We might wonder if 2 Corinthians turned the tide in Corinth away from the false teachers, rebuilding trust in the process. As far as we can tell, it did: “The letter seems to have met with success.”[] Around AD 95, Clement of Rome wrote to the church of Corinth, citing Paul’s first letter (1 Clem. 47:1) and citing Paul as a godly man to them (1 Clem. 5:5-7). This implies that the Corinthians held both Paul and his letters in high regard.
Despite Paul’s worries about his forthcoming trip to Corinth (2 Cor. 12:21; 13:2), the Paul ended up staying in Corinth for three months (Acts 20:2-3) and wrote the letter to the Romans. Since Paul had the peace of mind to write Romans, we can infer that his final visit went well, and 2 Corinthians helped to pave the way for a peaceful visit. When Paul showed up to Corinth, he likely had to fight with the false teachers. But that didn’t seem to bother him. He was mostly worried about the church (2 Cor. 11:28). And these Corinthians must’ve welcomed him warmly after reading this letter.
James is an elder at Dwell Community Church, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and weekly Bible studies.
