|
January 2, 2005,
Two new articles every two weeks. Bible
Question? E-mail us.
THIS ISSUE: "Introduction
to Second Corinthians" (see below)
and "Introduction to
First Corinthians"
Introduction to Second Corinthians
Keith Sharp
The city of Corinth
Corinth is located on a narrow isthmus
joining the Peloponnesus, i.e., lower Greece,
with Northern Greece. Because of this
strategic location, and because it had two harbors, Cenchrea
on the east opening toward the Aegean sea, and Lechaeum
on the west facing the Adriatic, it was the center of travel for Greece in
all directions. An 1800 foot high rock behind the city served as a natural
fortress. Corinth
was a very ancient city. It was destroyed by the Romans ca. 146 B.C. and
rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. Caesar made it a Roman colony, thus, its
citizens had Roman citizenship, and it was ruled by a Roman proconsul.
In Paul’s day the Greek and Jewish population of the city outnumbered
the Roman. It was a city of over half a million people and the political and
commercial capital of the Roman colony of Achaia. The Isthmian Games, a Greek
athletic contest held in honor of the gods second in popularity only to the
Olympic Games, was held in a stadium outside the walls of Corinth every other year.
The city prided itself on intellectualism, but it was actually dominated
by a shallow sophism, the use of clever but fallacious argumentation to carry
a dispute, rather than the pursuit of truth and learning. Corinth
shared with the rest of Greece
the love of philosophy and speculation.
Corinth
was infamous as a center of immoral pleasure. To "live like a
Corinthian" was proverbial for a dissolute life. The city was devoted to
the pagan goddess Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess of sexual love and
fertility, and its temple employed a thousand sacred prostitutes in her
worship. Paul was in Corinth
when he compiled his list of the sins of the Gentiles (Romans 1:21-32). It
was the Sodom of Greece.
History of Church
The apostle Paul began the church at Corinth
on his second journey of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 18:1-18).
Paul was at Corinth
on his second journey for at least a year and a half (Acts 18:11,18). After this Paul left Corinth in order to return to Antioch of
Syria (Acts 18:19-22). Apollos followed Paul in Corinth with great
success (Acts 18:24; 19:1;
1 Corinthians 3:6). Then Apollos left for Ephesus, bringing Paul
news of the church (1 Corin-thians16:12). Paul had come to Ephesus before Apollos
(Acts 19:1).
At some time Paul wrote a letter to Corinth
prior to First Corinthians which may be preserved in part of First
Corinthians (5:9). The apostle also received news from the family of Chloe of
other problems (1:11; 11:18). Paul then sent Timothy and Erastus
to Corinth (1
Corin-thians 4:17; Acts 19:21-22). Then, another
letter reached Paul, reporting more problems and asking questions (7:1;
16:17-18). Thus, before Timothy had arrived in Corinth, Paul sent First Corinthians to
them (1 Corinthians16:10).
It seems the church in Corinth
harbored every sin and problem a local congregation could. They were divided
(1 Corinthians 1:10-13), were carnal (3:1-4), loved human wisdom (3:18-20),
gloried in men (3:21; 4:6), were proud (4:7-10), harbored a fornicator (ch. 5; 6:15-20), lacked discipline (ch.
5), went to law against each other (6:1-8), were generally immoral (6:9-11; 2
Corinthians 12:21), were ignorant about marriage (ch.
7), were abusive of liberty (ch. 8), participated
in idol worship (10:14-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14 7:1), harbored
"liberated" women (11:2-16), abused the Lord's Supper (11:17-34),
misused spiritual gifts (chapters 12 - 14), lacked love (13:1-7), denied the
resurrection (ch. 15), accepted false apostles (2
Corinthians 11:3-4,19-20), and squabbled (12:2).
Author
The apostle Paul wrote Second Corinthians with the help of Timothy (1:1;
10:1).
To Whom Written
Paul wrote "To the church of
God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all
Achaia." (1:1)
Where and When Written
He sent this letter from Macedonia
while on his third journey, ca. A.D. 56 or 57 (1:15-16; 2:12-13; 7:57; 8:1;
9:2-4; cf. Acts 20:1).
Occasion of Letter
Paul sent Titus from Ephesus to Corinth with First
Corinthians ca. A.D. 55 or 56 (1 Cor-inthians
16:1-4,8-9; 2 Corinthians 8:6; 12:18). Paul planned
to go to Macedonia and Corinth
(1 Corinthians 16:5-7), but he delayed his trip to see how they would
receive First Corinthians (1:15-16; 2:1-3). After the riot in Ephesus, he went to Troas, hoping to hear from Titus
about the church in Corinth
(1:8; Acts 20:1). Titus did not arrive, so Paul pressed on to Macedonia
(2:12-13; Acts 20:1). When he came to Macedonia,
Titus arrived, bringing the glad news that the saints in Corinth had repented when they read First
Corinthians (7:57). Paul sent Titus back to Corinth with Second Corinthians (8:6-8).
Condition of Church in Corinth
Most of the brethren in Corinth
repented (2:5-6; 7:5-11), but they still tolerated false teachers (11:34).
The heretics claimed to be apostles and denied Paul’s apostolic
authority (11:13; 12:11-12; 13:3), claimed to be true ministers of Christ and
denied Paul's ministry (11:23; 13:1-3), and made vicious attacks on Paul
(10:10). They were trying to turn the Gentiles to Judaism (11:22). Paul
threatened to deal harshly with them when he came to Corinth (10:11; 13:1-3).
Theme
The theme is Paul's Defense of his Apostleship (5:20).
Outline of Second
Corinthians
I. Introduction - 1:1-11
A. Salutation - 1:1-2
B. Thanks for Their Comfort - 1:3-11
II. Paul's Defense of His Ministry - 1:12 - 7:16
A. Why He Changed His Plans to Visit Them - 1:12 - 2:4
B. Advice to Restore the Penitent Sinner- 2:5-11
C. Thanks to God for Triumph in Christ - 2:12-17
D. The Superiority of Paul’s Ministry of the New Testament -
3:1 - 11
E. Reasons for Plainness of Speech - 3:12 - 4:15
F. Hope Sustains in Trials - 4:16 - 5:10
G. The Ministry of Reconciliation - 5:11 - 6:13
H. Prohibition of Unequal Yoking - 6:14-7:1
I. Paul’s Rejoicing in Their Repentance - 7:12-16
III. The Collection for the Poor Saints in Jerusalem - 8:1 - 9:15
A. The Collection - 8:1 - 15
B. The Messengers - 8:16 - 24
C. Bountiful Giving - 9:1 - 15
IV. Paul’s Defense of His Apostleship - 10:1 - 13:10
A. Defense of Apostolic Methods Against Attacks by False Apostles -
10:1 -11:15
B. Defense of Apostolic Ministry as Contrasted with False Apostles
- 11:16-33
C. Defense of Apostolic Revelation - 12:1 - 4
D. Defense of Personal Weakness - 12:5 - 10
E. Defense of Apostolic Signs - 12:11 - 13
F. Defense of Apostolic Sacrifice - 12:14 - 18
G. Apostolic Warning - 12:19 - 13:10
V. Conclusion - 13:11 –
14
_______________
~ ~ ~
|