3 Portrait of a Godly Pastor

(2 Corinthians 1:15–2:4)

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.

LOYALTY

The only reason Paul planned to visit the Corinthians in the first place was his loyalty to them. It was in the confidence expressed in verse 14, that the Corinthians would be as loyal to him as he was to them, that Paul had intended at first to come to them. Despite the rebellion against him in the Corinthian congregation, Paul believed the majority was still loyal to him. In 1 Corinthians 16:5–6, Paul wrote that he intended to leave Ephesus, minister in Macedonia, then come to spend the winter (when travel was difficult) with the believers in Corinth. After writing 1 Corinthians, Paul decided to change his plan and also make a visit to Corinth before going to Macedonia so that the Corinthians might twice receive the blessing (charis; “grace,” “favor,” “benefit”) of fellowship with him before and after his Macedonian trip. According to this revised travel plan, Paul would pass through Corinth on his way into Macedonia, and again on his way back from Macedonia. The Corinthians would then help him on his journey to Judea. Adding a second visit to Corinth was further evidence of Paul’s love and loyalty to the believers there.

However, as he will later explain (cf. 1:23–2:1), the apostle had to cancel the first visit and revert to his original plan of visiting Corinth only after ministering in Macedonia. Paul’s enemies pounced on this minor change in travel plans and accused him of untrustworthiness and fickleness. They ridiculously, but apparently with some success, argued that if Paul’s statements about his travel plans were untrustworthy, why should the Corinthians believe his theological statements?

But Paul was not fickle. His circumstances changed but not his heart attitude. Here Paul affirms that he is loyal to his flock. He would always do whatever he could for their spiritual benefit, as the Corinthians had ample evidence to prove.

HONESTY

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. (1:17–18)

Not content with impugning his loyalty, Paul’s accusers also questioned his honesty. Paul was likely quoting one of their accusations when he denied that he was guilty of vacillating in what he had said he intended to do. The apostle found it incredible that anyone would construe a change in travel plans as evidence of a dishonest character. Certainly the Corinthians were not slighted by Paul’s change in plans; the two visits became instead one long visit (cf. 1 Cor. 16:6–7).

The words mēti ara in Paul’s first question introduce a question that calls for an indignant, negative answer. Paul said in effect, “Was I vacillating when I intended to do this? No way!” He was no shifty opportunist; no shallow, fickle, frivolous liar. Nor did he purpose according to the flesh. Paul did not make plans in purely human fashion. He did not seek to please himself, to make decisions to suit his own selfish interests. He did not talk out of both sides of his mouth; his words were not yes, yes and no, no at the same time. After closely observing Paul’s life during his more than eighteen months in their city, the Corinthians had plenty of reason to affirm that he was an honest man.

To support his claim to honesty, Paul emphatically declared, But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. He may have been taking an oath, boldly calling God as faithful witness to his truthfulness (cf. v. 23; 11:10, 31; Rom. 1:9; 9:1; Gal. 1:20; Phil. 1:8; 1 Thess. 2:5, 10). Jesus did not forbid all taking of oaths in Matthew 5:33–37, only deceptive ones meant to misrepresent true intention for the sake of some personal gain. During His trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus even allowed Himself to be placed under oath by the high priest (Matt. 26:63–64). Paul’s point is that God is truthful, and he, as God’s representative, is also truthful. No matter how his plans changed, Paul remained both loyal and honest.

RELIABILITY

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. (1:19–20)

Throughout the history of the church, heretics have always assaulted the nature of Christ, and the false apostles at Corinth appear to be no exception in their effort to diminish Him. Having slanderously accused Paul of being untrustworthy because of his change in travel plans, they also alleged that his teaching on the Lord Jesus was untrustworthy. Responding to their attack on his Lord, Paul emphasized Christ’s nature as the God-man by using the full, rich title the Son of God, Christ Jesus.

Paul was not the only one who preached the truths of the Son of God to the Corinthians; Silvanus and Timothy had preached the message to them. Silvanus (Silas) was a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church. The Jerusalem Council entrusted him to carry its decision to the church at Antioch (Acts 15:22). He later became Paul’s companion on the apostle’s second missionary journey, replacing Barnabas (Acts 15:39–40). Timothy was Paul’s beloved son in the faith. As the son of a Jewish Christian mother and a pagan Gentile father (Acts 16:1), he was uniquely qualified to minister alongside the apostle. Both Silvanus and Timothy had ministered with Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:5). Their preaching was not untrustworthy, it was not yes and no, but was a firm, un -wavering, resounding yes to God’s truth in Jesus Christ.

