2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 1:12-2:3, “Paul Defends His Integrity”

Jim Bomkamp

1. INTRO

1.1. In our last study, we looked at the background information for the writing of the epistle of 2 Corinthians. We saw how that it was important to understand Paul’s previous interactions with the church in order to fully grasp the reasons for Paul’s writing of the letter. We also studied over the first 11 verses of the letter

1.1.1. We saw that Paul was attempting to show the Corinthians how that instead of Paul’s sufferings being a mark against his claim to apostleship, that instead they should be looked at as the means by which he was qualified to minister to them because of the comfort that he had received from the Lord

1.1.2. We saw that God is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort

1.1.2.1.Jesus Christ established an “age of mercy” by showing us mercy upon the cross of Calvary

1.1.2.2.We saw that the scriptures confirm that in the Christian life we will have tribulations, trials, persecutions, and difficulties however God can and will meet us in the midst of every one of these times and minister to us His comfort

1.1.2.3.Paul told the Corinthians that when we go through these kinds of times that we can then minister to others with that same comfort which the Lord ministered to us

1.1.2.4.Paul shows that he had established with the Corinthians a link or connecting point through his sufferings, for rather than show him not being a true apostle they allowed him to minister to the Corinthians when they went through the same types of difficulties he went through

1.2. In our study today we are going to see that Paul begins now to defend his integrity to the church by explaining how and why he had made the decisions that he had made about visiting them.

1.2.1. Paul attempts to point out to the Corinthians that his motives for changing his plans to visit them came about:

1.2.1.1.Not because he was living his life according to worldly wisdom, but rather in the grace of God

1.2.1.1.1.The fact that he and those with him lived their lives in holiness and godly sincerity should have been a testimony to the fact that his motives were pure

1.2.1.2.Because he was thinking of what was best for the Corinthians, not for himself

1.2.2. Paul was a man of his word and he attempts to show the Corinthians that this fact should be apparent because Jesus Christ, the gospel message Paul preached, and the promises of God he taught them were themselves faithful and could be relied upon

1.2.3. Paul attempts in this section to continue to repair his relationship with the Corinthians by pointing out to them more connecting points which he and those with him had with the Corinthians

1.2.3.1.He showed them in the previous chapter that they were connected because of his sufferings which resulted in their sharing in the comfort which God gave him

1.2.3.2.He shows them now that they are connected because they both would be a source of pride for each other in the day of Jesus Christ, when Christ returns for the church

1.2.3.3.He shows them now that they are connected because God had established them together and anointed those who ministered to the church, sealing them with the Holy Spirit

2. VS 1:12 - “12 For our proud confidence is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.” - Paul testifies to the Corinthians that he has a pure conscience concerning his personal life, his ministry, and the decisions that he has made

2.1. As we see in this verse and this whole chapter, and really all throughout the letter of 2 Corinthians, Paul is on the defensive concerning his integrity. There were people within the church at Corinth who were questioning his every move and trying to undermine his authority over the church. Not everyone in the church was in this group, however there were some in it, and they were relentless in questioning everything that he did. Perhaps the thing that seemed to put the most fuel to these false accusations against Paul was the fact that there were these ones whom Paul later refers to as being ‘super-apostles’ who had come into the church, and they had letters of recommendation and were constantly promoting their own ministry to the church. We will see later that they demanded from the church a salary, which they received, and thus Paul writes that they were ‘peddling the word of God.’ Paul tells us also that they were false teachers and preaching another gospel. It is believed that they were Judaisers who were stirring up the people to believe that to be truly spiritual they had to keep the Law of Moses in addition to having faith in Christ. These men were constantly provoking division within the church trying to get the people to question Paul’s integrity, calling, and motives.

2.2. The primary thing really that Paul had in his favor wherever he went was his integrity however, for he came amongst the Gentiles as a foreigner and preaching a gospel message that they had never heard or conceived, and it was his integrity that gave credence to his life and ministry.

2.2.1. I remember when I was first being sent out by our home church to plant a church in Montana. I received some good counsel from our pastor who said that I needed to realize that in order to be successful, from the day I entered town I was going to have to establish my reputation and credibility because no one was going to know me from Adam, and there would be very few who had ever heard of the Calvary Chapel movement. This is what Paul also faced in each city in which he went to plant churches.

