Chapter 1

(Verses 1 and 2) "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth , with all the saints which are in all Achaia: grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

Just as in most of his letters, Paul identifies himself at the outset. He is an apostle of Jesus the Christ, not of his own volition, but by the will of God, which is the only way in which anyone can ever be an apostle of Christ Jesus, or for that matter, a gospel minister. He was called of God. He did not volunteer. God's army is not a bunch of volunteers, but an "all drafted" unit. That is why it can be described in Rev. 17:14 as "called, and chosen, and faithful." Then the apostle mentions "Timothy our brother" as also joining with him in his address to "the church of God which is at Corinth , with all the saints which are in all Achaia." No doubt the message of this letter, or whatever parts thereof concern things that apply to us today, can also be considered as addressed to us, since God's word is the same to all. His prayer for those addressed is that grace and peace may be continued to them from God our Father and the Lord Christ Jesus, Who are indeed the only source of such blessings.

(Verses 3 through 7) "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation."

In keeping with the writer's statement in Hebrews 7:7, "And without all contradiction the less is always blessed of the better," we should read verse 3 as, "Praised be God_ _ _," which would also be a correct translation of the Greek language. Notice that Paul lists three special reasons for praising God. First, He is the Father of our Lord Jesus the Christ; second, He is the Father of mercies; and third, He is the God of all comfort. If we keep these three things in mind, we will want to praise Him without ceasing, as well we should, for it is He "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation," just as He did the Apostle Paul. Now the apostle tells us that the comfort God gives to us in our tribulation is not for us alone, but is to be passed on to anyone else who is in any trouble. As he says, "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth in Christ." Two views may be taken of this, and perhaps he intended both. We might consider that since the sufferings abound, this is evidence that the consolation will also abound; and we may also consider that in what measure the sufferings abound, in the same will abound the consolation by Christ. Both the suffering and the consolation are for a purpose, the consolation and salvation of those unto whom we minister. One must keep in mind that Paul is not, in his usage of the word, "salvation," claiming any part in the putting away of the sins of anyone. He has too often, and too clearly, testified that no one except our Lord Jesus the Christ has ever had any part in that work. Instead he is concerned with keeping the saints from falling into despair because of their suffering. "And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer." Our affliction is for the purpose of giving you consolation and keeping you from falling into despair when you suffer the same things. It is an established fact that when we are beset with any trials, afflictions, sufferings, or unpleasant situation of any kind, we are likely to become slightly, if not greatly, depressed. But if there is another whom we know that is suffering the same thing, or worse, the very fellowship of suffering makes our burden easier to bear. So the apostle's sufferings were designed of God to be a consolation to the saints of God who suffer the same things; and since those sufferings are for the sake of Christ and His gospel, they are called "the sufferings of Christ." In the very midst of the sufferings he endured, the apostle also received of God comfort and consolation, and he says, "whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation." As with the affliction, so it is with the comfort. All is for the consolation of the saints and to deliver them from depression and despair as they see that with all the suffering of the apostles, God has not deserted them, but still gives them comfort and strength to endure. Thus as we behold God's dealing with His apostles, we are encouraged, and their sufferings are effectual in this for us. Then Paul says, "And our hope of you [our confidence in you] is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation." Certainly it saddens us to see anyone suffer. Yet we know that if their suffering is for the sake of our Lord, they can not fail to receive the consolation; for God has promised it to them, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

(Verses 8 through 11) "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us; ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf."

There seems to be some controversy in the minds of men as to just what situation, or "trouble," Paul is referring in this passage. Some think it was a very serious and almost fatal attack of some sickness. Others think that he was set upon and almost killed by the enemies of the gospel.  Although he does not tell us positively which it was, in the light of some of his experiences recorded in "The Acts Of The Apostles," as well as some of his remarks here, the latter seems more likely. However, it appears that to him what the situation was is of less importance than the other facts he gives us concerning it. Whatever it was, it was severe enough that he says, "We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." Some may think that in this expression Paul is using what is sometimes called "the royal we," that is, that he is saying, "we" when he actually means "I." Yet since others often traveled with him, and as he includes Timothy as joining with him in the address of this letter, there is ample reason to think that not only he, but his companion, or companions, were in the same situation. And this trouble was so severe that they had all given themselves up to die. Under such duress they "had the sentence of death" in themselves, so that they no longer had any trust in themselves, that is, that they would survive the present distress. Their only hope and trust was "in God which raiseth the dead." They were fully persuaded that they would find deliverance through death and the resurrection. While they were in this despairing condition, God visited them in mercy and delivered them "from so great a death." Still further, He continued to deliver them from other dangers as they arose. Thus they were emboldened to say, "in Whom we trust that He will yet, [or still] deliver us." Paul then acknowledges the prayers of the saints as being of help in this matter; and he says that this wonderful gift which is the answer to their prayers will also be the cause of thanks being given to God by many on behalf of those so delivered.

(Verses 12 through 14) "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; as also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Having already mentioned the distress from which he and his associates had been delivered, the prayers of these brethren for that deliverance, and the thanksgiving to God by many for their being delivered, Paul tells what is his greatest joy of the moment. Notice that it is not that he has been delivered from death, nor is it even the fact that many have been praying for his deliverance. He says, "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward." Here, as in practically all other places where Paul uses the word, "conversation," his meaning is not only what is spoken, but the entire manner of life, or behavior. His rejoicing then is in the fact that he has by the grace of God lived in simplicity and godly sincerity before all men, and especially before the saints of God, and has not been motivated by fleshly wisdom, which always leads not to the glory of God, but to selfish gain. His life in the world has not been for personal profit, but for the glory of God and the spiritual gain of the saints. And he has been even more careful to follow this manner of life before the Corinthians, even to the refusing to let them supply his financial needs, as he tells us a little farther on in this letter. It seems that there still are among them some who want to make some kind of accusations against Paul, even, as appears later in this epistle, denying his apostleship. So he says that the only things he is writing to them are those, which, as they read, they can understand and acknowledge as the truth. Further, he says, "and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end." Then his statement, "as also ye have acknowledged us in part," although it could possibly mean that they have acknowledged part of what he has taught, but not all, seems most likely to mean that some of them do acknowledge him as an apostle of our Lord and some do not, as appears later. Be that as it may, this seems to be only a parenthesis. And the remainder of the sentence should attach to the former part thereof, making the sense of the sentence be, "And I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end_ that we are your rejoicing, even as ye are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus." His hope, or confidence, is that they will acknowledge him to the end, and in the day of the Lord Jesus. That is, in the day of His return, they will be able to rejoice in the ministry the apostle has rendered to them; and he can also rejoice in their response to that ministry.

(Verses 15 and 16) "And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit, and pass by you into Macedonia , and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you be brought on my way toward Judaea ."

As Paul considered the confidence he had in the likelihood of these brethren's continuing to acknowledge his ministry and rejoice therein, he thought about visiting them twice; once on his way to Macedonia , and again as he returned from Macedonia on his journey to Judaea . As he is writing this letter from Philippi, a city of Macedonia , it is evident that he did not visit them on the first leg of his journey. The remainder of this chapter is taken up with his explanation of why he by-passed them.

(Verses 17 through 24) "When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea. For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now He Which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth . Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand."

Paul's questions, "When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?" are simply designed to call their attention to what they already know, that all he purposes is according to the consideration of what is most beneficial to the saints of God. And if there is a change of plans, it is for a very real and sufficient reason, not just some whim that may cause him to vacillate without justification. He then reminds them that his preaching, as well as that of Silvanus and Timotheus, has always been positive with no indication of possible wavering, because all the promises of God are positive with no "maybes." And since all the promises of God are in Christ Jesus our Lord, they "in Him are yea, and Amen." That is, in Him they are positive and shall forever stand. They cannot fail, and are therefore to the glory of God "by us," inasmuch as we bear witness to them. In verse 21, Paul says, "Now He Which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God." That is, God has, as the apostle says, in Ephesians 2:10, "created" us in Christ Jesus. Not only does he say that God has established "us" in Christ, but "you" also, thus making both "us" and "you" members of the body of Christ and therefore uniting us all as members one of another. Although at this point, Paul makes no further discussion of the matter, when we look into the matter of anointing, we find this to be a ceremony used in designating a king or a priest. The scriptures teach us that our Lord makes us both kings and priests unto God; and here the apostle tells us that it is God Who anoints us. Paul continues, "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." When he says, "us," in connection with the anointing, the sealing, and the giving of the earnest of the Spirit, the apostle is no longer referring to himself, Silvanus, and Timotheus, only, but is also including those to whom he addressed this letter, since he has already pointed out that all are included in the being established in Christ. For more on the sealing and giving of the earnest of the Spirit see Ephesians 1:13-14. Having established this point, Paul solemnly calls God as witness to the truth of his explanation for his omitting the purposed visit to Corinth on his way to Macedonia . His reason for so doing is that he wished to spare them; and he therefore delayed his coming. In the next chapter he explains what he means by "sparing" them. Here, however, he says, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand." Paul never claimed to "have dominion over," or be master of the faith of anyone. He always declared that to rest solely upon God; and for that reason he says, "for by faith ye stand." Nevertheless all gospel ministers should be helpers of the joy of the saints.

(Verses 1 through 4) "But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is it that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow of them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you."

Having already assured these brethren that he had a justifiable reason for delaying his visit to them, Paul now tells them what his reason was. He was in far too burdened a frame of mind because of the evil doctrines and practices that had crept into the Corinthian Church, and for which he rebuked them in his former letter, to feel free to visit them in person, in his great heaviness of mind, lest he cause them greater sorrow than might be fitting. In such a frame of mind, had he gone to them in person and rebuked them for their errors, his rebuke might have been stronger than he desired it to be, thus causing them more sorrow than they should have had. Then, had they, in their sorrow, repented of their faults, their repentance would have been the means of making him glad. So he would have been made glad by the very ones whom he had made sorry. Therefore he postponed his visit. Now he says, "I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice." That is, instead of coming to them in so heavy a frame of mind, he wrote them a letter telling them what they were doing wrong, and how to correct their situation, so that when he does come to them, they ought to have their mistakes corrected to the point that he would not be so troubled by their failure to live and teach as he had taught them, but would be able to rejoice with them in their faithfulness in repenting and turning back to God. He felt that since he had taught them the true gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and had established them in sound doctrine and practice, he ought to receive joy of them as they walked according to his teaching. His expression, "having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all," has two words in it which were added by the translators and seem to hinder rather than help. In the following we will leave out those two words. "Having confidence in you all, that my joy is of you all." As the translators have put it together, it seems to say that Paul is confident that his joy, that is, his being made glad, is the source of the joy of all these brethren, while as the apostle wrote it, this expression seems to mean that he is confident that the joy which he feels he should have, will be derived, not from a few of them, but from all of them as they repent of their errors and follow the truth. When we look back at his former letter to them, and notice all the divisions and arguments, which existed among them, the latter meaning seems to be more what Paul had in mind. As he continues, he tells us that it was with many tears and out of much affliction and anguish of heart that he wrote the former letter. The fact that so many of them had fallen into evil practices and turned away from true doctrine had so burdened him that, as he has already told them, he postponed his visit until he could be in a happier frame of mind. He explains that his purpose in writing them was not to cause them grief, but to assure them of what great love he had for them.

(Verses 5 through 8) "But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him."

