the lens: the clarity of conscience

Study Notes

THE LENS: The Clarity of Conscience September 27, 2015

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge-- 14 just as you did partially acknowledge us--that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

23 But I call God to witness against me--it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. (2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4)

1 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org

Study Notes

1:12–22

Paul Had a Reason for Not Coming

Hospitality was important in antiquity, and it was an honor to host a prominent guest. For Paul not to have come could have seemed like both a breach of his word—and thus of his honor and integrity—and an insult to their hospitality. Rhetoricians (trained public speakers) recommended that one defending himself defuse the audience’s negative attitudes before addressing the more serious charges (chaps. 10–13).

1:12–14. Many ancient letters focused on praise or blame; many moralists both chided and encouraged their pupils. It was also normal to open a speech or letter with compliments, which helped the hearers to be more open to the point of the speech or letter. Ancient writers sometimes praised themselves discreetly (thus essays like Plutarch’s “How to Praise Oneself Inoffensively”), but Paul’s boast (1:12a—NIV) is in his students. By this period moralists customarily defended their motives whether they had been attacked or not, because so many charlatans existed; but if chapters 10–13 are part of 2 Corinthians (see the introduction), Paul is already defending himself against real opposition here.

1:15. This verse means that Paul had been to Corinth once and had meant to return to benefit them spiritually again. Well-to-do benefactors were greatly extolled for bestowing gifts on persons of less means; hence Paul’s certainty that he could bestow spiritual benefits is realistic, not arrogant. But unlike worldly benefactors (or the opponents of chaps. 10–13), he asks for no status in return (1:24).

1:16. From Troas in Asia (1:8), one could sail to Macedonia, and come overland down to Corinth, as Paul had done before (Acts 16:11–12) and planned to do again (1 Cor 16:5), and finally did later (Acts 20:1–3).

1:17. Paul had been unable to fulfill his stated intention. As he says in 1:23, his decision not to stop at Corinth was to “spare” them; instead he sent Titus ahead with a harsh letter (1:23–2:11; 7:7–12). When Titus did not return to the appointed meeting place in Troas, Paul feared for him (given the dangers of traveling in antiquity) and went on into Macedonia (2:12–13). There Paul met up with Titus again, who gave him good news about them (7:5–16).

1:18–20. Digressions were standard in ancient writing, and Paul here digresses (1:18–22) to assure them that he indeed had a good reason for not coming; he was a representative of the God who always kept his word, and he proclaimed a faithful gospel. “Amen” functioned as a positive affirmation at the end of a prayer, and Christ became the amen and yes to all the biblical promises of a truly faithful God.

1:21. The term translated “stand firm” (NIV) or “establish” (NASB, NRSV) or “confirm” was


Study Notes

often a business term confirming a sale; it is thus related to “down payment” (“deposit”—NIV) in verse 22. In the Old Testament “anointing,” pouring olive oil over someone’s head, attested that God had set that person apart for ministry (royal, priestly, etc.); Paul adopts that image here. Both 1:21 and 1:22 signify that God attests to Paul’s integrity.

1:22. Documents and jars of merchandise were sealed to show that no one had tampered with their contents. The stamp of the person witnessing a document would be pressed into the hot wax, which then dried over the string tied around the rolled-up document. Paul means that God attested the contents of the ministry of himself and his colleagues (cf. 3:2–3). Judaism generally associated the Spirit with the end of the age (e.g., Ezek 39:28–29; Joel 2:28); Paul says that they had the Spirit in the present as a “down payment” (“pledge”—NASB; “deposit”—NIV; “first installment”—NRSV), the first taste of the life of the world to come.

1:23–2:13

Paul Delayed Coming in Order to Spare Them

Paul’s reason for changing his mind about coming and for only sending Titus with a letter was to spare them his harshness (1 Cor 4:21).

1:23–24. Social superiors often acted arrogantly toward their inferiors and expected praise or even groveling. Unlike the world’s authority models (and those of his opponents in chaps. 10–13), Paul counts his converts as coworkers.

2:1–4. Paul’s letter suggested severe discipline of the offender (2:5–10). Scholars dispute whether this offender is the same as the one in 1 Corinthians 5:1–5; but whether or not it is, Paul had written a letter after 1 Corinthians to tell the Corinthians to discipline him (this one sent with Titus). This letter has probably been lost. (Some scholars think this harsh letter between 1 and 2 Corinthians is 2 Cor 10–13, which they believe was originally a separate letter. This passage mentions nothing about a particular offender, however, and it is therefore more likely that the intervening letter was simply lost. One might not blame the Corinthians for misplacing this one.)

1

1:12–2:4 Paul defends his repeated changes of travel plans

12 Paul begins by defending his integrity in general. In all his contact with the Corinthians he had acted in holiness and sincerity, not according to worldly wisdom but according to

1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (2 Co 1:12–2:4). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.


Study Notes

God’s grace. The sort to thing Paul contrasts here is expressed more fully in 2:17: Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. Worldly wisdom is that which resorts to cunning (cf. 4:2) or cleverness with words (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1) to impress the hearer. A ministry according to God’s grace is one which relies upon the power of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2:2–5) for its effectiveness. 13 Paul’s general integrity extends also to his letter-writing: For we do not write to you anything you cannot read or understand. He did not write one thing but intend another. 14 He concludes by expressing the hope that the Corinthians would come to recognize that he and his colleagues were people of integrity whom they could boast of just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul looked forward to rejoicing on the last day in what God had done in the lives of his converts, and he hoped that in the present they might feel they could boast of what God was doing in him.

15–16 Having defended his integrity in general terms, Paul goes on to justify the changes he made in his travel plans. It was with a sense of confidence in the Corinthians’ pride in him that he changed the plans announced in 1 Cor. 16:5–7. He had made the changes so that they might benefit twice—from visits on his way to and from Macedonia. 17 The confidence in the Corinthians with which Paul changed his plans was apparently misplaced. They criticized him because of the changes, so that he had to ask: Do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no?’ To make plans in a worldly manner implies a readiness to break commitments with little concern for other parties involved, changing ‘Yes’ to ‘No’ without any compunction. Paul’s question is meant to evoke from his readers an emphatic denial that their apostle would act in such a way.

18–20 To defend his change of travel plans Paul draws his readers’ attention to the nature of the message he preached to them: As surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ adding that no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. There is not arbitrary breaking of promises as far as God is concerned. And, Paul implies, just as God is faithful in fulfilling the promises of the gospel, so Paul, as a preacher of the gospel, may be trusted not to say one thing about his travel plans and then without real cause do another. 21–22 The reason for this is because it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. Since it is God who makes Paul stand firm, the Corinthians may know that Paul will act with integrity. Paul adds, He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit. These are all ways of referring to God’s endowing Paul with the Spirit, as both a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (Paul’s share in the coming glory of God) and the means by which God makes Paul stand firm as a person of integrity in the present. 23–24 Paul goes on to show that he had acted with integrity even when he failed to make the return visit he had promised. The reason for the change of plans was in order to spare you. Lest this allusion to disciplinary action be understood to mean that Paul exercised a spiritual tyranny over the Corinthians, he hastens to add, not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy.