2.2.2. It is a very important thing for each of us as Christians to realize that if we are to have a great influence over people’s lives in coming to Christ that we must try to consistently show to the world that we are a man or woman of integrity. We must earn the right to be able to share the gospel with people by the way that we conduct ourselves inside and outside of our homes. If we will do this, God will open effective doors of ministry for us wherever we may go.

2.3. Paul would have the church think about the fact that he, Timothy, Titus, Apollos, Priscilla and Aquilla, and all the others who ministered with Paul lived lives of ‘holiness and godly sincerity,’ and that this was the ‘proud confidence’ that they held concerning the integrity of their lives and ministry.

2.3.1. The church would be able to attest to the fact that Paul lived a holy life, and this testimony in itself should have silenced those in the church who questioned his motives and called him fickle when he changed his mind about coming to Corinth.

2.3.2. The fact that Paul did not financially profit from the ministry but provided for his own expenses should also have been enough to silence his critics, for those whose motives are wrong always end up with their hands in the till.

2.3.2.1.Instead of them realizing that Paul’s motives for ministry must be pure because he didn’t take a salary, some instead criticized him for not taking their money or for receiving secret funds.

2.3.3. The fact that Paul was willing to go into the mission field and plant church after church living his life for the winning of souls to Christ, in spite of the fact that he always knew that not far behind him there was a group of Jews who were trying to trace his whereabouts so that they could kill him, should have been enough to silence his critics.

2.3.3.1.I am both humbled and challenged by the many brothers and sisters in Christ today who count the cost and go to a nation as a missionary knowing that they will suffer severe persecution and could even be killed for their faith. Here in America, we Christians often become silent in our witness because of a trifle such as the fact that someone starts a rumor around the company we work for that we are a ‘Jesus Freak,’ or because our parents are offended that we have chosen a different spiritual path than what we were brought up in, etc. However, there are brave missionaries that have counted a cost for following Christ that we have never even considered.

2.4. Paul tells the Corinthians that he and those with him did not conduct themselves so as to make plans out of ‘fleshly wisdom.’

2.4.1. Fleshly wisdom would have told Paul to go and buy a condo on the island of Crete and live the easy life by not trying to stand out in a crowd , not getting too excited about his faith in Christ, not telling anyone he was a Christian unless of course they specifically asked, etc.

2.4.1.1.But Paul had an inner compunction to preach the gospel that was so great that he writes in 1 Cor. 9:16, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”

2.4.1.2.Paul had such a desire to preach the gospel to his brethren the Jews, that even though the Holy Spirit had told him that he would be killed for his faith that we read in Acts 20:25, he went on to at the Lord’s leading to Jerusalem.

2.4.2. Paul’s love for the Lord and for the souls of men was so great that he was daily laying his life down as a living sacrifice to the Lord. This is the opposite of what fleshly wisdom would dictate. Fleshly wisdom would have been to watch out for number one, only do ministry if there is something in it for you in the here and now, demand a big salary, etc.

2.4.2.1.When you think about Paul’s life and his willingness to work hard and diligently even though he knew that in doing so he would suffer greatly and eventually be killed, we must I believe come to the conclusion that the only motive he could have had for the things that he did in ministry was love, love for the Lord and love for God’s people. You see, the real test of love is extravagance and reckless abandon to the one that is loved.

2.4.2.1.1.If a parent loves his child then he will be willing to do more than go out of his way in sacrificing for his child. When he goes to buy a gift and he happens to see something that is exactly what his child would want and what would bring the greatest happiness to the child, then even though that gift may cost more than he originally wanted to pay for a gift, he will sacrifice in order to buy it for his child. If we as Christians are living our life with great reserve or conservatism, then how great can our love for the Lord actually be?

2.4.2.1.2.There is a worship song by the Praise Band that perhaps someday we will learn which I like mainly because it is I believe an example of this sort of ‘extravagant love and reckless abandon’ we whom have been redeemed by Christ should have for the Lord. It it is called,

“I WILL NOT FORGET YOU,”

“Verse 1: Many men will drink the rain and turn to thank the clouds,

Many men will hear You speak, They will never turn around.

Verse 2: Many men will pour their gold, and serve a thing that shines.

Many men will read Your words, they will never change their minds.

But I will not forget, You are my God and my King.

