Chapter two best starts with 2 Corinthians 1:23, where Paul began to explain his reason for not visiting them as he had planned. Due to some issues within the church (especially factions and immorality; see 1 Corinthians 3 and 5), Paul’s previous visit had been “painful” for all of them, and he did not want […]
Introduction Second Corinthians is arguably the most personal of Paul’s nine letters to local churches (not including those to Timothy, Titus, or Philemon). Over thirteen chapters he shared his physical and emotional distress, he encouraged a volatile group of believers as he defended his apostolic authority over them. The first section (chapters 1-5) contains the
Chapter two begins the actual instructions or clarifications that Timothy needed to finish his task. “First of all,” he needed to make sure that the local assemblies prayed for “all people, even for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-8). These prayers had two goals. First, praying for the authorities would affect
