As we noted in the introduction, this is likely the fourth of four letters written by Paul to the Corinthians. The first and third are missing, and our 1 Corinthians is the second. It’s far and away the most personal of all of Paul’s Epistles. He begins by boasting in God’s comforting him amidst sorrow and anxiety, and then Paul moves to start a defense of his ministry, given that false teachers had promoted many accusations against Paul. Let’s take a look.
1) V1-11 – 1Paul, 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: 2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and 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. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If 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. 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. 8We 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. 9Indeed, 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. 10He 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, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our [or your] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Paul describes himself as an apostle of Jesus by God’s will, but he’s writing with Timothy and calls him only “our brother.” All Christians are “saints,” and Paul addresses this epistle not only to Corinth but also to the entire region of modern day southern Greece, known then as Achaia. The problems in Corinth were perhaps not so private or at least not exclusive to them, so Paul must have thought this response beneficial to the eyes and ears of the believers throughout the surrounding region. He issues his standard greeting of “grace and peace,” referring to God’s undeserved favor in daily life, as well as the outward blessing of social order and the inward blessing of a good relationship with God. By saying that grace and peace come from both the Father and Son, Paul ascribes deity to Jesus. And lastly, it is interesting that Paul’s usual intro is “grace to you,” and his usual conclusion is “grace be with you.” John Piper notes, “We learn that grace is ready to flow to us every time we take up the inspired Scriptures to read them. And we learn that grace will abide with us when we lay the Bible down and go about our daily living” (Future Grace, 66-67).
Calvin says of Paul, “He begins with this thanksgiving – partly for the purpose of extolling the goodness of God – partly, with the view of animating the Corinthians by his example to the resolute endurance of persecutions; and partly, that he may magnify himself in a strain of pious glorying, in opposition to the malignant slanderings of the false apostles.” So Paul praises God the Father (who He is in v3 and then what He does in v4) for His compassion (2 Samuel 24:14) and comfort (Isaiah 52:9), which are key themes of chapters 1-9. Paul needed this comfort from God, as he was experiencing great anxiety over his relationship with the Corinthians; they had deeply wounded and grieved him. Allow a brief review:
After founding their congregation and spending 18 months with them, things were good. Paul had written them a letter, most likely encouraging them to continued growth and urging them to take up an offering for the persecuted church in Jerusalem. But old habits die hard, and false teachers attacking Paul and his ministry pressured their relationship. Factions had risen in Corinth, and the Corinthians had questions for Paul. He answered them in our 1 Corinthians and included important teaching, urging them to make corrections in their behavior, especially regarding sin! They apparently didn’t make the corrections Paul had urged, as he learned from Timothy and/or Titus, so he made an emergency visit to them and wrote a harsh rebuke, both of which were painful, or sorrowful for him. Still he wasn’t sure how they would respond to those efforts, especially given the accusations of false teachers against him, and so he was anxious and filled with pain. Thus, he begins this letter acknowledging the great compassion of God and the gracious comfort He gives for His people in their suffering. John MacArthur paraphrases Paul: “You may be attacking me and they may be accusing me of sin and the judgment of God. I want you to know while they’re attacking me, God is comforting me. Now are you going to join their attack on me? Or are you going to side with God who is comforting me?”
I think we appreciate the compassion, or mercy, of God, though we’ll never grasp how complete it is. But we probably misunderstand the comfort God gives, because when we think of comfort, we think selfishly of tenderness and ease, soft cushions. But the word Greek word for comfort (paraclete), used 10 times in v3-7, conveys boldness, courage, and bravery, rather than ease and tenderness. God doesn’t remove the pain and make it easy; rather, He emboldens us, especially corporately, to bear it and move forward. Bloomfield says that the eightfold usage of words in v3-8, signifying “” are representative of various kinds of physical pain and mental anguish – translated in the NIV as “troubles”, “hardships”, “sufferings”, and “distress.” But God comforts (read, “strengthens” or “encourages”) us in these experiences so that we can comfort others who suffer as well (v4). Comfort is a means to an end, not an end in itself! Comfort is something for which we are held accountable unto stewardship. Have you been comforted? What have you done with the comfort you’ve been given? Have you used it comfort others? Paul is saying, “I’ll go through the fire if it will benefit someone else.” In 2 Corinthians 12:15, Paul says, “So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?” Wow! It’s humbling, crushing!
I appreciate Calvin’s summary: “The false apostles made every effort to turn to Paul’s reproach everything that befell him. Had they obtained their wish, the afflictions which he endured for their salvation, had been vain and fruitless; they would have derived no advantage from the consolations with which the Lord refreshed him. To contrivances of this nature he opposes his present confidence. His afflictions tended to promote the comfort of believers, as furnishing them with occasion of confirmation, on their perceiving that he suffered willingly, and endured with fortitude so many hardships for the sake of the gospel. For however we may acknowledge that afflictions ought to be endured by us for the sake of the gospel, we, nevertheless, tremble through a consciousness of our weakness, and think ourselves not prepared for it. In that case, we should call to mind the examples of the saints, which should make us more courageous.”
