Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of
God
The inscription of this epistle is pretty much the same with that
of the former; only whereas here he styles himself an apostle of
Jesus Christ, there he says he was "called" to be one: for he did
not assume that character and office without the call of Christ,
and will of God; and which he chooses to mention, in opposition
to the false apostles, who had neither. Likewise, in the
inscription of the former epistle Sosthenes is joined with him;
in this Timothy, whom he calls
our brother,
not so much on account of his being a partaker of the same grace,
as for his being a minister of the same Gospel: and he the rather
mentions him, because he had sent him to them, to know their
state, and was now returned to him with an account of it, and who
joined and agreed with him in the substance of this epistle.
Moreover, the former epistle is directed as "unto the church of
God which is at Corinth"; so to all that call upon the name of
Christ in every place; and this is directed also to the same
church, together
with all the saints which are in all Achaia;
which was a very considerable part of Greece, and of which
Corinth was the metropolis: and the apostle's intention in
directing it in this form was, that copies of this letter might
be sent to them, who equally, with this church, stood in need of
the reproofs, exhortations, and instructions which are in it.