Day 334 Reading Schedule:

 2 Corinthians 10-13

2 Corinthians 10: Paul with Apostolic Authority 

[Summary] 

Paul devotes this chapter to defending his apostleship from this chapter to chapter 13. Paul frankly states the reason why this explanation is necessary in chapter 13. 'You seek proof that Christ speaks in me' (2 Corinthians 13:3). Of course, not all the Corinthians were so suspicious and hostile toward Paul. In fact, many of them were with Paul and tried to help him in his ministry in various ways. However, Paul's opponents, on the other hand, were people who had no fellowship with Paul and tried to tempt Christians to be unfaithful. When there was such a thorn in the church, Paul would do his utmost to remove it and the rotten place it threatened. The content of this chapter can be divided into two parts. The first paragraph is Paul’s defense, after he defends his indecision, showing that the true purpose of the apostleship is to rectify the saints (verses 1-11). The second paragraph is the part where Paul proves his legitimacy by comparing and contrasting his boasts with those of his opponents (verses 12-18). 

2 Corinthians 11: Paul’s Self-Defense

[Summary]

Paul, who defended his apostleship against the accusations of his opponents on the battlefield, now actively and fiercely rebukes the foolishness of the Corinthians who tolerated false teachers and proves the superiority of his apostleship over his opponents. This proof by Paul was not simply for personal boasting or gain, but for the right faith of the Corinthians. Paul was able to make their joys and weaknesses his own because he was convinced that both his opponents and himself were members of the one Christ and thus brothers in Christ. However, he could never tolerate the arrogance and insolence of his opponents. Paul’s true boasting about the false teachers’ infringement of authority and their self-praise was the suffering he endured for the gospel ministry and his own weakness. The content of this chapter consists of the first half (verses 1-15) warning against false apostles and the second half (verses 16-33) mentioning Paul’s hardships and zeal. 

2 Corinthians 12: Thorn in the Flesh

[Summary]

In this chapter, Paul mentions the visions and revelations he had. They were religious experiences in Christ and important events that could not be left out as an apostle. However, Paul had no intention of claiming to be an apostle by boasting about such things. What he could boast about as evidence of an apostle was the grace and power of God that gave strength in weakness and endurance in weakness. However, since the false apostles claimed to have received visions and revelations and made the congregation fall into mystical ecstasy, Paul had no choice but to boast that such things had not happened to him alone. Therefore, Paul’s boasting of his experiences in this chapter was not simply to boast, but first, to prove his apostolic authority, second, to boast of the greatness of God’s power and revelation, and third, to maintain the edification and order of the church. The content of this chapter consists of Paul’s vision and thorn in the flesh (verses 1-10), the mark of an apostle (verses 11-13), adherence to the principle of self-supporting evangelism (verses 14-18), and Paul’s concern (verses 19-21). 

2 Corinthians 13: Paul’s Warning and Blessing

[Summary]

Paul, who boasted of his spiritual experiences in the battlefield to defend his apostolic authority and announced his plans to visit Corinth, warns of discipline along with an exhortation to repentance in this chapter. Paul’s warning that he would exercise his apostolic authority and power was because he hoped that they would repent in advance and that the unfortunate situation of actually disciplining them during their visit to the church would not occur. Here, we can realize that the purpose of discipline is repentance, and that true repentance is the only way to avoid God’s discipline and punishment. The content of this chapter can be divided into two main parts. The first paragraph shows that Paul is strongly warning the church in Corinth (vv. 1-10). He boldly affirms that he will no longer overlook or cover up their sins and opposition. However, he hopes that they will repent and come back to Christ. The second paragraph shows that Paul only wants them to be whole and that the church will be at peace and be united in love (vv. 11-13).