Question 1

In 2 Corinthians 6:1, what is Paul doing when he says “we entreat also,” and how does that fit the immediate context?

Accepted Answer

Paul is not merely informing; he is pleading. The “we” aligns with Paul’s team language throughout this section, and the “also” suggests continuity with the prior appeal about reconciliation (5:20). The tone implies urgency and relational stakes: the Corinthians are being pressed toward a response that matches what they have heard. The passage itself does not describe emotions in detail, but the direct request (“not receive…in vain”) shows Paul views the situation as serious and time-sensitive rather than routine teaching.

Question 2

What does the phrase “receive the grace of God” assume about the Corinthians’ past, according to the text?

Accepted Answer

It assumes they have already encountered and accepted God’s grace in some real sense. Paul’s warning is not framed as if they have never received grace, but as if they could receive it and still end up with a wasted outcome. That implies an initial reception that is genuine enough to be called “receiving grace,” while still allowing for the possibility that their ongoing response (or lack of it) could make that reception ineffective. The text does not define the exact moment of reception, but it treats it as something already true of them.

Question 3

What does “in vain” most naturally communicate here, and what does the passage leave unstated?

Accepted Answer

“In vain” most naturally points to a result that comes to nothing—grace received but producing no meaningful outcome. The passage suggests danger: a real gift can be wasted. What it leaves unstated is the specific pattern that would make it “in vain.” Paul does not list particular sins or doctrinal errors in these two verses. Instead, he frames the issue at a high level: their response to God’s gracious offer must not end up empty, and the present moment is critical.

Question 4

How does Paul use the Scripture quotation in verse 2, and what parts of it does he emphasize?

Accepted Answer

Paul uses the quotation as proof that God has spoken about a decisive “acceptable time” and a “day of salvation” when God listens and helps. He then emphasizes timing and immediacy by repeating “behold” and “now.” The quote itself highlights God’s responsiveness (“I listened… I helped”), while Paul’s conclusion highlights the present moment (“now is the acceptable time… now is the day of salvation”). The passage’s logic is: Scripture describes God’s favorable moment, and Paul identifies that moment as present, not postponed.

Question 5

What is the force of repeating “behold” and “now” in verse 2, based on the passage’s flow?

Accepted Answer

The repetition functions like verbal underlining. It narrows attention to immediacy: the favorable time is not only real, it is present. “Behold” signals heightened attention, and “now” eliminates delay as a safe option. In the flow of thought, Paul first warns against a wasted reception of grace (v.1), then anchors urgency in Scripture (v.2a), then applies it with emphatic repetition (v.2b). The rhetoric is meant to compress the decision into the present moment.

Question 6

How might the phrase “working together” affect how we read Paul’s role in this appeal, even if its exact reference is debated?

Accepted Answer

At minimum, it portrays Paul’s ministry as cooperative rather than solo and self-authenticating. The team speaks as participants in God’s work, and that stance becomes the basis for their appeal (“we entreat”). Even if readers differ on whether the cooperation is explicitly “with God” or mainly among co-workers, the result is similar in this passage: Paul claims a legitimate, active role in God’s saving message being presented to the Corinthians. The focus remains on the Corinthians’ response, not on the team’s status.

Question 7

What are the main explicit claims in these two verses, and what are common inferences readers make beyond them?

Accepted Answer

Explicit claims include: Paul and co-workers plead; the Corinthians can receive God’s grace and yet have it be “in vain”; Scripture speaks of an acceptable time when God listened and a day when he helped; Paul insists that acceptable time is “now.” Common inferences go further by specifying what “in vain” looks like (e.g., moral compromise, doctrinal drift, or rejecting Paul’s ministry) and by deciding whether “now” refers mainly to a broad era of salvation or to a particular crisis moment for Corinth. Those inferences may be plausible, but they go beyond what the two verses state.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Scripture