This is a passage, to which many go to try to prove that such a person as is described in I Corinthians 5:1 should, after a time, be restored to the church, if he shows repentance for his sin. However there is nothing to tie what the apostle says here to the former case, except the supposition of the reader. At the same time there seems to be ample evidence that they are two different cases. Here the apostle says, (verse 6,) "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many." Apparently, for whatever cause, this man has been heavily censured by the church, if not excommunicated from it, and by it. In the former case, he says, (I Corinthians 5:3-5,) "For I verily, as absent in the body, but present in the spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." The first point to be made is that Paul said, "For I_ _ _, have judged already, as though I were present, him that hath so done this deed." (The word, "concerning," was added by the translators.) Clearly his statement is that he has already passed judgment upon the man, which he, as an apostle of our Lord  Christ Jesus, had authority to do. This judgment, or sentence, is that, when they are gathered together, although he will not be there in person, his spirit will be present, with the power of the Lord Jesus the Christ, and in the name of the Lord Jesus he will deliver that man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This was to be done by the apostle's spirit with the power, and in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus. Nothing is said about the church's doing anything except witnessing the event. It involved only the apostolic authority and the power of the Lord Christ Jesus, and not the action of the church, for the church has never been empowered to deliver anyone to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Whatever the wrong this man has done, the punishment was inflicted by many; and Paul says that it is sufficient; and the brethren ought to comfort him by forgiving him and confirming their love to him. At the beginning of this quotation the apostle has said that whoever has caused grief, has only grieved him in part, and he does not wish to "overcharge them," or lay too heavy a burden upon them for it.

(Verses 9 through 11) "For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."

Verse 9, so far as its thought is concerned, seems to be a parenthesis rather than demanding the exact sequence of words be followed. So let us set it aside temporarily. Now in verses 7 and 8, Paul has requested that the penitent sinner be forgiven and assured of the love of the brethren. In verse 10, he tells them that when they forgive anything to anyone, he also forgives it; and that his forgiving it is the same as Christ’s forgiving it, because, as an apostle of the Lord Christ Jesus, what he forgives, he forgives "in the person of Christ," that is, by the authority of Christ. Then in verse 11, he says, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." If we allow one who has been disciplined and, as a result thereof, has manifested true repentance, to continue too long under heavy sorrow for his mistakes, Satan will certainly have a field day in loading him down with doubts and fears, and casting him into deep depression, all of which can be avoided by showing the penitent that we do love him and that we are interested in his spiritual well-being. We know what Satan will do; so let us, as it were, spike his guns by confirming our love to the sufferer. Now we return to verse 9. Here the apostle says that in addition to reasons already given for writing instead of visiting them, he wanted to prove whether or not they would be obedient in all things just from his written instructions without his being there and manifesting his apostolic power and authority.

(Verses 12 and 13) "Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia ."

Another factor in Paul's decision to write instead of visiting the Corinthians on his way to Macedonia is, that when he reached Troas, which is a city between Ephesus, the place from which he wrote I Corinthians, and Philippi, a city of Macedonia, and from which he is writing this epistle, the Lord opened to him a door for preaching, apparently in Macedonia. So since he did not find Titus at Troas, as he probably had hoped, he left Troas, and went from there into Macedonia . This places him in a situation, which makes it more advantageous that he finish his work in Macedonia before going to Corinth .

(Verses 14 through 17) "Now thanks be unto God, Which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

Here Paul renders thanks to God, Who never fails, but "always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge in every place."  Shortly before writing this letter the apostle had experienced some very severe trouble, as he told us in Chapter 1; but God delivered him from it and opened to him a door for preaching the gospel. So not only did God cause him to triumph in Christ, but also used him to manifest "the savour of His knowledge in every place." At the time of the translation of the King James Version, the word, "savour"(the modern spelling is “savor”) was in far more common usage than it is today, although, surely, everyone is sufficiently acquainted with it to know that its literal meaning is "fragrance," or "pleasant scent," and is here used figuratively to indicate how pleasing is the knowledge of God to those who believe. In our common manner of speaking, the phrase, "His knowledge," would likely be taken to mean "the knowledge which He has," but the apostle's meaning is not "the knowledge which He has," which is indeed all knowledge, but "the knowledge of Him" as revealed in the gospel. The Greek word, "autou," which is the genitive form of "autos," can be translated either "of him" or "his," as best suits the context. Thus Paul could say that He (God) makes manifest the “pleasing fragrance" of this knowledge "by us in every place." For He it is Who enabled the apostle and his companions to preach the gospel in every place, just as it is He Who enables men to preach the gospel today. Let us momentarily set aside verse 16, which is really parenthetical, and join verses 15 and 17 together for greater clarity. "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish_ _ _for we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." As said before, Paul's usage of the phrase, "a sweet savour in Christ," is figurative. It has nothing to do with the literal smell or taste of anything, but portrays the work of the faithful gospel ministry as being as well pleasing to God as was the sweet incense that He commanded the Israelites to offer to Him under the law service. Thus it is "unto God a sweet savour of Christ." Notice that this is just as pleasing to God in, or among, them that perish as it is in, or among, those who are saved. What is under consideration here is neither the salvation of the one nor the perishing of the other, but the faithfulness of true gospel ministers. They do not vary their message to fit the crowd nor the situation, but speak the word of God in truth. Paul's words on the matter are, "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." Just as there are today, so were there in the apostle's time those who corrupted the word of God. They would shade it, or interpret it to what they perceived to be their own personal benefit, but Paul says, "We are not like those. When we "speak in Christ," that is, in His name, we realize that we are in the sight of God and cannot conceal ourselves from Him. So, when we preach the gospel, we speak in sincerity as if God Himself were speaking." Perhaps none of us have attained to the full perfection of the apostle's declaration; but it should be our constant goal; and we should put forth every effort to reach it. Now we return to verse 16. "To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" Obviously he has reversed the order from that in verse 15. To those who perish we are "the savour of death unto death." Our faithfully preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ makes us as unpleasant to those who are dead in sin as death itself. Because we preach that without Christ Jesus men are dead in sin, without God, and without hope; and that on the day of final judgment they will have to stand before the great and mighty Judge, our Lord Christ Jesus.  Therefore to them that perish, we are as the very odor of death itself. On the other hand, to those who have received faith in our Lord Jesus, the gospel is so sweet that those who faithfully preach it are to these hearers as even the very fragrance of life. Hence the apostle's question: "And who is sufficient for these things?" Surely no man can claim that of himself he is sufficient, that is, great enough to take the authority and furnish the capability, for these things. Our sufficiency must be of God, and not of ourselves. 

(Verses 1 through 3) "Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."

We are all acquainted with the use of letters of recommendation, or as here, "letters of commendation." Often, when someone is seeking a new position of employment, a former employer, or even a friend, will write for him a letter of recommendation to the potential employer. In our church operation, when a member moves from one church to another, the church he is leaving gives him a "letter of dismissal," which is nothing more or less than a letter of recommendation. In addressing the Corinthians, Paul asks, "Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?" No doubt this is occasioned by the fact that some among the Corinthians have been divided over preachers, and have even tried to turn the church away from his teaching. Letters of commendation are needed only when introducing one to those who do not already know him. Therefore, since it was under his ministry that the church was established at Corinth in the first place, it is ridiculous to think that he would need any recommendation to them. And as they are known by all to be the fruit of his ministry, they themselves are all the recommendation he needs from them to anyone else. So he says, "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." We must keep in mind that the word, "ministered," does not mean "created," or "made," but "served." Paul is making no claim to glory as the one who has written this epistle in the fleshy tables of the heart. His only claim is that he and others have ministered, that is, served, or set forth, this epistle, which is "the epistle of Christ_ _ _written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." We call the letter under present study, "The Epistle Of Paul The Apostle," because the Apostle Paul is the writer. By the same logic, since these brethren are "the epistle of Christ," our Lord Himself must have written it with the Spirit of the living God. Paul's statement in verse 2, "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts _ _ _," clearly signifies that he did not write it himself, since his subject is "epistles of commendation", which, properly, are always written by another, and not by the one whom they recommend. By the ministry of Paul and others, this epistle, which is written by our Lord with the Spirit of the living God, is set forth and manifestly, or openly, declared to be the epistle of Christ; and all men can read it. That is, all can see that there is a difference between these brethren now and what they were before our Lord wrote this epistle in their hearts. Some try to object to the statement that all men can read this epistle. They say that none can read it except those who are born of the Spirit. This is ridiculous. All of us know that we often read things that we do not understand nor believe. When the Spirit of God comes into the heart of a person, He makes changes in that person that all can see. Yet only a believer will understand that those changes are of God. The Apostle Peter says, (I Peter 4:3-5,) "For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, [heathen, or pagans] when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead". The reason for their speaking evil of you is that they can "read the epistle," but can not understand it. Believers, on the other hand, will "read it" and rejoice that God has wrought such a wonderful work in the hearts of those so changed. Thus those, who under the ministry of the apostle, or a gospel minister today, are led and encouraged to walk according to that which the Holy Ghost has written in their hearts, become the epistle of recommendation for that minister, to be read of all men.

(Verses 4 through 6) "And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."

The fact that these brethren are themselves all that Paul considers necessary as a letter of recommendation shows the depth of his faith through Christ toward God. He is willing to let this whole matter lie in the hands of God. He says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." This fits gospel ministers today just as it did the Apostle Paul. None of us has power or ability of himself to accomplish any thing in the service of God. We must all rely wholly upon God. All of our wisdom, ability, authority, and even life itself, are of God; and therefore "our sufficiency is of God; Who hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit_ _ _." I once heard a man attempt to preach on this last clause as his text. He emphasized the fact that God makes his ministers able of the Spirit. Then he said, "God does not make us able in the letter. If you are ever to be able in the letter, you will have to make yourself so by studying the word of God." There might be a slight touch of truth in that statement; but the fact remains that, in the sense of the apostle's usage of "the letter," God's ministers ought never to become able in, or of, it, for he says, "for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." His whole statement is designed to set up the contrast between the "letter," or "old testament," which is the law, and the "new testament," which is the gospel of the Son of God. One must keep in mind the fact that, at the time of this writing, what we call "The New Testament," was not even in existence, but was in the process of being developed by the Holy Ghost through the preaching and writing of the apostles of our Lord. So God made them "able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter [the law] but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." As we look back at the law, or "letter", we find it constantly demanding death as the penalty for sin. Even the sin offerings under the law had in themselves the element of death, the shedding of blood, for "without the shedding of blood there is no remission." All of these pointed to the coming of Christ Jesus our Lord, the sacrifice that forever puts away the sins of His elect. Therefore, since He has come in the flesh and died for our sins, the "New Testament," or new witness, can be summed up in two quotations from the Apostle Paul; (I Cor. 12:13) "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit," and (Romans 6:3-4) "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him in baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life". As we are baptized by the Holy Ghost into Christ Jesus our Lord, we are baptized into His death; and since He is alive forever more, He says, "Because I live, ye shall live also". This is Paul's view of the matter as he says, "for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."

(Verses 7 through 11) "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."

In these verses, Paul continues the contrast between the law and the gospel. He calls the law, "the ministration of death", because it demanded death as the penalty for sin; and he reminds us that this law was "written and engraven in stones." Yet it was so glorious that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly upon the face of Moses, the administrator of it. Exodus 34:29-35 gives the record of the shining of Moses' face after he had been with God on Mt. Sinai, and his having to cover his face with a veil when talking to the Israelites, because they could not bear to look openly upon it and the glory which shined thereon. The apostle tells us that there was great glory upon the "countenance," or face, of Moses: but that glory was not purposed to last forever. It was to be done away. He tells us that if that "ministration of death" was that glorious, surely "the ministration of the Spirit" will "be rather glorious." Since the "Spirit giveth life," the ministration thereof must be more glorious than the ministration of death. So if the law service, which is the "ministration of condemnation," be glory, the gospel service, which is "the ministration of righteousness," must exceed in glory, inasmuch as it is the ministration of the Spirit, and therefore the ministration of life since the Spirit gives life. Notice that in all of this discussion Paul is concerned primarily with ministration, or service, of the law and of the gospel, and not with the law and the gospel per se; for Moses, whose face did shine with glory, was not the law nor even the author of it. He was only the one whom God called to deliver, serve, or "minister" it to the people; and the glory with which his face shined was not of him, but of God. He reflected the glory of God in this ministration. Likewise, they who are faithful in the ministration of the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ, also show forth the glory of God in the "ministration of the Spirit." Now, as purposed of God, the glory of "the ministration of condemnation" has been done away; but the glory of "the ministration of righteousness" will remain until our Lord returns. Therefore it excels in glory so much that, in comparison, "the ministration of condemnation has no glory at all. Then, since it was done away, and the glory of "the ministration of righteousness" remains, Paul says, "much more that which remaineth is glorious."