Our union with Christ as His Body, and with one another as parts of His Body, explain why our experiences will be similar to His suffering in the world and comfort in the Father’s care (v5-7). And so our level our comfort will be proportionate to our level of suffering. Paul’s was (2 Corinthians 4:1,8-12; Galatians 6:17; Colossians 1:24; Hebrews 13:13)! Those who suffer a lot will receive great comfort; those who suffer little, for Christ’s sake, will be comforted little (Psalm 94:19; 1 Peter 4:12-16). Paul makes a profound statement in v6, saying that his distress is for their comfort and salvation, while his comfort is so that he can comfort them and encourage them to patient endurance through their sufferings. He’s always working for the benefit of others; and even his experiences that aren’t necessarily due to his working, he claims for others’ benefit. There is such union between Paul and the Corinthians, such a mutual connection, that Paul derives from his own suffering and comfort firm hope for them to be comforted. What he wanted was some reciprocation, so he’s trying to warm and soften their cold and hardened hearts.
In v8-11, Paul alludes to a severe trial sometime between his most recent visit to Corinth and the writing of this letter. The Corinthians must have known about it, as Paul doesn’t elaborate on what it was. He thought it was time to die; he even used a word describing an official, irrevocable, and immediate death sentence. But he attributes the trial to God taking him past the place of no return and bringing him back in order that he would rely solely on God (Romans 4:17). A.W. Tozer said of trials, “It is doubtful that God can bless a man greatly unless He has hurt him deeply.” John MacArthur notes that bad things happen to God’s people for a number of reasons: testing of faith, weaning from worldliness, enhancing hope, pouring out comfort and compassion, revealing what’s really precious, training in obedience, developing spiritual strength unto greater usefulness, granting the ability to help others in their trials, and displaying God’s astounding power. Here, this “bad thing” happened to Paul to enhance hope and display God’s astounding power. Sam Storms notes, “There is always design in our distress. God so values our trust in Him alone that He will graciously take away everything else in the world that we might be tempted to rely on: even life itself if necessary. His desire is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that He Himself is all we need” (Psalm 73:25-26).
In v10, Paul recognized that God had delivered him for this intense trial in the recent past; he also acknowledged that God was in the midst of delivering him from his present trial involving his anxiety with the Corinthians. (By comparing these two, Paul is revealing how great his anxiety is over the Corinthians.) And Paul’s confidence is such that future deliveries will also come from God – as a result of the “faces of God’s people lifted to Him in prayer” (Storms) on Paul’s behalf (v11). Paul and his party were reinvigorated with hope in God from their endeavor, and they attribute that to the prayers of many; and they still covet prayers, especially prayers of thanksgiving for God’s rescue and comfort, all for the glory of God. That’s the lesson for us, that when hardships come (and they will come), we look for ways to use them for God’s glory – and we do that first and foremost through prayer, which itself is glorifying to God.
2) V12-17 – 12Now 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. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. 13For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14as 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. 15Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16I 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. 17When 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 “No, no”?
Paul boasts of God’s work in him, which clears his conscience and leads to moral sincerity (v12). The Corinthians saw “worldly” or “earthly” wisdom being divisive for the church, and Paul here refutes the accusation that he had some earthly motive for visiting, and that he wasn’t acceptable as an apostle (2 Corinthians 10:2-6). Some thought him proud by writing a letter rather than visiting in person, questioning his holiness; others, questioning his sincerity, says Storms, “interpreted his refusal to accept payment as a tactic inspired by ‘craftiness’ rather than love” (see 2 Corinthians 11:7-9).
The word for “boast” is used 30 times in this letter, more than in the rest of Paul’s letters combined (26 times)! Sam Storms offers helpful interpretation of this fact: “On the one hand, he is mimicking the bragging of his opponents about their achievements (see 11:10-12:9). Merely using the terminology, however, is ‘foolishness’ to Paul (see chapter 11). Also, Paul is careful to point out that if he does ‘boast’ his boast is only ‘in the Lord’ (10:17; 11:17). Note also that he explicitly traces the source of his ‘holiness’ and ‘sincerity’, on the basis of which he ‘boasts,’ to God (literally, ‘of God’). Furthermore, his conduct was ‘in the grace of God,’ not in his fleshly efforts.” Robert Rayburn says, “Paul was defending himself against opponents who were boasting in the wrong way and for the wrong things. Paul is going to be ‘boasting’ about a number of things throughout this letter and is also going to expose the boasting of his enemies as something improper for a Christian.” Rayburn goes on to suggest that, though hypocrisy is the chief charge against the Church of God, Christians often think too little of themselves in the grace of God. Yes, we boast in the Lord, but notice, too, that we boast! Calvin notes three necessities before any boasting is to be done: First, we must never boast as if something we have or have done has come as a result of ourselves. “Every good and perfect gift comes from above” (James 1:17). Second, we must acknowledge that neither the foundation of nor the confidence in our salvation comes from our integrity of faith, but rather Christ’s integrity of actions and the mercy and grace of God. Third, we must glory in God’s gifts to us for the benefit of others, rather than for any selfish exaltation. So “let the one who boasts boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17; Jeremiah 9:24).
