38 The Pattern of Sanctification: Obedience and Integrity

(2 Corinthians 13:7–10)

Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. (13:7–10)

The New Testament is rich with images and metaphors that depict the duties and responsibilities of pastors and elders. They are pictured as leaders (Heb. 13:17, 24), overseers (Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1, 2; Titus 1:7), shepherds (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2), teachers (Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11), warners (1 Thess. 4:6), servants (1 Cor. 3:5; Col. 1:7; 1 Tim. 4:6), stewards (Titus 1:7), comforters (2 Cor. 1:4), and examples (Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:7, 9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7; 1 Peter 5:3).

But the one image that pulls all of those functions together is that of parents. Like pastors, parents lead, oversee, shepherd, teach, warn, serve, have a stewardship for, comfort, and are examples to their children. Pastors, in turn, are like parents to their spiritual family, the church (cf. 1 Cor. 4:14–15; 2 Cor. 12:14).

Both the maternal and paternal aspects of the parental metaphor for spiritual leadership are in view in 1 Thessalonians 2:7–12:

But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Like a “nursing mother,” pastors tenderly care for their people, are fondly affectionate toward them, and labor sacrificially for them. They also exhort, encourage, and implore them “as a father would his own children.” The result is believers who “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls [them] into His own kingdom and glory.”

Such a loving balance of tender care and strong instruction marks every faithful pastor. A true man of God is not concerned with building his reputation, padding the size of his congregation, or any other selfish pursuit. As it was with Paul, his consuming passion is the nurturing of his spiritual children to maturity. The apostle expressed the depth of that concern when he wrote to the Galatians: “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19).

As he closed his letter, Paul summarized the elements necessary for spiritual growth. If they are to become like Jesus Christ, believers must deal with their sin. Therefore, he discussed the vital issue of repentance in 2 Corinthians 12:20–21, expressing his concern that the Corinthians turn from their sin and pursue godliness. Believers who fail to repent need the church to encourage that repentance through the discipline process (13:1–2). Just as children cannot develop maturity apart from submission to parental authority and discipline, so believers must also submit to those in authority in the church (13:3–4). And since believers must be authentic children before they can go on to spiritual maturity, they must examine themselves to be sure they are truly saved (13:5–6).

In this passage, Paul concludes the main body of his letter by addressing two more essential elements of the sanctification process: obedience and integrity.

OBEDIENCE

Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; (13:7–9a)

One of the pastor’s most essential duties is to pray for his people, and Paul’s letters reflect his constant intercession for the churches. He prayed that the Ephesians would “know what is the hope of [God’s] calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph. 1:18–19). The apostle asked that the Philippians’ “love [would] abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that [they would] approve the things that are excellent, [and] be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9–10). His request for the Colossians was that they might

be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, … walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, … [and] please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [and be] strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience.” (Col. 1:9–11)

To the Thessalonians he wrote, “Night and day [we] keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess. 3:10), while in his second epistle to them he added,

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 1:11–12)

The apostle also prayed for individuals within the churches, such as Timothy (2 Tim. 1:3) and Philemon (Philem. 4).

Overshadowing this passage, as they have the entire epistle, are the false apostles who were influencing the Corinthian church. Many in the congregation had become enamored with them, and as a result, they were partially successful in undermining the church’s loyalty to Paul. The false teachers had viciously attacked him, denying that he was a genuine apostle of Christ. They managed to beguile some of the Corinthians into “seeking for proof of the Christ who [spoke] in [Paul]” (2 Cor. 13:3). Such questioning of Paul’s apostolic authority was sinful folly. He had ministered among the Corinthians for almost two years (cf. Acts 18:11, 18), performing the signs of an apostle (2 Cor. 12:12). They had seen ample proof of his genuineness in their own regeneration.

As Paul wrote this epistle to affirm his authenticity in the face of the false apostles’ attacks, he was not jealously guarding his own reputation. But he was very aware that if the church turned away from him it would be turning away from Christ.