Study Notes

Because of their faith they have their own standing before God and in this respect are subject to no-one else. 2:1–2 The first of Paul’s two promised visits turned out to be very painful because of the way in which he came under attack. If he had made another visit it too would have been painful but for a different reason—he would have had to take disciplinary action against the Corinthians causing them grief, and there would have been none left to make him glad. 3–4 So instead of making the second promised visit, he wrote them a ‘severe’ letter, so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. It was written out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears and must have contained some sort of rebuke to the Corinthians (cf. 7:8–9). However, his purpose in writing it was not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. It takes real love to confront a difficult situation, even if some pain is involved, rather than side-stepping it. Paul avoided commending himself but was prepared to take the risk of being charged with doing so in order to set the record straight. If we are to resolve conflict, we too need to be prepared to do this, while avoiding mere self-justification. Greater issues are involved in conflicts among the people of God than our own reputations. Unless such conflicts are handled properly, only Satan gains the advantage (cf. 2:11).

Note. The word conscience is found more often in Paul’s letters than in the rest of the books of the NT put together. Unlike the Stoics, Paul did not regard conscience as the voice of God within, nor did he restrict its function to judging one’s past acts (usually the bad ones) as was the case in the secular Greek world of his day. For Paul the conscience was a human faculty whereby a person judges his or her actions (whether already performed or only intended) and those of others. It judges human action by the light of the highest standard a person perceives. Seeing that all of human nature has been affected by sin, both a person’s perception of the standard of action required and the function of the conscience itself (as a part of human nature) are also affected by sin. For this reason, conscience can never be the ultimate judge of one’s behaviour. It is possible that the conscience may excuse one for that which God will not excuse; and conversely it is equally possible that conscience may condemn a person for that which God allows. The final judgment, therefore, belongs only to God (cf. 1 Cor. 4:2–5). Nevertheless, to reject the voice of conscience is to court spiritual disaster (cf. 1 Cor. 8; 1 Tim. 1:19), but we can modify the highest standard to which it relates by gaining for ourselves a greater understanding of the truth.

2

2 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., pp. 1193–1194). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.


Study Notes

He also yearned that they would abandon any lingering suspicions about his motives in preaching to them in the first place and in writing to them subsequently. We shall see later that some in Corinth have attacked him bitterly, sneering at him and implying all sorts of things about his character and secret aims. At this point he simply lays down a first statement of how things have been. His conscience is clear; he isn’t trying to hide anything; he wants there to be complete understanding between them. After all, on the day when the Lord Jesus is revealed, the day Paul spoke of so often in the first letter, the churches in Greece will be his pride and joy, the sign that he has been faithful to his Lord and has discharged his commission. And he longs that they will see him that way too: their loyalty to him as their founding apostle will be the sign, on that day, that they really were and are following the Lord of whom he had spoken.

We have learned a lot about suffering, especially mental suffering, in the last century or so. Psychologists and psychiatrists, though sometimes producing some peculiar theories, have given us real insight and brought much help and understanding to people in need. But this passage, though brief, goes as deep in its description of the problem and its solution as any modern theory. At the centre of everything are the issues of life and death. To face death, a sentence of death coming from one’s own being, is as low as one can get. To trust in the God who raises the dead, with that faith anchored in the resurrection of Jesus himself, is the best therapy anyone could discover, in the first century or the twenty-first.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:15–22

Paul’s Plans and God’s ‘Yes’

15 I was quite sure of this. That’s why I wanted to come to you again, so that you could have a double blessing. 16 I intended to go on to Macedonia by way of you, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on to Judaea.

17 Was I just fooling around when I was making plans like this? Was I concocting schemes in a merely human way, prepared to say ‘Yes, yes’, and ‘No, no’, at the same moment? 18 God can bear me faithful witness that our word to you was not a mixture of Yes and No. 19 The son of God, Jesus the Messiah, who was proclaimed among you by Silvanus, Timothy and myself, wasn’t a Yes-and-No person; in him it’s always Yes! 20 All God’s promises, you see, find their Yes in him; and that’s why we say the Yes, the Amen through him when we pray to God and give him glory. 21 It’s God who strengthens us with you into the Messiah, the anointed one; and he has anointed us, too. 22 God has stamped his seal on us, by giving us the spirit in our hearts as a first payment of what is to come.

One of my students once arrived very late for a tutorial. I was working on an extremely tight schedule, and I wasn’t amused at having the day disrupted. I thought the student


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needed to know how far out of line his behaviour was.

I had just finished my little moral lecture, and we were beginning the tutorial, when the telephone rang. It was a publisher, wondering why I had not sent the writing I should have finished the previous month. I heard myself making the same kind of excuses the student had made to me a moment earlier.

I put the phone down, and we looked at each other.

‘I feel a bit better now,’ he said, with the hint of a smile.

I was reminded of this when imagining how frustrated the Corinthian church must have felt at Paul’s various changes of plan. He seemed to be switching to and fro and they didn’t know why. Recently I found myself caught up in a small-scale version of the same thing: my plans to travel to a speaking engagement next month were almost finalized, but a new opportunity arrived for something else as well, and maybe I should change the arrangements and stay on for two more days … As I made the necessary calls I thought how much easier it would have been if Paul had had a telephone or even email.

The Corinthian church had clearly been upset to get messages saying—so it seemed—first one thing and then another. To get from Ephesus to Corinth by sea wasn’t difficult (see the map, p. xi). It’s about two hundred and fifty miles, more or less due west, with the boat no doubt stopping here and there on the way through the Greek islands. Traders made the journey all the time. Paul himself had done it not long before, as we shall see, making a quick but painful visit which still reverberated through his memory and that of the church.

He had originally thought that he would go that route again: straight across to Corinth, north by land to Macedonia (to his dear friends in Thessalonica and Philippi), and then back to Corinth again, before setting off for Judaea once more. But something had happened to make him change his mind; and now he was coming the long way, by the land route around the northern Aegean. Travelling by land was usually slower and more dangerous than by sea, and Paul must have had good reason for the change of plan. Maybe his terrible experiences in Ephesus had left him unwilling to face a sea voyage just at the moment. But there may have been another reason too. If he travelled by land, he could send messengers ahead to prepare the Corinthians for his visit. After the disaster last time, he didn’t want to risk just showing up and finding them unprepared.

But, though he has good reasons for his change of plan, the Corinthians have got the impression that he is vacillating, unable to make his mind up, perhaps deliberately sending mixed signals about his intentions. He’s like a person who says ‘Yes, yes’, out of one side of the mouth and ‘No, no’, out of the other. Not so, Paul declares: I have always had Yes as my answer to you. It may come out in different ways, but I have been completely consistent. He has lived, prayed, and planned on the basis of the gospel itself; and the gospel is all about


Study Notes

God saying Yes to people through the gospel of his son, the Messiah.