With a thankful heart, I bring my offering.

And my sacrifice is, not what You can give,

But what I alone can, give to You.

CHORUS:

A grateful heart I give, A thankful prayer I pray.

A wild dance I dance before You.

A loud song I sing, a huge bell I ring,

A life of praise I live before You.”

2.4.2.1.3.Once there was a boy and a girl I knew who were high school seniors and who began to date. He dated this girl, however she wasn’t really the kind of a girl that he wanted to marry because she wasn’t pretty enough, popular enough, or whatever. He probably was interested in marrying the head cheerleader or something. Well, this young man did begin dating this girl mainly because she was a party girl, and for fun. However, one day he found out that he had made her pregnant. The parents of both of these young people then forced them to get married. He didn’t want to marry her, but he was forced. They didn’t have a big wedding ceremony because he didn’t want to invite all of his friends and family to this wedding. He didn’t buy her a wedding ring because that would have been more of an expense than he wanted to make. They moved in together, however he didn’t really want people to see him with her around town too much so they didn’t go anywhere. He was finally drafted into the service and moved to a base in the southeastern part of the US. He could have moved his new family to the base because they had married housing, however he preferred to have her far away. He ran around with other women there at the base, and when he would come home he often would come home at night. Well, after a few years they finally divorced.

2.4.2.1.3.1.I believe that some people’s Christian life is like this marriage. If you are around them long enough they will eventually tell you that they are a Christian, however after you have found out lots of other things about their lives. They rarely open their Bibles. They will go to a prayer meeting or have a season of prayer, but only when some tragedy or major difficulty happens to them. They will come to church, however only if there is nothing better to do. Etc., etc. The Lord is not number one in their lives and their love for Him is not expressed by extravagance and they aren’t recklessly abandoned to the Lord and His will for their life.

2.4.2.1.4.It was great love for the Lord that caused the sinful woman to pour upon the feet of Jesus the entire alabaster vial of the perfume which was so expensive that it was worth a year’s wage.

2.4.2.1.5.It was great love for the Lord that caused the poor widow to give a mite as offering to the Lord knowing that it was the last cent she owned.

2.4.2.1.6.It was great love for the Lord that caused Zacchaeus after coming to be forgiven by Jesus to commit to giving back four-fold all of the money that he had defrauded people out of.

2.4.2.1.7.It was great love for the Lord that caused Mary Magdalene to stay at risk of her life before the cross of her Lord when just about everyone else had fled, and then to be the first to return on Sunday morning to His tomb.

2.4.2.1.8.It was great love for the Lord that caused Paul to risk his life constantly for the gospel and say that he did not count his life as dear unto himself, but that he just wanted to finish the course that the Lord had for him, whatever the cost, knowing full well that it would cost him everything.

2.4.2.1.9.How much does your life show reckless abandon to the Lord? How much does it show extravagant love for Him? Or, does the Lord merely get the ‘left-overs’ in your life?

2.5. Paul tells the Corinthians that he and those with him did not conduct themselves in the world and towards the Corinthians in ‘fleshly wisdom’, but instead in the grace of God. Paul’s life as well as his ministry was all about the grace of God. He knew he was not worthy of anything that the Lord had done for him and daily did for him, and yet he was so keenly aware of God’s love for him, as well as the rest of the world. You see, Paul was not a man who was going around promoting himself or even his ministry, rather he was a man who was promoting a great and loving God and a Great Savior.

2.6. Paul tells the Corinthians that ‘especially’ towards them that he and those with him had been so careful to walk in holiness and godly sincerity and just allow the Lord to lead and guide them in ministry to the church. They had merely been lowly instruments in the hands of the Master!

3. VS 1:13-14 - “13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end;14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that in the day of our Lord Jesus (when He returns for the church) he and those with him will be their ‘reason to be proud’ just as they would be his ‘reason to be proud’

3.1. Paul tells the Corinthians in essence here that there was no hidden motives or agenda for their ministry to the Corinthians. Paul’s ministry to the Corinthians had come about from the beginning only because of the love that he had for the church. Many had come to Christ through his preaching, and as he had spent a year and a half in Corinth seeing the church get planted, he had poured out his life into the people, especially the leaders who were now overseeing the fellowship and ministry to the church.

