Monday, November 16, 2015

2 Corinthians 1:15-2:2

15 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit—16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. 17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 23 Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. 24 Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand. 1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Commentary 
Vs. 15-16 15 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit—16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. 

Because the Apostle Paul had changed his plans in regards to when he would visit Corinth his detractors seized upon this and accused him of being disingenuous, of not keeping his word. And thus they were not only assailing the Apostle Paul as being untrustworthy, but also God's Word which was spoken through him. And so in response to this the Apostle Paul begins by stating that in this confidence he had intended to come to them, which is referring back to the Apostle Paul's own clear conscience and sincerity in which he had conducted himself towards them all (see 2 Cor 1:12-14). As well as knowing the promises of God to be unalterable the Apostle Paul wanted the Corinthians to see that though his itinerary had to change, God's Word towards them does not (vs. 18-20). And so in that confidence of knowing his own conduct and motives towards the Corinthians, as well as knowing the Corinthians themselves to be true disciples as Christ who believed and received the Word of God from him as such, the Apostle Paul had intended to come to them. But unfortunately Paul's circumstances did not permit him to complete this desired visit as he had initially planned. And so whatever else the Apostle Paul's detractors were now saying about him, in not visiting them as he had initially planned, Paul lays to rest. Now the second benefit which the Apostle mentions here is referring to the visitation itself; the mutual joy and blessing that it would've been to them and to him while he came to them from Ephesus before passing through Macedonia while on route to Judea, and then on his return he would've made a second stop to visit them. And so they themselves would've also been partakers of the Apostle Paul's work in Judea by supporting him while on his way there, then hearing the results of the good work that occurred there when he returned to them from there.

Vs. 17 "Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No?" 

Here the Apostle Paul wants the Corinthians to know that much thought and prayer goes into his decisions regarding his ministry, and that ultimately his itinerary is guided by the will of God through the Spirit of God (consider Acts 16:6-10). Therefore when Paul plans something he does not do it lightly (as his detractors were saying of him), nor does he plan things according to the flesh, that is in consideration of how it may personally benefit or profit him. For the Apostle Paul does not say yes one minute than change to a no the next because some sort of advantage to himself may be had by his doing so. Instead Paul here reaffirms that his plans to visit them were not altered by selfish or misleading motives. "Paul’s original plan never came to pass. He journeyed from Ephesus to Troas, and when he did not find Titus, he went directly to Macedonia, omitting Corinth from his itinerary."BBC

Vs. 18-20 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 

Therefore the Apostle Paul now reaffirms God's Word's faithfulness, as well as his own (vs. 18). For the Son of God Jesus Christ is not yes and no, but Yes. That is God's Word and salvation which was preached to the Corinthians by Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy is not given one day and then withdrawn the next, it is everlasting to all who repent and believe in Him, and thus receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. So then also are the Apostle's Words given him through Christ (vs. 19). Therefore the Apostle Paul stating as much is making sure the Corinthians understand that the Word that was preached to them by himself, Silvanus, and Timothy is absolutely sure and steadfast. For what they preached, they preached by God. That is they preached all the promises of God which finding fulfillment In the Son of God Jesus Christ are Yes (vs. 20), and thus cannot and will not be broken. Therefore those who were using the Apostle Paul having changed his itinerary to now try to undermine the Corinthians faith in Paul's Word, and thus God's salvation to them, were of the lowest nature of men, and there deceitful persons and words should be disregarded as such. For all the Promises of God are In Christ and these were faithfully preached to the Corinthians through Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the glory of the Father, who chose them to preach His truth to them as such. Therefore though there are those who will always seek to undermine a believers faith In Christ we must always remember that God's Promises to us all who believe and hope in His Son are not Yes and No, but In Christ they are and will always be Yes, and thus neither they, nor we will be removed from Him (John 10:28-30; Rom 8:28-39; 11:29; Heb 6:17-19).

Vs. 21-22 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

If the Corinthians had any lingering doubts about God's Word spoken to them through the Apostle Paul, Silvanus, or Timothy's and thus their salvation from God; the Apostle Paul now lays it all to rest by stating that it is God who has not only established us with you, that is Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy with the Corinthians In Christ, but it is God who has anointed them as His Apostles, preachers, and ministers, who "has also sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (vs. 22). Therefore both they and we can be fully assured of our own eternal redemption, because God has sealed us and given us all who believe in Christ the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (Also see Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).

Vs. 23
"Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth." 

The Apostle Paul now gives us the reason for why he deferred his visit to the Corinthians. It was so that he might spare them the inevitable sense of sadness and discouragement that would've come over them when the Apostle Paul in person would've had to rebuke the misdeeds amongst them that they themselves had not yet addressed. And so whatever else the Apostle Paul's detractors were saying about Paul's not visiting them at this time, Paul makes it is clear by calling God as a witness against his own soul, his delaying his visit was in consideration of their own joy. Clearly then Paul had a certain level of confidence in the Corinthians maturity to deal with these matters themselves.  

Vs. 24 "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand."

The Apostle Paul's conciliatory tone here is the mark of a true leader. Yes there were issues in Corinth that needed to be addressed, and Paul was doing his utmost to tactfully guide the Corinthians through them by his epistles to them. Yet at no time does the Apostle Paul uses his authority in Christ to run roughshod over the Corinthians feelings or faith. Instead Paul affirms the Corinthians own autonomy, and places himself alongside of them as a fellow worker for their joy, rather than a autocratic ruler over them. And so with the preservation of their faith in mind, Paul now reminds them (and us all) that "by faith you stand". For though we stress good and Godly conduct everywhere, ultimately we do not stand on our own merits, rather Christ's, and our faith in Him, from which all true obedience flourishes and grows. 

Vs. 1-2 1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Thus not wanting to be heavy handed with the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul recalls his previous visit to the Corinthians which had brought much sorrow to his own heart and theirs. And so having already come to them, and given them instructions on how to set in order the things that needed to be set in order, whether now through his epistles, or directly during that visit, the Apostle Paul did not want to return to them until they had set themselves in order, so that this visit could be one of celebratory joy in the faith, of mutual encouragement and blessing to them and to him. And not be one where the Apostle would again have to rebuke and set in order those things which needed to be set in order.


Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted
Vs. 15-16 Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992.

Vs. 17 *MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1822). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2339). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Note: Draft Version

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