The ancient Church was unanimous in accepting the Epistle as a part of the Word of God. Of the apostolic fathers Polycarp plainly quotes it. Marcion included it in his canon, and it is also named in the Muratorian Fragment. The Syriac and old Latin Versions contain it, and the three great witnesses of the end of the second century quote it by name.
This Epistle too has permanent value for the Church of God. It is inseparably connected with I Corinthians, and as such also brings out that it is not the wisdom of the world but the foolishness of the cross that saves; and sheds further light on the application of Christian principles to social relations. More than any other Epistle it reveals to us the apostles personality, and is therefore a great psychological aid in the interpretation of his writings. It also has considerable doctrinal interest in that it exhibits a part of the apostles eschatology, 4:16—5:8; brings out the contrast between the letter and the spirit, 3:6-18; describes the beneficent influence of the glory of Christ, 3:18—A:6; and contains an explicit statement of the reconciliation and renovation wrought by Christ, 5:17-21.
2 Corinthians, SBJT 19.3 (Fall 2015).
Ayo Adewuya, Dr. Ayo Adewuya, 2 Corinthians.