33 Concerns of a True Pastor

(2 Corinthians 12:12–19)

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong! Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit. Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps? All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved. (12:12–19)

The church today faces an identity crisis generated by being inundated with a vast amount of literature on pastoral ministry and church leadership, promoting a myriad of different approaches, styles, and techniques. Pastors face a bewildering number of choices as they seek the key to growing their own churches. They read books, attend seminars, follow programs promoted by church-growth gurus, and pattern their leadership style after successful pastors. But all too often, the programs, methods, and gimmicks fail to achieve spiritual results, cheating both pastors and congregations of the true blessings of God.

Based on the enormous volume of available material, pastoral ministry would seem to be very complicated indeed. In actuality, however, it is confoundingly simple. The principles and directions for successful ministry that are laid out in Scripture are sufficient to fully equip the man of God (2 Cor. 3:5–6; cf. 2 Tim. 3:16–17). Instead of studying demographics and marketing techniques, or searching for cultural hot buttons to push, the church needs to understand and obey biblical truth. Methods and trends come and go, and today’s sensational new programs will be tomorrow’s failed experiments. But the principles of godly truth and virtue that characterize an effective minister are timeless. Power and effectiveness in the ministry come from a heart that is right before God and passionately concerned about His plan and His people. (For a treatment of biblical principles of ministry, see John MacArthur, ed., Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry [Dallas: Word, 1995].)

Nowhere is there a better model of a godly spiritual leader than the apostle Paul. In this very personal section of the most pastoral of all his letters, Paul did not share a personal philosophy of ministry or delineate a methodology for church growth. Instead, he opened his heart, revealing his spiritual aspirations and motives. Paul’s success in the ministry was the overflow of his godly life. He was a man who was focused on the right goals, driven by the right passions, and motivated by the right desires.

The backdrop of this section, as it is for the entire epistle, is the devastating assault on the Corinthian church by false apostles. As noted in previous chapters of this volume, they had savagely attacked Paul’s credibility, forcing him to defend himself by presenting his apostolic credentials. This section continues Paul’s sharp differentiation of himself from the false apostles, contrasting his correct view of the ministry with their wrong view. It does so by revealing five vital concerns of Paul’s heart with regard to the world, himself, the ministry, the Lord, and the church. In all those areas, Paul’s godly attitudes contrasted with the ungodly ones of the false apostles, who typify those of all false teachers.

First, concerning the world, false teachers are proud. They seek fame, popularity, and prestige, playing to the crowds and thrusting themselves into the limelight.

Second, concerning themselves, false teachers are selfish. Their own comfort and prosperity are their highest priorities.

Third, concerning the ministry, false teachers are deceptive. As did the false apostles at Corinth, they can weave a very sophisticated web of lies. Often, they are able to engage other people in their deceitful enterprises, lending them a façade of credibility.

Fourth, concerning God, false teachers are blasphemous and irreverent. They have no regard for His person, His truth, His Word, or His glory.

Finally, concerning the church, false teachers are destructive. They use people, abuse them, and lead them into sin and error.

This passage exposes Paul’s concerns as a true man of God. In contrast to the five wrong attitudes noted above that mark false teachers, Paul and all true men of God are known by their concerns regarding the world (faithfulness), themselves (sacrifice), the ministry (honesty), the Lord (reverence), and the church (edification).

PAUL’S CONCERN WITH REGARD TO THE WORLD: FAITHFULNESS

with all perseverance, (12:12b)

Unlike the false apostles, who sought wealth, fame, and power, Paul’s goal was to be faithful to the Lord. Because he was determined to be loyal to God’s will no matter what the cost, he performed the signs of an apostle (see chapter 32 of this volume) with all perseverance. Despite all the hostility, opposition, and persecution from the world he faced, Paul remained faithful.

Hupomonē (perseverance) literally means, “to remain under.” Paul endured the pressure of worldly opposition throughout his ministry without abandoning his position. The apostle knew, as he wrote to the Romans, “that tribulation brings about perseverance” (Rom. 5:3). Earlier in this epistle he wrote, “But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring [hupomonē] of the same sufferings which we also suffer” (2 Cor. 1:6). He commended himself as a servant of God “in much endurance” (6:4).

