2 Corinthians

Part One: Introduction to 2 Corinthians

The Author and Date

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother" (1:1). Paul wrote from Macedonia (2:13; 7:5; 8:1; 9:2-4), probably from Philippi, around AD 56-57, during his third missionary journey, shortly after 1 Corinthians and a few months before he wrote Romans from Corinth.

The Background

Between 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul's relationship with the church went through a painful crisis. The events can be pieced together from the letter itself:

Although most of the church had repented, a group of intruders had arrived, claiming to be apostles and attacking Paul. They boasted of their Jewish credentials (11:22), carried letters of recommendation (3:1), compared themselves with one another (10:12), took money from the church (11:20), and preached "another Jesus" (11:4). Paul calls them "false apostles, deceitful workers" (11:13). They accused Paul of being fickle (1:17), weak in person (10:10), unimpressive in speech (11:6), and suspect for refusing financial support (11:7-9; 12:13-16).

Character and Theme

2 Corinthians is the most personal of Paul's letters. In it he opens his heart, describing his sufferings, anxieties, tears, joys and visions. It is a letter about Christian ministry: its glory, its pressures and its power. Its great theme is that God's power is displayed through human weakness.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9

The letter falls into three parts: Paul's explanation of his ministry, with joy at the church's repentance (1-7); his appeal for the collection for Jerusalem (8-9); and his defence against the false apostles (10-13).

Outline of 2 Corinthians

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Section I: Paul's Ministry Explained (Chapters 1-7)

Chapter 1 — The God of All Comfort

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The word "comfort" (encouragement, strengthening) appears ten times in five verses (1:3-7). God comforts us in every trouble, not only so that we feel better, but so that we can comfort others. "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ" (1:5). Suffering equips believers for ministry.

Paul then described a recent crisis in Asia:

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us

2 Corinthians 1:8-10

God allowed Paul to reach the end of his own strength so that he would trust only in the God who raises the dead. He has delivered, does deliver, and will deliver. Paul valued the Corinthians' prayers (1:11).

Paul's integrity (1:12-2:4). Paul had changed his travel plans, and his critics said he was unreliable, saying "yea, yea" and "nay, nay" at the same time (1:15-17). He answered that his word, like the gospel he preached, was not "yea and nay":

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Every promise God has made finds its "Yes" in Christ. "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (1:21-22). God establishes believers, anoints them, seals them (marking them as His own, secure), and gives the Holy Spirit as the "earnest," a down payment guaranteeing the full inheritance to come (Ephesians 1:13-14). Paul had changed his plans not out of fickleness but "to spare you": he did not want another painful visit (1:23-2:1). "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy" (1:24). Instead he had written a letter "out of much affliction and anguish of heart... with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you" (2:4).

Chapter 2 — Forgiveness and the Fragrance of Christ

Forgiving the offender (2:5-11). Someone had caused grief, probably the man who opposed Paul during the painful visit, or possibly the immoral man of 1 Corinthians 5. The church had disciplined him, and he had evidently repented.

Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

2 Corinthians 2:6-8

Discipline aims at restoration. Once a sinner repents, the church must forgive, comfort and reaffirm its love. Failing to forgive gives Satan an opportunity: "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2:11). Satan uses both tolerance of sin and harshness toward the repentant.

Anxiety and triumph (2:12-17). At Troas, though "a door was opened unto me of the Lord," Paul could not rest because Titus had not arrived with news from Corinth, so he went on to Macedonia (2:12-13). Then, before finishing the story (resumed in 7:5), he bursts into praise:

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16

The picture is a Roman triumphal procession, in which a victorious general paraded through the streets with incense burning. Christ is the conquering general; His servants are part of His triumph, spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. To those being saved, the gospel smells of life; to those perishing, of death. "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ" (2:17). "Corrupt" means to peddle, like a merchant watering down wine for profit. Paul did not dilute or sell God's Word.

