconciled to God.

Introduction

"In 2 Corinthians we see a more personal view of Paul than we do in most of his other letters.  We share his burdens, recognize the price he paid for his faith, and empathize with him as he copes with long distances and defends himself against determined enemies.  We see him strengthened by the news that many of the Saints in Corinth had returned to faith and righteousness.  And we ourselves gather strength from Paul's powerful messages.  He assured the Saints of God's care in times of tribulation.  He encouraged them to love and forgive each other and to donate aid for the Church members in Jerusalem.  And he continued his teachings on repentance and emphasized the importance of being guided by the Spirit in all things." (Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual ©1989, p33)

Overcoming Tribulation

1. Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians of the trouble which he and Timothy encountered in Asia.  He said that the challenge was so great that they "despaired even of life" (2 Corinthians 1:8).
• There are times in each of our lives when things seem to work against us and we find the battle too great.  We may even despair as did Paul and Timothy.  President Hugh B. Brown told of the time when he was called as a General Authority.  Prior to the call he says he faced a night of darkness.  It was a time when he says that the presence of the adversary was such that he longed to have his life end.  This is the kind of moment in which one feels despair.
• READ 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5.  God comforts us in our tribulation.
• Paul goes on to say, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" (4:8-9).
• HOW WERE PAUL AND TIMOTHY ABLE TO MOVE BEYOND DESPAIR?
• They were able to find comfort through the Lord.
• WHY ARE HEAVENLY FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST OUR BEST SOURCES FOR COMFORT?
• Neal A. Maxwell:  "When we take Jesus' yoke upon us, this admits us eventually to what Paul called the 'fellowship of [Christ's] sufferings' (Philippians 3:10).  Whether illness or aloneness, injustice or rejection,...our comparatively small-scale sufferings, if we are meek, will sink into the very marrow of the soul.  We then better appreciate not only Jesus' sufferings for us, but also His matchless character, moving us to greater adoration and even emulation.

    "Alma revealed that Jesus knows how to succor us in the midst of our griefs and sicknesses precisely because Jesus has already borne our griefs and sicknesses (see Alma 7:11-12).  He knows them firsthand; thus His empathy is earned.  Of course, we do not comprehend it fully any more than we understand how He bore all mortal sins; but His Atonement remains the rescuing and reassuring reality." (Ensign, May 1997, p12)
2. READ 2 CORINTHIANS 4:15-18.  All things are for your sakes.
• WHY IS IT THAT WE ENCOUNTER ADVERSITY IN LIFE?
• As Elder Maxwell stated above, "When we take Jesus' yoke upon us, this admits us eventually to what Paul called the 'fellowship of [Christ's] sufferings' ."  Why must this be?
• As Paul stated, all things are for our "sakes".  It "worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
• Consider the words of father Lehi (see 2 Nephi):
• V11 - "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.  If not so . . . righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad."
• V2 - "...and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."
• V25 - "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
Consider the words of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith as he languished in Liberty jail: "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes" (D&C 121:7-8)
• In Lesson 33 I spoke of training and running in my first marathon.  I said of my training, "Over the next eight months I felt that I was always pushing the edge of my endurance.  I endured a period of a sore hip.  I ran through lots of Seattle rain.  I ran through a blizzard.  I ran through freezing weather.  I ran when I was tired.  As time progressed, I ran until I was almost faint."

    What did I accomplish by eight months of physical (and often times mental) adversity?  I gained the physical strength to endure 26 miles of running and cross the finish line.  I had the satisfaction of having set a difficult goal and achieving the end result.  I found after eight months of intensive training, I was physically fit which has all kinds of benefits.
     This physical adversity paid all kinds of dividends, and thus it is with the adversity we face in life.  We are in training for the eternal marathon.  The finish line often seems far off, but it "worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
• As we consider adversity, it would be interesting to conceive of a world without challenges and adversity.  You may recall from the movie series, Back To The Future, in the second episode Marty and Doc travel to the future.  While there, Biff steals Doc's time machine and returns to the past with a sport almanac which he gives to his 1955 self.  When Doc and Marty return to 1985, they find themselves in an alternative present which had been altered because of Biff's return to 1955.  1985 had been radically altered because of a single change in the sequence of events in 1955.