There is a triple Yes involved in the gospel. First, there is the Yes to all the promises God made in the Bible. For over a thousand years Israel had lived on those promises, trusting that the God who had called Israel to be his people would lead them forward, and accomplish in the end what he had planned and purposed. Paul’s whole life was built on the belief that in Jesus of Nazareth God had done exactly that: Jesus was the Messiah, the culmination and crown of Israel’s long story, the answer to all Israel’s hopes and prayers, the fulfilment of all the promises. God had finally said Yes, and had said it so loudly through Jesus’ resurrection that it was now echoing all around the world.

The second Yes is the one that those who believe in Jesus say when they pray. The Hebrew or Aramaic word for ‘Yes’ is ‘Amen’. ‘Amen’ is one of the few Hebrew words spoken around the world today, though most people don’t realize where it comes from. When someone says a prayer, and other people want to associate themselves with it, they say ‘Amen’ at the end: it means ‘Yes!’ or ‘I agree!’ or ‘That’s what I want to say, too!’ But Paul goes further. When we pray to the one true God, and give him glory, he says, we say the ‘Amen’ through Jesus the Messiah. When a prayer today ends with the words ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen’, the church is continuing a tradition which was well established when Paul was writing this letter, a mere twenty-five years or so after Jesus’ death and resurrection, and which has continued in an unbroken line ever since. And the point of it is based on the first Yes. If the one true God has fulfilled his promises through the Messiah, Jesus, then when his people pray to him the appropriate way to ask is ‘through Jesus the Messiah’.

The third Yes, therefore, is the one that reaches out from God to individual people today. What we need, if we are followers of the Messiah and learning what it means to belong to him, is to grow up ‘into’ him. The Messiah, as God’s anointed king, represents his people, sums them up in himself, so that what is true of him becomes true of them. Christians need, therefore, to be strengthened ‘into’ the Messiah, and God’s Yes to us today is what does that.

Paul even declares that, as Messiah means ‘the anointed one’, so God has ‘anointed’ the Messiah’s people, too, by giving them his own spirit (verse 21). There are three ideas here, each of which is important for what comes later.

First, all God’s people are ‘anointed’. That is, they are themselves marked out by God, just as a king or a priest might have been. This is another way of saying what Paul says elsewhere when he sees Christians as the younger brothers and sisters of Jesus the Messiah.

Second, God has stamped us with his seal. Until comparatively modern times people who sent important letters would often seal them with molten wax, into which they would


Study Notes

press a stamp or signet ring so that whoever got the letter would know who it had come from, and that it hadn’t been tampered with on the way. God has ‘sealed’ his people with the spirit, and the stamp which the world will see on them is the mark of the Messiah himself, whose death and life they now share.

Third, the gift of the spirit is a first payment of what is to come. When people make large purchases, they often do so by putting down a lump sum in advance and thereby agreeing to pay off the rest in due time. When God anoints someone with the spirit, Paul declares, this is the first part of the gift which will be completed in the resurrection itself. If the Christian hope is founded on Jesus’ own resurrection, that hope becomes a real possession within us through God’s gift of the spirit.

Paul has moved from the Corinthians’ puzzlement about his travel plans to the very centre of the gospel and the hope it brings. This is quite deliberate. He doesn’t want the Corinthians to think of him, his travels and his forthcoming visit in purely human terms. He is anxious that they should learn to think of him, as they should learn to think of everything, in the light of God’s great Yes in the gospel and the spirit.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:23–2:4

Painful Visit, Painful Letter

23 For my own part, I call on God as witness, against my own life, that the reason I haven’t yet come back to Corinth is because I wanted to spare you. 24 This isn’t because I am making myself the lord and master over your faith; your faith is the reason you stand fast! Rather, it’s because we are co-operating with you for your joy.

2.1 You see, I settled it in my mind that I wouldn’t make you another sad visit. 2 After all, if I make you sad, who is there to cheer me up except the one who is sad because of me? 3 And I wrote what I did so that I wouldn’t come and find sadness where I should have found joy. I have this confidence about all of you, that my joy belongs to all of you. 4 No: I wrote to you in floods of tears, out of great trouble and anguish in my heart, not so that I could make you sad but so that you would know just how much overflowing love I have towards you.

I was trying to hang a picture and just couldn’t get it right. I didn’t calculate the height accurately enough, and when I stood back I realized it had to be about an inch higher up. Then when I tried to move the picture-hook some of the plaster in the wall came away; and when I put the hook where it should be, and began to hammer in the hook once more, another whole piece of plaster came loose. I stood back again in frustration. I had been trying to put things right, and what I had done seemed instead to have put them completely wrong. I had to get some filler and mend the hole, and then wait a day or two until it had hardened, before, this time, calculating the exact spot and nailing the hook extremely


Study Notes

carefully where it should go.

I am (as this story will make clear) an amateur when it comes to do-it-yourself home improvements, even hanging pictures. But Paul was an apostle, called and equipped by God … surely he wouldn’t have made basic mistakes? Part of what he’s saying in this passage is that sometimes when bad things happen it doesn’t mean that anybody’s made a mistake: I couldn’t have known that bit of the wall had some loose plaster; Paul couldn’t have imagined that the Corinthians were in the wrong frame of mind for the kind of visit he planned; many things happen that are not what we would have expected or wanted, and we have to do the best we can with things as they are.

What Paul is beginning to do in this passage is, as it were, to put some new filling into an ugly crack in the wall, in the hope that it will set firm and enable him to make a fresh start with the work of building up the church. Last time he came, and last time he wrote, it all seemed to go horribly wrong.

Precisely what had happened is once more a matter of informed guesswork. Paul had made a brief visit to Corinth, coming, we assume, by the short sea route rather than the long way over land. He had hoped to be able to sort out some of the problems he had written about in the first letter. But instead of the church welcoming him with delight, and co-operating in putting things straight, there was opposition. Many people resented his intrusion. Some of the teachers who had arrived since he had left mocked his speaking style, his insignificant appearance. The tension between the cultural standards Corinth prided itself on and the strange new world of the Christian gospel were pulling at either end of the relationship between Paul and the church, and they came unstuck. We don’t know the details, but we do know that it was very painful for everyone.

Paul returned to Ephesus, we assume, in deep distress, and wrote another letter, with tears rolling down his cheeks as he did so. Some people think that this ‘painful’ letter is actually now part of what we call ‘2 Corinthians’, perhaps all or part of what we call chapters 10 to 13. That seems unlikely to me. It’s more likely the letter wasn’t preserved. We don’t know what exactly he said, but we know what he hoped for. He hoped the letter would do the trick and make them see that he had acted out of deep love, not wanting to treat them as his private property, or to patronize them, or to upset them for the sake of it. And we know what it achieved: nothing, or rather worse than nothing. That, presumably, is why it wasn’t preserved. Paul, by trying to make things better, had made them worse. He had now knocked a lump of plaster out of the wall, and was going to have to do some serious repair work.

