In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing; 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. Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. 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. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful? This is the very thing I wrote you, so
that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you. (1:15–2:4)
Our society often judges people by what they do, not by their character. For sports heroes, movie stars, businessmen, or politicians, it is performance, not principle, that counts. Sadly, that pragmatic outlook has even infiltrated the church. Pastors, for example, are too often evaluated by the outward trappings of success—the size of their congregations, their success as fund-raisers, the extent of their radio or TV ministries, how well their books sell, or their influence in the public arena. But such external criteria (by which many false teachers and cult leaders could be judged successful) do not impress God. Unlike “man [who]
looks at the outward appearance, … the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). The seventeenth-century Puritan John Owen said pointedly, “A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more” (cited in I. D. E. Thomas, A Puritan Golden Treasury [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977], 192).
The noble nineteenth-century Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne reminded a fellow pastor, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus” (Andrew A.
Bonar, Memoirs of McCheyne [Reprint; Chicago: Moody, 1978], 95). It is not what a man does that makes him a noble and useful pastor, but what he is.
The apostle Paul had all the external marks of success. He was the greatest missionary the world has ever known, used by God to initially spread the gospel and plant churches throughout the Roman world. God also inspired him to write thirteen New Testament books, nine of them to those
churches. The many congregations he founded held him in the highest regard as their spiritual father and teacher (1 Cor. 4:15). He lived a life that was observably above reproach, as his conscience testified (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 2 Tim. 1:3). Yet he knew that the true measure of a man of God is not his external success or reputation but God’s evaluation of his heart. In 1 Corinthians 4:4–5 he wrote,
For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.
As he wrote this letter, Paul, as so often in his ministry, was being mercilessly attacked. Because God so mightily used him, he was a prime target of Satan’s attacks. This attack, however, deeply disturbed him because it came from his beloved Corinthian church—a church Paul had given at least eighteen months of his life to birth. The attack from the church came in the form of sin, mutiny, and misrepresentation, led by some self-appointed false teachers who sought to discredit Paul and destroy his reputation in the eyes of the Corinthian congregation. After the people lost confidence in Paul, they hoped to replace him as the authoritative teachers. They would then have the platform they needed to teach their demonic doctrines. To accomplish that evil goal, they attacked Paul’s apostleship, character, and ministry on every conceivable level.
Second Corinthians is Paul’s defense of his genuineness and spiritual integrity against the false apostles’ slanderous attacks. In 1:12–14, he gave a general defense of his personal righteousness, appealing to the highest court in
the human realm, his own conscience. As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, the apostle’s conscience exonerated him of all the false charges leveled against him.
His personal life, relationships with others, and ministry were all above reproach. After that general response, Paul replied in 1:15–2:4 to the specific charge that he was not trustworthy. The false apostles claimed that Paul did not always speak the truth, but was unfaithful, fickle, and vacillating. They supported that trumped-up charge with the flimsiest, most trivial evidence: a change in Paul’s travel plans.
Instead of merely explaining why he made that change in plans, Paul dealt with the deeper issue of his integrity and truthfulness. Rather than engage in a battle of details, of specific charges and countercharges, he elevated the discussion to the motives and attitudes of his heart. By so doing, he provided a priceless look at a noble man of God.
As this text unfolds, it reveals seven attitudes that were the benchmarks of his spiritual character: loyalty, honesty, reliability, authenticity, sensitivity, purity, and love.