Corinth is a city in a culture very much like our own. It was filled with sensuality, it catered to pleasure and was actually very spiritual (don’t mistake that for “very moral” though).
Rome had leveled the city many years before (because of rebellion) and had rebuilt it and settled it with discharged army veterans and people who Rome wanted to reward with land grants. If you look at a map you see it’s pretty important for a trade port and thus it grew very fast. In Paul’s time it was around 200,000 free men and 500,000 slaves. It boasted at Temple of Aphrodite – the goddess of love, fertility and beauty (think Hollywood), a sanctuary to Asclepius – god of healing (think Harvard Medical Center or Lahey Clinic – everyone came for the cure) and was a place of commercialized pleasure (think Las Vegas).
This the climate into which Paul came to plant a church and teach them how to live for Christ – no wonder he had such a difficult time.
Paul seemed to start out well in Corinth, but soon the pressures of the culture and the work of Paul’s detractors had the Corinthian Christians wondering if Paul was the real deal – they challenged him from every angle – his manner of speaking, his health, his poverty, his focus. They dragged Paul over the coals in every imaginable area because Paul’s Christianity didn’t fit well with the culture and worldview of the Corinthians.
But here’s the good part – Paul refused to give up on them. He battled them with a ferocity that reveals the depth of his soul and his caring (dare I say love) for them.
I’ve chosen to preach through 2 Corinthians because Paul lays out how Christianity should look in the midst of a power-hungry culture. This might be rough going, but I think it’s a storm we must weather together.