Chapter 3 — The Glory of the New Covenant

Living letters (3:1-6). Paul's opponents carried letters of recommendation. Paul needed none:

Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

The changed lives of the Corinthians were his credentials. The Spirit writes God's law on the heart, fulfilling the new covenant promise (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26-27). "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves... but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (3:5-6). "The letter" is the old covenant law written on stone, which commands but cannot empower and so condemns sinners; "the spirit" is the new covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit, who gives life. (This verse is not about literal versus figurative interpretation of Scripture.)

Two covenants compared (3:7-18). When Moses came down from Sinai, his face shone so brightly that the Israelites could not look at it, and he covered it with a veil (Exodus 34:29-35). Paul compares the old and new covenants:

Moses veiled his face "that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished" (3:13): the glory was fading. "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ" (3:14). When the Jewish people read the Old Testament without Christ, a veil covers their understanding. "Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away" (3:16), whether an individual now or the nation in the future (Romans 11:26).

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

The new covenant brings freedom from condemnation and bondage. Believers behold the glory of Christ, as in a mirror, in the Word of God, and the Spirit gradually transforms them into His likeness. We become like what we behold. This is the process of sanctification.

Chapter 4 — Treasure in Earthen Vessels

"Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not" (4:1). Paul refused deceptive methods: "not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (4:2).

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Unbelief is not merely intellectual; Satan, "the god of this world," blinds unbelievers. Only God can open their eyes. "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (4:5-6). Conversion is a new creation: as God said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), so He shines into dark hearts.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

The treasure is the gospel; the vessels are frail human servants, like cheap clay jars. The contrast ensures that the power is clearly God's. Then a series of paradoxes:

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Pressed but not crushed, puzzled but not hopeless, hunted but not abandoned, knocked down but not knocked out. Paul's sufferings displayed both Christ's death and His resurrection life. "So then death worketh in us, but life in you" (4:12). Like the psalmist, "I believed, and therefore have I spoken" (4:13; Psalm 116:10), knowing that God who raised Jesus will raise us also (4:14).

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Paul called his sufferings (listed in 11:23-28) "light" and "for a moment" only by comparison with the eternal weight of glory they were producing. The secret of not losing heart is to fix our eyes on eternal, unseen realities.

Chapter 5 — The Eternal Home and the Ministry of Reconciliation

The heavenly body (5:1-8).

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Corinthians 5:1

The present body is a tent, temporary and fragile; the resurrection body will be a permanent building from God. Believers groan, longing to be "clothed upon" with it (5:2-4). God has prepared us for this and given us the Spirit as a guarantee (5:5).

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

At death, the believer's spirit goes immediately into the Lord's presence (Philippians 1:23; Luke 23:43). There is no soul sleep or purgatory.

The judgment seat of Christ (5:9-10). Paul's ambition was to please the Lord, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (5:10). The "judgment seat" (Greek bema) was the platform from which officials gave verdicts and athletes received prizes. Believers will not be condemned (Romans 8:1), but their lives and works will be evaluated and rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

The love of Christ constrains (5:11-17). "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (5:11). But Paul's deepest motive was love:

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Christ's love grips and drives the believer. Because He died for us, we live for Him. Paul no longer evaluated people by worldly standards (5:16).

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Salvation is not reformation but new creation. The person in Christ has a new nature, new desires and a new identity.

The ministry of reconciliation (5:18-21).

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Sin made us God's enemies. God took the initiative to reconcile us, in Christ, by not counting our sins against us. Believers are now His ambassadors, representing the King and pleading with people on His behalf: "be ye reconciled to God." How was this possible?

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

This is the great exchange. Christ, who never sinned, was treated as sin itself, bearing the guilt and penalty of our sins; believers, who have no righteousness of their own, are counted righteous with God's righteousness in Him. Our sin was put on Him; His righteousness is credited to us.

Chapter 6 — The Marks of a True Minister; Separation

Now is the day of salvation (6:1-2). "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" (6:1-2; Isaiah 49:8). The opportunity to respond to God's grace is now, not later.

Commending the ministry (6:3-10). Paul gave no offence, "that the ministry be not blamed" (6:3). He proved himself a true minister "in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left" (6:4-7). Then a series of paradoxes:

As deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

2 Corinthians 6:8-10

The world's estimate of God's servants is the opposite of reality. Paul opened his heart wide to the Corinthians and asked them to open theirs to him (6:11-13).

