BIBLE BOOK GUIDE
2 Corinthians
13 chapters
God's power shines through weakness; the gospel shapes a life of grace, holy service, and reconciliation in suffering.
2 Corinthians
Choose a chapter
Pick a chapter and it opens in the Current chapter tab. Come back here whenever you want to choose another one.
Why this book was written
Written to a largely repentant Corinthian church after Paul's painful letter, 2 Corinthians defends his apostleship, explains his changed travel plans, calls for restoration of the repentant sinner, and mobilises the collection for Jerusalem—all while urging the church to pursue holiness, reconciliation, and generosity in the face of opponents and suffering.
Structure
- 1–2Comfort in affliction and reconciliation
- 3–4The new covenant ministry and the gospel's glory
- 5–6Walking by faith and the ministry of reconciliation
- 7Joy over repentance and restored relationships
- 8–9Generosity in grace and God's provision
- 10–13Apostolic authority and spiritual warfare
Major themes
Comfort in Suffering
Paul shares his manifold afflictions, explaining that suffering produces comfort and salvation for the believers (1:3-11). Believers share in Christ's sufferings (1:5), revealing God as the God of all comfort.
The New Covenant Ministry
Paul contrasts his ministry with that of Moses under the old covenant, declaring believers are ministers of the new covenant, serving in the Spirit with ever-increasing glory (3:1-18), a ministry of the Spirit that brings freedom (3:6,17).
Strength in Weakness
Paul bears the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be displayed (4:7-12); treasure in jars of clay. God's grace is sufficient, for power is made perfect in weakness (12:9-10).
The Ministry of Reconciliation
God reconciles us to Himself through Christ and gives us the ministry of reconciliation, entreating others to be reconciled to God (5:11-21), forming the heart of Paul's mission.
Generosity and Giving
The Macedonian churches gave joyfully despite extreme poverty (8:1-5). Paul urges the Corinthians to excel in this grace, giving themselves first to the Lord (chapters 8-9).
Spiritual Warfare
Our warfare is not of the flesh but has divine power to destroy strongholds and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (10:3-5).
How it points to Christ
2 Corinthians exalts Christ as the Lord of suffering (1:5), the Lord who gives life (4:11), the Lord who was made sin so we become righteous (5:21), and the Lord who became poor so we become rich (8:9). Paul shows that Christ's death and resurrection are the heart of the gospel (5:14-21); Christ's love compels us to live for Him who died and rose again. The new covenant glory and the ministry of reconciliation flow from Christ, in whom God reconciles the world to Himself.
Key verses
- 1:3–4God of all comfort establishes the book's theme: suffering shared becomes comfort passed on.
- 4:16–17Inner renewal amid outer decay reframes present trials as eternal glory in the making.
- 5:17The capstone new-creation statement that launches the ministry of reconciliation.
- 5:21The great exchange: Christ made sin so we might become God's righteousness.
- 8:9Christ's poverty-for-our-richness grounds the call to generous giving.
- 12:9–10My power is perfected in weakness—the climactic paradox of strength-in-weakness.
- 12:12Patience, signs, wonders and miracles as the marks validating his apostolic identity.
- 13:14The Trinitarian benediction sealing the letter with grace, love and fellowship.
People in this book
Questions for reflection
- ·When I face affliction, how can I experience God as 'the God of all comfort' (1:3-11)?
- ·Am I living with an unveiled face, being transformed into the same image from glory to glory (3:16-18)?
- ·Am I willing, like Paul, to boast in my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest upon me (12:9-10)?
- ·God has committed to me the ministry of reconciliation—how can I be an ambassador for Christ in my daily relationships (5:20)?
- ·Is my giving cheerful and willing, or reluctant and under compulsion (9:7)?
Want to read 2 Corinthians start to finish? Open the reader for parallel Chinese/English text and ask anything as you go.
Start reading 2 Corinthians2 Corinthians
Chapter 3
1Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to you or from you?
2Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men;
3being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh.
4And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward:
5not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
6who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away:
8how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory?
9For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth.
11For if that which passeth away was with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.
12Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,
13and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away:
14but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ.
15But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart.
16But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.