The false teachers or “super apostles” had poisoned the minds of many in Corinth. They gave a suspicious and cynical narrative of Paul’s motives. Consequently, many of Paul’s friends had turned against him, or at the very least, they were thinking about it. Thus, we get a window into a particular low-point in Paul’s life.
Paul shares that he had felt “depression” (2 Cor. 7:6), “pressure” (2 Cor. 11:28), “anxiety” (2 Cor. 11:28, merimna), “stress” (2 Cor. 6:4, stenochōria),[] “conflicts” (2 Cor. 7:5), “fears” (2 Cor. 7:5), “sleeplessness” (2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27), and “no rest for his spirit” (2 Cor. 2:13). Of course, 2 Corinthians reveals how Paul worked through all of these emotions, but we shouldn’t deny that he felt this way in the first place. It is in this stressful and tense setting that we discover some of Paul’s most touching and moving words. He has two central reasons for writing this letter:
(1) Paul wrote this letter to rebuild his relationship and share his heart with these people. These converts in Corinth were his dear friends. He said he wrote his earlier letter for this purpose: “I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you” (2 Cor. 2:4 NLT). Paul wanted his relationships to be strengthened.
(2) Paul wrote this letter to avoid a caustic confrontation. Tensions were rising to a tipping point. Paul knew that he was going show up to Corinth, and he could very well be walking into a tense fight. Paul was willing to fight, but he didn’t want to. This is why Paul writes, “I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come” (2 Cor. 13:10 NLT). Instead, he wanted them to stop judging his motives and regain trust in their relationship.
James is an elder at Dwell Community Church, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and weekly Bible studies.
