Reconciliation

 

 

Paul arrived in Corinth during his second missionary journey, c. AD 52, and ministered in the city for a year and a half. After departing, Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians, c. AD 55, from the city of Ephesus and sent Titus, his fellow minister, to deliver it to the church. 

It appears the believers corrected many of the abuses Paul called out in that letter,but a new problem arose when a faction arrived from Palestine (known as the Judaizers) and began to again create divisions in the church. 

This prompted Paul to pay a “painful visit” to the believers in Corinth. After he left, he was again criticized by the anti-Pauline faction, which prompted him to write a “severe letter” to the church. 

Paul must have wondered how the believers would take this letter, but his fears were allayed when Titus arrived and said it had been well received. 

In gratitude, Paul penned 2 Corinthians 1–9 during further ministry work in Macedonia . . . and then learned the faction against him was still trying to undermine his authority. In response, Paul penned 2 Corinthians 10–13 and sent Titus to deliver both parts to the struggling church.

Several key themes are prominent in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. The first is that there is a cost in following Christ. In Paul’s absence, false teachers had journeyed to Corinth and were attacking his authority as an apostle. 

In response, Paul outlines the price he often paid in service to Christ and the gospel (see 1:8–11; 6:3–13; 11:22–29) and models forgiveness for one individual in particular who had spoken against him (see 2:3–11). Paul’s listings of hardships reminds us of Jesus’ warning about the cost of being a true disciple (see Luke 14:25–33). 

A second theme is that followers of Christ have been reconciled with God. Paul provides a concise summary midway through the letter of what it means to be made right with God. When we choose to put our faith in Christ, we become a new creation in Him—the old nature passes away and we embrace the new life of righteousness that God has for us. 

Once we experience this new life, we are compelled to become “ambassadors for Christ” and share the message of reconciliation with the world (see 2 Corinthians 5:12–6:2). A third theme is that believers have a responsibility to give to others (see 8:1–9:15). 

One of Paul’s main causes was a collection that he was taking up among the Gentile churches for the believers in Jerusalem. These Jewish followers of Christ had been subjected to persecution, ostracized from society, and were suffering from a famine in the region. 

For Paul, it was the duty of those who had been given much from God to share those resources with others in need. His instructions to the believers in the matter provide us with the most detailed description of sacrificial and generous giving found anywhere in his epistles. 

A fourth theme is in regard to the characteristics that should define a leader in the church. Paul understood that the attacks against him were the result of Satan’s attempts to undermine the work of the gospel. 

So he called on the believers to recognize that this was taking place and then outlined the traits that should define a person who claimed to represent Christ in leadership. 

For Paul, boldness in defending the gospel and boasting in the grace of Christ set apart true godly leaders from those who operate out of more carnal motives (see 10:1–12:10). 

All too often, believers today have preconceived ideas of what the Christian life should look like. We picture a care-free existence . . . when the Bible promises just the opposite. In this letter, the apostle Paul helps us change this mindset by providing examples from his own life to reveal what it means to be a true follower of Christ—a road that includes pain, trials, obstacles, and suffering. 

But it is a road that in the end is worth all the struggle, for we have the promise from God that those who travel it faithfully will receive the gift of eternal life.

My name is Cesar and I’m a Voice in The Desert 

www.avoiceinthedesert.net

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