2 Corinthians
Introduction
2 Corinthians 1:1-2 (KJV)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the first Sunday of September and this morning we begin a new series from the book of 2 Corinthians.
Written just about a year after 1stCorinthians, it is a response to the news he received from Titus[1]concerning the church in Corinth and their reception of his first epistle to them.
The final chapter of 1stCorinthians informed the Corinthians (and through them, you and me) that it was Paul’s intention to send Timothy[2]to do some follow up work with the church and instructed them that they should respect and follow his leadership.
Paul was quite concerned. The first epistle had been a harsh one and he did not know how they had responded.
· He was anxious
· He was unsettled
· He was cast down
Until Titus returned with good news of their reception of his rebuke.
I’ve been criticized by those who get mad at me that I get hurt that they are upset at me.
Apparently, I am in good company.
It seems like as soon as Titus gave Paul the report he sat down to pen this letter where we find:
· A relief at the report
· A response to their reception of the epistle and
· A rebuke of the one schism in the church still challenging him
I want to begin our study of this epistle with a comparison of the opening remarks between 1stand 2ndCorinthians.
2 Corinthians 1:1-2 (KJV)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (KJV)
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice first of all
*I. THEY ARE REMARKABLY SIMILAR
Nearly identical phrases include:
· Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God
· unto the church of God which is at Corinth
· Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Note:
· He is writing to the same church
· He is writing to them in what would have been in their culture, not that far apart
· He is writing under the inspiration of the Lord
And yet, he begins by repeating himself.
I learn, as a preacher, that it’s ok to repeat myself, to even say the same thing more than once.
There is nothing new under the sun, and this is especially true of preaching the Word of God.
Every message ought to be fresh.
It ought to spring from the responses to fresh study of the Word of God and fresh associations with the world around us and with the people of God.
But it’s perfectly ok, even God led, to same the same things again.
Notice secondly
*II. THEY EACH INCLUDE A FELLOWHELPER IN THE LORD
· In the first it is Sosthenes our brother.
· In the second it is Timothy our brother.
It is very likely that this Sosthenes had been the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinthand had come to know Christ through Paul’s ministry.[3]
If this is the same Sosthenes, and I really suspect that he is, then the members of the church in Corinth would have been very familiar with him.
He may even be the person who transported the epistle from Paul to Corinth.[4]
His connection to the church in Corinth, and the price he had paid as a believer, gives him credibility and supports the epistle’s authority before these carnal Christians.
Timothy is probably the most well-known of Paul’s companions in the ministry.
In this case, he had already been introduced to the Corinthians. He carried the endorsement of the Apostle and he had effectively labored among the Corinthians by this time.
To hear of Timothy seems natural.
They would want to know how he is doing just as any of us like to hear the mention of a good friend.
*The point is that Paul not only acknowledged others, but leaned on others in his ministry
Life is a growing process so the dynamics of relationships change.
I might be able to lean on one person for help this year who is entirely different than those I leaned on last year.
Timothy served with the Apostle from very early on his Paul’s ministry until the very end of Paul’s life. That service changed as needed.
The key is, none of them worked alone.
· Don’t let yourself be a lone ranger.
· Don’t let yourself be too big to ask for and accept help and
· Don’t be so demanding that no one’s help is satisfactory to you
Thirdly
*III. THEY EACH ARE WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY TO THE CHURCH
2 Corinthians 1:1-2 (KJV)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (KJV)
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
In almost every New Testament case it would be more appropriate to insert your church’s name into a passage instead of your own.
Romans 10:13 (KJV)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Obviously, a church doesn’t call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. An individual would do that.
But a lot of Bible truth is missed or misapplied because we tend to interpret and apply the Bible as individual Christians when we should interpret and apply the Bible as members of a New Testament body of believers, known as a church.
[1]2 Corinthians 7:6-16 (KJV)
Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;
And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.
Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.
For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.
And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.
I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.
[2]1 Corinthians 16:10 (KJV)
Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.
[3]Acts 18:17 (KJV)
Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.
[4]The subscript to 1 Corinthians is not considered a part of the God-breathed Word of God and is therefore subject to fallibility. It reads, “The first epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi by Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus and Timotheus.” Intrinsic evidence suggests that the epistle was written in Ephesus, not Philippi. It is also likely that the people referenced did not take the letter to Corinth.
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