2 CORI�THIA�S 1 COMME�TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

INTRODUCTION

1. BAR�ES

In the Introduction to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the situation and character

of the city of Corinth, the history of the church there, and the design which Paul had in

view in writing to them at first, have been fully stated. In order to a full understanding

of the design of this epistle, those facts should be borne in distinct remembrance; and

the reader is referred to the statement there made as material to a correct

understanding of this epistle. It was shown there that an important part of Paul's

design at that time was to reprove the irregularities which existed in the church at

Corinth. This he had done with great fidelity. He had not only answered the inquiries

which they proposed to him, but he had gone with great particularity into an

examination of the gross disorders of which he had learned by some members of the

family of Chloe. A large part of the epistle, therefore, was the language of severe

reproof. Paul felt its necessity; and he had employed that language with unwavering

fidelity to his Master.

Yet it was natural that he should feel great solicitude in regard to the reception of that

letter, and to its influence in accomplishing what he wished. That letter had been sent

from Ephesus, where Paul proposed to remain until after the succeeding Pentecost,

(1 Corinthians 16:8;) evidently hoping by that time to hear from them, and to learn

what had been the manner of the reception of his epistle. He proposed then to go to

Macedonia, and from that place to go again to Corinth, (1 Corinthians 16:5-7;) but he

was evidently desirous to learn in what manner his first epistle had been received, and

what was its effect, before he visited them. He sent Timothy and Erastus before him to

Macedonia and Achaia, (Acts 19:22; 1 Corinthians 16:10,) intending that, they should

visit Corinth, and commissioned Timothy to regulate the disordered affairs in the

church there. It would appear also that he sent Titus to the church there in order to

observe the effect which his epistle would produce, and to return and report to him,

2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:6-16Evidently, Paul felt much solicitude on the subject; and the

manner in which they received his admonitions would do much to regulate his own

future movements. An important case of discipline; his authority as an apostle; and the

interests of religion in an important city, and in a church which he had himself

founded, were all at stake. In this state of mind he himself left Ephesus, and went to

Troas on his way to Macedonia, where it appears he had appointed Titus to meet him,

and to report to him the manner in which his first epistle had been received. See

Barnes " 2:13". Then his mind was greatly agitated and distressed because he did not

meet Titus as he had expected, and in this state of mind he went forward to

Macedonia. There he had a direct interview with Titus, (2 Corinthians 7:5,6,) and

learned from him that his first epistle had accomplished all which he had desired,

2 Corinthians 7:7-16. The act of discipline which he had directed had been performed;

the abuses had been in a great measure corrected; and the Corinthians had been

brought to a state of true repentance for their former irregularities and disorders. The

heart of Paul was greatly comforted by this intelligence, and by the signal success

which had attended this effort to produce reform. In this state of mind he wrote to

them this second letter.

Titus had spent some time in Corinth. He had had an opportunity of learning the views

of the parties, and of ascertaining the true condition of the church. This epistle is

designed to meet some of the prevailing views of the party which was opposed to him

there, and to refute some of the prevailing slanders in regard to himself. The epistle,

therefore, is occupied to a considerable extent in refuting the slanders which had been

heaped upon him, and in vindicating his own character. This letter also he sent by the

hands of Titus, by whom the former had been sent; and he designed, doubtless, that

the presence of Titus should aid in accomplishing the objects which he had in view in

the epistle, 2 Corinthians 8:17,18.

II.---THE SUBJECTS TREATED OF I� THIS EPISTLE

It has been generally admitted that this epistle is written without much definite

arrangement or plan. It treats on a variety of topics mainly as they occurred to the

mind of the apostle at the time, and perhaps without having formed any definite

arrangement before he commenced writing it. Those subjects are all important, and

are all treated in the usual manner of Paul, and are all useful and interesting to the

church at large; but we shall not find in this epistle the same systematic arrangement

which is apparent in the epistle to the Romans, or which occurs in the first epistle to

the Corinthians. Some of the subjects, of which it treats are the following:

(1.) He mentions his own sufferings, and particularly his late trials in Asia. For

deliverance from these trials he expresses his gratitude to God; and states the design

for which God called him to endure such trials to have been, that he might be better,

qualified to comfort others who might be afflicted in a similar manner, 2 Corinthians

1:1-12.

(2.) He vindicates himself from one of the accusations which his enemies had brought

against him, that he was unstable and fickle-minded. He had promised to visit them;

and he had not yet fulfilled his promise. They took occasion, therefore, to say that he

was unstable, and that he was afraid to visit them. He shows to them, in reply, the true

reason why he had not come to them, and that his real object in not doing it had been

"to spare" them, 2 Corinthians 1:13-24.

(3.) The case of the unhappy individual who had been guilty of incest had deeply

affected his mind. In the first epistle he had treated of this case at large, and had

directed that discipline should be exercised. He had felt deep solicitude in regard to the

manner in which his commands on that subject should be received, and, had judged it

best not to visit them until he should be informed of the manner in which they had

complied with his directions. Since they had obeyed him, and had inflicted discipline

on him, he now exhorts them to forgive the unhappy man, and to receive him again to

their fellowship, manner in which his commands on that subject should be received, and, had judged

it best not to visit them until he should be informed of the manner in which they had

complied with his directions. Since they had obeyed him, and had inflicted discipline

on him, he now exhorts them to forgive the unhappy man, and to receive him again to

their fellowship, 2 Corinthians 2:1-11.

(4.) He mentions the deep solicitude which he had on this subject, and his

disappointment when he came to Troas and did not meet with Titus as he had

expected, and had not been informed, as he hoped to have been, of the manner in

which his former epistle had been received, 2 Corinthians 2:12-17. In view of the

manner in which they had received his former epistle, and of the success of his efforts,

which he learned when he reached Macedonia, he gives thanks to God that all his

efforts to promote the welfare of the church had been successful, 2 Corinthians 2:14-17.

(5.) Paul vindicates his character, and his claims to be regarded as an apostle. He

assures them that he does not need letters of commendation to them, since they were

fully acquainted with his character, 2 Corinthians 3:1-6. This subject leads him into an

examination of the nature of the ministry and its importance, which he illustrates by

showing the comparative obscurity of the Mosaic ministrations, and the greater

dignity and permanency of the gospel, 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.

(6.) In chapters 4 and 5 he states the principles by which he was actuated in the

ministry. He and the other apostles were greatly afflicted, and were subjected to great

and peculiar trims, but they had also great and peculiar consolations. They were

sustained with the hope of heaven, and with the assurance that there was a world of

glory. They acted in view of that world, and had gone forth in view of it to entreat men

to be reconciled to God.

(7.) Having referred in chapter 5 to the nature and objects of the Christian ministry, he

expatiates with great beauty on the temper with which he and his brethren, in the

midst of great trials and afflictions, executed this important work, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10.

(8.) Having in this manner pursued a course of remark that was calculated to

conciliate their regard, and to show his affection for them, he exhorts them

(2 Corinthians 6:11-18) to avoid those connexions which would injure their piety, and

which were inconsistent with the gospel which they professed to love. The connexions

to which he particularly referred, were improper marriages and ruinous alliances with

idolaters, to which they were particularly exposed.

(9.) In 2 Corinthians 7he again makes a transition to Titus, and to the joy which he had

brought him in the intelligence which he gave of the manner in which the commands of

Paul in the first epistle had been received, and of its happy effect on the minds of the

Corinthians.

(10.) In chapters 8 and 9 Paul refers to and discusses the subject on which his heart

was so much set-the collection for the poor and afflicted Christians in Judea. He had

commenced the collection in Macedonia, and had boasted to them that the Corinthians commenced

the collection in Macedonia, and had boasted to them that the Corinthians

would aid largely in that benevolent work, and he now sent Titus to complete it in

Corinth.

(11.) In chapter 10, he enters upon a vindication of himself, and of his apostolic

authority, against the accusation of his enemies; and pursues the subject through

chapter 11 by a comparison of himself with others, and in chapter 12 by an argument

directly in favour of his apostolic authority from the favours which God had bestowed

on him, and the evidence which he had given of his having been commissioned by God.

This subject he pursues also in various illustrations to the end of the epistle.

The objectsof this epistle, therefore, and subjects discussed, are various. They are to

show his deep interest in their welfare; to express his gratitude that his former letter

had been so well received, and had so effectually accomplished what he wished to

accomplish; to carry forward the work of reformation among them which had been so

auspiciously commenced; to vindicate his authority as an apostle from the objections

which he had learned through Titus they had continued to make; to secure the

collection for the poor saints in Judea, on which his heart had been so much set; and to

assure them of his intention to come and visit them according to his repeated promises.

The epistle is substantially of the same character as the first. It was written to a church

where great, dissensions and other evils prevailed; it was designed to promote a

reformation, and is a model of the manner in which evils are to be corrected in a

church. In connexion with the first epistle, it shows the manner in which offenders in

the church are to be dealt with, and the spirit and design with which the work of

discipline should be entered on and pursued. Though these were local evils, yet great

principles are involved here of use to the church in all ages: and to these epistles the

church must refer at all times, as an illustration of the proper manner of administering

discipline, and of silencing the calumnies of enemies.

III.--THE TIME ABD PLACE I� WHICH THE Epistle WAS WRITTE�

It is manifest that this epistle was written from Macedonia, (2 Corinthians 8:1-14; 9:2,)

and was sent by Titus to the church at Corinth. If so, it was written probably about a

year after the former epistle. Paul was on his way to Corinth, and was expecting to go

there soon. He had left Ephesus, where he was when he wrote the first epistle, and had

gone to Troas, and from thence to Macedonia, where he had met with Titus, and had

from him learned what was the effect of his first epistle. In the overflowing of his heart

with gratitude for the success of that letter, and with a desire to carry forward the

work of reformation in the church, and completely to remove all the objections which

had been made to his apostolic authority, and to prepare for his own welcome

reception when he went there, he wrote this letter--a letter which we cannot doubt was

as kindly received as the former, and which, like that, accomplished the objects which

he had in view.

THIS chapter consists of the following parts, or subjects:

(1.) The usual salutation and benediction in the introduction of the epistle,

2 Corinthians 1:1-2. This is found in all the epistles of Paul, and was at once an

affectionate salutation and an appropriate expression of his interest in their welfare,

and also an appropriate mode of commencing an address to them by one who claimed

to be inspired and sent from God.

(2.) He refers to the consolation which he had had in his heavy trials, and praises God

for that consolation, and declares that the reason for which he was comforted was, that

he might be qualified to administer consolation to others in the same or in similar

circumstances, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.

(3.) He informs them of the heavy trials which he was called to experience when he was

in Ephesus, and of his merciful deliverance from those trials, 2 Corinthians 1:8-12. He

had been exposed to death, and had despaired of life, 2 Corinthians 1:8,9; yet he had

been delivered, 2 Corinthians 1:10; he desired them to unite with him in thanksgiving

on account of it, 2 Corinthians 1:11; and in all this he had endeavoured to keep a good

conscience, and had that testimony that he had endeavoured to maintain such a

conscience toward all, and especially toward them, 2 Corinthians 1:12.

(4.) He refers to the design which he had in writing the former letter, to them,

2 Corinthians 1:13,14. He had written to them only such things as they admitted to be

true and proper; and such as he was persuaded they would always admit. They had

always received his instructions favourably and kindly and he had always sought their

welfare.

(5.) In this state of mind, Paul had designed to have paid them a second visit,

2 Corinthians 1:15,16. But he had not done it yet; and it appears that his enemies had

taken occasion from this to say that he was inconstant and fickle-minded. He,

therefore, takes occasion to vindicate himself, and to convince them that he was not

faithless to his word and purposes, and to show them the true reason why he had not

visited them, 2 Corinthians 1:17-24. He states, therefore, that his real intentions had

been to visit them, 2 Corinthians 1:15,16; that his failure to do so had not proceeded

from either levity or falsehood, 2 Corinthians 1:17, as they might have known from the

uniform doctrine which he had taught them, in which he had inculcated the necessity

of a strict adherence to promises, from the veracity of Jesus Christ his great example,

2 Corinthians 1:18-20, and from the fact that God had given to him the Holy Spirit,

and anointed him, 2 Corinthians 1:21,22; and he states therefore, that the true reason

why he had not come to them was that he wished to spare them, 2 Corinthians

1:23,24he was willing to remain away from them until they should have time to correct

the evils which existed in their church, and prevent the necessity of severe discipline

when he should come.

2. CLARKE Eminent men, contemporaries with St. Paul.-L. Annaeas Seneca, the Stoic

philosopher and poet, son of M. Annaeus Seneca, the rhetorician; born about the

commencement of the Christian era, and put to death about A. D. 65. -Annaeus

Cornutus, the Stoic philosopher, and preceptor to Persius the satirist; flourished under

�ero. -Lucan, nephew to Seneca the philosopher; born about A. D. 29, put to death

about A. D. 65. -Andromachusof Crete, a poet, and Bero's physician. -T. Petronius

Arbiter, of Massila, died A. D. 66. -Aulus Persius Flaccus, the Latin poet, of Volaterrae

in Italy; died in the ninth year of the reign of Bero, aged 28. -Dioscorides, the

physician; the age in which this physician lived is very uncertain. -Justus, of Tiberias,

in Palestine. -Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian; born A. D. 37, died A. D. 93. -

Silius Italicus, the poet who was several times consul; born about A. D. 23, died in the

beginning of the reign of Trajan, aged 75. -Valerius Flaccus, the Latin poet; flourished

under Vespasian. -C. Plinius Secundus, of Verona, born under Tiberius, flourished

under Vespasian, and died under Titus, A. D. 79, aged 56. -Thraseus Paetus, the Stoic

philosopher, famous for his independence and generous sentiments; slain by order of

Bero, A. D. 66. -Quintius Curtius Rufus, the historian; the time when he flourished is

uncertain, some placing him under Claudius, others under Vespasian, and others

under Trajan. -Asconius Pedianus, the historian and annotator, died A. D. 76, aged 85.

-Marcus Valerius Martialis, the epigrammatist; born about A. D. 29, died A. D. 104,

aged 75. -Philo-Byblius, born about A. D. 53, died A. D. 133, aged 80. -Acusilaus, the

rhetorician; flourished under Galba. -Afer, an orator and preceptor of Quintilian, died

A. D. 59. -Afranius, the satirist, put to death by Bero, in the Pisonian conspiracy. -

Marcus Aper, a Latin orator of Gaul, died A. D. 85. -Babilus, the astrologer, who

caused the Emperor Bero to put all the leading men of Rome to death. -C. Balbillus,

the historian of Egypt; flourished under Bero. -P. Clodius Quirinalis, the rhetorician,

flourished under Bero. -Fabricus, the satirist; flourished under Bero. -Decius Junius

Juvenalis, the satirist; born about A. D. 29, died A. D. 128, aged about 100 years. -

Longinus, the lawyer, put to death by Bero. -Plutarch, the biographer and moralist;

born about A. D. 50, died about A. D. 120, or A. D. 140, according to others. -Polemon,

the rhetorician, and master of Persius the celebrated satirist, died in the reign of Bero.

-Seleucus, the mathematician, intimate with the Emperor Vespasian. -Servilius

+onianus, the Latin historian; flourished under Bero. -Caius Cornelius Tacitus, the

celebrated Roman historian; born in the reign of Bero, and died at an advanced age in

the former part of the second century.

3. Ray Stedman, "The second letter of Paul to the Corinthians is probably the least

known of all his letters. It has sometimes been called "Paul's unknown letter." I do not

know why that is. First Corinthians is very well-known among his writings, but many

people feel that Second Corinthians is heavy reading. It is too bad that we are so

unfamiliar with it, because it represents the most personal, the most autobiographical

letter from the apostle's pen.

We call this Second Corinthians, but it should, perhaps, be called Fourth Corinthians,

because it is the last of four letters that Paul wrote to the church there. Two of these

letters have not been preserved for us --that is why we only have First and Second

Corinthians --but they are not in the order that these titles suggest. If I can just

recapitulate a little bit of the background, at least this one time, then you can refer

back to this if you are confused about the chronology.

Paul began the church in Corinth somewhere around 52 or 53 A. D. He stayed there

for about a year and a half; then he went to Ephesus, where he remained for a few

weeks, and then he went on a quick trip to Jerusalem, returning again to Ephesus.

While he was at Ephesus, he wrote a letter to the church at Corinth which is lost to us.

It is referred to in First Corinthians 5:9, where Paul says he wrote to warn them about

following a worldly lifestyle. In response to that letter, the Corinthians wrote back to

him with many questions. They sent their letter by the hands of three young men who

are mentioned in First Corinthians. In reply to that letter, Paul wrote what we now call

First Corinthians. In it he tried to answer their questions, and we have looked at those

answers. He tried to exhort them and instruct them how to walk in power and in

peace; and he tried to correct many problem areas in the church. Evidently that letter

did not accomplish all that Paul intended. There was a bad reaction to it, and in this

second letter we learn that he made a quick trip back to Corinth. How long that took

we do not know. Paul calls it a "painful" visit. He had come with a rather sharp,

severe rebuke to them, but again he did not accomplish his purpose; again there was a

great deal of negative reaction.

So when he returned to Ephesus, he sent another brief letter, in the hands of Titus, to

Corinth to see if he could help them. Bow Titus was gone a long time. Transportation

and communication were very slow and difficult in those days. Paul, waiting in

Ephesus, grew very anxious to hear what was happening in the church there. He

became so troubled that he left Ephesus and went to Troas and then up into

Macedonia to meet Titus. There in Macedonia, probably in the city of Philippi, he and

Titus came together. Titus brought him a much more encouraging word about the

church, and in response to that, out of thanksgiving, Paul wrote what we now call the

Second Corinthians letter, although it was really the fourth of a series of letters.

4. David K. Lowery, opens his commentary with a statement that is consistent with many expositors

who have attempted to teach this epistle. He said:

"Few portions of the �ew Testament pose as many problems for translators and interpreters as does 2nd

Corinthians. Few, therefore, are the preachers who undertake a systematic exposition of its contents.

For those undaunted by its demands, however, an intimate picture of a pastor ’’’’s heart may be found as

the Apostle Paul shepherded the wayward Corinthians and revealed a love which comes only from God."

This, my beloved, is the centerfold of the entire teaching, an intimate picture of a pastor ’’ ’’s heart to a

church who could care less about it.

Author and Readers.

I am not going to get into a great detail in the introduction, but I will try to lay down some essentials

that are needful in our understanding of this epistle.

Most agree that 2nd Corinthians came from the hand and heart of the Apostle Paul. It was sent to a

church which he had founded on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-17).

A sizable community of Jews resided in Corinth. It would appear to many that Corinth would not

have seemed a likely field in which the seed of the gospel could find fertile soil because of the horrific

moral climate of Corinth. When Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans and described the degraded

course of rebellious mankind (Romans 1:21-32), he wrote the epistle from Corinth where he likely saw

the sad portrayal that he wrote about.

Unhappily, the church in Corinth was not immune to this debauchery and Paul ’’ ’’s first letter to them

was corrective in nature. The people were given over to fleshly indulgences. They were also easily

impressed by external qualities such as eloquence and superior human wisdom.

5 Doug Goins

In our study of the letter of 1 Corinthians, we saw that Paul had a difficult relationship

with the church in Corinth. In a sense, this letter culminates a seven-year history that

had been marked by continuous challenge to his apostolic authority, personal

spirituality, pastoral credentials, and even criticism of his personal appearance and

speaking ability. Remember that Paul was the spiritual father of these people. He

planted the church, and had invested more time and energy in them than any other

church he served in his ministry. Yet these people gave him more grief than any other

church.

In addition to those difficulties, the Corinthian church had on-going problems among

themselves. They struggled with unity in the body, and competition among the leaders

of the church; there were issues of sexual immorality, idolatry, and dissension over the

expression of spiritual gifts. This required Paul to write 1 Corinthians as well as two

other letters that we no longer have. Additionally, Paul met with a group of leaders

from the church who visited him in Turkey because they were overwhelmed with the

problems in the church. He also made a hasty visit back to Corinth when he found out

that a faction in the church had rejected the first Corinthian letter. It was a difficult

relationship.

Second Corinthians is the most poignantly personal of all of Paul's �ew Testament

letters. It has been called "theology wrapped in autobiography." Paul defends his

personal lifestyle and his relationship to the church, and finally answers accusations

that have swirled around him for seven years. The greeting in the first two verses

emphasizes three important things. First of all, God is sovereign in his authority over

his apostolic servants. Paul is not the representative of Corinth or the other churches

in the province of Achaia. He and Timothy, who he calls his brother, are fellow

ministers under the Lord's authority. Ultimately, Paul says that he is accountable to

God and not to the Corinthians. It frustrated the Corinthians because they wanted to

control him and define his priorities for ministry.

The second emphasis is on God's ownership of his church. Just as God is sovereign

over Paul, the opening phrase indicates that it is "the church of God which is at

Corinth." It is not the Corinthians' church because God is the sovereign leader of that

body of believers. Paul wants them to understand their family identity, that they are a

community, because unity is a struggle for them. He uses the language of family to

describe their relationship. He says that Timothy is "our brother" and they are

together with all the other saints in the churches of Achaia. In verse 2, he says that

God is our Father. Corinth saw itself as somehow very special and unique among the

churches, but Paul says no, we are a family. In this very personal greeting, Paul

reminds them that they are the family of God whether they understand it or not, and

whether they are acting like it or not.

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of

God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all

the saints throughout Achaia:

1. Paul was an apostle by the will of God, for if it had been up to him, he would have remained an enemy of the church. Jesus chose him in a radical way on the road to Damascus. He knocked him off his horse, and off his high horse of thinking he was so much better than the Christians he was persecuting. Paul did not choose Christ, but Christ chose Paul, and by his will made him an apostle, and one he would use in a spectacular way to spread the Gospel and start churches. Paul did not get voted into office by any church, but was appointed to his place of authority by Jesus himself. Just as Jesus hand picked all of his 12, so he hand picked Paul. Paul was taught by Jesus to communicate to the churches for all time, and so when you don't like what Paul writes, it is what Jesus inspired him to write that you do not like, for Paul respresents the mind of Christ in his writings.

1B. Paul calls Timothy our brother here, but other places he call him my son (I Tim. 1:18), or my beloved son, (I Cor. 4:17). Timothy was Paul's right hand man, and he traveled from church to church to carry messages for Paul, and bring messages from the churches back to Paul. Paul included Timothy also in his letter to the Philippians and Colossians.

1C. Brother was one of Paul's favorite names to call his fellow believers. He used the word brother 34 times in his letters, and that was far more than any other writer in the New Testament. He used it most in writing to the Corinthians. Even more frequent was his use of brethern, for he used that 79 times, and made it the most common name that Christians were called. It covers both men and women, and also all different races, so that Christianity becomes a universal brotherhood. The poet wrote, Join hands then, brothers of the faith,

What'er thy race may be. Who serves my Father as a son, Is surely kin to me.

2. Barnes wrote, "Paul may have wished to give as much influence as possible to Timothy. He designed that he should be his fellow-labourer; and as Timothy was much younger than himself, he doubtless expected that he would survive him, and that he would in some sense succeed him in the care of the churches. He was desirous, therefore, of securing for him all the authority which he could, and of letting it be

known that he regarded him as abundantly qualified for the great work with which he was intrusted."

3. He addresses all the saints in Achaia, and so it was meant for a number of churches in that whole are of Greece. It could also mean that many believers were scattered about the land who did not have a local church. They were much like the pioneers in our country who had no church, but met with friends to worship in small groups.

4. LOWERY, "Though Paul’’’’s description of himself as an apostle was not unusual, in

no letter was it more controversial than this one. A defense of the fact that he was an

apostle of Christ Jesus occupied the heart of this letter. We see from the very

beginning that Paul was the author of the epistle. He called himself an apostle of

Jesus Christ. In just about every letter that Paul wrote, with few exceptions, he

always identified himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. There are reasons why he

identified himself in this way.

First, there were some who continued to question his apostleship.

Second, he wanted everyone to know that his first allegiance was to Jesus Christ.

Third, he wanted his readers to understand that he was not self appointed, but his appointment to this apostleship, as well as all things pertaining to his life, was

orchestrated by the will of God.

In 6 of his letters, he begins by stating his apostleship. 2nd Corinthians 1:1, Galatians

1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:1, and 1st & 2nd Timothy 1:1. His calling into this

apostleship was not of his own choosing nor of his will, or the will of any man, but

by the will of God. In other words, God’’’’s purpose before the foundation of the

world was to choose Paul as an apostle.

Paul not only sent his greetings but that also of Timothy, his understudy, his young

and most faithful student. But Timothy was more than just a young and faithful

student to Paul. Timothy also had experience ministering at Corinth (Acts 18:5; 1st

Corinthians 16:10-11; 2nd Corinthians 1:19), so his association with Paul in the

greeting was more than a formality. Though Timothy was a protéééégéééé of Paul, the

apostle considered him a brother. In other letters, he uses more endearing terms to

describe his love and affection for Timothy.

One commentator wisely stated that Paul wrote to the church of GOD at Corinth,

not to the church at Corinth. There were many gatherings that called themselves a

church then, as it is today, that were not God’’’’s church, thus were not worthy of the

name. This letter was written also for people beyond the Church of God in Corinth,

to all the saints in the region. Other churches were not beyond the problems that

plagued the Corinthian church and should be instructed, if not warned, of the

problems that were there.

The church of God consist of saints, "God’’’’s called out ones". That’’’’s what a church

is, that’’’’s what God’’’’s church is. To be in God’’’’s church, one must be a saint. To be a

saint, one must be born again. To be born again, one must come through Jesus

Christ for salvation.

5. GILL, "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.

6. JAMISON, "2Co_1:1-24. The heading; Paul’s consolations in recent trials in Asia; His sincerity towards the Corinthians; Explanation of his not having visited them as he had purposed.

Timothy our brother— When writing to Timothy himself, he calls him “my son” (1Ti_1:18). Writing of him, “brother,” and “my beloved son” (1Co_4:17). He had been sent before to Macedonia, and had met Paul at Philippi, when the apostle passed over from Troas to Macedonia (compare 2Co_2:12, 2Co_2:13; see on 1Co_16:10, 1Co_16:11).

in all Achaia— comprising Hellas and the Peloponnese. The Gentiles themselves, and Annaeus Gallio, the proconsul (Act_18:12-16), strongly testified their disapproval of the accusation brought by the Jews against Paul. Hence, the apostle was enabled to labor in the whole province of Achaia with such success as to establish several churches there (1Th_1:8; 2Th_1:4), where, writing from Corinth, he speaks of the “churches,” namely, not only the Corinthian, but others also - Athens, Cenchrea, and, perhaps, Sicyon, Argos, etc. He addresses “the Church in Corinth,” directly, and all “the saints” in the province, indirectly. In Gal_1:2 all the “churches” are addressed directly in the same circular Epistle. Hence, here he does not say, all the churches, but “all the saints.”

7. RWP, "And Timothy (kai�Timotheos). Timothy is with Paul, having been sent on

to Macedonia from Ephesus (Act_19:22). He is in no sense Corinthians-author any more than Sosthenes was in 1Co_1:1.

In all Achaia (en�holēi�tēi�Achaiāi). The Romans divided Greece into two provinces

(Achaia and Macedonia). Macedonia included also Illyricum, Epirus, and Thessaly.

Achaia was all of Greece south of this (both Attica and the Peloponnesus). The restored Corinth was made the capital of Achaia where the pro-consul resided (Act_18:12). He does not mention other churches in Achaia outside of the one in Corinth, but only

“saints” (hagiois). Athens was in Achaia, but it is not clear that there was as yet a church

there, though some converts had been won (Act_17:34), and there was a church in Cenchreae, the eastern port of Corinth (Rom_16:1). Paul in 2Co_9:2 speaks of Achaia

and Macedonia together. His language here would seem to cover the whole (holēi, all) of

Achaia in his scope and not merely the environment around Corinth.

8. HAWKER 1-4, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: (2) Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (4) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

I do not detain the Reader, with any particular observation on Paul’s salutation of the Church. It is much the same as in the former Epistle. He stiles himself an Apostle, by the will and call of God. And this was highly proper, in proof, that he did not run unsent, Act_13:1-4; Heb_5:1-6. And as with great humility he joined Sosthenes with him, though not an Apostle, in his address to Corinth in his former letter; so here, with the same affection, he joins Timothy. Paul takes in a larger circuit in this Epistle than in the former; for he includes Achaia, which contained a considerable part of Greece. Probably, by this time, the Church of Christ had been extended beyond the city of Corinth. But let it be well noticed, that it is the Church of Christ to whom Paul wrote. Grace and peace, from God in Christ, could be conferred on none but the Church, Luk_10:5-6.

But I beg to detain the Reader; with an observation or two, on the form of expression with which the Apostle enters on his Epistle, when he saith: blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. In the parallel passage, Eph_1:3, the same word which is here rendered even, is there made and. And everyone knows, who hath the smallest acquaintance with the original language, that both among sacred and profane writers, those Greek Particles are differently used, and not unfrequently.

In the language of the New Testament, we meet with the name and title of God the Father, upon various occasions, to express the glories of his Person, according to the particular subject then in view. God the Father, in the essential glories of the Godhead, is distinguished by this divine title, to distinguish him from the Person of God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, See 1Jn_5:7. God the Son, is not the Son of God by creation, as angels are for in his divine nature, in point of eternity, as well as in all divine perfections, he is One with the Father, over all God blessed forever. Amen. But, in his human nature, God the Father is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For so Christ by the Spirit of prophecy declares, Psa_40:6-8 with Heb_10:5. But this may be understood also, not to the exclusion of God the Son, taking this human nature, by his own Almighty power, into union with the Godhead: Heb_2:14; Heb_2:16, neither to the exclusion of God the Holy Ghost, in his personal agency of the mysterious work, who is expressly said to have overshadowed the womb of the Virgin Mary, at the Incarnation; and, therefore, that holy thing, born of the Virgin, shall be called the Son of God, Luk_1:35. But God the

Father, is also called, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ by office-character; because Christ, as God-Man-Mediator in all the transactions of the Covenant, as it concerns his Church, stands in his office-character as Jehovah’s servant, Isa_42:1; Mat_12:18; Psa_89:3-4. So that it is highly proper, as often as we meet with this glorious Name of God the Father in the New Testament Scripture, and when spoken in reference to God the Son; that we should attend to the particular occasion, and observe; under divine teaching, in what relation it is spoken. Whether in the equality of nature, and essence of the Godhead, by way of distinguishing the distinct Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Or whether to distinguish, the several office-characters of each Person of the Godhead, in the gracious transactions of Covenant-engagements, into which, each glorious Person, from all eternity entered and guaranteed to each other, by which God the Father chose the Church in Christ before the foundation of the world: Eph_1:4. God the Son betrothed the Church to himself forever: Hos_2:19; Isa_54:5, and became the Servant of Jehovah, in the time-state of the Church to redeem her from the ruins of the fall: Isa_53:4-6, and God the Holy Ghost to anoint, both the glorious Head of his body the Church; and all his members; and to regenerate every individual of that body, when dead in trespasses and sins, Act_10:38; 1Jn_2:20; Eph_2:1.

There is an uncommon sweetness of expression in the title: Father of mercies, and God of all comfort: Not simply the God of all mercies, but the Father of them. As if to teach the Church, that whatever mercy a child of God wants, he will beget it for him. A child of God is, sometimes, from unbelief and temptation, apt to think, that his case is so singular as none ever was before; and as if no mercy could reach or suit it. This title blessedly comes in, to the relief of such a tried soul. God, your Father in Christ, will beget it for you. The mercies you need, shall so come to you from Him, and in so direct and personal a manner, as from the bowels of divine love, as shall manifest that He is the Father of mercies!

Neither is this all. For he is also the God of all comfort! All and every comfort, every sort, and degree of comfort; refreshing, strengthening, sanctifying comfort: yea, the God of all comfort. Reader! Think how blessedly revealed, our Covenant God in Christ, stands related to his people, under those sweet titles! And, what endears the whole is, that it is not only God the Father in his Covenant-office and character which is so represented, but all the persons of the Godhead are the same, Joh_14:16; Joh_14:18.

I need not enlarge on what the Apostle hath observed of himself and his faithful companions in the ministry, in becoming channels for communicating comfort to the Church, by imparting portions of what they themselves received from the Lord. This is indeed among the blessed properties of grace, to diffuse of those streams which we ourselves receive, by watering the thirsty ground of our brother’s vineyard. It is blessed to give and to communicate. And it is also in exact conformity to the very appointment of the ministry, Isa_40:1-2; 1Th_2:7.

9. EBC, "SUFFERING AND CONSOLATION.

THE greeting with which St. Paul introduces his Epistles is much alike in them all, but it never becomes a mere formality, and ought not to pass unregarded as such. It describes, as a rule, the character in which he writes, and the character in which his correspondents are addressed. Here he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, divinely commissioned; and he addresses a Christian community at Corinth, including in it, for

the purposes of his letter, the scattered Christians to be found in the other quarters of Achaia. His letters are occasional, in the sense that some special incident or situation called them forth; but this occasional character does not lessen their value. He addresses himself to the incident or situation in the consciousness of his apostolic vocation; he writes to a Church constituted for permanence, or at least for such duration as this transitory world can have; and what we have in his Epistles is not a series of obiter dicta, the casual utterances of an irresponsible person; it is the mind of Christ authoritatively given upon the questions raised. When he includes any other person in the salutation-as in this place "Timothy our brother"-it is rather as a mark of courtesy, than as adding to the Epistle another authority besides his own. Timothy had helped to found the Church at Corinth; Paul had shown great anxiety about his reception by the Corinthians, when he started to visit that turbulent Church alone; (1Co_16:10 f.) and in this new letter he honors him in their eyes by uniting his name with his own in the superscription. The Apostle and his affectionate fellow-worker wish the Corinthians, as they wished all the Churches, grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not necessary to expound afresh the meaning and connection of these two New Testament ideas: grace is the first and last word of the Gospel: and peace-perfect spiritual soundness-is the finished work of grace m the soul.

The Apostle’s greeting is usually followed by a thanksgiving, in which he recalls the conversion of those to whom he is writing, or surveys their progress in the new life, and the improvement of their gifts, gratefully acknowledging God as the author of all. Thus in the First Epistle to the Corinthians he thanks God for the grace given to them in Christ Jesus, and especially for their Christian enrichment in all utterance and in all knowledge. So, too, but with deeper gratitude, he dwells on the virtues of the Thessalonians, remembering their work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope. Here also there is a thanksgiving, but at the first glance of a totally different character. The Apostle blesses God, not for what He has done for the Corinthians, but for what He has done for himself. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation." This departure from the Apostle’s usual custom is probably not so selfish as it looks. When his mind traveled down from Philippi to Corinth, it rested on the spiritual aspects of the Church there with anything but unrelieved satisfaction. There was much for which he could not possibly be thankful; and just as the momentary apostasy of the Galatians led to his omitting the thanksgiving altogether, so the unsettled mood in which he wrote to the Corinthians gave it this peculiar turn. Nevertheless, when he thanked God for comforting him in all his afflictions, he thanked Him on their behalf. It was they who were eventually to have the profit both of his sorrows and his consolations. Probably, too, there is something here which is meant to appeal even to those who disliked him in Corinth. There had been a good deal of friction between the Apostle and some who had once owned him as their father in Christ; they were blaming him, at this very moment, for not coming to visit them; and in this thanksgiving, which dilates on the afflictions he has endured, and on the divine consolation he has experienced in them, there is a tacit appeal to the sympathy even of hostile spirits. Do not, he seems to say, deal ungenerously with one who has passed through such terrible experiences, and lays the fruit of them at your feet. Chrysostom presses this view, as if St. Paul had written his thanksgiving in the character of a subtle diplomatist: to judge by one’s feeling, it is true enough to deserve mention.

The subject of the thanksgiving is the Apostle’s sufferings, and his experience of God’s mercies under them. He expressly calls them the sufferings of Christ. These sufferings, he says, abound toward us. Christ was the greatest of sufferers: the flood of pain and

sorrow went over His head: all its waves and billows broke upon Him. The Apostle was caught and overwhelmed by the same stream; the waters came into his soul. That is the

meaning of τ��παθ�µατα�το��Χριστο��περισσε!ει�ε"ς�$µ%ς. In abundant measure the

disciple was initiated into his Master’s stern experience; he learned, what he prayed to learn, the fellowship of His sufferings. The boldness of the language in which a mortal man calls his own afflictions the sufferings of Christ is far from unexampled in the New Testament. It is repeated by St. Paul in Col_1:24 : "I now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the Church." It is varied in Heb_13:13, where the sacred writer exhorts us to go out to Jesus, without the camp, bearing His reproach. It is anticipated and justified by the words of the Lord Himself: "Ye shall indeed drink of My cup; and with the baptism with which I am baptized shall ye be baptized withal." One lot, and that a cross, awaits all the children of God in this world, from the Only-begotten who came from the bosom of the Father, to the latest-born among His brethren. But let us beware of the hasty assertion that, because the Christian’s sufferings can thus be described as of a piece with Christ’s, the key to the mystery of Gethsemane and Calvary is to be found in the self-consciousness of martyrs arid confessors. The very man who speaks of filling up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for the Church’s sake, and who says that the sufferings of Christ came on him in their fullness, would have been the first to protest against such an idea. "Was Paul crucified for you?" Christ suffered alone; there is, in spite of our fellowship with His sufferings, a solitary, incommunicable greatness in His Cross, which the Apostle will expound in another place. (2Co_5:1-21) Even when Christ’s sufferings come upon us there is a difference. At the very lowest, as Vinet has it, we do from gratitude what He did from pure love. We suffer in His company, sustained by His comfort; He suffered uncomforted and unsustained. We are afflicted, when it so happens, "under the auspices of the divine mercy"; He was afflicted that there might be mercy for us.

Few parts of Bible teaching are more recklessly applied than those about suffering and consolation. If all that men endured was of the character here described, if all their sufferings were sufferings of Christ, which came on them because they were walking in His steps and assailed by the forces which buffeted Him, consolation would be an easy task. The presence of God with the soul would make it almost unnecessary. The answer of a good conscience would take all the bitterness out of pain; and then, however it tortured, it could not poison the soul. The mere sense that our sufferings are the sufferings of Christ-that we are drinking of His cup-is itself a comfort and an inspiration beyond words. But much of our suffering, we know very well, is of a different character. It does not come on us because we are united to Christ, but because we are estranged from Him; it is the proof and the fruit, not of our righteousness, but of our guilt. It is our sin finding us out, and avenging itself upon us, and in no sense the suffering of Christ. Such suffering, no doubt, has its use and its purpose.

It is meant to drive the soul in upon itself, to compel it to reflection, to give it no rest till it awakes to penitence, to urge it through despair to God. Those who suffer thus will have cause to thank God afterwards if His discipline leads to their amendment, but they have no title to take to themselves the consolation prepared for those who are partners in the sufferings of Christ. Nor is the minister of Christ at liberty to apply a passage like this to any case of affliction which he encounters in his work. There are sufferings and sufferings; there is a divine intention in them all, if we could only discover it; but the divine intention and the divinely wrought result are only explained here for one particular kind-those sufferings, namely, which come upon men in virtue of their

following Jesus Christ. What, then, does the Apostle’s experience enable him to say on this hard question?