(Verses 12 through 16) "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: but their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away."

Paul has already said that even though "the ministration of death," or "the ministration of condemnation," was glorious, its glory was cut short and now is nonexistent because that ministration was done away, while, as contrasted to it, "the ministration of the Spirit," or "the ministration of righteousness," is far more glorious because it will continue on and on. So with this hope, or confidence, He speaks very plainly in order that the hearers may look steadfastly to that which is being set forth, even the work of the Spirit, which will continue all the way to the coming of our Lord, and not as Moses, who had to put a veil over his face because the Israelites could not look upon the shining of his countenance: which veil was a symbol of the fact that that ministration was to be set aside; and they therefore were not to look steadfastly to it as God's final work, since it was to be abolished. As Paul told the Galatians, (Gal.3:24,) "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." So since this ministration has finished its work and is set aside, there is no more need for the veil, but for a clear and open view of the work of the Spirit of God in "the ministration of righteousness," wherein He imputes the righteousness of Christ Jesus to every believer without the demands or the works of the law. The apostle continues, and tells us that those who still attempt to hold to the old ministration are still blinded and cannot see that God has already abolished it. His expression, "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart," in no way is intended to discourage Christians from reading the Old Testament. But its purpose is to show that those who are looking to the law, and have not had their hearts opened to the gospel of the Son of God, are still blinded, as if the truth were hidden behind a veil. However the veil is not on the truth, but on their hearts. "Nevertheless when it [their heart] shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away."

(Verses 17 and 18) "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

"Now the Lord is that Spirit," that is, He is the Spirit, of Whom Paul has been writing when he speaks of the "ministration of the Spirit." His usage of the term, "Lord," here primarily refers not to the Father, but to our Lord Jesus, as it also does in verse 16. So when the heart is turned to the Lord, it is turned to the Spirit Whose ministration the apostle has been considering; and where that Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, is, there is liberty. So we no longer are in bondage to the law, and no longer have a veil over our hearts; but we can see clearly, "with open face," the glory of the Lord in His wonderful work. Thus as we behold this, we "are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The "ministration of death." the law service, was glorious even though it placed those who subscribed to it under bondage; and their glory was the glory of the law. Yet as by the Spirit of the Lord we are released from that bondage into the greater glory of the gospel, we are changed from the image of the glory of the law, which was to be set aside, into the image of the glory of the gospel, which will endure; and this is all done by the Spirit of the Lord.

(Verses 1 through 4) "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we should be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."

All of Paul's assurance is based upon the knowledge he declares in verse 1, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." He, in all of his ministry, has been subject to persecution and hardships, and his expectation for the remainder of that ministry is more of the same. But his confidence is unfailing because of the knowledge that even the death of this body, or, as he says it, "if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved," is not the end of the matter, but only the beginning. His statement, "We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," does not negate the doctrine of the resurrection. He is not saying that there is a new body waiting for us, totally separate and apart from this body in which we now tabernacle, or dwell temporarily. He is simply saying that when this body shall be overcome by death, the spirit immediately "returns to God Who gave it," and will be in His eternal presence forever. Certainly, the body will wait until the resurrection to be glorified. But in I Thessalonians 4:14, Paul says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him," signifying that the spirits of those who have died in the faith, are even now with Jesus in the presence of the Father, awaiting the time for the Christ to bring them to be reunited with their bodies, which will at that time be changed. And since God is eternal, and time, such as, past, or future, is not reckoned with Him, the apostle uses only the present tense in dealing with this matter. Usually, when one groans, it is considered a sign of pain; and Paul says that while we are in this body we do groan and earnestly desire that we might "be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." That is, that we might be released from this body in which we suffer so much affliction, persecution, and tribulation, and be glorified in the presence of our Lord with the glory He has promised. All of this is from heaven. In verses 3 and 4 he continues with this thought. "If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." One thing seems to especially stand out in this statement. The apostle is not advocating, nor even showing any approval at all of suicide. In his day there was, and, sadly, there seems to be today, a great social acceptance of suicide. Even some great political and military leaders, when confronted by problems they felt they could not face, committed suicide; and this was considered acceptable, and, in some cases, "the honorable way out." This is not what Paul is saying at all. His thought is that in this life we have burdens and afflictions that sometimes make us desire to be released from this body, in which are so many infirmities and evils, and to be brought into the eternal presence of our loving Saviour. He hastens to add that we do not desire to "be found naked," that is, just to die. What we desire is that which is beyond death, "that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” We know that this life in which we now live is temporary; it must come to an end, and is therefore nothing more than mortality. We desire it to be swallowed up, or devoured by life which shall be subject to neither sin, sorrow, persecution, suffering, affliction, nor death, but will be eternal and full of glory in the presence of God the Father and our Lord Jesus the Christ.

(Verses 5 through 8) "Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

Paul, having assured us that we do have "a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," to which, because of the burdens and sufferings we bear in this present life, we desire to be taken, tells us that God has wrought, or made, us for this very thing, that we should be brought to this eternal house. Not only so, but He has given us earnest, or assurance, that this will be done. The assurance He has given is none other than the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, that same "holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory," as the apostle tells us in Ephesians 1:13 -14. Now because God has made us for this, and has given us the Holy Ghost as the earnest of the promise, the apostle says, "We are always confident." That is, we do not lose hope, but remain steadfast, being fully assured that God will do exactly what He has purposed and promised. Although we are confident that God will fulfill His promise, we know that as long as we remain in this body we are not going to be able to see our Lord because "whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." This does not in any wise deny His promise to His disciples, (Matt. 28:20,) "And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world". In the night in which He was betrayed, He explained to His disciples how that both He and the Father would be with them. It is to be in their hearts, and not physically walking beside them. Since, as the Apostle John says, "These Three are One," the presence of the Father and the Son with the saints while here in this body is only in the Person of the Holy Ghost, Who, Paul here says is the earnest of the whole promise. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." No matter how great the love of God that is given to us, or how sweet the fellowship of the Spirit with which we are blessed, we will never see our Lord as He is, so long as we remain here in this present life in the body. The only glimpse we get of Him is by faith; and only by that faith can we walk. This brings us to the apostle's next declaration, "We are confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." This opens up for us some very important personal questions. First, Do we have this confidence that makes us ready to face even death itself, knowing that God will fulfill His promise? And second, Do we love our Lord to the extent that we would rather go on and be present with Him than to remain in this life, "in the body?"

(Verses 9 and 10) "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

Because we would rather go on and be with our Lord than remain here in the body, and we are fully confident that at His time we will do that, we labor to be acceptable to Him, whether present or absent, that is, we put forth effort to live in such manner that if He sees fit to continue us here, our service will be acceptable to Him, and if He calls us home we can go rejoicing. Verse 10 is one which some in the present time are trying to interpret in such a manner that their interpretation is nothing more nor less than an out and out denial of what the apostle says. They try to make "the judgment seat of Christ" to be no more than a daily accounting to God for our errors and shortcomings of the day, or of our faithfulness to Him in our service, at which we receive chastisement for the evil, and rewards for the good things that we have done. While it is true that we are not only daily, but hourly, and even momentarily subject to the approbation or rebuke of God, Paul had nothing of this sort in view in his statement. He says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." The wording here is almost the same, and the meaning is identical to our Lord's statement, (John 5:28-29,) "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." The Apostle Peter says, "_ _ _wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." There is absolutely no room for doubt that every one, saint and sinner, MUST appear before the judgment seat of Christ, since He it is Who shall call forth all from the graves, and He is the One Who is ready to judge the quick and the dead. He is the only Judge. As He said, the righteous, "they that have done good," shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; and the wicked, "they that have done evil," shall come forth unto the resurrection of damnation, or condemnation. Paul gives the reason for this in these words, "that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad". Without doubt, Dr. John Gill, in his commentary on this, sets forth the apostle's meaning as clearly as it is possible to do; and we quote. "This is a reason why the saints are so diligent and laborious, so earnest and intent upon it, to be accepted of the Lord, because they must stand 'before the judgment seat of Christ;' Who is appointed judge of the whole earth, Who is every way qualified for it, being God omnipotent and omniscient; and when He comes a second time will sit upon His great white throne, a symbol of purity and integrity, and will enter on this work, and finish it with the strictest justice and equity; and before Him `we must all appear;' all the saints as well as others _ _ _ there will be no avoiding this judgment, all must appear, or be made manifest; they will be set in open view, before angels and men; their persons, characters, and actions, even the most secret will be; `that every one may receive the things done in his body;' which he has performed by the members of the body as instruments thereof, or whatsoever he has done whilst in the body; and so this not only reaches the words and actions, but includes all secret thoughts of the mind, and counsels of the heart, which will be made manifest; and when it is said that `every one shall receive' these; the meaning is, that he shall receive the reward of them, `according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad'; the reward of good works will be of grace, and not of merit; good works will be considered at the last judgment, not as causes of eternal life and happiness, to which the saints will be adjudged; but will be produced in open court as the fruits of grace, and as evidences of the truth of faith, which will justify the Judge in proceeding according to what He Himself, as the Saviour, has said, `He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.' The reward of bad works will be in strict and just proportion, according to the nature and demerit of them."

(Verses 11 and 12) "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearances, and not in heart."

There seems to be some controversy among men as to whether Paul's statement, "Knowing the terror of the Lord," simply means "Having respect to the fear of the Lord," or "Knowing how terrible will be the final judgment of God upon the unbelievers." A little study of the apostle's preaching and writing will, I'm sure, convince most, at least, that his intent is the latter. This is undoubtedly more in harmony with his discussion in Chapters 9 through 11 of his epistle to the Romans, and with his statement to King Agrippa in Acts 26:29, "And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." Certainly no one familiar with Paul's writings could argue that he did not know that salvation is by the grace of God, and according to His own election and predestination, but he had such a love for God, and zeal for His service, that he constantly labored to persuade men. Witness what is said of his preaching to Felix, (Acts 24:25,) "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled_ _ _." It seems from this, that "The judgment to come" is part of what he used to persuade men; and he must have made his declaration of it very strong to cause such a man as Felix to tremble. (There is no indication that God was working upon the heart of Felix, for he continued to keep Paul as prisoner as long as he remained in office, and although he called for Paul often and talked with him, it was in the hope of persuading Paul to bribe him to turn him loose. When he was finally put out of office, he left Paul bound, as a means of appeasing the Jews). "But we are made manifest unto God." That is, we are clearly visible to God; we cannot be hidden from Him, "and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." Not only is the apostle aware that he is always visible to God, but he also trusts that his conduct is open enough that these brethren are well enough aware, in their consciences, of the manner of life of both him and his associates that they cannot be led astray by those who would slander them. "For we commend not ourselves again unto you." Since their lives are so open as to be manifested in the consciences of these brethren, there is no need of any further commendation, nor does Paul intend to give any. His purpose is to give them something that will enable them to do a little boasting of him and his fellow ministers to those who instead of glorying in, or rejoicing in, the condition of the heart, want to boast of, or glory in appearances. When anyone begins to glory in appearances, that is, rote, or ritualistic service, the faithful service of one whose heart has truly been made right with God, will show him up in shame before all. It is apparent that Paul considers those who glory in appearance as false teachers.

