More about Paul’s stormy relationship with the Corinthian church.
The collection for the poor
1 Corinthians 16:1-12
Conclusion
1 Corinthians 16:13-24
Paul goes to Macedonia
1 Timothy 1:3, Acts 20:1
Second Corinthians letter: God’s comfort in trials
2 Corinthians 1:1-14
Paul’s reason for not coming
2 Corinthians 1:15-24
The repentant offender to be restored
2 Corinthians 2:1-11
Paul’s triumphant ministry
2 Corinthians 2:12-17
The glorious gospel
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
Paul finishes his first letter with promises to visit soon, and requests that they make a collection for the poor. It was his intention to care for the Christians in Jerusalem financially, and so demonstrate that the Gentile Christians recognised that they were brothers and sisters with the Jewish Christians.
His next stop was to be Macedonia, and he was now in the habit of sending his lieutenants Timothy, Apollos and others to the different churches to check on how they were doing. He fully intended to call in at Corinth but his plans didn’t work out quite that way.
So, at the start of his second letter, he is half apologising to them cor not turning up, and half defending himself against those who seem to be saying “You can’t trust Paul, he says he’s going to come and visit you, then he doesn’t come.” What’s the matter with them? Why are they so suspicious about him?
Paul is a little bit more conciliatory at the start of this letter. He urges the Corinthians to forgive the person who he’d condemned in his previous letter - no doubt he’s heard that the man was sorry for his misdeeds - so he emphasises that forgiveness is possible, and that he trusts them when they tell him that the man has truly repented. He tells them about his travels in Troas, and about how God was with him, and can’t resist a little dig at those who asked to be paid to preach. I think this is a big part of the Corinthians’ problem, they have been infested by people who charge for their spiritual services, who run down Paul at any opportunity, ad who are teaching things that destabilise the Corinthians rather than building them up.
What was the agenda of these troublesome teachers? Was in the old Judaizing influence? Interesting that in chapter 3, Paul immediately moves to an argument about how much better being a Christian is than being a Jew.
The collection for the poor
1 Corinthians 16:1-12
Conclusion
1 Corinthians 16:13-24
Paul goes to Macedonia
1 Timothy 1:3, Acts 20:1
Second Corinthians letter: God’s comfort in trials
2 Corinthians 1:1-14
Paul’s reason for not coming
2 Corinthians 1:15-24
The repentant offender to be restored
2 Corinthians 2:1-11
Paul’s triumphant ministry
2 Corinthians 2:12-17
The glorious gospel
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
Paul finishes his first letter with promises to visit soon, and requests that they make a collection for the poor. It was his intention to care for the Christians in Jerusalem financially, and so demonstrate that the Gentile Christians recognised that they were brothers and sisters with the Jewish Christians.
His next stop was to be Macedonia, and he was now in the habit of sending his lieutenants Timothy, Apollos and others to the different churches to check on how they were doing. He fully intended to call in at Corinth but his plans didn’t work out quite that way.
So, at the start of his second letter, he is half apologising to them cor not turning up, and half defending himself against those who seem to be saying “You can’t trust Paul, he says he’s going to come and visit you, then he doesn’t come.” What’s the matter with them? Why are they so suspicious about him?
Paul is a little bit more conciliatory at the start of this letter. He urges the Corinthians to forgive the person who he’d condemned in his previous letter - no doubt he’s heard that the man was sorry for his misdeeds - so he emphasises that forgiveness is possible, and that he trusts them when they tell him that the man has truly repented. He tells them about his travels in Troas, and about how God was with him, and can’t resist a little dig at those who asked to be paid to preach. I think this is a big part of the Corinthians’ problem, they have been infested by people who charge for their spiritual services, who run down Paul at any opportunity, ad who are teaching things that destabilise the Corinthians rather than building them up.
What was the agenda of these troublesome teachers? Was in the old Judaizing influence? Interesting that in chapter 3, Paul immediately moves to an argument about how much better being a Christian is than being a Jew.
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