(1) His sufferings have brought him a new revelation of God, which is expressed in the new name, "The Father of mercies and God of all comfort." The name is wonderful in its tenderness; we feel as we pronounce it that a new conception of what love can be has been imparted to the Apostle’s soul. It is in the sufferings and sorrows of life that we discover what we possess in our human friends. Perhaps one abandons us in our extremity, and another betrays us; but most of us find ourselves unexpectedly and astonishingly rich. People of whom we have hardly ever had a kind thought show us kindness; the unsuspected, unmerited goodness which comes to our relief makes us ashamed. This is the rule which is illustrated here by the example of God Himself. It is as if the Apostle said: "I never knew, till the sufferings of Christ abounded in me, holy near God could come to man; I never knew how rich His mercies could be, how intimate His sympathy, how inspiriting His comfort." This is an utterance well worth considering. The sufferings of men, and especially the sufferings of the innocent and the good, are often made the ground of hasty charges against God; nay, they are often turned into arguments for Atheism. But who are they who make such charges? Not the righteous sufferers, at least in New Testament times. The Apostle here is their representative and spokesman, and he assures us that God never was so much to him as when he was in the sorest straits. The divine love was so far from being doubtful to him that it shone out then in unanticipated brightness; the very heart of the Father was revealed-all mercy, all encouragement and comfort. If the martyrs have no doubts of their own, is it not very gratuitous for the spectators to become skeptics on their account? "The sufferings of Christ" in His people may be an insoluble problem to the disinterested onlooker, but they are no problem to the sufferers. What is a mystery, when viewed from without, a mystery in which God seems to be conspicuous by His absence, is, when viewed from within, a new and priceless revelation of God Himself. "The Father of mercies and God of all comfort," is making Himself known now as for want of opportunity He could not be known before.

Notice especially that the consolation is said to abound "through Christ." He is the mediator through whom it comes. To partake in His sufferings is to be united to Him; and to be united to Him is to partake of His life. The Apostle anticipates here a thought on which he enlarges in the fourth chapter: "Always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body." In our eagerness to emphasize the nearness and the sympathy of Jesus, it is to be feared that we do less than justice to the New Testament revelation of His glory. He does not suffer now. He is enthroned on high, far above all principality and power and might and dominion. The Spirit which brings His presence to our hearts is the Spirit of the Prince of Life; its function is not to be weak with our weakness, but to help our infirmity, and to strengthen us with all might in the inner man. The Christ who dwells in us through His Spirit is not the Man of Sorrows, wearing the crown of thorns; it is the King of kings and Lord of lords, making us partakers of His triumph. There is a weak tone in much of the religious literature which deals with suffering, utterly unlike that of the New Testament. It is a degradation of Christ to our level which it teaches, instead of an exaltation of man toward Christ’s. But the last is the apostolic ideal: "More than conquerors through Him that loved us." The comfort of which St. Paul makes so much here is not necessarily deliverance from suffering for Christ’s sake, still less exemption from it; it is the strength and courage and immortal hope which rise up, even in the midst of suffering, in the heart in which the Lord of glory dwells. Through Him such comfort abounds; it wells up to match and more than match the rising tide of suffering.

(2) But Paul’s sufferings have done more than give him a new knowledge of God; they have given him at the same time a new power to comfort others. He is bold enough to make this ministry of consolation the key to his recent experiences. "He comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." His sufferings and his consolation together had a purpose that went beyond himself. How significant that is for some perplexing aspects of man’s life! We are selfish, and instinctively regard ourselves as the center of all providences; we naturally seek to explain everything by its bearing on ourselves alone. But God has not made us for selfishness and isolation, and some mysteries would be cleared up if we had love enough to see the ties by which our life is indissolubly linked to others. This, however, is less definite than the Apostle’s thought; what he tells us is that he has gained a new power at a great price. It is a power which almost every Christian man will covet; but how many are willing to pass through the fire to obtain it? We must ourselves have needed and have found comfort, before we know what it is; we must ourselves have learned the art of consoling in the school of suffering, before we can practice it for the benefit of others. The most painfully tried, the most proved in suffering, the souls that are best acquainted with grief, provided their consolation has abounded through Christ, are specially called to this ministry. Their experience is their preparation for it. Nature is something, and age is something; but far more than nature and age is that discipline of God to which they have been submitted, that initiation into the sufferings of Christ which has made them acquainted with His consolations also, and has taught them to know the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. Are they not among His best gifts to the Church, those whom He has qualified to console, by consoling them in the fire?

In the sixth verse (2Co_1:6) the Apostle dwells on the interest of the Corinthians in his sufferings and his consolation. It is a practical illustration of the communion of the saints in Christ. "All that befalls me," says St. Paul, "has your interest in view. If I am afflicted, it is in the interest of your comfort: when you look at me, and see how I bear myself in the sufferings of Christ, you will be encouraged to become imitators of me, even as I am of Him. If, again, I am comforted, this also is in the interest of your comfort; God enables me to impart to you what He has imparted to me; and the comfort in question is no impotent thing; it proves its power in this-that when you have received it, you endure with brave patience the same sufferings which we also suffer." This last is a favorite thought with the Apostle, and connects itself readily with the idea, which may or may not have a right to be expressed in the text, that all this is in furtherance of the salvation of the Corinthians. For if there is one note of the saved more certain than another, it is the brave patience with which they take upon them the sufferings of Christ.

ο�δε�υτοµεινας�εις�τελος,�ουτος�σωθησεται (Mat_10:22) All that helps men to endure to the

end, helps them to salvation. All that tends to break the spirit and to sink men in despondency, or hurry them into impatience or fear, leads in the opposite direction. The great service that a true comforter does is to put the strength and courage into us which enable us to take up our cross, however sharp and heavy, and to bear it to the last step and the last breath. No comfort is worth the name-none is taught of God-which has another efficacy than this. The saved are those whose souls rise to this description, and who recognize their spiritual kindred in such brave and patient sufferers as Paul.

The thanksgiving ends appropriately with a cheerful word about the Corinthians. "Our hope for you is steadfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so are ye also of the comfort." These two things go together; it is the appointed lot of the children of God to become acquainted with both. If the sufferings could come alone, if they could

be assigned as the portion of the Church apart from the consolation, Paul could have no hope that the Corinthians would endure to the end; but as it is he is not afraid. The force of his words is perhaps best felt by us, if instead of saying that the sufferings and the consolation are inseparable, we say that the consolation depends upon the sufferings. And what is the consolation? It is the presence of the exalted Savior in the heart through His Spirit. It is a clear perception, and a firm hold, of the things which are unseen and eternal. It is a conviction of the divine love which cannot be shaken, and of its sovereignty and omnipotence in the Risen Christ. This infinite comfort is contingent upon our partaking of the sufferings of Christ. There is a point, the Apostle seems to say, at which the invisible world and its glories intersect this world in which we live, and become visible, real, and inspiring to men. It is the point at which we suffer with Christ’s sufferings. At any other point the vision of this glory is unneeded, and therefore withheld. The worldly, the selfish, the cowardly; those who shrink from self-denial; those who evade pain; those who root themselves in the world that lies around us, and when they move at all move in the line of least resistance; those who have never carried Christ’s Cross, -none of these can ever have the triumphant conviction of things unseen and eternal which throbs in every page of the New Testament. None of these can have what the Apostle elsewhere calls "eternal consolation." It is easy for unbelievers, and for Christians lapsing into unbelief, to mock this faith as faith in "the transcendent"; but would a single line of the New Testament have been written without it? When we weigh what is here asserted about its connection with the sufferings of Christ, could a graver charge be brought against any Church than that its faith in this "transcendent" languished or was extinct? Do not let us hearken to the sceptical insinuations which would rob us of all that has been revealed in Christ’s resurrection; and do not let us imagine, on the other hand, that we can retain a living faith in this revelation if we decline to take up our cross. It was only when the sufferings of Christ abounded in him that Paul’s consolation was abundant through Christ; it was only when he laid down his life for His sake that Stephen saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

10. BI, "Paul to the Corinthians

Note—

I. The blending of lowliness and authority in Paul’s designation of himself.

1. He does not always bring his apostolical authority to mind at the beginning of his letters. In the loving letter to the Philippians he has no need to urge his authority. In Philemon friendship is uppermost.

2. “By the will of God” is at once an assertion of Divine authority, a declaration of independence, and a lowly disclaimer of individual merit. The weight he expected to be attached to his words was to be due entirely to their Divine origin. Never mind the cracked pipe through which the Divine breath makes music, but listen to the music.

II. The ideal of Christian character here set forth. “Saints”—a word that has been woefully misapplied. The Church has given it as a special honour to a few, and decorated with it mainly the possessors of a false ideal of sanctity. The world uses it with a sarcastic intonation, as if it implied loud professions and small performances.

1. Saints are not people living in cloisters, but men and women immersed in the vulgar work of everyday life. The root idea of the word is not moral purity, but

separation to God. Consecration to Him is the root from which the white flower of purity springs. We cannot purify ourselves, but we can yield ourselves to God, and the purity will come.

2. To thus devote ourselves is our solemn obligation, and unless we do we are not Christians. The true consecration is the surrender of the will, and its one motive is drawn from the love and devotion of Christ to us. All consecration rests on the faith of Christ’s sacrifice.

3. And if, drawn by the great love of Christ, we give ourselves away to God in Him, then He gives Himself to us.

III. The apostolic wish which sets forth the high ideal to be desired by churches and individuals.

1. “Grace and peace” blend the Western and Eastern forms of salutation, and surpass both. All that the Greek meant by his “Grace,” and all that the Hebrew meant by his “Peace”—the ideally happy condition which differing nations have placed in different blessings, and which all loving words have vainly wished for dear ones—is secured and conveyed to every poor soul who trusts in Christ.

2. Grace means—

(1) Love in exercise to those who are below the lover or who deserve something else.

(2) The gifts which such love bestows.

(3) The effects of those gifts in the beauties of character and conduct developed in the receivers. So here are invoked the love and gentleness of the Father; and next the outcome of that love, which never visits the soul empty handed, in all varied spiritual gifts; and, as a last result, every beauty of heart, mind, and temper which can adorn the character and refine a man into the likeness of God.

3. Peace comes after grace. For tranquillity of soul we must go to God, and He gives it by giving us His love and its gifts. There must be first peace with God that there may be peace from God. Then, when we have been won from our alienation and enmity by the power of the Cross, and have learned to know that God is our Lover, Friend, and Father, we shall possess the peace of those whose hearts have found their home; the peace of spirits no longer at war within—conscience and choice tearing them asunder in their strife; the peace of obedience, which banishes the disturbance of self-will; the peace of security shaken by no fears; the peace of a sure future across the brightness of which no shadows of sorrow nor mists of uncertainty can fall; the peace of a heart in amity with all mankind. So, living in peace, we shall lay ourselves down and die in peace, and enter “that country afar beyond the stars” where “grows the flower of peace.” (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

The will of God

I. The supreme law. “By the will of God.”

1. God has a will. He is, therefore, an intelligent, free personality. His will explains the origin, sustenance, and order of the universe; His will is the force of all forces, and law of all laws.

2. God has a will in relation to individual men. He has a purpose in relation to every

man’s existence, mission, and conduct. His will in relation to moral beings is the standard of all conduct and the rule of all destiny. Love is its mainspring.

II. The apostolic spirit.

1. The apostolic spirit involves subjection to Christ. “An apostle of Jesus Christ.” Christ is the moral Master, he the loyal servant.

2. The apostolic spirit is that of special love for the good. He calls Timothy his “brother,” and towards “the Church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia,” he glows with loving sympathy. Love for souls, deep, tender, overflowing, is the essential qualification for the ministry.

III. The chief good.

1. Here is the highest good. “Grace and peace.”

2. Here is the highest good from the highest source. “From our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Homilist.)

Unto the Church of God which is at Corinth.—

The Church which is at Corinth

Corinth is notable for its learning, wealth, and lasciviousness.

I. That even amongst the most profane and unlikeliest people God may sometimes gather a church to himself. The reason why God may build His house of such crooked timber, and make His temple of such rough stones, may be to show the freeness of His grace and the efficacy of it.

II. That a Church may be a true Church although it be defiled with many corruptions. As a godly man may be truly godly and yet subject to many failings, so a Church yet not perfect. This truth is worthy of note, because many, out of a tenderness and misguided zeal, may separate from a Church because of this; but a particular Christian is not to excommunicate a Church till God hath given a bill of divorce to it.

1. The soundness and purity of Churches admits of degrees. As one star doth excel another in glory, yet both are stars, so one Church may greatly transcend another in orthodoxy and purity, and yet both be Churches.

2. When we speak of a Church being God’s true Church, though greatly corrupted, we must take heed of two extremes—

(1) That of those who would have no reformation, though there be never so many disorders, but say, “It is prudence to let all things be.” The apostle doth far otherwise to this Church; though he calls it the Church of God, yet his Epistle is full of sharp reproof. He is very zealous that they become a new lump—that they be made, as it were, a new Church. God takes notice, and is very angry with all these disorders and great neglect.

(2) That of those who, because of the corruptions that are in a Church, are so far transported with misguided zeal as to take no notice of the truth of a Church. Some are apt so to attend to a true Church that they never matter the corruptions of it. Others, again, so eye the corruptions that they never regard the truth of it; but it is good to avoid both these extremes.

3. Though that Church be a true Church where we live, yet, if many corruptions do abound therein, we must take heed that we do not pollute ourselves thereby, or become partakers of any sin indulged amongst them. (Anthony Burgess.)

With all the saints.—

Sainthood

To the constitution of a true saint there is—

I. A separation. Not locally, but in regard of intimate friendship.

II. A dedication of ourselves to the service of God.

III. An inward qualification.

IV. A new conversation. The Christian carries himself even like to Him that “hath called him out of darkness into marvellous light.” (R. Sibbes, D. D.)

2. Grace and peace to you from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Henry, "The salutation or apostolical benediction, which is the same as in his former epistle; and therein the apostle desires the two great and comprehensive blessings, grace and peace, for those Corinthians. These two benefits are fitly joined together, because there is no good and lasting peace without true grace; and both of them come from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the procurer and dispenser of those benefits to fallen man, and is prayed to as God."

2. Intervarsity press, "Paul's greeting takes the form of an ancient :ear Eastern blessing: Grace (or "mercy" in Jewish letters) and peace. :ormally at this point, the first-century writer would go on to wish his reader(s) good health--much as we say, "Hope all is going well." Paul, instead, specifies the source of good health for the believer--God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is this kind of Christian blessing that he invariably uses to round off his opening greeting. God as a source of peace would be a typical Jewish thought. Our Father, however, brings Paul's greeting into the sphere of the familial--the exact way Jesus taught his disciples to address God in prayer. Yet, it is to be noted that while God is our Father, Jesus is not here spoken of as "our brother" but, rather, the Lord. Kyrios is placed first for emphasis. Grace and peace come from the Lord Jesus Christ. The concept of God as Father of the church

and Jesus as her Lord captures too key distinctives of the Christian faith. So Paul in these opening verses seeks to highlight both his apostolic and his family relationship to the Corinthians by calling on the witness of the broader community of Achaian believers and pointing to the filial bonds he and the Corinthians share. By making this most personal of letters "public," Paul holds the Corinthians accountable to the church at large."

Jesus is not here spoken of as "our brother" but, rather, the Lord. Kyrios is placed first for emphasis. Grace and peace come from the Lord Jesus Christ. The concept of God as Father of the church and Jesus as her Lord captures too key distinctives of the Christian faith. So Paul in these opening verses seeks to highlight both his apostolic and his family relationship to the Corinthians by calling on the witness of the broader community of Achaian believers and pointing to the filial bonds he and the Corinthians share. By making this most personal of letters "public," Paul holds the Corinthians accountable to the church at large."

3. Hodge pointed out that grace is the favor of God, and peace is its fruit, and so these two words cover all the benefits of our redemption in Christ. The God of All Comfort

3. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort,

1. Barnes, "This is the commencement, properly, of the epistle; and it is the language of a heart that is full of joy, and that bursts forth with gratitude in view of mercy. It may have been excited by the recollection that he had formerly written to them, and that during the interval which had elapsed between the time when the former epistle was written and when this was penned, he had been called to a most severe trial, and that from that trial he had been mercifully delivered. With a heart full of gratitude and joy for this merciful interposition, he commences this epistle. It is remarked by Doddridge, that eleven out of the thirteen epistles of Paul begin with exclamations of praise, joy, and thanksgiving. Paul had been afflicted, but he had also been favoured with remarkable consolations; and it was not unnatural that he should allow himself to give expression to his joy and praise in view of all the mercies which God had conferred on him. This entire passage is one that is exceedingly valuable, as showing that there may an elevated joy in the midst of deep affliction, and as showing what is

the reason why God visits his servants with trials. The phrase "blessed be God" is equivalent to "praised be God," or is an expression of thanksgiving. It is the usual formula of praise, (compare Ephesians 1:3;) and shows his entire confidence in God, and his joy in him, and his gratitude for his mercies. It is one of innumerable instances which show that it is possible and proper to bless God in view of the trials with which he visits his people, and of the consolations which he causes to abound."

2. . Paul's praise is of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for there is only one source of the highest level of compassion and comfort, and that is from the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. God the Father is the theme of this praise, for he is the source of all that we need in life's trials. We are like children who are hurt, and who know the place to run to is mom or dad who will kiss their hurt spot and give them comfort. So we know that we can run to our heavenly Father and receive the comfort we need to heal our sore spirit. Calling God the God of compassion and comfort is just another way of saying God is love, for his love is conveyed by means of his compassiona and comfort.

3. People seek for comfort in life's trials in many different ways. They seek to drown their troubles through drinking, or some other form of dangerous activity like drugs and wild parties. They seek to escape the sorrow of what they suffer, but the best way to deal with these pains of life is to take them to our heavenly Father and be comforted by his promises. Jesus said in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. :othing can take from us the good things that Jesus has won for us. He even said to fear not those who can kill the body and that is all they can do. There is nothing this world can do to rob you of the eternal life and treasure you have in Him. God who gave his Son to die for you will freely give you all you need to survive and overcome the trials of life. He has made all the provisions for victory, and so we need to come to our Father of compassion and hear his many words of comfort that will heal our spirit and motivate us to keep on keeping on living to please Him.

4. Ray Stedman adds a new dimension to the idea of comfort. He wrote, "Now, comfort is more than just a little cheer or friendly word of encouragement. Paul does not mean that. The word basically means "to strengthen." What Paul experienced was the strengthening of God to give him a peaceful, restful spirit to meet the pressure and the stress with which he lived. That is what Christianity is all about. "Strengthen," in the Greek, is a word that is used also for the Holy Spirit. Your Bible frequently calls him "The Comforter," but really it is "The Strengthener," the one who strengthens you. This is God's provision for affliction.

It is amazing to me how many thousands of Christians are dreading facing their daily lives because they feel pressured and stressful and tied up in knots, and yet they never avail themselves of God's provision for that kind of pressure. These words are not addressed to us merely to be used for religious problems. They are to be used for any kind of stress, any kind of problems. God's comfort, God's strengthening, is available for whatever puts you under stress.

I say that thousands do not avail themselves of it. The reason I say that is because they give every evidence that they do just like anybody else around who is not a Christian at all --they try to escape their pressures. Or, if they are Christian, they are praying that they will be rescued from their pressures, that the problems will be taken away. You can always tell how ill-taught Christians really are when you hear their prayers.

Invariably they pray to have their problems taken away, or to be completely shielded from them. All their hopes are for escape, somehow, and all their reactions are either worry or a murmuring, complaining spirit, anger and fear. :ow, that is not Christianity in action."

5. What Stedman says above is due to believers not really believing that their God is a specialist in comforting. It is not just a sideline for Him, but priority in his dealing with his children. The Greek word for comfort is paraklesis, and it means a coming along side of another to bring comfort. A comforter gets up close to let you know they care, and they help you carry the burden that weighs you down. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the comforter-the parakletos. In John ohn 14 jesus says to his disciples he is asking the father to send another comforter, for he is departing. This comforter will teach them the truth and remind them of what he taught them when he was with them. The point of jesus is that they would never be alone, but always have a comforter along side them. And we can be assistents of this comforter, for as Beecher once said, "We are called, not only to sit together in heavenly places, but to stand together in unheavenly places."

6. The implication is clear that you can't live the Christian life alone. You need one along side to give comfort and encouragement or you will let the troubles of life get the best of you. Why are there so many Christians who drop out of the Christian race? It is because they did not know or did not enter into this truth that there is a comforter always available. Jesus was the comforter of his disciples while he walked the earth, but now he is present with his disciples in the Holy Spirit, the other comforter. And when we invite jesus and the holy spirit to indwell us we become comforters as well. In a fallen world comforting is a major issue, and all believers need to both receive the comfort God offers, and be givers of that comfort to others. If all three persons of the Godhead are involved in comforting, then it is obvious that being Godlike, Christlike, and Spirit filled means that we too must be comforters. Comfort comes from the two words come, which means together, and fort, which means strong. This means it is one who comes together with you so that together you can be strong in facing the issue that is troubling you. Someone along side you makes you stronger. That is why Jesus sent his disciples out two by two, for two always makes a stronger team. Even the Lone Ranger knew the value and importance of having a Tonto by his side.

7. Paul was comforting the Corinthians here, and in chapter 7 verses 4 and 13 he uses the same word, paraklesis, to describe the comfort and encouragement he received from them. Then in romans 15:4 Paul uses the word again when he says the scriptures were written for our comfort. He tells christians everywhere to also comfort one another. It is clear that comfort is a major work of god, the bible, the church, and every christian in it. We are not all called to preach or teach or sing, or a thousand and one other tasks that need to be done in the body of christ, but every Christian is called to comfort. In a fallen world where nobody escapes some degree of suffering, disappointment, and discouragement, the universal need is for a comforter. Everything you suffer in life is part of your training to be a comforter. that is what the trials of Jesus were training him to be. The book of Hebrews stresses this in Hebrews 2:18 "because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." In 4:15 it says "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin." :o one understands like jesus is a song we sing, because he has been there and knows what we endure in our weakness, and he can give comfort because of it.

8. So it is with all of our trials and troubles and temptations. Paul says you don't waste anything in life-not even the bad stuff and the sufferings that hurt you and rob you of much joy. You don't say that was a worthless experience. You say that was terrible, but now I can be a comfort to others who go through the same deep waters. I can come along side and be an understanding companion in their pain, for I have been there. We don't all suffer the same things, but each suffers in some way that can be of comfort to others. Somewhere in the body of christ somebody can say,

I have had a miscarriage too.

I have lost a child too.

I have lost a mate too.

I have had serious surgery too.

I have had cancer too.

I have had an accident too.

I have lost my parents too.

I have lost my job too.

I have lost a major investment too.

I have been abused and rejected too.

We could go on to cover the whole vast world of suffering, for somewhere in the body of christ there is a comforter who has endured and survived every trial. They are assistants to the trinity in bringing comfort to others in the body.

9. Even the world is into the value and healing power of comfort. The world is full of support groups for every kind of suffering you can imagine. The whole idea is, if you have others who suffer the same kind of trial you do, and they are alongside you, it is easier to bear the load-and it works! Comfort is not an exclusive possession of christians, but christians should be specialists in this realm, for they are children of the father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Johann casper levater in 1769 became the first protestant theologian to conceive of the ministry as the cure of souls. He counselled many thousands and brought them comfort, for he saw this as the essence of the Christian faith. he wrote, "I have enjoyed many of the comforts of life, none of which I wish to esteem lightly; yet I confess I know not any joy that is so dear to me, that so fully satisfies the inmost desires of my mind, that so enlivens, refines, and elevates my whole nature, as that which I derive from religion-from faith in God. May this God be thy God, thy refuge, thy comfort, as he has been mine."

10. The gospel is, of course, the universal comfort, for in Christ God has provided for man's greatest problems. for the sin problem he has provided forgiveness, and for the death problem he has provided eternal life, and for the suffering problem he has provided healing and hope and help through the ministry of the body, and the Holy Spirit. Comfort is big business with God. We can't quote all the verses that deal with his comfort of Israel, but a few will give you the flavor of God's spirit. Isa.40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith your God.

Isa 51:3 The lord will surely comfort zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like eden; her wastelands like the garden of the lord, joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Isa.66:13 as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you: and you will be comforted.

11. That is why when Jesus went into the synagogue and proclaimed his purpose for being on earth, he read Isa. 61:2 "To proclaim the year of the lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn." Jesus knew that life is not fair-it breaks everybodies heart at some point, and they will mourn. But jesus said in the sermon on the mount "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." the last word will never be a groan, a scream, or a cry. The last word will always be praise, for God has the last word, and he is the God of all comfort.

If comfort is big business with God, then it ought to be big business with us. And that is what paul is saying to the Corinthians. They are to receive the comfort of God, and then pass it on to others. Arthur S. Way translates this "blessed be he who in all my affliction comforts me so perfectly that I have comfort to spare". We are not to get just enough to get by, but let God's comfort overflow so that others in the body get the

excess, and can be overcomers as well. In other words, God uses some of his people, like Paul, to be channels of his comfort to others of his people. He gets the body involved, and does not deal with everyone directly, but works in their lives through others he has already comforted.

12. Every gift of comfort you receive you are to pass on to others in the body. It does not require wealth or education to get into this ministry of comfort-all it takes is a caring spirit and your experience of surviving trials. Comfort is a great gift to give because by giving it away you don't lose it, but get even more. It multiplies by being given away. You enrich others, and get richer yourself in the process. Fortunately, most christians do the ministry of comforting even though they do not realize they are in the ministry, but unfortunately, because this ministry is not recognized, it is neglected, or even worse, we become like jobs friends. Job called his friends miserable comforters.

A miserable comforter is one who does not relieve the burden, but adds more weight to the load so it is harder to bear than ever. Job's so-called friends made him feel his problems were all his fault, and for some reason Job was not encouraged by this evaluation of his suffering. These friends missed the chance to play the role that God intended, and instead they played the role that Satan intended. When we fail to comfort, we are like job's friends.

We will not always succeed in our attempts to comfort. A nurse was trying to console a young woman who had just given birth to her baby in the elevator of a :orth Carolina hospital. "don't feel bad" she said-"two years ago a woman delivered her baby in the front yard of the hospital." The new mother burst into tears and sobbed out-"I know, that was me too." You won't win them all, but it is your christian duty to try. Without comforters people come to the end of their rope and want to give up.

13. Paul makes it clear that there is a twofold purpose in every christian service-the worship of God, and the comfort of the worshippers. There is a heavenly goal-to praise and adore our Lord, but there is also an earthly goal-to encourage the saints. Paul makes this so clear in I Cor. 14 where he deal with the gifts of the spirit. Look at the first three verses, "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him, he utters mysteries with his spirit, but everyone who prophesies speaks to men for there strengthening, encouragement and comfort." Paul's whole point in this section of this letter is that some gifts, like tongues, are of more value as private means of worship. In the public service that which is of most value is that which encourages and comforts the body. The teaching and preaching ministry of the church is to be a ministry of comfort and encouragement.

Why did Paul write to the Thessalonians and explain the rapture and the resurrection? Was it just to give them more theological content to their faith? :o! It was to comfort them in the loss of their loved ones. The practical purpose of all knowledge is not just

to give you facts so you can answer the questions on bible quizzes, but to give comfort, and so Paul ends I Thess. 4 with verse 18 "therefore encourage each other with these words."

Ask God to give thee skill In comforts art, That thou mayst consecrated be, And set apart, Unto a life of sympathy, For heavey is the weight of ill, In every heart; And conforters are needed much Of Christlike touch. A. E. Hamilton

14. In 1979 Dale Berra of the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a fly ball in the ninth inning of a crucial game for the national league pennant, and it cost them the game. Berra sat by himself in the locker room racked with a sense of failure and paralyzed with guilt. He could not bring himself to join his teammates to eat. But Willie Stargell heaped up a plate of food and brought it over to Berra, and handed it to him. He put his big hand on Berra's shoulder and said, "now, Dale, you weren't the only one who lost the game; we all feel we lost it with you, and we are family." These words of comfort spread the load of grief around so the whole team bore it together, and Berra was able to cope with his share of the load. They went on to win the pennant. All could have been lost without the ministry of comfort.

15. Back in 1947 when Henry Ford died, the Detroit paper had the entire front page devoted to this man who developed the automobile. There was a picture of Mr. Ford, and under it the inscription: "the dreamer." There was also a picture of Mrs. Ford, and under her the inscription was: "the believer." Ford had many hard times, and things did not always go right. He may have given up and quit had it not been for the encouragement of his wife. Many a dreamers dreams would never come true without a comforter to encourage them to press on in tough times. Comforters help dreamers hang on until their dreams come true. May god help us to accept our calling to be partners with the God of all comfort. encouragement of his wife. Many a dreamers dreams would never come true without a comforter to encourage them to press on in tough times. Comforters help dreamers hang on until their dreams come true. May god help us to accept our calling to be partners with the God of all comfort.

16. A young American was studying music in Berlin, and he ran out of funds. Paderewski was in Berlin at the time, and he heard of the student's plight. He called on the student and loaned him the money to continue his studies. It was 40 years later that they met again in Boston. The student was now very successful in the music world, and he offered to repay Paderewski. He refuse the check, and said, "I don't need it, and now you don't need it. So why don't you hunt up a student who is in the same straits

you were 40 years ago, and led it to him. God find that boy, and pass along the help I gave you." That is the spirit of the comforter, and that is the calling of all believers to be those who pass on the comfort we have received to those who are in desperate need of it.

17. Vance Havner said, "If even rugged Elijah came down with a nervous reaction after his day at Carmel, we lesser fry need not be surprised if oftimes the journey is too great for us....and, mind you, the Lord did not give Elijah a lecture; He fed his and put him to sleep..." The believer often needs food and rest or he will not cope well with life's circumstances. O Give Thine own sweet rest to me, That I may speak with soothing power, A word in season as from Thee, To weary ones in needful hour.

18. Spurgeon, "A man who has never had any trouble is very awkward when he tries to comfort troubled hearts. Hence, the minister of Christ, if he is to be of much use in God’s service, must have great trouble. “Prayer, meditation, and affliction,” says Melanchthon, “are the three things that make the minister of God.” There must be prayer. There must be meditation and there must be affliction. You cannot pronounce the promise correctly in the ears of the afflicted unless you, yourself, have known its preciousness in your own hour of trial. It is God’s will that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, should often work by men according to that ancient word of His, “Comfort you, comfort you My people, says your God. Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem.” These comforting men are to be made.they are not born so.and they have to be made by passing through the furnace, themselves. They cannot comfort others unless they have had trouble and have been comforted in it."

19. GILL, "Blessed be God,.... This is an ascription of praise and glory to God, for he can only be blessed of men, by their praising and glorifying him, or by ascribing honour and blessing to him: and in this form of blessing him he is described, first by his relation to Christ,

even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: whose Son Christ is, not by creation, as angels and men, nor by adoption, as saints, but in such a way of filiation, as no creatures are, or possibly can be: he is his only begotten Son, his own proper Son, his natural and eternal Son, is of the same nature with him, and equal to him in perfections, power, and glory. This is rightly prefaced by the apostle to the other following characters, since there is no mercy nor comfort administered to the sons of men but through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Saviour of sinners. And next he is described by his attribute of mercy, and the effects of it, or by his merciful disposition to his creatures,

the Father of mercies. The Jews frequently address God in their prayersF1 under the title or character of, אב הרחמים, "Father of mercies". The plural number is used, partly to show that God is exceeding merciful; he delights in showing mercy to poor miserable creatures, and is rich and plenteous in the exercise of it: nothing is more common in the Talmudic

writings, than to call him רחמנא, "the merciful", and this is partly to express the multitude of his tender mercies, of which he is the "Father", author, and giver, both in a temporal, and spiritual sense; for there are not only innumerable providential mercies which the people of God share in, and partake of, but also a multitude of spiritual mercies. Such as redemption by Christ, pardon of sin through his blood, regeneration by his Spirit, supplies of grace out of his fulness, and the word and ordinances; all which are owing to the mercy of God, which they have abundant reason to be thankful to him, and bless him for, being altogether unworthy and undeserving of them. God is also described by his work of comforting the saints,

and the God of all comfort; most rightly is this character given him, for there is no solid comfort but what comes from him; there is none to be had in, and from the creatures; and whatever is had through them it is from him: and all spiritual comfort is of him; whatever consolation the saints enjoy they have it from God, the Father of Christ, and who is their covenant God and Father in Christ; and the consolation they have from him through Christ in a covenant way is not small, and for which they have great reason to bless the Lord, as the apostle here does; for it is from him that Christ, the consolation of Israel, and the Spirit, the Comforter, come, and whatever is enjoyed by the Gospel.

20. Doug Goins has one of the best sermons on this whole passage."The two words intertwined throughout the paragraph are comfort and affliction. These two ideas always go together in the Bible. Affliction is what we would call hard times, difficult times, stressful times. Synonymous with the word affliction is another word that appears in the paragraph, suffering. It is our universal experience. Affliction comes to all of us in the body of Christ, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. The prayer request section in our bulletin each week reminds us of our brothers and sisters who struggle in life, and how we can enter into it by praying for them. Public sharing in our worship services reveal people who are suffering among us, but who also are experiencing the comfort of God. These things go together. Comfort is a strong biblical word. Our merciful, compassionate, heavenly Father is the source of comfort. The word really means strengthening, literally to come alongside and help. So comfort goes beyond empathy or sympathy by putting strength into our hearts. Because the apostle Paul personally experienced this kind of spiritual encouragement in his own affliction, he opens this section with a doxology of praise and thanksgiving to his Father God, who supplies all the resources we need in our common experience of suffering. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction" The next words in the text, "so that," is a purpose phrase that Paul uses to unfold several of God's sovereign purposes behind our suffering as a Christian community. Our suffering allows us to comfort others

The first purpose is detailed at the end of verse 4. God allows our suffering so that we might be able to enter into others' suffering and offer comfort to them. We are comforted "so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." This statement would be a tremendous challenge to the Corinthian church because of their self-centered Christianity. Unfortunately, we are not that much different than they, with our own

pride in individualism, our self-ism. Paul's point is that this provision of comfort from God in our suffering is not self-serving, but it is intended to equip us to serve one another and to serve the church. God uses his comforted people to enter the lives of suffering people so as to bring comfort to them. Our suffering and comfort is training ground for ministry in the body of Christ.

Another important observation in verse 4 is that God's provision for comfort does not always result in deliverance from affliction. In verse 4, Paul uses the phrase "in all our affliction," and then "those who are in any affliction." Later in the letter, Paul will talk about what he called a thorn in the flesh that bedeviled him. Although God never chose to remove it from his life, he was with Paul through the chronic struggle. In the last verse in this passage, Paul does talk about an experience of God's faithful deliverance from an overwhelming difficulty. Here we are not promised release from the trouble, but we are promised divine help and support through the suffering. We suffer because Jesus suffered

Another dynamic of suffering comes from our relationship to the Lord Jesus. God allows our suffering because of our identification with Jesus Christ. Again, verse 5 says, "For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." Remember that even the Lord Jesus had to suffer, and if we are following and serving him, then we will encounter hardships. In Philippians 3:10, Paul describes this dynamic of living for Christ as "the fellowship of his sufferings," the hard times that come from following Jesus as our Savior. The apostle Peter described it as suffering "for the sake of righteousness" (1 Peter 3:14). If we choose to live in the fellowship of his sufferings, the good news is that the comfort and strengthening of Jesus Christ is exactly equal to the pressure which we experience in life. Paul makes that point later in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 : "...we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." We are comforted through suffering because we are identified with Jesus Christ."

