The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians)

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Introduction

For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as
were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

(See Important Quotations Explained)

The book known as 2 Corinthians is one of the fourteen New Testament letters
that have traditionally been attributed to Paul, the great early Christian
missionary preacher. While the authorship of many of these letters has been
debated by modern scholars, there is a nearly unanimous consensus
that 2 Corinthians was written by Paul. However, it was probably not written in the
same form in which it appears today. Most scholars agree that 2 Corinthians is a
combination of several letters written by Paul to the community of Christian
believers in the Greek city of Corinth. These letters would have been written at
intervals of several months.

Following the sending of 1 Corinthians, Paul’s disciple, Timothy, visited Corinth,

and discovered that the situation there had not improved (Acts 1 9 : 2 1 –2 2 ).

Responding to this emergency, Paul paid an immediate visit to Corinth. He later

refers to this visit as “painful” (2 Cor. 2 : 1 ). Apparently, an anonymous adversary
publicly confronted Paul and undermined his authority. Whereas Paul had
threatened to come to Corinth “with a stick” (1 Cor. 4 : 2 1 ), he was perceived on
this later occasion as unimpressive and timid (2 Cor. 1 0 : 1 ). Leaving Corinth, Paul
decided not to visit again until he had sent a letter “in much distress and anguish
of the heart” (2 Cor. 2 : 4 ). It is possible that this letter has been lost. It is also
possible that the letter was preserved and incorporated into the main body
of 2 Corinthians as Chapters 1 0 –1 3 , an incongruous section whose shift in tone
from the optimism of the preceding chapters is jarring, and which seems to
rehash a controversy that has already been resolved. Soon after the Corinthians
received this agonized letter, Titus, another disciple of Paul, visited Corinth, and
found the community repentant as a result of Paul’s letter (2 Cor. 7 : 5 –1 3 ).
Returning to Paul in Macedonia, Titus brought the happy news. In the early fall
of 5 7 A.D., rejoicing at the news of the Corinthian repentance, Paul then wrote the
letter to the church at Corinth that became 2 Corinthians.

Summary

The letter that is 2 Corinthians begins with a long salutation and prayer of
thanksgiving (1 : 1 –1 1 ). Paul, writing with his disciple Timothy, thanks God for the
encouragement he has received despite all the suffering he has recently
undergone. The body of the letter begins with Paul’s assertion that his behavior,
especially toward the Corinthian church, has been inspired by the grace of God.
His decision not to visit the Corinthians, and instead to write them a chastising
letter “in much distress and anguish of the heart,” is a decision made through
God’s grace (2 : 4 ). The agonized letter is intended not “to cause you pain, but to
let you know the abundant love that I have for you” (2 : 4 ). He demonstrates this
love by urging the repentant community to show love and forgiveness to the
unnamed adversary who shamed Paul on the occasion of his previous,
unsuccessful visit.

Paul spends much of the body of the letter justifying his own apostolic calling. As
an envoy of God, spreading the Gospel of God, Paul is empowered to speak
“with great boldness” (3 : 1 2 ). Paul takes pride in his ministry. His pride and
fearlessness persist despite the many hardships to which he has been subjected
as an apostle. Guided by faith, Paul does not hesitate to devote his life to the
benefit of his human flock. However oppressed the ministers of God may be,
Paul remembers that “we have a building from God,” and that he will eventually
be rewarded (5 : 1 ). Just as God will judge him justly, Paul asks the Corinthians to
judge him justly: “We ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are
also well known to your consciences” (5 : 1 1 ). Paul hopes to become “the
righteousness of God,” charged with the spreading of the Gospel, and he urges
the Corinthians to be attentive to this Gospel (5 : 2 1 ). He concludes the section on
the importance and authenticity of his calling with a brilliant evocation of the
paradoxical status of the oppressed minister of God.

Paul’s “heart is wide open” to the Corinthians, and he speaks honestly about his
personal joy in his calling (6 : 1 1 ). He asks the Corinthians to reciprocally open
their hearts, to treat him honestly, and to judge him fairly. After a brief interlude in
which Paul pauses to warn the Corinthians against association with unbelievers,
Paul continues with words of encouragement. Titus has told him of the Corinthian
church’s positive response to the agonized letter of chastisement that Paul sent
them. Through the distress they felt at receiving his letter, they were led to
repentance. Paul is now confident in the Corinthian church, and as a result he
makes a request of them. In Chapters 8 –9 , he speaks of taking up a collection to
support the church in Jerusalem, and urges the Corinthians to give generously:
“As you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost
eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this
generous undertaking” (8 : 7 ).

It has been suggested that Chapters 1 0 –1 3 are the remnants of the agonized
letter that Paul earlier sent to the Corinthians. Certainly, these chapters represent
an abrupt shift from the triumphant tone of reconciliation in Chapters 7 –9 :
Chapters 1 0 –1 3 are a vehement defense of Paul’s apostolic calling, and a strong
repudiation of his critics. Paul speaks at length of the hardships he has
undergone for the sake of his ministry: “I am a better one: with far greater labors,
far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death” (1 1 : 2 3 ).
Paul asserts that he is not inferior in importance even to the “super-apostles,” the
twelve original disciples appointed by Jesus. The favor of God is equally upon
him, and he says that he has displayed “utmost patience, signs and wonders and
mighty works” (1 2 : 1 2 ). Implicit is the idea that, since Paul is qualified as an
apostle, the Corinthians should respect him and pay attention to his sermons. He
is sending them this difficult letter, he tells them, “so that when I come, I may not
have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord has given me for building
up and not tearing down” (1 3 : 1 0 ). In conclusion, Paul wishes the Corinthians joy,
communal harmony, and peace.