Meanwhile, the storm that had been brewing in Ephesus, whatever it was, had begun to break over his head. This was all he needed: trouble on the spot, and rebellion across the sea. No wonder he found himself sinking into the blackest depths of despair. And then, when he did get a message to them again, it was first to say that he was coming soon, then


Study Notes

that he wasn’t. And they just thought he was making it even worse.

No, he says: it was to spare you that I decided not to come after all (verse 23). Paul, emerging from the dark tunnel of depression, clinging for dear life to the God who raises the dead, still knows that this God has given him authority, with the spiritual power to back it up, to build up the church; and that means, if necessary, confronting evil wherever it occurs. He comes back to this theme at the end of the letter, in chapter 13, but we are aware of it at several points on the way as well. What he says, and the way he says it, speaks volumes about the nature of power within the Christian community.

We who live in a world that has known both violent revolutions and cruel tyrannies have grown cynical about all power. We always assume that anyone who says ‘I’m doing this for your own good’ is in fact manipulating us, twisting our arms to make us do something for their good rather than ours. Some have even suggested that Paul was up to the same trick. But Paul’s whole point, throughout this letter, is that this is not the kind of power he has, or wants to have. He has no intention of playing the high-and-mighty lord and master over their faith; the faith they have is the faith by which they stand fast as genuine Christians, and it isn’t his business to interfere with that, to come between them and the Lord himself. Rather, as a servant of the Lord on their behalf, he has a responsibility to work together with them, to increase their love and loyalty, and thereby also their joy.

This is because the kind of power that matters in Christian circles is the power of love. Paul’s understanding of his relationship with the Corinthians is a rich interweaving of love and sorrow—which inevitably reminds us of the love and sorrow which met in Jesus himself at his death. He has acted, he says, not as part of a power-trip but because he loves them, and wants to see the sorrow turn to joy. He knows and believes that this can and will now happen. But, as Paul knows, and every experienced pastor knows, there is often a long, anxious moment when, to return to the picture hanging on the wall, we stand back and wonder whether this time it’s going to be all right.

3

12. The word rejoicing (kauchesis) is found seven times in this epistle (7:4, 14; 8:24; 9:4; 11:10, 17), but only five times elsewhere in the NT. By behaved ourselves (ASV) Paul means that three judges determined his conduct: (1) his conscience; (2) God’s holiness and sincerity (ASV); (3) the world and the Corinthians. Spiritual irreconcilables and incompatibles are represented by fleshly wisdom (cf. Jas 3:15) and the grace of God

3 Wright, T. (2004). Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians (pp. 9–18). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.


Study Notes

(cf. I Cor 3:10; 15:10; Eph 3:2, 7, 8).

13. Paul was a consistent man, whether dealing with hostile Jews (cf. Acts 26:22) or with recalcitrant Christians. What he wrote in his letters could be easily read and fully known (so epiginōskō, here translated acknowledge, usually means; cf. I Cor 13:12, ASV). The Greek phrase heōs telous can be translated unto the end (AV; ASV) or fully (RSV). The fact that the word used here usually designates “the end” (cf. Mt 24:6, 14; I Cor 15:24), plus the fact that the next verse refers to the Second Advent, seems to justify unto the end as the best translation (cf. I Cor 1:8). 14. Paul’s laudation over the Corinthians was made poignant by the fact that the true motivation of his ministry among them was “fully known” (the same verb as in v. 13) only in part, i.e., by some of them (see the same construction in Rom 11:25; I Cor 13:9). The Second Advent is called the day (as in I Cor 1:8; 3:13; 5:5; Phil 1:6, 10; I Thess 5:2; II Thess 2:2).

C. Paul’s Diversion Justified. 1:15–2:17.

1) The Plan Contemplated. 1:15, 16.

15. The word pepoithēsis, translated here as confidence, is used in the NT only by Paul (3:4; 8:22; 10:2; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:4). The second benefit (charis, “grace”) sums up the double blessing that would be theirs by his two visits (cf. Rom 1:11). 16. Paul’s contemplated plan included four stages: (1) a direct trip to Corinth; (2) a land trip from Corinth to Macedonia; (3) a return trip to Corinth; (4) a trip from Corinth to Judea. Paul often gave his proposed itinerary (cf. Rom 1:10; 15:22; I Thess 2:18).

2) The Plan Criticized. 1:17.

Paul answers the charges made against him—of vacillating and using fleshly methods—(1) by using logic (therefore; but in the Greek both oun and ara are used); (2) by an emphatic negative (mēti, cf. Mt 7:16; 26:22, 25); (3) by repetition (yea, yea; and nay, nay); (4) by the emphasis of order (which can be seen only in the Greek).

3) The Plan Comprehended. 1:18-22.


Study Notes

18. But as God is true may be taken as an adjuration (AV; ASV; RSV) or as a plain statement (“But God is faithful in that our word which was toward you is not yea and nay”). Paul often appeals to the faithfulness of God as a proof of the truthfulness of the Gospel he proclaimed (cf. I Cor 1:9; I Thess 5:24: II Thess 3:3). 19. This verse reveals (1) the person, (2) the preaching (3) the preachers, and (4) the positiveness of the message: all having their unity in Christ. The difference between was (aorist of ginomai) in was not and the was (perfect of ginomai) in was yea should be noted: “became not yea and nay, but in him became (and remains as) yea” (cf. Jn 1:14; Rev 1:17, 18). 20. Read as in the ASV. The how many soever (ASV) correctly represents the Greek pronoun used here (see its use in Mt 14:36; Jn 1:12; Acts 3:24; Rom 2:12; Phil 3:5). All of God’s promises find their realization and fulfillment in Christ (cf. Rom 15:8, 9).

21, 22. We should not overlook the references to the Trinity in 1:18-22; (1) the certainty given by God (v. 18): (1) the centrality found in Christ (vv. 18-20); (3) the certification established by the Spirit (vv. 21, 22). Paul appeals to a present experience (stablisheth, present tense of bebaioō, cf. its use im Mk 16:20; Rom 15:8; I Cor 1:6, 8; Col 2:7; Heb 2:3; 13:9), which is confirmed by three simultaneous and decisive acts that took place at regeneration—anointed . . . sealed . . . gave (ASV; all in the aorist tense). The verb (chriō) translated anointed is used concerning the anointing of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb 1:9). The name Christ (“The Anointed One”) comes from the same root. The earnest (arrabōn; used elsewhere in the NT only in II Cor 5:5; Eph 1:14) is the initial payment on a purchase; a guarantee (RSV).

4) The Plan Changed. 1:23–2:4.