(Verses 13 through 15)"For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him Which died for them, and rose again."

It might be well to keep in mind what Festus said to Paul, (Acts 26:24,) "And as he spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad." So Paul says that if that is the way people consider God's servants, and especially if that is their judgment of him, let them know that "it is to God," or for the sake of God; and if he is considered to be of sober and sound mind, which certainly should be the judgment of these brethren, "it is for your cause," or to benefit them. His reason for being so zealous in God's service that some consider him mad is that the love of Christ so moves and motivates him that he can not be content to rest, but is moved by the Holy Ghost to preach and live as he does. He says, "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him Which died for them, and rose again." How sad it is that so many of us today who claim to have been called by the Spirit of God to preach the gospel of His Son, are so complacent, and so lightly motivated by the love of Christ as to be satisfied to go to church on Sunday, enter the pulpit, speak for a little while about some scriptural subject, carefully avoiding any mention of the terrors of the final judgment of God, leave the church, and return to the mundane things of this life until the next Sunday. If anything happens to be said about failure to spend more time witnessing to others about our Lord and His great work, the answer is usually something to the effect that God will save every one of His elect without any possibility of failure, and we can neither help nor hinder His work. Anyone, claiming to be a gospel minister, and having such a callous attitude concerning humanity, should take a new, and much closer look at himself. As the Apostle Paul says in another place, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." Paul gives us the most positive teaching of the scriptures about the election, predestination, and absolute assurance of the salvation of every one of God's elect, without the help of anyone. But listen to him here as he tells us that the love of Christ has so moved and motivated him that he is sometimes considered to be insane, all because he considers, "that if One died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him Which died for them, and rose again." Paul's use of the phrase, "died for all," does not signify that our Lord's sacrifice was for each and every human being in the world, individually, but for human beings of every race, nationality, political, social, economic, and ethnic condition in the world, both men and women, babies, and people of all ages. None are left out, for God has a people in all. Yet the apostle says that even so, all were dead. Otherwise He would not have died for all. Further, the fact that He did die for them shows clearly that it is His purpose that those who live should stop being so self concerned and self centered, and concern themselves with the business of living for Him Who died for them, and what is of even greater concern, rose again for them. Now to those who realize this truth there can be no complacency. God's ministers are called and sent forth as laborers in the harvest of God. Our Lord Himself said, (John 4:35 ,) "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to the harvest," and, (Matt. 9:37-38,) "Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest." Certainly we all recognize that the harvest laborer, the reaper, does not make the harvest. But just as the reaper is charged with the responsibility of gathering the harvest and bringing it to a place where it will be protected from the elements, so is the gospel minister sent forth to lead those "which live" to Christ; that they might "not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him Which died for them, and rose again."

(Verses 16 through 19) "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now know we Him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

Wherefore, that is, because of the foregoing, we are brought to a very profound determination. That decision is that from now on we will not know, or give recognition to, any person because of what he is according to the flesh. From the fact that in all of this Paul is primarily concerned with the work of his ministry, it seems safe to assume that his meaning here is that position, or condition, of any person according to the flesh, will receive no special consideration from him, nor will it deter him from witnessing to that person concerning  Christ. Be he rich, or poor; saint, or sinner; king or one of high political or social standing; or even an outcast of society; he will cater to none; and neither will he slight any. Someone will surely object to this, and quote our Lord's words, "Give not that which is holy unto dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you," implying that some of those whom we might think of as sinners, are the dogs and swine mentioned in the text. The only appropriate answer to such an objection is this. When you are given the ability and the authority to look over any group of people and declare which of them will finally be saved, and which finally lost, you might be able to make such application of the text; but that is not what our Lord meant at all. His meaning is simply that after you have witnessed to people, and they prove to you that they have no more respect for the things of God than a dog has for holy things, or a hog has for pearls, you are only endangering yourself if you attempt to force such upon them. So no advantages, or disadvantages according to the flesh are to be considered. Paul says, "Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." While Jesus was here on earth, in the flesh, He made His home with the poor, the lowly, the downtrodden, yes, and even with sinners; but we do not know Him thus any more. We lay aside what we may have thought of Him after the flesh, and look to Him as He is now, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the eternal glorified Son of God. Therefore any man who is in Christ is a new creation. The Greek word that is translated "creature," is "ktisis," which, literally, means "an act of creating." This is in perfect accord with the apostle's statement, Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Not only is the one who is in Christ a new creation, but old things are passed away; and all things have been made new. This positively and absolutely denies the idea that some put forth, that one can be born of the Spirit of God, and still continue on in his old way of life, showing no results of that glorious experience. If he is a new creation, and all things, including his affections, desires, inclinations, thoughts, and actions are made new, there will have to be something different about him from what it was before. "And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." The fact that "all things are of God" is the reason why "all things are become new." Prior to one's being made a new creation, all things to which he was related, or with which he was concerned, were of the flesh. Now those old things are passed away and all have become new. They are of God; and God "hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ". It, perhaps, may seem strange to some that God would find it necessary, to His purpose, to reconcile us to Himself. The first argument usually brought against this is that man offended God, not the other way around; and therefore something should have been done, or should be done, to reconcile God to man. This, at first glance, seems a very logical line of reasoning; but a closer study of God's word brings us to the realization that although God's justice was affronted, and demanded a suitable penalty for the affront, (which was paid in the sacrifice of our Lord Christ Jesus when He died for us,) God was never, essentially, offended at nor turned against His elect. Although in His providential dealings with them it appears that, at one time, He is displeased with them, and, at another, well pleased, He is always watching over them for their good; and all His chastisement of them is for their profit. Jeremiah says, (Jer. 31:3,) "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." Although this was said concerning Israel , it is equally applicable to all of God's elect in all ages of time. Paul says, (Ephesians 2:4-6,) "But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." In Ephesians 1:3-6,and 9, He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved_ _ _Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself." Many other scriptures can easily be found to prove that God was never turned against His elect, but these should suffice for the moment. He has always loved us; and it is because of that love that He sent His Son into this world to bear our sins. Although He has always loved us with an eternal love, His holiness and righteousness are so pure that no sinner can stand before Him. Therefore, in Christ, He has, by paying the full penalty of sin for every one of us, made us pure and holy in spirit; and He has given to us the Holy Ghost as the earnest, or pledge, that He will at the appointed time make these bodies pure and holy also. We sometimes hear men say that Christ offers Himself to the sinner. This is absolutely and totally false. Christ never was, never is, and never will be, offered to the sinner. (Heb. 9:14) "How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Christ was offered only once; and that offering was made to God only, not to man. One may question, "Since the offended party of any controversy is the one whom it is necessary to reconcile, and man is the one who committed the offense, why is it a matter of reconciling man instead of God?" This is a question that has puzzled wiser men than I: so, no doubt many will take issue with what I am about to say; and yet it seems necessary to attempt an answer. We have already shown that, in spite of the fact that man committed the offense, God did not take offense, although the purity of His justice, righteousness, and holiness, demanded that a suitable penalty must be paid for the violation of His commandment before man could be reinstated into fellowship with Him. When Adam had sinned and for that sin was driven out of the garden of Eden, he, and through him, the whole human race, having fallen into sin and become depraved in nature, did just as we see a willful and wayward child do today when because of his disobedience he has been reprimanded and placed under some penalty. He became rebellious and began to try every means at his disposal to show that he would do as he pleased, and that he had no need for One to be in authority over him. The only exceptions to this are those to whom God, by His grace, gave faith. (Heb. 11:4) "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of His gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." In every man-made religion in the world there is, and always has been, this foundation, man's works as the means of achieving whatever is the goal of that religion. Even the Jews under the law service turned aside from faith in God to faith in the rituals they were performing, and many who profess to be Christians today take all emphasis off the power of God, and place it upon the power of man, saying that God has done all He can to save sinners; and it is now in the hands of man to accept Christ and thus make His work valid, or reject Him and nullify His work, thus making man greater than God because it gives man veto power over God. If this is not that same spirit of rebellion, please explain what it can be. With man in this condition, God prepared and executed the sacrifice necessary to forever remove the sins of His elect. So there is no more penalty for them. They are no longer under the curse of sin and have no further excuse for being offended because, as we may say, God caught them in their sins. It is in Christ that God has thus taken away every excuse they thought they had for being offended at Him. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." In that the apostle says, "reconciling the world unto Himself," it is not to be thought that his using the word, "world" means each and every individual in the world, for it is obvious that every individual is not, and will not be, reconciled, and if that were his meaning, God would be a failure, which can not be. Rather his meaning is that men, women, boys, and girls of every nation, kindred, tongue, and family of the world, as well as every class and condition of persons are included. Speaking individually, those who believe in Christ Jesus the Son of God are the ones who are reconciled. They are the elect of God; and because they are, God gives them faith as He did Abraham. Not only has God thus reconciled man to Himself, so far as the fundamental work of reconciliation is concerned; but He has committed to His apostles and ministers the word of reconciliation. That is, He has called men to go forth and testify to men that God has through his Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, removed all excuses man ever thought he had for being at enmity against Him. As the Holy Ghost opens the hearts of men to believe the gospel their minds also are reconciled to God. The gospel is the word of reconciliation.

(Verses 20 and 21) "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, Be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Since God, in Christ, by making Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, has taken away every reason or excuse which we might have supposed that we had for being angry with Him, He has called men and made them His ambassadors to spread the news of this wonderful work. A little thought might be given to the word, "ambassador." According to the dictionary, an ambassador is "a minister of the highest rank employed by one prince or state at the court of another to transact state affairs." Also it is the duty of an ambassador to look after the citizens of his own country who are in the country in which he serves. In the case before us the home country is Heaven; and the country of this ambassador's service appointment is this world. So it is the ambassador's duty to keep his own citizens who are in the country of his service, informed of what their home country has done and is doing for them. In the present situation, in spite of the fact that they have all been rebels against Him, their King has provided and executed a plan which takes away all of their guilt and even adopts them into His personal family. It is the ambassador's responsibility, as well as his privilege, to proclaim this wonderful news to them. As in all such cases, this matter affects only the King's own subjects, not the citizens of the country in which they are now temporarily residing. As the ambassador declares this proclamation, his fellow citizens prove their citizenship by showing their passports, in this case, their faith, which is given them by their King. That is exactly what our Lord meant when He said, (Mark 16:16 ,) "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." He is not saved by believing, nor is he damned by his not believing; but his condition is manifested by his faith, or lack thereof. As we are ambassadors of Christ, we are to beseech all of His citizens to be reconciled to the God Who has done so much for them; and since we do not know who they are until we see their passport, the manifestation of their faith, we simply preach to all, and depend upon the Holy Ghost to make the application of the message, because the Spirit knows all things.

(Verses 1 and 2) "We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"

Since a parenthetical expression can be moved as desired without changing the meaning of the rest of a statement, let us consider verse 2 ahead of verse 1, especially since verse 1 obviously ties so closely to verse 3. Verse 2, down to the colon, is a partial quotation from Isaiah 49:8, in which God, the Holy One of Israel, is addressing "Him Whom man despiseth," the Lord Jesus Christ; and He says to Him, "In an acceptable time have I heard Thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped Thee: and I will preserve Thee, and give Thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; that Thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them who are in darkness, Shew yourselves." Apparently at this point Paul's intent is not to cover the whole quotation so much as simply to show that in this prophecy is embraced the time of the great work of the Christ as the "acceptable," or “accepted," time, meaning of course, the time appointed of God and therefore the time acceptable to Him; and since the work done by the Christ is the great work of salvation, it follows that "now is the day of salvation." With this background the apostle says, "We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." Sometimes we hear men claiming to be "co-workers" with Christ. This may be an acceptable expression only if used to mean "workers together," but as it is often understood, "equal workers," it is totally false. We are, however, workers together with Him in this ministry. We can only declare the news that God has removed all cause of hostility on the part of His elect. Our Lord Himself, by the Holy Ghost, is able to give faith and cause His people to believe His word, and in their minds be reconciled to God. We speak only to the ears of men. The Holy Ghost speaks to their hearts, as He will, according to the purpose of God.

