Love and The Cross of Christ
1 Corinthians 11 - 2 Corinthians 1 July — Month Two of Our Summer in Corinth July is the hinge month of our summer series. We finish 1 Corinthians and step across into 2 Corinthians. However, the one-page gap between those two letters is misleading. Paul did not write 1 Corinthians, drop it in the mail, and then sit down a few weeks later to write 2 Corinthians. Between the two letters lies roughly eighteen months of relationship trouble. There were follow-up visits that went badly. There was at least one painful, tearful letter that has been lost to history. There were rival teachers who showed up in Corinth and began undermining Paul behind his back, calling him unimpressive in person, accusing him of being a con artist, suggesting his refusal to accept their money proved he was not really an apostle. By the time Paul writes 2 Corinthians, he is a wounded pastor writing to a congregation that has broken his heart, asking them to trust him one ...