This letter is the most autobiographical of all Paul's epistles. Why? He did not want to dispense cold advice to the Christians in Corinth; what he wrote came from agonising personal experience. Also, as false teachers were casting doubt on Paul's character, he needed to show the church how deeply hardship affected him and how he relied on the Lord to bring him through. Paul was not just a teacher but an example.

Words are easy; actions are hard. When some people want to impress they will say what others want to hear, even though they never fulfil their promises. The apostle Paul wanted to visit Corinth twice – as he travelled from Ephesus to Corinth to Macedonia to Corinth and then to Judea. But that itinerary did not prove possible. We do not know how Paul had expressed his intention but it was probably like other provisional plans, "I hope …" (

Paul had a pastor's heart. He was the first to preach the gospel in Corinth, and despite considerable opposition (Acts 18:9-11), he stayed there for some time establishing a viable church. During a subsequent visit Paul was distressed to see the believers going astray.

Paul almost always chose to share ministry with at least one other person. Initially Barnabas took Paul on his first missionary journey as instructed by the Holy Spirit and affirmed by the church (Acts 13:1-3).