The Writing Of 2 Corinthians

INTRO

Mindi’s painting for 2 Corinthians includes a broken clay jar, the drapery cloth representing the Holy Spirit, and the veil that was lifted when Christ died and was resurrected. We’ll get into the crown and the coins—there’s a lot here. Just like 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians doesn’t mince words. Like we’ve done before, in this first lesson on a new book of the Bible, we’re going to spend a lot of time on the background, the author, and the date the letter was written. Today we’ll talk about the “lost letter” to the Corinthians to set the tone for our study. Paul had a reason for continuing to communicate with the church at Corinth. Looking at a map, we see Corinth wasn’t too far from Athens, located between the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. This city was a hotbed for whatever debauchery existed.

Paul was the writer of this second New Testament epistle. John MacArthur identified the most likely date of this letter. In Acts 18:12, Gallio was identified as the proconsul of Achaia. Paul’s trial before him in Corinth probably took place shortly after Gallio assumed office. In probably A.D. 52, Paul left Corinth and sailed for Caesarea (Acts 18:18–22), thus concluding his second missionary journey. He returned to Ephesus on his third journey in A.D. 52, where he remained for about two and a half years (Acts 19:8–10). While in Ephesus, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16:8) around A.D. 55. Second Corinthians was written after Paul left Ephesus, most likely in late A.D. 55 or early A.D. 56, roughly five years after his visit to Corinth.¹

In Paul’s second missionary journey, he started the church at Corinth. He spent 18 months in that city. He left Corinth and then heard about immorality, idolatry, and a lack of patience among the believers in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul said he wrote them a letter telling them not to associate with immoral people. Many people call this the “lost letter” to Corinth. This letter did not become a part of Scripture. While Paul was in Ephesus, he heard more about the problems in the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:11), which, in addition to the immorality, included division and rivalry. The Corinthians had responded to Paul’s initial letter (1 Corinthians 7:1), asking him to clarify things. Paul then responded to the letter from the Corinthians with the letter we know as 1 Corinthians.² This background information sets the tone for 2 Corinthians. Paul intended to stay in Ephesus a little while longer, so he sent Timothy to check up on them.³

Paul heard some disturbing reports about false apostles inside the Corinthian community (2 Corinthians 11:13). These false apostles questioned Paul’s character and taught people to turn away from Paul and from Christ. So 2 Corinthians was written in response to the reports the Corinthian church was getting further and further away from what they originally put their faith in. Paul left Ephesus determined to go back to Corinth. Second Corinthians 2:1 referred to this as a “painful visit.” From Ephesus, Paul wrote what is called “the severe letter” (2 Corinthians 2:4), which he sent with Titus to Corinth (2 Corinthians 7). Paul left Ephesus after a riot (Acts 19) and went to Troas to meet Titus to hear about his visit to Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 7:7, Paul found out the Corinthians had repented of their rebellion against him. MacArthur said Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from Philippi.⁴

In the first seven chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul defended his apostleship and explained his ministry. In chapters eight through nine, Paul urged them to resume their preparations for the Jerusalem collection. In chapters 10—13, Paul confronted the false apostles who were turning people away from Christ.

TEACHING

2 Corinthians 1:1-11: Paul identified himself as an apostle of Christ “by God’s will” (v. 1), and Timothy as his brother in the Lord. Paul followed his typical pattern of salutation in verse 2. In almost all of Paul’s epistles, he included a salutation: a statement of the author and the recipients of the letter and a greeting. In verse 3, Paul urged them to “remember what God is to you.”⁵ This little verse emphasizes ways all of us could overcome tough times in our lives. First of all, praise God because He’s God. Second, praise Him because He’s the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Third, praise God because He’s the Father of mercies. Fourth, praise Him because He’s the God of all comfort. Mercy is what God shows; comfort is what we receive. Paul praises God because God is with him in the midst of these attacks on his character, his ministry, his soul.

Here’s what we should emphasize in everything contained in verses 4–11: our one word for 2 Corinthians is Treasure. Second Corinthians 4:7 says there is a treasure inside each one of us. As we go through these afflictions, pains, and sufferings, we get through them because we have the Treasure, Christ, inside us. That was the hope Paul could cling to; it was the extraordinary power that allowed him to go on.

CLOSING

As you read through 2 Corinthians, you will hear Paul be kind of harsh at times. But he’s going to show mercy, grace, and comfort in this process because of the Treasure, Christ. This is the backdrop explaining why Paul continued to pour into the Corinthian church.