Greetings from Paul (Day 27)

Read 2 Corinthians 1:1-2
 
    Paul visited Corinth on his second missionary journey and founded a church there (Acts 18). He later wrote several letters to the believers in Corinth, two of which are included in the Bible. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is lost (1 Corinthians 5), his second letter to them is our book of 1 Corinthians, his third letter is lost (2 Corinthians 2 and 7), and his fourth letter is our book of 2 Corinthians. Second Corinthians was written less than a year after 1 Corinthians.
   Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to deal with divisions in the church. When his advice was not taken and their problems were not solved, Paul visited Corinth a second time. That visit was both painful for Paul and for the church (2 Corinthians 2). He then planned a third visit but delayed and wrote 2 Corinthians instead. After writing 2 Corinthians, Paul visited Corinth once more (Acts 20). 
 
    Paul had great respect for Timothy (Philippians 2; 1 Timothy 1), one of his traveling companions (Acts 16). Timothy had accompanied Paul to Corinth on his second missionary journey, and Paul had recently sent him there to minister (1 Corinthians 4 and 16). Timothy’s report to Paul about the crisis in the Corinthian church prompted Paul to make an unplanned visit to the church to deal with the problem in person. 
 
    The Romans had made Corinth the capital of Achaia (modern day Greece). The city was a flourishing trade center because of its seaport. With the thousands of merchants and sailors who disembarked there each year, it had developed a reputation as one of the most immoral cities in the ancient world; its many pagan temples encouraged the practice of sexual immorality along with idol worship. A Christian church in the city would face many pressures and conflicts.