23. Paul gives a negative reason (to spare you; 1:23–2:4a) and a positive reason (but that ye might know the love, etc.; 2:4b) why he changed his comtemplated plan. But I call God for a witness upon my soul (ASV) correctly represents Paul’s words (cf. 11:31; Rom 1:9; Phil 1:8; I Thess 2:5, 10). The not as yet statement could be translated as “no more” —implying that Paul desisted from his visit to Corinth until certain things were corrected there (cf. II Cor 13:2, 10). 24. That the words “to spare you” might not be misunderstood, Paul reminds his readers that he is not seeking ecclesiastical tyranny over their faith (cf. 4:5; 11:20; I Pet 5:3). The word joy (chara) occurs as often in this epistle (1:24; 2:3; 7:4, 13; 8:2) as in Philippians (1:4, 25; 2:2, 29; 4:1). We can read by faith (AV) or in faith (ASV;RSV)—the former indicating means; the latter, sphere. On stand, see also Rom 5:2; 11:20; I Cor 15:1; I Pet 5:9.

2:1. Paul’s “determination” issued from the fact that sorrow (ASV) would have


Study Notes

characterized his visit if his original plan (cf. 1:15, 16) had been carried out. Endless debate has resolved around the words come again. The issue is made extremely complex by the fact that only one visit to Corinth is recorded in Acts (18:1-18) prior to this epistle. However, in II Cor 12:14; 13:1 it appears that the apostle’s next visit was to be his third one. Some scholars hold that Paul made a second (unrecorded) visit. 2. The if assumes the fact to be true (as in 2:5, 9; 3:7, 9, 11; 5:14). Paul gets no sadistic delight out of pain he causes his converts: his sadness and joy are contingent on their spiritual state.

3. Which letter are we to understand by I wrote? Older commentators generally assumed that our I Corinthians is referred to here; more recent commentators think that Paul is referring to a “stern letter” (now lost or else found in chapters 10-13 of our present epistle) that he wrote after he wrote I Corinthians. These same commentators also assume that an unrecorded visit took place prior to the “stern letter.” One cannot be dogmatic on the circumstances surrounding Paul’s relation to the church at Corinth.

4. Paul’s emotional life is here epitomized in (1) depth—much affliction and anquish of heart; (2) its visible expression—with many tears; (3) its negative purpose—not that ye should be grieved; (4) its positive purpose—that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. The last clause gives Paul’s positive reason (see 1:23) for changing his plan (cf. 1:15, 16).

4

1:12. Paul met questions concerning his motives head-on. He could affirm with confidence—this is our boast—that the moral sensibilities of his conscience (cf. 4:2; 5:11), intensified by his knowledge of God’s Word, were without censure regarding his conduct, especially in his relations with the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 4:3–4). He said three things about his conduct. (1) It was with a singleness of heart. Instead of holiness (hagiotēti) Paul probably wrote “simplicity in the sense of singlemindedness” (haplotēti; cf. 2 Cor. 11:3). These two Greek words could easily have been confused by a manuscript copyist. (2) His conduct was in sincerity (cf. 1 Cor. 5:8; 2 Cor. 2:17) of purpose that could stand the closest scrutiny. (3) His conduct was not in keeping with worldly (sarkikē, lit., “fleshly,” i.e., human) wisdom, for that is ultimately self-serving. Instead it was according to God’s grace, that is, he was guided by a love for others and sought what was in their best interests.

1:13–14. Paul’s letters were like his conduct: simple, sincere, not in man-made wisdom but in God’s grace. Paul had no hidden meanings or ulterior motives in his correspondence with the Corinthians. He was aboveboard and straightforward in person; and he was the same way in his letters. He felt the Corinthians must acknowledge this to a degree (in

4 Pfeiffer, C. F., & Harrison, E. F. (Eds.). (1962). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: New Testament (2 Co 1:12–2:4). Chicago: Moody Press.


Study Notes

part). And he hoped that this provisional assent would one day grow into their wholehearted acceptance and endorsement (understand fully). That in fact was how Paul viewed them. He was confident of the genuineness of their conversions (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1–2). And he felt they would eventually come to vindicate him and even boast of (kauchēma, “exult over”) him in the day of the Lord Jesus (cf. Phil. 2:16), that is, at the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10–11).

1:15–16. In this spirit of confidence in his relationship with the Corinthians, Paul had proposed a journey from Ephesus that would have permitted him to visit them twice. This was apparently a change in the plans he had stated earlier (1 Cor. 16:5–7). At that time he hoped to go to Corinth by way of Macedonia and spend the winter with them, a course of action he eventually followed (cf. Acts 20:1–3). The change included the opportunity for two visits: first from Ephesus to Corinth and then on to Macedonia; then a second stop as he retraced his route. The two visits were meant to express Paul’s affection for them. He wanted to see them as often as possible.

1:17. But Paul changed his mind about this itinerary (cf. 2:1), and his opponents said his vacillating was a sign of a fundamental unreliability, affecting not only where he went but what he said. Paul fervently denied this. He did not make plans in a worldly (i.e., self-serving; cf. “worldly” in 1:12) manner altering them for reasons of self-interest. Nor did he talk out of both sides of his mouth to further his own ends. He would explain the reason for his change in plans (1:23–2:2), but for the moment he was more concerned with the accusation that his message was equivocal or unreliable.

1:18–20. The source of stability for Paul in his ministry was God Himself, who is faithful, and the message Paul preached was no less certain than God. Since Paul did not vacillate in his message (Yes and No, v. 18), he did not vacillate in his plans either (Yes, yes and No, no, v. 17). At the heart of that message was the person of Jesus Christ who completely affirms all God’s promises to people. The only proper response to God’s message is Amen (lit., “let it be so”). It was this response of obedience to God that brought Paul and Silas and Timothy to Corinth in the first place and caused them to exalt Christ among the Corinthians in the synagogue (Acts 18:5). In Christ the promises to Abraham and David are fulfilled (Rom. 1:3; 11:5; Gal. 3:16) and the Law was brought to an end (Rom. 10:4), a truth apparently contested by Paul’s opponents (cf. 2 Cor. 3). Nevertheless this message proclaimed by Paul and his associates resulted in the Corinthians’ salvation and in turn brought glory to God.

1:21–22. Those who speak the “Amen” in response to the gospel message experience firmness and security in Christ. At the moment of belief God anoints each believer with the Holy Spirit so that like Christ (Christos means “the Anointed One”), he may glorify God by his life (cf. Matt. 5:16). John wrote that believers receive this anointing from God (1 John 2:20, 27). It is a pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the believer, reminiscent of the anointing


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of priests with oil.

A further consequence of the Spirit’s presence is the seal of ownership (cf. Eph. 1:13–14) which also is accomplished at the moment of faith. A seal on a document in New Testament times identified it and indicated its owner, who would “protect” it. So too, in salvation, the Holy Spirit, like a seal, confirms that Christians are identified with Christ and are God’s property, protected by Him (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19–20). It was probably this thought that caused Paul to describe himself as a slave of Christ (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1).

A third work of the Spirit at salvation is His confirmation that what God has begun He will complete. Present redemption is only a foretaste of what eternity holds (cf. Rom. 8:23), and the presence of His Spirit in our hearts (cf. Rom. 5:5; 2 Cor. 5:5) is like a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. These last seven words are a translation of one Greek word arrabōna, a down payment which obligates the payer to make further payments. The same Greek word is used again in 5:5 and Ephesians 1:14 (cf. “the firstfruits of the Spirit,” Rom. 8:23).