The Lord Jesus Christ predicted that His apostles would be persecuted. In John 15:18–21 He warned them,

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.

Later in that same Upper Room Discourse the Lord added,

They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. … These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (16:2, 33; cf. Matt. 10:14; Luke 9:5; John 21:18–19)

Like the Twelve, Paul ministered with joy under constant duress and relentless persecution. As he wrote in his first inspired letter to the Corinthians, “I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31). He lived every day knowing it could be his last; the mob in the next town he preached in (cf. Acts 17:5–9; 19:23–41) might take his life, or one of the numerous Jewish plots against his life (Acts 20:19) might finally succeed. Not surprisingly, Paul’s affliction was a constant theme in this epistle. He described it in detail in 1:3–9:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. (cf. 4:7–12; 6:4–10; 7:5; 11:22–33; 12:7–10; Acts 9:16)

God’s spokesmen have always faced opposition and hostility. He warned Jeremiah, “‘Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. … They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 1:17, 19). He charged Ezekiel, “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house” (Ezek. 2:6). John the Baptist was the greatest man who had lived up to his time (Matt. 11:11), yet he suffered imprisonment (Matt. 14:3) and martyrdom (Matt. 14:10).

The persecution that attends the preaching of the Word results from three causes. First, God may sovereignly bring it for His own purposes: to test His preachers’ faithfulness, break their pride, humble them, and draw them closer to Himself. Earlier, Paul acknowledged God’s purpose in permitting the messenger of Satan that afflicted him:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (12:7–10)

Persecution also comes from the evil world system that is unalterably opposed to God, yet allowed by Him. Because the Word exposes and judges sin, those who proclaim it will inevitably face the world’s hostility.

Satan, who is behind the world system, also persecutes God’s messengers. He bitterly opposes the church and seeks to destroy it. His plan is first to strike down the shepherds, then to scatter the flock (cf. Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31).

On the other hand, false prophets do not face such opposition. Because they do not preach the truth, but deceitful, damning lies, the world welcomes them enthusiastically. They are, in fact, part of the world system. Nor do they face persecution from Satan; since they are his servants it would be counterproductive to attack them (cf. Matt. 12:26).

Because they proclaim God’s Word and call sinners to repentance, the unbelieving world views true ministers of Jesus Christ as their enemies. They hate those who bear the message of truth and light, because they hate the Truth and the Light (John 3:20; cf. 15:18–19; 17:14; Matt. 10:22; 24:9; Luke 6:22; 1 John 3:13). It is essential, however, that preachers be hated solely for the cause of Christ, not any wrongdoing on their part; the preaching of the gospel must be the only offense they give. Like Paul, they must be determined to give “no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited” (2 Cor. 6:3; cf. 1:12; 8:20; 1 Cor. 9:12; 10:32–33).

Because the world has nothing of lasting value to offer them, God’s servants seek an eternal reward. Jesus told His followers, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great” (Matt. 5:11–12). In 1 Corinthians 3:8 Paul wrote, “Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” At the end of his life Paul wrote triumphantly to Timothy, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). The writer of Hebrews reminded his readers that “God … is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

False teachers work for earthly rewards; true preachers work faithfully for a heavenly reward. Paul was determined to remain loyal to his calling despite the hostility from the world, knowing that “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17; cf. Rom. 8:18; 1 Peter 4:13).

PAUL’S CONCERN WITH REGARD TO HIMSELF: SACRIFICE

For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong! Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; (12:13–16a)

Micah 3:2–3, 5 graphically depicts false teachers as greedy, grasping, and self-centered:

You who hate good and love evil,
Who tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
Who eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones
And chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle….
Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
Who lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
(cf. Ezek. 34:2–3; Zech. 11:16; Mark 12:38–40)

True men of God are the opposite; they are selfless and sacrificial. One of the many slanderous accusations the false apostles made against Paul was that his treatment of the Corinthians had been selfishly substandard. That allegation was false, as Paul’s question, In what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches? reveals. As verse 12 indicates, Paul had ministered in the same way in Corinth that he had in other churches (cf. Rom. 15:19).