In v13, Paul claims nothing hidden to the Corinthians; they knew everything about him! He had no hidden intentions in his clear writing (2 Corinthians 10:9-10); the false teachers may have written or spoken cryptically, luring an audience through their mystical and vague language. We know that God’s Word is not for scholars alone, but for all who seek Him in it. So clarity is crucial (Colossians 4:4). Because of Paul’s clarity, the Corinthians will come to boast, even if only when Christ returns, rightly according to what we just mentioned above, of what God has done through Paul’s ministry (v14). Let us boast in this right now! Thank you Lord for the words and experiences of the Apostle Paul, whose teaching has not only blessed our ears and minds, but also by your grace and Holy Spirit served to transform our lives into the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Out of his confidence in the Corinthians’ understanding of and appreciation for his ministry, Paul mentions a potential double benefit in v15; acknowledging that his visits are a means of grace from God to the churches, he wanted to visit them twice, as v16 explains. But deciding against two short stays in favor of one longer stay at the end of his trip, Paul was accused of fickleness, changing his mind about his travel plans, and being generally unreliable as a result. They were too quick to judge him on this shift, as his change of plans for was for their benefit! Rayburn says, “Rather than having to use the sternest discipline, which he is prepared to use if he must (cf. 13:2), he wanted to give them time to set their house in order, to respond in repentance to his letter (1 Corinthians), and to prepare for his arrival. He wanted his visit to be a happy one for them and not painful. What is more, he thought it wiser to stay for a longer period to be sure the church was well-established in a healthier condition.” V17 shows that, contrary to the views of his accusers, Paul relies not on himself for his travel plans, but on God who is always faithful (Proverbs 16:1).
3) V18-24 – 18But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas [or Silvanus, a variant of ilas] and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.” 20For 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. 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 23I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
Paul turns the accusations against him into an opportunity to share Christ and encourage his audience! Some commentators say that Paul is digressing in v19-22 from his own defense and urging reflection on God’s faithfulness in Christ; others suggest that his intentions are to say, “If you know God to be faithful, then why would you doubt my faithfulness, given that I’m the one who preached to you in the first place?” Rayburn says, “Nothing could be more incongruous that to suspect the Apostle Paul of insincerity when his entire life was devoted to the service and the proclamation of Jesus Christ who is Truth itself. The message he preached to them, the message by which they were saved, was conclusive evidence that Paul was committed to the truth. They know him as they know his Master to be sincere in word and in character.” Regardless, he confirms the truth of God’s promises (Calvin says these are four “testimonies of Divine grace,” including kindness unto repentance, remission of sins, adoption as children of God, and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit) in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (notice the Trinity mentioned in v21-22). Paul’s doctrine never changes (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25), unlike that of the false teachers (Galatians 1:8).
In v21 we read that God “makes both us and you stand firm” (a better translation would be “establishes” us) in Christ. Literally, He anoints us in the anointed One, or christens us in Christ. We are anointed for service (v21-22), just as Christ was (Luke 4:18). God “set His seal of ownership on us,” as the Holy Spirit is our oil, “a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (Ephesians 1:14). What a beautifully worded statement for one whose language was supposedly too simple!
In v23, Paul returns to his integrity and the motive for his change of travel plans, saying, “If I’m not telling the truth, then I ask God to take my life.” It’s an oath rightly taken, akin to saying, “I swear to God.” Paul is being patient and forbearing, giving them a chance to repent before he visits. Though he may have grounds for severe chastisement, he is working as their partner, for their joy, aiding their growth in faith, “because it is by faith [they] stand firm” (v24). (Calvin notes that the nature and effect of faith is such that we lean in order that we may stand.) Paul is not against the Corinthians in any way, as some may have thought in their earthly wisdom (Ezekiel 34:4; 1 Peter 5:3). Rayburn concludes, “Paul is so aware of the readiness of his enemies in Corinth to misconstrue his remarks and to attribute evil motives to him, that he hurries on to say that he is by no means asserting a right to lord it over their faith. As if his desire to spare them meant he thought he had the right to treat them however he pleased.” Storms comments, “Paul apparently fears that his comment about wanting to spare them (v23) could be misunderstood, as if he were presuming to have such authority over their lives that their every move was subject to his control or that his every move impacted their lives. ‘No,’ says Paul. ‘I have no intention of trying to tyrannize your faith, nor could I even if I wanted to, for your faith rests in the power of God, not in me or the wisdom of any human being’” (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:5).
Finally, Storms gives a few applications for us to take away from this text: first, don’t be too quick to read between the lines. Consider those who claim to be serving the Lord as sincere with their words, especially when their actions match up with their professions. Have patience with others, and remember our country’s judicial motto – innocent until proven guilty. And second, when dealing with others who might question your motives, words, and deeds, don’t be too quick to seek to vindicate your name. Be patient, knowing that God knows the truth and will make things right in His timing. Always mean what you say, and explain your words further as necessary.