2 Corinthians 1:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

NIV: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

NASB: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Timothy, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:

CSB: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother: To the church of God at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.

NLT: This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece.

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:

NKJV: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

This is the start of the second letter written by Paul as preserved in the Bible. It begins in a way familiar to most of his letters. He identifies himself by name and then by his position. Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus. In this era, an apostle was understood to be someone sent or commissioned by another person to represent him and speak on his behalf. Paul did not apply for the job of "apostle of Jesus Christ." He was chosen for that role by God (Galatians 1:15–16; Acts 9:15). By introducing himself in this way, Paul was letting his readers know up front that what he would write in this letter would carry the weight of being the words of Christ.

Paul also sends greetings from Timothy, who was with him as he wrote this letter from Macedonia. This was about a year after writing 1 Corinthians. It may be that Timothy served as the scribe for Paul's letter, writing it down as Paul dictated. Paul sometimes described Timothy as his son in the faith. Paul became the younger man's mentor in ministry shortly after passing through Timothy's hometown of Derbe or Lystra. Timothy's mother was Jewish and his father was Greek. Timothy was already a believer in Jesus with a good reputation among the Christians. Paul recruited him to join his missionary team and travel with them (Acts 16:1–3).

Timothy had previously joined Paul in Corinth when the apostle was establishing the church there. Later, Paul had sent Timothy back to Corinth as his representative to address some of the issues the church was dealing with. That visit may not have gone well, leading to an even more troubled visit from Paul.

Paul identifies his audience as God's church in Corinth, along with all the saints—this is a term meaning all believers in Jesus—in the region of Achaia around the capital city.

Second Corinthians 1:1–2 is Paul's introduction of himself and Timothy. It also identifies the audience: the church at Corinth, along with all the believers in the region of Achaia. The Corinthians knew the apostle Paul well by this point, as they did his son in the faith and co-worker Timothy. Paul often identified someone with him when he wrote his letters, to provide a witness, and give added weight to what he would write. He offered his usual prayer of grace and peace for them from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul begins another letter to the Corinthians following a series of tumultuous events with them. He begins by praising God for His comfort to those who are in affliction, connecting Christian suffering to the sufferings of Christ. Paul insists that his suffering and the comfort he has received from God have been for the Corinthians' benefit. He defends both his integrity and sincerity in dealing with them and explains that he delayed his planned trip to visit them again for their sake.

Second Corinthians 1 follows about a year after the end of 1 Corinthians, and much has happened between the two letters. Paul has had a painful visit with the Corinthians before traveling to Macedonia, where he wrote a painful letter. The text of which has not been kept. He writes this new letter from Macedonia, as well, after learning about a positive change of heart on their behalf. Paul begins by praising God for His comfort for those who are afflicted and defending himself against several complaints from some in the church.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.