Then Paul sums up the glory of Christ by reminding the Corinthians that as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes. All of God’s salvation promises—of blessing, peace, joy, goodness, fellowship, forgiveness, strength, and hope of eternal life—are yes, meaning they all come true, in Christ. They are all made possible by His person and work. After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). In 1 Corinthians 1:30 Paul declared that “Christ Jesus … became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” To the Colossians he wrote, “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him. … For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 1:19; 2:9). It was the realization of “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus [as his] Lord” that made Paul willing to suffer “the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that [he might] gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8).

Then Paul drove home the point of his argument by reminding the Corinthians, Therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Amen is a solemn affirmation of the truthfulness of a statement (cf. Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; 15:33; 16:27; Gal. 1:5; Eph. 3:21; Phil. 4:20; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 13:21; 1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; 2 Peter 3:18; Jude 25; Rev. 1:6; 7:12). When Paul, Silas, and Timothy preached the gospel, it was all about Christ, who by His glorious work brings to pass all salvation realities. The Corinthians probably even had joined in saying Amen to the glory of God. The congregation had affirmed that the preachers reliably spoke God’s truth about Christ when they believed the gospel message Paul and his companions preached, and it transformed their lives. How utterly absurd, Paul argued, to accept and experience the gospel message as reliable, but consider those who preached it unreliable. How ridiculous to trust Paul’s word about eternal things, but not about mundane things like travel plans.

The apostle who was exacting in communicating the true gospel of Christ was also exacting in the lesser matters of life. God did not choose an unstable, unreliable apostle to preach His truth.

AUTHENTICITY

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. (1:21–22)

As important as they were, Paul’s ultimate claim to integrity and authenticity as God’s messenger and Christ’s apostle was not his loyalty honesty reliability or any other personal feature; it was what God had done in his life. Paul described four glorious works that God had done in his life with the four verbs establishes, anointed, sealed, and gave. The phrase with you and the fourfold repetition of us indicates Paul’s confidence that the Corinthians also experienced those divine works, as do all believers.

First, God establishes believers in Christ at salvation. This is the work of saving grace that puts believers into union with Him (cf. 5:17; Rom. 8:1; 16:11–13; 1 Cor. 1:30; 3:1; 7:22; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 5:8; Col. 1:2, 28; 4:7) and with each other. Paul’s authenticity was inextricably linked with that of the Corinthians, and to deny it was to deny the reality of their own spiritual life. Because they were fellow members of the body of Christ, by attacking Paul’s authenticity, the Corinthians ripped the fabric of the church’s spiritual unity. Since Paul was their spiritual father (1 Cor. 4:15), to deny his authenticity was, figuratively, to saw off the branch on which they were sitting.

Second, God anointed believers. To anoint someone is to commission them for service (cf. Ex. 28:41; Num. 3:3; 1 Sam. 15:1; 16:1–13; 2 Sam. 2:4; 1 Kings 1:39; 5:1; 19:16; Ps. 89:20). The verb chri? (anointed) appears four other times in the New Testament, each time in a passage referring to Christ (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb. 1:9). The related noun chrisma describes the anointing all believers have when they receive from Christ the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:13), who guides, empowers, and teaches them (1 John 2:20, 27).

Third, God sealed believers. Sphragiz? (sealed) refers to stamping an identifying mark on something (cf. Matt. 27:66; John 3:33; 6:27; Rom. 15:28; Rev. 7:3–4). Here, as in Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, and 2 Timothy 2:19, it refers to believers’, stamped as God’s, receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9), whose presence identifies them as God’s true and eternal possession, whom He will protect and keep.

Fourth, God gave believers the Spirit in their hearts as a pledge. The indwelling Holy Spirit is not only the anointing and seal but also the down payment or guarantee of believers’ eternal inheritance (cf. 1 Peter 1:4), the first installment of future glory. Later in this epistle Paul wrote, “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose [believers’ eternal existence in heaven; cf. vv. 2, 4] is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge” (2 Cor. 5:5). To the Ephesians he wrote, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13–14).

God set both Paul and all believers on the unshakable and eternal promise of salvation in Christ. God has guaranteed that promise of eternal inheritance through the indwelling Holy Spirit. How foolish it was, in light of Paul’s preaching those glorious, eternal divine realities, to question his legitimacy as an apostle because of a minor change in his travel plans!

SENSITIVITY

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. (1:23–2:1)

Only after defending his integrity by affirming his loyalty, honesty, reliability, and authenticity did Paul finally explain why he changed his travel plans. And he prefaced his explanation with the solemn oath I call God as witness to my soul. The apostle appealed to God to verify the truth of what he was about to write and to judge him if he were lying.

