2 Corinthians is one of the Apostle Paul's most distinctive epistles.

Intensely personal and heartfelt, the letter gives us a window into Paul's defense of his own apostleship,

his theology of suffering, and the reality of God's power displayed through human weakness.

My guest today is Dane Orland, and in our conversation, we walk through a number of and the reality of God's power displayed through human weakness.

My guest today is Dane Orland, and in our conversation, we walk through a number of key

doctrines and themes found in 2 Corinthians, including Paul's eschatology, what our lives

should look like as new creations in Christ, and what Paul's thorn in the flesh might have

been.

Dane serves as senior pastor of

Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. He's the best-selling author of

Gentle and Lowly, and his new book is called Ministry in the New Realm, a theology of 2nd

Corinthians, which is part of Crossway's short studies and New Testament theology series.

Let's get started.

Well, Dane, thank you so much for joining me again on the Crossway podcast.

It is my pleasure, Matt.

So you open this new book on the theology of 2nd Corinthians with a quote, a quote from J.R.R.

Tolkien's book, The Fellowship of the Ring. I know you're a fan of Tolkien. I know you love

the Lord of the Rings, but I imagine there's more reason to why you would open this book on

the theology of 2 Corinthians with that quote. So I wonder if you could start us off by reading the

quote and then walk us through why you find that a fitting way to open the book.

Yeah, Elrond, he says at the Council of Elron, this quest, talking about the quest with the ring

that is going to be laid out before the different, before the hobbits and the others and everyone,

...