The Writings of 2 Corinthians

Imagine this: you are an apostle for Christ about 50 years after His death and resurrection. You travel around the country speaking to people about the love of Jesus and what it mean to follow Him. You start churches. At one city, Corinth, you stay two years, giving yourself to the city and all the people who would listen to you, sharing the good news of the gospel. When the church you started begins to grow and get established you move on to the next city to continue your ministry. Your church in Corinth has become well known but for all the wrong reasons. Neighboring cities talk of the scandal this church has caused. The church in Corinth is confused by their freedom and is celebrating sin as a sign of their freedom in Christ. The church is divided as groups of people follow certain leaders. Christians are taking each other to court. This would seem to be the worst church in the world! So you write them a letter of correction. You write, not out of hate, but out of love. In fact, you write a beautiful section in that letter specifically about love. You send it off, things seem to be resolved, but then you hear more bad news.

Even after they receive the letter, now people are talking against you. Leaders in the church say all you did for them is not important. They mock your previous letters, saying that if you were to see them face-to-face you wouldn’t be courageous and to talk to them. Then they mock all you have suffered and endured for the sake of Christ. They discredit you. They dismiss your ministry. What would you do? Do you respond? Do you wash your hands and move on with your ministry? How would you respond? 

This is the situation Paul faced in writing 2 Corinthians. New leaders are challenging Paul’s authority in the church. They are questioning Paul’s character and calling. The hearts of the members are easily influenced by their claims. Paul had every right to be enraged. He could angrily rebuke them. He could try to shut them down. He could forget about them, as a lost cause. But Paul’s response is different than any of these options. 

Paul doesn’t respond in anger. Instead, he responds by pouring out his heart to the church. This 2 Corinthians letter is considered to be one of Paul’s most emotional letters as Paul’s love for the church is shown in his writing. Yes, Paul defends his apostleship and his zeal for the gospel of Christ. But most of all Paul writes how the gospel should influence every area of a Christian’s life. He still loves them because of the gospel. He recounts the trials he faced for Christ. He tells his church that he will boast not about how hard he worked or how he was thrown in prison or beaten. Paul will only boast about Christ. Paul boasts in his weakness because he wants to show the church in Corinth something that with help them. He wants to show them that in weakness, Christ’s strength is made available. Paul knows the church is struggling so he uses himself as an example of someone who faced much hardship yet still kept his faith and persevered. Paul allowed his struggles to strengthen and refine him, not to turn him against God. He encourages the church to find Christ as a source of comfort in challenging times, and then to use that same measure of comfort to pour out on others, becoming a pure reflection of the love of Christ to a hurting world. Is that the kind of letter you would have written if you were Paul? As you read 2 Corinthians, you are reading a glimpse of Paul’s heart for his church poured out on paper. It is a letter written to a church, by its founding father, a pastor who is full of love for his people.