New Testament
2 Corinthians
Paul defends his ministry and writes of God's comfort, generosity, and strength made perfect in weakness.
Overview
- Who
Written by "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother" (1:1).
Written to "The church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia" (1:1). Paul had written to them before "out of much affliction and anguish of heart" (2:4).
- When
Traditional view: About AD 55-57, some months after 1 Corinthians, during Paul's third journey.
Scholarly view: Scholars agree that Paul wrote it. Many think it gathers more than one of his letters to Corinth, especially chapters 10-13; others read it as one letter.
- Where
Written to "Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia" (1:1), the Roman province in southern Greece.
Written from Macedonia. Paul says "when we were come into Macedonia" Titus came with news (7:5-6), and he boasts of the Corinthians "to them of Macedonia" (9:2).
- Why
To share the comfort God gave him in trouble (1:3-4); to explain why he had not come again (1:15-23); to describe the ministry of the new covenant (3:6) and the call "be ye reconciled to God" (5:20); to urge the collection, "the ministering to the saints" (8:4, 9:1); and to answer those who doubted him and to prepare for his third visit (10:10, 12:14, 13:1).
Paul had faced "trouble which came to us in Asia" (1:8). Some at Corinth said his "bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (10:10), and he warns of "false apostles, deceitful workers" (11:13).
Outline
- 1:1-11 Greeting and the God of all comfort
- 1:12-2:17 Paul's change of plans
- 3:1-6:10 Ministers of the new covenant
- 6:11-7:16 Open your hearts; Titus's good news
- 8:1-9:15 The collection for the saints
- 10:1-13:14 Paul defends his apostleship
Key themes
- God "comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble" (1:4).
- "We have this treasure in earthen vessels" (4:7).
- "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (5:17).
- "God loveth a cheerful giver" (9:7).
- "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (12:9).
From the letter's own text, compared with Acts and 1 Corinthians; dating and unity views summarized from standard introductions.