2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians is believed to be composed of two separate letters from Paul. 

1. 2:3-4 and 7:8 are collectively called “the letter of tears”. It was written after Paul’s visitation to Corinth (the Painful Visit). The church at that time was displeased about Paul’s leading and started to resist Paul. From the letter, we can sense Paul’s frustration and anger.
   
   
2. Afterward, Paul wrote another letter to the Corinthian church (see 2 Corinthians 2:4 & 7:8;12. The first letter means 1 Corinthians). In this letter, the Corinthians were regretting their previous opposition against Paul and were seeking reconciliation with him. In this letter, Paul also gave further instructions to the church, for their deep transformation by the gospel. 

Theme：

1. Servant Leader: some people at the Corinthian church who called themselves “super apostles”. They challenged the apostolic authority of Paul. They criticized Paul for his suffering and poverty, which was a shame to Christ’s power. Paul pointed out that their claims were based on their distorted value system. Paul also raised the concept of “servant leader”. For Paul, being a leader is to learn from Christ, by serving others in humility. 
   
   
2. The Forgotten Generosity: Another issue at the Corinthian church was their lack of generosity, when the church at Jerusalem was in the midst of sufferings. While all other churches gave support financially, the Corinthian church showed little action. Rather than focusing solely on the issue of money, Paul pointed out that their root problem is about a lack of genuine transformation by the gospel. Paul emphasized that the essence of the gospel was Jesus’s generosity. Jesus gave up everything to become poor, so that anyone who followed Him would become rich in Him. Therefore, Jesus’s followers should practice Jesus’s generosity by sacrificial giving. (see 2 Corinthian 8:8-9)
   
   
3. Humility: At the end of the letter, Paul reminded the Corinthian believers to humbly reflect on their lives, and see if their lives are deeply transformed by the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.