(Verses 3 through 10) "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."

After saying that as our Lord's ambassadors we "beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain," that is, since you have received the grace of God, make use of it in living as citizens of Heaven and subjects of the King of kings ought to live, Paul gives us a short description of the kind of life he and other ministers live, and ought to live, in order that there be no room for blame to be charged against the ministry. We are to give no offense in any thing. This does not mean that if people do not like the gospel, we are to quit preaching it lest we offend someone. Rather it means our lives are to be above reproach so that we give no occasion for anyone to lay a charge of evil against us, "but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers [servants] of God." Notice the list of things in which Paul says this is to be manifested, "in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings." All those things listed, with the possible exception of "tumults" and "fastings", should be very readily understood without further explanation. We all know that a tumult is a disturbance. What seems unclear to many today is that the apostle is in no wise encouraging Christians to form, nor join, marches, rallies. protests, or other disturbances, in order to force their will and opinions upon others. What he has reference to, are such tumults as were raised against himself and other gospel ministers, such as are recorded in many places in The Acts Of The Apostles. There may be times when fasting for spiritual reasons is in order, but when such is practiced, it should not be done for men to see. Since that mentioned here by the apostle is for showing that we are approved as the servants of God, it seems likely that what he has under consideration is the forced fasting, by reason of circumstances beyond our control, such as being imprisoned and denied food as a punishment for preaching the gospel. We have for so long been so greatly blessed that we might overlook the fact that many of God's servants in that day, and many times since, have suffered such things. No doubt, Paul could have listed many more things that relate to this, but these are sufficient to show what he has in mind. In all things we are to conduct ourselves by, or according to, purity and knowledge, that is, we are to lay aside all speech and action, and thought too, as far as possible, that would have any tendency to defile us, or that might give others the impression that we are defiled, keeping always before us the knowledge that Jesus our Lord Who died and rose again for us is even now in the glory of the Father, signifying that since we have been made partakers of His death, we too should walk in newness of life. Moreover we are to live this life by the power of the Holy Ghost, showing longsuffering, kindness, and sincere love to all, even our enemies. Now this can be done only by the Holy Ghost, the word of truth, and the power of God, and with us completely covered, "on the right hand and on the left", by the armor of righteousness. Since God alone is truly righteous, no doubt Paul would consider the armor of righteousness to be the same as "the whole armour of God." For a description of that armor, see Ephesians 6:13-18. He continues here thus: "by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report." Since he has already set forth such a manner of life that it could not cause dishonor nor be a proper ground for an evil report, his obvious meaning is that whether men will give a truthful report of our conduct and thus declare us to be honorable men, or give a false and evil report about us, thereby dishonoring us, we will continue to live as already described. Further, when we preach the gospel, especially the resurrection, we are accused by men of being deceivers, but by those who believe we are recognized as being true. We are unknown to the world in those things which the world considers important, but to those who love the Lord we are well known as ministers of Christ. "As dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." All of this description very closely fits the Apostle Paul; and all gospel ministers should strive to conform to it. Not only was he always facing the threat of death for the sake of the gospel; but at least once before the time of his death, the Jews stoned him, as they thought, to death, and took his body out to the city dump and left it for dead. ("The city dump" is not mentioned in the scriptures, but that is exactly what the place was to which they took him.) Nevertheless God raised him up; and he went back into the city. So he was dying, and yet he lived; and all the persecutions and afflictions that had been heaped upon him had not killed him. He was continually under a heavy burden of sorrow for his "kinsmen according to the flesh," as well as having other sorrows, yet he was always rejoicing in the Lord. Before his conversion, Paul may have had a fair amount of wealth, but if so, it is safe to assume that, after his call to the apostleship, he had no access to it; but his ministry made many rich spiritually; and while he had nothing of this world's goods, as a child of the King of glory, all things are his.

(Verses 11 through 13) "O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged."

As we read both of Paul's letters to the Corinthians, we have to come to the conclusion that some one, or ones, at Corinth , wanted to discredit Paul and turn the church against him. At this point of his writing, he seems to be taking up the matter of someone's having accused him of holding back and not teaching everything that he should about the Lord; and perhaps that he may have been too strict on them concerning their fellowship with all kinds of people. So he says, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged." That is, we are declaring to you "the whole counsel of God." We are not keeping back anything that you need, because we love you. "Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels." Often Paul uses "bowels" to mean "the center of affections," or "the affections themselves," and sometimes both ideas at the same time. So his meaning is, "it is not we who are making your service to God difficult. The culprit is your own love, or lack of it toward God. You have not properly considered all He has done for you; and for that reason you find it difficult to turn loose from the world and hold fast to the Lord as you ought." Then he says, "Now for a recompence in the same_ _ _be ye also enlarged." Above, he said, "our heart is enlarged;" that is, our hearts are filled with love, love of God and love for you. So if you want your service to God to be a joy and not a burden "be ye also enlarged." Let your minds dwell upon all the wonderful blessings God has so bountifully bestowed upon you, not the least of which are, "He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin," He has given us His grace, and He has called men to preach to us the unsearchable riches of Christ. If we will concentrate upon these precious truths instead of the things of the world, we will find our faith and love stronger; and serving our Lord will be a great joy instead of a burden, or even a chore. "I speak unto you as unto my children." Thus Paul declares that his whole design in everything he says is for their profit.

(Verses 14 through 16) "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

In this modern age the cry goes up from almost every pulpit, "Why are our churches so cold and lifeless? And why are our members so apathetic about the spirituality of their lives?" There may be other contributing factors, but the primary culprits are listed in the series of questions just asked by the apostle. First, let us look again at verses 12 and 13, and the first clause of 14. "Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." We have already mentioned that this seems to indicate that someone was trying to stir up the Corinthians to rebel against the strictness of Paul's teaching. They felt that he was "straitening" them, or making it unnecessarily difficult for them by teaching that they should have no fellowship with evil persons and unbelievers. (See I Cor. 5:7-13). His answer is, "Ye are not straitened in us." That is, it is not our teaching, which makes a Christian life difficult for you. On the contrary, "Ye are straitened in your own bowels." It is the lack of your love for God and consideration of what He has done for you that makes the difficulty. Now if you want to find joy in your Christian life, "Be ye also enlarged." Concentrate upon what God has done for you, and you will be happy to serve Him whatever the circumstances. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Do not allow them into your fellowship. Then Paul asks his series of questions, not for an answer, but to awaken their attention; because there can be only one answer to all of them, "None." There can be absolutely no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness, no communion between light and darkness, no concord between Christ and Belial [Satan], no partnership between a believer and an infidel, and no agreement between the temple of God and idols. This he reinforces with, "For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people". Although God, in the person of the Holy Ghost, does dwell IN each one of His children, and therefore each is "the temple of the Holy Ghost," as the apostle has said elsewhere, it seems that in this instance his meaning is that they, in the aggregate, "are the temple of the Living God," in which case, a more fitting translation of the next part of the statement would be, "_ _ _I will dwell among them, and walk among them_ _ _," which is as well supported by the Greek language as that here given. In either case, God's promise, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people," stands with the same assurance.

(Verses 17 and 18) "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Since God has promised that He will dwell and walk among His people, and since there can be no fellowship, communion, concord, partnership, nor agreement between God, Christ, righteousness, light, or believers, on the one hand, and Satan, unrighteousness, darkness, infidels, or idols, on the other, He commands His people to separate themselves from all these evils, and refrain from even touching such unclean things. His promise then is, "And I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." It is obvious that the meaning is not that God is now not their Father, but will become so when they obey His command. Rather the expression simply means, "I will show you the loving care of a Father, and make you to enjoy the relationship of sons and daughters," which is something we can not experience as long as we are disobedient and "unequally yoked together with unbelievers."

(Verse 1) "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Without question, it was a mistake on the part of whoever divided the Bible into chapters and verses to separate this verse from Chapter VI. It is the conclusion of everything from the beginning of Chapter IV down to the present point of this epistle, and especially of the two verses immediately preceding it. Since we have such wonderful promises of God, it is time for action and not just words. He has promised that when we separate ourselves from evil things, cut off fellowship from evil persons and unbelievers, and come out from among them, He will manifest to us the true relationship of a loving Father to His sons and daughters. What child, in a natural relationship, is there who does not long for the comfort, security, and assurance of the presence of a loving father? How much greater then should be our desire for a closer relationship with our heavenly Father! He has promised this when we lay aside these unclean things. Paul's admonition then is, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." Since the apostle is well aware that so far as the putting away of the penalty and curse of sin is concerned, none of us can do that. That is done already by the grace of God through the blood and righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord. What then is his meaning? Simply that, to use a modern expression, we must "clean up our act." We are to forsake the doing, saying, and thinking filthy and evil things, and apply ourselves to striving for perfection of holiness in the fear of God. The question may be asked, "Since we can never attain to perfection in this life, why strive for a goal we know to be unattainable?” It may seem somewhat harsh to say so, but those who must ask such a question will not understand the answer when it is given to them. It is that if God has planted His love in our hearts, He has also given with it an insatiable desire to be like Him. And although we can never achieve this by our own effort, He has promised that we shall one day be made "like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." So with this goal and promise before us, let us never give up.

(Verses 2 and 3) "Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you."

As said before, there were some at Corinth who were trying to turn the church against the Apostle Paul, even to the point of wanting them to forbid his coming back to them any more. How like some churches today! Paul's answer to this is just a simple straightforward declaration of the truth, "We have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man." This is the foundation upon which he commanded (and that seems to be the proper word,) them to receive him and his companions; and since they knew his declaration to be the truth, they should have no grounds upon which to be disobedient. Then he tells them that this is not said as any condemnation of them, because, as he has already said, they are so dear to him that in life, or in death, they are still in his heart.

(Verses 4 through 7) "Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia , our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more."

To understand what Paul is saying here, there are certain factors, which should be kept in mind, some of which are the following. At the time of this writing he has not visited nor had any personal contact with the church at Corinth since some time before he wrote what we know as his first epistle to the Corinthians. A quick glance back at that letter will show how far they had fallen from the true gospel, and how badly they had neglected the practical teachings of the apostle. Paul has told with what great affliction and anguish of heart he wrote to them at that time. After writing to them as he did, and after enduring much suffering in Asia, (not what we usually consider as the continent of Asia, but that little area in which we find Ephesus, Laodicea, Smyrna, Philadelphia, Antioch, etc.,) he went into Macedonia. According to his statement here, there must also have been much persecution in Macedonia, for He says, "For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears." In the midst of such troubles, and without any word of how his letter to the Corinthians had been received, he must have been miserable indeed. Yet, in this sad condition, he was not forgotten of God. He continues, "Nevertheless, God that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus." One reason why Paul had gone into Macedonia when he did is that Titus was not at Troas , as he evidently had expected. So he left Troas and went into Macedonia . Since his spirit had been so restless at not finding Titus at Troas, Titus' coming to him in Macedonia must have been of great comfort to Paul. However, he says that just the coming of Titus was not his only comfort, but that which may have been of even greater value was "the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you." Titus had been to Corinth , as evidenced by his full information concerning the situation there. So Titus communicated to Paul how Paul's letter had affected the brethren at Corinth . The apostle says that he and those with him were comforted "by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me_ _ _." Apparently "your earnest desire" must mean their earnest desire for Paul to visit them again. In First Corinthians 5:2, Paul called the Corinthians to mourning; and apparently they responded to his call. Also they had a "fervent mind toward" the apostle. That is, they still had a very warm affection and great respect for him. All of this news must surely have made Paul's spirit to soar very high; and he says, "so that I rejoiced the more."