It was to spare the Corinthians the rod of discipline (cf. 13:2, 10; 1 Cor. 4:21) that Paul came no more to Corinth. He mercifully wanted to give them time to correct the problems he wrote of in 1 Corinthians. Also, some at Corinth were guilty of being led into mutiny (the mutiny that prompted Paul to write the “severe letter” referred to in 2 Cor. 2:4) against him by the false teachers who had come to the church, and he wanted to give them time to repent. The apostle was also hoping for a good report from Titus about the Corinthians’ repenting and rejecting the false apostles in favor of him before visiting them. That report, a positive one as Paul hoped, is described in 7:6ff. The apostle displayed great patience and sensitivity toward the Corinthians. He knew that, as Augustine wrote, “As severity is ready to punish the faults which it may discover, so charity is reluctant to discover the faults which it must punish” (cited in Philip E. Hughes, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992], 47).

Ever sensitive to avoid provoking unnecessary conflict, Paul quickly added the very positive disclaimer, Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy. Paul never abused his apostolic authority to gain prestige or power, or to further his own selfish aims. His goal, even in disciplining the unruly Corinthians, was the joy that holiness would bring them.

Paul was confident that in their faith (their salvation) the Corinthians were standing firm (cf. Rom. 5:2; 1 Cor. 15:1; Gal. 5:1; Phil. 1:27). He claimed no authority over their faith, which was a private matter between them and God. Saving faith is a personal matter between the believer and the Lord. No one but the Lord has authority over that relationship. Salvation is an individual matter and does not come through a hierarchical ecclesiastical organization.

Paul was determined not only for their sake but also for his own sake, that he would not come to the Corinthians in sorrow again. The apostle was referring to a painful visit he had earlier made to Corinth. Learning of the false prophets’ arrival, Paul left Ephesus and hurried to Corinth to deal with the situation. The visit was not a success; in fact, someone (possibly one of the false apostles) openly insulted Paul (cf. 2 Cor. 2:5–8, 10; 7:12), and the Corinthians did not defend him. It was that painful visit that had prompted Paul to write the “severe letter” he referred to in 2:4. By giving the Corinthians time to repent, Paul hoped to avoid another painful encounter with them. Thus, his change in travel plans was not motivated by fickleness and unreliability, as the false teachers claimed, but by Paul’s sensitivity toward his beloved church.

PURITY

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. (2:2–3)

Paul’s sensitivity and patience with the Corinthians did not mean that he was unwilling to discipline them if they did not repent. His zeal for the purity of the church made him willing to cause them sorrow if necessary. If he did, the only thing that would make him glad would be the repentance of those whom he made sorrowful. It was his concern for purity in the Corinthian church that prompted the letters he wrote them (cf. 2:9; 7:8). Paul, of course, hoped they would repent, so that when he came to Corinth he would not have sorrow from those who ought to make him rejoice. But, unlike many in the evangelical church today, Paul did not place church unity above truth and holiness. He was willing to confront unrepentant sin, even at the cost of his own joy.

Paul hoped the sinful issues he confronted in his letters would be settled before he again visited Corinth, and he had confidence that they would be. Then his joy would be the joy of them all; they could not have mutual joy as long as the Corinthians continued in sin. Paul’s expression of confidence in the Corinthians was also meant to encourage the majority of the congregation, who looked to him as their revered spiritual leader. That his confidence was not misplaced became evident when Titus returned from Corinth with news that the majority had repented (7:6–16.).

Sensitivity and the desire to avoid unnecessary confrontation must always be balanced with a commitment to the purity of the church. (For further discussion of this matter, see the discussion of 12:19–13:3 in chapters 33–36 of this volume.)

LOVE

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. (2:4)

It took real love, not sentimentalism, for Paul to confront the Corinthians’ sin. Writing 1 Corinthians and especially the “severe letter” caused him much affliction and anguish of heart and many tears. Nothing is more painful for a pastor than confronting sin in his beloved congregation. But Paul’s goal in writing was not so that they would be made sorrowful, but that the Corinthians might know the love which he had especially for them. He took no pleasure in their sorrow but desired that it would bring them to repentance (cf. 7:10) and joy. The apostle exemplified the truth of Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

The lying teachers were dead wrong about Paul. He was not an untrustworthy deceiver, and to take a trivial issue and attempt to use it to discredit his ministry was reprehensible. As he examined his heart honestly before God, Paul found loyalty, honesty, reliability, authenticity, sensitivity, purity, and love—the traits that mark all godly pastors.

3 Portrait of a Godly Pastor(2 Corinthians 1:15–2:4)