The only way the Corinthians were treated differently was that Paul did not become a burden to them; the only thing they did not get from him was a bill. Although he had a right to their support (1 Cor. 9:1–18), Paul chose not to accept it, preferring to distance himself from the money-loving false apostles. They, of course, took everything they could get from the Corinthians (cf. 2 Cor. 11:20) and hated Paul for making them look bad. To salvage their reputations, they attempted to put a negative spin on Paul’s selflessness. They argued first that he refused to take money from the Corinthians because he knew his ministry was worthless. A second and more sinister allegation was that Paul did not want the Corinthians’ money because he did not love them and thus did not want to be obligated to them. But as Paul has already shown, those allegations were completely false. In 11:7–9 he wrote,

Did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. (cf. the discussion of this passage in chapter 28 of this volume)

Resorting again to sarcasm (cf. 11:19–21; 1 Cor. 4:8–10) to bring the Corinthians to their senses Paul exclaimed, Forgive me this wrong! The false apostles’ claim that he had mistreated the Corinthians by not taking money from them was ludicrous. The only thing they had been deprived of was the burden of supporting Paul and his companions.

On Paul’s first visit to Corinth he founded the church (Acts 18); his second was the painful disciplinary visit described in 2:1 (cf. 13:2). When he visited Corinth for the third time he would still refuse to be a burden to the church. Paul’s selfless pastoral love for the Corinthians meant that he did not seek what was theirs, but them. He did not want their money; he wanted their hearts. He wanted their lives for the kingdom of God, and for them to live in righteous obedience to the Word for the glory of God.

Paul illustrated his point using the analogy of parents caring for their children, pointing out the axiomatic truth that children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. The Corinthians were, of course, Paul’s spiritual children (1 Cor. 4:15), and he willingly sacrificed himself for them. He would, he wrote, most gladly spend and be expended for the spiritual well-being of their souls. The superlative form of the adjective hēdeōs (most gladly) expresses extreme elation. Paul was not reluctant or hesitant to sacrifice for the Corinthians; he was thrilled, or overjoyed, at being able to spend and be expended for them. Spend translates a form of the verb dapana?, which means, “to spend freely.” Mark 5:26 uses it in reference to a woman who had spent all her money on physicians, while in Luke 15:14 it describes the prodigal son’s profligate spending. Ekdapana? (be expended) appears only here in the New Testament. It is a strengthened form of dapana? and means, “to be completely spent.” Paul was willing to sacrifice himself for his people until he had nothing left to give. To the Philippians he wrote, “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all” (Phil. 2:17; cf. Col. 1:24). He followed the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said of Himself, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Sadly, the Corinthians responded inversely to Paul’s self-sacrificial love for them, prompting the apostle’s pathetic heart cry, If I love you more, am I to be loved less? The relationship was going backwards; the more affection he gave them, the less they returned (cf. 2 Cor. 6:11–13). Paul had poured his life into the Corinthian church, joyously laboring and sacrificing for them. All he asked for in return was their love —and they were unwilling to give it.

Paul was saddened but undeterred by the Corinthians’ disappointing response to his sacrificial love for them. But be that as it may—despite their unreturned love for him—Paul would still not be a burden to them. Their love may have diminished, but his would not. Despite their diffidence, coldness, and disaffection, he would continue to love them sacrificially.

PAUL’S CONCERN WITH REGARD TO THE MINISTRY: HONESTY

nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit. Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps? (12:16b–18)

If Paul was plotting to defraud the Corinthians, as the false apostles charged, the point of his plot was not immediately obvious. As noted in the previous point, he took nothing from them. The idea that he would run a scam that netted him nothing was absurd, and Paul rebuked the Corinthians once again for their naiveté, writing sarcastically, Nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit. That was, no doubt, what the false apostles were saying about him. Panourgos (crafty fellow), used only here in the New Testament, literally means, “ready to do anything.” It has the negative connotation of “unscrupulous,” “tricky,” or “deceptive.” Dolos (deceit) refers literally to bait used to catch fish. Paul, so the false teachers claimed, was willing to do anything to hook the Corinthians with his devious scheme.