21. the god of all comfort base on ii cor. 1:1-7by pastor glenn pease

(forgive the lack of capitals. it was typed many years ago for another purpose, but it still has value in spite of it's defects.)

general daniel sickles was seriously wounded at the battle of gettysburg, and he was removed to washington where his leg was amputated. president lincoln came to visit him, and the general said to him that he had heard the officials in washington were so worried about the outcome of the battle of gettysburg that they were packed and ready to abandon the city on short notice. lincoln responded, "yes, some precautions were prudently taken, but for my part i was sure of our success at gettysburg". "why," i asked, "were you so confident? the army of the potomac had suffered many reverses."

there was a pause. the president seemed in deep meditation. his pale face was lighted up by an expression i had not observed before. turning to me he said, "when lee crossed the potomac and entered pennsylvania i felt the crisis had come. i knew that a defeat in a great battle on northern soil involved the loss of washington, to be followed, perhaps, by the intervention of england and france in favor of the southern confederacy. i went to my room and got down on my knees in prayer. never before had i prayed with so much earnestness. i wish i could repeat my prayer. i felt that i must put all my trust in almighty god. he gave our people the best country ever given to man. he alone could save it from destruction. i had tried my best to do my duty and found myself unequal to the task. the burden was more than i could bear. god had often been our protector in other days. i prayed that he would not let the nation perish. i asked him to help us and give us the victory now. i felt that my prayer was answered. i had no misgivings about the result of gettysburg".

lincoln in the midst of great trials, tension and troubles found, as paul did, that god is the god of all comfort. and because he was comforted by god and given assurance that this great nation would not perish, nor lose its honor as a nation of freedom and equality, he became a channel of comfort to others. he did not seek revenge, but reconciliation with the south. he did not go along with those who wanted to add more widows to the suffering population by executing soldiers who had gone to sleep on guard duty, or who went awol. lincoln was a man of great compassion and full of mercy because he knew that without the mercy and compassion of god the whole nation would have been sunk.

lincoln practiced what paul preached in this 1st chapter of ii cor. nobody becomes a truly good christian who does not grasp this truth that god is the god of all comfort. the father, son and holy spirit are radically different in their functions in the godhead, and in the role they play in the plan of salvation. but they are all three comforters.

the father of the lord jesus is here called the god of all comfort. the greek word for comfort is paraklesis which means a calling along side. a comforter is one who comes to your side and shares the burden. a comforter helps lift the load you carry. jesus called the holy spirit the comforter-the parakletos.in john 14 jesus says to his disciples he is asking the father to send another comforter, for he is departing. this comforter will teach them the truth and remind them of what he taught them when he was with them. the point of jesus is that they would never be alone, but always have a comforter along side them.

the implication is clear that you can't live the christian life alone. you need one along side to give comfort and encouragement or you will let the troubles of life get the best of you. why are there so many christians who drop out of the christian race? it is because they did not know or did not enter into this truth that there is a comforter always available. jesus was the comforter of his disciples while he walked the earth, but now he is present with his disciples in the holy spirit, the other comforter. and when we invite jesus and the holy spirit to indwell us we become comforters as well. paul was comforting the corinthians here, and in chapter 7 verses 4 and 13 he uses the same word, paraklesis, to describe the comfort and encouragement he received from

them. then in romans 15:4 paul uses the word again when he says the scriptures were written for our comfort. he tells christians everywhere to also comfort one another. this brief sketch of the use of the word makes it clear that comfort is a major work of god, the bible, the church, and every christian in it. we are not all called to preach or teach or sing, or a thousand and one other tasks that need to be done in the body of christ. but every christian is called to comfort. in a fallen world where nobody escapes some degree of suffering, disappointment, and discouragement, the universal need is for a comforter.

everything you suffer in life is part of your training to be a comforter. that is what the trials of jesus were training him to be. the book of hebrews stresses this in hebrews 2:18 "because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." in 4:15 it says "for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin." no one understands like jesus is a song we sing, because he has been there and knows what we endure in our weakness, and he can give comfort because of it.

so it is with all of our trials and troubles and temptations. paul says you don't waste anything in life-not even the bad stuff and the sufferings that hurt you and rob you of much joy. you don't say that was a worthless experience. you say that was terrible, but now i can be a comfort to others who go through the same deep waters. i can come along side and be an understanding companion in their pain, for i have been there.

we don't all suffer the same things, but each suffers in some way that can be of comfort to others. somewhere in the body of christ somebody can say, i have had a miscarriage too.i have lost a child too.i have lost a mate too.i have had serious surgery too.i have had cancer too.i have had an accident too.i have lost my parents too.i have lost my job too.i have lost a major investment too.i have been abused and rejected too.we could go on to cover the whole vast world of suffering, for somewhere in the body of christ there is a comforter who has endured and survived every trial. they are assistants to the trinity in bringing comfort to others in the body. even the world is into the value and healing power of comfort. the world is full of support groups for every kind of suffering you can imagine. the whole idea is, if you have others who suffer the same kind of trial you do alongside you it is easier to bear the load, and it works! comfort is not an exclusive possession of christians. but christians should be specialists in this realm, for they are children of the father of compassion and the god of all comfort.

johann casper levater in 1769 became the first protestant theologian to conceive of the

ministry as the cure of souls. he counselled many thousands and brought them comfort, for he saw this as the essence of the christian faith. he wrote,

i have enjoyed many of the comforts . of life, none of which i wish to esteem lightly; yet i confess i know not any joy that is so dear to me, that so fully satisfies the inmost desires of my mind, that so enlivens, refines, and elevates my whole nature, as that which i derive from religion-from faith in god. may this god be thy god, thy refuge, thy comfort, as he has been mine.

the gospel is, of course, the universal comfort, for in christgod has provided for man's greatest problems. for the sin problem he has provided forgiveness, and for the death problem he has provided eternal life, and for the suffering problem he has provided healing and hope and help through the ministry of the body, and the holy spirit. comfort is big business with god. we can't quote all the verses that deal with his comfort of israel, but a few will give you the flavor of god's spirit.

isa.40:1 comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith y0ur god.

isa 51:3 the lord will surely comfort zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like eden; her wastelands like the garden of the lord. joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

isa.66:13 as a mother comforts her child, so will i comfort you:and you will be comforted.

that is why when jesus went into the synagogue and proclaimed his purpose for being on earth he read isa. 61:2 "to proclaim the year of the lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our god, to comfort all who mourn." jesus knew that life is not fair-it breaks everybodies heart at some point, and they will mourn. but jesus said in the sermon on the mount "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." the last word will never be a groan, a scream, or a cry. the last word will always be praise, for god has the last word, and he is the god of all comfort. if comfort is big business with god, then it ought to be big business with us. and that is what paul is saying to the corinthians. they are to receive the comfort of god, and then pass it on to others. arthur s. way translates this "blessed be he who in all my affliction comforts me so perfectly that i have comfort to spare". we are not to get just enough to get by, but let god's comfort overflow so that others in the body get the excess, and can be overcomers as well. in other words, god uses some of his people, like paul, to be channels of his comfort to others of his people. he gets the body involved and does not deal with everyone directly, but works in their lives through others he has already

comforted.

every gift of comfort you receive you are to pass on to others in the body. it does not require wealth or education to get into this ministry of comfort-all it takes is a caring spirit and your experience of surviving trials. comfort is a great gift to give because by giving it away you don't lose it, but get even more. it multiplies by being given away. you enrich others, and get richer yourself in the process. fortunately most christians do the ministry of comforting even though they do not realize they are in the ministry. but unfortunately because this ministry is not recognized it is neglected, or even worse, we become like jobs friends. job called his friends miserable comforters.

a miserable comforter is one who does not relieve the burden, but adds more weight to the load so it is harder to bear than ever. job's so called friends made him feel his problems were all his fault, and for some reason job was not encouraged by this evaluation of his suffering. these friends missed the chance to play the role that god intended, and instead they played the role that satan intended. when we fail to comfort we are like job's friends. beecher reminds us, "we are called, not only to sit together in heavenly places. but to stand together in unheavenly places."

paul makes it clear that there is a twofold purpose in every christian service-the worship of god and the comfort of the worshippers. there is a heavenly goal-to praise and adore our lord, but there is also an earthly goal-to encourage the saints. paul makes this so clear in i cor. 14 where he deal with the gifts of the spirit. look at the first three verses, "follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. for anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to god. indeed, no one understands him, he utters mysteries with his spirit. but everyone who prophesies speaks to men for there strengthening, encouragement and comfort." paul's whole point in this section of this letter is that some gifts, like tongues, are of more value as private means of worship. in the public service that which is of most value is that which encourages and comforts the body. the teaching and preaching ministry of the church is to be a ministry of comfort and encouragement.

that is the point of coming together, and it is not just the teachers and preachers who are responsible to achieve this goal. paul goes on to say that all the members of the church are to come together and do whatever they do-sing , speak, etc. for this same goal. he says in verse 26, "all of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." what does not help to achieve this goal is to be eliminated. he gives an example of no one present to interpret a tongue. if that is the case, don't waste anybody's time, keep quiet in the church. the whole service paul says is to be designed for comfort. he writes in verse 31, "for you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."

why did paul write to the thessalonians and explain the rapture and the resurrection? was it just to give them more theological content to their faith? no! it was to comfort them in the loss of their loved ones. the practical purpose of all knowledge is not just to give you facts so you can answer the questions on bible quizzes, but to give comfort, and so paul ends i thess. 4 with verse 18 "therefore encourage each other with these words."

when the lost come to church the goal is to comfort them with the gospel-making it clear to them that god loves them and has provided a way of salvation. this is the greatest comfort any sinner can receive. and what about the fallen saint that has gone astray? the goal is the same-to give comfort. the worse sin paul had to deal with in the corinthian church was the man who was sleeping with his father's wife. he got the church to severely discipline him, but when he repented paul writes in ii cor. 2:6-7, "the punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. i urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him." the point is, there is no one in any church who is to be denied the ministry of comfort. everybody has a right to be comforted by the body of christ, and every member of the body has a responsibility to be an agent of comfort. the father of compassion and the god of all comfort expects his children to be people of passion, and people of comfort.

we will not always succeed. a nurse was trying to console a young woman who had just given birth to her baby in the elevator of a north carolina hospital. "don't feel bad" she said-"two years ago a woman delivered her baby in the front yard of the hospital." the new mother burst into tears and sobbed out-"i know, that was me too." you won't win them all, but it is your christian duty to try. without comforters people come to the end of their rope and want to give up.

in 1979 dale berra of the pittsburgh pirates dropped a fly ball in the ninth inning of a crucial game for the national league pennant, and it cost them the game. berra sat by himself in the locker room racked with a sense of failure and paralyzed with guilt. he could not bring himself to join his teammates to eat. but willie stargell heaped up a plate of food and brought it over to berra, and handed it to him. he put his big hand on berra's shoulder and said, "now, dale, you weren't the only one who lost the game; we all feel we lost it with you, and we are family." these words of comfort spread the load of grief around so the whole team bore it together, and berra was able to cope with his share of the load. they went on to win the pennant. all could have been lost without the ministry of comfort.

back in 1947 when henry ford died the detroit paper had the entire front page devoted to this man who developed the automobile. there was a picture of mr. ford, and under it the inscription: "the dreamer." there was also a picture of mrs. ford and under her the inscription was: "the believer." ford had many hard times, and things did not always go right. he may have given up and quit had it not been for the encouragement of his wife. many a dreamers dreams would never come true without a comforter to encourage them to press on in tough times. comforters help dreamers hang on until their dreams come true. may god help us to accept our calling to be partners with the god of all comfort.

4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we

can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort

we ourselves have received from God.

1. Notice Paul's vocabulary in verses 4 through 10. Here he refers to our troubles twice. In verse 5 and 6 he refers to sufferings twice. In verse 6 he refers to being distressed. In verse 8 he refers to hardship, pressure and despair. In verse 9 he refers to the sentence of death, and in verse 10 to deadly peril. This is not what we would expect from the Apostle of joy, who urges us to "rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." Paul was a realistic man, and he knew that with all that we have to be thankful for, and all that we have to praise God for, and with all of the reasons we have to rejoice always, we still live in a fallen world where believers endure most all of the same trials and tribulations of the non-Christians. Our faith in Christ saves us for eternity, and saves us from much of the troubles that come due to a sinful lifestyle, but it does not save us from all of the common problems and stresses of life. Many times believers are given the impression that these common problems are supposed to disappear for Christians. When this does not happen they begin to doubt God's love for them, and even their salvation. They sometimes even forsake going to church, because they are angry at God, and think God is punishing them. All of their negative feelings are based on an unrealistic expectation that they would be spared from all suffering. They need to pay attention to what the Bible makes clear, and that is that suffering may even increase by becoming a believer. Suffering has to be accepted as part of life, for it is universal, and Murphy's Law works for believers just the same as with un-believers. That is why we need comfort, and why it plays such a major role in the ministry of the church.

2. God comforts us by many means, and usually it is through his Word, or through another believer, or group of believers. Having been encouraged to press on and gain the victory over the problem that bothered us, we then are to be channels of that same comfort to others who are being discouraged by their problems. We are to avoid being like the Dead Sea where the stream of the river flows into it, but never goes out, and that is why it is dead. We are to be a part of the living stream that comes from God's heart to our own heart, and then flows out of us to carry the refreshment of comfort to others who need it just as we did. We are to keep the flow going, and not let it die with us when we are strengthened to overcome whatever was holing us back. We are obligated to at least double every comfort we receive by sharing it with at least one other person, but hopefully many may be recipients of our overflowing comfort. God is in the comfort business, and we are distributors of the product. You may not distribute Amway products, but you are fully authorized to distribute the Godway products that convey comfort in many different forms.

3. Clarke had strong feelings about this as he wrote, "Even spiritual comforts are not given us for our use alone; they, like all the gifts of God, are given that they may be distributed, or become the instruments of help to others. A minister's trials and comforts are permitted and sent for the benefit of the Church. What a miserable preacher must he be who has all his divinity by study and learning, and nothing by experience! If his soul have not gone through all the travail of regeneration, if his heart have not felt the love of God shed abroad in it by the Holy Ghost, he can neither instruct the ignorant nor comfort the distressed."

3B. Another author adds, " “It is not enough for the ministers of the gospel to have devoured many books of learning, to be able to decide polemical questions in divinity, to convince gainsayers, to be doctors angelical, subtle or profound; to be. the hammer of heretics. Unless also they have the experimental works of God’s Spirit upon their own souls, they are not able to apply themselves to the hearts of others. Paul had not been able to comfort others, if the Lord had not practically acquainted him with heavenly consolations.” . Burgesse

4. Paul went through more suffering than the vast majority of godly men ever endure, and he survived it more wonderfully than any man ever has. He was God's masterpiece on display for the whole church through all time. His suffering and his victories over it all were not just for his sake, but for the sake of all God's people. His life, with all of its troubles, stands as a perpetual witness to the whole church of all time, that God is able to deliver us from all the trials of life. We may have to go over them, through them, or around them, but one way or another God will bring us through whatever trial life may throw at us. Paul did, of course, finally die, but that did not end his life, for God brought him through that as well, and he rejoiced to be with Christ, which was, he said, "far better." Even the worst thing a fallen world could throw at him, which was death, was no match for the comfort of the resurrection. The bottom line is, you cannot lose by faithfull looking to the Lord through all the trials of life, for those who do so will always have the comfort of his presence, and the comfort of the fulfillment of all his promises. With Christ, which was, he said, "far better." Even the worst thing a fallen world could throw at him, which was death, was no match for the comfort of the resurrection. The bottom line is, you cannot lose by faithfull looking to the Lord through all the trials of life, for those who do so will always have the comfort of his presence, and the comfort of the fulfillment of all his promises.

5. GILL, "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,.... The apostle in this verse gives a reason of the former thanksgiving, and at the same time confirms the above character of God, as "the God of all comfort", by his own experience, and that of his fellow ministers; who, though they had been in great tribulation and affliction for the sake of Christ, and his Gospel, yet were not left destitute of divine help and support under their trials; but had much consolation and sweet refreshment administered to them by the presence of God with them, the application of his promises to them, the shedding abroad of his love in them, and the fellowship and communion they enjoyed with Father, Son, and Spirit. The end of this, or why God was pleased to comfort them in such a manner, was not so much on their own account; though it showed that they were loved, and not hated and rejected of God, but for the good of others:

that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God; many are the troubles and afflictions of the saints in this life, but it is the will of God that they should be comforted: and the persons he employs and makes use of in this way are his ministering servants, whose principal work and business it is to speak comfortably to the people of God; see Isaiah 40:1, and that they may be able to do so, that they may be fitted and furnished for so good a work, they are blessed with a rich experience of divine consolation in themselves, under the various troubles and exercises they are attended with in the course of their ministry; and such persons are, of all others, the fittest, and indeed the only proper persons to speak a word in season to weary souls.

5. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over

into our lives, so also through Christ

our comfort overflows.

1. Paul here narrows down the kind of suffering he is dealing with, for it is the overflow of the sufferings of Christ. In other words, we are the body of Christ in the world, and the things that he suffered in his earthly body continue to flow from a hostile world into the church. Jesus told his disciples that they would be hated just as he was, and all who love Jesus will suffer by that association from those who hate the Savior and all that he taught. Here we are dealing with the suffering of the body because of persecution, and the suffering of the mind because of attacks on our faith and doctrines. The history of the church is filled with endless attacks on believers, and it is still at its worst in some parts of the world where Christians are killed for being followers of Christ. The mental battles are also furious on the Internet, for atheism is strong, and the cults are strong, and believers are under contant attack for their beliefs. All of this is the overflow from the sufferings of Christ.

1B. Paul had a life filled with suffering. He describes some of these sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28: stripes . . . prisons . . . beaten . . . stoned . . . shipwrecked . . . perils of waters . . . robbers . . . in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." All of this was because of his serving Jesus Christ as his Lord. He was hit with the overflow of the sufferings of Christ like a tidal wave, and yet he was victorious by the comfort he had in Christ, and he counted it a joy to suffer for the one who saved him for eternity, and saved him over and over

again in time from all of the attacks of the enemy.

2. So to balance things out from all of the negative sufferings that believers must endure, our Lord has let flow from his throne a stream of mercy and comfort that overflows as well. Here the image is not that of fighting fire with fire, but of fighting water with water. The flow of suffering is met with a flow of comfort, and the comfort river is stronger, and can push back the flow of suffering so that it does not overwhelm the believer. Jesus said in John 7:38-9, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." By the power of the Holy Spirit we can have an inner flow of living water that can quench, not only the firey darts of the wicked one, but can also push back the flow of sufferings he inflicts on us in striving to flood out lives with doubts and disbelief.

3. Calvin, "This statement may be explained in two ways . actively and passively. If you take it actively, the meaning will be this: “The more I am tried with various afflictions, so much the more resources have I for comforting others.” I am, however, more inclined to take it in a passive sense, as meaning that God multiplied his consolations according to the measure of his tribulations. David also acknowledges that it had been thus with him:According to the multitude, says he, of my anxieties within me, thy consolations have delighted my soul." (Psalm 94:19.)

4. J. H. Jowett in a sermon on II Cor. 1:5 is rather harsh on us as contemporary believers in the Western world where we seldom suffer any persecution. He wrote, “Now the range of our possible sufferings is determined by the largeness and nobility of our aims. It is possible to evade a multitude of sorrows by the cultivation of an insignificant life...By this means a whole continent of affliction will be escaped and will remain unknown. Cultivate negatives and large traits of the universe will cease to exist. For instance, cultivate deafness and you are saved from the horrors of discord. Cultivate blindness and you are saved from the assault of the ugly. And therefore it is literally true that if you want to get through the world with the smallest trouble you must reduce yourself to the smallest compass. And indeed, that is why so many people, and even so many professedly Christian people get through life so easily, and with a minimum acquaintance with tribulation. It is because they have reduced their souls to a minimum." Paul said we are to live peacably with all men as much as we possibly can, and so he did not recommend that we seek suffering, so Jowett may be too strong in implying that we should be suffering more for Christ. But he does have a point, and that is that we tend to avoid witnessing for our Lord because it may cause some painful relationships. We would rather hide our faith than have to endure rejection or mockery.

5. Samuel H. Miller may hit closer to the truth with his criticism of our non-suffering for Christ. In his book The Life Of The Church, he speaks pointedly about the life of Christ Jesus and ours-that an honest look at our lives and His life would be a shattering experience, for He judges us, inspires us, calls us: “He was careless about himself, we are careful. He was courageous, we are cautious. He trusted the

untrustworthy, we trust those who have good collateral. He forgave the unforgivable. We forgive those who do not really hurt us. He was righteous and laughed at respectability, we are respectable and smile at righteousness. He was meek, we are ambitious. He saved others, we save ourselves as much as we can. He had no place to lay his head, and did not worry about it, while we fret because we do not have the latest convenience manufactured by clever science. He did what he believed to be right regardless of consequences, while we determine what is right by how it will affect us. He feared God, but not the world. We fear public opinion more than we fear the judgment of God. He risked everything for God, we make religion a refuge from every risk.”

6. SPURGEON, "Seek ye rest from your distresses ye children of woe and sorrow ? This is the place where ye may lighten your burden, and lose your cares. Oh, son of affliction and misery, wouldst thou forget for a time thy pains and griefs? This is the Bethesda the house of mercy; this is the place where God designs to cheer thee, and to make thy distresses stay their never ceasing course; this is the spot where his children love to be found, because here they find consolation in the midst of tribulation, joy in their sorrows, and comfort in their afflictions. Even worldly men admit that there is something extremely comforting in the sacred Scriptures, and in our holy religion; I have even heard it said of some, that after they had, by their logic, as they thought, annihilated Christianity, and proved it to be untrue, they acknowledged that they had spoilt an excellently comforting delusion, and that they could almost sit down and weep to think it was not a reality. Ay, my friends, if it were not true, ye might weep. If the Bible were not the truth of God--if we could not meet together around his mercy seat, then ye might put your hands upon your loins and walk about as if ye were in travail. If ye had not something in the world beside your reason, beside the fleeting joys of earth--if ye had not something which God had given to you, some hope beyond the sky, some refuge that should be more than terrestrial, some deliverance which should be more than earthly, then ye might weep;--ah! weep your heart out at your eyes, and let your whole bodies waste away in one perpetual tear. Ye might ask the clouds to rest on your head, the rivers to roll down in streams from both your eyes, for your grief would "have need of all the watery things that nature could produce." But, blessed be God, we have consolation, we have joy in the Holy Ghost. We find it nowhere else. We have raked the earth through, but we have discovered ne'er a jewel; we have turned this dunghill-world o'er and o'er a thousand times, and we have found nought that is precious; but here, in this Bible, here in the religion of the blessed Jesus we the sons of God, have found comfort and joy; while we can truly say, "As our afflictions abound, so our consolations also abound by Christ."

7. GILL, "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us,.... By "the sufferings of Christ" are

not meant those which he suffered in his own person for the sake, and in the room and stead of his people, the fruits and effects of which abound to them, and in them; but those which he suffers in his members, or which they suffer for his sake; and which are said to "abound in" them, because of the variety and greatness of them; though not as if they were more or greater than what Christ suffered in his soul and body, when he was made sin and a curse for his people: yet notwithstanding the abundance of them, such is the goodness and grace of God, that he proportions comforts to them; as their afflictions increase, so do their comforts; as their sufferings for the sake of Christ, and his Gospel, are more and greater, so, says he,our consolation aboundeth by Christ: meaning, either that consolation which they felt and enjoyed in their own souls, under all their tribulations, which abundantly answered to them, and which they ascribe to Christ, from and by whom it comes to them; or else that consolation, which, by preaching Christ, abounded to the relief of others who were in distress and trouble.

6. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and

salvation; if we are comforted, it is for

your comfort, which produces in you patient

endurance of the same sufferings we

suffer.

1. Paul's suffering was not like the suffering of Christ, for it did not pay for any sin, and it was not redemptive like the suffering of Christ on the cross. It was suffering, however, that was the means of getting the Gospel to them, and so it played a role in their salvation. If Paul had not been willing to suffer to get the Gospel to Corinth and other cities, they would not have received the Lord Jesus as Savior, and they would not have been saved. All of the distress and pressure Paul and his companions went through was the basis for great comfort for those who benefited from it by hearing and receiving the good news in Christ. When the Corinthians realize that their salvation depended on the sufferings of Paul, they could not help but be grateful for what he was willing to pay to get this Gospel to them. In gratitude they should, and would, be willing to patiently suffer the same way as Paul did in order that others might hear the good news and be saved also.

2. If Paul is comforted by the love and gratitude of those who come to know the Lord by his efforts, that too is for their benefit, for it teaches them to be patient in their suffering knowing that the end result is worth it all. Paul's joy in his converts is worth all the pain he had to endure, and that is a comfort to others to know that it will also be worth it all for what they suffer for Christ. So both the pain and the pleasure of Paul

are a comfort to the Corinthians, and to all believers, for by them we have all benefited, and we can benefit others by sharing in those same pains and pleasures. We are not just individuals, but members of a body, and what happens to us has an effect on the whole body. If one member suffers the whole body suffers, and if one member rejoices the whole body feels the joy. Paul is saying that we are all in this together, and we are benefiting each other by what we suffer, and by what we do to encourage one another in that suffering. God comforted them, and not just to make them comfortable, but to make them comforters, so that their enduring the same pains can be a comfort to others. The bottom line is that all the body is to get involved in the ministry of comforting.

So both the pain and the pleasure of Paul are a comfort to the Corinthians, and to all believers, for by them we have all benefited, and we can benefit others by sharing in those same pains and pleasures. We are not just individuals, but members of a body, and what happens to us has an effect on the whole body. If one member suffers the whole body suffers, and if one member rejoices the whole body feels the joy. Paul is saying that we are all in this together, and we are benefiting each other by what we suffer, and by what we do to encourage one another in that suffering. God comforted them, and not just to make them comfortable, but to make them comforters, so that their enduring the same pains can be a comfort to others. The bottom line is that all the body is to get involved in the ministry of comforting.

3. Just as our greatest comfort in life comes out of the sufferings of our Lord, for by them we all receive forgiveness and eternal life, so our many other comforts in life come out of the sufferings of other believers, such as Paul, and the evangelists and missionaries who bring the Gospel to us. Almost all of our spiritual blessings come to us by means of the authors of good books, the speakers on radio and television, and the labors of teachers in churches to communicate the revelation of God's Word. They all pay a price to be channels of blessing to others, and so to some degree, all of our blessings come to us by means of the sufferings of other parts of the body. It is a paradox that our blessings come by means of suffering, but it is a fact of life, and that is what Paul is describing here. Each of us has to get into this stream of blessing that flows out to others by being willing to also pay some price to keep the stream going. We must be willing to sacrifice some time, money and labor, and be willing to endure some of the load of ministry to keep moving the blessings forward that others too might be comforted by the cost we are willing to pay.

4. Ray Stedman, "I think the older you grow as a Christian the more this becomes true. Your sufferings are not sent for you so much as they are for someone who is watching you, and seeing how you handle the pressure that you are going through. Older Christians easily forget that younger Christians are watching them all the time. When we give way to complaining and murmuring about our circumstances we are teaching these younger Christians, teaching them as if we sat down with them and waggled our fingers at them, that God is faithless, that the Scriptures are not true, that we can get no adequate support for what we are going through. When we have sufferings sent to us they are often sent so that others watching us will know that they

can be sustained. That is what Paul says to this church. "When I suffer," he says, "it is for your comfort; it is that you might see what God can do, and, what he can take me through, he can take you through. Therefore, as you watch me, you will see how to handle this."

5. Stedman goes on, "I confess that oftentimes I wish I could spare younger Christians trials and pressures. I feel this way about my children. I would love to be able to deliver them from the pressure, from the test, but I soon learned that I cannot, even as much as I want to, and it would not be good for them if I could. They need to experience the suffering so they can also experience the comfort." "Then notice that, in this remarkable interdependence of the Body, we are encouraged to share with one another what we have gone through. This is why Christians ought to share their problems, their struggles, their failures and their successes with each other, freely and openly --thus we encourage one another."

6. I was reading an article by Chuck Colson not long ago in which he said that he often asked himself why he had to go to prison as a result of Watergate. Legally, there was no reason why he should have been put in prison. :evertheless, he ended up there, and, for a long time, he struggled with that. Why did he have to suffer the humiliation, the shame, the disgrace, and the discontent of prison? But then the answer began to come. While he was in prison he learned what prisoners go through. He saw these forgotten men and women of American society, the awful injustices they often face, the difficulty, even the impossibility of recovering themselves, and there was born in him a great sense of compassion and a desire to help. Since he has gotten out of prison, he has devoted his whole life and ministry to going back in and helping these men. :ow wonderful stories are beginning to come out from prisons all over America of dramatic changes in human lives because Chuck Colson was sent to prison.

7. GILL, "And whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation,.... The apostle repeats and explains the end of both his comforts and his troubles, and shows, by a dilemma, a strong way of arguing, that the afflictions and consolations, the adversity and prosperity of him, and the other ministers of the Gospel, were for the good of the saints: and it is as if he should say, when you see us continue to preach the Gospel with so much boldness and cheerfulness, amidst so many reproaches, afflictions, and persecutions, you must be the more established in the faith, and confirmed in the truth of the Gospel; and this cannot fail of ministering much peace, satisfaction, and comfort to your minds. This animates you to hold fast the rejoicing of your hope, and the profession of your faith firm unto the end; and with the greater cheerfulness and pleasure meet with, and endure afflictions yourselves for the sake of Christ, and his Gospel: nay, he says, that the afflictions of Christ's ministers were not only for their consolation, but also for their salvation, which is effectual, or is effectually wrought in, or by the enduring, patient bearing,

of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Not that the afflictions of the saints, or of others, and their patient enduring of them, are the cause of their salvation; for Christ is only the efficient cause, he is the sole author of spiritual and eternal salvation; but these are means the Spirit of God makes use of, as he does of the word and ordinances, to bring the saints to a satisfaction as to their interest in it, and are the ordinary way in which they

are brought to the possession of it.

Or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation: for whatsoever comfort God is pleased to communicate to us, it is not kept in our breasts, and for our own use, but we immediately and readily impart it to you, that you may share with us the advantage of it, and be comforted together with us; that your faith in the doctrine of salvation may be established, your hope of it increased, and that you may be more comfortably assured you are in the way to it, and shall enjoy it.

7And our hope for you is firm, because we know

that just as you share in our

sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

1. Paul again stresses that we are all in this together, for we are all parts of the body of Christ. We suffer together, and we are comforted together. I know you are with me in this is what Paul is saying, and because it is so, I have a firm confidence and hope that our future together will be fruitful for the kingdom of God. We might be separated by space, but we are together in spirit, and we have the mind of Christ that makes us one in all of our shared experiences of suffering and comfort. We are all in the same boat, Paul says, and thus we are co-partners in both suffering and comfort. Paul is strengthing the bond they have in Christ by these words, for there have been those in Corinth who were critical of Paul, but he draws them closer to himself by his focus on their common experiences shared as partners.

2. BARNES, "And our hope of you is steadfast. We have a firm and unshaken hope in regard to you; we have a confident expectation that you will be saved. We believe that you will be enabled so to bear trial as to show that you are sustained by the Christian hope; and so as to advance your own piety, and confirm your prospect of heaven.

As ye are partakers of the sufferings. It is evident from this, that the Corinthians had been subjected to trials similar to those which the apostle had endured. It is not known to what afflictions they were then subjected; but it is not improbable that they were exposed to some kind of persecution and opposition. Such trials were common in all the early churches; and they served to unite all the friends of the Redeemer in common bonds, and to make them feel that they were one. They had united sorrows; and they had united joys; and they felt they were tending to the same heaven of glory. United sorrows and united consolations tend more than anything else to bind people together. We always have a brotherly feeling for one who suffers as we do; or who has the same kind of joy which we

have.

3. GILL, "For our hope of you is steadfast,.... We have long ago entertained hopes of you, that the work of God is begun upon your souls, and will be carried on, and that you will hold on in the profession of your faith unto the end, and not be moved by the afflictions you see in us, or endure in yourselves; and so will pass on cheerfully in your Christian race, in the midst of all your troubles, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, you may expect to be possessed of; and this hope, for or concerning you, continues with us firm and immovable.

Knowing, which may refer either to the Corinthians; so the Arabic version, "be ye knowing", or "know ye"; you may, or should know; this you may assure yourselves of: or to the apostle and other ministers; so the Syriac version, ידעינן, "we know", we are persuaded of the truth of this, that as you are partakers of the sufferings; that is, of Christ, and the same which we also suffer for him: so shall ye be; or rather, "so you are also of the consolation"; for the apostle seems to respect not future happiness and glory, in which, as there will be no afflictions and troubles, so no comfort under them, but present consolation, which the saints enjoy here as a pledge and earnest of that fulness of joy which they shall have with Christ for evermore.

8. We do not want you to be uninformed,

brothers, about the hardships we suffered in

the province of Asia. We were under great

pressure, far beyond our ability to endure,

so that we despaired even of life.

1. He could have said, "We want you to be informed," but he wants to stress the fact that they were uninformed because it was their ignorance of what he endured for them that led to some of the criticism of his ministry. He wants them to get our of the state of blind ignorance, and see in the full light the price he has to pay to spread the Gospel. If you get the full picture of our sufferings, you will have more compassion and less complaint. When people do not know what we are going through they can be thoughtless in their criticism of us, but if they are informed of the great burdens we have been carrying, and of all the problems we have had to endure this past week, they will have their critical spirit quieted by their awareness of the load we have been carrying. Ignorance of what people are suffering makes us indifferent or even critical, but full awareness will make us compassionate and caring. Don't be quick to make judgments on people until you know what they have been going through. If they are late for an appointment because they have been laying in bed watching soaps, then you

have a basis for being critical. If they are late, however, because they had to rush their child to the emergency room for serious surgery, then you should be ashamed to have been critical until you knew the reason for their lateness. Ignorance leads to sinful judging, and being informed leads to compassion, so hold your judgments until you are informed.

2. Paul gives them a full load of what he had to carry. It was a burden so heavy that he despaired even of life. The Greek word for despair means to have to outlet whatever. You are in a bind with no way out. You are enclosed by walls and there is no door anywhere. It looks hopeless. Can a believer ever reach a point where things look hopeless? Paul did, and he shares it for all of history to know that it is possible for even people of great faith and hope to face circumstances where they can see no way out. In 4:8 Paul uses this word despair again as he wrote, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." These are the only two uses of this word in all the :ew Testament. One saying that Paul was not in despair, and the other saying he did experience this most negative of all human emotions. Paul establishes that a believer can hit the bottom of the pit, but he also teaches us that even there you can hold on and be delivered, for that is the case with him. You never give up, but always trust that Jesus can deliver you even when there is no way out, for Jesus is the way when there is no way. You can be in a hopeless situation and assume that this is the end, but that is not the final word, for you can just surrender to the providence of God and see if he delivers you or takes you home. Either way, you win. Paul's point is, you never give up even when it is hopeless, for that is where God enters the picture and decides the conclusion of the events. Christians not informed of this have taken their own lives in despair. It is folly to lose all faith in God like this, and they will be held accountable for their folly. That is why it is important for believers to know that it is possible to reach this state of mind, so they do not make radical decisions thinking they are forsaken by God in that state. you never give up even when it is hopeless, for that is where God enters the picture and decides the conclusion of the events. Christians not informed of this have taken their own lives in despair. It is folly to lose all faith in God like this, and they will be held accountable for their folly. That is why it is important for believers to know that it is possible to reach this state of mind, so they do not make radical decisions thinking they are forsaken by God in that state.

3. Barnes has a lengthy comment on the sufferings of Paul. He wrote, "Of our trouble which came to us in Asia. The term Asia is often used to denote that part of Asia Minor of which Ephesus was the capital.There has been considerable diversity of opinion as to the "troubles" to which Paul here refers. Some have supposed that he refers to the persecutions at Lystra, Acts 14:6,19,20, from which he had been recovered as it were by miracle; but as that happened so long before this, it seems improbable that he should here refer to it. There is every mark of freshness and recentness about this event; and Paul evidently referred to some danger from which he had been lately delivered, and which made a deep impression on his mind when he wrote this epistle. Semler supposes that he refers to the lying in wait of the Jews for him when he was about to go to Macedonia, mentioned in Acts 20:3. Most commentators have supposed that he refers to the disturbances which were made at Ephesus by Demetrius and his friends, mentioned in Acts 19, and by reason of which he was compelled to leave the

city. The only objection to this is, that which is mentioned by Whitby and Macknight, that as Paul did not go into the theatre there, Acts 19:31, he incurred no such risk of his life as to justify the strong expressions mentioned in 2 Corinthians 1:9,10. They suppose, therefore, that he refers to the danger to which he was exposed in Ephesus on another occasion, when he was compelled to fight there with wild beasts. But nearly all these opinions may be reconciled, perhaps, by supposing that he refers to the group of calamities to which he had been exposed in Asia, and from which he had just escaped by going to Macedonia--referring, perhaps, more particularly to the conflict which he had been compelled to have with the wild beasts there. There was the riot excited by Demetrius, Acts 19, in which his life had been endangered, and from which he had just escaped; and there had been the conflict with the wild beasts at Ephesus, which perhaps had occurred but just before; and there were the plots of the Jews against him, Acts 20:3, from which, also, he had just been delivered. By these trials his life had been endangered, perhaps, more than once, and he had been called to look death calmly in the face, and to anticipate the probability that he might soon die. Of these trials --of all these trials--he would not have the Corinthians ignorant; but desired that they should be fully apprized of them, that they might sympathize with him, and that through their prayers they might be turned to, his benefit." trials his life had been endangered, perhaps, more than once, and he had been called to look death calmly in the face, and to anticipate the probability that he might soon die. Of these trials --of all these trials--he would not have the Corinthians ignorant; but desired that they should be fully apprized of them, that they might sympathize with him, and that through their prayers they might be turned to, his benefit."

4. Paul was stoned in Lystra, and only a miracle of God saved him on that occasion, and so some see this as his reference to despair, for it certainly seemed as if this was the end of Paul's earthly life. Acts 14:19 says, "And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead." This seems like a good reason to despair of life when you are dragged away like a corpse. At this point Paul could see no escape hatch from his situation. It was the end of the line for him, and he was in despair. That is when God steps into the picture and provides a way when their is no way, and because God can and does do this, we need to press on always even if we reach this depth that Paul reached. In the deepest pit of despair there is still a God of care, and he can choose to release you from that pit by his grace.

5. Calvin wrote, "Paul declares he had been oppressed beyond measure, nay more, above strength, that is, so as not to be able to endure the burden. For it is a metaphor taken from persons who give way under the pressure of a heavy load, or from ships that sink from being overladen . not that he had actually fainted, but that he felt that his strength would have failed him, if the Lord had not imparted fresh strength." The point is, Paul could not stand under the burden by his own strength, and so he depended upon the strength of God for his survival. Here is a case of temporal and physical salvation that depends completely upon the power that God imparts to the believer to overcome what would be impossible in their own strength.

6. IVP, "The new information that Paul wants to pass along to his readers is about the

hardships he and his coworkers suffered while traveling through the province of Asia. Travel news, then as now, was a common way to begin the main portion of a letter. The news that Paul discloses, however, is most uncommon. For he refers to some kind of near-death experience that he and his coworkers (we) experienced while traveling from Ephesus to Troas. The severity of the experience is evident from the fact that Paul strains the language to the limit in an effort to express himself. We were under great pressure (literally, "weighed down") far beyond our ability to endure (literally, "utterly beyond our strength"). It was so severe, Paul states, that we despaired even of living (:IV life). The term for despair implies the total unavailability of an exit or way of escape. Even of living means that he was not certain of surviving the ordeal. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death (v. 9). The tense of the verb stresses the permanent effects: "we received and still experience" (not the :IV we felt). To apokrima tou thanatou refers to a decision made in response to an official petition ("the answer of death"), not to a verdict rendered in a court of law (:IV the sentence of death). Paul reckoned his position to be like that of a man whose request for mercy had been denied and who was condemned to die. So futile did the situation appear that when deliverance occurred it was tantamount to resurrection: God, who raises the dead . . . delivered us (vv. 9-10). The verb "to deliver" denotes God's action to preserve or keep intact. The purpose of this near-death experience, Paul states, was to substitute dependence on God for reliance on self (v. 9). refers to a decision made in response to an official petition ("the answer of death"), not to a verdict rendered in a court of law (:IV the sentence of death). Paul reckoned his position to be like that of a man whose request for mercy had been denied and who was condemned to die. So futile did the situation appear that when deliverance occurred it was tantamount to resurrection: God, who raises the dead . . . delivered us (vv. 9-10). The verb "to deliver" denotes God's action to preserve or keep intact. The purpose of this near-death experience, Paul states, was to substitute dependence on God for reliance on self (v. 9).

7. Some use this verse to deal with the issue of why bad things happen to good people. :ew books are coming out continually on how to answer this question, but all you need to know is that it happens because we live in a sinful world. Paul suffered all he did because people hated his message and tried to stop him or kill him. It is not an obscure matter hard to figure out. My answer to somone asking this question would be to ask another question. Why do good soldiers have bad things happen to them? This is no mystery at all. Soldiers have enemies who are trying to kill them, and make their lives miserable in any way possible to weaken them so they can win the battle. Believers are in warfare with the enemies of the faith, both in the spiritual realm and the physical, and if this battle is real and not just a fake performance, then godly soldiers will suffer wound and casualties like any other army in warfare. This, of course, is only one aspect of suffering that believers have to endure, for we cannot blame Satan and his troops for all the miseries of life. Many are caused by our own neglect of healt laws. We don't ear right, or sleep right, or get the exercise we need. We abuse our bodies and then wonder why we suffer, when it is plain to all that we have brought it on ourselves. Other suffering is due to what we have inherited that makes us subject to diseases and afflictions that others may not have. It is not God picking on us, or Satan persecuting us, but the laws of nature built into creation. The point is, there are many

reasons for why we suffer as good and godly people, but most of it is due to the effects of sin in one way or another.