Separation from unbelievers (6:14-7:1).

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God

2 Corinthians 6:14-16

The image comes from Deuteronomy 22:10, which forbade yoking an ox and an ass together. Believers must not enter binding partnerships with unbelievers that compromise their loyalty to Christ: marriage (1 Corinthians 7:39), business partnerships that require compromise, or religious alliances with false teaching and idolatry. This does not mean avoiding all contact with unbelievers (1 Corinthians 5:10), but refusing to be bound together with them in ways that pull believers away from God. God's promises motivate separation: "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (6:16-18; Leviticus 26:12; Isaiah 52:11; 2 Samuel 7:14).

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Chapter 7 — Godly Sorrow and Joy

"Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man" (7:2). Paul resumed the story from 2:13:

For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus

2 Corinthians 7:5-6

Even the great apostle had fears and was cast down. God comforted him through a friend and through good news: the Corinthians longed for him, mourned over their wrongs, and were zealous for him (7:7). His severe letter had grieved them, but Paul did not regret it, "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance" (7:8-9).

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

There are two kinds of sorrow over sin. Worldly sorrow regrets the consequences and leads to despair and death, like Judas (Matthew 27:3-5). Godly sorrow grieves over offending God, leads to genuine repentance and life, and leaves no regret, like Peter (Luke 22:62). The Corinthians' repentance showed itself in "carefulness" (earnestness), clearing of themselves, indignation at the sin, fear, vehement desire, zeal and "revenge" (readiness to see justice done) (7:11). Titus was refreshed by them and loved them, and Paul rejoiced: "I have confidence in you in all things" (7:13-16).

Section II: The Collection for Jerusalem (Chapters 8-9)

Chapters 8-9 are the fullest teaching in the New Testament on Christian giving. Paul was collecting money from the Gentile churches for the poor believers in Jerusalem (Romans 15:25-27; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4). The Corinthians had begun eagerly a year before but had not finished.

Chapter 8 — The Grace of Giving

The example of the Macedonians (8:1-8). The churches of Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea) were poor and persecuted:

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift... And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

2 Corinthians 8:2-5

They gave joyfully, sacrificially, voluntarily and eagerly, because they had first given themselves to the Lord. Giving is called a "grace" (8:1, 6, 7), the fruit of God's grace in the heart. Paul urged the Corinthians, who abounded in faith, utterance, knowledge and love, to "abound in this grace also" (8:7). He did not command it, but used others' example to prove the sincerity of their love (8:8).

The example of Christ (8:9).

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

The eternal Son, possessing all the riches of heaven, became poor in His incarnation and death, so that we might share His spiritual riches (Philippians 2:5-8). This is the ultimate motive for generosity.

Principles of giving (8:10-15). Finish what you began (8:10-11). "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not" (8:12): God looks at willingness and proportion, not amount. The goal was "equality": the Corinthians' abundance would supply Jerusalem's need now, and one day the situation might be reversed, as with the manna: "He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack" (8:13-15; Exodus 16:18).

Handling the money (8:16-24). Paul sent Titus and two respected brothers, one "whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches," chosen by the churches to travel with the gift (8:18-19). "Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (8:20-21). Church finances must be handled with transparency and accountability.

Chapter 9 — The Cheerful Giver

Paul had boasted to the Macedonians about the Corinthians' readiness, and did not want them embarrassed if Macedonians came with him and found them unprepared. So he sent the brothers ahead to arrange "your bounty... as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness" (9:1-5).

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Giving is like sowing seed: the harvest corresponds to the sowing (Proverbs 11:24-25; Luke 6:38). Giving should be deliberate ("as he purposeth in his heart"), willing ("not grudgingly"), free ("or of necessity") and joyful ("cheerful"; the Greek word gives us "hilarious").

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work

2 Corinthians 9:8

God supplies givers so that they can keep giving (9:8-10; Psalm 112:9; Isaiah 55:10). "Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God" (9:11). Generosity meets needs, produces thanksgiving to God, proves the genuineness of faith, and creates bonds of love and prayer between believers (9:12-14). Paul ends with praise for the greatest Gift of all:

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15

Section III: Paul's Apostolic Authority Defended (Chapters 10-13)

The tone changes sharply. Paul now confronts the false apostles and the minority still influenced by them.

