Christ’s followers are made new.
The books of 1 and 2 Corinthians do away with idealistic notions about the church and the people that make up its body. But in opening our eyes to the realities of human frailty, we are awakened to a far more glorious vista: a world in which brokenness can be fixed, failures forgiven, relationships redeemed. The ideal of a flawless life cannot match the miracle of a rescued one (Luke 15:7).
It is this hope in restoration and rebirth through Christ that is the driving force behind 2 Corinthians, the poignant record of the apostle Paul’s work for reconciliation with the Christians at Corinth. As he had attempted to guide them and correct their errors, they had at times spurned the instruction of their mentor. This letter shows Paul reaching out to the church in a spirit of healing and renewal after it had finally submitted to the teachings of the gospel.
During their conflict, several letters passed between Paul and the Corinthians, including at least one between those that have been preserved as 1 and 2 Corinthians (2 Cor. 2:3). Because the two epistles included in the Bible are the only ones that have survived, we must infer what we can about the other parts of their conversation.
Paul’s first, unpreserved letter to the church at Corinth was written during a long stay in Ephesus (Acts 20:31). In it he cautioned the congregation against mixing with sexually immoral people (1 Cor. 5:9). This was an ever-present danger in Corinth, where most Christians were converts from other religions that preached very different values (12:2). Some had likely participated in ritual prostitution at the city’s dozens of pagan temples and shrines. The most prominent temple in Corinth employed no fewer than one thousand prostitutes.
The Corinthians apparently wrote back to Paul, perhaps to justify their behavior but also to ask him about other matters. He then wrote 1 Corinthians and severely condemned the congregation’s divisions and continued tolerance of immorality. He also addressed their other questions, as the repeated use of the phrase “now concerning” indicates (7:1, 25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1).
For all its stern language, 1 Corinthians failed to correct the church’s abuses. So Paul visited the congregation, but was rebuffed (2 Cor. 2:1). After returning to Ephesus, he penned a forceful letter calculated to shock the stubborn Corinthians into obedience. Most scholars believe that this letter has been lost, although some surmise that it has been preserved in 2 Corinthians as chapters 10–13.
Paul sent Titus to deliver the fiery epistle and waited to hear about the Corinthians’ response. But Titus delayed in returning. As time passed, Paul felt increasingly anxious that his message had been too strongly worded. When he could wait for a reply no longer, he set out for Corinth by way of Macedonia. During his journey he crossed paths with Titus, who was bringing news that the church had at last agreed to mend its ways. Encouraged by this development, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to bring healing to the relationship.
The Book of 2 Corinthians demonstrates that all people, including believers and people who work in full-time ministry, wrestle with hardship, self-doubt, and sin. Yet whatever problems we face or sins we commit, God’s grace is sufficient to bring us through and even to transform us into a new creation (5:17; 12:7–9).
The greetings in both 1 and 2 Corinthians identify their author as Paul the apostle, and there is no serious dispute that he wrote them. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia some twelve to fifteen months after he wrote 1 Corinthians, which is believed to have been composed in A.D. 56.
Key Verses in 2 Corinthians
• “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
• “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7).
• “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8, 9).
• “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).
• “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
• “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
• “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14).
• “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).
• “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).