The surpassing value of 2 Corinthians is the opportunity it gives us to view the great care—through both Law and Gospel—that Paul and his colleagues provided to a wayward congregation. We read about the sharpness of his rebuke by which he prodded the congregation toward repentance and the soothing comfort he poured out to them as they welcomed the Lord’s Word.
The Second Letter to the Corinthians is certainly one of the most difficult of Paul’s letters—which is not to say that it was difficult or obscure for its first readers; they lived in the situation that we must laboriously reconstruct. Since the hints given by the letter itself are not always full enough to permit a complete and accurate reconstruction of the situation, the letter is for us difficult, an angel to be wrestled with if we would receive a blessing. But the blessing is a rich one and worth the wrestling.
The unfinished task of the collection for the saints of Jerusalem was the occasion of Paul’s fourth letter to the Church at Corinth, our present 2 Corinthians. But only the occasion; dear as the success of that undertaking was to Paul’s heart and much as he valued the collection as an expression of the unity between the Gentile and the Judaic church, it is not the central concern of his letter. That is rather the re-establishment of a full and pure understanding of his authority as “apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 1:1). His desire to make clear forever to the Corinthians wherein the glory and power of his ministry lay is the dominant impulse in his writing.
This concern dominates the first section (chapters 1–7), which looks to the past, wherein Paul welcomed the penitent advances of the majority of the church. He forgave the disciplined wrongdoer and bespoke the love of the church for him, then appealed for a renewal of the full communion of love that had been characteristic of his association with the Corinthian Church. These matters dominate the last section of the letter also, where Paul looked forward to his coming visit to Corinth and dealt rigorously and definitively with his detractors and their hangers-on (chapters 10–13). And that concern has left its marks also on the chapters (8–9) that deal with the collection; here we see in action that peculiarly divine apostolic authority that seeks nothing for itself, but all for Christ, which will not autocratically lord it over men’s faith, but works with men for their joy in Christ (1:24).
This authority is essentially the vehicle of the potent claim of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, it will not command, but need only advise (8:8, 10). It is an expression of the Lordship of Christ, which can expect and claim obedience only because it is centered wholly in God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His power (8:5), His gifts and goodness (8:16; 9:7–8, 11–12, 15), and has His glory for its goal (9:13).
Paul’s ministry to the Corinthians has been “painful” (2:1). As Christ’s representative, Paul calls them to repentance (cf 1 Corinthians 5–6; 10–11) for their willful disobedience of the Gospel of Jesus. Yet even for this church, there is grace and peace from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:2), which establishes and sustains them anew as God’s saints.
Paul puts suffering in the context of God’s grace. Sharing the Gospel in the midst of a sinful world means that opposition is bound to come (John 15:20) and may even overwhelm God’s people as they share the Good News with others. Paul defends his ministry to the Corinthians, not according to the standards of the world, but according to the gracious character of God’s message delivered through self-sacrificing servants.
Since the goal of church discipline is the restoration of the person, Paul calls the Corinthians, who have been diligent in punishment, to be even more diligent in forgiveness. Paul’s spirit is restless and overwhelmed in the circumstances of his ministry. Nonetheless, he is confident that Christ will accomplish His work for the Corinthians. He describes the sufficiency, competency, and hope of the new covenant, which is the fulfillment of the old covenant.
The essence of Paul’s ministry was “mercy” through the Lord Jesus alone. Such mercy compelled him to be straightforward, authentic, and transparent as a servant to God’s people. Living and sharing the life of Christ with others often has a cost. Paul instructs us to look beyond the momentary affliction to the eternal glory of salvation in Jesus. He tells us to look to the treasure, not to the earthen vessel, for our confidence with God. Yet Paul also simply instructs the believer to please God.
Christ’s love compels Paul to persevere through all hardships in order to make God’s offer of forgiveness and reconciliation plain to the people at Corinth. Our relationship with Jesus is intimate because we, as believers, are “the temple of the living God” (6:16). Paul also shares the ups and downs of ministry and his great joy in hearing that the Corinthians’ faith in Christ was solid again.
The Macedonians forgot themselves as they gave to others as though there would be no tomorrow. God also calls us to give generously, because He endows us with earthly things for our neighbors’ benefit. As Paul leads this great money-gathering effort, he takes care that clergy and laity work together to ensure that the Church’s financial dealings are untainted by scandal. Because good intentions sometimes do not get acted on, Paul sends three representatives to Corinth to offer gentle encouragement to deliver what was promised. Paul urges the Corinthians to follow the example of God’s self-giving in Christ by giving themselves to others, so that the downward and outward movement of grace comes full circle in an ascending symphony of thanksgiving.
Paul’s opponents cut him to ribbons and paint themselves in glowing colors, but he presses forward in spiritual warfare, winning souls for Christ against all odds, rejoicing that the Lord prospers his work and opens doors for his ministry, giving all glory to Christ.
Paul went over the top in real ministry to bring the true Christ and the true church to the Corinthians. He now grieves that they are falling for fake ministers who push a fake Christ. Paul gives sensitive personal information to prove that a genuine servant of Christ carries his Master’s cross and drinks His cup. Like scarcely any other person before or since, Paul tasted the powers and bliss of heaven, but at the same time suffered bitterly under the curse of sin.
The apostle wants to return for another visit, his heart and arms open wide with love, but he is also prepared to be firm if necessary. He will bind sins and excommunicate the unrepentant on his next visit. Yet he hopes examination of consciences will show the Corinthians that they hold the Lord’s doctrine and that they forsake the way of death to cling to the Lord of life. If Christ dwells in them, then Paul will come in gentleness, for the Gospel will hold sway. Confident that God’s Word will do its work, Paul utters no more stern demand or harsh rebuke. He moves through gentle appeal to end on a triumphant note.
“In the first epistle, St. Paul rebuked the Corinthians severely for many things, pouring sharp wine into their wounds [Luke 10:34] and frightening them. But an apostle should be a preacher of comfort, to raise up terrified and fearful consciences, rather than to frighten them. Therefore in this epistle he praises them once more and pours oil into their wounds [Luke 10:34]. He shows himself wonderfully kind to them and bids them to receive the sinner back with love.
“In chapters 1 and 2 he shows his love toward them, how all that he said, did, and suffered was for their profit and benefit, and how they ought to trust him for the best.
“After that he praises the office of the gospel, which is the highest and most comforting of all works and is for the profit and benefit of men’s consciences. He shows how it is nobler than the office of the law, also how it is persecuted, and yet increases among believers and produces through the cross a hope of eternal glory. But with all this he touches the false apostles, who were inculcating the law over against the gospel, teaching mere outward holiness—that is, hypocrisy—and allowing the inner shame of unbelief to continue. This he does in chapters 3, 4, and 5."
“In chapters 6 and 7 he exhorts them to implement this kind of preaching in the things they do and suffer. He concludes by praising them, so that he may encourage them to carry on." (AE 35:383–84)
Scripture: ESV®.
Quotation marked AE 35 is from Luther’s Works, American Edition © Fortress Press. Used with permission of Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Blog post adapted from Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 2: Intertestamental Era, New Testament, and Bible Dictionary © 2014 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.