The responses that 2 Corinthians offers to these and other questions are deeply rooted in the nature of the gospel, and it is this theological dimension of the letter, more than anything else, that makes 2 Corinthians so important for the contemporary church. For example, Paul’s defense of his apostolic ministry takes the form of an extended excursus in which he grounds his ministry in the promise of a new covenant and the new creation that God has effected through Christ (2:14–7:4). His exhortation