2 Corinthians

Introduction

Second Corinthians is a letter from the apostle Paul, together with Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1), probably written around AD 55-56 from Macedonia to the church in Corinth. It is among Paul's most personal letters. Between the writing of 1 Corinthians and this letter, a serious crisis had arisen: Paul made a brief, painful visit to Corinth that went badly (2 Corinthians 2:1), then wrote a severe letter "out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears" (2 Corinthians 2:4) — a letter now lost. He sent Titus to Corinth and waited in Macedonia until Titus returned with welcome news: the church had repented and reaffirmed its loyalty (2 Corinthians 7:5-7). This letter is Paul's response to that reconciliation.

Yet the reconciliation was incomplete. A group of outsiders — whom Paul sarcastically calls "super-apostles" (2 Corinthians 11:5) — had arrived in Corinth, claimed superior credentials, and undermined Paul's authority. As a result, 2 Corinthians moves in two distinct registers: chapters 1-9 are largely warm and pastoral, celebrating reconciliation and urging the completion of a collection for the poor in Jerusalem, while chapters 10-13 turn to a sharp defense of Paul's apostleship. Throughout, the letter's central theological theme is that God's power is displayed through human weakness: the treasure of the gospel is carried in "jars of clay" (2 Corinthians 4:7), and Christ's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Structure

Second Corinthians falls into three major sections, each with its own tone and purpose.

Part 1: Comfort, Reconciliation, and the New Covenant Ministry (Chapters 1-7)

• Greeting and Thanksgiving for Comfort in Suffering (2 Corinthians 1:1-11) — Paul opens by praising God as the "Father of compassion and the God of all comfort," linking his own sufferings to Christ's sufferings and to the comfort that flows from them
• Paul's Change of Plans and the Offender (2 Corinthians 1:12-2:13) — Paul explains why he altered his travel plans, urges forgiveness for the repentant offender, and describes his anxious search for Titus
• The Glory of the New Covenant Ministry (2 Corinthians 2:14-5:21) — The theological center of the letter: Paul describes the ministry of the new covenant as greater in glory than the old, explains that the gospel shines through fragile human vessels, affirms that present suffering is producing eternal glory, and declares that God has reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, making believers ambassadors of reconciliation
• Appeal for Openness and Holiness (6:1-7:16) — Paul urges the Corinthians to open their hearts to him, warns against being yoked to unbelievers, and rejoices over Titus's report of their repentance and renewed affection

Part 2: The Collection for Jerusalem (Chapters 8-9)

• Generosity Modeled and Encouraged (8-9) — Paul sets the Macedonian churches before them as an example of sacrificial giving, sends Titus and his companions to organize the collection, grounds generosity in the grace of Christ who "though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor" (2 Corinthians 8:9), and promises that God loves a cheerful giver and will supply every need

Part 3: Paul's Defense of His Apostleship (Chapters 10-13)

• Spiritual Warfare and Authority (10) — Paul defends his apostolic authority, insisting that though he appears meek in person, his weapons have divine power, and he will not boast beyond proper limits
• The Fool's Boast (11:1-12:13) — In sharp irony, Paul "boasts" as the false apostles do, listing not his achievements but his sufferings, shipwrecks, beatings, and dangers; he then recounts a vision of being caught up to the third heaven and reveals his "thorn in the flesh," through which Christ told him, "My grace is sufficient for you"
• Final Warnings and Benediction (12:14-13:14) — Paul announces his upcoming third visit, warns that he will not spare the unrepentant, calls the Corinthians to examine themselves, and closes with the trinitarian benediction: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all"

Chapter Summaries

1. 1Paul greets the Corinthians, blesses God as the source of all comfort in affliction, recounts a deadly trial he endured in Asia, and begins explaining why he changed his travel plans to spare the church further pain.
2. 2Paul urges the church to forgive and restore the repentant offender, describes his anxiety at not finding Titus in Troas, and transitions into a thanksgiving for God who always leads His people in triumphal procession in Christ.
3. 3Paul contrasts the ministry of the old covenant written on stone tablets with the surpassing glory of the new covenant written on human hearts by the Spirit, and declares that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
4. 4Paul affirms that he does not lose heart despite persecution — the gospel treasure is held in jars of clay precisely so that the surpassing power belongs to God — and fixes his eyes on unseen eternal realities rather than on momentary afflictions.
5. 5Paul describes believers groaning in their earthly bodies while longing for their heavenly dwelling, declares that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and proclaims the ministry of reconciliation: in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself.
6. 6Paul urges the Corinthians not to receive God's grace in vain, catalogs his sufferings as a minister, pleads for open hearts, and warns them not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
7. 7Paul calls for holiness rooted in the fear of God, expresses his affection for the Corinthians, and rejoices over the report from Titus that his severe letter produced godly sorrow leading to repentance rather than worldly grief leading to death.
8. 8Paul commends the generosity of the Macedonian churches as a model, grounds the appeal for giving in the self-impoverishing grace of Christ, and sends Titus along with two other brothers to help the Corinthians complete their promised collection for the saints in Jerusalem.
9. 9Paul encourages the Corinthians to have their gift ready so they will not be embarrassed when the Macedonians arrive, teaches that whoever sows generously will also reap generously, and declares that God loves a cheerful giver and is able to make all grace abound.
10. 10Paul defends himself against charges that he is bold in his letters but weak in person, insists that his spiritual weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds, and warns that he will not boast beyond proper limits but only within the field God has assigned him — which includes Corinth.
11. 11Paul expresses jealousy for the Corinthians' faithfulness to Christ, exposes the "super-apostles" as false apostles disguising themselves as servants of righteousness, and in a "fool's boast" catalogs his sufferings — beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, hunger, and constant danger — as the true marks of his apostleship.
12. 12Paul recounts being caught up to the third heaven fourteen years earlier to hear inexpressible things, reveals the "thorn in the flesh" through which Christ taught him that divine power is made perfect in weakness, and closes with concern that he may find the Corinthians still mired in sin when he arrives.
13. 13Paul warns that on his third visit he will not spare those who persist in sin, urges the Corinthians to examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith, and closes with a final appeal for unity and the trinitarian benediction.