It would have been natural, humanly speaking, for Paul to have wanted to come to Corinth to convincingly display his power. After all, the false apostles and their followers had scorned and mocked him as a weakling and a coward (cf. 1 Cor. 2:3). To boldly assert his authority and put them in their place would have been gratifying. Paul was willing to display his apostolic power if necessary (though not, of course, to gain revenge on his enemies; cf. Rom. 12:19), as he had already made clear (2 Cor. 12:20; 13:2; cf. 1 Cor. 4:21). But his concern for the Corinthians did not necessarily require his pressure. Instead he could pray to God that they would do no wrong … but that they would do what is right. His prayer was that the Corinthians’ obedience would make it unnecessary for him to come to wield his authority and discipline them, or if he came, they would have repented so there would be nothing to confront. Paul’s deepest desire for the Corinthians, as it was for the Philippians, was that they would “be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness” (Phil. 1:10–11). Like a loving father, he was more concerned with his children’s obedience than his own reputation.

As noted above, it was essential that the Corinthians accept Paul as a true apostle. Rejecting him in favor of the false teachers would be rejecting the truth of the gospel for Satan’s lies. Thus, it was crucial for Paul to be approved by the Corinthians for what he really was, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Yet in a remarkable display of selflessness, Paul’s main goal was not that he himself might appear approved. As important as that was for the reasons already noted, Paul, ironically, would gladly appear unapproved if the Corinthians’ obedience obviated the need for him to display his apostolic power. Their purity and obedience took precedence over how men viewed him. Let the false apostles and their deceived followers go on considering him disqualified as an apostle; as long as the majority were living in obedience to the truth, Paul was content. The apostle knew that since God was his Judge, it was unimportant what men thought of him (1 Cor. 4:3–4).

The extent of Paul’s selflessness may be seen in Romans 9:1–3, perhaps the most shocking statement he ever penned: “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” So intense was Paul’s concern for his unbelieving Jewish brethren that if it were possible, he would be willing to go to hell if that would allow them to go to heaven. The apostle’s concern mirrored that of Moses, who made a similar plea regarding his fellow Israelites in Exodus 32:32: “But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”

As one who rejoiced in it (1 Cor. 13:6), sought to manifest it (2 Cor. 4:2), always spoke it (2 Cor. 7:14), and lived it with complete integrity (2 Cor. 11:10), Paul could do nothing against the truth. Alētheia (truth) refers here to the whole of God’s revelation in Scripture (cf. 6:7; John 17:17; Col. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:15; James 1:18). If the Corinthians were living in obedience to the truth, Paul could not and would not discipline them. On the other hand, he would not hesitate to act decisively for the truth if some of the Corinthians persisted in disobedience. Loving the truth means honoring it, and Paul would not hesitate to confront those who strayed from it. In 1 Corinthians 5:3–5 he had delivered to Satan the man having an affair with his father’s wife. In Galatians 2:11–14 he publicly rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy, while in 1 Timothy 1:20 he put Hymenaeus and Alexander out of the church for their errors.

Paul’s willingness to be perceived as weak as long as his children were strong (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9–13) prompted him to write, We rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong. His concern was that the Corinthians be obedient and strong (cf. 1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 6:10; 2 Tim. 2:1). Nor did he mind appearing weak in the eyes of the world, even though actually he ministered in the power of God (2 Cor. 4:7; 6:7; 13:4). He had learned that weakness was the path to power; it was his human weakness that allowed God’s strength to flow through him. Earlier in this letter he wrote, “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” (12:9–10).

INTEGRITY

this we also pray for, that you be made complete. (13:9b)

This quality of integrity or completeness sums up the elements previously mentioned: repentance (12:20–21), confronting sin through church discipline (13:1–2), submission to authority (13:3–4), authenticity (13:5–6), and obedience (13:7–9a). Katartisis (complete), which appears only here in the New Testament, means, “adequate,” “fully qualified,” or “sufficient.” The related verb katartiz? (cf. v. 11) has the basic idea of putting things in order, or in their proper place, or restoring or fixing something that is broken. In Matthew 4:21 it speaks of James and John mending fishing nets. Paul used it in Galatians 6:1 to describe restoring a sinning believer to fellowship with God.

Perhaps the English word integrity best expresses the meaning of katartisis in this passage. A person with integrity is one whose thoughts, beliefs, words, and actions are all in perfect harmony. For the Christian, integrity involves having every area of life in submission to the truth of God’s Word, with nothing inconsistent or out of sync. A person with integrity is not like Talkative in Pilgrim’s Progress, who was described by those who knew him as a saint abroad but a devil at home.