8. It is a paradox, but the fact is we can be thankful for problems, for that is the only way we can experience the power and comfort of God. If we never have any need for God's deliverance, and never have any need for his comfort, we will never really come to know him as our Father in heaven. It is by his answers to our prayers, and by his bringing us through our trials that we come to know him and his loving concern for us. If we never have any need of his grace, mercy and providential guidance, we will never relate to him with the spirit of humble gratitude. Many of the positive virtues of life come to us though the negative experience of life. When I escape a near accident that could have taken my life, I am filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. When a serious illness ends with a complete recovery, I am so grateful for the life God has given to me. The more sufferings I overcome the greater is my wonder at the love of God that leads me to victory after victory. When we are survivors, we are more grateful for what we have compared to those who have never been threatened with the loss of their lives or health. Paul was an exceedingly thankful man because of all the sufferings he survived.

9. GILL, "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble,.... The apostle was very desirous that the Corinthians might be thoroughly acquainted with the trouble that had lately befallen them; partly because it would clearly appear from hence what reason he had to give thanks to God as he had done; and partly, that they might be encouraged to trust in God, when in the utmost extremity; but chiefly in order to remove a charge brought against him by the false apostles; who, because he had promised to come to Corinth, and as yet had not come, accused him of lightness and inconstancy, in as much as he had not kept his promise. Now to show that it was not owing to any such temper and disposition of mind in him, he would have them know, that though he sincerely intended a journey to them, yet was hindered from pursuing it, by a very great affliction which befell him: the place where this sore trouble came upon him, is expressed to be in Asia: some have thought it refers to all the troubles he met with in Asia, for the space of three years, whereby he was detained longer than he expected; but it seems as though some single affliction is here particularly designed: many interpreters have been of opinion, that the tumult raised by Demetrius at Ephesus is here meant, when Paul and his companions were in great danger of their lives, Acts 19:21, but this uproar being but for a day, could not be a reason why, as yet, he had not come to Corinth: it seems rather to be some other very sore affliction, and which lasted longer, that is not recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: the greatness of this trouble is set forth in very strong expressions, as that we were pressed out of measure. The affliction was as an heavy burden upon them, too heavy to bear; it was exceeding heavy, καθ' υπερβολην, even to an "hyperbole", beyond expression; and above strength, that is, above human strength, the strength of nature; and so the Syriac renders it, מן חילן, "above our strength"; but not above the strength of grace, or that spiritual strength communicated to them, by which they were supported under it: the apostle adds, insomuch that we despaired even of life; they were at the utmost loss, and in the greatest perplexity how to escape the danger of life; they greatly doubted of it; they saw no probability nor possibility, humanly speaking, of preserving it.

9. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of

death. But this happened that we might

not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the

dead.

1. Paul felt he had reached the end of the line, and he heard, as it were, someone shout "pull" as he had his head under the blade ready to fall and drop his head into a basket. He had one choice in this situation, and that was to depend upon God to spare him. He had no choice to use his own strength, for that option was gone, for all his strength was gone. He only had God, and when God is all you have, it is enough, for he alone has the power to raise the dead. Paul is saying he was as good as dead, and now his only hope was resurrection. That is the final stage of hope, but God came to his rescue, and raised him up before he died. Later his life would be taken and he would be dependant totally upon the physical resurection of his body, but God gave him another chance to live and serve the cause of Christ in the world. When Paul died, he knew God had used him to achieve all that he intended to achieve through his life. He was ready to go, for he had finished the race, and had reached the goal to which God had called him.

2. Paul is not knocking self-reliance here, but just pointing out that in the final picture it is just not enough. We need to rely on God to get us through the situations where self-reliance is just inadequate. Paul practiced self-reliance in that he did not ask for support from churches, but worked at making tents to supply his needs. He was a strong independent man, but yet he had the wisdom to know that in himself he was totally inadequate to achieve God's purpose in his life without the help of others and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Barnes, "According to every probability he would die; and all that he could do was to cast himself on the protection of that God who had power to save him even then, if he chose, and who, if he did it, would exert power similar to that which is put forth when the dead are raised. The effect, therefore, of the near prospect of death, was to lead him to put increased confidence in God. He felt that God only could save him; or that God only could sustain him if he should die. Perhaps, also, he means to say, that the effect of this was to lead him to put increased confidence in God after his deliverance; not to trust in his own plans, or to confide in his own strength; but to feel that all that he had was entirely in the hands of God. This is a common and a happy effect of the near prospect of death to a Christian; and it is well to contemplate the effect on such a mind as that of Paul in the near prospect of dying, and to see how instinctively then it clings to God. A true Christian in such circumstances will rush to His arms, and feel that there he is safe."

4. GILL, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves,.... By the sentence of death is meant, not any decree of heaven, or appointment of God that they should die; nor any sentence of condemnation and death passed on them by the civil magistrate; but an opinion or persuasion in their own breasts, that they should die; so far were they from any hopes of life, that they looked upon themselves as dead men, as the Egyptians did, when their firstborn were slain, and said, "we be all dead men", Exodus 12:33, and to this extremity they were suffered to be brought by the wise counsel of God, for the following purposes, to learn to lay aside all self-trust and confidence:that we should not trust in ourselves; in our strength, wisdom, and policy, to make our escape, and preserve our lives; and also to teach and encourage them to trust in God alone, and depend on his arm, on his almighty power:but in God which raiseth the dead; who will raise the dead at the last day, and so is able to deliver persons when they are in the most distressed condition, and in their own opinion as dead men.

5.SPURGEON, "WE are justified, dear Friends, in speaking about our own experience when the mention of it will be for the benefitof others. Especially is this the case with leaders in the Church such as Paul, for their experience is rich and deep and therehearsal of it comes with great weight and is peculiarly valuable. We are all the better when we are distressed for discoveringthat such an one as Paul was also subject to heaviness—we feel safe in following the line of conduct which wasmarked out by the great Apostle and we are hopeful that if he came out of his troubles which were so great, we may, also,be delivered out of ours which are comparatively so little.These footprints on the sand of time help us to take heart. By tracing the footsteps of the flock, we are helped to returnto the fold and to the Shepherd. It would have been a great calamity if such men as David and Paul had, through afear of seeming egotistical, withheld from us a sight of their inner selves. God has been pleased to fill a large part of theBible with biographies and histories of human actions in order that we who are men, ourselves, may learn from them.Where a biography concerns mainly the inner rather than the outer life, as in the Psalms and in Paul’s Epistles, we are allthe more strengthened, instructed, directed and comforted, for it is

in the inner life that we are most perplexed and mostin danger of going astray.God grant us Grace to make good use of the treasure of experience which is stored up for us in His Word! How rich,how varied, how admirably selected! If one man can learn by the life of another, surely we ought to learn from suchmemorable lives as those immortalized in the Scriptures. Especially may we see ourselves as in a mirror while we steadilylook into the heart of Paul. As to our own experience of trial and of delivering mercy, it is sent for our good and weshould endeavor to profit to the utmost by it. But it was never intended that it should end with our private and personalbenefit. In the kingdom of God no man lives unto himself. We are bound to comfort others by the comfort which theLord has comforted us. We are under solemn obligation to seek out mourners and such as are in tried circumstances, thatwe may communicate to them the cheering testimony which we are personally able to bear to the love and faithfulness ofGod.Our Lord has handed out to us spiritual riches of joy that we may communicate to others who are in need of consolationthrough great tribulation. You may think that you are not called upon to preach and possibly you may neither havethe ability nor the opportunity for such public witness bearing, but your experience is a treasure of which you are thetrustee and you are bound by the law of gratitude to make use of all you know, all you have felt, all you have learned bypersonal experience for the comforting and the building up of your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. To be reticent is sometimesto be treacherous—you may be found unfaithful to your charge unless you endeavor to improve for the generalgood the dealings of the Lord with your soul. I would exhort every Christian to reflect the light which falls upon him.Brother, echo your Master’s voice faithfully and clearly! What the Lord has whispered to you in your ear in closets,

proclaim according to your ability upon the housetops! If you have found honey, eat of it, yet eat not the feast alone, butcall in others who can appreciate its sweetness that they may rejoice with you! If you have discovered a well, drink andquench your thirst, but hasten forthwith to call the whole caravan, that every traveler may also drink! If you have beensick and you have been healed, tell the glad news to all sick folk around you and let them know where they, too, may find a cure.

But now I invite you for a few minutes to look at THE TREATMENT ordained for the Apostle’s cure—“We hadthe sentence of death in ourselves,” which means, first, that he seemed to hear the verdict of death passed upon him by theconditions which surrounded him. So continually hounded by his malicious countrymen, he felt certain that one day orother they would cause his destruction he was so frequently subject to popular violence. He felt that his life was notworth a moment’s purchase and, therefore, so sick in body and so depressed in spirit he felt that he might, at any moment,expire.The original conveys the idea, not only of a verdict from without, but of an answer of assent from within. There wasan echo in his consciousness—an inward dread—a sort of apprehension that he was soon to die. The world threatenedhim with death and he felt that one of these days the threat would be carried out and that very speedily. And yet it wasnot so—he survived all the designs of the foe. My Brothers and Sisters, we often feel a thousand deaths in fearing one.We die before we die and find ourselves alive to die again! Death seems certain and yet the bird escapes even out of thefowler’s hands. Just when he was about to wring its neck it flew aloft. Listen! How it sings, far above his reach. “UntoGod the Lord belong the escapes from death.”A witty saying puts it, “Let us never say die till we are dead.” But then we shall most truly say we live forever and

ever! Let us postpone despair till the evil comes. Into a low state of spirit was Paul brought—death appeared imminentand his eyes of faith gazed into the eternities and this prevented his trusting in himself. The man who feels that he is aboutto die is no longer able to trust in himself. After this manner the remedy works our health. What earthly thing can helpus when we are about to die? Paul needed not to say, “My riches will not help me,” for he had no wealth. He had no needto say, “My lands and broad acres cannot comfort me, now,” for he had not even a foot of land to call his own—hiswhole estate lay in a few needles with which he made and mended tents.His trade implements and a manuscript book or two were all his possessions. He says, in effect, “Nothing on earthcan help me now. My tongue, with which I preached, cannot plead with Death, whose deaf ears no oratory can charm.My epistles and my power of writing cannot stand me in any stead, for no pen can arrest the death warrant—it is writtenand I must die. Friends cannot help me. Titus, Timothy, none of these can come to my aid. Neither Barnabas nor Silascan pass through the death stream with me—I must ford the torrent alone.” He felt as every man must who is a trueChristian and is about to die, that he must commit his spirit unto Christ and watch for His appearing. He determinedwhether he died or lived that he would spend and be spent for the Lord Jesus.Brothers and Sisters, we do not yet know what dying is—the way to the other land is an untrod path as yet. We readabout Heaven and so on, but we know very little of the way there. To the mind of one about to die, the unknown frequentlycauses a creeping sensation of fear and the heart is full of horror. Paul felt the chill of death coming over him andby this means his trust in himself was killed and he was driven to rely upon his God! If nothing else will cure us of selfconfidencewe may be content to have the rope about our neck, or to lay our

neck upon the block, or to feel the deathrattle in our throats! We may be satisfied to sink as in the deep waters if this would cure us of trusting in ourselves!Such was the case with Paul, when his gracious Master put forth His hand to turn Him aside from all glorying in theflesh. What was more, I think Paul means, here, that the sentence of death which he heard outside worked within his soula sense of entire helplessness. He was striving to fight for the kingdom and Gospel of Christ, but he saw that he must bebaffled if he had nothing to rely upon but himself—he was hampered and hemmed in on every side by the opposing Jewswho would not permit him to go about his work in peace. He despaired even of his life. He was not able to get at hiswork, for these persons were always about him, howling at him, uttering falsehoods against him and hindering him. Hebecame so worried and wearied that he was pressed and oppressed, immeasurably loaded and brought into such a state ofmind that all inward comfort failed him and he was obliged to look above for succor.

It was sharp medicine, but it worked well with Paul, for we find, first, thatPaul’s self-trust was prevented—every rising token of it was effectually removed. He says, “We had the sentence of deathin ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves.” Under this influence he preached as though he never might preachagain—a dying man to dying men! I have heard of Brethren who do not expect to die. I do not wish to disturb their hopeif it gives them comfort, but I know there is something very salutary in my own sense of the nearness of death. Christ maycome, it is true, and this faith has the same effect as the expectation of going Home to Him, but one way or the other, thesense of the insecurity of this mortal life is good for us.To bring death very near to the mind is a solemn, searching, sanctifying exercise. Our forefathers of centuries ago

were known to have a human skull on the table where they read their Bibles. I do not recommend so sickening a device—we can have a memento of death in better form than that! Still, it is greatly wise to talk about our last hours, to be familiarwith the grave, to walk among those little hillocks where our predecessors sleep and to remember that all the world islike a sandy beach where, after the tide has gone, innumerable little worm casts cover all the plain. Such a worm cast, I,too, shall leave behind me. This world is full of death’s handiwork, a very morgue—no, better—name it a God’s acre, asleeping place where myriads lie waiting for the awakening trumpet! We, too, may expect to sleep with them and, therefore,we must not confide in ourselves.Are you a dying man and can you trust yourself? More frail than the moth, driven up and down like a sere leaf in thetempest, can you trust yourself? I hope a sense of death will work a cure of that tendency in us. When the sentence ofdeath assumes the form of an experience of despair as to everything that is of our own selves, then it has thoroughlyworked the cure. I have gone up and down in my own soul where once sweet things did sing and fair hopes bloomed and Ihave searched in every chamber to hear a note or find a flower and I have found nothing but silence and death. I havegone abroad into the fields of my imagination where once I saw much that made my heart right glad and I have seen avalley of dry bones where only death reigned. Everything which I formerly rejoiced in was touched by the paralyzinghand—all was dead within me, sentence was passed and apparently executed upon my whole being.If a man does not trust God then, when will he? And if this does not take him off from self-confidence, what is to doit? This treatment never fails when the Holy Spirit uses it. Remember, this was only half the result in Paul’s case, for hedoes not only say that by this sentence of death he was delivered from trusting in himself, but he was led to trust “in God

which raises the dead.” Now, my Brothers and Sisters, we have come out of the gloom of the sepulcher into the glory ofthe resurrection! “God which raises the dead” is our hope! The doctrine of the Resurrection is essential to the Christiansystem and Paul takes it for granted.When he was delivered from trusting in himself because of the sentence of death, the first thing he did was to trust inthe God and Father of His risen Lord. For first he argued thus—If I die, what does it matter? God can raise me from thedead. If they stone me, if they smite me with the sword, if they fling me headlong into the sea, I shall rise again! I knowthat my Redeemer lives and that I shall see Him when He appears. He inferred, also, that if God could raise him from thedead, He could preserve him from a violent death. He that could restore him, if he were dead and rotten in the tomb,could certainly keep him from dying till all his lifework was accomplished. This inference is unquestionably true—“Plagues and deaths around me fly,But till He bids I cannot die!Not a single shaft can hitTill the God of love thinks fit.”Immortal is every Believer till his work is done! Paul felt this and was comforted.

10. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,

and he will deliver us. On him we

have set our hope that he will continue to deliver

us,

1. After surviving a near death experience, Paul was full of confidence that God would deliver him again and again. There has to come an end, however, for all of God's

servants come to the point of death, and so did Paul, but he went on being delivered over and over again until he had accomplished all God had for him to do. Even the saved have to be saved many times, and so physical and temporal salvation plays a major role in the history of God's people. Spiritual salvation by which we are given eternal life is a once for all experience, but physical salvation can happen many times in the life of a believer, as was the case with Paul. God is able to deliver us from all deadly perils, and that is why we need to pray often for his protection and deliverance, for the more times we survive, the more time we have to serve him. That was Paul's attitude, and it should be ours. He had no desire to be a martyr and have his life taken from him. He wante to live as long as possible so he could make a difference for Christ in this world.

2. Paul is grateful to be delivered from death. Many times believers think they should not express fear of death, for that seems like a lack of faith, but not so, for death is not our friend, but the last enemy to be destroyed. It is wonderful to escape it, and be delivered from all circumstances that could end in one's death. Oue hope of life beyond death is no basis for being careless about life, and doing anything that needlessly shortens it. Long life is a blessing, and that is what Paul wanted for himself. Paul knew that God's children could face a radical death, for he was there when Stephen was stoned to death, and he was a part of the persection that made many believers suffer great harm and death. He knew he could be the next victim at any time, but he did not want to retire. He wanted to go on and on overcoming all threats, and all barriers to his spread of the Gospel. He ever hoped that God would keep delivering him to do just that. He was ready for heaven, but he wanted the joy of helping others get ready as well.

3. In the first chapter of Philippians Paul said to die and be with Christ is the ideal, but in this context he is grateful that death did not take him to heaven. He was spared and it was wonderful to be able to live. He has normal feelings about death here. He is ready to go, but would rather not, for there was much to do, and this was really the same attitude he had in Philippians. There he sounded more ready, however. Here he is so greatful for being spared, for he could have easily died. Paul did not escape perpetually, however, for it is false teaching that God wants us to be perpetually healed and healthy. All believers come to a point where they decay, or get disease, and they die. :obody lives forever in these fallen bodies, and so the prayers for deliverance all come to a point where they can not longer be answered. This means that I can pray with more faith for a young person than I can for a very old person, that they would be healed and spared to live. It is because I know it is not God's will that we live for more than 150 years, and most die under 100 years.

4. BARNES, "From a death so terrible, and from a prospect so alarming. It is intimated here by the word which Paul uses, that the death which he apprehended was one of a character peculiarly terrific--probably a death by wild beasts. See Barnes "2 Corinthians 1:8". He was near to death; he had no hope of rescue; and the manner of the death which was threatened was peculiarly frightful. Paul regarded rescue from such a death as a kind of resurrection; and felt that he owed his life to God as ifhe had raised him from the dead. All deliverance from imminent peril, and from dangerous sickness, whether

of ourselves or our friends, should be regarded as a kind of resurrection from the dead.

God could with infinite ease have taken away our breath, and it is only by his merciful interposition that we live. And doth deliver. Continues yet to deliver us--or preserve us; intimating perhaps, that danger had continued to follow him after the signal deliverance to which he particularly refers, and that he had continued to be in similar peril of his life. Paul was daily exposed to danger; and was constantly preserved by the good providence of God. In what manner he was rescued from the peril to which he was exposed, he has nowhere intimated. It is implied, however, that it was by a remarkable Divine interposition; but whether by miracle, or by the ordinary course of Providence, he nowhere intimates. Whatever was the mode, however, Paul regarded Godas the source of the deliverance, and felt that his obligations were due to him as his kind Preserver. In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. That he will continue to preserve us. We hope; we are accustomed to cherish the expectation that he will continue to defend us in the perils which we shall yet encounter. Paul felt that he was still exposed to danger. Everywhere he was liable to be persecuted, See Barnes "Acts 20:23",) and everywhere he felt that his life was in peril. Yet he had been thus far preserved in a most remarkable manner; and he felt assured that God would continue to interpose in his behalf, until his great purpose in regard to him should be fully accomplished, so that at the close of life he could look to God as his Deliverer, and feel that all along his perilous journey he had been his great Protector.

5. IVP. "The customary function of the body opening in the letter of that day was to strengthen the writer's bond with the reader. Paul does this in verses 10-11, when he states that God will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. By this statement Paul ties his deliverance closely to the prayers of the Corinthians on his behalf. God has delivered and will continue to deliver, provided the Corinthians pray for him. The answer to their prayers will in turn, he continues, cause thanksgiving to overflow on the part of believers everywhere (many) for God's gracious dealings on behalf of Paul and his coworkers (v. 11).

A request for prayer usually appears in the closing section of Paul's letters. The fact that he departs from his usual practice and includes it here is noteworthy. Paul's request for prayer highlights what is probably the sore spot in his relationship with the Corinthians, namely, a lack of reciprocity. As Paul will say later, "We are not witheolding our affection from you, but you are witheolding yours from us" (6:12). There has been a cooling of the Corinthians' affection for Paul. So Paul seeks at the start to rekindle that affection and concern by sharing with them how close he came to dying and how his very well-being is dependent on their taking a personal interest in his affairs. Perhaps he is even suggesting that his encounter with death was due to the fact that they had stopped praying for him. T. C. Hammond in an essay on prayer expresses a similar thought when he writes: "We are all bound together in the bundle of life."

So, Paul imparts the personal information that he does in verses 8-11 not primarily for

its "news" content but to establish right at the start a relational basis betoeen the Corinthians and himself. He is also anxious to show the impact that this mutuality has on the church universal. The Corinthians, like so many churches today, tended toward self-sufficiency. Paul's final comment is a reminder of our membership in the body of believers worldwide and of the interdependency of members in that larger body. Believers everywhere, Paul states, will give thanks that God preserved him for further ministry--a thankfulness that Paul hopes the Corinthians will come to share as well.

6. Macarthur, " Then it says, verse 10, "In order that we should not trust in ourselves." That was the purpose of God in it. Why did God take him to that kind of horrible extremity? Why did God put him through who knows what kind of physical flagellation and agony and pain? Well we couldn't even imagine what kind of torture was being exacted on his body. What kind of mental and emotional chaos and despair in this very situation facing death and knowing the Corinthian church was a mess and so much else was not yet done? In the middle of all of this agonizing pain, physically and emotionally and mentally, why was God putting him through this, "In order that we should not trust in ourselves." God was taking us to the place where we had no escape. We had no human resource intellectually, physically, emotionally. We couldn't call on anything...nothing. That's just exactly where God wanted them...just in the perfect place because, as Paul will tell us later in 2 Corinthians 12, in his weakness God's power is perfected, right? God had this as the very purpose. And I'm telling you, folks, that's one of His great purposes in our trials is to take us to the limit and beyond the limit where we have no power to fix it. We can't do anything.

All we can do, and I love this, is trust not in ourselves, verse 9, but in God who...what?...raises the dead. I mean, it was to that degree. The only way out was going to be in the hands of God because He's the only one who could raise the dead. It was that far gone. By the way, that is a title for God, "God who raises the dead" is used in the eighteen synagogue benedictions that we commented on in our study back in verse 3. "God who raises the dead" was a Jewish term, descriptive term for God. They say if you're ever called upon to rescue someone who is drowning, some of you may have had this experience, that if you're really thoughtful about it, you won't try to rescue them until they go down for the last time because if you try to intervene at any point prior to that when they still have the strength to kick and fight, they're liable to drown you. But when they come to the very end of their strength and there's no confidence left in their own deliverance, and they are weakened and still, it is then that they can picked up and brought to safety. And that's exactly where the Lord wants to take us, to the place where we've given it our last shot and we're sinking for the last time and there's nothing in us that can save us and there's no human resource. And that's exactly where God's power intervenes. Physical illness, whatever it is, emotional distress, financial disaster, death, being forsaken and left alone, whatever shatters your confidence in your own abilities, your own strength becomes your extremity and that is God's opportunity. A progressive weakening of your instinctive self-confidence that leads you all the way to self-despair is exactly where God wants you because at that point the only thing that's going to hold you together is a radical confidence in God. And that's where Paul was. And then in verse 10 he says it, "God came riding to the rescue, who delivered us from so great a peril of death." Are you like me? Don't you wish you knew what this was? Don't you wish you knew all the details of this? That's kind of our morbid curiosity, all we need to know is that he was at the end. And, boy, he had endured a lot. But God came and rescued him. The Lord proved powerful. And in the midst of that power put Himself on display. There is no extremity beyond the power of God's strength and

comfort.

7. CALVIN, "Who hath delivered us from so great a deathHere he applies to himself personally, what he had stated in a general way, and by way of proclaiming the grace of God, he declares that he had not been disappointed in his expectation, inasmuch as he had been delivered from death, that too, in no common form. As to his manner of expression, the hyperbole, which he makes use of, is not unusual in the Scriptures, for it frequently occurs, both in the Prophets and in the Psalms, and it is made use of even in common conversation. What Paul acknowledges as to himself personally, let every one now take home as applicable to himself. In whom we have an assured hope.

He promises himself as to the future, also, that beneficence of God, which he had often experienced in the past. :or is it without good reason; for the Lord, by accomplishing in part what he has promised, bids us hope well as to what remains. :ay more, in proportion to the number of favors that we receive from him, does he by so many pledges, or earnests, as it were, confirm his promises. 247247 Granville Pennreads the passage as follows: “Who hath delivered us from so great a death; and will deliver us: in whom we hope that he will deliver us.” . “The Vat. and EphremMSS.” he observes, “read ..seta., not ..eta., as in the rec. text. The latter reading seems to have been substituted, because ..seta., occurs again in the following sentence; but the Apostle repeats the word, that he may qualify it by ..p..aµe., (we hope.”) . Ed., although Paul had no doubt that God would of his own accord be present with him, yet he exhorts the Corinthians to commend to God in their prayers his safety. For when he assumes it as certain, that he will be aided by them, this declaration has the force of an exhortation, and he means that they would not merely do it as a matter of duty, but also with advantage. 248248 “Mais aussi auec bonne issue, d’autant qu’ils seront exaucez;” . “But also with good success, inasmuch as they will be heard.” “Your prayers, also,” he says, “will help me.” 249249 “L’aide, dit il, que vous me feriez par vos prieres, ne sera point sans fruit;” . “The aid, he says, that you will afford me by your prayers, will not be without advantage.” God wills not that the duty of mutual intercession, which he enjoins upon us, should be without advantage. This ought to be a stimulus to us, on the one hand, to solicit the intercession of our brethren, when we are weighed down by any necessity, and, on the other, to render similar assistance in return, since we are informed, that it is not only a duty that is well pleasing to God, but also profitable to ourselves. :or is it owing to distrust that the

Apostle implores the friendly aid of his brethren, 250250 “You also helping together by prayer for us,(S...p.......t.. .a. .µ...p...µ..t. de.se..) The particle .a. is emphatical, You also. implying, that neither God’s promise, nor his power, would procure this mercy alone without their prayer. Besides the goodness of God on his part, there must be prayer on their part. The word in the original for helping is emphatical, being twice compounded. .

.p.......t..doth denote the serviceand ministryof those who are underus; and so it doth imply, that the Church doth owe as a

debt unto their spiritual guides earnest prayer for them. [...] Then there is the preposition s.. added, which doth denote not only their effectual prayers, but their concordand agreementtherein, and that in their public and solemn assemblies. Again, the word signifying . to work, and labor, doth denote what the nature of prayer is . that the soul labors therein, is fervent, full of agonies; which showeth that the customary formal prayers of most people are not worthy of the name: there is no labor, or fervency of the soul therein. . They labored by prayer. They did not labor by using friends to solicit the magistrate in Paul’s behalf, for there was no hope from them, but they made their addresses to God.” . Burgesse.. Ed., while he felt assured, that his safety would be the object of God’s care, 251251 “Que Dieu auroit soin de son salut et proufit;” . “That God would take care of his safety and advantage.” he were destitute of all human help, yet he knew that it was well pleasing to God, that he should be aided by the prayers of the saints. He had respect, also, to the promises that were given, that assistance of this kind would not be in vain. Hence, in order that he might not overlook any assistance that was appointed to him by God, he desired that the brethren should pray for his preservation. The sum is this . that we follow the word of God, that is, that we obey his commandments and cleave to his promises. This is not the part of those who have recourse to the assistance of the dead; 252252 “Qui out leurs recours aux prieres des saincts trespassez;” . “Who have recourse to the prayers of departed saints.” not contented with the sources of help appointed by God, they call in to their aid a new one, that has no countenance from any declaration of Scripture. For whatever we find mentioned there as to mutual intercession, has no reference to the dead, but is expressly restricted to the living. Hence Papists act childishly in perverting those passages, so as to give some colour to their superstition. 253

8. GILL, "Who delivered us from so great a death,.... Accordingly, being enabled to trust in God, when all human hope and helps failed, to believe in hope against hope, then the Lord appeared for them, and delivered them from this heavy affliction; which, because by reason of it they were not only in danger of death, and threatened with, but were even under the sentence of it, is therefore called a death, and so great an one, see 2 Corinthians 11:23. The apostle expresses the continuance of the mercy,

and doth deliver; which shows that they were still exposed to deaths and dangers, but were wonderfully preserved by the power of God, which gave great encouragement to them to hope and believe that God would still preserve them for further usefulness. The Alexandrian copy leaves out this clause, and so does the Syriac version.

In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; all the three tenses, past, present, and future, are mentioned, which shows that an abiding sense of past and present deliverances serves greatly to animate faith in expectation of future ones.

9. Spurgeon, "When children are learning their grammar, they have to pay particular attention to the tenses of the verbs; and it is important for Christians also to remember

their tenses,—to recollect the past, the present, and the future. Our text brings all three very vividly before us, and reminds us that God hath delivered, doth deliver, and will yet deliver.First, let us think for a little while concerning the past. How old art thou, my friend? How many of thy years hast thou employed profitably, and how many hast thou allowed to run to waste? For how many years hast thou wrought the will of the flesh, and been a servant of sin and Satan? How long hast thou been born again? What is thine age spiritually? Take down the record of thy life, and examine it, from the days of thy childhood, through youth and early manhood, up till now. It is a book which should do us good to read; in some respects, all its pages may make us weep; and yet, viewed in another light, many of them may give us cause to sing. This is the one book in the library that many people do not like to take down and read, for there are so many blots in it, and so many humbling records; yet "God requireth that which is past," and it is a token of wisdom for a man to talk with his past years, and to learn from them the many lessons they are able to teach. All the days we have lived will go before us to the judgment seat, and each one will bear its record, and leave it there; so let us not be oblivious of that which God remembers, but let us recollect it that we may be penitent for all that has been wrong in it, and that we may be grateful for all that has been right.Next, think about the second part of life, namely, the time present; and here let me urge upon you, dear friends, the importance of valuing the present. In fact, time present is the only time that you have. The past has gone, and you cannot recall it; the future will never really be yours, for, when it comes, it will be present, too. It is only in the present that we live; so that, if we waste these precious hours that are with us now, we waste all that we have. If we serve not God to-day, when will we serve him? To-morrow? Nay, for when that opportunity comes, "to-morrow" will have been changed into "to-day." Let us endeavor, as God shall help us, even to watch our moments so as not to waste one of them. It is a good thing to have our life divided up into short periods. The other day, I saw John Wesley's diary, or rather, horary, for it had in it not merely an entry for every day, but for every distinct occupation for every twenty minutes. The good man made his days to have many hours in them, and his hours seemed to have more minutes in them than most men's hours have, because he did not waste any of them, but diligently used them all in his Master's service. God help us all to do the same by paying great attention to the present portion of our life!As for the future, there is an idle curiosity which prompts men to try to live in it; that we must renounce. But there is a gracious expectation which enables us to live in it, a holy anxiety which prompts us to prepare for it. It is greatly wise for us to talk with those years that are to come if we talk with them in view of their end. I would have you familiar with your graves, for you will soon be in them; and more familiar still with your resurrection dwelling-place, remembering that God "hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Let us often project ourselves beyond the present into the future; to gather strength from the future, is frequently the best way to deal with the present. You will be able more easily to bear your present burdens when you think how short is the time in which you will have to carry them. Your "light affliction, which is but for a moment," will seem scarcely like a feather's weight to you when you anticipate the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" which God hath prepared for you.I recommend to you, therefore, this rule of three, and advise you always to consider the

past, the present, and the future; and just now I invite you to do so in connection with the delivering mercy of God. He hath delivered us; he doth deliver us; he will deliver us. And, first, I am going to point out to you three trains of thought; next, three lines of argument; and, thirdly, three inferences.I. First, THE TEXT SUGGESTS THREE TRAINS OF THOUGHT.The first is this, memory, which tells us of the deliverances in the past: "who delivered us from so great a death." Take the words exactly as Paul wrote them, and recall how God has delivered some of us from death. A few here, perhaps, have been very near to death in sickness. Some of us have several times in our lives looked into eternity; our illness has been no child's play, and we have realized the possibility, or even the probability of our soon passing away from all the engagements of this mortal life, and standing before our God. But we have been raised up again; we have come forth from our chamber, tottering on our staff, perhaps, through weakness, yet we are still preserved, the living, the living, to praise the Lord, as we do this day. I have no doubt that almost all of you have had, at one time or another, some very special proof that "unto God the Lord belong the issues from death."Our past deliverances, however, have not only been from physical death; we have had greater deliverances than that. There was, first of all, our deliverance from spiritual death. Do you not remember the time, dear brother, dear sister, when you were brought out of nature's darkness into God's marvellous light? You say that you do not know the day when this great change took place; never mind if you do not, it is not at all essential if you can now say, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." Some of us do remember the very day when we came to Christ, and rested in him; and we do, with our whole heart and soul, bless him that we were delivered from that terrible death which had so long held us in captivity. God rescued us by his grace, and enabled us to come forth from our grave of sin, looking unto Jesus, and longing to be made like him.Further, some of you remember when you were delivered from despair. It is an awful thing to be driven away from all hope of salvation, and to be at your wits' end. You were not all brought to Christ in a terrible tempest, as some of us were; many of you came to him under happier circumstances. Be very thankful that it was so; but some of us were hard put to it when we tried to touch the hem of his garment, we were pressed and crushed in the crowd, and seemed to lose our very breath. I remember how, when I was under conviction of sin, my soul rolled to and fro, and staggered like a drunken man; yet the Lord delivered me, and taught me to rest upon him, and thus even full assurance became possible although I had thought, aforetime, that mercy could never reach me. Beloved, if I am describing your experience as well as my own, let us together bless the Lord for his mercy in deliverance from so great a death. The remembrance of our deliverance from sin and despair must take the first rank amongst our grateful reminiscences.But since then, have you not been many times delivered out of temptation? You said, with the psalmist, "My feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped;" yet the Lord graciously preserved you. If you look back with careful eye, you will see many occasions where, if it had not been for interposing mercy, you would either have fallen into the bog on your right hand, or into the quagmire on your left. If the Lord had not piloted your vessel, it would have been wrecked on the rocks of Scylla or engulfed in the whirlpool of Charybdis. Do you not wonder, sometimes, how you ever got through that peculiar temptation, which was so suitable to your circumstances, and so fascinating to your flesh?

Yet you did not know, at the time, that it was a temptation; and you had not the wisdom necessary to meet the craft of Satan; yet you were not taken captive in the Satanic net, cunningly as it was spread; and for that deliverance you must bless the name of the Lord. There are some of you who ought to praise him for deliverances over which you wept at the time. He would not let you have what you desired; you were disappointed, and you talked about your heart being broken. Ah! but the Lord's dealings with you saved you from having a broken heart. You said, "Alas! alas! I have lost something which I fondly cherished." It was well that you did lose it, for that which you thought was a bracelet sparkling with jewels was a viper, which, had you grasped it, would have stung you to death. Blessed be God for not hearing some of our prayers! Blessed be the Lord for not gratifying many of our desires!We ought to praise him, too, for our deliverances in the time of trouble. You are not all tried alike. I am very thankful that some of you are not troubled as others are; but I know that I am addressing some whose trials have been very many and very heavy. Your road has been a very rough one. John Bunyan truly says, "A Christian man is seldom long at ease; when one trouble's gone, another doth seize;" and that has been true in the lives of many of us. We can say, with the psalmist, "We went though fire and through water." Some of God's children have been brought very low in their circumstances, so that they have had to live "from hand to mouth,"—though I do not know that many of us live very differently from that;—but there are some godly people who never have any reserve store even if they do not actually come to want. I do not know that there is anything very grievous in that, for the sparrows and the ravens live in that style, yet God cares for them. But some of you find it to be a trial to have scantiness in the home, or sickness in your own person, or one who is dear to you as your own life constantly afflicted. There are all sorts of losses and crosses, trials and troubles, for the godly to endure. Yes; but none of these things have crushed us yet, for the Lord hath delivered us. Here is a poor widow, and she wonders how she ever brought up that large family of little children. She scarcely knew how to provide for them all when she had a husband, and yet, when the head of the house was gone, they were provided for; it is very wonderful, yet it was done; and you, who seemed to see all your prospects suddenly dissolve, like the mirage of the desert, were helped. You said, at one time, "If such-and-such a thing should happen, it would kill me." It did happen, yet it did not kill you, for you are here to testify to the Lord's delivering mercy. One Job's messenger after another came to bring you evil tidings, yet the Lord delivered you from the trials which threatened to crush you. I cannot stay to mention all those past deliverances; and, probably, most of them are not even known to us. Glory be to God for unknown mercies,—favours which came in the night when we most needed them, favours which helped us to sleep and to awake refreshed, favours that stole, with silent footfall, into our home and our heart, and went away leaving traces of the sacred oil of divine mercy behind them.That is the first train of thought,—memory, which tells of deliverances in the past.The second is observation, which calls attention to present deliverance: "and doth deliver." Open your eyes, my brethren and sisters, and see how God is delivering you at this moment. I do not say that, with the most widely opened eye, you will perceive all your deliverances; for, many times, you have been saved from trouble, while, on other occasions, you have been delivered out of it. I have often told you the story of the good old Puritan who met his son at a half-way house. When the young man came in, he said, "Father, I had a very special providence as I rode here to-day." "What was that, my son?"

