2 Corinthians 1 ~ part 2, Sincerity

Happy Sunday! I'm so glad you're here. Studying God's word is such a gift and I hope that my thoughts are encouraging and thought-provoking! Please feel free to reach out with comments and thoughts or even questions, I'd love to chat with you! Check out last weeks post here

Grab your Bibles and let's dive into part 2 of this chapter!

12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 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.

The Greek for integrity is haplotés meaning "simplicity, sincerity, purity, graciousness."

The Greek for sincerity is eilikrineia meaning "clearness, sincerity, purity."

I wanted to highlight these two words because of their similarities. Paul was giving this boast since the Corinthians were used to teachers/ministers who were manipulative and they had become cynical towards Paul. He says this to them to display his honesty and sincerity of heart. Austin and I were talking about this section and how it feels like sincerity is sort of a lost characteristic. It feels like sincerity has been replaced with sarcasm in the current age. This is a reminder that we, as Christians, should be living in the way Paul explains here.

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

He finishes the section off with the hope of them being able to boast in Paul and Timothy as Paul and Timothy desire to boast in them in the coming day. It's a reminder to us to live sincerely and with integrity so that others may boast in us and us in them!

15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted 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. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”? 18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”

This is a tricky section. The Corinthian believers seemed to have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Paul's original visit to them was so full of conflict and confrontation that he forsook his second proposed visit. On the first go-around so much happened (Chapter 2 dives into this more) and out of a desire to avoid more conflict (2 Cor 2:1) he heads on his way. Because he changed his plans, the Corinthians came at him and called him out for being "fickle." In verses 12-14 Paul proclaims his sincerity and in these verses he explains further that he meant what he said, however, circumstances changed and thus his plans.

"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 blame Paul for the disappointment.  They needed to see Paul's heart and God's hand in the circumstances." (Guzik)

It's okay to be upset about something, but it's not okay to blame a person for circumstances out of their control. Over and over in my studying of the Bible, I've found one thing to be consistent. Our heart posture is what matters most. How we react and treat people, where our hearts stand in a situation, and how we handle it. God calls us to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruit start in the heart, with the help of the Spirit.

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. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

23 I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

Verse 20 is such an amazing verse, one that we might not have had if it weren't for how the Corinthian church was treating Paul. His point here is that God has always remained faithful and true to his promises. His word stands firm, whether it be yes or no. His "amen" is the affirmation.

This quote from Guzik so perfectly summed up my thoughts on the words anointed and sealed. (Greek: chrisas and sphragisamenos)

Has anointed us: 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 identify and 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 identify us and to protect us.

(Guzik)

The Holy Spirit is a deposit of what is to come. It says exactly that in the verse. The divine Comforter, Helper, and Advocate is ours to walk with us through the hardships of daily life and He is SUCH a gift! Life can be hard sometimes, I know this, you know this, we all know it. But thanks be to God for his immeasurable gifts to us! The last line of this chapter is the clincher; our faith is what keeps us steady in God. It is what we cling to when things get rough. It's the faith in God, His Son, the cross, and the hope for eternity that keeps us strong when this world gets us down!

I hope that these simple thoughts give you encouragement in your day to day lives. I know that studying this chapter has given me a lot to think about, a lot of encouragement, and a lot of peace - knowing God has sealed and anointed me as his own!

xo,

Ais