1:23–24. Paul had earlier begun to explain his change of plans (v. 15). There he had mentioned his “message” (v. 18) in connection with his own integrity, which led to his digression in verses 19–22. He now returned to explain his altered plans.

He understood that his changed plans had caused a problem in Corinth. This is evident from the strength of his declaration, I call God as my witness (cf. Rom. 1:9; Phil. 1:8; 1 Thes. 2:5, 10). With a solemn oath (with God as the Judge) Paul staked his life on the truthfulness of his explanation which followed. It was out of consideration for the Corinthians, a desire to avoid disciplinary action (to spare you) that Paul had deferred his visit. Even though he had great authority as an apostle (2 Cor. 10:2–8; cf. 1 Cor. 5:4–5; 1 Tim. 1:20) Paul was reluctant to wield it. He did not lord it over their faith, that is, domineeringly take advantage of the fact that they came to faith in Christ through him. Dictatorial means can produce compliance but not the obedience that comes from faith which he sought. Authoritarian domination is often the manner of false apostles and the kingdom they serve (cf. 2 Cor. 11:13–15), but it was not the way of Christ (Luke 22:25–27) nor of those who stand in His stead (1 Peter 5:3). Paul assured the Corinthians, We work with you (lit., “we are fellow workers”; cf. 1 Cor. 3:9); he did not work against them or over them.

2:1–2. A servant of Christ is no stranger to pain and suffering (Matt. 5:10–12; John 15:18–20; 1 Peter 2:21). Paul had his share (cf. 2 Cor. 1:4–10; 11:16–32) which he did not shirk. But he was no fool. If he could avoid it and still accomplish his work he would do so. This belief led to his change of plans with the Corinthians.

When his first painful visit occurred is an unsettled issue. It could have taken place after his founding visit but before the writing of 1 Corinthians, as many suggest. It is odd,


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however, if that was so, that no mention or intimation of such a visit is found in that letter. More likely, he went to Corinth from Ephesus after writing 1 Corinthians. His “painful visit” may be linked to the projected double visit previously mentioned (2 Cor. 1:15–16) and may thus refer to the first part of those unconsummated plans. During that visit some painful event transpired which grieved the Corinthians and Paul (see comments on 2:5). To spare further grief for both of them Paul deferred his visit.

2:3–4. He decided instead to write a letter, a daring venture in view of the Corinthians’ propensity for misunderstanding (cf. 1 Cor. 5:9–10). If his “painful visit” (2 Cor. 2:1) had occurred before he wrote 1 Corinthians, the letter here referred to (I wrote as I did) would be that letter. But if, as seems more likely, the “painful visit” occurred after he wrote 1 Corinthians, the letter Paul referred to followed 1 Corinthians and is now lost (not having been intended by God as a part of the inspired Scriptures). (See point 5 under “Contacts and Correspondence” in the Introduction.)

What that letter contained can only be conjectured from the comments which follow in 2 Corinthians 2:5–11 and 7:5–12. What is clear was Paul’s depth of feelings for the Corinthians and the level of his own discomfort experienced in writing the letter (great distress [thlipseōs; “troubles or pressures”; cf. 1:4] and anguish of heart and with many tears) and in his waiting for news from Titus concerning its reception (cf. 7:5–8).

5

1:12 “our proud confidence” The Greek terms kauchaomai, kauchēma, and kauchēsis are used about thirty-five times in Paul’s writings and only twice in the rest of the NT (both in James). Its predominant use is in I and II Corinthians.

There are two main truths connected to boasting.

1. no flesh shall glory/boast before God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:29; Eph. 2:9)

2. believers should glory in the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17, which is an allusion to Jer. 9:23–24)

Therefore, there is appropriate and inappropriate boasting/glorying (pride).

1. appropriate

a. in the hope of glory (cf. Rom. 4:2)

5 Lowery, D. K. (1985). 2 Corinthians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 556–558). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.


Study Notes

b. in God through the Lord Jesus (cf. Rom. 5:11)

c. in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ (Paul’s main theme, cf. 1 Cor. 1:17–18; Gal. 6:14)

d. Paul boasts in

(1) his ministry without compensation (cf. 1 Cor. 9:15, 16; 2 Cor. 10:12)

(2) his authority from Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 10:8, 12)

(3) his not boasting in other men’s labor (as some at Corinth were, cf. 2 Cor. 10:15)

(4) his racial heritage (as others were doing at Corinth, cf. 2 Cor. 11:17; 12:1, 5, 6)

(5) his churches

(a) Corinth (cf. 2 Cor. 7:4, 14; 8:24; 9:2; 11:10)

(b) Thessalonika (cf. 2 Thess. 1:4)

(6) his confidence in God’s comfort and deliverance (cf. 2 Cor. 1:12)

2. inappropriate

a. in relation to Jewish heritage (cf. Rom. 2:17, 23; 3:27; Gal. 6:13)

b. some in the Corinthian church were boasting

(1) in men (cf. 1 Cor. 3:21)

(2) in wisdom (cf. 1 Cor. 4:7)

(3) in freedom (cf. 1 Cor. 5:6)

c. false teachers tried to boast in the church at Corinth (cf. 2 Cor. 11:12)

“the testimony of our conscience” Paul uses the term “conscience” often in the Corinthian letters (cf. 4:4; 8:7, 10, 12; 10:25, 27, 28, 29; 2 Cor. 1:12; 4:2; 5:11). It refers to that moral inner sense of what is appropriate or inappropriate (cf. Acts 23:1; Rom. 2:15). The conscience can be affected by our past lives, our poor choices, or by the Spirit of God. It is not a flawless guide (cf. 1 Cor. 4:4; 8:7; 1 Tim. 4:2), but it does determine the boundaries of individual faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5, 19). Therefore, to violate our conscience, even if it is in error or weak, is a major faith problem.


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The believer’s conscience needs to be more and more formed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God (cf. 1 Tim. 3:9). God will judge believers by the light they have, but all believers need to be increasingly open to the Bible and the Spirit for more light and in order to continue to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this context, the end-time judgment is in view (cf. vv. 13–14). God will judge humans in light of their understanding, their conscience (cf. Rom. 2:15–16; 9:1; 13:5).

Paul’s motives and actions were severely criticized by a minority of false teachers at Corinth (cf. chapters 10–13). It seems that there were two groups: (1) a local group of opponents, and (2) an itinerant Palestinian Jewish group of false teachers.

For a fuller note on the term conscience, see 1 Cor. 8:7b.

“holiness” Some Greek manuscripts have “holiness” (P46, ,*א A, B, C, K, P, and Coptic NASB, NIV, and NJB translations). Others have “simplicity” ,א2) D, F, G, and the Vulgate, Peshitta, NKJV, NRSV, and TEV translations). Bruce Metzger in A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, comments that the translation committee for the UBS3 preferred “simplicity” (haplotēti), but gave it a “D” rating, meaning a very high degree of doubt (p. 575). However, the UBS4 edition gives it a “B” rating, meaning only some degree of doubt (p. 612). This increased certainty comes from the fact that Paul uses the term “simplicity” in 11:3 (and the same term translated “liberality” in 8:2; 9:11, 13), but never in any of his writings does he use hagiotēti.

