on this blog. I am very surprised at
myself. The emotion of my resignation
from Willingdon seems to have taken its
toll. For years, I have been able to
"zone" into my studies, easily putting
aside distractions, and giving myself to
hours at a time with a given text. I find
myself, in the last week or so, unable to
concentrate for more than 15-20 minutes
at a time. So while I have been
rereading and rereading 2 Corinthians to
get a sense of the whole, I find myself
often losing concentration. A new
experience.
I have been encouraged to rest, by more
than one person. It is an experience I
am not altogether familiar with. I always
took a day off to rest, but a long
protracted period of rest, well....
I wish to take the time to thank all of
you who have emailed me such
encouraging words. I have not made it
through all the emails. It seems that
simply reading them, is also an
emotional experience. Thank you for
the very thoughtful and loving words
communicated to me.
I have been asked where I will be
ministering next. I simply am not sure,
and am waiting on the Lord for
direction. There are many times I wish
the Lord would write detailed
instructions for next steps in the cloud.
But that would require only obedience,
and not faith. As it is, I am learning to
trust that God is in control, even in this
very different time.
As I have read 2 Corinthians, I am again
reminded that the letter was written by
Paul, who was then under considerable
stress. I like that, for Paul seems so
human to me in this letter. Whereas, it
is true that the 2nd letter of Paul to the
Corinthians is an intensely theological
letter, teaching truths that are not taught
else where in the New Testament, this is
also an intensely personal letter.
A little background is in order. Paul
wrote 4 letters to the Corinthians. The
1st - is mentioned in 1 Corinthians. You
will remember 1 Corinthians 5:9, where
Paul mentions a
previous correspondence, in which he
refers to a letter telling them not to
associate with so-called Christians who
were sexually immoral.
Then - is his 2nd letter, which of course
is the one we have in our Bible - the
book of 1 Corinthians. There Paul
discussed the practical issues in the
Corinthian church,
including their divisions, the problem of
sexual immorality, lawsuits, principles
governing divorce and remarriage,
eating food sacrificed to idols, head
coverings, the Lord's supper, spiritual
gifts and the resurrection of the dead. 1
Corinthians seems to have been written
to address both problems in the
Corinthian church, as well as answering
questions the Corinthians had.
The 3rd letter - again is one we do not
have, but Paul mentions this one in 2
Corinthians 2:4. This letter was written
out of "anguish of heart and with many
tears." This letter has also been called
the "sorrowful letter." Most likely the
Corinthians refused to expel the
immoral brother referred to in 1
Corinthians 5:1-5. They seem also to
have questioned his apostolic
credentials.
The 4th and final letter - is 2 Corinthians
- the end of a long series
of correspondence between Paul and
this church. Here we find Paul under
much stress. He speaks of his sufferings.
He defends his ministry. He mentions
his thorn in the flesh. This is a letter in
which the promise of God, the hope of
eternity and the power of the gospel are
set against human sin, grief and sorrow.
For all who have ever wondered how
the gospel can go forward in the midst
of disappointment - this is the letter to
explain.
Most likely Paul wrote this letter from
Macedonia (southern greece) about 1
year after writing 1 Corinthians. The
problems that needed solving in this
church were not solved - indeed
were worsening. With growing
opposition to his ministry - he reaches
out in love.
The letter seems also to have been
written in stages. In 2:13, he speaks of
waiting for
Titus - then in 7:6 - he speaks of Titus as
though he had just arrived. Paul may
have had a number of experiences - as
he wrote this letter over a period of
time.
The letter can easily be divided into 3
parts. Chapters 1-7 is both a defense of
Paul's apostolic ministry as well as the
confidence he has in the power of the
gospel. Chapters 8-9 speaks about the
necessity of the Corinthians to give
generously to the work of the ministry.
Chapters 10-13 speak again of Paul's
apostolic authority and is a vigorous
attack on false teachers and false
apostles.
For all who want a gospel of Jesus free
from problems, difficulties and trials -
this is not the book for you. But for
those who want a realistic gospel - the
story of the power of Christ going
forward amidst turmoil and human
weakness - this is just the medicine for
our times.
Posted 23rd September 2014 by Pastor John
Neufeld
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