2 Corinthians 1:1-2 (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:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s greeting to the church in Corinth in this letter is much terser than that of his first letter. This fits with the overall theme of this letter, which was written more as a corrective and a defense of himself and his ministry than as a teaching and encouraging letter.
Paul begins, much as he did in 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, by citing his name and his credentials. But in this second letter, his emphasis is less on his calling and more on the cold reality that he is a legitimate apostle, not because he has chosen that role for himself, but because it was and is God’s will that he fulfill that role. Several people who had come to Corinth as self-styled apostles had been attacking Paul, both his person and his ability as an apostle. Before he ends this letter, Paul will provide his defense against those attacks in chapters 10-12. But for now, he is merely restating for the record that he is in fact a genuine apostle.
Paul’s first letter is addressed to the sanctified Church of God in Corinth. This letter is expected to receive a much larger dissemination. So, he also addresses it to all the saints throughout Achaia, the small part of southern Europe now known as Greece, of which Corinth was an important and strategically located city.
Paul’s blessing on the church is identical in both the letters, passing on to them grace and peace in the name of both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though Paul has been having a challenging time with the Corinthians lately, he is not angry, but concerned for their spiritual life and welfare. Much like a parent with a recalcitrant teen might have to be stern and unyielding on important things, they will only do so out of deep love and concern for their child.
Father, it’s easy for us to forget that Paul didn’t write these letters figuring that they would end up in the New Testament, or to give theological arguments that he knew would be studied, debated, and memorized two thousand years later. These were real letters to real people he cared about, often addressing questions they asked or hot-button issues of the day. Some were written during good times, and many during challenging times. Some were written to encourage their recipients, because that’s what they needed, and some are written to chastise those in the Church, because they really were giving going astray and needed to be brought back in line. They continue to be useful for us today, Lord. But help us to read their messages in the spirit in which they were written, so that you can speak to our hearts through them today, just as you used them to speak to the hearts of those who read them all those years ago. Amen.