"My horse stumbled three times very badly, yet I was not thrown." "And I have had an equally special providence in riding here." "What was that?" "My horse never stumbled all the way, so I was not thrown." You know that, if we are in a railway accident, and escape from any hurt, we say, "What a providence!" Yes, but what a providence it was when you were preserved from a railway accident by stopping at home! Oftentimes, we do not see the very thing that has the most of mercy in it. What evidences of divine deliverance there are in the fact that you are here this moment! A comparatively trifling incident might have resulted in your death. You may be, tomorrow morning, in doubt as to which of two ways you should take; but there will be the providence of God directing you which to choose, and your choice of that one may affect the whole of the rest of your life.If you are not just now being assailed by any temptation, it is because God is delivering you from it. Yet it may be that Satan is planning some fresh temptation with which to assail you; but, though he desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat, Christ is praying for you, that your faith fail not. We might have fallen into doctrinal error had it not been for God's restraining mercy. How apt thoughtful people are to be carried away by the particular novelty of the hour! It seems as if they could not resist the cogency of the argument by which the new teaching is supported, but we have been kept from yielding to it by having our hearts established in the faith, so that we have not believed every novel doctrine, but have judged it by the Word of God, and so have been kept from wandering into devious ways.How graciously God is preserving many of us from the tongue of slander! It is a wonderful thing for any man to live much in public without being accused of some vile crime; and the woman who lives in the most retired position, the housewife who does nothing but look after her own children, will find somebody or other slandering her. You cannot always escape from the envenomed tongue of slander, be you what you will and where you will; and for God to keep the reputation of any Christian man unstained year after year, is a subject for the greatest thankfulness.We do not know where or what we might have been if God's gracious protection had not been like a wall of fire round about us, as it is even now, for still doth the Lord deliver all those who put their trust in him. I want you, dear brothers and sisters, to believe with unquestioning confidence that God is delivering you just now. You know that he has delivered you, be quite as sure that he is delivering you at this moment. "Oh!" says one, "I am shut up in the dungeon of despair." Yes; but your Lord has a key that can open the door, and so let you out. "Ay; but I am in great want." But he knows all about it, and he has his basket in his hand full of good things with which he is going to supply all your needs. "Oh!" says another, "but I am sinking in the flood." But he is throwing the life-belt over you. "Oh, but I am fainting!" But he is putting a bottle of sweet perfume to your nose to refresh your spirit. God is near thee, to revive and cheer thy fainting soul. Perhaps someone says, "I find faith concerning the past and concerning the ultimate future tolerably easy; but it is faith for the next hour or two I cannot so readily exercise." At certain times, it is found that trial is peculiarly present, but one cannot always realize that God is "a very present help in trouble;" yet it is true. He hath delivered, and he doth deliver.The third train of thought in this,—expectation looks out of the window upon the future: "in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us." Yes, dear friends, there may be many trials before you yet; but there is a mass of mercy laid up in store to meet those trials. Troubles

such as you have never yet known, as well as repetitions of those you have experienced, will surely come upon you; but as your days are, so shall your strength be, for your Lord will continue to deliver you. As the eyes gradually fail, and the limbs grow weak, and the infirmities of age creep over us, we are apt to be distressed; yet our Lord will not forsake us. When severe sickness invades our mortal frame, and our pains are multiplied and intensified, we wonder how we shall hold out to the end; and especially as we look forward to the time of death,—not always viewing it in the true light, we say, "What shall we do in the swellings of Jordan? How shall we be able to bear the stern realities of our last hours?" Be of good comfort, my brother, my sister; he who hath delivered, and doth deliver, will yet deliver. As surely as the trial comes, the way of escape shall be opened up for you by your Lord. Will you try to realize all this of which I have been speaking? He hath delivered you; then, give him your gratitude: he is delivering you; then, give him your confidence: he will deliver you; then give him a full and joyful expectation, and begin even now to praise him for mercies which are yet to come, and for grace which you have not tasted yet, but which you shall taste in his good time.II. Now, in the second place, THE TEXT SUPPLIES THREE LINES OF ARGUMENT, all running to the same point.The point to be proved is that the Lord will deliver his people; and I argue that he will deliver us in the future because he has already begun to deliver us. There is a chain of continuity here; he hath delivered, he doth deliver, and he will deliver. He began to work for our deliverance long before we sought him. The first movement was not from us to God, but from God to us. We were lying dead in trespasses and sins, and he came and quickened us. He gave his Son to die for us many centuries before we were born; he provided the gospel for us long before you and I had ever sinned; in all things he had the start, and was beforehand with us. Yet he need not have done all this, except that it was by his own choice and free will that he acted. I do rejoice in the free will of God which moved him to deliver us.Surely, then, since the motive that impelled him to save us must have been in himself alone, that motive is still there. If he had begun to deliver us because he saw some goodness in us, or because we first applied to him, then he might leave us after all; but as the commencement was with himself, out of his own heart, spontaneously, depend upon it that, as he began the work, he will carry it on. God has no more knowledge of any one of us than he had at the first. When he began with us, he knew what we should be; foresaw all our sins and all our follies, all our ingratitude and all our backsliding. He did not enter, blindfold, upon a task which, after second thoughts, he would have to relinquish; but, even from eternity, he saw us just as we have turned out to be. Yet he began with us; and having begun with the deliberation of eternal love, let us be quite sure that he will prosecute his gracious purpose with the perseverance of eternal love. If there had been, at the first, some reason in us why God should begin to deliver us, then, that reason being removed from us, God might cease to deliver us; but as the reason was not in us, but in himself, since he can never change, the reason for our deliverance abides the same, and the argument is good and clear,—God hath delivered us, then he will deliver us.The next argument comes from the fact that, as he is now delivering us, therefore he will continue to do so. Here is the continuity of his grace. Now look, beloved; he has, up to this hour, continued to deliver you and me who have trusted him. How many times has he delivered me? Out of how many troubles have I been delivered? From how many sins have I been delivered? Well, then, if the Lord has kept on delivering me so long, I argue

that, if he had ever meant to stop, he would have stopped before now; and, therefore,—

"His love in time past forbids me to thinkHe'll leave me at last in trouble to sink;Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review,Confirms his good pleasure to help me quite through."When a man begins to build, we reckon that he will finish the building if he can. We know that our God can complete what he has commenced, so we conclude that he will do so. I feel that he has gone so far with me that he cannot give me up now.

"Can he have taught me to trust in his name,And thus far have brought me to put me to shame?"No, that can never be; and many of you must feel just as I do about this matter. Some of you are, as it were, sitting on the very doorstep of heaven; you are over eighty years of age, so you cannot be here long; cannot you trust the Lord for the few months or years you have yet to live? He has been helping you, my aged sister, ever since you were a girl; and he has delivered you out of all sorts of troubles, do you think that he will leave you now? And my dear venerable brother, you knew the Lord when you were but a boy, and he has never left you yet; will he forsake you now? No; blessed be his name, he will not! All those years of his favour go to confirm us in the conviction that he will keep on delivering us till he brings us safely home.The Lord has not only delivered us so often, but he has also done it in such a wonderful way, that he must go on working in a similar fashion. What marvellous wisdom has he sometimes displayed in delivering us from the consequences of our own folly! Often hath he seemed to lavish his mercy upon us that he might help us in our time of need, and not once has he failed us. There is not one broken promise of his, nor one covenant blessing that he has ever withheld from us. If any of you, who have known him the longest, have aught to say against your God, say it; but you have not. You have never had any reason for doubting him, nor have you ever had any suspicion of his faithfulness raised in your mind by anything that he has done which might lead you to mistrust him in the future. He hath delivered, he is delivering, and he will yet deliver. There are two arguments drawn from the past and the present.The best argument, however, comes from God himself: "in whom we trust." He is always the same, and everything is ever present to his unchanging mind. What was the nature of God when he first determined to deliver me? Was it love? Then, it is love now. What was the motive which impelled the Son of God when he came from above, and snatched me from the deep waters? It was love, surprising love; and it is surprising love which still moves him to deliver me. Did I sing about his faithfulness, the other day? That faithfulness is just the same to-day. Have I adored his wisdom? That wisdom is not exhausted.There is not only the same nature in God as there always was, but there is also the same unchanging purpose. You and I shift and change; and we are obliged to do so, because we make rash promises and faulty plans; but God, who is infinitely wise, always keeps to his purpose. Now, if it was his original purpose to save us,—and it must have been, or he would never have delivered us as he has done,—that purpose still stands, and shall for ever stand. Though earth's old columns bow, though heaven and earth shall pass away, as the morning rime dissolves in the beams of the rising sun, yet the decree of the immutable

Jehovah shall never be changed. "For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?III. Time fails me, so I can only very briefly show you that THE TEXT IS OPEN TO THREE INFERENCES.The first inference I draw from it is, that we shall always be in danger so long as we are here. The Lord hath delivered, doth deliver, and he will deliver, so we shall always need divine deliverance while we are in this world. We must not expect here to be ever out of gun-shot of the enemy. You may depend upon it, brethren and sisters in Christ, that you will always have tribulation as long as you are in the world, you will have trials in the flesh, you will have trials in the spirit, you will have trials from God, and trials from Satan; and if, at any time, you are a long while without any trouble, keep a good look-out for it, for it is probably on the way to you. We should always suspect some danger nigh when we perceive too much delight. When God has given us a long stretch of smooth sailing, it well behoves us to steer our vessel cautiously, and to be ready to furl our sails at any moment, for a cyclone may be upon us before we know where we are. We need not ask the Lord to send us trouble, but when it comes, let us have the grace to accept it, and to glorify God in it. While we are in this world, we shall always know that it is the world, so let us not make any mistake about the matter; the devil is the devil, the world is the world, and the flesh is the flesh. None of these things have changed, and the mercy is that God has not changed, he is still the same as ever he was. If I found that the world was not the world, I might be afraid that God was not God; but that can never be the case, So, as trials are always arising, I may fairly suspect that they always will come while this time-state lasts; but I also fully believe that God will always be the same, and that he will deliver all who trust in him.The second inference from the text is, that we may constantly expect a display of God's delivering grace. The past says, "He has delivered;" the present says, "He doth deliver;" and the future says, "He will yet deliver." Yesterday, God was very gracious to me; to-morrow he will be very gracious to me; and the same will be true the next day, and the next day, and the next day, until there shall be no more days, and time shall be swallowed up in eternity. Between here and heaven, every minute that the Christian lives will be a minute of grace. From here to the throne of the Highest, you will have to be continually supplied with new grace from the Lord who sits on high. Dear brother, you never live a truly holy, happy, blessed day, except by divine grace. You never think a right thought, never do a right act, you never make any advance heavenward except by grace. I like to think that it is so, that every day I am a monument of mercy; that every day a fresh display of sovereign grace is made to me; every day my Father feeds me, my Saviour cleanses me, the Comforter sustains me. Every day, new manifestations of the lovingkindness of the Lord break forth upon my wondering soul, and give me fresh visions of his miraculous love. I could not find another word to express what I wanted to say, that one seemed to leap into my mouth just then,—his miraculous love! And so it is, miracle-working love, making the Christian's life to be a series of miracles, at which angels shall gaze for ever in astonished adoration of the amazing love of God to guilty men. So I reckon that we may go onward with great confidence; for, although every day will bring dangers, every day will also witness divine deliverances.Thirdly, the last inference I draw from the text is, that our whole life should be filled with praise of God our Deliverer. How doth it run? He delivered us, and now we deliver ourselves? No, no, no! He delivered us; he doth deliver us;—but what about the future?

We must deliver ourselves? No, no, no! He hath delivered; he doth deliver; and he will yet deliver;—the same Person, working in the beginning, in the centre, and at the close. It is all of God from first to last; there is not one deliverance which you have ever had which you can ascribe to anyone but the Lord alone. Inside heaven's gate, all the praise is given to the Triune Jehovah: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be;" and outside heaven's gate, let us sing the same song, to the same tune; let it always be to the praise of grace, grace, GRACE; to the God of grace, the Father of grace, the Christ of grace, the Holy Ghost and his grace; and to God be all the glory, for ever and for ever! Amen.

11. as you help us by your prayers. Then many

will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the

gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers

of many.

1. Stedman, "Once again, suffering is sent to us to show us that we are not individuals living all alone in life. We are members of a family, we are members of a Body, and we need each other. When you have a difficulty or a trial, share it with others so that they can pray with you, for many prayers will bring great deliverance. That is what that verse says. In answer to many prayers, God will send a blessing which will awaken thanksgiving in many, many hearts. Paul says, therefore, "You must help us by prayer," so that there will be great thanksgiving for the great blessing that comes from many prayers.

That is the reason for requests for prayer, for sharing our needs with one another, and for enlisting the aid of others in praying us through times of pressure, as we ought to be ready to respond to those who are going through pressure with prayer for them ourselves. :ow that is the way the Christian community ought to respond to stress and pressure, to difficulties and trials and disasters. God has sent them. God has allowed them to come as opportunities that you might learn again this amazing secret of inner strength, inner comfort, inner peace that can keep your heart quiet, even though you are going through troubled times.

Intercessory prayer is a mystery, but the Scriptures encourage us to join others in prayer, for it appears to be the case that the more people who are concerned about an issue or person, the more likely God will answer that prayer.

2. BARNES, "Tindal renders this, in connexion with the close of the previous verse, "we trust that yet hereafter he will deliver us, by the help of your prayer for us." The word rendered "helping together," means co-operating, aiding, assisting; and the idea is, that Paul felt that his trials might be turned to good account, and give occasion for thanksgiving; and that this was to be accomplished by the aid of the prayers of his fellow Christians. He felt that the church was one, and that Christians should sympathize with one another, He evinced deep humility and tender regard for the Corinthians when he called on them to aid him by their prayers. :othing could be better calculated to excite their tender affection and regard than thus to call on them to sympathize with him in his trials, and to pray that those trials might result in thanksgiving throughout the churches.

That for the gift bestowed upon us. The sentence which occurs here is very perplexing in the original, and the construction is difficult. But the main idea is not difficult to be seen. The "gift" here referred to (\~to carisma\~) means, doubtless, the favourshown to him in his rescue from so imminent a peril; and he felt that this was owing to the prayers of many persons on his behalf. He believed that he had been remembered in the petitions of his friends and fellow Christians, and that his deliverance was owing to their supplications.

By the means of many persons. Probably meaning that the favour referred to had been imparted by means of the prayers of many individuals who had taken a deep interest in his welfare. But it may also imply, perhaps, that he had been directly assisted, and had been rescued from the impending danger by the interposition of many friends who had come to his relief. The usual interpretation is, however, that it was by the prayers of many in his behalf.

Thanks may be given by many on our behalf. Many may be induced also to render thanks for my deliverance. The idea is, that as he had been delivered from great peril by the prayers of many persons, it was proper also that thanksgiving should be offered by as many in his behalf, or on account of his deliverance. "Mercies that have been obtained by prayer should be acknowledged by praise."--Doddridge. God had mercifully interposed in answer to the prayers of his people; and it was proper that his mercy should be as extensively acknowledged. Paul was desirous that God should not be forgotten; and that those who had sought his deliverance should render praise to God: perhaps intimating here, that those who had obtained mercies by prayer, were prone to forget their obligation to return thanks to God for his gracious and merciful interposition.

3. CLARKE, Ye also helping together by prayer Even an apostlefelt the prayers of the Church of God necessary for his comfort and support. What innumerable blessings do the prayers of the followers of God draw down on those who are the objects of them!

The gift bestowed-by the means of many persons The blessings communicated by means of their prayers. Thanks may be given by many

When they who have prayed hear that their prayers are so particularly answered, then all that have prayed will feel themselves led to praise Godfor his gracious answers. Thus, the prayers of manyobtain the gift; and the thanksgiving of manyacknowledge the mercy.

The gift, or .a..sµa, which the apostle mentions, was his deliverance from the dangers and deaths to which he was exposed.

4. CALVIN 11. That the gift bestowed upon us through means of many persons.As there is some difficulty in Paul’s words, interpreters differ as to the meaning. I shall not spend time in setting aside the interpretations of others, nor indeed is there any need for this, provided only we are satisfied as to the true and proper meaning. He had said, that the prayers of the Corinthians would be an assistance to him. He now adds a second advantage that would accrue from it . a higher manifestation of God’s glory. “For whatever God will confer upon me,” says he, “being as it were obtained through means of many persons, , also, by many celebrated with praises:” in this way . “Many will give thanks to God in my behalf, because, in affording help to me, he has favorably regarded the prayers, not merely of one but of many.” In the first place, while it is our duty to allow no favor from God to pass without rendering praise, it becomes us, nevertheless, more especially when our prayers have been favorably regarded by him, to acknowledge his mercy with thanksgiving, as he commands us to do in Psalm 50:15. provided only we are satisfied as to the true and proper meaning. He had said, that the prayers of the Corinthians would be an assistance to him. He now adds a second advantage that would accrue from it . a higher manifestation of God’s glory. “For whatever God will confer upon me,” says he, “being as it were obtained through means of many persons, , also, by many celebrated with praises:” in this way . “Many will give thanks to God in my behalf, because, in affording help to me, he has favorably regarded the prayers, not merely of one but of many.” In the first place, while it is our duty to allow no favor from God to pass without rendering praise, it becomes us, nevertheless, more especially when our prayers have been favorably regarded by him, to acknowledge his mercy with thanksgiving, as he commands us to do in Psalm 50:15.

Nor ought this to be merely where our own personal interest is concerned, but also where the welfare of the Church in general, or that of any one of our brethren is involved. Hence when we mutually pray one for another, and obtain our desire, the glory of God is so much the more set forth, inasmuch as we all acknowledge, with thanksgiving, God’s benefits . both those that are conferred publicly upon the whole Church, and also those that are bestowed privately upon individuals. In this interpretation there is nothing forced; for as to the circumstance that in the Greek the article being introduced between the two clauses by many persons, the gift conferred upon me to disjoin them, 254254 “Car suyure l’ordre du texte Grec il y

auroit ainsi mot mot, Afin que de plusieurs personnes, nous le don confer, par plusieurs soit recognu en action de graces pour nous;” . “For, following the order of the Greek text, it would be literally thus: In order that from many persons the gift conferred upon us, may by many be acknowledged with thanksgiving on our account.” that no force, as it is frequently found introduced between clauses that are connected with each other. Here, however, it is with propriety introduced in place of an adversative particle; 255255 “En lieu de quelque article aduersative qu’on appelle, comme Toutesfois ou :eantmoins;” . “In place of some adversative particle, as it is called, as for example, :otwithstanding or :evertheless.” although it had come forth from many persons, it was nevertheless peculiar to Paul. To take the phrase d.. p..... (by means of many) in the neuter gender, 256256 “De rapporter ce mot Par plusieurs, aux choses;” . “To take this phrase, By means of many, as referring to things.” some do, is at variance with the connection of the passage. It may, however, be asked, why he says From many persons, than From many men, what is the meaning of the term person ? I answer, it is as though he had said . With respect to many. the favor was conferred upon Paul in such a way, that it might be given to many. Hence, as God had respect to many, he says on that account, that many persons were the cause of it. Some Greek manuscripts have .p...µ... on your account; although this appears to be at variance with Paul’s design, and the connection of the words, it may, nevertheless, be explained with propriety in this manner: “When God shall have heard you in behalf of my welfare, and that too for your own welfare, thanks will be given by many on your account.” although this appears to be at variance with Paul’s design, and the connection of the words, it may, nevertheless, be explained with propriety in this manner: “When God shall have heard you in behalf of my welfare, and that too for your own welfare, thanks will be given by many on your account.”

5. GILL, "You also helping together by prayer for us,.... Though the apostle ascribes their deliverance solely to God, as the author and efficient cause of it; yet he takes notice of the prayers of the saints for them, as helping causes or means of their obtaining it. It was a very laudable practice in the churches, and worthy of imitation, to pray for the ministers of the Gospel, and especially when under affliction and persecution; see Acts 12:5, and the prayers of those righteous ones were heard by God, and often effectual for the deliverance of them, as they were in the present case: for

by the means of many persons, who wrestled together in prayer with God,

the gift of deliverance from so great a death, which the apostle looked upon as a wonderful mercy, χαρισµα, "a free grace gift", was "bestowed upon" them, which was granted for this end,

that thanks may be given by many on our behalf; which is but reasonable, and ought to be observed; for since many were concerned in asking for, and obtaining the mercy, they ought to join in thanksgiving for it: and the apostle's view in this is to stir them up to a joint acknowledgment of the deliverance with them, which better became them than to side with the false apostles in their charge against him.

12. �ow this is our boast: Our conscience testifies

that we have conducted ourselves in the world,

and especially in our relations with you, in the

holiness and sincerity that are from od. we have

done so not according to worldly wisdom but

according to God's grace.

1. Paul has to defend himself from false accusatons. Some years ago Governor Gifford Pinchot of Penn sent his black retriever to the Easter State Penitentiary as a mascot for the prisoners. They loved the dog, but the story go out that he sent the dog to prison for killing a cat. It spread and he got thousands of letter condemning him, and there was no way to stop the accusations.

Paul felt he had to defend himself, and some would believe him, and other probably never did let go of the false accusations.

2. BOAST This is one of Paul's favorite words in writing to the Corinthians. He uses it 25 times, but the rest of the :ew Testament has it just a few times. It is often translated rejoicing or glorying. to rejoice in the Lord is to boast in the Lord. One can boast or be proud in the Lord. It is just like boasting aabout your team or school and being proud to be a part of it. There is such a thing as good pride that makes you boast of what is good, and it does not make you look self centered and conceited. To boast in Christ is very good. Boasting of self is often an exaggeration, but you cannot exaggerate who Jesus was, for he is God himself.

To boast of victory in Christ is a joyful boasting in one who has given you reason for great joy, just as when your team wins. In O T we have songs of victory which are boasting in the Lord. Sports have taken the place of warfare in society and so when we win a game we shout we slaughtered them, wiped them out, we killed the, murdered them. We are number one.

Boasting in self is painful pride that turns people off, but boasting in Christ is valid.

3. JAMISON, "Reason why he may confidently look for their prayers for him. our rejoicing--Greek, "our glorying." not that he glories in the testimony of his

conscience, as something to boast of; nay, this testimony is itself the thing in which his glorying consists. in simplicity--Most of the oldest manuscripts read, "in holiness." English Version reading is perhaps a gloss from Eph 6:5 [ALFORD]. Some of the oldest manuscripts and versions, however, support it.

godly sincerity--literally, "sincerity of God"; that is, sincerity as in the presence of God (1Co 5:8). We glory in this in spite of all our adversities. Sincerity in Greek implies the non-admixture of any foreign element. He had no sinister or selfish aims (as some insinuated) in failing to visit them as he had promised: such aims belonged to his adversaries, not to him (2Co 2:17). "Fleshly wisdom" suggests tortuous and insincere courses; but the "grace of God," which influenced him by God's gifts (Ro 12:3; 15:15), suggests holy straightforwardness and sincere faithfulness to promises (2Co 1:17-20), even as God is faithful to His promises. The prudence which subserves selfish interests, or employs unchristian means, or relies on human means more than on the Divine Spirit, is "fleshly wisdom."

in the world--even in relation to the world at large, which is full of disingenuousness. more abundantly to you-ward--(2Co 2:4). His greater love to them would lead him to manifest, especially to them, proofs of his sincerity, which his less close connection with the world did not admit of his exhibiting towards it.

4. BARNES, "The source or cause of our rejoicing. "I have a just cause of rejoicing; and it is, that I have endeavoured to live a life of simplicity and godly sincerity, and have not been actuated by the principles of worldly wisdom." The connexion here is not very obvious, and it is not quite easy to trace it. Most expositors, as Doddridge, Locke, Macknight, Bloomfield, etc. suppose that he mentions the purity of his life as a reason why he had a right to expect their prayers, as he had requested in 2 Corinthians 1:11. They would not doubt, it is supposed, that his life had been characterized by great simplicity and sincerity, and would feel, therefore, a deep interest in his welfare, and be disposed to render thanks that he had been preserved in the day of peril. But the whole context and the scope of the passage are rather to be taken into view. Paul had been exposed to death, he had no hope of life. Thenthe ground of his rejoicing and of his confidence was, that he had lived a holy life. he had not been actuated by "fleshly wisdom," but he had been animated and guided by "the grace of God." His aim had been simple, his purpose holy, and he had the testimony of his conscience that his motives had been right; and he had, therefore, no concern about the result. A good conscience, a holy life through Jesus Christ, will enable a man always to look calmly on death. What has a Christian to fear in death? Paul had kept a good conscience towards all; but he says that he had special and peculiar joy that he had done it towards the Corinthians. This he says, because many there had accused him of fickleness, and of disregard for their interests. He declares, therefore, that even in the prospect of death he had a consciousness of rectitude towards them, and proceeds to show 2 Corinthians conscience, a holy life through Jesus Christ, will enable a man always to look calmly on death. What has a Christian to fear in death? Paul had kept a good conscience towards all; but he says that he had special and peculiar joy that he had done it towards the

Corinthians. This he says, because many there had accused him of fickleness, and of disregard for their interests. He declares, therefore, that even in the prospect of death he had a consciousness of rectitude towards them, and proceeds to show 2 Corinthians 1:13-23that the charge against him was not well-founded. I regard this passage, therefore, as designed to express the fact that Paul, in view of sudden death, had a consciousness of a life of piety, and was comforted with the reflection that he had not been actuated by the "fleshly wisdom" of the world.

The testimony of our conscience. An approving conscience. It does not condemn me on the subject. Though others might accuse him, though his name might be calumniated, yet he had comfort in the approval which his own conscience gave to his course. Paul's conscience was enlightened, and its decisions were correct. Whatever others might charge him with, he knewwhat had been the aim and purpose of his life; and the consciousness of upright aims, and of such plans as the "grace of God" would prompt to, sustained him. An approving conscience is of inestimable value when we are calumniated--and when we draw near to death. That in simplicity. \~en aplothti\~. Tindal renders this forcibly, "without doubleness." The word means sincerity, candour, probity, plain-heartedness, Christian simplicity, frankness, integrity. See 2 Corinthians 11:3. It stands opposed to double-dealings and purposes; to deceitful appearances, and crafty plans; to mere policy, and craftiness in accomplishing an object. A man under the influence of this, is straightforward, candid, open, frank; and he expects to accomplish his purpose by integrity and fair dealing, and not by stratagem and cunning. Policy, craft, artful plans, and deep-laid schemes of deceit belong to the world; simplicity of aim and purpose are the true characteristics of a real Christian. And godly sincerity. Greek, "Sincerity of God." This may be a Hebrew idiom, by which the superlative degree is indicated; when, in order to express the highest degree, they added the name of God, as in the phrases "mountains of God," signifying the highest mountains, or "cedars of God," denoting lofty cedars. Or it may mean such sincerity as God manifests and approves; such as he, by his grace, would produce in the heart; such as the religion of the gospel is fitted to produce. The word used here, \~eilikrineia \~, and rendered sincerity, denotes, properly, clearness, such as is judged of or discerned in sunshine, (from \~eilh\~ and \~krinw\~,) and thence pureness, integrity. It is most probable that the phrasehere denotes that sincerity which God produces and approves; and the sentiment is, that pure religion, the religion of God, produces entire sincerity in the heart. Its purposes and aims are open and manifest, as if seen in thesunshine. The plans of the world are obscure, deceitful, and dark, as if in night.

Not with fleshly wisdom. Not with the wisdom which is manifested by the men of this world; not by the principles of cunning, and mere policy, and expediency, which often characterize them. The phrase here stands opposed to simplicity and sincerity, to openness and straightforwardness. And Paul means to disclaim for himself, and for his fellow-labourers, all that carnal policy which distinguishes the mere men of the world. And if Paul deemed such policy improper for him, we should deem it improper for us; if he had no plans which he wished to advance by it, we should have none; if he would not employ it in the promotion of good plans, neither should we. It has been the curse of the church and the bane of religion; and it is to this day exerting a withering and blighting influence on the church. The moment that such plans are resorted to, it is proof that the vitality of religion is gone; and any man who feels that his purposes cannot be accomplished but by such carnal policy, should set it down as full demonstration that his plans are wrong, and that his purpose should be abandoned. But by the grace God. This phrase stands opposed, evidently, to "fleshly wisdom." It means that Paul had been influenced by such sentiments and principles as would be suggested or prompted by the influence of his grace. Locke renders it, "By the favour of God directing me." God had shown him favour; God had directed him; and he had kept him from the crooked and devious ways of mere worldly policy. The idea seems to be not merely that he had pursued a correct and upright course of life, but that he was indebted for this to the mere grace and favour of God--an idea which Paul omitted no opportunity of acknowledging. We have had our conversation. We have conducted ourselves, (\~anestrafhmen\~.) The word here used means, literally, to turn up, to overturn; then to turn back, to return, and, in the middle voice, to turn one's self around, to turn one's self to anything, and, also, to move about in, to live in, to be conversant with, to conduct one's self. In this sense it seems to be used here. Comp. openness and straightforwardness. And Paul means to disclaim for himself, and for his fellow-labourers, all that carnal policy which distinguishes the mere men of the world. And if Paul deemed such policy improper for him, we should deem it improper for us; if he had no plans which he wished to advance by it, we should have none; if he would not employ it in the promotion of good plans, neither should we. It has been the curse of the church and the bane of religion; and it is to this day exerting a withering and blighting influence on the church. The moment that such plans are resorted to, it is proof that the vitality of religion is gone; and any man who feels that his purposes cannot be accomplished but by such carnal policy, should set it down as full demonstration that his plans are wrong, and that his purpose should be abandoned. But by the grace God. This phrase stands opposed, evidently, to "fleshly wisdom." It means that Paul had been influenced by such sentiments and principles as would be suggested or prompted by the influence of his grace. Locke renders it, "By the favour of God directing me." God had shown him favour; God had directed him; and he had kept him from the crooked and devious ways of mere worldly policy. The idea seems to be not merely that he had pursued a correct and upright course of life, but that he was indebted for this to the mere grace and favour of God--an idea which Paul omitted no opportunity of acknowledging.

We have had our conversation. We have conducted ourselves, (\~anestrafhmen\~.) The

word here used means, literally, to turn up, to overturn; then to turn back, to return, and, in the middle voice, to turn one's self around, to turn one's self to anything, and, also, to move about in, to live in, to be conversant with, to conduct one's self. In this sense it seems to be used here. Comp. Hebrews 10:33; 13:18; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:17. The word conversationwe usually apply to oral discourse; but in the Scriptures it means conduct; and the sense of the passage is, that Paul had conducted himself in accordance with the principles of the grace of God, and had been influenced by that. In the world. Everywhere; wherever I have been. This does not mean in the world, as contradistinguished from the church; but in the world at large, or wherever he had been, as contradistinguished from the church at Corinth. It had been his common and universal practice.

And more abundantly to you-ward. Especially towards you. This was added, doubtless, because there had, been charges against him in Corinth, that he had been crafty, cunning, deceitful, and especially that he had deceived them, 2 Corinthians 1:17, in not visiting them as he had promised. He affirms, therefore, that in all things he had acted in the manner to which the grace of God prompted, and that his conduct, in all respects, had been that of entire simplicity and sincerity.:

5. CLARKE In godly sincerity e.......e.a.e... The sincerity of God: that is, such a sincerity as comes from his work in the soul. e.......e.a, sincerity, and e........., sincere, come from e..., the splendour, or bright shining of the sun; and here signifies such simplicity of intention, and purity of affection, as can stand the test of the light of God shining upon it, without the discovery being made of a single blemish or flaw.

Not with fleshly wisdom The cunning and duplicity of man, who is uninfluenced by the Spirit of God, and has his secular interest, ease, profit, pleasure, and worldly honour in view.

But by the grace of God

Which alone can produce the simplicity and godly sincerity before mentioned, and inspire the wisdom that comes from above.

We have had our conversation

a.est.af.µe.. We have conducted ourselves. The word properly refers to the whole tenor of a man's life-all that he does says, and intends; and the object or end he has in view, and in reference to which he speaks, acts, and thinks; and is so used by the best Greek writers. The verb a.ast.ef. is compounded of a.a, again, and st.ef., to turn;a continual coming back again to the point from which he set out; a circulation; beginning, continuing, and ending every thing to the glory of God; setting out with Divine views, and still maintaining them; beginning in the Spirit, and ending in the Spirit; acting in reference to God, as the planetsdo in reference to the sun, deriving all their light, heat, and motion from him; and incessantly and regularly revolving round

him. Thus acted Paul; thus acted the primitive Christians; and thus must every Christian act who expects to see God in his glory. The word conversationis not an unapt Latinism for the Greek term, as conversatiocomes from con, together, and verto, I turn; and is used by the Latinsin precisely the same sense as the other is by the Greeks, signifying the whole of a man's conduct, the tenor and practice of his life: and conversio astrorum, and conversionescaelestes, is by CICERO used for the course of the starsand heavenly bodies.--De Leg. c. 8: Caelum unaconversione atqueeadem, ipse circum se torquetur et vertitur.--CIC de Univers., c. 8: "The heaven itself is, with one and the same revolution, whirled about, and revolves round itself."

In the world Both among Jews and Gentiles have we always acted as seeing Him who is invisible. More abundantly to you-ward.

That is, We have given the fullest proof of this in our conducttowards you; YOU have witnessed the holy manner in which we have always acted; and GOD is witness of the purity of the motives by which we have been actuated; and our conscience tells us that we have lived in uprightness before him.

6. CALVIN 12. "For our glorying is this.He assigns a reason why his preservation should be a subject of interest to all . that he had conducted himself 258258 “We have had our conversation(..est..f.µe..) The verb ..ast..f., is compounded of ..., again, and st..f., to turn . a continual coming back again to the point from which he set out . a circulation . beginning, continuing, and ending everything to the glory of God; setting out with divine views, and still maintaining them; beginning in the Spirit, and ending in the Spirit; acting in reference to God, as the planetsdo in reference to the sun, deriving all their light, heat, and motion from him; and incessantly and regularly revolving round him. Thus acted Paul: thus acted the primitive Christians; and thus must every Christian act who expects to see God in his glory.” . Dr. Adam Clarke.. Ed.them all in simplicity and sincerityHe deserved, therefore, to be dear to them, and it would have been very unfeeling not to be concerned in reference to such a servant of the Lord, that he might be long preserved for the benefit of the Church. “I have conducted myself before all in such a manner, that it is no wonder if I have the approbation and love of all good men.” He takes occasion from this, however, for the sake of those to whom he was writing, to make a digression for the purpose of

declaring his own integrity. As, however, it is not enough to be approved of by man’s judgment, and as Paul himself was harassed by the unjust and malignant judgments of some, or rather by corrupt and blind attachments, 259259 “Par les affections qu’ils

portoyent d’autres pour des raisons friuoles, et quasi sans scauoir pourquoy;” . “By attachments that they cherished towards others on trivial grounds, and in a manner without knowing why.” adduces his own conscience as his witness . which is all one as though he had cited God as a witness, or had made what he says matter of appeal to his tribunal.

But how does Paul’s glorying in his integrity comport with that statement,

He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord? (2 Corinthians 10:17.)

Besides, who is so upright 260260 “Qui est celuy, tant pur et entier soit il?” . “Where is the man, be he ever so pure and perfect?” to dare to boast in the presence of God? In the first place, Paul does not oppose himself to God, as though he had anything that was his own, or that was from himself. Farther, he does not place the foundation of his salvation in that integrity to which he lays claim, nor does he make confidence in that ground of his dependence. Lastly, he does not glory in God’s gifts in such a way as not at the same time to render all the glory to him as their sole Author, and ascribe everything to him. 261261 “Et rapporte toutes choses a sa bonte;” . “And ascribes everything to his goodness.” three exceptions lay a foundation for every godly person glorying on good grounds in all God’s benefits; while the wicked, on the other hand, cannot glory even in God, except on false and improper grounds. Let us therefore, first of all, acknowledge ourselves to be indebted to God for everything good that we possess, claiming no merit to ourselves. Secondly, let us hold fast this foundation . that our dependence for salvation be grounded exclusively on the mercy of God. Lastly, let us repose ourselves 262262 “Arrestons nous et reposons du tout;”

. “Let us stay ourselves, and wholly repose.” the sole author of every blessing. Then in that there will be a pious 263263 “Bonne et saincte;” . “Good and holy.” in every kind of blessing. That in the simplicity 264264 “The most ancient MSS. read ....t.t., (holiness) . not

.p..t.t., (simplicity.)” . Pennof God.He employs the expression simplicity of God , in the same way as in Romans 3:23, the glory of God; in John 12:43, the glory of God and of men. who love the glory of men, to appear something before men, or to stand well in the opinion of men. The glory of Godis what a man has in the sight of God. Hence Paul does not reckon it enough to declare that his sincerity was perceived by men, but adds, that he was such in the sight of God. ........e.. (which I have rendered purity) is closely connected with simplicity; it is an open and upright way of acting, such as makes a man’s heart as it were transparent. 265265 “The word used here e.......e.. and rendered sincerity. denotes properly . clearness, such as is judged of or discerned in sunshine, (e..., sunshine, and ....., to judge,) and thence pureness, integrity. It is most probable that the phrasehere denotes that sincerity which God produces and approves; and the sentiment is, that pure religion, the religion of God, produces entire sincerity in the heart. Its purposes and aims are open and manifest, as if seen in the sunshine. The plans of the world are obscure, deceitful, and dark, as if in the night.” . Barnes. The same term is made use of by Paul in 1 Cor. 5:8, and in 2 Corinthians 2:17On comparing the various instances in which this term is employed by the Apostle, we have occasion to observe the admirable harmony between his exhortations and practice. . Ed.terms stand opposed to craft, deception, and all underhand schemes.

Not in fleshly wisdom. There is here a sort of anticipation; for what might be felt to be

wanting in him he readily acknowledges, nay more, he openly proclaims, that he is destitute of, but adds, that he is endowed with what is incomparably more excellent . the grace of God“I acknowledge,” says he, “that I am destitute of fleshly wisdom, I have been furnished with divine influence, and if any one is not satisfied with that, is at

liberty to depreciate my Apostleship. If, on the other hand, fleshly wisdom of no value, then I want nothing that is not fitted to secure well-grounded praise.” He gives the name of fleshly wisdom everything apart from Christ, that procures for us the reputation of wisdom. the first and second of the former epistle. Hence, by the grace of God, which is contrasted with it, we must understand everything that transcends man’s nature and capacity, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which openly manifested the power of God in the weakness of the flesh. More abundantly towards you Not that he had been less upright elsewhere, but that he had remained longer at Corinth, in order that he might (not to mention other purposes) afford a fuller and clearer proof of his integrity. He has, however, expressed himself intentionally in such a way as to intimate that he did not require evidences that were far-fetched, inasmuch as they were themselves the best witnesses of all that he had said. himself intentionally in such a way as to intimate that he did not require evidences that were far-fetched, inasmuch as they were themselves the best witnesses of all that he had said.

7. GUZIK (12-14) Paul's boast: his integrity and simplicity in ministry towards the Corinthian Christians.

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. :ow I trust you will understand, even to the end (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

a. The testimony of our conscience: In this section, Paul defends himself against the accusation that he is fickle and unreliable. Here, he simply states that he has a clear conscience before God, and trusts that the Corinthian Christians will understand. b. We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom: The Corinthian Christians were so used to dealing with ministers who were calculating and manipulative, they figured Paul must be the same way. Therefore, when Paul said he was coming to them (1 Corinthians 16:5), but did not, they figured he was just manipulating them. Paul is letting them know this is not the case at all. i. The Corinthian Christians had become cynical. They believed that everyone had bad motives, and everyone was out for personal gain and power. They didn't trust Paul because they were cynical. c. We are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand: Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to know he had no "hidden meanings" in his letters. His meaning was right out on top, for all to see. i. A cynical heart will always think, "You say this, but you really mean that. You aren't telling the truth." Paul assured the Corinthian Christians that he really was telling the truth, and he wasn't communicating with manipulative hidden meanings.

ii. "In Paul's life there were no hidden actions, no hidden motives and no hidden meanings." (Barclay)

8. HENRY 12 TO 1`4 The apostle in these verses attests their integrity by the sincerity of their conversation. This he does not in a way of boasting and vain-glory, but as one good reason for desiring the help of prayer, as well as for the more comfortably trusting in God (Hebrews 13:18), and for the necessary vindication of himself from the aspersions of some persons at Corinth, who reproached his person and questioned his apostleship. Here,

I. He appeals to the testimony of conscience with rejoicing (2 Corinthians 1:12), in which observe, 1. The witness appealed to, namely, conscience, which is instead of a thousand witnesses. This God's deputy in the soul, and the voice of conscience is the voice of God. They rejoiced in the testimony of conscience, when their enemies reproached them, and were enraged against them. :ote, The testimony of conscience for us, if that be right and upon good grounds, will be matter of rejoicing at all times and in all conditions. 2. The testimony this witness gave. And here take notice, Conscience witnessed, (1.) Concerning their conversation, their constant course and tenour of life: by that we may judge of ourselves, and not by this or that single act. (2.) Concerning the nature or manner of their conversation; that it was in simplicity and godly sincerity. This blessed apostle was a true Israelite, a man of plain dealing; you might know where to have him. He was not a man who seemed to be one thing and was another, but a man of sincerity. (3.) Concerning the principle they acted from in all their conversation, both in the world and towards these Corinthians; and that was not fleshly wisdom, nor carnal politics and worldly views, but it was the grace of God, a vital gracious principle in their hearts, that cometh from God, and tendeth to God. Then will our conversation be well ordered when we live and act under the influence and command of such a gracious principle in the heart. II. He appeals to the knowledge of the Corinthians with hope and confidence, 2 Corinthians 1:13,14. Their conversation did in part fall under the observation of the Corinthians; and these knew how they behaved themselves, how holily, and justly, and unblamably;they never found any thing in them unbecoming an honest man. This they had acknowledged in part already, and he doubted not but they would still do so to the end, that is, that they would never have any good reason to think or say otherwise of him, but that he was an honest man. And so there would be mutual rejoicing in one another. We are your rejoicing, even as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.:ote, It is happy when ministers and people do rejoice in each other here; and this joy will be complete in that day when the great Shepherd of the sheep shall appear. Paul's Sincerity and Affliction. A. D. 57.

