2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4--Paul's Change of Plans

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4
English Standard Version

Paul's Change of Plans
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand-- 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

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Last time we looked at Paul's greeting to the Corinthian church and his purpose of writing to them--to give them comfort and encouragement during these difficult times and trial that occur between the time of justification (when we first repent and believe) and the time of our glorification (when we are taken to heaven either after death or at the second coming of Christ).

Remember that I said 1 Corinthians was a lot about sin, specifically the sin of pride and arrogance and boasting?  Paul is reminding them of this as we begin today's passage that if there's anything to boast about (which there is not other than Christ Jesus and Him crucified) that it is that we be a people of integrity that continue to live simple, humble and godly lives amongst an ungodly world, no matter what they may try to do to us.  For, in this way we not only show that we do not rely no the wisdom of the world that says that we should find a different god to serve if our god lets bad things happen to us, but that we exalt the grace of God that is sufficient for us and made perfect in our weakens.  (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).

Paul so desires to be there for this church that he has made plans to come and visit them, but those plans have had to change, and that's one of the other reasons for his writing this letter to them, but even as Paul had made plans to let them know what he wanted, to visit them on his way to Macedonia and then again as he came back from Macedonia and was returning to Jerusalem.  Paul wanted to be careful to not appear to be double-minded to them saying both "Yes" and "No" so that they did not know what he was saying, but that he wanted to wait until he could definitely say "Yes" or "No" to them, for we should always let our "yes" be "yes" and our "no" be "no" (see the Sermon on the Mount).

Why is it so important for Paul to be clear in such seemingly insignificant things?  Paul draws a straight line for his personal integrity and people being able to believe his word to what people think about the integrity of Jesus and His integrity in keeping his Word and His promises to us.  If we are untrustworthy in keeping our word and we are supposed to be made in the image of the Son of God, then how will people trust in the Son or His promises which should all be seen as "Yes and Amen" (a "yes" that is both true and certain).  That also means that all the promises that we have in Christ area also just as sure and certain, even the ones that we haven't seen fulfilled yet (like our salvation from the power of sin now and eventually our salvation from the very presence of sin at the time of glorification)  Our standing on and clinging to these promises and being able to sing "I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that Day." is one way in which we can glorify Jesus as we show the world that we trust in the One who is Light and in Him there is no darkness or shadow of turning.

The same God who established us, whether Paul is talking about before the foundations of the world, at the cross, or at the moment of our repentance, also gave us the Holy Spirit to seal us and deliver us safely to Day, Place and Person in which we hope.  The Spirit has been given to us in a way like an engagement ring to let us know that the Bridegroom is returning for His Bride and that "Now I belong to Jesus.  Jesus belongs to me.  Not for the years of time along, but for eternity."  Every time we wonder if Jesus is coming for us we simply need to see the Holy Spirit living inside of us to remind us that He promised that He would go, but if He went, He would send His Spirit, the Comforter, to us so that as He is preparing a place for us that we would be comforted and reminded of all of His words--including the promise that if He goes, He will return for us that where He is, there we might be also.

Now back to Paul's travel plans--Paul says that God is his witness that Paul was not in the right frame of mind to come and visit them when he originally wanted to, and the Holy Spirit knowing that the people needed encouragement and not someone to lord his faith and righteousness over them--as we see him hint that he intended (see 1 Corinthians 4:19-21).  No, instead God knew that Paul needed to simmer down a bit and see that these were people in need of grace, compassion, comfort and encouragement.  So Paul delayed his trip until he was sure that he was ready to deliver God's message to His people.

Paul says that he realized that part of this was that he needed to be the person to them that Paul needed them to be for him.  When Paul was hurting, he relied on the Church to encourage him, so then what good would it be of they only saw and knew him to cause them pain in severe correction and did not have an example from him to follow in showing grace, compassion, comfort, and encouragement?  We need to not forget that we need to be the person who gives others what we may need to one day receive from them.  We should not expect any better from others than what they have received from us.

Paul in the past had written and focused on the pain they had caused him (whether this be what he wrote in 1 Corinthians or if he is referring to another letter that we don't have, we do not know), but God enabled Paul to look up and out and to see the people that He loved and that Paul was not only there to correct, but also to encourage--that definitely wasn't Paul's strong suit.  Many times God calls us to be the things to others that we are not strong in so that it is clear it is Him, specifically the Holy Spirit, working in and through us--that it is a new nature.  Paul's intention in writing was not to cause them pain in knowing the pain they had caused him, but instead so that they would understand the love that Paul felt for them as a spiritual father whose heart ached when he saw his children doing the wrong thing and making decisions that would hurt them.  There is a point though where every father must understand that while their correction is out of love, that is not the only way that your children should see your love expressed to them as they also need positive reinforcement, and that seems to now be the purpose of Paul's visit, whenever that is going to happen.  He wishes to make sure that his "children" don't fear his coming or the pain that they might inflict in correction, but that they would rejoice at his return because they know that they will be as much of an encouragement to him as he will be to them in these times when all of them are suffering, in pain, and looking forward to the coming kingdom when all of our pain and suffering will end and all the enemies of Christ will be put into subjection to Him.