(Verses 8 and 9) "For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing."

Here Paul shares something of his state of mind before the coming of Titus and his hearing the report Titus brought. "For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent." Before the coming of Titus Paul had reached the point at which he wished he had not written the letter, for he did not know what effect it had produced among the Corinthians. So far as he knew at that time, it might have turned them all against him so that they would never want to see him again. Now, however, Titus' report that they still respected and loved him, were in mourning for their sins, and had an earnest desire to see him, put him in very high spirits. He no longer repents of writing the letter even though it did make them sorrowful for a time. Instead of repenting, he now rejoices, not for their sorrow itself, but for the fruit of that sorrow, "Ye sorrowed to repentance." Their sorrow had made them turn away from their sins for which he had rebuked them. "For ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing." Although his letter had caused them sorrow, it was a godly sorrow, which brought them to repentance; and therefore no harm was done, but rather good.

(Verses 10 and 11) "For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter."

Here in very few words Paul shows us the difference between godly sorrow, that is, sorrow that is in the heart by the Holy Spirit according to the purpose of God, and the sorrow of the world, sorrow that is brought on by the failure or loss of something of the world. Although Paul says that he made the Corinthians sorry by a letter, he is speaking as we often do. We speak of the means through which a thing is done as if it were the power by which it is done. Witness a modern expression which we hear in almost every news cast today, "Guns kill people." To be exactly correct this is not true. We could have a whole warehouse full of guns, and as long as they are left alone, no one will be hurt by them. The literal truth is that people kill people with guns. In the case before us, Paul was directed by the Holy Ghost to write the letter; and the Holy Ghost gave the Corinthians grace to sorrow unto repentance when they received the rebuke in the letter. Without that grace they would only have been angered. So it was godly sorrow; and "godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of." Those in whom godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, have nothing in this of which to repent, but rather that in which to rejoice. On the other hand, "the sorrow of the world worketh death." An outstanding example of this is Judas Iscariot. After he had betrayed our Lord and saw that He was condemned, "he repented himself," and after throwing down in the temple the money he received for the betrayal, he "departed, and went and hanged himself." See Matthew 27:3-5. Notice that nothing is said at that point about God given repentance or godly sorrow. The only kind of sorrow mentioned might be called, "Judas sorrow," because the scripture says, "he repented himself." This surely had to be the sorrow of the world; and just look at the result. It did work death. Then the apostle shows what sorrowing "after a godly sort" will do. It wrought in them some very substantial and noticeable changes. In fact they are so noticeable that, as the apostle lists them, he prefaces each with "yea, what," signifying that it is something special. The first of these is "yea, what carefulness." Since Paul does not spell out the field of the carefulness, we can logically assume that it has to do with every facet of their Christian lives, deeds, words, and thoughts. The next is "yea, what clearing of yourselves" No longer were they engaging in whatever the flesh might desire, and trying, as many of them had before and many today do, hide behind the false statement, "Christ has taken all of my sins away; so it doesn't matter what this old body does. It can't hurt me. I am saved anyway." (Anyone trying to hide behind that idea is in the same condition as the Sadducees to whom Jesus said, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.") Instead they now were "clearing," or separating themselves from evil practices and cutting off fellowship from evil persons. "Yea. what indignation." They may have been somewhat angry at those who had tried to lead them astray; but their chief indignation was surely against themselves for having departed from the truth. "Yea what fear." They were awakened by the Holy Ghost, through this godly sorrow unto repentance, to a fear lest they had so displeased God that He might send some severe judgment upon them. They were also made to realize the weight of authority that our Lord had committed to Paul as His apostle to the Gentiles. Then this repentance had wrought in them a vehement desire to draw closer to the Lord and a much greater zeal to show by their lives that the love they professed for God was indeed real, and was the moving cause of their conduct. The final item listed by the apostle is "Yea, what revenge." Perhaps a better word here is "vindication;" (and the Greek will support it as well as "revenge.") This seems to be the idea Paul has in mind, for since these brethren have been brought to true repentance, they no doubt have set about with all the carefulness, clearing, indignation, fear, vehement desire, and zeal, that have been wrought in them, to vindicate their claim as believers in our Lord Christ Jesus; and the only way that can be done, by them or by us, is by living a Christian life. This they evidently are doing, for the apostle says, "In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." That is, the changes brought about by your repentance have proved that no blame can be charged against you in this matter.

(Verse 12) "Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that had suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you."

Whether Paul's statement, "I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong", has any reference to any special case mentioned in I Corinthians, or whether it simply covers the entire letter, may not be completely clear, but the latter seems more likely since the primary thought is that his writing was not to condemn the wrongdoers although he did rebuke them; and it was not to "take sides" with those who may have been wronged. His sole purpose was that he might instruct them in the things of God, thereby showing them how deeply he cared for their spiritual well being.

(Verses 13 through 16) "Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. For if I have boasted anything to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things."

This passage seems to have little need for explanation. Nevertheless, that we might have the whole matter in proper perspective, let us review the situation. At some earlier time, perhaps even before writing I Corinthians, Paul had been telling Titus about the Corinthian church and, evidently boasting to him about them. Then, after writing that letter, he was in something of a depression, because of doubts as to how they might react to the letter. After the Corinthians had received the letter Titus visited them, and was well received by them. He also found that they had been brought to true repentance for their errors and were putting forth every effort to correct the things, which were amiss. Further, their love for Paul, if anything, was more fervent than before; and they greatly desired that he visit them again. No doubt there were still a few at Corinth who wanted to turn the church away from Paul, but by far the majority were as described above. This condition of the church had so refreshed the spirit of Titus that he was overjoyed because of it. This joy caused Paul to rejoice also. In fact, Paul gives several reasons for his rejoicing. First, the very coming of Titus comforted him since he was so restless in spirit at not finding Titus at Troas . Next, he rejoiced for the sake of the Corinthians, since they had shown themselves obedient to his instructions, had repented of their errors, and were striving to serve the Lord acceptably. Further, They had, by their actions upheld whatever boast he may have made to Titus concerning them, so he did not have to be ashamed of that boast; and finally, he was glad that although, for a while, he had some misgivings about the situation, he never fully gave up on them but, as he says, "I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things."

(Verses 1 through 6) "Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia ; how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we had hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also."

Having informed these brethren of his rejoicing at their faithfulness and obedience, Paul takes up a different matter, that of a gift that is in process of being collected for the poor saints, probably the same collection of which he wrote in I Corinthians 16. That collection was for the saints at Jerusalem . Here he tells them about the churches of Macedonia and how they went about the project. (To us today it may seem a long delay, when we consider the apostle's reference, a little further on in this discussion, verse 10, "And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago." We must remember that a journey, which we might make in a matter of a few hours today, might take months for them. So this would also slow down the collection as well as the transportation of that which was to be given.) Here Paul's first mention of the project is to establish the fact that the whole work is according to the grace of God, for it is that which has moved the Macedonians to throw themselves so whole-heartedly into this work. He says that the Macedonians, although in a great trial of afflictions themselves, were so blessed by the grace of God that their great joy for His blessings caused them even in their poverty, to be extremely open-handed in giving for this project. They were willing to give, not just what would be considered reasonable and according to their ability, but even beyond their ability; and were very insistent that Paul and his companions take this gift and deliver it for them, thus taking upon themselves "the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. His statement, "And this they did, not as we hoped," signifies not that they did this contrary to the hope of the apostle and his associates, but that they went far beyond their hope. Then he tells us how they did it, "First they gave themselves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God". Since this discussion only concerns the manner in which the Macedonian churches provided for the ministering to the poor saints, we can safely consider that the meaning here is that they vowed, and set the vow in action, that not only their substance, whether much or little, but they themselves as well, belonged to God, and were available for His use in this matter. And, since Paul and his companions were the servants of God, they would yield to them in whatsoever they perceived to be the will of God concerning it. Evidently Titus had already been working with the Corinthians concerning this same project; and the zeal of the Macedonians was so great for it that Paul "desired," or instructed, Titus "that as he had begun, so he would also finish" in the Corinthians "the same grace also." Titus was one of those by whom Paul sent this letter to the Corinthians, and according to his statement here, he sent him with instructions to see that the Corinthians participated in this worthy cause, as did the Macedonians. Notice should be taken of the difference between giving under the law service and giving under the gospel. Under the law it was a commandment, while under the gospel it is a grace. The example given of the Macedonian Churches in this matter clearly sets forth the difference. Under the law one gave that which was prescribed; but under the gospel, because of the love of God in the heart, "this they did not [just] as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God."

(Verses 7 through 9) "Therefore, as ye abound in every, thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by the occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich."

Paul instructs the Corinthians to abound in this grace, the liberality of giving for the help of the poor saints. He bases this call upon the fact that they abound in other graces also, such as, faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us." Since they are so well blessed in these things, it is only right that they should abound in this grace also. He then says, "I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love." As noted before, under the gospel it is not a commandment, but a grace. So the apostle's recommendation is not a commandment, but is occasioned by the zeal of the churches of Macedonia , and by a desire that the Corinthians prove how sincere is their love of God. He then reminds them of the grace of our Lord Jesus the Christ. Surely we are all aware that our salvation is by the grace of God and our Lord Christ Jesus; but in this statement, a special facet of that grace is in view, and is used as the example for the Corinthians, and for us also, to follow in giving for the relief of those in need. This particular facet of the grace of our Lord is set forth thus: "that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." Here the principal point Paul has under consideration is that, since our Lord reserved nothing, in that He laid aside all His glory and wealth as the Son of God, came to this earth and, as the son of man, lived the life of a poor, homeless, persecuted man, and then on Calvary was crucified for us that we might be rich in spiritual things and might finally be with Him in His glory, we ought to follow His example and give ourselves for our brethren.

(Verses 10 through 15) "And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but to be forward a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: as it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack."

Notice that Paul does not say anything that can be construed as a commandment. Rather he says, I give my advice". This is in keeping with what we have already noted concerning giving under the gospel as contrasted to giving under the law. His advice is that, since they have started this project a year ago, it will be to their advantage to bring it to completion, so that it may be made manifest that they were really in earnest when they started it. Not only so, but this collection is to be made up of what they have, signifying that they should give all that they can afford, yet not that they have to go beyond their ability and give what they do not have. That is, there is no preset value of the gift that they have to meet; although the churches of Macedonia went beyond their actual ability in this matter. He says that for an offering to be acceptable there must first be a willing mind. That which is given grudgingly, or under a feeling of being pressured to give is not acceptable to God. As the apostle says a little later, "God loveth a cheerful giver." So if there is first a willing mind, the gift is accepted, or acceptable to God, without the giver's having to meet some preset value of gift. He can give what he has. Although he has used the example of our Lord's giving all for us, he here says, "I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: but an equality_ _ _". When a brother, or anyone else, is in need and we have what he needs, we should readily and cheerfully give for his relief; the time may come when we also are in need and he may be able to help us. Thus there will "be an equality". He then quotes what was written concerning the Israelites as they gathered the manna in the wilderness, "He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." One might ask what connection this has with the present subject. The picture is that just as the manna was given of God for the sustenance of Israel , so the natural things that we have, whether much or little, are also given of God for our sustenance while here only. If a man gathered manna and tried to hoard it for another day, it "bred worms and stank." (Exodus 16:20) Just so worldly wealth, if hoarded, often brings unpleasantness, and is not profitable. So if a man gathers much of this world's goods, he will have nothing from it except that which he uses; and he who gathers little, though he may at times be pinched by hardship, will still be sustained in some way. However, if we love the Lord, we will desire to share whatever we have with those who have less, that they may not be totally lacking.