“sincerity” This term had two connotations, “generous” or “sincere.” It was a metaphor related to vision. In the OT the eye was used as a metaphor for motive in two ways (1) evil eye (stingy, cf. Deut. 15:9 and Ps. 23:6), and (2) good eye (generous, cf. Prov. 22:9). Jesus followed this usage (cf. Matt. 6:22–23; 20:15). Paul used this term in two senses (1) “simplicity, sincerity, purity” (no hidden agendas or false pretenses, cf. 2 Cor. 1:12; 11:3; Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22) and (2) “liberality” (cf. Rom. 12:8; 2 Cor. 8:2; 9:11, 13).

“not in fleshly wisdom” Paul discusses worldly wisdom extensively in I Corinthians (cf. 1:18–31; 2:1–16; and 3:18–23 and sarcastically in 4:10; 6:5 and possibly 10:15). Paul uses similar phrases referring to human wisdom in 1 Cor. 1:17; 2:4, 13–14. In this paragraph he makes a play on worldly wisdom versus grace living in the world. Paul’s evidence of his leadership is not in logic or rhetoric only, but godly living and a clear conscience before God. Paul claims to have written to them in plain, obvious, east-to-understand terms. If they are so wise they should have quickly and effortlessly understood his words, motives, and lifestyle implications, but they did not. Paul uses this term “flesh” in several ways: (1) physical body (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26, 29; 5:5; 6:16; 7:28; 10:18; 15:29; 2 Cor. 1:17; 4:11; 5:16; 7:1, 5; 11:18; 12:7) and (2) Adamic, fallen nature (cf. 2 Cor. 5:16; 10:2, 3; Rom. 7:18, 23; 8:3–9; 13:14; Gal. 5:16–17, 19, 24). Here it refers to #2.

“we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours” The church at Corinth is


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confirmation of Paul’s apostolic effectiveness. Paul desires that their words, motives, and actions will be a source of pride and appropriate boasting when the Lord returns to judge (“the day of our Lord Jesus,” cf. 1 Cor. 1:8; 5:5; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess 2:2).

1:13–14 These verses are in a parallel structure and seem to refer to Paul’s previous letters to Corinth (which one is uncertain). He wrote to be understood. However, their attitudes and lifestyles show they only partially understood.

Does the term telous in this context mean “complete” (TEV, NJB, NIV) or “end” (NASV, NKJV, NRSV)? Both make sense. If “complete” (completely in contrast to partially) it would link up with the first part of v. 14. If “end” it would parallel “the day of our Lord Jesus” at the last of verse 14.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:15–22

15 In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing;16 that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. 19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. 20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

1:15 “In this confidence” See full note at 3:4.

“I intended at first to come to you” “I intended” is an IMPERFECT tense which denotes repeated actions or thoughts in past time. In 1 Cor. 16:2–8 Paul told them of his proposed travel plans. Because of their actions, he later changed his mind because he did not want to come in judgment, but joy! The vocal minority accused him of fickleness, not only in his travel plans, but in his gospel (cf. vv. 18–20).

NASB “so that you might twice receive a blessing”


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NKJV

“that you might have a second benefit”

NRSV

“so that you might have a double favor”

TEV

“in order that you might be blessed twice”

NJB

“so that you would benefit doubly”

There is a Greek manuscript variant here. Some manuscripts have charin, which comes from charis, which means benefit or favor ,*א) A, C, D, F, G, and the Syriac and Armenian translations).

Other manuscripts have charan, which comes from chara, which means joy, gladness, or rejoicing ,א2) B, L, P). The UBS4 Greek text gives charin a “B” rating. This is reflected in the translation options. In context (v. 16) it refers to Paul coming twice to Corinth.

1:16 “and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea” Paul would not take any money from the Corinthian church while he was ministering to them. He was afraid he would be attacked over this issue. As it turns out, he was attacked for not taking money from them.

This phrase implies that he was going to let this church provide his missionary travel needs (cf. 1 Cor. 16:6; Rom. 15:24). This may have been a way to test their loyalty to him and the gospel and to silence his critics.

1:17 “do I purpose according to the flesh” This phrase may reflect Paul’s critics (cf. 10:2–3; 11:18) or Paul seeking after the will of God in all that he does, including travel (cf. 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7; Acts 18:21; Rom. 1:10; 15:32).

That the second option fits this context best can be seen from v. 18a. God’s faithfulness is a recurrent theme in Paul’s writings (cf. 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3).

1:18 “God is faithful” Faithful is placed first for emphasis. In Paul’s writings this becomes a descriptive title for God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3). In the OT faith is usually understood as faithfulness. This is the crucial characteristic of God (cf. Deut. 7:9; Isa. 49:7). His gracious, faithful character is unchanging (cf. Mal. 3:6). Mankind’s hope is not


Study Notes

in human performance or devotion, but in the character and promises of God (cf. 1:12, 15, 20).

1:19 “the Son of God, Christ Jesus” Paul does not use the phrase “Son of God” often (cf. Rom. 1:4; here, and Gal. 2:20). However, the concept and related phrasing are very common.

“Silvanus” Silas, or Silvanus, was the man Paul chose to go with him on the second missionary journey after Barnabas and John Mark went back to Cyprus.

(1) He is first mentioned in the Bible in Acts 15:22, where he is called a chief man among the brethren of the Jerusalem Church.

(2) He was also a prophet (cf. Acts 15:32).

(3) He was a Roman citizen like Paul (cf. Acts 16:37).

(4) He and Judas Barsabbas were sent to Antioch by the Jerusalem Church to inspect the situation (cf. Acts 15:22, 30–35).

(5) Paul mentions him in 2 Cor. 1:19 as a fellow gospel preacher.

(6) Later he is identified with Peter in writing I Peter. (cf. 1 Pet. 5:12).

(7) Both Paul and Peter call him Silvanus while Luke calls him Silas (the Aramaic form of Saul). It is possible that Silas was his Jewish name and Silvanus his Latin name (cf. F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, p. 213).

1:19–20 “but is yes in Him” Verses 19 and 20 are theologically packed! Paul is asserting that the mission team (Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy) preached Jesus as God’s fulfilling promise, as God’s Son, and as mankind’s only hope to them as the apex of OT revelation! Their preaching was not wishy-washy, but definite (cf. v. 18). Jesus is the Father’s “yes” for every promise, every need, every hope (PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE of ginomai). By affirming Jesus, they give glory to the Father’s provision.

All of the Corinthians’ knowledge of God, of His Son, of His promises (cf. Rom. 9:4) and provisions of grace come through the mission team. If they start doubting the motives and message of Paul, they lose confidence in the gospel!

