2 Corinthians

Paul's Comfort in Affliction

Paul opens by blessing God as the source of all comfort, then traces his near-fatal ordeal in Asia to show how suffering redirected his trust to God and linked him and the Corinthians together in shared prayer and consolation.

5 parts

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

Paul explains the double visit to Corinth he had planned, then fields the charge that his change of plans proves he is unreliable — asking pointedly whether he is the kind of man who says one thing and means another — and clarifies that he stayed away deliberately to spare them; he then anchors his own trustworthiness in God's faithfulness, whose word through Christ is never yes-and-no but always yes, and who has sealed and anointed believers with the Spirit as a guarantee.

4 parts

Paul and the Corinthian Reconciliation

Paul writes to Corinth in tears, then sets out anxiously searching for news — and when Titus finally finds him in Macedonia, he brings word that the Corinthians are longing for Paul, grieving over what went wrong, and burning with zeal for him.

6 parts

The Glory of the New Covenant

Paul defends his ministry by contrasting old and new covenants, showing how the Spirit transforms believers into Christ's image with unveiled faces.

5 parts

Treasure in Jars of Clay

Paul defends his transparent ministry by showing that weakness and suffering in 'clay jars' display God's power, grounded in faith and the hope of eternal glory.

9 parts

Paul's Ministry of Reconciliation

Paul explains that Christ's love drives his ministry of reconciliation, appeals to the Corinthians to be reconciled to God, and urges them to open their hearts to him in return.

7 parts

The Call to Generous Giving

Paul holds up Macedonia's sacrificial giving as a model, urges Corinth to finish their promised offering, and shows how cheerful generosity reflects Christ's own grace and unites believers in thanksgiving.

5 parts

Paul Defends His Apostleship

Writing to a church where critics are calling him weak in person and contemptible in speech, Paul argues that his warfare is spiritual rather than physical, refuses to measure himself against rivals who commend themselves, and turns his jealousy for the Corinthians into a warning: just as the serpent deceived Eve, false apostles disguised as servants of light are peddling another Jesus — and their end will match their deeds.

5 parts

Paul Boasts in Weakness

Paul catalogs beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonments, recounts a heavenly vision, then embraces a thorn in the flesh after God declares His power perfected in weakness.

8 parts

Paul's Final Appeal to Corinth

Paul makes a final passionate appeal before his third visit, urging self-examination, repentance, and unity, then closes with blessing and a trinitarian benediction.

7 parts