To get around the glaringly obvious difficulty that Paul had not taken any money from the Corinthians, the false apostles insisted that he had not yet sprung his trap. Paul had already described in detail the collection he was taking for the poor saints at Jerusalem (chaps. 8, 9). That, according to the false apostles, was the point of Paul’s scheme; the money that was collected at Corinth would never reach Jerusalem. Instead, they claimed, it would go to line Paul’s pockets. After all, that is what they would have done if they were in his place. The false apostles projected their own greedy attitude onto Paul and assumed that he was acting as they would have. They exemplified the truth that “to the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15).

To refute the false teachers’ outrageous accusation, Paul re -minded the Corinthians that he was not acting alone in taking the collection. Not only had he not personally defrauded the Corinthians, but he also had not taken advantage of them through any of those whom he had sent to Corinth. By impugning Paul’s motives, the false apostles were also impugning those of his ministry partners who were also in volved in the collection. If Paul had, as the false apostles insisted, planned to embezzle the collection, he could not have acted alone. There would have had to have been collusion between him and his ministry partners. That, of course, made the allegations even more far-fetched. Titus, whom the Corinthians knew well (cf. 8:23), was also involved in the collection (cf. 2 Cor. 8:6, 16). In addition, two unnamed brothers in Christ (8:18–19, 22) had assisted him. One of those two was “the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel [had] spread through all the churches” (8:18) and who had been “appointed by the churches to travel with [Paul and the others] in this gracious work [the collection]” (8:19); the other was a man who had been “often tested and found diligent in many things” (8:22). The idea that three such highly respected individuals would join Paul in a plot to defraud the Corinthians was completely absurd. But if they were not involved in any such plot, how could Paul have been? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit, Paul demanded, and walk in the same steps? They had all acted with the same integrity and honesty toward the Corinthians, and they knew it.

Honesty is a nonnegotiable characteristic of a true man of God. To the Romans Paul wrote, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 9:1). Earlier in this epistle he testified, “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying” (2 Cor. 11:31). He assured the Galatians, “(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying)” (Gal. 1:20). To Timothy he wrote, “For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Tim. 2:7).

Paul’s complete truthfulness led him to declare, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you” (2 Cor. 1:12), and “We have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (4:2). The Corinthians knew that he had ministered among them without deceit.

PAUL’S CONCERN WITH REGARD TO THE LORD: REVERENCE

All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; (12:19a)

Paul did not want the Corinthians to misinterpret his lengthy defense of his apostleship and integrity. He was not on trial before them, and they were not his judges. Still less was he making excuses for blemishes in his character and lapses in his conduct, as the false apostles insinuated.

Through all this time (i.e., through the entire epistle) they had been thinking that Paul was defending himself to them. Actually, Paul stood before a divine tribunal; it was in the sight of God that he had been speaking in Christ (cf. 2:17). God is the only audience the faithful preacher is concerned about. He had made that quite clear when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:3–5,

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 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.

Earlier in this epistle Paul affirmed, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). To Timothy he wrote, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:1–2). Later in that same chapter Paul reminded Timo thy, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (v. 8). Paul knew that God alone would render the final verdict on his life—and that verdict would be, “Well done, good and faithful slave. … Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21).

PAUL’S CONCERN WITH REGARD TO THE CHURCH: EDIFICATION

and all for your upbuilding, beloved (12:19b)

Paul’s goal in everything he did in relation to the Corinthian church, both in ministering to them and defending himself, was their upbuilding. That was also the goal of the Lord Jesus Christ, who promised, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18).

The question naturally arises, since God was Paul’s Judge, Why should he bother to defend himself? He did so because if he were discredited the Corinthians would not listen to him; if they did not listen to him, they would not hear the truth of the Word of God that he taught; if they did not hear the Word of God, they could not grow spiritually.

The tender term beloved reminded the Corinthians that though he was at times exasperated with them, Paul nevertheless loved them as his spiritual children. It was not his intent to use his apostolic authority to destroy them; God gave him that authority “for building [them] up and not for destroying [them]” (2 Cor. 10:8; cf. 13:10). The Corinthians were not Paul’s judges, but they were his spiritual responsibility.