9. GILL, "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience,.... This rejoicing or glorying of the apostle's in the testimony of their consciences, to the goodness of their hearts, actions, conduct, and behaviour, was not before God, and in his sight, but before men, who were ready to accuse their good conversation in Christ: nor are these words to be considered as they generally are by interpreters, as if it was the testimony of a good conscience, which was the ground of their faith and confidence, that God would deliver them, and was an helping cause, together with the prayers of the saints, of their present deliverance. They refer to the charge exhibited against the apostle, that he had falsified his word in not coming to Corinth according to his promise; under which charge he could sit easy, having a witness within him, which was better than a thousand others, that

we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards; the Corinthians, of which they themselves must be conscious:

in simplicity; in opposition to double mindedness; they did not say one thing, and mean another, and act contrary to both; their heart and mouth went together, and their conduct agreed with both; what they promised they meant to perform; and where there was a want of performance, it was owing to intervening providences, which hindered, and not to any deceitfulness in them: the conscience of the apostle bore him witness, that he behaved in the simplicity and singleness of his heart; and also in

godly sincerity, or "in the sincerity of God"; that is, such as God requires, gives, and approves of, and which will stand in his sight, will bear his examination, and to which he gives his testimony; and that his conduct was

not influenced

with fleshly wisdom: he used no artful sophistical methods to impose upon, and delude persons, for any sinister ends, or worldly advantage:

but by the grace of God; which was bestowed upon him, implanted in him, and which taught him to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world.

10. IVP The Corinthians' Complaints The Corinthians were complainers as well (1 Cor 10:10, "Do not grumble") and took the opportunity of Titus's visit with the severe letter to communicate a number of criticisms they had against Paul. First, they said that Paul's letters were hard to understand: "What is this fellow talking about?" (vv. 12-14). Second, they claimed that Paul was fickle. "He promises to visit us and then changes his mind without even consulting us" (1:15-23). Third, they thought that he had a domineering attitude toward them and wanted to show who had the upper hand (1:24--2:4). :o doubt they were being egged on by visiting preachers who sought to displace Paul in the Corinthians' affections by pointing to his supposed character and ministerial deficiencies (see the introduction). First Complaint: Obscure Letters (1:12-14) In chapter 1 verse 12 Paul begins to deal

with the Corinthian complaints by pointing to the overall integrity of his conduct. +ow this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.Paul's primary line of defense is personal commendation. This is our boast.The language of boasting (1:12, 14; 5:12; 7:4, 14; 10:8, 13, 15-17; 11:10, 12, 16-18, 30; 12:1, 5, 6, 9), commending (3:1; 4:2; 5:12; 6:4; 10:12, 18; 12:11) and having confidence (1:9, 15; 3:4; 5:6, 8; 7:4, 16; 10:2, 7) occurs more in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament. Paul also provides the Corinthians with three different rsums of ministerial credentials (4:8-9; 6:4-10; 11:22--12:6).

Even though rsums are a given in our society, many today take offense at Paul's boasting and view his self-commendation as a sign of personal arrogance. Three factors must be kept in mind. First, Paul does not engage in boasting in order to make himself look good. He is pushed to do it by the Corinthians, who placed great store in such things, and by his opponents, who enjoyed flaunting their credentials (5:12; 10:12). Paul stooped to their level in order to safeguard the church from placing its trust in those who were only out to exploit them (11:18-20). He is quite open about this. "We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again," he says, "but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart" (5:12). Second, the credentials Paul puts forward are job related. He speaks from the standpoint of his office, not his person, and phrases what he says in the plural "we," not the singular "I." It is as servants of Christ and ministers of the gospel that he commends himself and his coworkers. And, third, when Paul does boast, he boasts not in his achievements and accomplishments but in the hardships, struggles and trials of an itinerant missionary. "As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger" (6:4-5).

13. For we do not write you anything you cannot

read or understand. And I hope that,

1. JAMISON, "We write none other things (in this Epistle) than what ye read (in my former Epistle [BENGEL]; present, because the Epistle continued still to be read in the Church as an apostolic rule). CO:YBEARE and HOWSO: think Paul had been suspected of writing privately to some individuals in the Church in a different strain from that of his public letters; and translates, "I write nothing else to you but what ye read openly

(the Greek meaning, 'ye read aloud,' namely, when Paul's Epistles were publicly read in the congregation, 1Th 5:27); yea, and what you acknowledge inwardly." or acknowledge--Greek, "or even acknowledge." The Greek for "read" and for "acknowledge" are words kindred in sound and root. I would translate, ":one other things than what ye know by reading (by comparing my former Epistle with my present Epistle), or even know as a matter of fact (namely, the consistency of my acts with my words)."

even to the end--of my life. Not excluding reference to the day of the Lord (end of 2Co 1:14; 1Co 4:5).

2. BARNES There has been much variety in the interpretation of this passage; and much difficulty felt in determining what it means. The sense seems to me to be this: Paul had just declared that he had been actuated by pure intentions and by entire sincerity, and had in all things been influenced by the grace of God. This he had shown everywhere, but more particularly among them at Corinth. That they fully knew. In making this affirmation they had full evidence, from what they had known of him in former times, that such had been his course of life; and he trusted that they would be able to acknowledge the same thing to the end, and that they would never have any occasion to form a different opinion of him. It will be recollected that it is probable that some at Corinth had charged him with insincerity; and some had accused him of fickleness in having promised to come to Corinth and then changing his mind, or had charged him with never having intended to come to them. His object in this verse is to refute such

slanders; and he says, therefore, that all that he affirmed in his writings about the sincerity and simplicity of his aims, was such as they knew from their past acquaintance with him to be true; and that they knew that he was a man who would keep his promises. It is an instance of a minister who was able to appeal to the people among whom he had lived and laboured in regard to the general sincerity and uprightness of his character--such an appeal as every minister oughtto be able to make to refute all slanders; and such as he will be able to make successfully, if his life, like that of Paul, is such as to warrant it. Such seems to me to be the sense of the passage, Beza, however, renders it, "I write no other things than what ye read, or may understand ;" and so Rosenmuller, Wetstein, Macknight, and some others interpret it; and they explain it as meaning, "I write nothing secretly, nothing ambiguously, but I express myself dearly, openly, plainly, so that I may be read and understood by all." Macknight supposes that they had charged him with using ambiguous language, that he might afterwards interpret it to suit his own purpose. The objection to this is, that Paul never adverts to the obscurity or perspicuity of his own language. It was his conduct that was the main subject on which he was writing; and the connexion seems to demand that we understand him as affirming that they had abundant evidence that what he affirmed of his simplicity of aim and integrity of life was true.

Than what ye read. \~anaginwskete\~. This word properly means, to know accurately; to distinguish; and in the :ew Testament usually to know by reading. Doddridge remarks, that the word is ambiguous, and may signify either to acknowledge, to know,

or to read. He regards it as here used in the sense of knowing. It is probably used here in the sense of knowing accurately, or surely; of recognisingfrom their former acquaintance with him. They would seethat the sentiments which he now expressed were such as accorded with his character and uniform course of life. Or acknowledge. \~epiginwskete\~. The preposition \~epi\~ in composition here is intensive; and the word denotes, to know fully; to receive full knowledge of; to know well; or to recognise. It here means that they would fully recognise, or know entirely to their satisfaction, that the sentiments which he here expressed were such as accorded with his general manner of life. From what they knew of him, they could not but admit that he had been influenced by the principles stated. And I trust ye shall acknowledge. I trust that my conduct will be such as to convince you always that I am actuated by such principles. I trust you will never witness any departure from them--the language of a man of settled principle, and of fixed aims and honesty of life. An honest man can always use such language respecting himself. Even to the end. To the end of life; always. "We trust that you will never have occasion to think dishonourably of us; or to reflect on any inconsistency in our behaviour."--Doddridge.

3. GILL, "For we write none other things to you,.... The things we write unto you concerning our conduct; and behaviour, are no other than what you read; not in our letters to you, but in our lives and conversations, when we were among you, and which you must own and acknowledge to be just and right; we can appeal to you, that what we say, and are obliged to say of ourselves, in our own defence, is what, upon a recollection, you will easily remember to have seen and observed: and I trust; or "hope", through the grace of God, we shall be enabled so to walk, as that you shall acknowledge even to the end; that our conversations are as become the Gospel of Christ, and are clear of that hypocrisy and deceit our adversaries would insinuate concerning us.

4. CALVIN 13. For we write no other thingsHere he indirectly reproves the false apostles, who recommended themselves by immoderate boastings, while they had little or no ground for it; and at the same time he obviates calumnies, in order that no one may object, that he claims for himself more than is his due. He says, therefore, that he does not in words boast of anything that he is not prepared to make good by deeds, and that, too, from the testimony of the Corinthians. Here he indirectly reproves the false apostles, who recommended themselves by immoderate boastings, while they had little or no ground for it; and at the same time he obviates calumnies, in order that no one may object, that he claims for himself more than is his due. He says, therefore, that he does not in words boast of anything that he is not prepared to make good by deeds, and that, too, from the testimony of the Corinthians.

The ambiguity, however, of the words, has given occasion for this passage being misinterpreted. ..a....s.e.., among the Greeks, signifies sometimes to read, at other times to recognize. .p.....s.e.. sometimes signifies to discover, at other times it means what the Latins properly express by the verb agnoscere, own, among lawyers the phrase is used to own a child, 266266 “Ce que disons Auouer: comme on dira Auouer vn enfant;” . “What we express by the verb to own, as when you speak of owning a child.” Budaeus also has observed. In this way .p.....s.e..means more than ..a....s.e..For we say that a person recognises thing, that is, that being silently convinced of it in his judgment, he perceives it to be true, while at the same time he does not acknowledge , or, in other words, cordially intimate his assent to it. Let us now examine Paul’s words. Some read thus . We write no other things than what ye read and acknowledge, it is very manifest is exceedingly lifeless, not to say senseless. For as to Ambrose’s qualifying the statement in this way . You not only read, but also acknowledge, is no one that does not perceive that it is quite foreign to the import of the words. And the meaning that I have stated is plain, and hangs together naturally, and, up to this point, there is nothing to prevent readers from understanding it, were it not that they have had their eyes shut, from being misled by the different meanings of the word. The sum is this . that Paul declares, that he brings forward no other things than what were known and perceived by the Corinthians . nay more, things as to which they would bear him witness. The first term employed is recognoscere, (to recognize,) is applicable, when persons are convinced from experience that matters are so. The second is agnoscere, (to acknowledge,) that they give their assent to the truth. 267267 The word

...a....s.ete, “properly means to know accurately, to distinguish. It is probably used here in the sense of knowing accurately or surely, of recognizingfrom their former acquaintance with him.” ..p.....s.e..“here means that they would fully recognize, or know entirely to their satisfaction, that the sentiments which he here expressed were such as accorded with his general manner of life.” . Barnes. Dr. Bloomfield, who approves of the view taken by Calvin of the meaning of the verb ..a....s.ete, remarks, that the word is employed in the same sense by Xenophon. Anab., 5:8, 6, as well as elsewhere in the Classical writers. . Ed. And, I hope, will acknowledge even to the end. As the Corinthians had not yet perfectly

returned to a sound mind, so as to be prepared to weigh his fidelity in a just and even balance, 268268 “C’est dire, pour en iuger droitement;” . “That is to say, to judge of it aright.” at the same time had begun to abate somewhat of their perverse and malignant judgment respecting him, he intimates, that he hopes better as to the future.

“You have already,” says he, “to some extent acknowledged me. I hope that you will acknowledge more and more what I have been among you, and in what manner I have conducted myself.” 269269 “Que vous cognoistrez de plus en plus comme i’ay

convers entre vous, et comme ie m’y suis gouuern, et ainsi auourez ce que maintenant i’en di;” . “That you will acknowledge more and more how I have conducted myself among you, and how I have regulated myself, and thus you will assent to what I now say.” this it appears more clearly what he meant by the word .p.....s.e... (acknowledge270270 “Que c’est qu’il a entendu par le dernier des deux mots desquels nous auons parler, lequel nous auons traduit Auouer;” . “What it was that he meant by the last of the two words of which we have spoken, which we have rendered . Acknowledge. ) :ow this relates to a season of repentance, for they had at the beginning acknowledged him fully and thoroughly; afterwards their right judgment had been beclouded 271271 “Obscurci et abbastardi en eux par les propos obliques des faux . Apostres et autres malins;” . “Obscured and corrupted by the unfair statements of the false Apostles, and other malicious persons.” unfair statements, but they had at length begun to return in part to a sound mind.

14. as you have understood us in part, you will

come to understand fully that you can

boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day

of the Lord Jesus.

1. For 18 months Paul labored among them to establish the church, and so they knew Paul in part, but had not understood him in depth. II Pet. 3:16 says Paul had things hard to be understood. His critics did not grasp him clearly.

He wanted them to be proud of him as he was of them, and not listen to the critics. He knew of their weaknesses and yet loved them. Paul saw things from the end, and how will we see each other in the day of the Lord. How embarrassing it will be when we see people there that we have rejected because of false accusations.

2. JAMISON, "in part--In contrast to "even to the end": the testimony of his life was not yet completed [THEOPHYLACT and BENGEL]. Rather, "in part," that is, some of you, not all [GROTIUS, ALFORD]. So in 2Co 2:5; Ro 11:25. The majority at Corinth had shown a willing compliance with Paul's directions in the first Epistle: but some were still refractory. Hence arises the difference of tone in different parts of this Epistle. See Introduction.

your rejoicing--your subject of glorying or boast. "Are" (not merely shall be) implies the present recognition of one another as a subject of mutual glorying: that glorying being about to be realized in its fulness "in the day (of the coming) of the Lord Jesus."being about to be realized in its fulness "in the day (of the coming) of the Lord Jesus."

3. BARNES You have had occasion to admit my singleness of aim, and purity of intention and of life, by your former acquaintance with me; and you have cheerfully done it.

In part. \~apo merouv\~. Tindal renders this, "as ye have found us partly." The sense seems to be, "as part of you acknowledge;" meaning that a portion of the church was ready to concede to him the praise of consistency and uprightness, though there was a faction, or a part, that denied it.

That we are your rejoicing. That we are your joy, and your boasting. That is, you admit me to be an apostle; you regard me as your teacher and guide; you recognise my authority, and acknowledge the benefits which you have received through me. Even as ye also are our's. Or, as you will be our rejoicing in the day when the Lord Jesus shall come to gather his people to himself. Then it will be seen that you were saved by our ministry; and then it will be an occasion of abundant and eternal thanksgiving to God that you were converted by our labours. And as you now regard it as a matter of congratulation and thanksgiving that you have such teachers as we are, so shall we regard it as a matter of congratulation and thanksgiving--as our chief joy--that we were the instruments of saving sucha people. The expression implies that there was mutual confidence, mutual love, and mutual cause of rejoicing, it is well when ministers and people haw such confidence in each other, and have occasion to regard their connexion as a mutual cause of rejoicing and of \~kauchma\~ or boasting.

{a} "that we are your" Philippians 4:1 {+} "rejoicing" "grace"

3B. CLARKE Verse 14. Have acknowledged us in part ap.µe.... may signify here not in part, but some of you; and it is evident, from the distracted state of the Corinthians, and the opposition raised there against the apostle, that it was only a part of themthat did acknowledge him, and receive and profit by his epistles and advice.

We are your rejoicing, usas the ministers of Christ through whom ye have believed; as we boast of youas genuine converts to the Christian faith, and worthy members of the Church of God.

4. GILL, "As also you have acknowledged us in part,.... This may refer either to the thing known and acknowledged, namely, the integrity of the apostle's conversation, and others; which though they did not know thoroughly and perfectly, yet did in part, and that so far as that they might acquit them from the charge brought against them; or to the persons who knew this, as that there were some in the church of Corinth, a part of them, though not all, who knew and had acknowledged them to be upright and sincere ministers of the word, and had declared that they had reason to rejoice and bless God that ever they heard them: and

that we are your rejoicing: or "glorying in", or "unto the day of the Lord Jesus": when he shall come to judge the world in righteousness, then they should before him, angels and men, rejoice and glory in this, that they had been blessed with such sincere and faithful ministers, who sought not any worldly advantage, but the glory of Christ, and the salvation of souls:

even as, adds the apostle,

ye also are ours; we do now, and so we shall then, rejoice and glory in this, that our labour among you was not in vain, but was blessed for your conversion and edification.

5. CALVIN 14. For we are your glorying.We have briefly adverted to the manner in which it is allowable for saints to glory in God’s benefits . when they repose themselves in God alone, and have no other object of aim. Thus it was a ground of pious glorying on the part of Paul, that he had, by his ministry, brought the Corinthians under obedience to Christ; and of the Corinthians, on the other hand, that they had been trained up so faithfully and so virtuously by such an Apostle . a privilege that had not been allotted to all. This way of glorying in men does not stand in the way of our glorying in God alone. :ow he instructs the Corinthians, that it is of the greatest importance for themselves that they should acknowledge him to be a faithful, and not a merely pretended, servant of Christ; because, in the event of their withdrawing from him, they would deprive themselves of the highest glory. In these words he reproves their fickleness, inasmuch as they voluntarily deprived themselves of the highest glory, by listening too readily to the spiteful and envious. Corinthians under obedience to Christ; and of the Corinthians, on the other hand, that they had been trained up so faithfully and so virtuously by such an Apostle . a privilege that had not been allotted to all. This way of glorying in men does not stand in the way of our glorying in God alone. :ow he instructs the Corinthians, that it is of the greatest importance for themselves that they should acknowledge him to be a faithful, and not a merely pretended, servant of Christ; because, in the event of their withdrawing from him, they would deprive themselves of the highest glory. In these words he reproves their fickleness, inasmuch as they voluntarily deprived themselves of the highest glory, by listening too readily to the spiteful and envious.

In the day of the Lord By this I understand the last day, which will put an end to all the fleeting 272272 “Vaines et caduques;” . “Empty and fading.” of this world. He

means, then, that the glorying of which he is now speaking is not evanescent, as those things are that glitter in the eyes of men, but is abiding and stable, inasmuch as it will remain until the day of Christ. For then Paul enjoy the triumph of the many victories that he had obtained under Christ’s auspices, and will lead forth in splendor all the nations that have, by means of his ministry, been brought under Christ’s glorious yoke; and the Church of the Corinthians will glory in having been founded and trained up by the services of so distinguished an Apostle.

15. Because I was confident of this, I planned to

visit you first so that you might benefit

twice.

1. JAMISON, "In this confidence--of my character for sincerity being "acknowledged" by you (2Co 1:12-14). was minded-I was intending.

before-"to come unto you before" visiting Macedonia (where he now was).

Compare +ote,see on 1Co 16:5; also see on 1Co 4:18, which, combined with the words here, implies that the insinuation of some at Corinth, that he would not come at all, rested on the fact of his having thus disappointedthem. His change of intention, and ultimate resolution of going through Macedonia first, took place before his sending Timothy from Ephesus into Macedonia, and therefore (1Co 4:17) before his writing the first Epistle. Compare Ac 19:21, 22(the order there is "Macedonia and Achaia," not Achaia, Macedonia); Ac 20:1, 2.

that ye might have a second benefit-one in going to, the other in returning from, Macedonia. The "benefit" of his visits consisted in the grace and spiritual gifts which he was the means of imparting (Ro 1:11, 12).

2. BARNES In this confidence of my integrity, and that you had this favourable opinion of me, and appreciated the principles of my conduct, I did not doubt that you would receive me kindly, and would give me again the tokens of your affection and regard. In this Paul shows, that however someof them might regard him, yet that he had no doubt that the majority of the church there would receive him kindly. I was minded. I willed, (\~eboulomhn\~;) it was my intention.

To come unto you before. Tindal renders this, "the other time." Paul refers doubtless to the time when he wrote his former epistle, and when it was his serious purpose, as it was his earnest wish, to visit them again, See 1 Corinthians 16:6. In this purpose he had been disappointed, and he now proceeds to state the reasons why he had not Visited them as he had purposed, and to show that it did not arise from any fickleness of mind. His purpose had been at first to pass through Corinth on his way to Macedonia, and to remain some time with them. See 2 Corinthians 1:16. Comp. 1 Corinthians 16:5,6. This purpose he had now changed; and instead of passing throughCorinth on his way to Macedonia, he had gone toMacedonia by the way of Troas, (2 Corinthians 2:12;) and the Corinthians having, as it would seem, become acquainted with this fact, had charged him with insincerity in the promise, or fickleness in regard to his plans. Probably it had been said by some of his enemies that he had never intended to visit them. That ye might have a second benefit. Marg., grace. The word here used (\~carin\~) is that which is commonly rendered grace, and means probably favour, kindness, goodwill, beneficence; and especially favour to the undeserving. Here it is evidently used in the sense of gratification, or pleasure. And the idea is, that they had been formerly gratified and benefited by his residence among them; he had been the means of conferring important favours them, and he was desirous of being again with them, in order, to gratify them by his presence, and that he might, be the means of imparting to them other favours. Paul presumed that his presence with them would be to them a source of pleasure, and that his coming would do them good. It is the language of a man who felt assured that he enjoyed, after all, the confidence of the mass of the church there, and that they would regard his being with them as a favour. He had been with them formerly almost two years. His residence there had been pleasant to them and to him; and had been the occasion of important benefits to them, He did not doubt that it would be so again. Tindal renders this, "that you might have had a double pleasure." It may be remarked here, that several Mss. instead of \~carin\~, grace, read

3. CLARKE Verse 15. And in this confidence Under the conviction or persuasion that this is the case; that ye exult in us, as we do in you;

I was minded

I had purposed to come to you before, as he had intimated, 1 Corinthians 16:5; for he had intended to call on them in his way from Macedonia, but this purpose he did not fulfil; and he gives the reason, 2 Corinthians 1:23.

A second benefit

He had been with them once, and they had received an especial blessing in having the seedof life sownamong them by the preaching of the Gospel; and he had purposed to visit them again that they might have a secondblessing, in having that seed watered. Instead of .a..., graceor benefit, several MSS. read .a.a. joy, pleasure; but the word graceor benefit, seems to express the apostle's meaning best.

4. CALVIN 15. In this confidence.After having given them reason to expect that he would come, he had subsequently changed his intention. This was made an occasion of calumny against him, as appears from the excuse that he brings forward. When he says that it was from relying on this confidence he formed the purpose of coming to them, he indirectly throws the blame upon the Corinthians, inasmuch as they had, by their ingratitude, hindered, to some extent, his coming to them, by depriving him of

that confidence. That ye might have a second benefit The first benefit had been this . that he had devoted himself for the entire period of a year and six months (Acts 18:11) to the work of gaining them to the Lord; the second their being confirmed, by means of his coming to them, in the faith which they had once received, and being stirred up by his sacred admonitions to make farther progress. Of this latter benefit the Corinthians had deprived themselves, inasmuch as they had not allowed the apostle to come to them. They were paying, therefore, the penalty of their own fault, and they had no ground for imputing any blame to Paul. If any one, however, prefers, with Chrysostom, to take ..... (benefit) used instead of .a..., (joy,) do not much object to it. 275275 “Most modern Commentators explain the ..... giftor benefit; but the ancient Commentators, and some modern ones, as Wolf and Schleus, gratificationfor .a.... It should seem to

mean benefitgenerally, every spiritual advantage, or gratification from his society, imparted by his presence.” . Bloomfield OneMS. reads .a... Kypke, who renders ....., joy adduces instances in support of this meaning of ....”, though acknowledged to be unusual, from Plutarch, Polybius, and Euripides. The phrase is rendered in Tyndale’s version, (1534,) and also in Cranmer’s, (1539,) and Geneva, (1557,) versions . one pleasure moare.. Ed.former interpretation, however, is more simple. ....., joy adduces instances in support of this meaning of ....”, though acknowledged

to be unusual, from Plutarch, Polybius, and Euripides. The phrase is rendered in Tyndale’s version, (1534,) and also in Cranmer’s, (1539,) and Geneva, (1557,) versions . one pleasure moare.. Ed.former interpretation, however, is more simple.

5. GUZIK (15-17) Paul considers the accusation that he is unreliable and can't be trusted.

And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit; 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. 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 :o, :o?

a. I intended to come to you before: The Corinthian Christians accused Paul of being unreliable and untrustworthy because he said he would come at a certain time and did not, instead, he sent a letter. i. In 1 Corinthians 16:5-7, Paul promised to see the Corinthians after his trip through Macedonia. ii. He changed his plans and decided to see them first on his way to Macedonia, and then again on his way back, to give them a second benefit (2 Corinthians 1:15-16). iii. Paul made the first visit on the way to Macedonia, but it was painful for both him and the Corinthians (I would not come again to you in sorrow, 2 Corinthians 2:1). That visit was hard because it was full of confrontation. iv. At some time after this visit, Paul (or perhaps his representative) was openly insulted in Corinth by someone from the "anti-Paul" party (2 Corinthians 2:5-10, 7:12). v. Because the first visit was so unpleasant and sensing no benefit in a second visit, Paul abandoned his plan to see them on the way back from Macedonia. vi. Titus was sent from Ephesus to Corinth with the "severe letter" (2 Corinthians 2:3-9). Titus was also there to collect the contribution for the church in Judea, but the Corinthians didn't give as they should have. vii. Paul left Ephesus, and suffered his "affliction in Asia." viii. Paul then went to Macedonia, and among other things, he organized a collection for the needy Christians in Judea. Titus met Paul in Macedonia, and told Paul about the Corinthians' response to the "severe letter." ix. Later, from Macedonia, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians when he heard of more problems at Corinth. The letter was probably written in the fall of 56 A.D. b. Helped by you on my way acknowledges the custom of sending a traveler on their way at the outset of their journey. In the ancient world, when a distinguished guest was coming to a city, his friends and supporters would meet him a distance away from

the city, and walk with him in. They would also send him away the same way, walking with him a distance away from the city.

c. When I was planning this, did I do it lightly? The Corinthian Christians were accusing Paul of being fickle, and were insisting that if Paul were a man of integrity, he would have come in person. Paul's change in plans made the Corinthian Christians say that Paul must be a man for who Yes is :o and :o is Yes. i. Paul was being criticized as a man who couldn't decide on a plan, or who could not carry through on a plan. His enemies among the Christians in Corinth seized on these circumstances to make Paul look bad. ii. The Corinthian Christians were not wrong in being disappointed that Paul didn't come and visit them. It was all right for them to be disappointed. But they were wrong in trying to blamePaul for the disappointment. They needed to see Paul's heart and God's hand in the circumstances.

6. GILL, "And in this confidence I was minded,.... Being fully persuaded of your affection for me, as having been instrumental in the conversion of many of you, and of your esteem of me as a faithful and upright minister of the word, and of your being my rejoicing in the day of Christ, I was desirous, and had determined, and so promised,

to come to you before; when I sent my first epistle to you, or before now, or before I went into Macedonia; and what I now say was the sincere intention of my mind; I thought really to have done what I had such an inclination to: and my view in it was,

that you might have a second benefit; the meaning of which according to some is, first by his letter to them, and then by his presence with them; or as others, one benefit when he should pass by them to Macedonia, and a second, when he should return to them from thence, according to the following verse; or rather, as the first benefit which they received from him, and under his ministry, was their conversion, so this second benefit may design their edification, and establishment in the faith, their growth in grace, and improvement in spiritual knowledge.

7. THOMAS COKE, "2 Corinthians 1:15. And in this confidence I was minded— Or, I purposed: So 2 Corinthians 1:17. The next thing which St. Paul justifies, is his not coming to them. He had promised to call on the Corinthians in his way to Macedonia, but failed: this his opposers would have to proceed from levity in him, or a mind regulating itself wholly by carnal interest (ver.

17.). To which he answers,that God himself having confirmed him among them by the unction and earnest of his Spirit, in the ministry of the gospel of his Son,—whom St. Paul had preached to them steadily the same, without any the least variation, or unsaying of any thing that he had at any time delivered,—they could have no ground to suspect him to be an unstable, uncertain man, who could not be depended on in what he said to them, 2 Corinthians 1:15-22. In the next place, with a very solemn asseveration, he professes that it was to spare them that he came not to them, 2 Corinthians 1:23.—ch. 2 Corinthians 2:3.

He gives another reason, 2 Corinthians 1:12-13 why he went on to Macedonia, without coming to Corinth, as he had proposed; namely, the uncertainty he was in, by the not coming of Titus, concerning their disposition at Corinth. Having mentioned his journey to Macedonia, he takes notice of the success which God gave to him there and every where, declaring of what consequence his preaching was, both to the salvation and condemnation of those who received or rejected it; professing again his sincerity and disinterestedness, not without a severe reflection on their false apostle, 2 Corinthians 1:14

By the word χαριν, in the verse before us, which our Bibles translate benefit, it is plain the Apostle means his being present among them a second time, without giving them any grief or displeasure. He had been with them before almost two years together, with satisfaction andkindness; he intended them another visit, but it was, he says, that they might have the like gratification; that is, the like satisfaction in his company a second time: which is to the same purport with what he says, ch. ii

8. HENRY TO END The apostle here vindicates himself from the imputation of levity and inconstancy, in that he did not hold his purpose of coming to them at Corinth. His adversaries there sought all occasions to blemish his character, and reflect upon his conduct; and, it seemed, they took hold of this handle to reproach his person and discredit his ministry.

Now, for his justification, I. He avers the sincerity of his intention (2 Corinthians 1:15-17), and he does this in confidence of their good opinion of him, and that they would believe him, when he assured them he was minded,or did really intend, to cometo them, and that with the design, not that he might receive, but that they might receive a second benefit,that is, a further advantage by his ministry. He tells them that he had not herein used lightness (2 Corinthians 1:17), that, as he aimed not at any secular advantage to himself (for his purpose was not according to the flesh,that is, with carnal views and aims), so it was not a rash and inconsiderate resolution that he had taken up, for he had laid his measures thus of passing by them to Macedonia, and coming again to them from Macedonia in his way to Judea(2 Corinthians 1:16), and therefore they might conclude that it was for some weighty reasons that he had altered his purpose; and that with him there was not yea yea, and nay nay, 2 Corinthians 1:17. He was not to be accused of levity and inconstancy, nor a contradiction between his words and intentions. :ote, Good men should be careful to preserve the reputation of sincerity and constancy; they should not resolve but upon mature deliberation, and they will not change their resolves but for weighty reasons. II. He would not have the Corinthians to infer that his gospel was false or uncertain, nor that it was contradictory in itself, nor unto truth, 2 Corinthians 1:18,19. For if it had been so, that he had been fickle in his purposes, or even false in the promises he made of coming to them (which he was not justly to be accused of, and so

some understand his expression, 2 Corinthians 1:18, Our word towards you was not yea and nay), yet it would not follow that the gospel preached not only by him, but also by others in full agreement with him, was either false or doubtful. For God is true, and the Son of God, Jesus Christ,is true. The true God, and eternal life. Jesus Christ, whom the apostle preached, is not yeaand nay,but in him was yea(2 Corinthians 1:19), nothing but infallible truth. And the promises of God in Christ are not yea and nay, but yea and amen, 2 Corinthians 1:20. There is an inviolable constancy and unquestionable sincerity and certainty in all the parts of the gospel of Christ. If in the promises that the ministers of the gospel make as common men, and about their own affairs, they see cause sometimes to vary from them, yet the promises of the gospel covenant, which they preach, stand firm and inviolable. Bad men are false; good men are fickle; but God is true,neither fickle nor false. The apostle, having mentioned the stability of the divine promises, makes a digression to illustrate this great and sweet truth, that all the promises of God are yea and amen. For, 1. They are the promises of the God of truth (2 Corinthians 1:20), of him that cannot lie,whose truth as well as mercy endureth for ever. 2. They are made in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20), the Amen, the true and faithful witness; he hath purchased and ratified the covenant of promises, and is the surety of the covenant,Hebrews 7:22. 3. They are confirmed by the Holy Spirit. He does establish Christians in the faith of the gospel; he has anointed them with his sanctifying grace, which in scripture is often compared to oil; he has sealed them, for their security and confirmation; and he is given as an earnest in their hearts,2 Corinthians 1:21,22. An earnest secures the promise, and is part of the payment. The illumination of the Spirit is an earnest of everlasting life; and the comforts of the Spirit are an earnest of everlasting joy. :ote, The veracity of God, the mediation of Christ, and the operation of the Spirit, are all engaged that the promises shall be sure to all the seed, and the accomplishment of them shall be to the glory of God(2 Corinthians 1:20) for the glory of his rich and sovereign grace, and never-failing truth and faithfulness.

III. The apostle gives a good reason why he did not come to Corinth, as was expected, 2 Corinthians 1:23. It was that he might spare them. They ought therefore to own his kindness and tenderness. He knew there were things amiss among them, and such as deserved censure, but was desirous to show tenderness. He assures them that this is the true reason, after this very solemn manner: I call God for a record upon my soul-a way of speaking not justifiable where used in trivial matters; but this was very justifiable in the apostle, for his necessary vindication, and for the credit and usefulness of his ministry, which was struck at by his opposers. He adds, to prevent mistakes, that he did not pretend to have any dominion over their faith, 2 Corinthians 1:24. Christ only is the Lord of our faith; he is the author and finisher of our faith,Hebrews 12:2. He reveals to us what we must believe. Paul, and Apollos, and the rest of the apostles, were but ministers by whom they believed(1 Corinthians 3:5), and so the helpers of their joy,even the joy of faith. For by faith we stand firmly, and live safely and comfortably. Our strength and ability are owing to faith, and our comfort and joy must flow from faith.

16. I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia

and to come back to you from

Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my

way to Judea.

1. Paul had very specific plans, but they did not work out, and so even the most godly of people can make plans but not be able to keep them. God does not work all things out according to our plans. He was criticized for not keeping his word and so not being reliable. A man of broken promises.

2. BARNES Through (\~di\~) you; that is, through your city, or province; or to take them, as we say, in his way. His design was to pass through Corinth and Achaia on his journey. This was not the direct way from Ephesus to Macedonia. An inspection of a map (see the map of Asia Minor prefixed to the :otes on the Acts of the Apostles) will show at one view that the direct way was that which he concluded finally to take--that by Troas. Yet he had designed to go out of his way in order to make them a visit; and intended also, perhaps, to make them a longer visit on his return, The former part of the plan he had been induced to abandon.

Into Macedonia. A part of Greece having Thrace on the north, Thessaly south, Epirus west, and the AEgean Sea east. See Barnes "Acts 16:9". And of you to be brought on my way. By you. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 16:6". Toward Judea. His object in going to Judea was to convey the collection for the poor saints which he had been at so much pains to collect throughout the churches of the Gentiles. See Barnes "Romans 15:25", See Barnes "Romans 15:26". Comp. 1 Corinthians 16:3,4. {*} "brought" "conducted" {a} "my way" Acts 21:5

3. CLARKE Verse 16. To pass by you into Macedonia He had purposed to go to Macedonia first, and then from Macedonia return to them, and probably winter in Corinth. Therefore we must understand the d. .µ.., by you, as implying that he would sail up the AEgean Sea, leaving Corinth to the west; though he might have taken it in his way, and have gone by land through Greece up to

Macedonia. Some think that the meaning is, that he purposed to take Achaia in his way to Macedonia, without calling at Corinth; but Achaia was out of his way considerably, and he could scarcely go through Achaia without passing close by Corinth. I consider the words, therefore, as implying that he purposed not to call at Corinth at that time, but to pass by it, as before stated. to Macedonia, without calling at Corinth; but Achaia was out of his way considerably, and he could scarcely go through Achaia without passing close by Corinth. I consider the words, therefore, as implying that he purposed not to call at Corinth at that time, but to pass by it, as before stated.

4. GILL, "And to pass by you into Macedonia,.... It was his first intention and determination to have come first to Corinth, and then to Macedonia, to have took this city in his way thither; which was an argument of his love to them, and his great desire to see them; since he might have gone, as he did, a nearer way to Macedonia, than by Corinth:

and to come again out of Macedonia to you; when he had gone through that, and done his business there unto the Corinthians; and after some stay with them,

of you to be brought on my way towards Judea; where he intended to go, with the collections he had made for the poor saints at Jerusalem, in the several churches in Asia; but though this was his first resolution, which he had signified either by letter, or messengers, yet he afterwards changed his mind, for some reasons within himself; it may be, having heard some things disagreeable of them, which he thought more convenient to acquaint them with in an epistle first, and to try what effect that would have upon them, before he came in person: that he changed his mind, appears from the former epistle, 1 Corinthians 16:5, where he says, "I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia"; and upon this account it is he excuses and vindicates himself in the following verse.

17. When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do

I make my plans in a worldly

manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes,

yes" and "�o, no"?

1. JAMISON, "use lightness--Was I guilty of levity? namely, by promising more than I performed. or . . . according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea . . . nay, nay?-

The "or" expresses a different alternative: Did I act with levity, or (on the other hand) do I purpose what I purpose like worldly (fleshly) men, so that my "yea" must at all costs be yea, and my "nay" nay [BENGEL, WINER, CALVIN], (Mt 14:7, 9)? The repetition of the "yea" and "nay" hardly agrees with ALFORD'S view, "What I purpose do I purpose according to the changeable purposes of the fleshly (worldly) man, that there may be with me the yea yea, and the nay nay (that is, both affirmation and negation concerning the same thing)?" The repetition will thus stand for the single yea and nay, as in Mt 5:37; Jas 5:12. But the latter passage implies that the double "yea" here is not equivalent to the single "yea": BENGEL'S view, therefore, seems preferable.

We can say I will do such and such and then find we did not know all the facts necessary to carry out our word, and so we fail to keep a promise. We just cannot know all the circumstances ahead.

2. BARNES When I formed this purpose; when I willed this, and expressed this intention. Did I use lightness? The word \~elafria\~ (from \~elafrov\~) means, properly, lightnessin weight. Here it is used in reference to the mind; and in a sense similar to our word levity, as denoting lightness of temper or conduct; inconstancy, changeableness, or fickleness. This charge had been probably made, that he had made the promise without any due consideration, or without any real purpose of performing it; or that he had made it in a trifling and thoughtless manner. By the interrogative form here, he sharply denies that it was a purpose formed in a light and trifling manner.

