The apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians has a different characteristic than that of the first letter. The first letter was mainly a correction epistle where Paul had to correct disorderly conduct in the local assembly at Corinth....

The apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians has a different characteristic than that of the first letter. The first letter was mainly a correction epistle where Paul had to correct disorderly conduct in the local assembly at Corinth. The Corinthians were believers but were behaving in a carnal manner that the apostle had to use strong language to correct them. Now he was waiting for news from Titus (ch 2:13) before going to visit them again, hopefully they would be in a better condition. The second letter has the character of the ministry of Paul and his apostleship.

2 Corinthians was written around 57AD, about 18 months after his visit to Corinth, which places it at the end of the same year as his first letter. The dates are not exact but are approximate. Paul had intended to visit the assembly at Corinth again but not while they were in such a condition after he had written the first letter. He did not want to visit them with a rod, so he spared them (2 Cor 1:23).

This epistle is one of the most difficult to understand and is one of the most personal testimonies of the apostle Paul in relation to his ministry not only among the saints at Corinth, but everywhere else. Why did Paul write this second epistle? If we recall, he had instructed the Corinthians in may things in the first letter, especially in relation to the person who was committing fornication (1 Cor 5). When Titus brought news back to Paul, he learned that many things had changed for the better in Corinth since his first letter (2 Cor. 7:6-16), so there was a positive outcome from that. The local assembly had grievingly excluded the brother mentioned in 1 Cor. 5 (2 Cor. 7:8-12). Paul now in his second letter exhorts them to show him grace, love and forgiveness as he had now come to repentance (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

There is an interesting point to note. Paul associates himself in chapter 1:1 with Timothy, yet the person whose name is mentioned more is Titus, who is mentioned about 9 times in the epistle (ch (2:13; 7:6; 7:13; 7:14; 8:6; 8:16; 8:23; 12:18 twice). Paul refers to Titus as “my own child according to the faith common to us” (Titus 1:4), i.e., Titus would have found faith in the Lord Jesus through Paul. He became a close co-worker of the apostle. Therefore, it was Titus that had brought Paul news about how the Corinthians were getting along. After the first letter was sent to the Corinthians from Ephesus Paul sent Titus to Corinth (2 Corinthians 12:18) to investigate things in relation to the condition in the local assembly. Shortly after they met again in Macedonia after Paul had waited in vain for Titus at Troas (2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:6; 7:13-14). Then Titus with two other brothers travelled once more to Corinth bringing them the second letter (2 Cor. 8:6; 8:16; 8:23).

Some of the key words in the epistle are ‘comfort’ or ‘encouragement’, which interchangeably occur about 16 times in the epistle, ‘service’, which occurs about 12 times. These words occur more frequently in this epistle than any other of Paul’s epistles. Some other interesting verses in the epistle are found in chapter 5:17, 21; 8:9 which are some very well-known and loved verses. Another interesting thing in this epistle is the number of occasions where the apostle Paul writes about his sufferings and experiences. These are found in chapter 4, 6 and 11 and this was a special calling that he had received from the Lord (see Acts 9:16).

The following is a suggested division of the second epistle to the Corinthians. It can be divided into three sections.

Chapter 1 to 7 shows us the ministry of Paul and him explaining his service for the Lord. In this section, we see the source of strength for his service, the motives, characteristics and the purpose of the service. This can apply to any kind of service in the local assembly or for preaching the gospel. Chapters 8 and 9 bring before us the ministry of giving. This is not a command from the apostle, but his advice or opinion as to how the ministry of giving should be carried out. In these chapters Paul explains the attitude in giving and outlines some helpful administrative issues in relation to giving for the needs of the saints, whether locally or abroad. Giving and sending funds to saints should be conducted by more than one brother so as to avoid any potential issues among the saints. Chapters 10 to 13 are different, yet Paul is vindicating and defending his ministry as an apostle called by God. In this section, there was still an element at Corinth who had not repented of their carnal ways and were discrediting Paul’s authority as an apostle. Paul does not speak for himself, but he is defending the authority of God, His Word and the whole truth in the Word of God. Paul is telling the saints at Corinth that by discrediting his apostleship, they would be also discrediting the apostleship of Peter, James, John, and were discrediting the whole truth in the Word of God. This is a dangerous thing to do, and Paul seeks to set things right with them and he is still seeking their own welfare and not his own glory.

This outline is adapted from Arend Remmers outline of 2 Corinthians. His other outlines are on www.biblecentre.org. This is not intended to copy the work of another person, but to simplify it for the more simple readers.

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