(Verses 16 through 22) "But thanks be to God, Which put the same earnest care in the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you. And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; and not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you."

This seems to be in need of very little explanation. Paul gives thanks to God that He has given Titus such an earnest care for the Corinthians, and he tells them that Titus not only was willing to do what was asked of him, (see verse 6,) but was ready to go at once to Corinth and begin the work. Further, he is sending with Titus a brother, whom he does not name, but who is well known and loved throughout the churches; and this brother was chosen by the churches to take part with the apostle and others in this ministering to the saints. All of this insures that no blame can accrue from anyone to Paul and his companions in the administration of this grace. Not only will everything be honest in the sight of God, as indeed it would be anyway, but with this addition to their company all will be manifest as honest in the sight of men also. Since this brother was to accompany them, he could, upon his return, bear witness to this fact. Then he says that upon, or because of, the great confidence he has in the Corinthian brethren, he is sending with Titus and this brother, another whom also he does not identify except by description, saying, "Our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent."

(Verses 23 and 24) "Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf."

This is a short but very pointed introduction of the delegation that Paul and the Macedonian Churches are sending to Corinth . Although Titus has been to Corinth before, and is well known there, Paul, in effect, says, "All anyone needs to know about him is that he is my partner and fellowhelper in serving you." His expression, "fellowhelper" seems to carry with it the thought that you are to consider him exactly as you would me. Now if anyone asks about the rest of the delegation, there are two things they need to know. They are the messengers of the churches; and they are the glory of Christ. The first item tells their business, and the second, what sort of men they are. Surely no one needs any further information about them. Therefore these brethren are to receive them, not only in private, but publicly, "before the churches," in such manner as to prove their love of God and to fulfill Paul's boasting of them, thus proving that his "boasting of them" is in reality only a statement of fact.

(Verses 1 through 5) "For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: for I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia , that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked many. Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness."

Paul says that since he is well aware of the ready mind of these brethren toward the ministering to the saints, it is not necessary to write them about it, but he desires to save them and himself embarrassment in the event some of the Macedonians come with him to Corinth . So, since he has boasted to the Macedonians that Achaia was ready for this work a year ago, (Corinth is a city of Achaia,) he wants to make sure that when he comes this collection will have been completed; and his boasting of the Corinthians will not be found to be without foundation. He also reminds them that this is to be "a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness." That is, no one is demanding a certain amount to be given by each, but each is to give according to his ability.

(Verses 6 and 7) "But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

Although Paul has just said that this is to be a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness, he reminds us that in this, as in all else that we do, what we get out of any work is in direct proportion to what we put into it. He then says that each should give according as he purposes in his heart; and he must give cheerfully without grudging, or feeling that he is forced into it, "for God loveth a cheerful giver." It may be that something given grudgingly sometimes helps the one who receives it; but it never helps the giver, because a grudging giver is not pleasing to God.

(Verses 8 through 11) "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now He that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God."

Let us rearrange this quotation by temporarily setting aside the parenthesis, and coming back to it later, since this will not at all change the meaning. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work_ _ _being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God." This is Paul's message, not only to the Corinthians, but to us also. There is no reason to fear that we might give too much in the service of God and thus leave ourselves impoverished, whether it be in giving for the relief of those in need or for some other cause in His service. He is able to make all grace abound toward us so that we will have a sufficiency in all things, and thus be able to abound, contribute bountifully, to every good work, "being enriched to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God." "Through us," only indicates that it is through what we do for others in such matters as this that they, because of what is done are enabled to give thanks to God for this help. Now let us look at the portion we have set aside. "As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now He that ministereth seed to the sower, both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness." Verse 9 is a partial quotation of Psalms 112:9, wherein the psalmist is extolling the virtues of the righteous man. In the present discussion Paul's primary concern is encouraging us in giving for the relief of those in need, Verse 10 is the apostle's prayer for these Corinthian brethren. Since it is God in Whose hands all things are held, and by Whom all gifts are given, he prays that He will supply them with bread, which, in such usage, means not bread alone, but also all necessary food, that He will bless their fields with a good harvest, "multiply your seed sown," and "increase the fruits of your righteousness." The remainder of the quotation which Paul used in verse 9 will indicate some of the "fruits of your righteousness" to which he refers. Continuing that quotation, we have, "His horn shall be exalted in honour. The wicked shall see it and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish."

(Verses 12 through 15)"For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; and by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."

There are a few words and phrases in this quotation that in our modern usage may seem slightly obscure. We will give this quotation from a different version to possibly clarify verses 12 and 13. "For the carrying out of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also causes much thanksgiving to God: while as they experience this service they glorify God for the obedience you render to what you profess concerning the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men." Admittedly this is not a literal translation of the text, but it does give the exact sense of it. Verse 14 actually looks back to the thought of the "many thanksgivings unto God" in verse 12. This thanksgiving is rendered to God for you in the prayers of those who "long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you." No wonder the apostle says, "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift."

(Verses 1 through 6) "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: but I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

Since the manuscripts, from which the translators worked when translating the Bible, had very little, and in some cases, no punctuation such as we now use, it leaves room for wonder as to whether or not the present punctuation in this case is correct for the message of the text. It seems highly probable that the semicolon at the end of verse 4 should be a comma, and the parenthesis extended to include verse 5, since verse 5 seems to be a continuation of the list of what the "weapons of our warfare" are "mighty through God" to do. Obviously, it is only through God that any weapon can pull down strong holds, (strong holds of wickedness,) cast down evil imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against God, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. The rest of the apostle's writing here is for the purpose of persuading these brethren to be obedient to the gospel, so that it will not be necessary for him to use such boldness, or severity, as he thinks he may have to use against those who accuse him of walking "according to the flesh." He, instead of commanding, beseeches, or begs, them, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, to conduct themselves in such a manner that it will not be necessary that he be severe when he does come to them. He denies the accusation that he "walks according to the flesh.” He agrees that he does "walk in the flesh," in the sense that he is still in the fleshly body and is therefore subject to its limitations, as is the case with all of us. Nevertheless he says, "We do not war after the flesh." Then he tells what sort of weapons he uses; and, of course, in describing them he also describes the warfare itself. Then he says, "and having a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." As soon as they have manifested their obedience to the gospel of Christ by correcting all the errors he has pointed out to them, he, as an apostle of our Lord Jesus the Christ, is ready to "revenge all disobedience." That is, he is ready to pass judgment upon those who will not be obedient.

(Verses 7 through 10) "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: that I may not seem that I would terrify you with letters. For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful: but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."

Paul's question, "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?" is not so much for the purpose of having them answer it as to remind them that this is not the way they should do. Then he begins to remind them of his apostleship. Some commentators say that, in this epistle, Paul shows a great deal of anger and pride. There may be some righteous indignation against those who would seduce the church, but even that which he calls his "boasting" is found to be nothing but a strong affirmation of his office and authority as an apostle, which are given him of our Lord. Here he says that anyone who considers himself as belonging to Christ had better remember that he, the apostle, also belongs to Christ. Not only so, but, as an apostle, he has power and authority that are sufficient that even if he boasted somewhat more about it, he "should not be ashamed." That is, His apostolic power would support the claim, and not let him down. Nevertheless, this power was given to him "for edification, and not for your destruction." This does not mean that, if circumstances warrant, he could not place very severe judgments on the wrongdoers. See Acts 13:8-11. He goes no further with the discussion of his authority, because he has no intention of making it seem that he would use letters to terrify them, or show his authority, for there are some among them who are already saying, "His letters are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible." There were those who were trying to convince the rest that Paul, although his letters were set in very strong language, would show himself weak when he had to face them. They said, "His bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." It seems, from what Paul says later, that the idea is that they are saying that, when he has to face them, he will cower down and begin whining as a weak person will when confronted by a bully, thus making his presence show up as weak and his speech appear contemptible.

(Verses 11 through 13) "Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present. For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you."

Paul warns that those who are making such groundless statements against him are in danger of a very rude awakening when he does face them. When this takes place, they will find that what he has written is no idle boast; but the deeds they must face will justify all the words written. Then he says that he does not dare claim to be one of those, nor to compare himself to those who are "commending," bragging on, themselves, about what they will do to him when he comes. He will not lower himself to their level. They are measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves. This is unwise; and this he will not do. When we measure ourselves by ourselves, or compare ourselves with ourselves, we can only go farther and farther from the truth; and that is why Paul says He dares not do it. His next statement is one to which we should all pay earnest heed. "But we will not boast of things without our measure." We are never to boast of anything that has not already been measured, or proved. We may be tempted to make big plans, and boast of what we are going to accomplish; but to do so is very foolish, because it has not been, and cannot be, measured. The apostle says that whatever boasting he does will be according to the measure of the rule God has given; and that rule will not only serve for him, but for us as well, for he says, "a measure to reach even unto you." This measure which God has given is universal. It will reach everyone. In the last verse of this chapter Paul tells us what this measure is.

(Verses 14 through 16) "For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand."

In verse 14 the apostle is simply pointing out that had it not been he who, by the grace of our Lord, first brought the gospel message to Corinth, he might be considered as stretching himself beyond the measure that he has already mentioned, and boasting of that which will not meet that measure, since, in that case, it would be "of other men's labours;" but the Corinthians very well knew that it was by his ministry their church was established; and he, therefore is not guilty of any such impropriety. It is his confident expectation that as their faith properly grows they will recognize his authority and labor to the point that he will be able to pass on to regions beyond them, to preach the gospel where others have not already done so.

In verses 17 and 18 Paul establishes the measure which, as he said, in verse 13, "God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you." That measure is in two parts. The first part is, "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." Since we have nothing for which we can claim the credit of creating, we have no grounds for boasting of anything as being of us, nor can we boast of ourselves as being the source of that which we did not create. God alone is the Author and Creator of all things. So in Him alone can we glory and of Him alone can we boast. The second part of that measure clinches the whole discussion. "For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth" Man may boast all he will about how great he is; but when the test comes, he, if left to his own power, always fails, while he whom the Lord commends, or upholds, will, in every case, be manifested as approved.

(Verses 1 through 6) "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things."

When Paul says, "Would to God ye could bear with me in my folly," he is not proposing to tell them a lot of jokes, as some today seem to think necessary in order to hold the attention of a congregation. He is referring to his talking so much about himself, which he calls "boasting" and "folly," although what he has said about himself is true, and is something that they do need to know. Yet it, when compared to the gospel, he considers foolishness. Now he tells them his reason for being so strict in his teaching of them. He says, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." We are all familiar with the word, "Jealousy," when used in a bad sense. Here, however, Paul is using it in a good sense; and he even calls it "godly jealousy" to distinguish it from the jealousy of evil usage. Then he uses an analogy that should be clear to us since all readers of The New Testament are well aware that his feeling toward the churches he established, as well as to all the saints, was that of a father toward his children. So he says that his reason for this godly jealousy over them is "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Although the word, "espoused," can mean "married," it can also mean "engaged" or "promised;" and these meanings seem to be more the idea here, since he says, "that I may present you_ _ _." So the picture before us is that of a loving father who has promised his virgin daughter to a man in marriage, and until the time of the wedding, he desires to make sure that she remains a virgin, so that he may present her to that husband in her purity. Yet, as the apostle continues, he says that he has some fear that something, or someone might corrupt their minds away from the simplicity that is in Christ, just as the serpent led Eve astray through his cunning. He then says that if someone should come among them preaching another Jesus; (and this means preaching anybody or anything other than Christ Jesus the Son of God as a means of, or even a help to, salvation, for "Jesus," literally, means "the help of God;") or if they receive another spirit or another gospel than what they have received, "ye might well bear with him". His meaning is not that it would be well for them to bear with such, but that there might be great likelihood of their doing so. His statement, "For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles," is considered by some to be boasting, but as we examine his next sentence, it proves to be only a statement of fact. "But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things." Possibly, his speech might by some be considered rude, in that he was not always diplomatic, but spoke bluntly and to the point; but no one could accuse him of being ignorant, or even crude in his speech; and, what is more to the point is that this had been openly proved and manifested when he was at Corinth before. He was made manifest among them, and to them, in all things.

