Introduction
Last week, we began what we call 2 Corinthians (actually third or maybe even fourth).
After informing them of how God has comforted him through a terrible ordeal, Paul now
turns to clear up a dangerous misunderstanding between him and them. Read 1:12-17.
Paul's travel plans
Clearly, the misunderstanding revolved around the change in Paul's travel plans.
Originally, he intended to visit Corinth for an extended period on his return from
Macedonia (1 Cor. 16:5-7)--PLAN "A" MAP.
Later, he changed his mind and said he would visit them on the way to Macedonia and
again on the way back from Macedonia (2 Cor. 1:16)--PLAN "B" MAP.
As it worked out, he had to pay a very painful visit to them to confront them about
matters we'll look at next week. This visit went badly, so Paul returned to Ephesus,
leaving Titus in Corinth. (He may have written them another letter at this point.) Then
the riot in Ephesus erupted, and from there he went to Troas and Macedonia, where he heard
good news about them from Titus (2 Cor. 7:5-8). He then wrote this letter, indicating his
intentions to visit them on his way back from Macedonia to Jerusalem (2 Cor. 13:1)--PLAN
"C" MAP.
His enemies' accusations & Paul's response
What's the big deal? Why is this so dangerous? By reading the rest of this letter, we
discover that a group of false teachers were seeking to undermine the church's trust in
Paul's message about God's grace (see 11:4,13-15). Paul's enemies took advantage of his
changing itinerary to discredit him and his message.
THEIR ACCUSATION:
They evidently accused him of making plans he had no intention of keeping if it
inconvenienced him (1:17).
HIS RESPONSE:
Read 1:23-2:4. He says it was not motivated by self-interest, but by love for them. and
concern for his relationship with them He to wanted spare them further pain, and he hoped
they would change their response to him so he could return for a visit that all could
enjoy. This is exactly what happened.
THEIR ACCUSATION:
On that basis, they evidently launched an even more serious accusation. If Paul
couldn't be trusted to tell the truth about his travel plans, he certainly couldn't be
trusted to tell the truth about more important matters like God and the basis of
salvation.
HIS RESPONSE:
Paul is far more concerned about their attitude toward his message. This is probably
why he begins his response the way he does (read 1:19). "Our word" here refers
to the gospel, the message about Christ that he spoke to them. Despite his integrity, Paul
is only human and therefore may not always be able to do what he says. But this is never
the case with Christ. He has introduced them to One who is absolutely reliable, and they
shouldn't let anything (Paul's change in plans) or anyone (the false
teachers) shake their confidence in Christ. Jesus Christ is God's unambiguous
"yes." He explains what this means in the following verses.
Jesus Christ is God's unequivocal "Yes"
Every Old Testament promise is fulfilled in Christ (vs 20). The true God is a
loving God who has spoken to us and made promises to us in the most important areas of
life. Many of these promises are given in the Old Testament--but they depend on Jesus
Christ for their fulfillment. Notice how carefully the New Testament makes this point.
"I will forgive you." (Isa. 1:18; Ps. 103:12 >> Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:13)
"I will guide you through life." (Ps. 23:1 >> Jn. 10:11,14)
"I will give you rest." (Josh. 1:13; Ps. 95:11 >> Matt. 11:28)
"I will feed your soul with my word." (Deut. 8:3 >> Jn. 6:35)
"I will raise you from the dead to eternal life." (Dan. 12:2,3 >> Jn.
11:25)
God puts our relationship with him on firm footing through Christ (vs 21). Paul
uses two metaphors to explain what this entails.
He has "sealed" us in Christ. When a ruler wanted to guarantee safe passage
of a document, he affixed his seal (in melted wax) to it. This seal meant that all the
authority and power of Rome ensured that it would safely reach its destination. God says
he has sealed us in Christ--all of his authority and power ensure our safe passage to
heaven. We are eternally secure in our standing before God because it is based on what
Christ has done for us instead of what we do for God.
He has given us his "pledge" in the Holy Spirit. A "pledge" was a
down-payment which demonstrated the buyer's sincerity to pay in full at a later time. God
doesn't just promise that Christians will go to be in his presence when we die. He backs
his promise up by giving us his Spirit who communicates God's love to us, enables us to
relate to God personally, and transforms our characters.
The lessons for us
We should entrust ourselves to Jesus Christ and his promises. This begins by
putting your trust in him and his death to receive God's forgiveness (GOSPEL).
But that is just the beginning. Then we need to learn God's promises for every major
area of our lives and focus/rely on them instead of our feelings, our own
"wisdom," and other people's opinions (EXAMPLES: ACCEPTANCE; MATERIAL PROVISION;
ROM. 8:28). This is one of the most important ingredients to spiritual growth (2 Pet. 1:4)
and stability (Heb. 6:18,19).
We should build human relationships that are grounded in a mutual trust in Christ.
People tend to vacillate between idolatry and cynicism in their relationships with one
another. We tend to look to other people for what only God can give us: identity,
acceptance and security, significance, meaning in life. When others disappoint us (as they
inevitably will), we are crushed and either run to another human relationship or become
cynical about human relationships altogether.
This happens most often in romantic relationships. I am convinced that this is the
number one reason for broken marriages in our culture. People are propagandized by the
"Eros myth"--the false notion that the key to a successful marriage
relationship is the Eros experience--falling head over heels in love with someone.
When this happens, so the songs tell us, we have found the right person who will fulfill
all our dreams. But then the feelings wane, and the other person lets us down, and we are
crushed and throw the relationship away.
But it also happens in relationships with spiritual leaders. I call this the "guru
syndrome." The Corinthians had this syndrome. They were spiritually immature, and
they demonstrated this immaturity by putting Paul and other human spiritual leaders on
such a pedestal that they relied on him more than Christ. We know this was a problem with
them because he had warned them back in 1 Corinthians not to "boast in people"
(1 Cor. 3:21). He had had to remind them that people like he and Apollos were only God's
servants--it was "God who was causing the growth." Some leaders are flattered by
this and seek to perpetuate it, but Paul was horrified by it. He wanted his converts to
become "independently dependent on Christ." When he didn't fulfill his plans to
visit, they were crushed. They were vulnerable to the suggestion to totally reject Paul
and put another "guru" on the pedestal.
Instead, we need to build our lives on a relationship with Jesus Christ, who is the
only One who can meet our deepest needs. When we do this, we can build healthy and
enjoyable relationships with others who have the same base in their lives. We know we are
secure when (not if) they disappoint us--because Christ is faithful to us. And because of
this, we can relate to one another primarily out of gratitude for one another's love
(rather than anger over unmet and unrealistic expectations) and looking for ways to give
(rather than looking for ways to take).
This is how Paul related to other people like the Corinthians. We'll see more about how
this affected his relationships NEXT WEEK . . .