Chapter 10 — Spiritual Warfare and True Boasting

"Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you" (10:1), quoting his critics. He hoped he would not have to be bold against those who thought he walked "according to the flesh" (10:2).

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

The Christian's battle is spiritual, against ideas, arguments and proud reasoning that oppose the knowledge of God. The weapons are not human cleverness, manipulation or force, but God's Word, prayer and the Spirit's power (Ephesians 6:10-18). The goal is to bring every thought captive to Christ.

The critics said, "his letters... are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (10:10). Paul replied that he would be the same in person as in his letters (10:11). "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (10:12). Paul stayed within the sphere God assigned him and did not boast in other men's labours; he hoped to preach "in the regions beyond you" (10:13-16).

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

2 Corinthians 10:17-18

Chapter 11 — False Apostles and Paul's Sufferings

Godly jealousy (11:1-6). Paul asked them to bear with his "folly" in boasting, because he was concerned for them:

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:2-3

Paul, like a father who had arranged his daughter's engagement, wanted to present the church pure to Christ, her Bridegroom. He feared that, as Satan deceived Eve, the false teachers would lead them away from simple, sincere devotion to Christ. They tolerated anyone who preached "another Jesus... another spirit... another gospel" (11:4; Galatians 1:6-9). Paul was not inferior to these "very chiefest apostles," though "rude in speech" (11:5-6).

Preaching without pay (11:7-12). His critics claimed Paul refused their money because he did not love them or was not a true apostle. Paul explained that he preached freely so as not to burden them and to cut off any opportunity for the false apostles to claim they were on the same footing (11:7-12).

Satan's servants (11:13-15).

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

False teachers rarely look evil; they appear as servants of righteousness. Believers must test every teacher by the truth (1 John 4:1; Revelation 2:2).

Boasting as a fool (11:16-33). Since the Corinthians tolerated the boasting, and even the abuse, of the false apostles (11:19-20), Paul would "boast" too, but in a surprising way. He matched their credentials: "Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more" (11:22-23). Then, instead of listing achievements, he listed sufferings:

In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Many of these sufferings are not recorded in Acts. (The shipwreck at Malta, Acts 27, came later, so Paul suffered at least four shipwrecks.) On top of physical hardships came daily anxiety for all the churches. "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?" (11:29). "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities" (11:30). His climactic "boast" was a humiliating escape from Damascus, let down through a window in a basket (11:32-33).

Chapter 12 — Visions, the Thorn and Sufficient Grace

Caught up to paradise (12:1-6). Paul then turned to "visions and revelations of the Lord." Speaking of himself in the third person, out of humility:

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven... How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4

The "third heaven" is the dwelling place of God (beyond the atmosphere and outer space), also called "paradise" (Luke 23:43; Revelation 2:7). Paul kept this experience private for fourteen years and revealed it only reluctantly; he did not build his ministry on mystical experiences.

The thorn in the flesh (12:7-10).

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

The "thorn" has been identified as an eye disease (compare Galatians 4:15; 6:11), malaria, a speech impediment, or persistent opposition; Scripture does not say, perhaps so that every suffering believer can apply the lesson. Satan meant it to harm; God used it to keep Paul humble. Paul prayed three times for its removal, as Jesus prayed three times in Gethsemane. God said no, and gave something better: sufficient grace and Christ's power resting on him. God does not always remove our weaknesses; He displays His strength through them.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

Paul's credentials and love (12:11-21). The Corinthians should have commended him. "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds" (12:12). These miraculous signs authenticated the apostles (Hebrews 2:3-4). He was coming a third time and would not be a burden: "for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved" (12:14-15). He feared he would find quarrelling, envy, anger, strife, slander, gossip, pride and disorder, and that many had not repented of their immorality (12:20-21).

Chapter 13 — Examine Yourselves

"This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (13:1; Deuteronomy 19:15). On this visit he would not spare unrepentant sinners (13:2). They sought proof that Christ spoke through him; Christ "was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God," and Paul shared both His weakness and His power (13:3-4).