Do I purpose according to the flesh. In such a manner as may suit my own convenience and carnal interest. Do I form plans adapted only to promote my own ease and gratification, and to be abandoned when they are attended with inconvenience? The phrase "according to the flesh" here seems to mean, "in such a way as to promote my own ease and gratification; in a manner such as the men of the world form; such as would be formed under the influence of earthly passions and desires, and to be forsaken when those plans would interfere with such gratifications." Paul denies in a positive manner that he formed such plans; and they should have known enough of his manner of life to be assured that that was not the nature of the schemes which he had devised? Probably no man ever lived who formed his plans of life lessfor the gratification of the flesh than Paul. That with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay! There has been a great variety in the interpretation of this passage. See Bloomfield, Crit. Dig. in loco. The meaning seems to be, "That there should be such inconstancy and uncertainty in my counsels and actions, that no one could depend on me, or know what he had to expect from me." Bloomfield supposes that the phrase is a proverbial one, and denotes a headstrong, self-willed spirit, which will either do things or not do them, as he pleases, without giving any reasons. He supposes that the repetitionof the words yea and nay is designed to denote positivenessof assertion--such positiveness as is commonly shown by such persons, as in the phrases, "what I have written I have written," "what I have done I

have done." It seems more probable however, that the phrase is designed to denote the ready compliancewhich an inconstant and unsettled man is accustomed to make with the wishes of others; his expressing a ready assent to what they propose; falling in with their views; readily making promises; and instantly, through some whim, or caprice, or wish of others, saying "yea, nay," to the same thing; that is, changing his mind, and altering his purpose without any good reason, or in accordance with any fixed principle or settled rule of action. Paul says that this was not his character. He did not affirm a thing at one time and deny it at another; he did. not promise to do a thing one moment and refuse to do it the next. {+} "thus minded" "thus purposed" and actions, that no one could depend on me, or know what he had to expect from me." Bloomfield supposes that the phrase is a proverbial one, and denotes a headstrong, self-willed spirit, which will either do things or not do them, as he pleases, without giving any reasons. He supposes that the repetitionof the words yea and nay is designed to denote positivenessof assertion--such positiveness as is commonly shown by such persons, as in the phrases, "what I have written I have written," "what I have done I have done." It seems more probable however, that the phrase is designed to denote the ready compliancewhich an inconstant and unsettled man is accustomed to make with the wishes of others; his expressing a ready assent to what they propose; falling in with their views; readily making promises; and instantly, through some whim, or caprice, or wish of others, saying "yea, nay," to the same thing; that is, changing his mind, and altering his purpose without any good reason, or in accordance with any fixed principle or settled rule of action. Paul says that this was not his character. He did not affirm a thing at one time and deny it at another; he did. not promise to do a thing one moment and refuse to do it the next.

3. GILL, "When I was therefore thus minded, did I use lightness?.... When I had thus determined to come to you, and had signified the same by writing, or messengers, did I use lightness in my resolutions and promises? did I act rashly, unadvisedly, and without consideration? did I promise certainly that I would come, without annexing any condition to it? did I not say, I would come to you shortly, if the Lord will? see 1 Corinthians 4:19.

Or the things that I purpose, do l purpose according to the flesh? do I consult myself? my own interest and advantage? do I seek the gratification of any carnal affection, as covetousness, ambition, or vain glory? &c. what sinister end could have been obtained, if I had come as I purposed, or is answered by my not coming? or when I have purposed anything, have I resolved upon it in my own strength? have I thought it lay in my own power to effect it?

that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay? as if I could make my "yea" continue "yea", and my "nay, nay?" when all actions are weighed by God, and all events are at his dispose; man appoints, and God disappoints; and who can help these things? or thus, has there appeared such contradictions in my words, and such inconstancy in my conduct, that my "yeas" are "nays", and my "nays yeas?" that I say one thing at one time, and another at another time, or both in the same breath? that I should say one thing, and mean another, on purpose to deceive, and change my mind and conduct without any reason?

4. CALVIN 17. Did I use fickleness?There are two things, more especially, that prevent the purposes of men from being carried into effect, or their promises from being faithfully performed. The one is that they make changes upon them almost every hour, and the other is that they are too rash in forming their plans. It is a sign of changeableness to purpose or promise what you almost immediately afterwards regret. With that fault Paul declares he had not been chargeable. “I have not,” says he, “through fickleness back from the promise that I made.” He declares also that he had been on his guard against rashness and misdirected confidence; for such is the way in which I explain the expression . purpose according to the fleshFor it is, as I have stated, the common practice of men, as though they were not dependent on God’s providence, and were not subject to his will, to determine rashly and presumptuously what they will do. :ow God, with the view of punishing this presumption, defeats their plans, so as to prevent them from having a prosperous issue, and in many instances holds up themselves to ridicule. what they will do. Now God, with the view of punishing this presumption, defeats their plans, so as to prevent them from having a prosperous issue, and in many instances holds up themselves to ridicule.

The expression, it is true, according to the flesh, be extended farther, so as to include all wicked schemes, and such as are not directed to a right end, as for example such as are dictated by ambition, avarice, or any other depraved affection. Paul, however, in my opinion, did not intend here to refer to any thing of that nature, but merely to reprove that rashness which is but too customary on the part of man, and in daily use in the forming of plans. To purpose, , according to the flesh, not owning God as our ruler, but, instead of this, being impelled by a rash presumption, which is afterwards justly derided by God, and punished. The apostle, with the view of clearing himself from these faults, proposes a question, as if in the person of his opponents. Hence it is probable, as I have already said, that some unfavorable report had been put in circulation by wicked persons.

That with me there should be yea, yea Some connect this statement with what goes before, and explain it thus: “As if it were in my power to perform whatever I purpose, as men determine that they will do whatever comes into their mind, and order their ways, Solomon speaks, (Proverbs 16:1,) while they cannot so much as govern their tongue.” And, undoubtedly, the words seem to imply this much . that what has been once affirmed must remain fixed, and what has been once denied must never be done. So James in his Epistle (James 5:12) says,

Let your yea be yea, and your nay nay, lest ye fall into dissimulation.

Farther, the context would in this way suit exceedingly well as to what goes before. For to purpose according to the fleshis this . when we wish that, without any exception, our determinations shall be like oracles. 276276 “Que nos deliberations et conseils soyent comme oracles et reuelations Diuines;” . “That our purposes and plans shall be like oracles and Divine revelations.” interpretation, However, does not accord with what immediately follows. God is faithful, ., where Paul makes use of the same form

of expression, when he has it in view to intimate, that he had not been unfaithful in his preaching. :ow it were absurd, if almost in the same verse he reckoned it as a fault that his yea should be yea, and his nay nay, and yet at the same time laid claim to it as his highest praise. I am aware of what could be said in reply, if any one were disposed to sport himself with subtleties, but I have no relish for anything that is not solid.

I have, therefore, no doubt, that in these words Paul designed to reprove fickleness, although they may seem to be susceptible of another meaning, for the purpose of clearing himself from that calumny . that he was accustomed to promise in words what he failed to perform in deeds. 277277 “He (the apostle) anticipates and repels a reproach of ..af..a, or ‘lightness of purpose,’ in that change of mind, as if he was ‘a yea and nay man,’ (Shaksp.), on whose word no secure reliance could be placed. In the next verse he calls God to witness that his word to them was not, ‘both yea and nay;’ and in the beginning of the following chapter, he explains to them, that it was for their sakes that he abstained from executing his first intention.” . Penn.. Ed.the reiterating of the affirmation and negation will not have the same meaning as in Matthew 5:37and in James, but will bear this meaning . “that yeashould with me be in this instance yea, on the other hand, when it pleases me, nay, nay” At the same time it is possible that it may have crept in through the ignorance of transcribers, as the old translation does not redouble the words, 278278 The rendering of the Vulgate is as follows: “Ut sit apud me estet non;” . “That with me there should be yeaand nay.” This reading . t. .a. .a. t. .., (yea and nay), is found in one Greek MS., as stated by Semler. Wiclif, (1380,) following the Vulgate, reads . “that at me, be it isand it is not.”

. Ed.this may be, we ought not to be very solicitous as to the words, provided we are in possession of the apostle’s intention, which, as I have said, clearly appears from what follows.

18. But as surely as God is faithful, our message to

you is not "Yes" and "�o."

1. JAMISON, "He adds this lest they might think his DOCTRI:E was changeable like his purposes(the change in which he admitted in 2Co 1:17, while denying that it was due to "lightness," and at the same time implying that notto have changed, where there was good reason, would have been to imitate the fleshly-mindedwho at all costs obstinately hold to their purpose). true-Greek,"faithful" (1Co 1:9). our word-the doctrinewe preach. was not-The oldest manuscripts read "isnot." yea and nay-that is, inconsistent with itself.

He has not been involved in double talk saying both yes and no at the same time. Such a person is despised for they are unreliable.

2. BARNES Tindal renders this, in accordance more literally with the Greek, "God is faithful; for our preaching unto you was not yea and nay." The phrase seems to have the form of an oath, or to be a solemn appeal to God as a witness, and to be equivalent to the expression "the Lord liveth," or, "as the Lord liveth." The idea is, "God is faithful and true. He never deceives; never promises that which he does not perform. So true is it that I am not fickle and changing in my purposes." The idea of the faithfulness of God is the argument which Paul urges why he felt himself bound to be faithful also. That faithful God he regarded as a witness, and to that God he could appeal on the occasion. expression "the Lord liveth," or, "as the Lord liveth." The idea is, "God is faithful and true. He never deceives; never promises that which he does not perform. So true is it that I am not fickle and changing in my purposes." The idea of the faithfulness of God is the argument which Paul urges why he felt himself bound to be faithful also. That faithful God he regarded as a witness, and to that God he could appeal on the occasion.

Our word. Marg., preaching, (\~o logov\~). This may refer either to his preaching, to his promises of visiting them, or his declarations to them in general on any subject. The particular subject under discussion was the promise which he had made to visit them. But he here seems to make his affirmation general, and to say universally of his promises, and his teaching, and of all his communications to them, whether orally or in writing, that they were not characterized by inconstancy and changeableness. It was not his character to be fickle, unsettled, and vacillating.

{1} "our word" "preaching"

3. GILL, "But as God is true,.... It seems that the false apostles had insinuated, that as the apostle had not kept his word in coming to them as he had promised, that he was not to be depended upon in his ministry; that he might as well contradict himself, and deceive others in the one, as well as in the other: wherefore he appeals to God in a very solemn manner, calls him to witness to the truth of his doctrine; for these words may be considered as the form of an oath; or he argues from, the truth and faithfulness of God, to the certainty and invariableness of the word preached, who is so true and faithful as that he will never suffer his word to be yea and nay: for when the apostle says, that

our word towards you was not yea and nay, he does not mean his word of promise to come to Corinth; but the word of his preaching, the doctrine of the Gospel, which was not uncertain, changeable, sometimes one thing, and sometimes another, and contradictory to itself. And by this the apostle would intimate, that since he was faithful and upright, uniform, consistent, and all of a piece in preaching the Gospel to them; so they ought to believe, that he was sincere in his resolutions and promises to come and see them, though as yet he had been hindered, and had not been able to perform them.

4. CALVIN 18. God is faithful.By the term wordhe means doctrine, as is manifest from the reason that he adds, when he says, that the Son of God, who is preached by him, is not variable, etc.As to his being always consistent with himself in point of doctrine, and not differing from himself, 280280 “:’a point dit l’vn, puis l’autre;” . “Does not say one thing and then another.” intends that by this they shall form a judgment as to his integrity, and in this way he removes every unfavorable suspicion of fickleness or unfaithfulness. It does not, however, necessarily follow, that the man who is faithful in doctrine, is also observant of truth in all his words. as Paul did not reckon it of much importance in what estimation he was held, provided only the majesty of his doctrine remained safe and sound, he, on that account, calls the attention of the Corinthians chiefly to that matter. He intimates, it is true, that he observed in his whole life the same course of fidelity, as the Corinthians had seen in his ministry. He seems, however, as if intentionally, in repelling the calumny, to transfer it from his person to his doctrine, because he was unwilling that his apostleship should be indirectly defamed, while he was not greatly concerned as to himself in other respects.

But observe, with what zeal he applies himself to this. For he calls God to witness, how simple and pure his preaching was . not ambiguous, not variable, not temporizing. In his oath, too, he connects the truth of God with the truth of his doctrine. “The truth of my preaching is as sure and stable as God is faithful and true.” :or is this to be wondered at, for the word of God, which Isaiah says endureth for ever, (Isaiah 40:8,) is no other than what prophets and apostles published to the world, as Peter explains it. (1 Peter 1:25.) Hence, too, his confidence 281281 “De l vient aussi que S. Paul est bien si hardi;” . “Hence, too, it comes that St. Paul is so very bold.” denouncing a curse

upon angels, if they dared to bring another gospel, one that was at variance with his. (Galatians 1:8.) Who would dare to make the angels of heaven subject to his doctrine, if he had not God as his authority and defense? With such an assurance of a good conscience does it become ministers 282282 “Et annonciateurs de la parolle de Dieu;”

. “And heralds of the word of God.” be endowed, who mount the pulpit to speak the word in Christ’s name . so as to feel assured that their doctrine can no more be overthrown than God himself GUZIK (18) Paul denies the accusation made against him.

But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.

a. As God is faithful: Paul can say, "As God is faithful, so we were faithful in what we said to you." That is integrity! i. "As God is trueto his promises, so he hath taught me to be true to mine." (Poole) b. Our word to you was not Yes and No: Paul was not saying Yes and meaning :o or saying :o and meaning Yes, as the Corinthian Christians accused him.

19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was

preached among you by me and Silas[b]

and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "�o," but in

him it has always been "Yes."

1. JAMISON, "Proof of the unchangeableness of the doctrine from the unchangeableness of the subject of it, namely, Jesus Christ. He is called "the Son of God" to show the impossibility of change in One who is co-equal with God himself (compare 1Sa 15:29; Mal 3:6). by me . . . Silvanus and Timotheus-The Son of God, though preached by different preachers, was one and the same, unchangeable. Silvanusis contracted into Silas(Ac 15:22; compare 1Pe 5:12). in him was yea-Greek,"is madeyea in Him"; that is, our preaching of the Son of God is confirmed as true in Him (that is, throughHim; through the miracles wherewith He has confirmed our preaching) [GROTIUS]; or rather, by the witness of the Spirit which He has given (2Co 1:21, 22) and of which miracles were only one, and that a

subordinate manifestation.

2. BARNES In this verse and the following, Paul states that he felt himself bound to maintain the strictest veracity, for two reasons: the one, that Jesus Christ always evinced the strictest veracity, 2 Corinthians 1:19; the other, God was always true to all the promises that he made, (ver. 20 ;) and as he felt himself to be the servant of the Saviour and of God, he was bound by the most sacred obligations also to maintain' a character irreproachable in regard to veracity. On the meaning of the phrase "Son of God," See Barnes "Romans 1:4".

Jesus Christ. It is agreed, says Bloomfield, by the best commentators, ancient and modern, that by Jesus Christ is here meant his doctrine. The sense is, that, the preaching respecting Jesus Christ did not represent him as fickle and changeable--as unsettled, and as unfaithful; but as TRUE, consistent, and faithful. As that had been the regular and constant representation of Paul and his fellow-labourers in regard to the Master whom they served, it was to be inferred that they felt themselves bound sacredly to observe the strictest constancy and veracity. By us, etc. Silvanus, here mentioned, is the same person who in the Acts of the Apostles is called Silas. He was with Paul at Philippi, and was imprisoned there with him, Acts 16and was afterwards with Paul and Timothy at Corinth when he first visited that city, Acts 18:5. Paul was so much attached to him, and had so much confidence in him, that he joined his name with his own in several of his epistles, 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1. Was not yea and nay. Our representation of him was not that he was fickle and changeable. But in him was yea. Was not one thing at one time, and another at another. He is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. All that he says is true; all the promises that he makes are firm; all his declarations are faithful. Paul may refer to the fact that the Lord Jesus when on earth was eminently characterized by TRUTH. :othing was more striking than his veracity. He, called himself the truth," as being eminently true in all his declarations. "I am the way, and THE TRUTH, and the life," John 14:6; Revelation 3:7. And thus (Revelation 3:14) he is called the faithful and true Witness." In all his life he was eminently distinguished for that. His declarations were simple truth; his narratives were simple, unvarnished, uncoloured: unexaggerated statements of what actually occurred. He never disguised the truth; never prevaricated; never had any mental reservation; never deceived; never used any word, or threw in any circumstance, that was fitted to lead the mind astray. He himself said that this was the great object which he had in view in coming into the world. "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth," John 18:37. As Jesus Christ was thus distinguished for simple truth, Paul felt that he was under sacred obligations to imitate him and always to evince the same inviolable fidelity. The most felt obligation on earth is that which the Christian feels to imitate the Redeemer.

{d} "Son of God" Mark 1:1; Romans 1:4

3. CALVIN 19. For the Son of GodHere we have the proof . because his preaching 283283 “Il dit donc que sa parolle n’a point este oui et non, c’est dire variable; pource que sa predication,” etc.; . “He says, then, that his word had not been yea and nay, that is to say, variable; because his preaching,” etc. nothing but Christ alone, who is the eternal and immutable truth of God. The clause preached by usis emphatic. For, as it may be, and often does happen, that Christ is disfigured by the inventions nay, that is to say, variable; because his preaching,” etc. nothing but Christ alone, who is the eternal and immutable truth of God. The clause preached by usis emphatic. For, as it may be, and often does happen, that Christ is disfigured by the inventions 284284 “Et mensonges;” . “And fallacies.” men, and is adulterated, as it were, by their disguises, he declares that it had not been so as to himself or his associates, but that he had sincerely and with an integrity that was befitting, held forth Christ pure and undisguised. Why it is that he makes no mention of Apollos, while he mentions by name Timotheus and Silvanus, does not exactly appear; unless the reason be, as is probable, that the more that individuals were assailed by the calumnies of the wicked, 285285 “Des calomniateurs et mesdisans;” . “By calumniators and slanderers.” was so much the more careful to defend them.

In these words, however, he intimates that his whole doctrine was summed up in a simple acquaintance with Christ alone, as in reality the whole of the gospel is included in it. Hence those go beyond due limits, who teach anything else than Christ alone, with whatever show of wisdom they may otherwise be puffed up. For as he is the end of the law, (Romans 10:4,) so he is the head . the sum . in fine, the consummation . of all spiritual doctrine. In the second , he intimates that his doctrine respecting Christ had not been variable, or ambiguous, so as to present him from time to time in a new shape after the manner of Proteus; 286286 “En sorte qu’il l’ait transfigur, maintenant en vne sorte, tantost en vne autre, comme les Potes disent que Proteus se transformoit en diuerses sortes;”

. “So as to present him in different shapes, now in one form, then in another, as the poets say that Proteus transformed himself into different shapes.” The following poets (among others) make mention of the “shape . changing” Proteus: . Virgil, (Georg. 4:387); Ovid, (Met. 8:730); Horace, (Sat. 2:3, 71, Ep. I. 1:90.) See Calvin on John, vol. 2, p. 256, n. 1. . Ed.some persons make it their sport to make changes upon him, 287287 “En toutes manieres;” . “In every way.” as if they were tossing a ball to and fro with their hand, simply for the purpose of displaying their dexterity. Others, with a view to procure the favor of men, present him under various forms, while there is still another class, that inculcate one day what on the next they retract through fear. Such was not Paul’s Christ, nor can that of any true apostle 288288 “Celui de tous vrais et fideles ministres;” . “That of all true and faithful ministers.” such. Those, accordingly, have no ground to boast that they are ministers of Christ, who paint him in various colors with a view to their own advantage. For he alone is the true Christ, in whom there appears that uniform and unvarying yea, Paul declares to be characteristic of him.

4. GILL, "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,.... The apostle having asserted that the Gospel preached by them was not yea and nay, variable and different, or what was affirmed at one time was denied at another, proceeds to point out the subject of the Gospel ministry,

the Son of God, Jesus Christ; that Christ is "the Son of God": this article he began his ministry with, Acts 9:20, and all the apostles affirmed the same thing; and which is of the greatest moment and importance, and ought to be abode by, insisted on, and frequently inculcated; as that he is the eternal Son of God, existed as such from everlasting, is of the same nature, and has the same perfections with his Father; and therefore is able to destroy the works of the devil, for which he was manifested in the flesh, and every way equal to the business of redemption, which he has finished; and having passed into the heavens under this character, is a powerful advocate with the Father; and which renders him a sure foundation for the church, and a proper object of faith: that the Son of God is Christ, anointed to bear and execute the office of a mediator in the several parts and branches of it; a prophet to teach his people, a priest to make atonement and intercession for them, and a King to govern and protect them: and that the Son, who is become the Lord's Christ, is Jesus, a Saviour; and that salvation is alone by him, to which he was appointed from eternity, and was sent in the fulness of time to effect it; and by his obedience, sufferings, and death, is become the author of it, and is the only able, willing, and suitable Saviour for poor sinners. This is the principal subject and strain of the Gospel ministry; and which makes it good news, and glad tidings to lost perishing sinners. The agreement between the faithful ministers of the Gospel is here plainly hinted,

who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus and Timotheus. These ministers being mentioned by the apostle with himself, shows his humility in putting them on a level with himself; and his modesty and candour in not monopolizing the Gospel to himself, but allowing others to be preachers of it as well as he: and his design herein seems to be for the confirmation of the Gospel, and to show that he was not singular and alone, and could not be blamed by them, without blaming others; and chiefly to express the harmony and unanimity of Gospel preachers. The prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of the New, agreed in all the doctrines and truths of the Gospel; so did the apostles themselves; and so all faithful dispensers of the word have in all different times and places agreed, and still do agree; which serves greatly to corroborate the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel being faithfully preached by these persons,

was not yea and nay; it had no contradiction in it; each part agreed together, was entirely harmonious, and consistent. Their doctrine was, that Christ is the Son of God, truly and properly God; that he took upon him the office of a Mediator, and executes it; that he is the only Saviour of sinners; that God has chosen a certain number of men in Christ before the foundation of the world, has made a covenant with them in Christ, and blessed them in him; that Christ has redeemed them by his blood; that these are regenerated by the Spirit and grace of Christ, are justified by his righteousness, and shall finally persevere, and be partakers of eternal life; which is all of a piece, and in it no yea and nay. Yea and nay doctrines are particular election, the possibility of the salvation of the non-elect, the salvability of all men, and universal redemption; justification by faith, and, as it were, by the works of the law; conversion, partly by grace, and partly by the will of man;

preparatory works, offers, and days of grace; and final perseverance made a doubt of: but such is not the true ministry of Christ and his apostles,

but in him was yea; the Gospel, as in Christ, and as it comes from him, and has been preached by his apostles, and faithful ministers, is all of a piece; its constant and invariable strain, and by which it may be known and distinguished, is, to display the free, rich, and sovereign grace of God, to magnify and exalt the person and offices of Christ, to debase the creature, and to engage persons to the performance of good works, on Gospel principles, and by Gospel motives, and for right ends. The apostle using those words, "yea and nay", conforms to the language of the Jews, his countrymen, who to magnify their doctors and Rabbins, and to raise their credit, say such things of them;

""yea, yea", are the words of the house or school of Shammai; הן הן, "yea, yea", are the words of the school of HillellF2.'

And in another placeF3;

"the receiving and giving, or the dealings of a disciple of a wise man, are in truth and faithfulness. He says, הן הן על לאו לאו ועל, "concerning nay, nay, and concerning yea, yea".'

But what is here said better agrees with the principles and practices of the disciples and followers of Christ.

5. COFFMAN, "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in him is yea.By me and Sylvanus and Timothy ... These were with Paul in the founding of the church at Corinth; and the very fact of their having preached the truth that is in Christ Jesus made it morally impossible for them to have engaged in the kind of petty deceptions alleged against him by his foes.

In him is yea ... "Yea and nay" continues to be used here as an idiom of fraud and deception. In Christ there is neither fraud nor deception; but in him is yea; and in this context "yea" is an idiom for utmost truth, sincerity and integrity. This verse means that integrity is the hallmark of every Christian. Being "in Christ" is one and the same thing as being absolutely honest, truthful and straightforward in all communications of every kind. In the light of this, is it not true that some who may claim to be so are not really "in Christ" at all?

Sylvanus ... This is the same person identified as Silas in Acts 15:32,40, who was one of the prophets of the early church, and also a companion of Paul on the second missionary tour. He was with Paul in jail at Philippi and throughout that exciting tour.

6. GUZIK (19-22) The spiritual reasons their accusations were wrong. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us; by me, Silvanus, and Timothy; was not Yes and :o, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. :ow He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us

and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. :ow He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

a. Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us . . . was not Yes and :o: Paul preached a Jesus who is completely reliable and worthy of trust. How could he be so quickly considered unreliable and untrustworthy? i. Paul is alluding to a principle: the message affects the messenger. Paul could not so sincerely, and so strongly, preach a Jesus was not Yes and :o and be untouched by that Jesus. This should have made the Corinthian Christians more trusting of Paul. b. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes and in Him Amen: Can we imagine God the Father ever saying "no" to God the Son? God the Father will always say Yes to the Son, and will always affirm what the Son says (Amen). i. "We might never have had this precious verse if Paul had not been so ill-treated by these men of Corinth. They did him great wrong, and caused him much sorrow of heart . . . yet you see how the evil was overruled by God for good, and through their unsavoury gossip and slander this sweet sentence was pressed out of Paul." (Spurgeon) c. He who establishes us . . . and has anointed us is God, who has also sealed us and given us the Spirit: Paul and his associates were commissioned by God and filled with the Holy Spirit. Don't they deserve better than hasty accusations? d. Anointed us . . . sealed us . . . a deposit: Paul refers to three aspects of the Holy Spirit's work within us. i. Has anointed us: The only other place where the :ew Testament speaks about anointingis in 1 John 2:20 and 27. Every use speaks of an anointing which is common to all believers, not a special anointing for a few Christian superstars. The idea behind anointed is that we are prepared and empowered for service. The fact that we are anointed means that we share something with the prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament, who were also anointed ones. ii. Sealed us: In the ancient world, a seal was used to identifyand to protect. If something was sealed, everyone knew who it belonged to (the seal had an insignia), and the seal prevented anyone else from tampering with the item. The Holy Spirit is upon us to identifyus and to protectus. iii. A deposit: The word deposit is the word for a down payment. We have been given the Holy Spirit as a down payment for the fullness of what God will do. The Holy Spirit is just a pledge of greater things to come. As Christians, God has purchased us on the lay-away plan, and has given us an impressive down payment. He won't walk away from the final payment, because He has so much invested already!

20. . For no matter how many promises God has

made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so

through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the

glory of God.

1. If God has made a promise, you can count on it that he will keep it, for all of his promises are fulfilled in Christ. God in Christ is saying yes to all that he has promised man. Jesus is God's yes to all he has said he will do in saving those who put their faith in him. Can I have sins forgiven? Yes, in Christ. Can I have a new heart? Yes, in Christ. Can I have the fruits of the Spirit? Yes, in Christ. Can I go to heaven when I die? Yes, in Christ. Find any promise of God, and you can claim it as yours in Christ, for God always says yes to all of his promises when a person is in Christ.

2. What else can we say when God is always saying yes in Christ? All we can say is Amen, so be it. I will not question God's yes. I may not be worthy of such grace, but if God is going to always say yes in Christ, then I will accept it and say amen, and by that offer a heart full of gratitude to the glory of God. His grace overwhelms me, and I can do no other than shout amen to such favor that is mine in Christ.

3. When Plato came to die he said, " I have faith in the future, and I think I see the golden islands, but oh that we had a stouter vessel, or a stronger word." Jesus is that stonger word to us, for Jesus is God's Word of yes. Yes you will have eternal life, and yes you will life with God in heaven, and yes you will experience joys at his right hand for all eternity. We have the word Plato so longed for, and it is ours in Christ. So certain is our hope in Christ of saying amen to all God's promises that Jesus is actually called the Amen in Rev. 3:14. He established and confirms all the promises of God the Father, and in him we can have full assurance of having all that God has promised.

4. Clarke sees this as part of Paul's defense. "Had we been light, fickle, worldly-minded persons; persons who could only be bound by our engagements as far as comported with our secular interest; would God have confirmed our testimony among you? Did we not lay before you the promises of God? And did not God fulfil those promises by us-by our instrumentality, to your salvation and his own glory? God is true; therefore every promise of God is true; and consequently each must have its due fulfilment. God will not make use of trifling, worldly men, as the instruments by which he will fulfil his promises; but he has fulfilled them by us; therefore we are just and spiritual men, else God would not have used us.

4B. Clarke goes on, "All the promises which God has made to mankind are yea-true in themselves, and amen-faithfully fulfilled to them who believe in Christ Jesus. The

promises are all made in reference to Christ; for it is only on the Gospel system that we can have promises of grace; for it is only on that system that we can have mercy. Therefore, the promise comes originally by Christ, and is yea; and it has its fulfilment through Christ, and is amen; and this is to the glory of God, by the preaching of the apostles.

5. COFFMAN, "For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea; wherefore also through him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us.In God is yea ... and the Amen ... There is a profound inference in this verse to the effect that disbelieving God's chosen apostle Paul is a denial of the truth and righteousness of the Father himself. Paul said, in these words, "Believe me; believe God." No sterner or more dogmatic affirmation of his apostleship could be imagined.

The Amen ... God will not only honor his promises, which are invariably true; but he will sum them up with a heavenly Amen. God's word is the last word. God is the Amen; but so also is Christ. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Revelation 3:14). Thus, "The Amen is through him who is himself the Amen."[20] Many of our Lord's most solemn pronouncements began with "Amen, Amen, I say unto you ... etc." This is translated, "Verily, verily, I say unto you." This was a most arresting manner of declaring for those who heard him the absolute authority and immutability of Jesus' teachings.

6. Redpath writes, “There ought to be some kind of correspondence, some kind of mutual likeness between the “yea” of God in Christ and the “amen” of our hearts. The stability of his promises that are all settled in Jesus ought to answered by the stability of our “amen” without any hesitancy or reservation. Surely it is a poor compliment to meet the promises that have been sealed in heaven by the blood of Jesus with a faltering “amen” that almost sticks in our throat. Surely it is an insult to the Lord in His great faithfulness and goodness to respond with hesitancy in our hearts to the “yea” that is so sure. Paul is saying that the charge of inconsistency leveled against him is a sheer impossibility because God’s unswerving “yea” in Christ has been met by an unswerving “amen” from his soul.

7. GILL, "For all the promises of God in him are

: yea,.... This is a reason or argument proving what is before said, that "in" Christ "was yea", since "all the promises of God in him are yea"; and shows, that God has made many promises to his people: mention is here made of "promises", and of "all" the promises; or, as the words may be rendered, "as many promises of God". There are some which concern the temporal good of the saints; as that they shall not want any good thing; and though they shall be attended with afflictions, these shall work for their good, and they shall be supported under them. Others concern their spiritual good; some of which relate to God himself, that he will be their God, which includes his everlasting love, his gracious presence, and divine protection. Others relate to Christ as their surety and Saviour, by whom they are, and shall be justified and pardoned, in whom they are adopted, and by whom they shall be saved with an everlasting salvation: and others relate

to the Spirit of God, as a spirit of illumination, faith, comfort, strength, and assistance, and to supplies of grace by him from Christ: and others concern everlasting life and happiness, and are all of them very ancient, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; are exceeding great and precious, suited to the various cases of God's people; are free and unconditional, immutable and irrevocable, and will all of them have their certain accomplishment. These promises are all "in" Christ; with and in whom could they be but in him, since he only existed when they were made, which was from everlasting? with and in whom should they be of right, but in him with whom the covenant, which contains these promises, were made, and who undertook the accomplishment of them? where could they be safe and secure but in him, in whose hands are the persons, grace, and glory of his people? not in Adam, nor in angels, nor in themselves, only in him. Moreover, these promises are "in him yea",

and in him amen; they are like the Gospel which exhibits them, consistent, and all of a piece; like the covenant which contains them, and is ordered in all things, and sure; and like the author of them, whose faithfulness and lovingkindness to his in Christ shall never fail; and like Christ himself, in whom they are, who is "the amen, the true and faithful witness, the same today, yesterday, and for ever"; by whose blood, the covenant, and all the promises of it, are ratified and confirmed, and in whom, who is the truth of them, they are all fulfilled. And these are

unto the glory of God by us; these serve to illustrate and advance the glory of God, when they are preached by us, and held forth by us in the Gospel, just as they are in Christ, free, absolute, and unconditional; and when they are received "by us" as believers in Christ; for the stronger we are in the faith of the promises, the more glory we give to God; faith by laying hold on, and embracing the promises, glorifies the veracity, faithfulness, power, and grace of God. The Syriac version puts the "Amen" into this last clause, and reads it thus, "therefore by him we give Amen to the glory of God".

21. �ow it is God who makes both us and you

stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,

1. God is the source of our stability, and we stand firm by his power and not our own.

2. Barnes, "He who makes us firm, that is, he who has confirmed us in the hopes of the gospel, and who gives us grace to be faithful, and them in our promises. The object of this is to trace all to God, and to prevent the appearance of self-confidence or of boasting. Paul had dwelt at length on his own fidelity and veracity. He had taken pains to prove that he was not inconstant and fickle-minded. He here says, that this was not to be traced to himself, or to any native goodness, but was all to be traced to God. It

was God who had given them all confident hope in Christ; and it was-God who had given him grace to adhere to his promises, and to maintain a character for veracity. The first "us," in this verse, refers probably to Paul himself; the second includes also the Corinthians, as being also anointed and sealed."

2B. Barnes continues, "And hath anointed us. Us who are Christians. It was customary to anoint kings, prophets, and priests, on their entering on their office, as a part of the ceremony of inauguration. The word anoint is applied to a priest, Exodus 28:41; 40:15 to a prophet, 1 Kings 19:16; Isaiah 61:1; to a king, 1 Samuel 10:1; 15:1; 2 Samuel 2:4; 1 Kings 1:34. It is applied often to the Messiah as being, set apart or consecrated to his office as prophet, priest, and king--i. e., as appointed by God to the highest office ever held in the world. It is applied also to Christians as being consecrated or set apart to the service of God by the Holy Spirit--a use of the word which is derived from the sense of consecrating, or setting apart, to the service of God. Thus in 1 John 2:20, it is said, "But we have an unction from the Holy One, and know all things." So in 1 John 2:27, "But the anointing which ye have received abideth in you," etc. The anointing which was used in the consecration of prophets, priests, and kings, seems to have been designed to be emblematic of the influences of the Holy Spirit, who is often represented as poured upon those who are under his influence, (Proverbs 1:23; Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28,29; Zechariah 12:10; Acts 10:45,) in the same way as water or oil is poured out. And as Christians are everywhere represented as being under the influence of the Holy Spirit, as being those on whom the Holy Spirit is poured, they are represented as "anointed." They are in this manner solemnly set apart, and consecrated to the service of God."

3. COFFMAN, "Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.Three things in these verses - (1) the anointing; (2) the sealing; and (3) the giving of the earnest are all references to one action, that of conversion - by which the believer is united with Christ "in Christ." This action, as evident on Pentecost, was a compound act of obedience: believing, repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. After discussing various theories on this, Hughes stated that:

It is more satisfactory to identify the anointing, sealing, and giving of the earnest with the single event of baptism, and the continuous establishing with the other and constantly repeated New Testament sacrament of the holy communion.[21]Establishes us with you ... Paul affirmed in this the essential unity of all Christians, himself as well as the Corinthians, "in Christ." By virtue of unity with Christ and "in Christ," there is no fraud, insincerity or deception in any Christian, apostle or otherwise, all such evils being fundamentally opposed to their very nature in the Lord.

Sealed us ... earnest of the Spirit ... The earnest (or token) of the Holy Spirit is identified with "the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13) and is the invariable inheritance of all who obey the gospel of Christ. For further discussion see my Commentary on Romans, p. 124. Even the Corinthians possessed the earnest of the Holy Spirit, despite their delinquency in so many particulars.

4. GILL, "Now he which stablisheth us with you,.... Two things are in this verse ascribed to God. First, the establishing of the saints in Christ; in which may be observed, that the people of God are in a firm, settled, established state and condition; they are encircled in the arms of everlasting love; they are secure of the favour of God; they are engraven on his hands, and set as a seal on his heart, from whence they can never be removed; they are taken into his family by adopting grace; and will never be turned out; they are in a state of justification, and shall never enter into condemnation; they are regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit of God, and shall never finally and totally fall from that grace they have received. This their establishment is "in" Christ, and in no other. They had no stability in Adam, nor have they any in themselves; their standing is alone in him; the unchangeable love and favour of God, which is their grand security, is in Christ; the covenant of grace, in which is all their salvation, is made and stands fast with him; their persons, with all their grace and glory, are put into his hands, and made his care and charge, and there they are safe. They are espoused unto him, made one with him, incorporated into him, and are built upon him the rock of ages, where they are so established, that hell and earth cannot shake them, so as to remove and unsettle them from this foundation: one and all of them, and all together, are established in him,

us with you; all the elect of God are alike, and together in Christ, and have the same place and standing in his love, power, and care; they make up one body, of which Christ is the head, and not one of them shall be lost, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, ministers or private believers; for so this phrase may be interpreted, "us" Jews "with you" Gentiles, or "us" ministers "with you" believers. This work of establishing the saints in Christ is wholly the Lord's act; he

is God that does it; which does not contradict the word and ordinances being means of establishment; nor does it hinder or discourage persons making use of means for their stability; for the apostle here is not speaking so much of the stability of hearts, frames, and exercise of grace, as of state; though a firm, steady, and stable assurance of interest in Christ, is what God gives by his Spirit. The apostle's view seems to be this, that whatever steadfastness and stability the saints have, whether ministers or people, they ought to ascribe it entirely to God, Father, Son, and Spirit. "Secondly", the anointing of them:

he hath anointed us; which is to be understood either of the unction of ministers, with the gifts of the Spirit for ministerial service; or rather of the anointing of private Christians with the grace of the Spirit, compared to oil or ointment, in allusion to the anointing oil under the law, by which the tabernacle, and its vessels, Aaron, and his sons, were anointed, who were typical of the saints and priests of God under the Gospel; or to the lamp oil in the candlestick, which was pure, and for light; or to oil in common, for its sweet smell, refreshing nature, and for its usefulness for ornament and healing. This also is the Lord's work, and not man's; this unction comes from the God of all grace, through Christ, by the Spirit.

22. set his seal of ownership on us, and put his

Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,

guaranteeing what is to come.

1. God is much like a rancher in this analogy, for he puts his seal of ownership on us, and that is much like branding cattle to identify their belonging to a specific owner. God has all his sheep branded so they are clearly seen as belonging to him, and not wild goat roaming the fields belonging to no one. We belong to the family of God, and we are sealed to prove it.

2. In addition to the seal, we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, which means it is the downpayment to be followed my the full payment later, and this means the great rewards that will be ours in heaven. Jamison wrote, "The Holy Spirit is given to the believer now as a first instalment to assure him his full inheritance as a son of God shall be his hereafter." Barnes adds this implication: "..that the comforts of the Christian here are of the same nature as they will be in heaven. Heaven will consist of like comforts; of love, and peace, and joy, and purity begun here, and simply expanded there to complete and eternal perthetlon. The joys of heaven differ only in degree, not in kind, from those of the Christian on earth. That which is begun here is perfected there; and the feelings and views which the Christian has here, if expanded and carried out, would constitute heaven." By the Holy Spirit then, we get a taste of heaven on earth.