Integrity can be illustrated by the process of baking bread. If one merely put water, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and other ingredients in a pan and put it in the oven, what came out would not be bread. An absolutely essential step in the bread-making process is to mix the ingredients together. So also must all the different “ingredients” in the life of a believer be properly mixed together to produce integrity.

Since the perfect picture of integrity is the Lord Jesus Christ, “who knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21; cf. Isa. 53:9; Heb. 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5), the goal of integrity is to be like Him. That was a frequent request of Paul’s when he prayed for believers. In Colossians 1:28–29, the apostle summarized the goal of his ministry as “proclaim[ing Christ], admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” To the Galatians he wrote, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). He described Epaphras to the Colossians as “always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12).

Psalm 15 aptly and succinctly summarizes integrity. David wrote,

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But who honors those who fear the Lord;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

Integrity flows from the heart to encompass every aspect of life.

The noble Old Testament saint Daniel’s name is virtually synonymous with integrity, conviction, and an uncompromising life. Neither the allurements of the fabulous wealth of Nebuchadnezzar’s court, the temptation to give in to the Babylonians’ demands so he could attain political power and influence, nor the threat of the fiery furnace or the lions’ den could sway him. Daniel remained wholly devoted throughout his long life to the truth of God’s Word. (For a further discussion of integrity, see my book The Power of Integrity [Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 1997].)

In verse 10 Paul concludes the main body of his epistle with what is in effect a one-sentence summary of this treatise: For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. His goal in writing these things while absent from Corinth was so that when he was present with them again on his upcoming visit (12:14; 13:1) he need not use severity in confronting them (cf. Titus 1:13 where the same Greek word translated severity appears). He much preferred to use the positive authority which the Lord gave him for building up the Corinthians (cf. Rom. 14:19) and not the negative for tearing them down.

Paul then gave a final warning. If the situation warranted—if some of the Corinthians persisted in their sin and defiance of the Word and will of the Lord—he would not hesitate to act. Kathairesis (tearing down) could also be translated “destruction,” or “demolition.” Paul used it in 10:8, where he also spoke of using his authority to edify the Corinthians, not to destroy them. He fervently hoped they would heed the rebukes in this letter so his third visit could be different from his second one, which was so sad and painful for him (2:1).

Did Paul succeed? Did the Corinthians heed his admonitions, repent, and turn away from the false teachers? Did they welcome Paul on his third visit? The apostle did, as he promised, visit Corinth again. Acts 20:2–3 records that he spent three months in Greece. Since verse 2 says that he came into Greece from Macedonia (the northern part of Greece; v. 1), and when he left he went back through Macedonia, “Greece” (v. 2) must refer to Achaia (the southern part of Greece). Since Corinth was located in Achaia, Paul undoubtedly spent most or all of that three-month period in that city. Though the New Testament offers no specific details of that visit, four lines of evidence suggest that the Corinthians responded positively to this letter and his visit to them was the joyful one Paul had hoped for.

First, Paul wrote Romans during this three-month stay in Corinth (cf. the references to Phoebe, Gaius, and Erastus—all of whom were associated with Corinth—in Romans 16). Nowhere in Romans did Paul express any concerns about his present situation. That implies that things were calm and peaceful while he was in Corinth.

Second, Paul wrote to the Romans about his plan to visit Spain via Rome (Rom. 15:24). If things were still chaotic in Corinth, it is unlikely that he would have had imminent plans to leave there.

Third, Romans 15:26–27 indicates that the Achaians (as noted above, Corinth was in Achaia) had responded to Paul’s appeal regarding the collection for the Jerusalem church (2 Cor. 8, 9). The Corinthians would not likely have made that contribution (particularly by handing it over to Paul) if they still harbored doubts about whether he was a true apostle.

Finally, the inclusion of 2 Corinthians in the New Testament canon argues that the Corinthians responded favorably to the letter. Had it failed to achieve its purpose, it would not likely have been accepted by the church as Scripture.

This letter, in which Paul poured out his heart to the Corinthians, achieved its goal of reconciling them to him. Like the rest of Scripture, it will infallibly achieve what God designed it to achieve. As God declared through the prophet Isaiah,

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa. 55:10–11)