2 Corinthians

Author: Paul
Date of Writing: AD 57
Type of Book: Epistle
Theme: Paul’s apostleship

Paul had written the book of 1 Corinthians to address many of the problems existing in the church at Corinth. Writing from Ephesus, he expressed his desire to come to Corinth in the near future, “if the Lord permits” (1 Cor. 16:5-7)

But trouble in Ephesus caused Paul to have to leave suddenly. He went to Troas, where he hoped to meet up with Titus and hear how things were going in Corinth. He had probably sent the first letter to Corinth with Titus and was anxious to hear how they had received his corrections. But Titus wasn’t in Troas. So Paul continued on to Philippi, where he met Titus and heard the latest news from Corinth, and wrote this second letter in AD 56-57.

This letter is more encouraging than the first, as he commended them for their positive response to his difficult letter, and for their willingness to take corrective measures. However, a growing faction of false teachers arose in Corinth and attacked Paul. They accused him of being a cruel liar and a con man, and they questioned his qualifications as an apostle. So in this second letter, Paul was forced to defend his character and his ministry.

No matter how strong you are it hurts when someone attacks your ministry. Years ago, a man traveled the country, claiming that I was part of the Illuminati and that the church of Satan had given me seven million dollars to start a Christian music company to corrupt Christian young people with “evil rock-and-roll music”. Of course this was ridiculous, and my wife Kay eventually confronted the man publicly, and he backed off his claims. But as ridiculous as these accusations were, they still hurt - not because I cared what this man thought of me, but because I knew he was deceiving innocent people.

Sometimes, in order to protect innocent sheep, you have to defend yourself against false charges. And that is what Paul did in 2 Corinthians. The result is that through these writings, we learn personal details about Paul’s life and ministry that we would have never known otherwise, and God gives us much information about the nature and call to the ministry.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith from The Word for Today Bible