     I have often thought since seeing that movie how single events can alter our futures.  It would be an interesting exercise to go back in our lives and consider the times of adversity.  Those times when the challenges were so great that we were near despair.  Did those times change the course of where we are today?  How did those challenges contribute to the person we are today?  Look back and consider what present you may living today if you had not confronted the challenges of the past.
     One of the most challenging and difficult times of my life were the two years I spent on a mission.  As a youngster, I had always planned on going on a mission.  As the time for actually sending in my papers approached, I encountered moments of doubt and temptation.  The time for my mission was postponed because of the quota system that was in place during the Vietnam War.  That didn't make it any easier.  But I made the decision to go.  What were the benefits from those two difficult and challenging years in the mission field?  How might my life be different today had I not gone?
     If I had Brother Beardall's own Back To The Future time machine, we could go back and see how different my life might have been had my decision been different in 1971.  One of the things I gained on my mission was an powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon.  A time came on my mission when I doubted my testimony.  I wondered why I was even on a mission.  I even considered leaving my mission and returning home.  It was this challenge of testimony during the early months of my mission that caused me to do exactly what I had been asking others to do, read the Book of Mormon with "real intent" and then pray with sincerity of heart to learn of its truthfulness.  I did just that.  Over the next several weeks I came to know the truthfulness of that might book.  That knowledge propelled me through the remainder of my mission.  But it did more.
     If we fast forward the movie, we come to a time when I became frustrated with Church and took a "vacation" from Church attendance.  The Church of the NFL became more important than the Church of our Lord.  Fortunately, that vacation didn't last more than a few months.  What propelled me to return?  In my bedroom, my missionary Book of Mormon sits on top of a cabinet where I can easily see it from my desk or my bed.  I would look up at that great work of scripture and my testimony of its validity would shout out at me.  How could I deny it?  Those thoughts worked on my and I returned to full activity in the Church.  What if I hadn't made the decision to go on a mission?  I wouldn't have had the experience that caused me to gain a powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon.  Had I not had that experience, when the challenge of Church activity came I may not have had the strength to return to Church.  Instead of preparing this lesson and feasting on the good word, I might be gearing up for another season of Sundays with the National Football League (I'm not knocking football, but it is a real Sabbath breaker).
       In the second Back To The Future, when the past was altered in 1955 by Biff, it not only affected Biff's future, but the future of the whole town.  What if I had not decided to go on a mission in 1971?  What other futures (eternal destinies) might have been altered?  Consider a few words from a letter I received several weeks ago from the son of someone I had the chance to teach and baptize.  This young man is currently serving a mission.  He wrote, "I have had the desire many times to write and to express my love and great appreciation for you.  For your decision 25 years ago to serve a mission for the Lord.  In the which you have affected many peoples lives.  In particular, my life.  If you had not served a mission, my father might not have been baptized, and I might not have been where I am at this time....  I have pondered your unselfish decision to serve the Lord.  Your decision to serve has changed my life forever.  I am forever grateful  for the sacrifice which you made so many years ago.  In return I have been blessed with the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am sealed to my parents for time and eternity....  The blessings I have received cannot be counted for they are many."  I had the privilege of teaching his father near the end of my two years.  What if I had chosen another course when I faced adversity and temptation prior to my mission?  Our choices, and the challenges and adversity we face, pay dividends.
• Take a moment and play your own version of Back To The Future.  Consider your times of challenge and adversity.  Where might you be if you had taken a different course to avoid adversity, challenges, and obstacles?
• Consider the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: "I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priest-craft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women—all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty." (TPJS, p304)
3. Paul told of the trials that he and many of the Saints endured.
• 2 Corinthians 6:4-5: "But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings."
• READ 2 CORINTHIANS 11:23-33. Paul's trials while on his missions.
• READ 2 CORINTHIANS 6:4, 6-7.  Qualities of those enduring trials.
• WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD WE DEVELOP TO HELP US ENDURE TRIALS?
4. Paul said, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure" (12:7).
• WHY DID THE LORD GIVE PAUL THIS INFIRMITY?
• It would seem that this was done in order to keep Paul humble.
• WHAT DID PAUL LEARN FROM THIS?
• READ 2 CORINTHIANS 12:8-10.
• He found strength in weakness.
• HOW CAN OUR WEAKNESSES HELP US RECEIVE STRENGTH FROM JESUS CHRIST?
• "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)
• Neal A. Maxwell: "It is in our weakness and extremity that God's power is fully felt. Only when, of ourselves, we are helpless is His help truly appreciated." (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p31)
5. Paul wrote, "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (1:4).
• HOW CAN WE HELP OTHERS RECEIVE THE COMFORT FROM GOD?
• Prayer. "Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf" (1:11).
• Sharing our testimonies.
• Assisting during time of need.

