Second Corinthians Introduction

It is believed that Paul actually wrote 4 letters to the church at Corinth. The first letter was lost for the most part, accept a portion which is believed to be embodied in this letter i.e. chapters 6:14 thru 7:1. The second letter that he wrote we have and it is called First Corinthians. The third letter was also lost for the most part accept for a portion that is also embodied in this letter i.e. chapters 10 thru 13, and his fourth letter is believed to be the remainder of this book we call Second Corinthians. Now I hope that this has not completely confused anybody.
For the purpose of Bible Study, there are but two letters in the New Testament, written by Paul, to the church at Corinth. Most scholars believe that Second Corinthians was written about 6 months after First Corinthians, written by Paul while he was somewhere in Macedonia.
This letter has one central theme, it was to establish Paul's authority as an Apostle. There was much evidence in the first letter that there were those in Corinth who were constantly stirring up people against Paul , doubting his Apostleship, attempting to lead the people away from the Gospel as Paul taught it, attempting to bring into the church parts of their old immoral background and attempting to add things as necessary to God's plan of salvation.
This must have been a very embarrassing letter for Paul to write. It sounds like he was "blowing his own horn", but someone needed to set these Corinthians straight and it didn't appear that anyone was coming to Paul's defense, so Paul writes and assures them of the following.

His character.
His calling.
His suffering and hardships.
His dignity.
His devotion.
His sincere faith.
His total dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It was difficult to come up with an outline of this book as it seems to wonder in the numerous subjects that it addresses. Perhaps, some of the problem might be the embodiment of parts of his other letters, but for the most part it contains a wealth of knowledge and shows the warmth of Paul's devotion to these Corinthians.
With this brief introduction, let us attempt to understand, with the help of the Holy Spirit, what wisdom Paul was imparting to these people.
A Study of the Second Letter to the Corinthians

Reliance Upon God.

Salutation 1:1-2

Thanksgiving 1:3-7

Paul Asks for Prayer 1:8-11

Paul's Integrity 1:12-14

Problems With Scheduling 1:15-24

Immorality and Forgiveness.

Reasons for not Coming to Corinth 2:1-4

Punishment for Pain 2:5-11

Paul's Success in Macedonia 2:12-17

Two Dispensations.

Paul Hesitates 3:1-6

Codes, Covenants and Dispensations 3:7-11

Boldness 3:12-18

Accusations of False Teachers.

The Consistency of His Ministry 4:1-6

Paul's Faith as a Credential 4:7-18

The Old Has Passed Away.

Reasons why Paul did not Despair 5:1-10

Paul Proclaiming Himself 5:11-15

Reconciliation 5:16-21

Paul's Service for the Sake of Christ.

Paul's Sacrifice for Christ's Sake 6:1-10

Seek Only Christian Fellowship 6:11-18

Growth in Sanctification.

Declaration of Innocence 7:1-4

The Good Effects of Paul's Fist Letter 7:5-13a

Timothy Failed but Titus Succeed 7:13b-16

Stewardship.

Money for the Church at Jerusalem 8:1-7

Give Freely 8:8-15

Messengers to Corinth 8:16-24

Paul's Psychology.

Paul's Hard Sale 9:1-5

The Acceptable Manner of Giving 9:6-15

Paul's Love and Duty.

Paul's Problem 10:1-6

Paul's Authority 10:7-12

Paul Refuses to Boast 10:13-18

Paul's Personal Limitations.

Unskilled at Speaking 11:1-6

Paul's Independence 11:7-15

A Fool for Christ's Sake 11:16-21

Paul's Advantages 11:22-33

Grace Sufficient for Paul's Needs.

Paul Honored as an Apostle 12:1-10

Paul's Rebuttal 12:11-21

Final Thoughts.

Paul, the Taskmaster 13:1-4

Judge Yourselves, Less You be Judged 13:5-10

The Goodbyes 13:11-14

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