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

2 Corinthians 13:5

The Corinthians were busy examining Paul; they needed to examine themselves. True faith shows itself in a changed life (1 John 2:3-6; 3:14). "Reprobates" here means "failing the test," people whose profession is not genuine. Paul hoped they would pass, and prayed for their maturity (13:6-9). "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (13:8). He wrote so that when he came he would not need to use his authority severely, since it was given "to edification, and not to destruction" (13:10).

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

The letter closes with the fullest Trinitarian benediction in Scripture:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14

Part Three: Christ in 2 Corinthians

Portraits of Christ

The Great Exchange

The heart of the gospel in 2 Corinthians is the double exchange: Christ "made... sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (5:21), and Christ who "was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (8:9). He took what was ours so that we might receive what is His.

Part Four: Prophecies Fulfilled and Future

Part Five: Key Passages in Depth

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 — Comfort in Affliction

God comforts us in every trouble so that we can comfort others. Overwhelming pressures teach us not to trust in ourselves but in the God who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 — Restoring the Repentant

Church discipline must give way to forgiveness, comfort and reaffirmed love when the sinner repents, or Satan will gain an advantage.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18 — The Greater Glory

The new covenant of the Spirit far surpasses the old covenant of the letter. Believers, beholding Christ's glory in the Word, are transformed into His image by the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18 — Treasure in Clay Pots

God puts His treasure in weak vessels so the power is clearly His. Believers are pressed but not crushed. Present afflictions are light and momentary compared with the eternal weight of glory, so we fix our eyes on the unseen.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 — Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord

At death believers go immediately to be with Christ. One day they will receive resurrection bodies and stand before Christ's judgment seat to receive rewards. Their aim now is to please Him.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 — The Ministry of Reconciliation

Christ's love compels believers to live for Him. Anyone in Christ is a new creation. God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, who was made sin for us, and sends believers as ambassadors pleading, "be ye reconciled to God."

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 — Separation unto God

Believers must not be yoked with unbelievers in ways that compromise their faith, but must cleanse themselves and pursue holiness, because God dwells among them as their Father.

2 Corinthians 7:8-11 — Godly Sorrow

Godly sorrow produces repentance and life; worldly sorrow produces death. True repentance shows itself in earnestness, zeal and a desire to make things right.

2 Corinthians 8-9 — The Grace of Giving

Giving flows from first giving ourselves to the Lord, follows the example of Christ who became poor for us, is proportionate to what we have, is handled with integrity, and should be generous, deliberate and cheerful. God supplies the giver, and the result is thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 — Spiritual Warfare

The battle for minds is fought with spiritual weapons that tear down arguments against God and bring every thought captive to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 — False Apostles

False teachers disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, as Satan appears as an angel of light. Believers must test teaching by the truth.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 — Sufficient Grace

God sometimes says no to our prayers for relief and gives instead sufficient grace. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we are weak, then we are strong.

2 Corinthians 13:5 — Examine Yourselves

Every professing Christian should examine whether his faith is genuine, looking for the evidence that Christ lives in him.

Part Six: The Major Teachings of 2 Corinthians

1. The God of All Comfort

God comforts His people in trouble and equips them to comfort others (1:3-7).

2. The Sealing and Earnest of the Spirit

God seals believers and gives the Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance (1:21-22; 5:5).

3. The New Covenant

The ministry of the Spirit and righteousness surpasses the old covenant of the letter and condemnation (3).

4. Transformation into Christ's Image

Believers are progressively changed by the Spirit as they behold Christ's glory (3:18).

5. Satan's Activity

Satan blinds unbelievers, seeks advantage over believers, and disguises himself and his servants (2:11; 4:4; 11:3, 14-15; 12:7).

6. Strength in Weakness

God's power is displayed through human frailty and suffering (4:7-12; 12:9-10).

7. The Eternal Perspective

Present afflictions produce eternal glory; the unseen is eternal (4:16-18).

8. Death and the Intermediate State

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (5:6-8).