3. Barnes said of the seal, "It is also used in the sense of setting a mark on anything, or a seal, to denote that it is genuine, authentic, confirmed, or approved--as when a deed, compact, or agreement is sealed. It is thus made sure; and is confirmed, or established. Hence it is applied to persons, as denoting that they are approved, as in Revelation 7:3: "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Comp. Ezekiel 9:4. See Barnes "John 6:27", where it is said of the Saviour, "for him hath God the Father sealed." Comp. John 3:33. In a similar manner Christians are said to be sealed; to be sealed by the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; that is, the Holy Spirit is given to them to confirm them as belonging to God. He grants them his Spirit. He renews and sanctifies them. He produces in their hearts those feelings, hopes, and desires which are an evidence that they are approved by God; that they are regarded as his adopted children; that their hope is genuine; and that their redemption and salvation are SURE--in the same way as a seal makes a will or an agreement sure. God grants to them his Holy Spirit as the certain pledge that they are his, and shall be approved and saved in the last day. In this there is nothing miraculous, or in the nature of direct revelation. It consists of the ordinary operations of the Spirit on the heart, producing repentance, faith, hope, joy, conformity to God, the love of prayer and praise, and the Christian virtues generally; and these things are the evidences that the Holy Spirit has renewed the heart, and that the Christian is sealed for the day of redemption." there is nothing miraculous, or in the nature of direct revelation. It consists of the

ordinary operations of the Spirit on the heart, producing repentance, faith, hope, joy, conformity to God, the love of prayer and praise, and the Christian virtues generally; and these things are the evidences that the Holy Spirit has renewed the heart, and that the Christian is sealed for the day of redemption."

4. GILL, "Who hath also sealed us,.... "Two" things more are here attributed to God; "first", the sealing of his people. The use of seals is various, as to denote property in things, to distinguish one thing from another, to show esteem and affection for persons or things, and for security and protection, and to hide and conceal; all which might be applied to sealing, as expressive of the grace of God to his people, in claiming a property in them, distinguishing them from the rest of the world, setting his affections on them, securing and protecting their persons, and hiding them under the shadow of his wings: but sometimes a seal is used to certify, make sure, or assure the truth of a thing; see John 3:33 in which sense the word "sealing" is used here, and intends that assurance which God gives his people of their interest in his love, and the covenant of grace; of their election of God, and redemption by Christ; of their interest in Christ, and union with him; of their justification by him, and adoption through him; of the truth of grace in their hearts, their perseverance in it, and sure and certain enjoyment of eternal glory. The persons thus sealed are not carnal and unconverted persons, only believers in Christ, and these, after they commence such; the seal by which they are sealed, is not any of the ordinances, as circumcision under the Old Testament, or baptism, or the Lord's supper under the New; for these are no seals, nor are they ever so called; but the Spirit of God himself, as the Holy Spirit of promise; for the same who, in the next clause, is called the earnest, is the seal; see Ephesians 1:13. "Secondly", the giving of the earnest of the Spirit:

and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts: by "the Spirit" is meant, not the gifts and graces of the Spirit merely, but the Spirit of God and Christ himself; who was concerned in the creation of the world, in inditing the Scriptures, in forming and filling the human nature of Christ, and in his resurrection from the dead; he himself is given as an "earnest": the word αρραβων, here used, and in 2 Corinthians 5:5 is the Hebrew word ערבון, and comes from ערב, which signifies "to become a surety, to give a pledge"; and is used for a pledge in covenants and bargains, both in Scripture, see Genesis 38:17, and in Jewish writingsF4; which is given as an earnest, and in part of what it is a pledge of, and is never returned: the Spirit of God is an earnest or pledge of the heavenly inheritance, which is not only prepared for us, and promised to us, and Christ is in the possession of in our nature, in our room and stead, and as our representative; but the Spirit of God also is sent down "into our hearts" as a pledge of it; where he dwells as in his temple, supplies us with all grace, witnesses to us our sonship, and assures us of the heavenly glory: and as such he is "given"; and an unmerited free grace gift he is; for him to be given in this manner, and for such a purpose, is a wonderful display of the love of the Father, and of the Son, and is a surprising instance of his grace and condescension of the Spirit, and for which we should be abundantly thankful.

5. THOMAS COKE, "2 Corinthians 1:22. Who hath also sealed us, &c.— Who, answerable to various uses of a seal among men, has likewise printed his holy image upon us, and assured us of our interest in the Blood of the Covenant: and he has freely given us his Spirit, who dwells in our hearts, and sheds abroad his influences, and a sense

of his love there, as a pledge and earnest of the eternal inheritance. See Ephesians 1:13-14. All there are arguments to satisfy the Corinthians, that St. Paul was not, nor could be, a man who minded not what he said, but as it served his turn. His reasoning, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, wherebyhe would convince the Corinthians that he was neither fickle nor unsteady, being a little difficult to be understood by reason of the brevity of his style, the following summary will set it in a clear light: "God hath set me apart to the ministry of the Gospel by an extraordinary call, has attested my mission by the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, has sealed me with the Holy Spirit of promise, has given me the earnest of eternal life in my heart by his Spirit, and has confirmed me among you in preaching the Gospel, which is all uniform and of a piece;—as I have preached it to you, without varying in the least; and there, to the glory of God, have shewn that all the promises concur, and are in Christ, and are certain to every faithful soul. Having therefore never faultered in any thing which I have said to you, and having all these attestationsofbeingunderthe special direction and guidance of God himself, the great Fountain of truth, I cannot be suspected of dealing doubly with you in any thing relating to my ministry."

23. I call God as my witness that it was in order to

spare you that I did not return to

Corinth.

1. Paul is on trial before these Corinthians, and in defending his actions he calls to the stand as his witness the Lord God of creation and redemption. You cannot go any higher in seach of a competent witness. He is all knowing and no lie is going to get past him, and he will vouch for my honesty, or he will judge me if I am being dishonest. Barnes wrote, "It is a solemn oath, or appeal to God; and implies, that if he did not in that case declare the truth, he desired that God would be a witness against him, and would punish him accordingly. The reason why he made this solemn appeal to God, was the importance of his vindicating his own character before the church, from the charges which had been brought against him." Even God himself cannot swear by a higher authority than himself, and so it says in Heb. 6:13, "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

2. Paul says instead of being critical of my not coming as I said I would, you should be thankful, for one of the main reasons why I did not come was to spare you. Had I come as I first thought I would I would have come in anger because of your worldly behavior so inconsistent with my teaching. You were worthy of great condemnation, but I gave you time to clean up your act, and so my delay was a blessing, for you have

shaped up from what you were earlier. I am happy that I did not come when I would have had to rebuke you strongly. Giving you time to repent and change your ways was a blessing to both of us. Had I come when I said I would, I would have had to exercise my authority to excommunicate the guilty, but now you have taken care of this matter, and I can come in peace and joy rather than judgment. We can learn from this that we ought not to judge the motives of people until we hear them from the person himself. Specualtion about the motives of others is folly, for there is a tendency to see negatives when the reality is, there may be only positives, as was the case with Paul.

3. Barnes, "Dr. Paley has shown with great plausibility, if not with moral certainty, that Paul's change of purpose about visiting them was made before he wrote his first epistle; that he had at first resolved to visit them, but that, on subsequent reflection, he thought it would be better to try the effect of a faithful letter to them, admonishing them of their errors, and entreating them to exercise proper discipline themselves on the principal offender; that with this feeling he wrote his first epistle, in which he does not state to them as yet his change of purpose, or the reason of it; but that now, after he had written that letter, and after it had had all the effect which he desired, he states the true reason why he had not visited them. It was now proper to do it. And that reason was, that he desired to spare them the severity of discipline, and had resorted to the more mild and affectionate measure of sending them a letter, and thus not making it necessary personally to administer discipline." epistle; that he had at first resolved to visit them, but that, on subsequent reflection, he thought it would be better to try the effect of a faithful letter to them, admonishing them of their errors, and entreating them to exercise proper discipline themselves on the principal offender; that with this feeling he wrote his first epistle, in which he does not state to them as yet his change of purpose, or the reason of it; but that now, after he had written that letter, and after it had had all the effect which he desired, he states the true reason why he had not visited them. It was now proper to do it. And that reason was, that he desired to spare them the severity of discipline, and had resorted to the more mild and affectionate measure of sending them a letter, and thus not making it necessary personally to administer discipline."

4. Calvin, ":ow he spared them in this respect, that if he had come he would have been constrained to reprove them more severely, while he wished rather that they should of their own accord repent previously to his arrival, that there might be no occasion for a harsher remedy, “A harsher and more rigorous remedy.” which is a signal evidence of more than paternal lenity. For how much forbearance there was in shunning this necessity, when he had just ground of provocation!" 24. :ot that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. 1. Paul with all his authority did not act as a tyrant demanding people do what he asked, or demanded. Preachers do this at times and become like cult leaders and make followers of them, and not of Christ, and it is a form of idolatry. Paul recognizes the freedom of each Christian to choose to have faith or reject it. It is not something that can be commended. It can be explained, but people have to choose to trust in the truth of the Gospel.

2. Paul has no interest in bringing them sorrow, for his goal is always that they might have greater joy in their faith. He says we are partners in working for joy. 3. He wants them to stand firm, and they do that by having a solid faith that does not waver when life gets hard or confusing. Without faith life gets unstable and shaky, but with it there is a firm footing one can stand on so as not to fall.

4. Barnes, "The sense of this passage I take to be this: "The course which we have pursued has been chosen, not because we wish to lord it over your faith, to control your belief, but because we desired to promote your happiness. had the former been our object, had we wished to set up a lordship or dominion over you, we should have come to you with our apostolical authority, and in the severity of apostolic discipline. We had power to command obedience, and to control your faith. But we chose not to do it. Our object was to promote your highest happiness. We, therefore, chose the mildest and gentlest manner possible; we did not exercise authority in discipline, we sent an affectionate and tender letter." While the apostles had the right to prescribe the articles of belief, and to propound the doctrines of God, yet they would not do even that in such a manner as to seem to "lord it over God's heritage," They did not set up absolute authority, or prescribe the things to be believed in a lordly and imperative manner; nor would they make use of the severity of power to enforce what they taught. They appealed to reason; they employed persuasion; they made use of light and love to accomplish their desires." manner; nor would they make use of the severity of power to enforce what they taught. They appealed to reason; they employed persuasion; they made use of light and love to accomplish their desires."

4B. If even Paul would not attempt to lord it over the faith of Christians, to establish a domination over their belief, how absurd and wicked is it for uninspired ministers now--for individual ministers, for conferences, conventions, presbyteries, synods, councils, or for the pope--to attempt to establish a spiritual dominion in controlling the faith of men. The great evils in the church have arisen from their attempting to do what Paul would not do; from attempting to establish a dominion which Paul never sought, and which Paul would have abhorred. Faith must be free, and religion must be free, or they cannot exist at all."

5. Clarke, "British Protestants have learned, and Europe is learning that the SACRED WRITI:GS, and they alone, contain what is necessary to faith and practice; and that no man, number of men, society, church, council, presbytery, consistory, or conclave, has dominion over any man's faith. The word of God alone is his rule, and to its Author he is to give account of the use he has made of it." 6. Calvin, "When he says that he does not exercise dominion over their faith, he intimates, that such a power is unjust and intolerable . nay more, is tyranny in the Church. For faith ought to be altogether exempt, and to the utmost extent free, from the yoke of men. We must, however, observe, who it is that speaks, for if ever there was a single individual of mortals, that had authority to claim for himself such a dominion, Paul assuredly was worthy of such a privilege. Yet he acknowledges, “He frankly confesses.” that it does not belong to him. Hence we infer, that faith owns no subjection except to the word of God, and that it is not at all in subjection to human control."

6. GILL, "Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul,.... The apostle having asserted his stability, both as a minister and a Christian, which, with others, he had from God, appeals to him in the most solemn manner, in full form of an oath, for the truth of what he was about to say; and is all one as if he had said, I swear by the living God, the searcher of all hearts; I call upon him to attest what I say, and bear witness to my soul, that it is true,

that to spare you, I came not as yet unto Corinth; however fickle, unstable, and inconstant, it may be insinuated to you I am, or you may take me to be, I do assure you in the name and presence of God, that the true reason of my not coming to you hitherto, since I gave you reason to expect me, was, that I might not be burdensome or chargeable to you; or I have delayed coming to you, hoping for a reformation among you, that when I do come, I may not come with a rod, and severely chastise you for the many disorders among you; that I might not use sharpness according to the power God has given me, in an extraordinary way, as an apostle, to punish for offences committed. Hence we learn, that an oath is a solemn appeal to God, and may be lawfully made in cases of moment and importance, as this of the apostle's was; whose character was traduced, and with which was connected the usefulness of his ministry; and it being an affair that could not be determined in any other way, and an oath being for confirmation, and to put an end to strife, he makes one in this serious and awful manner.

7. COFFMAN, "But I call God for a witness upon my soul, that to spare you I forbare to come to Corinth. Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for in faith ye stand fast.I call God for a witness ... Some call this an oath; but others deny it. Even God himself, for a righteous purpose, "interposed with an oath" (Hebrews 6:17); and Paul's appeal to God as witness in this passage would seem to indicate that the prohibition of Christ in Matthew 5:34ff should not be applied to the kind of oath (if it is an oath) in evidence here. Certainly, it would appear that courts of justice should be allowed to administer oaths, even to Christians. See more on this in my Commentary on Matthew, p. 67.

To spare you, I forbare to come ... Here Paul finally got around to the dogmatic reason why he changed some of his plans of going to Corinth. The situation was so bad there that he considered it profitable and righteous to wait a while until they had more time to repent of their sins. An earlier confrontation might have resulted in thwarting God's will among them. As these words stand in the English Revised Version (1885), they seem to imply that Paul had not yet gone to Corinth (after the founding of the church); but Tasker pointed out that a permissible translation is, "I came not any more,"[22] thus avoiding a denial of the "painful visit" which was probably made between the writing of the two epistles.

Not that we have lordship ... Paul's statement that he would "spare" the Corinthians by delaying another visit could have had implications of apostolic authority not intended by Paul; therefore he at once entered a disclaimer of any "lording it over" God's heritage. Not even an apostle might do such a thing as that (1 Peter 5:3).

There is then no scriptural warrant for hierarchical domination or lordship in the church of Christ.Absolute authority is not vested in any supposed apostolic office or succession, but in the person and office of Christ.[23]SIZE>

Not even the apostle Peter, upon whom such an overwhelming burden of overlordship has been imposed during the historical progression of Christianity, did not consider himself as an ecclesiastical overlord any more than did Paul (1 Peter 5:2).

For in faith ye stand fast ... The literal Greek rendition gives this as "In the faith ye have stood firm."[24] The meaning is clearly that the Corinthians are continuing in the Christian religion; and there is no statement in the passage about salvation being "by faith." Translators never miss an opportunity to plug the favorite heresy of "salvation by faith only"; and despite the fact that they no longer dare to add the word "only," that is definitely intended as the meaning in such renditions as this.

The chapter break here is right in the middle of Paul's line of thought. Chapter 1 should have ended at verse 14, or have been extended through verse 4 of chapter 2.

24. �ot that we lord it over your faith, but we

work with you for your joy, because it is by faith

you stand firm.

1. GILL, "Not for that we have dominion,.... Since he had spoke of "sparing" of them, lest it should be thought that he and his fellow ministers assumed to themselves any tyrannical power over the churches, or lorded it over God's heritage, these words are subjoined: in which there is something denied of the ministers of the Gospel, as that they

have not dominion over your faith: by which may be meant both the grace and doctrine of faith: they cannot give or produce in the heart the grace of faith; that is the gift of God; of which Christ is not only the object, but the author; it is of the operation of the Spirit, and the effect of almighty power; it flows entirely from the free grace of God; all that ministers can do is to propose the object of faith, and, by arguments taken from the word of God, encourage souls to believe in the object proposed, and so are, through a divine blessing on their ministrations, instruments by which some believe; but they themselves cannot command faith in any; nor can they increase or add unto it where it is; this also is the Lord's work: nor have they any dominion over the doctrine of faith; they are to deliver nothing to the people but what is contained in the Scriptures, and the people are obliged to believe no more than what they find there; no alteration is to be made in the rule and doctrine of faith; ministers have no power to make and impose new articles of faith, though they may require and insist upon an assent to those truths which they deliver, according to the word of God. Likewise, something is asserted of them,

but are helpers of your joy. "Joy" is a grace wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God, of which Christ is the object; it goes along with faith, and as that improves, so does this; it is often interrupted by the corruptions of the heart, the temptations of Satan, and divine desertions, and so is in this life imperfect; though it may be increased, as it sometimes is, and that by the ministration of the Gospel; for as the ministers of it are the means and instruments of that joy which is first felt in conversion, so likewise of increasing it by their comfortable doctrines and instructions; for their ministry is, and is often blessed, for the furtherance and joy of faith. A reason of which is given,

for by faith ye stand; and so are not subject to men, nor to any tyrannical government of ours; nor have we anything to charge you with concerning your faith: which may design the grace of faith, and express its use in the perseverance of the saints, who stand not upon their faith, but "by it"; and by it, not as a cause but as a means of their perseverance; by which they rely on the power and faithfulness of God, lean upon Christ, and walk on in him, live upon him, continually receive

from him, and in his strength stand against the temptations of Satan, and snares of the world: and it may also denote the strength and continuance of faith; a man may be said to stand by it, when he strongly believes his interest in God, in his love, and the covenant of his grace, his interest in Christ, and salvation by him; is satisfied about the truth of grace on his soul, makes no demur upon the promises, nor hesitates about the doctrines of grace, or his future happiness, but rejoices in hope of the glory of God; as also, when he continues in the exercise of faith, notwithstanding the corruptions of his nature, the temptations of Satan, the hidings of God's face, and the many afflictions and trials he meets with in the world. Moreover, this passage may be applied to the doctrine of faith, in and by which the saints may be said to stand, in opposition to any wavering or hesitation about it, to a cowardly spirit in giving way in the least to the adversaries of it, or to a departing from it; which by no means should be done, though a greater number is on the other side, and they be the rich and learned; though the doctrines of it are disagreeable to the carnal reason of man, are loaded with reproach, and followed with the rage, malice, and persecutions of men: or these words may relate to a profession of faith: care should be used in taking up a profession of faith; where the true grace of God is, it ought to be done; when it is made, it ought to be stood in, and abode by; and it is the honour of saints to stand in it, and to it, and hold it fast.

2. CLARKE, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith - I will not come to exercise my apostolical authority in punishing them who have acted sinfully and disorderly; for this would be to several of you a cause of distress, the delinquents being friends and relatives; but I hope to come to promote your joy, to increase your spiritual happiness, by watering the seed which I have already sowed. This I think to be the meaning of the apostle. It is certain that the faith which they had already received was preached by the apostles; and, therefore, in a certain sense, according to our meaning of the term, they had a right to propound to them the articles which they ought to believe; and to forbid them, in the most solemn manner, to believe any thing else as Christianity which was opposed to those articles. In that sense they had dominion over their faith; and this dominion was essential to them as apostles. But shall any others - persons who are not apostles, who are not under the unerring and infallible influence of the Holy Ghost, arrogate to themselves this dominion over the faith of mankind; not only by insisting on them to receive new doctrines, taught nowhere by apostles or apostolic men; but also threatening them with perdition if they do not credit doctrines which are opposed to the very spirit and letter of the word of God? These things men, not only not apostles, but wicked, profligate, and ignorant, have insisted on as their right. Did they succeed? Yes, for a time; and that time was a time of thick darkness; a darkness that might be felt; a darkness producing nothing but misery, and lengthening out and deepening the shadow of death. But the light of God shone; the Scriptures were read; those vain and wicked pretensions were brought to the eternal touchstone: and what was the consequence? The splendor of truth pierced, dissipated, and annihilated them for ever!

British Protestants have learned, and Europe is learning that the Sacred Writings, and they alone, contain what is necessary to faith and practice; and that no man, number of men, society, church, council, presbytery, consistory, or conclave, has dominion over any man's faith. The word of God alone is his rule, and to its Author he is to give account of the use he has made of it.

For by faith ye stand - You believe not in us, but in God. We have prescribed to you on his authority, what you are to believe; you received the Gospel as coming from Him, and ye stand in and by that faith.

The subjects in this chapter which are of the most importance have been carefully considered in the preceding notes. That alone of the apostle's oath has been passed by with general observations only. But, that it is an oath has been questioned by some. An oath, properly speaking, is an appeal to God, as the Searcher of the hearts for the truth of what is spoken; and an appeal to Him, as the Judge of right and wrong, to punish the falsity and perjury. All this appears to be implied in the awful words above: I call God for a record upon my soul; and this is not the only place in which the apostle uses words of the same import. See Romans 1:9; Romans 9:1, and the note on Romans 9:1; (note).

On this subject I have spoken pretty much at large at the end of the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy; but as it appears that there I have made a mistake in saying that the people called Quakers hold up their hand in a court of justice, when called upon to make affirmation, I take this opportunity to correct that expression, and to give the form of the oath, for so the law considers it, which the statute (7 and 8 of William III., cap. 34, sec. 1) required of this sect of Christians: "I, A. B., do declare in the presence of almighty God, the witness of the truth of what I say." Though this act was only intended at first to continue in force for seven years, yet it was afterwards made perpetual. See Burn, vol. iii., page 654.

A more solemn and more awful form of an oath was never presented nor taken by man than this; no kissing of the book, holding up of the hand, nor laying hand on the Bible, can add either solemnity or weight to such an oath! It is as awful and as binding as any thing can be; and him, who would break this, no obligation can bind.

But the religious people in question found their consciences aggrieved by this form, and made application to have another substituted for it; in consequence of this the form has undergone a little alteration, and the solemn affirmation which is to stand instead of an oath taken in the usual manner, as finally settled by the 8th Geo., cap. 6, is the following: "I, A. B., do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm." Burn, vol. iii., page 656.

It may be well to examine this solemn affirmation, and see whether it does not contain the essential principles of an oath; and whether it should not be reputed by all people, as being equal to any oath taken in the common form, and sufficiently binding on every conscience that entertains the belief of a God, and the doctrine of a future state. The word solemnly refers to the presence and omniscience of God, before whom the affirmation is made; and the word sincerely to the consciousness that the person has of the uprightness of his own soul, and the total absence of guile and deceit; and the word truly refers to the state of his understanding as to his knowledge of the fact in question. The word declare refers to the authority requiring, and the persons before whom this declaration is made; and the term affirm refers back to the words solemnly, sincerely, and truly, on which the declaration and affirmation are founded. This also contains all that is vital to the spirit and essence of an oath; and the honest man, who takes or makes it, feels that there is no form used among men by which his conscience can be more solemnly bound. As to the particular form, as long as it is not absurd or superstitious, it is a matter of perfect indifference as to the thing itself as long as the declaration or affirmation contains the spirit and essence of an oath; and that the law considers this as an oath, is evident from the following clause: "That if any one be convicted of having wilfully or falsely made this declaration or affirmation, such offender shall incur the same penalties and forfeitures as are enacted against persons convicted of wilful and corrupt perjury." I believe it may be said with strict truth, that few instances can be produced where this affirmation, which I must consider as a most solemn oath, was corruptly made by any accredited member of that religious society for whose peace and comfort it was enacted. And when this most solemn affirmation is properly considered, no man of reason will say that the persons who take it are not bound by a sufficient and available oath.

3. CALVIN, "Not that we exercise dominion He anticipates an objection that might be brought forward. “What! Do you then act so tyrannically (305) as to be formidable in your very look? Such were not the gravity of a Christian pastor, but the cruelty of a savage tyrant.” He answers this objection first indirectly, by declaring that matters are not so; and afterwards directly, by showing that the very circumstance, that he had been constrained to treat them more harshly, was owing to his fatherly affection. When he says that he does not exercise dominion over their faith, he intimates, that such a power is unjust and intolerable — nay more, is tyranny in the Church. For faith ought to be altogether exempt, and to the utmost extent free, from the yoke of men. We must, however, observe, who it is that speaks, for if ever there was a single individual of mortals, that had authority to claim for himself such a dominion, Paul assuredly was worthy of such a privilege. Yet he acknowledges, (306) that it does not belong to him. Hence we infer, that faith owns no subjection except to the word of God, and that it is not at all in subjection to human control. (307) Erasmus has observed in his Annotations, that by supplying the Greek particle ἕνεκα, it may be understood in this way — Not that we exercise dominion over you — with respect to your faith — a rendering which amounts almost to the same thing. For he intimates, that there

is no spiritual dominion, except that of God only. This always remains a settled point — pastors have no peculiar dominion over men’s consciences, (308) inasmuch as they are ministers, not lords. (1 Peter 5:3.)

What then does he leave to himself and others? He calls themhelpers of their joy — by which term I understand happiness. At the same time he employs the term joy as opposed to the terror which tyrants awaken through means of their cruelty, and also false prophets, (309) resembling tyrants, that rule with rigor and authority, as we read in Ezekiel 34:4. He argues from contraries, that he did by no means usurp dominion over the Corinthians, inasmuch as he endeavored rather to maintain them in the possession of a peace that was free, and full of joy.

For by faith ye stand. As to the reason why he adds this, others either pass it over altogether in silence, or they do not explain it with sufficient distinctness. For my part, I am of opinion that he here again argues from contraries. For if the nature and effect of faith be such that we lean, in order that we may stand, (310) it is absurd to speak of faith as being subject to men. Thus he removes that unjust dominion, with which, he had a little before declared, he was not chargeable.

4. BURKITT, "As if the apostle had said, "Though we have a ministerial power, yet we have not a magisterial dominion over you, to treat as we please the professors of the gospel, or to punish those that walk not according thereunto."

Learn hence, That though Christ has invested the officers of the church with a ministerial power, yet they have not thereby any dominion over the faith of believers; Not that we have dominion over your faith; he adds, But are helpers of your joy. He doth not say, We are helpers of your grace, helpers of your faith, helpers of your holiness, though this is necessarily implied; but helpers of your joy and comfort.

Note thence, That a special part of the minister's work consists in administering to the comfort and consolation of such as stand in need of it, and are qualified for it. Our first work is to help the graces, our next to help the comforts, of our people. The Spirit of God is a sanctifier, and then a comforter: joy is not the first stone in God's building; grace and holiness are first, comfort and consolation next.

For by faith ye stand; ye have stood and do stand, steadfast in the faith; that is, the generality and body of you; though some among you deny the resurrection, yet the best and greatest part of you are sound in the faith, and stedfast in the faith. Our apostle doth not unchurch them, because of some disorders among them, nor because of some heretical doctrines found with them, but endeavors to reform their disorders, that so when he came unto them he might not come with his rod, but in the spirit of meekness.

5. THOMAS COKE, "2 Corinthians 1:23-24. Moreover, I call God for a record— Or, to witness. Nothing but the great importance of St. Paul's vindicating his character to such a church, would have justified the solemnity of an oath of this kind. The meaning of these verses is as follows: "With respect to that change in my purpose of coming to you, which some would represent as an instance of a contrary conduct, I call God to witness, and declare to you, even as I have hope that he will have mercy on my soul, that it was not because I slighted my friends, or feared my enemies, but of real tenderness, and with a desire to spare you the uneasiness, which I thought, I must in that case have been obliged to give you,—that I came not as yet to Corinth, 2 Corinthians 1:24. Not that I pretend to have dominion over your faith; for it is by faith you stand; but I forbore to come, as one concerned to preserve and help forward your joy, which I am tender of; and therefore declined coming to you, whilst I thought you in an estate which would require a severity from me that would trouble you." It is plain that St. Paul's doctrine had been opposed by some of them at Corinth; (1 Corinthians 15:12.) his apostleship questioned; (1 Corinthians 9:1-2.) he himself triumphed over, as if he durst not come; (1 Corinthians 4:18.) they saying that his letters were weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence weak, and his speech contemptible; 2 Corinthians 10:10. This being the state in which his reputation was then at Corinth, and he having

promised to come to them, 1 Corinthians 16:5 he could not but think it necessary to excuse his failing them at that time, by reasons which should be both convincing and kind; such as are contained in the verses before us.

Inferences.—It is very observable, how often the great Apostle describes and addresses Christians under the appellation of saints. Let the venerable title be ever fixed and retained in our minds; that so we may continually remember the obligations that we are under to answer it, as we would avoid the guilt and infamy of lying to God and men, by falsely and hypocritically professing the best religion, very possibly to the worst, and undoubtedly to the vainest purposes: and that we may be excited to a sanctity becoming this title, let us often think of God, as the Father of mercies, and as the God of all consolation; and especially let us contemplate him, as assuming these titles under the character of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So shall we find our hearts more powerfully engaged to love and trust in him, and enter into a more intimate acquaintance and frequent converse with him. From him may we seek consolation in every distress; considering the supports which we so experience, not as given for ourselves alone, but for others also; that we, on the like principles, may console them. Ministers, in particular, should regard them in this view, and rejoice in those tribulations which may render them more capable of comforting such as are in trouble, by those consolations with which they themselves have been comforted by God; that so the church may be edified; and God glorified in all, by the thanksgiving of many, for mercies obtained in answer to united prayers.

Let us particularly remember the support which St. Paul experienced, when he was pressed above measure, and as it seemed, quite beyond his strength, so as to despair of life,—and received the sentence of death in himself, as what was wisely appointed to teach him a firmer confidence in God, who raiseth the dead. Strong as his faith was, it admitted of farther degrees; and the improvement of it was a happy equivalent for all the extremities that he suffered. He therefore glories, as assured of being rescued from future dangers, 2 Corinthians 1:10. Nor was his faith vain, though he afterwards fell by the hand of his enemies, and seemed as helpless a prey to their malice and rage, as any of the multitudes whose blood Nero, or the instruments of his cruelty, poured out like water. Death is itself the grand rescue of a good man, which bears him to a state of everlasting security; and in this sense, every believer may in some sort adopt the Apostle's words; and while he acknowledges past and present, may assuredly, in the confidence of faith, expect future deliverances.

Happy therefore shall we be, if by divine grace we be enabled at all times to maintain the temper and conduct of Christians; and can confidently rejoice in the testimony of our consciences, that our conversation in the world is in simplicity and godly sincerity; that our ends in religion are great and noble; that our conduct is simple and uniform; in a word, that we act as in the sight of a heart-searching God. Then may we look upon the applauses or the censures of men as comparatively a very light matter; and may rest assured, if, as with regard to the Apostle in the instance before us, we suffer a malignant breath for a while to obscure the lustre of our character, but, notwithstanding, continue to cleave to Christ,—the day is near, which will reveal it in unclouded glory.

All the promises of God, are yea and amen in Christ. Let us depend upon it that they will be performed to all the faithful saints of God; and let us make it our great care, that we may be able to say we are interested through Christ in the blessings to which they relate. Let there be a proportionable steadiness and consistency in our obedience; nor let our engagements to God be yea and nay, since his are so faithful to his simple-hearted persevering saints.—Are we established in Christ? Are we sealed with the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts? Let us acknowledge, that it is God who hath imparted it to us; and let Christians of the greatest integrity and experience be proportionably humble, rather than by any means elated on account of their superiority to others.

We see the light in which ministers should always consider themselves, and in which they are to be considered by others;—Not as having dominion over the faith of their people, or a right to dictate, by their own authority, what they should believe, or, on the same principles, what they should do; but as helpers of their joy, in consequence of their being helpers of their piety and

obedience. In this view, how amiable and engaging does the ministerial office appear! What a friendly aspect does it wear upon the happiness of mankind! and how little true benevolence do they manifest, who would expose it to ridicule and contempt!

May those who bear that office, be careful that they do not give it the most dangerous wound, and abet the evil works of those who despise and deride it; which yet they will most effectually do, if they once appear to form their purposes according to the flesh. Let them with a single eye direct all their administrations to the glory of God, and the edification of the church; that they may be able to appeal to their hearers, as those who must acknowledge, and bear their testimony to their uprightness. In that case, they may confidently look on them as those, in whom they hope to rejoice in the day of the Lord. And if, while they pursue these ends, they are censured as persons actuated by any mean and less worthy principle, let them not be much surprized or discouraged. They share in exercises, from which the blessed Apostle St. Paul was not exempted; as indeed there is no integrity or caution, which can guard any man from the effects of that malice against Christ and his Gospel, with which some hearts overflow, when they feel themselves condemned by it.

REFLECTIONS.—1st, The Apostle opens the Epistle, 1. With his usual address and salutation. Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God eminently called to this high office, and Timothy our brother, who joins me in heartiest affection towards you; unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia, who in profession and practice appear to be separated from the world as the Lord's people—Grace be to you, and peace, with all their happy fruits, from God our Father, the Author of all our blessings, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the meritorious cause of them.

2. He blesseth God for the signal mercies that he had experienced. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in and through him, as the divine Mediator, is now become to us the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, multiplying his pardons, showering down his benefits, and giving us temporal and spiritual consolation through this Son of his love, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, by his word and Spirit bringing home the great and precious promises with power to our souls, and shedding abroad his love in our hearts; that, from experience of the riches of his goodness, we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, whether of soul or body, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, tenderly sympathizing with them, and suggesting those encouraging words of scripture, which, in distress, we have found reviving to our own souls. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, to whom we are thus conformed, and who is still afflicted in all the afflictions of his members, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ, who fails not to minister supports and comforts proportionable to our sufferings. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, it is designed for your advantage; that by our examples of patience, fortitude, and perseverance, you may be encouraged to bear up under every trial, and boldly stand fast, till your salvation is completed; which is effectual by persevering in the exercises of faith and patience, in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted by divine supports under our afflictions, or by seasonable deliverances from them, it is also ordered for your consolation and salvation, as the means thereof, if you will but improve them. Note; (1.) All our mercies from God call for perpetual grateful acknowledgments. (2.) They who have been exercised with trials in their own souls and bodies, will be the most able comforters to others under the like troubles. We speak best, when we speak from experience. (3.) Though our afflictions may be at present grievous, the time will come, if we be faithful in the improvement of them, when we shall see peculiar reason to bless God for them, and know that they have been through grace especially conducive to our eternal salvation. (4.) All our comforts flow from God in Christ, as reconciled to us through the Blood of his Son.

2nd, St. Paul,

1. Expresses his confidence in them; and our hope of you is steadfast, that you will never be discouraged by any tribulations which you see us endure, or are called to bear yourselves; knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings with us, so shall ye be also of the consolation, rejoicing with us here in the experience of God's love, and, if faithful unto death, shortly to arrive

where sorrow shall be for ever banished, and our joys will be perfected.

2. He informs them what a weight of afflictions he had undergone. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, (see Acts 14; Acts 16; Acts 19.) that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, loaded with burdens more than our natural strength could sustain; so that we despaired even of life, not knowing which way to escape, and our case to all appearance desperate. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, and concluded that we must be destroyed; the Lord in his providence suffering us to be brought to these extremities, that we should not trust in ourselves, feeling by experience our own utter insufficiency to help ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead, whose wisdom, power, and grace alone could extricate us from our troubles, and save us from the jaws of death. Note; The Lord sometimes suffers his believing people to be reduced as it were to the last gasp in their trials, that he may convince them more deeply of their own helplessness, and magnify his grace and power more signally in their deliverance.

3. He gratefully acknowledges the divine interposition: who delivered us from so great a death, when to human view it appeared inevitable; and doth deliver, in jeopardy as we stand every hour: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us, content to cast our care upon him, in the fullest confidence of his protection and support: Ye also helping together by prayer for us, and joining in affectionate supplications on our behalf, that we may be still preserved in the midst of danger; that for the gift of so signal a deliverance as we have experienced, bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, in answer to the prayers of those faithful souls, who, ceaseless at a throne of grace, besought the Lord for us, thanks may be given by many on our behalf, and God glorified and praised for the mercy that he has extended towards us. Note; (1.) Past experience of God's interposition should engage us still to hope in his mercy. (2.) None ever trusted God and were confounded. (3.) We owe much to the prayers of those who interest themselves for us in their approaches to God. (4.) The blessings received in answer to prayer, call loud for a due return of praise.

3rdly, The Apostle,

1. Vindicates himself in general from the insinuations of his traducers. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, maintaining a single eye to God's glory; not with fleshly wisdom, purposing any mean ends or selfish designs of our own; but by the grace of God, having this for our governing principle, taught by his word, and guided by his Spirit, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you ward who cannot but be conscious how holily and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you; and if I have now disappointed you of my intended visit, it was no double-mindedness, but the providence of God, which prevented me. Note; A good conscience affords always matter of real joy.

2. He appeals to themselves for the truth of what he said. For we write none other things unto you than what you read or acknowledge, and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; our future conversation will, we trust, be as exemplary as the past. As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus, when we hope to appear with you before him as the seals of our ministry, our joy and crown.

4thly, In answer to the insinuations of his enemies, who accused him of levity and inconstancy:

1. He avers the sincerity of his intentions at he time when he gave them his promise. In the confidence of their affection and esteem he was fully purposed to visit them, in hopes of affording them further spiritual assistance; and not merely to call on them in his way to Macedonia, but to return thence, and make some considerable stay among them, and then to have been helped forward on his journey by them to Jerusalem. When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness, promising rashly, and altering my mind without sufficient reason? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh? Was I influenced by any secular views? Or did I want to flatter you, and tell you what I never intended to perform? That with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay, talking backwards and forwards to serve a turn? No; St. Paul; as every faithful man does, spoke the truth from his heart.

2. He vindicates his doctrine, which the seducers wanted to represent as equally erroneous as his promise was deceitful; and this he does with a solemn appeal to God. But, as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay, our doctrine was not various and changeable, but uniformly the same; for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea; the same crucified Jesus was the subject of our ministry, and we taught with perfect harmony all the glorious truths of Gospel grace: for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, to all his faithful saints; flowing from the favour and love of God, purchased by the obedience to death, and ratified by the blood-shedding of the Redeemer, unto the glory of God by us, who by our ministrations is thus exalted in the highest.

3. He mentions some of the inestimable blessings which God in Christ Jesus had bestowed. (1.) Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ is God, we are built up in him, and are united together to him as our living Head. (2.) He hath anointed us with the gifts and graces of his Spirit. (3.) He hath also sealed us, stamping his blessed image on our souls. (4.) He hath given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts, shedding abroad his love, as a pledge of that eternal felicity which he will confer upon all his faithful saints.

4. He gives a weighty reason for not coming at present to Corinth, and solemnly calls God to witness thereto, that it was out of mere tenderness towards them, to spare them, that he might not be obliged to inflict on the offenders condign punishment. But, to prevent mistakes, he adds, Not for that we have dominion over your faith, we assume no tyrannical power, nor pretend to be Lords over your conscience; but are helpers of your joy, desiring to promote your spiritual and eternal consolation; for by faith ye stand—faith grounded not on fallible human testimony, but on the word of God.