3.2. Paul’s prayer and hope for the church in Corinth was that they would realize and appreciate why he had laid his life down for them during all of the time that he had been with them. He wanted them to understand and even to model everything about his life so that they too would lay their lives down for the souls of men as God would anoint and use them in ministry.

3.3. In these verses, Paul is pointing out another connecting point that he and those with him had with the church which was in Corinth. Because of each other, they would both have a reason to be proud in the day of the Lord Jesus, when He is handing out handsome rewards.

3.4. Paul is not becoming prideful or arrogant in telling the Corinthians that he and those with him should be their ‘reason to be proud’ in the day of the Lord Jesus, or when Jesus returns for the church. This was merely a fact. Paul and those with him had lived godly lives that were commendable and pleasing to the Lord. Because of the examples of Paul and those with him, Paul wrote to the people of the church in Corinth in 1 Cor. 1:7-8 that they would stand before the Lord one day covered by the blood of Christ and blameless, “7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,8 who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

3.5. Paul tells the Corinthians that they too would be his reason to be proud on the day of the Lord Jesus, when He returns for the church, for the Corinthians were the good fruit of the life of the apostle Paul and those who labored with him, and he would be handsomely rewarded for his labor on their behalf.

4. VS 1:15-16 - “15 And in this confidence I intended at first to come to you, that you might twice receive a blessing;16 that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that the motive he had for changing his plans and deciding to come twice to them was so that he could be twice a blessing to them

4.1. In these verses, Paul is continuing to defend his integrity and why he made the decisions concerning when he would return to them.

4.2. Because of Paul’s confidence that God had begun a good work in them, a work which he would complete until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6), therefore he desired to come to them and to continue to minister to them.

4.3. We saw in our last study, that initially Paul had in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 told the church that he had intended to come to them later in the year and perhaps spend the entire winter with them. However, soon after writing the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul had received some very bad news about the church which probably had to do with some people who were living in immorality, and that he instead went immediately back to Corinth to deal with the situation. At that time, Paul made the determination to come back to them twice instead of just once as he originally planned.

4.4. Paul knew that the church needed some special attention and that he could help them if the Lord was leading him to come back to them, which he felt at that time He did. So, thinking not of himself but only of their needs Paul determined to come back twice so that he could minister even more to the church.

4.5. Paul had planned to go to the church in Corinth on his way into Macedonia, and then to return to them again on his return from Macedonia on the way to Judea.

4.6. Paul doesn’t really specify what kind of help he had been hoping that the church would render to him on his way to Judea.

4.6.1. It could be monetary help. It appears that one of the criticisms of Paul by some of the Corinthians was that he would not allow them to support him. Also, some speculated that perhaps Paul got some secret money from another church. So, possibly he is trying to encourage them that he would take some money from them for his journey, if they insisted on doing so.

4.6.1.1.Paul only allowed the Philippians and the Thessalonians, I believe, to help him financially because in every other church he was afraid that some would question his motives for receiving financial support and believe that he was only in ministry for profit, as was the case with the false teachers.

4.6.2. It may have been just some sort of a send off for continuing his trip that Paul was mentioning. Also, perhaps he would have them even travel part way with him, and in this way send him off.

5. VS 1:17-18 - “17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or that which I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?18 But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no.” - Paul asks the Corinthians the question of what about the manner in which he made his decision about deciding to visit them twice instead of once showed that he was fickle or not a man of his word?

5.1. In his relationship with the church in Corinth, it seems as if no matter what Paul did that there were some in the church who would criticize him. He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t do anything.

5.2. Sometimes I think that people can project onto others their own weaknesses and motives, and perhaps the Corinthians were doing this:

5.2.1. Some in the church in Corinth were fickle and not men of their own word, and thus they probably expected that Paul would do the same things that they knew that they would do.

5.2.2. Some made their plans according to ‘fleshly wisdom,’ and thus they probably expected Paul to do likewise.

5.3. Paul, in effect, swears to them that just as God is faithful, so he and those with him do not say one thing and then do another. Their ‘yes’ is not a ‘no’, nor is their ‘no’ a ‘yes.’

5.4. If we Christians are to be good witnesses to the people of this world, we too must be people of integrity, people of our word. When we tell people we will do something that we follow through and do it!