9. The Judgment Seat of Christ

All believers will give account and be rewarded (5:10).

10. Reconciliation and Substitution

God reconciled sinners to Himself through Christ, who was made sin for us (5:18-21).

11. The New Creation

Anyone in Christ is a new creature (5:17).

12. Biblical Separation

Believers must not be unequally yoked with unbelievers and must perfect holiness (6:14-7:1).

13. Godly Sorrow and Repentance

True repentance flows from sorrow toward God (7:10-11).

14. Christian Giving

Generous, proportionate, cheerful, voluntary giving modelled on Christ's grace (8-9).

15. Spiritual Warfare

Fought with spiritual weapons for the obedience of every thought to Christ (10:3-5).

16. Discerning True and False Ministers

True ministers are marked by suffering, integrity and love; false ones by self-commendation, exploitation and another gospel (10-13).

Part Seven: Connections — How 2 Corinthians Links to the Rest of the Bible

2 Corinthians and the Old Testament

2 Corinthians and the New Testament

Themes That Run from 2 Corinthians Through Scripture

Part Eight: Practical Lessons

• Let God's comfort in your trouble equip you to comfort others (1:4).
• Learn not to trust in yourself but in the God who raises the dead (1:9).
• Pray for God's servants (1:11).
• Let your yes mean yes (1:17-18).
• Forgive and restore the repentant (2:7-8).
• Be aware of Satan's devices (2:11).
• Spread the fragrance of Christ everywhere (2:14-15).
• Never peddle or dilute God's Word (2:17; 4:2).
• Let your life be a letter from Christ (3:2-3).
• Rely on God's sufficiency, not your own (3:5).
• Behold Christ's glory in the Word, and be changed (3:18).
• Preach Christ, not yourself (4:5).
• Remember that the power is God's, not yours (4:7).
• Don't lose heart; your inward man is renewed day by day (4:16).
• Keep your eyes on eternal, unseen things (4:18).
• Walk by faith, not by sight (5:7).
• Live to please Christ, who will judge your works (5:9-10).
• Let Christ's love constrain you (5:14).
• Live for Him who died for you (5:15).
• Rejoice that you are a new creature (5:17).
• Be an ambassador for Christ (5:20).
• Respond to God's grace today (6:2).
• Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (6:14).
• Perfect holiness in the fear of God (7:1).
• Let sorrow over sin lead you to genuine repentance (7:10).
• Give yourself first to the Lord (8:5).
• Remember the grace of Christ who became poor for you (8:9).
• Handle money with integrity before God and men (8:21).
• Give generously, deliberately and cheerfully (9:6-7).
• Thank God for His unspeakable gift (9:15).
• Take every thought captive to Christ (10:5).
• Don't measure yourself by others (10:12).
• Seek the Lord's commendation, not your own (10:18).
• Guard your simple devotion to Christ (11:3).
• Test teachers; Satan disguises himself (11:14).
• Boast in your weaknesses, where Christ's power rests (12:9).
• Accept God's "no" with His sufficient grace (12:9).
• Spend and be spent for others (12:15).
• Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith (13:5).
• Be of one mind, and live in peace (13:11).

Part Nine: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

2 Corinthians is Paul's most personal letter, written with tears and joy to a church that had wounded him and then repented. In it he opens his heart and shows what genuine Christian ministry looks like. He blesses the God of all comfort who comforted him when he despaired of life, explains that every promise of God is "yes" in Christ, and urges the church to forgive the repentant. He describes the surpassing glory of the new covenant, in which believers, beholding the Lord, are transformed into His image. He confesses that God's treasure is carried in clay pots, pressed but not crushed, and that present afflictions are light and momentary compared with eternal glory. He looks forward to the heavenly body, to being present with the Lord, and to the judgment seat of Christ, and he proclaims the ministry of reconciliation: in Christ we are new creatures, because the sinless One was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He calls for separation and holiness, rejoices in godly sorrow, and teaches the grace of cheerful giving, rooted in the grace of Christ who became poor for us. Finally, confronting false apostles disguised as angels of light, he boasts only in his sufferings and weaknesses, and records the word that has sustained countless believers: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9