2 Corinthians

1 Corinthians | bookshelf | Galatians

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As Paul started heading through Macedonia and towards Corinth, he received news of how effective his first letter had been in bringing about repentance in the lives of the sinning Corinthians. Now a new problem had arisen. While Paul was gone a group of teachers had moved into Corinth that really hated Paul. They accused him of being an imposter apostle. They said his Damascus road experience was a hoax and that he had no authority to speak the words of Christ. Ouch! Imagine how that made Paul feel, and imagine what kind of doubts that may have sparked in the minds of the Corinthian church that was basing their beliefs on the teaching of their founding pastor.

In this letter Paul has two agendas. First he defends his right to be an apostle and the authority that his words carry because of it. At first glance Paul may seem to be very arrogant in this letter, but remember that he is defending himself against some very serious accusations. He wants to make sure that when he arrives in Corinth he doesn’t meet a mutinous congregation.

Secondly, Paul is also preparing the church for a special ministry that he is undertaking. The church in Jerusalem had fallen on tough times due to a famine in the region. Paul was traveling through Macedonia and Greece, visiting all the churches he had started so that he could take up a collection -- a relief fund -- for the church in Jerusalem. The second half of the letter is Paul’s attempt to get the Corinthians to contribute to this relief fund.