This is the most intensely personal, passionate and intimate of all Paul's epistles. Though there isn't as much doctrinal or moral teaching content here as in his other letters, there's more emotion, personal confession, biographical revelation and direct personal address.
Between the time Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians and the time of this second letter, false teachers had turned the Corinthian Christians against him. They were probably reacting against the strong principles and discipline in the first letter, just as all "dissenters" from Church doctrine today want to weaken, not strengthen; subtract, not add to, the fullness and power of the principles of the Gospel.
These false teachers denied Paul's authority as an Apostle (11:5) and preached "another Jesus," another religion, another gospel. Paul's response is passionate, not because his authority has been challenged but because the authority of Christ has. He responds in words few would dare to use today in similar situations. For a different Christ means no Christ, no savior and no salvation. Only in Galatians (1:8) did Paul respond so strongly, for the same reason.
Paul made a quick trip to Corinth to settle the controversy before he wrote this letter, but he was unsuccessful. Pained and humiliated, he wrote a troubled letter to the Corinthians between the time of the two letters we have. This is mentioned in 2:3-4 and 7:8-12.
Some scholars think this letter was preserved and put into 2 Corinthians, as Chapters 10-13, because the sarcasm of these chapters is in such strong contrast to the joy and tenderness of Chapters 1-9. But this argument ignores the fact that parents and lovers are often moved by passion to both tenderness and despair almost instantly.
The content theme of 2 Corinthians is the distinctiveness of the Christian, the Christian's faith and the Christian's life in an unbelieving world. This was the theme of 1 Corinthians also. As medieval Christendom recedes more and more from our modern consciousness, and a variation of paganism seems to return, these two letters become more directly relevant to our lives.
Paul's essential insight here is close to that of Colossians: the supreme importance and total lordship of Christ in the Christian's life; for "sowhoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away, behold, the new things have come" (5:17).
One of the distinctive highlights of this letter is the only account in the New Testament of a mystical experience: Paul's own (12:1-10). It's striking that he recounts this only to relegate it to a second, lower place compared to his weakness and suffering-a much more effective means to sanctity.
Another high point is the most complete and lengthy passage in the Bible about generosity, or Christian giving [Chapters 8 and 9).
Other familiar, eloquent passages are 3:17, 3:18, 4:10, 4:16-18, 5:6-7, 5:21, 6:2, 6:8-10 and 10:5. Paul could never compose a letter without writing unforgettable quotes like: "We walk by faith, not by sight" (4:7); or "For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake He became poor although He was rich, so that by His poverty you might become rich" (8:9).
Peter Kreeft is the author of many books including "Making Choices'' (Servant Books) and Back to Virtue (Ignatius).
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