In our Bible study on the night of May 31, 2026, we concluded our journey through the book of 2 Corinthians. As was pointed out, the apostle Paul has spent the entire book defending his authority and apostleship against the Corinthian church's doubts, all leading up to this final, passionate plea for them to repent before his third visit.

In our Bible study on May 30, 2026, we saw how Paul's relationship with the Corinthian church is strained; they found him unimpressive in person and were questioning his apostolic authority. As we entered chapter 12, the group noted that this is where Paul seems his most raw and emotional, concluding his argument against the "super-apostles" who boasted in their own strength.

In our study on May 29, 2026, we continued our journey through 2 Corinthians. This passage follows Paul's defense of his authority in chapter 10, where the Corinthian church, influenced by a worldly mindset, valued fleshly accomplishment and self-promotion. Paul is now defending his very apostleship against false apostles, contrasting their self-glorification with the true gospel of sacrifice, service, and submission.

In our study on May 28, 2026, we covered two chapters. In the previous section of the book, Paul had been encouraging the Corinthian church. In these chapters, he continues that encouragement regarding a financial contribution they promised, but then he transitions to defending his ministry against criticisms from within the church.

As we reviewed in our meeting on May 26, 2026, Paul is writing this letter after a previous "painful visit" to Corinth. He is defending his apostleship, which is one of weakness and frailty, so that God's power might be revealed, but some in Corinth were struggling to accept this. After receiving an encouraging report from Titus that the church was showing godly sorrow and repentance (chapter 7), Paul now feels able to address the practical matter of a financial collection for other believers in need, a task they had started a year prior.

As explained in our study on May 25, 2026, Paul is writing this second letter to the Corinthian church to defend his apostleship. They had judged him based on his physical presence, considering him weak and his speech contemptible (2 Corinthians 10:10). Paul is trying to get them to see life through the lens of the gospel, which is about weakness highlighting God's power, sacrifice, and service. This passage follows a section where Paul urged them not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers because they are God's temple.