Self-examination: Test whether you are in the faith

Episode Synopsis:

Paul has written a long letter dealing with on-going controversies in Corinth–his fourth letter to this congregation.  We know this letter as 2 Corinthians.  Among other things, Paul’s first Corinthian letter dealt with factions, lawsuits, idolatry, gifts of the Spirit, proper worship, and the nature of our Lord’s bodily resurrection in anticipation of our own.  After Paul made a difficult visit to Corinth and sent the so-called painful letter to the Corinthians, word came to him in Ephesus that existing troubles continued and new ones had erupted.

Paul will need to go back to Corinth to deal with these matters, so he began making his way through Macedonia (where he encountered a number of unspecified trials) and began composing 2 Corinthians on his way to Corinth.  One pressing matter is that an individual did great harm to Paul’s reputation and to the church, and while the Corinthians dealt with him, substantial damage was done among church members.  Another even more pressing matter was that false teachers and boastful braggarts were doing their best to undermine Paul’s apostolic authority in the church.  Paul addresses these matters head-on and prescribes a series of actions the Corinthians need to take.

While in Macedonia, Paul learned that the Corinthians had not followed through on their promise to collect an offering for the suffering saints in Jerusalem who were living through the effects of a severe famine in Palestine.  Paul hoped that this offering would do two things.  One is to provide badly needed relief to those suffering in the region.  A second is that a generous offering from Gentile churches to the Jewish church in Jerusalem would do much to end any hostilities between Christian Jews and Gentile converts.  The Macedonian churches were poor, but they gave above and beyond what they could to contribute to these offerings.  But Paul has learned that the Corinthians, who were wealthy, had been working on this for a year, but still, their offering was not ready.  So Paul challenges the Corinthians to make good on their promise.

About the time Paul and his companions were getting ready to make their way south from Macedonia to Corinth, Paul got news from Titus that a group of false teachers–whom Paul describes as false teachers and false apostles, and agents of Satan himself–were teaching a false gospel, a false Jesus, and a false Holy Spirit.  Paul responds with a fair bit of righteous anger by adding four additional chapters to his letter–chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians.  Paul has had enough of the Corinthian apathy toward the Christian life and doctrine, especially among those who continue in sexual sin and idolatrous practices, and who have been won over by these men who are doing everything in the power to undermine Paul and who seek to replace him.

This prompted Paul’s “Fool’s Speech” (2 Corinthians 11:21b-12:14)–a masterpiece of apostolic rhetoric.  In the closing verses of this letter–our text for this episode–Paul informs them he is coming to Corinth for the third time.  He does so in a manner which has the tone of an exasperated mother telling her disobedient children, “wait till your father gets home.”  Well, Paul is an exasperated father returning to a church he founded, and ready to settle things once and for all.  He hopes for the best, but is fully prepared to deal with an apathetic church which has tolerated agents of Satan for far too long in their midst.  The Corinthians have been warned.  “Your apostle is coming home.”  Time to put a stop to their bad behavior!

For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/