Forgiving Others

1. READ 2 CORINTHIANS 2:5-11.  Ye ought to forgive and comfort.
• WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE FORGIVE OTHERS?
• One may be swallowed up with too much sorrow (v7).
• "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us" (v11).
• Matthew 6:14-15: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
• WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF BEING FORGIVING OR UNFORGIVING?
• President Gordon B. Hinckley: "We see the need for forgiveness in the homes of the people, where tiny molehills of misunderstanding are fanned into mountains of argument.  We see it among neighbors, where insignificant differences lead to undying bitterness.  We see it in business associates who quarrel and refuse to compromise and forgive when, in most instances, if there were a willingness to sit down together and speak quietly one to another, the matter could be resolved to the blessing of all.  Rather, they spend their days nurturing grudges and planning retribution....

    "...There is no peace in reflecting on the pain of old wounds.  There is peace only in repentance and forgiveness.  This is the sweet peace of the Christ, who said, 'blessed ar the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God' (Matt. 5:9)." (Ensign, Jun 1991, p2&5)
• Once again, take a moment and play your own version of Back To The Future. Where might you be if you had taken a different course in not forgiving those who had committed trespasses against you?

Feeling Godly Sorrow For Our Sins

1. READ 2 CORINTHIANS 7:8-10.  Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.
• WHY DID PAUL REJOICE WHEN HE HEARD THAT ONE OF HIS LETTERS MADE THE CORINTHIANS SORRY?
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE "GODLY SORROW" FOR OUR SINS?
• Show video GODLY SORROW.
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GODLY SORRY AND "THE SORROW OF THE WORLD"?
• WHY IS GODLY SORROW AN IMPORTANT PART OF REPENTANCE?
• Spencer W. Kimball: "If one is sorry only because someone found out about his sin, his repentance is not complete. Godly sorrow causes one to want to repent even though he has not been caught by others and makes him determined to do right no matter what happens. This kind of sorrow brings righteousness and will work toward forgiveness." (Repentance Brings Forgiveness, p8)

Becoming Reconciled To God

1. READ 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21. Be ye reconciled to God.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE RECONCILED TO GOD?
• Bruce R. McConkie: "Reconciliation is the process of ransoming man from his state of sin and spiritual darkness and of restoring him to a state of harmony and unity with Deity....  Man, who was once carnal and evil, who lived after the manner of the flesh, becomes a new creature of the Holy Ghost; he is born again; and, even as a little child, he is alive in Christ."  (DNTC, 2:422-423)
• HOW CAN WE BE RECONCILED TO GOD?
• 2 Nephi 25:23:  "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Summary

In his second epistle to the Corinthians Paul has taught many important truths including depending on the Lord in times of difficulty, seeking to forgive others, truly repenting of our sins by having Godly sorrow, and reconciling ourselves to God.  At the end of the third episode of Back To The Future, Marty's girlfriend asked Doc if their future had been altered by certain events.  Doc replied something to the effect, "Your has not been not yet been written, so make it a good one."  Where we are today is dependent on the past actions, but our future has not been written.  We can make it a good one by following the counsel of Paul.

Next Week

Lesson 36:  Romans

Additional Reading:  Bible Dictionary, "Grace," 697; "Pauline Epistles: Romans," 745