1:20 “Amen” See fuller note at 1 Cor. 14:16c.

1:21–22 There is a definite structure to these two verses that describes what God (“The One who”) has done to equip and affirm the missionary team.

1. God establishes us, v. 21 (cf. 1 Cor. 1:8). This is a PRESENT ACTIVE PARTICIPLE which points toward a continuing action. It means to confirm, establish, make


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constant, unwavering (cf. 1:7; Rom. 4:16). This term is used in the papyri to denote a legal guarantee (cf. Moulton and Milligan, p. 107).

2. God anointed us, v. 21 (cf. 1 John 2:20, 27). This is an AORIST ACTIVE PARTICIPLE. The tense points to a completed, one-time act. The term itself reflects an OT concept of God’s choosing and equipping for ministry of certain leaders of Israel (1) prophets, cf. 1 Kgs. 19:16 and possibly parallelism of 1 Chr. 16:22; Ps 105:15; (2) priests, cf. Exod. 40:15; Lev. 4:3; Ps. 105:15; and (3) kings, cf. 1 Sam. 9:16; Ps. 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; Hab. 3:13). It is the term that in Greek is translated “Christ” when referring to the Messiah (the Anointed One). Believers are also chosen and equipped by God to serve His kingdom purposes.

3. God sealed us, v. 22 (cf. John 3:33; 6:27; Rom. 4:11; 15:28; 1 Cor. 9:2; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; 2 Tim. 2:19; Rev. 7:3–8). This is an AORIST MIDDLE PARTICIPLE which means to mark something or someone as one’s property, or as genuine, or as safely delivered. Believers belong to God!

4. God gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge, v. 22 (cf. 5:5; Rom. 8:9–16, 23, 26–27; Eph. 1:13–14).

The term “given” is another AORIST ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, implying a completed action. God has fully provided for His children:

establishes (PRESENT tense)

anointed (AORIST tense)

sealed (AORIST tense)

given the Spirit (AORIST tense)

All of these provisions relate to Paul’s confidence in vv. 15, 19–20. Paul’s confidence was in the Father’s, the Son’s, and the Spirit’s actions and provisions.

“Christ … God … Spirit” Notice that the Trinity is active in our assurance. Although the term “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, the concept is recurrent (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4–6; 2 Cor. 13:14). Christianity is a monotheistic faith (cf. Deut 6:4). However, if Jesus is divine and the Holy Spirit is a person, we have three persons of one divine essence. A Triune Unity! See Special Topic at 1 Cor. 2:10.

1:22 “as a pledge” (cf. 5:5; Eph. 1:14). This speaks both of promise of full payment in the future and partial payment now. God’s down payment was the life of His Son and the full presence of His Spirit (cf. Eph. 1:3–14).


Study Notes

“heart” See Special Topic at 1 Cor. 14:25.


23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.

1:23

NASB

“But I call God as my witness to my soul”

NKJV

‘Moreover I call God as witness against my soul”

NRSV

“But I call on God as witness against me”

TEV

“I call God as my witness—he knows my heart”

NJB

“By my life I call on God to be my witness”

This is an oath of truthfulness. Paul often uses oaths to confirm his words (cf. Rom. 1:9; Gal. 1:20; Phil. 1:8; 1 Thess. 2:5).

“to spare you” Paul’s change of travel plans was not an example of his fickleness, but of his love. He chose not to return in an atmosphere where his only option was judgment and contention. The false teachers had impugned his motives and actions. Paul sets the record straight!


Study Notes

“I did not come again to Corinth” There is much debate about the number of visits Paul made from Ephesus to Corinth and the number of letters he wrote to the church in Corinth. For more information see the introduction.

1:24 “Not that we lord it over your faith” Here we see the balance between Paul as an authoritative Apostle, 1:1, and the liberty of this local congregation. Biblical faith, covenant faith, starts and develops through volitional choices which are meant to produce joy, stability, and maturity.

“for in your faith you are standing firm” Paul mentions this concept in 1 Cor. 15:1 (cf. Rom. 5:2; 11:20). This may have an OT background (cf. Ps. 76:7; 130:3; Nah. 1:6; Mal. 3:2). It speaks of confident faith in God’s presence. In light of the problems at Corinth this is a shocking statement. The Corinthian church was at least not as affected by the arrival of false teachers as the Galatian churches had been. Some of the house churches were strong and pure (PERFECT tense, “you have been and continue to stand firm”).

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY


1 But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. 2 For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful? 3 This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

2:1

NASB, NKJV

“But”

NRSV, TEV, NIV

“So”


Study Notes

NJB

“then”

RSV

“For”

There is a Greek manuscript variant between “for” (gar, cf. P46 and B) and “but” (de, cf. א, A, C). Often conjunctions are crucial in interpretation, but in this case the sense of the sentence defines the issue.

NASB

“I determined this for my own sake”

NKJV

“I determined this within myself”

NRSV, TEV, NJB

“I made up my mind”

This seems to imply that Paul did not have special insight from the Spirit about this matter. He mentions several times how the Spirit had led his travel plans (cf. Acts 16:9–10; 18:21; Rom. 1:10; 15:32; 1 Cor. 4:19), but this time he has no specific guidance and decides not to come.

“that I would not come to you in sorrow again” Paul mentions a third visit to Corinth in 12:14; 13:1. The book of Acts does not record this second painful visit. His initial stay in Corinth is recorded in Acts 18:1–11. See chart in Introduction, Date, E. “visit” c. It probably occurred between the writing of I and II Corinthians.

2:2 “if” This is a FIRST CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE which is assumed to be true from the author’s perspective or for his literary purposes. Paul’s second visit had made the church sad. I like the NJB translation of this verse, “for if I cause you distress I am causing distress to my only possible source of joy.” Paul did not enjoy the confrontational aspect of his apostolic responsibility.

2:3 “This is the very thing I wrote you” There are several theories that try to explain these verses: (1) some call this an EPISTOLARY AORIST, which means it would refer to II


Study Notes

Corinthians (cf. NJB); (2) some believe this refers to I Corinthians; (3) others believe that this refers to the previous lost letter mentioned in 1 Cor. 5:9; and (4) others think this refers to a severe lost letter, possibly partially preserved in 2 Corinthians 10–13.

2:4 This verse so clearly reveals Paul’s heart and the emotional pain he felt about what happened during his painful visit. Yet, he spoke the truth, as painful as it was. Like a good medical doctor, Paul knew pain is sometimes necessary for long term healing.

Paul uses two SUBJUNCTIVE VERBS in this sentence because sometimes people do not respond well to correction. God had created all humans with free will, which is both a precious and a dangerous thing. It holds the potential of joy and restoration or embitterment and continuing rebellion.

This verse also includes one of Paul’s characteristic terms which he uses so often in his Corinthian letters (perissoterōs). See full note at 1:5 or 2:7.

6

6 Utley, R. J. (2002). Paul’s Letters to a Troubled Church: I and II Corinthians (Vol. Volume 6, pp. 206–213). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.