6. VS 1:19-20 - “19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.20 For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that Jesus Christ as well as the very promises of God are ‘yes’ and not ‘no’

6.1. Paul’s preaching of the gospel was an evidence that he was not fickle concerning his word, for Jesus Christ, the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and the very promises of God taught by Paul are only affirmative messages, messages which a person can rely upon as being faithful and true.

6.1.1. If Paul preached a faithful Christ and a gospel message and Biblical promises that could be relied upon as being true, then it would be incongruous if Paul the preacher himself could not be relied upon and his word trusted and true.

6.2. It is such a comfort to us as believers that the promises of God can in every situation and era of time be counted upon as being completely true and reliable!

7. VS 1:21-22 - “21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that it is God who has established he and those with him together with the church in Corinth

7.1. In this chapter, we have seen that in several ways Paul has pointed out how that he and those with him are connected to the church in Corinth.

7.1.1. His sufferings had a connecting point with the church because each of those sufferings provided a means for him to minister to them the same comfort that he had received from Christ.

7.1.2. The church in Corinth would be his reason to be proud on the day of the Lord Jesus, when He returns for the church.

7.1.3. Paul and those with him would be the church in Corinth’s reason to be proud on the day of the Lord Jesus.

7.1.4. Here we see that Paul explains a couple more connecting points that they had, they were both established together in Christ, plus God had anointed them by the Holy Spirit for the ministry they were being used in.

7.2. Notice in these verses that Paul introduces a doctrinal point. He tells the Corinthians that God had had ‘sealed’ them and given the Holy Spirit in their hearts ‘as a pledge’.

7.2.1. All who are in Christ have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of salvation. A Roman official would have a signet ring with which he could press down upon a piece of wax and place the Roman seal. This sealing then determined that whatever that seal was placed upon belonged to Rome. The Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart is God’s seal that we are His property and belong to Him.

7.2.2. The Holy Spirit is a ‘pledge’ or ‘down payment’ guaranteeing that the Lord will in fact complete His purchase of us when He returns for His church.

8. VS 1:23-2:3 - “23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. 1 But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again.2 For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?3 And this is the very thing I wrote you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be the joy of you all.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that the reason why he changed his mind yet again about coming twice more to them, once right away, and instead sent the ‘severe letter,’ was to spare them

8.1. Paul had a very difficult experience when he had returned suddenly to the church just after sending to them the letter of 1 Corinthians. Great grief and suffering had been experienced by the church as the result of Paul coming boldly to confront a grave situation, but Paul had been just as deeply grieved and saddened as a result of that trip. Paul knew that if he returned again right away as he had planned on the first of the two trips, that he would again have to come in a bold and confrontational manner, and that this would prove to be too much for the church to bear at this time. This could have pushed them away from the Lord. Thus, he decided send to them the ‘severe letter’ instead of returning to them right away.

8.2. Love requires a person sometimes to hurt another when he realizes that the person is doing something that is destructive to himself, the Lord, or others. Paul’s strong discipline of the church in Corinth had been done because of the great love that he had for them. He loved them so much he was willing to do something that was very difficult for him, to boldly confront them because of their tolerating the sin of some, and then tell the church that they needed to repent and get things straightened out between themselves and the Lord, and in the church itself.

8.2.1. Parents often tell their children when disciplining them that it is going to hurt them more than it is going to hurt their child. Paul had been deeply grieved and concerned for the church after he had written the ‘severe letter’ and then he was beside himself as he waited for Titus to bring word to him about how the church had received the letter.

8.2.2. In the church, there are times when a rebuke, even of a sharp nature, must be given if you truly love someone. Prov. 27:6 in the Living Bible reads, “6 Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy!”

8.3. Paul had had to cause the church great grief and sadness as a result of coming to them and directly confronting those who were living in sin. However, as we have seen Paul’s ministry was performed out of his love for the Corinthians, and thus Paul desired that whenever he ministered to the church that it would result in their being filled with joy. He himself wanted to also have joy in ministry though, and when they were happy he was happy. For these reasons, Paul had changed his plans about coming to them right away for the first of two visits and had instead written to them the ‘severe letter.’

8.4. Paul is then in essence defending his motives for the decisions that he made by showing that he had done the things that he had done because of his love for the church, and because he was thinking only of what was the very best for them. It was not because he was fickle or not a man of his word that he had made these changes to his plans.

Back Bible Studies Home Page