2005 Bible Reading

2 Corinthians

This page is not a commentary, nor an outline. It is something to bear in mind in this kind of reading. These materials I learnt from two books by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart (How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth; How To Read The Bible Book By Book). You could consult these books if you are interested.

(Pastor Raymond)

If we want to know Paul personally, this is the best letter to begin. Not only does it contain many biographical details found only in this letter, it captures the anger, contempt, and the heartbeat of Paul as he deals with those people who have apparently won the admiration of the church in Corinth, away from the founder. Gordon Fee’s words best ‘advertise’ 2 Corinthians: “The significance of this letter for the biblical story must not be downplayed because of its strongly personal dimension. At stake is God’s own character—his loving grace expressed most strikingly in the weakness of the cross, which Paul insists is the only true expression of discipleship as well.”

When we read this letter, it is best to put aside the conventional image of a powerful, authoritative, attractive and welcomed apostle. Nothing in the letter shows that the Corinthians held Paul in the highest of regards. Several matters contributed to such a cooling off of relationship. There was the change of plans regarding the visits to Corinth, which was probably interpreted as a flip-flop or character flaw. Then there was this previous encounter Paul mentions in Chapter 2 of the letter that did not go too well. As if to compound the difficulties, Paul’s personal appearances, style and content of preaching were perceived to be inferior to some traveling philosophers who were on the contrary, extremely well-dressed, eloquent and who always had new things to say. It just seemed to the Corinthians that an apostle of the glorious Christ should not have the looks of Paul. And, to add the final straw, Paul kept asking them for money to be collected for people far away in Jerusalem! All in all, Paul is on the brink of losing his congregation.

Although this letter is written in such personal languages, we should not see it as Paul fighting for his “personal” status. Through the first seven chapters, and more emotionally again in the final four chapters, Paul argues that his apostleship is for a ministry that is even more glorious than the one Moses served in. Paul’s glory and power do not come from his own nature, but are reflected through his personal weakness and suffering. Such an odd argument normally does not make sense. But Paul insists that neither does the truth that Christ died for sinners! As soon as one accepts that Christ died for sinners, a new way of seeing reality, not the old one of “according to the flesh” (5: 16), takes over. In this new creation, apostleship bears the marks of the One who commissions the apostles and the power of the Gospel is most obvious when the bearer of the treasure is a cheap container. That is why Paul can boast of his demeaning sufferings, including his own illness that was never healed, contrasting those traveling philosophers who need rhetoric and appearance to convince their audiences. In a nutshell, the Gospel saves, not the preacher.

Those of us who read more deeply or study commentaries on this letter should take notice. We will come across many commentaries, even from noted evangelicals (e.g., Gordon Fee and F. F. Bruce), that suggest this letter consists of several of Paul’s letters, based on purported internal literary evidences, in particular the sharp distinction between the last four chapters and the first nine. However, it should be borne in mind that there has never been found any evidence that this letter was circulated in ancient times other than in its whole. Recent evangelical scholars who support the integrity of the letter from literary investigations include: Ben Witherington III, Scott Hafemann, and Murray J. Harris.