(Verses 7 through 10) "Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia."

Paul asks the question, "Are you offended because I preached the gospel of God to you, and would not require you to support me?" This is directly opposite from what philosophers, religionists, and others who sought to obtain a following had always done. They usually set themselves up as being great, and considered their followers, more or less, as their servants, while the apostle says that he abased himself that they might be exalted; and so he asks if they were offended at this. He says, "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service." As he continues, he reminds them that he has never allowed himself to be a burden to them, but even when he was with them and needed anything, the brethren from Macedonia supplied his needs. Not only so, but he vows that this is the way he will continue his ministry to them, so that no one in all the regions of Achaia will be able to challenge him on this boast, or stop him from it. He next tells why this is so important to him.

(Verses 11 through 15) "Wherefore? Because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we are. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

It is not unusual for one, when about to give what he considers a very important piece of information, to introduce it with a question rather than waiting for those addressed to ask. That is what Paul has done here. In fact, he asks two questions. "Wherefore? Because I love you not?"  He evidently considers the answer to the second question to be obvious and does not give it. He only says, "God knoweth." Since the answer to the first might not be quite so evident, he proceeds to tell why he has followed, and will follow the course he has declared. Apparently there were at Corinth , and perhaps, in other regions of Achaia, those who for personal gain were pretending to preach the gospel, and were trying to find some occasion to accuse Paul of doing the same. This he will not permit, but would rather suffer need himself than to give any occasion to support their accusations. So by making sure that he received no financial support from anyone in that region he cut off all such occasion. His expression, "that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we," can not be taken to mean that they may be found TO BE even as he and his associates are, for in the next verse he tells us exactly what those accusers are. Rather his meaning is "They will be manifested by their actions just as we will be proved by our conduct." They are false [literally "pretended"] apostles, deceitful workers, [perpetrators of deceit] transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, not literally, but in pretense. Paul says that this is no unusual thing or great wonder. It is only to be expected, since Satan himself passes himself off as an angel of light. Therefore it is to be expected that his ministers, or servants, will pretend to be ministers of righteousness. Nevertheless they will be found out, for their end shall be according to their works.

(Verses 16 through 21) "I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this same confidence of boasting. Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also."

At first glance, it may appear that Paul is indulging in a little self-pride. However, on closer inspection, it will be seen that such is not the case. Instead this, and the remainder of the chapter, are simply the setting forth of the facts for comparison, that the Corinthians may judge more accurately between him and the false apostles about whom he has already spoken. He first says, "Let no man think me a fool." His meaning, obviously, is "What I am about to say is not so foolish as you may think." Yet, if they do so consider him, he asks that they receive him in that light, and let him boast a little about himself, if it is to be considered boasting, as it would be indeed if it were not supported by the facts. When he says, "that which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this same confidence of boasting," he simply means that what he is about to say is neither a commandment of the Lord nor a revelation from Him, but only a statement of things concerning himself. And to those who consider it boasting he acknowledges it to be said foolishly, as compared to that which is of the Lord. As he says, in the next verse, "Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also." That is, since others are boastful of what they are, and what they can do, in the flesh, he will lower himself, momentarily, to their level, and talk about himself. He feels that they should grant him this privilege, and he says, "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise." There may be a note of sarcasm in this statement; or it may be that Paul is only pointing out to these brethren their own attitude, that they considered themselves wise enough to listen to fools without being taken in by their foolishness. In verse 20, when he says, "For ye suffer_ _ _," his meaning is, "You allow men to bring you into bondage, to devour you, to take of you, to exalt themselves, and to smite you on the face." All of this is in reference to the false apostles who have come in and tried to lead them astray. Paul says, I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak." That is, "I am talking about the reproaches you have permitted these evil ones to bring against us as if we were weak." He has earlier pointed out that he is not nearly so weak as has been alleged; and these accusers will find that out to their sorrow when they have to face him. Then he says, "Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also." Although this may be considered as spoken foolishly, he will meet them on their own terms, and let the record speak for itself.

Verses 22 through 27 are so clear that no comment could be needed on them. They simply set forth the record of what Paul is according to the flesh, what he is by the calling of God, and some of what he has experienced for the sake of the gospel. In addition to these sufferings, which, as he says, "are without," that is, they come upon him by means of outside, or physical things, there are the things which come from within, such as mental anguishes, brought about by his care for all the churches. In this he is not complaining that looking after the churches is a burden. Rather he is saying that he cares so deeply for the churches that whatever comes upon any member affects him. "Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?" If he finds that anyone who has confessed Christ is weak enough to be led astray, it makes him feel that he is weak, that somehow he has failed, thus taking upon himself the weakness of the erring one. If anyone is offended, or more properly, affronted, or mistreated, he burns with indignation, perhaps more than if he himself were thus used.

(Verses 30 through 33) "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: and through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall and escaped his hands."

Although some may consider what Paul has said before this point to be boasting, verses 30 and 31 seem very strong proof to the contrary. First he says that if it is necessary that he boast, it will be about the things that are related to his infirmities. (He has elsewhere taught that the strength of Christ in our lives is made manifest in our infirmities and weaknesses.) Then he says that "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Who is to be praised for evermore knows that he is not lying. Neither what he has said nor what he is about to say is false; and God Himself is witness to that fact. When the truth and the facts of the case support what is being said, that which is said can not be boasting. He then relates one more incident of his experience. Notice that this event does indeed show his infirmity, or weakness. He was enclosed in the city of Damascus by a garrison of soldiers whose sole duty it was to apprehend him. His manner of escape was, "and through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands." The apostle was passive in this. It was not by his strength that he escaped. Someone else put him in a basket and let him down through a window by the wall. Damascus , as were many other walled cities, was so constructed that the houses on the perimeter of the city formed a part of the city wall. Thus there was often secret passage of both persons and goods by the means here described.

(Verses 1 through 6) "It is not expedient doubtless for me to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; I say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me."

Thus Paul says that it is really not profitable to the church for him to talk about himself. So he will lay that aside, and tell about "visions and revelations of the Lord." The vision he tells about is one which was given him more than fourteen years ago. In it he apparently saw a man "in Christ", that is, a believer in Christ, lifted up into "the third heaven," or "paradise," and he was enabled to know that this man heard "unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." This entire vision has been a source of argument among men, probably ever since Paul wrote it. They argue about the apostle's expression, "the third heaven." We will not engage in such fruitless endeavors. According to his use of the term here Paul evidently considers "the third heaven" and "paradise" to be one and the same, wherever they are; and paradise is where our Lord promised that the penitent thief would be with Him. This should suffice for anyone. Then they argue about whether Paul was talking about himself or some other man as the one in the vision. His language, "Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities," seems to favor the idea that it was another, and not the apostle. Yet the fact that he did not know whether or not he was "in the body, or out of the body," at the time, would lead one to wonder if he knew whether it was himself or another that was shown him in the vision. Since he goes no deeper into this vision, this would hardly be an important point if we did know the answer. The whole matter is probably related to bring us to what he tells us in verses 7 through 9. He then says that if he wanted to boast, he would not be foolish enough to do so. He will say nothing but the truth, for he has no desire to build up a reputation for himself that might not be supported by the facts. If he should do that, those who might think of him above what the facts will prove would be badly let down when the test comes.

(Verses 7 through 10) "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

Through the centuries, many have tried to tell us what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was. They certainly cannot all be right; but all could be wrong. Paul tells us three things about it, and leaves it there. Perhaps we would be well advised to leave it at the same point. The first thing he says about it is that it was given him for the purpose of preventing his being over exalted by "the abundance of the revelations." Then he says that it was "the messenger of Satan to buffet" him, [literally, to knock him around,] lest he be over exalted. Finally he says, "I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness;" and this is the point of primary importance for us. If His grace is sufficient for the Apostle Paul, it is also sufficient for us; and since His strength is made perfect in weakness, let us join the apostle as he says, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." If we can truly realize this, we can also take pleasure in the infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses that may come upon us for Christ's sake; for it is only when we are brought to a realization of our own weakness that we are made to feel the true strength of Christ. When we reach the point at which we are no longer able to go, He carries us.

(Verses 11 through 13) "I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong."

The apostle says that he has put himself in a foolish light by writing so much about himself, wherein he appears to be boasting; but the Corinthians are themselves to blame for it because they did not stop the mouths of the accusers by "commending" him to them as they ought to have done. Thus they have compelled him to vindicate his apostleship by bringing to their minds the power and authority they have seen him use as an apostle of our Lord. Although, as man, he readily admits that he is nothing, yet he has been called of the Lord as an apostle, and as such he has been given power that makes him the equal of any apostle. This they knew because of the signs, wonders, and mighty deeds wrought by Paul, which they had witnessed when he was among them, and which were unmistakable signs of apostolic authority and power. Yet, for all this, they had remained silent when some spoke against Paul. Therefore, in his own defense, he is brought to what may be considered boasting. He reminds them that the only point in which anyone can accuse the church at Corinth of being inferior to any other is that he, Paul, did not permit himself to be a burden to them; and he asks their forgiveness for this.

(Verses 14 through 18) "Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved, But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and with him  sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps?"

Paul has already been to Corinth twice and is now ready to go again. He reminds the Corinthians that he has never let himself be burdensome to them, nor will he be when he comes to them this time. He says that is the way it should be, "for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children." He is ready to both spend and be spent for them. That is, not only will he be self supporting, but he will also expend his energy and present his own life in service to them, even if it should mean that the more he loves them and shows it by his service, the less they will love him, which is exactly what sometimes takes place in a parent-child relationship. Then he says that be that as it may, he has not been burdensome to them, but has caught them with his cunning instead of force. Then, by use of a series of questions, he reminds them that neither he nor anyone whom he has sent to them has ever tried to make any personal gain from them. He calls their attention to the fact that Titus and the brother who accompanied him have conducted themselves in exactly the same manner that he did when he was among them.

(Verses 19 through 21) "Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? We speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: and lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed."

If the Corinthians, or others, think Paul has written these things to make excuses for himself, he quickly puts that to rest. What he says, he says in Christ and before God. It can be nothing but the truth. Not only so, but all he has written is for the edification of these brethren, so that they may turn away from evil themselves, cut off fellowship from those who do not repent, and have things in condition that Paul's coming to them can be in peace and the manifestation of love and gentleness, instead of his having to exercise his apostolic power of judgment in punishing those who have sinned and have not repented. Thus can be avoided all arguments and strife that might otherwise occur, and he hopes that those who have sinned will have repented; and so the apostle will not be loaded with sorrow for their failure to repent.

(Verses 1 through 4) "This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that if I come again, I will not spare: since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

This is a warning which is far more stern and severe than anyone other than an apostle of Christ Jesus our Lord has ever had authority to issue. Paul prefaces it by saying, "This is the third time I am coming to you". He then quotes from the law of God, which says, In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." Next he reminds them that he has already warned them, he is warning them now, as if he were present with them, and if, or when, he comes to them, this will constitute the third witness. Upon this foundation he says that, since they are wanting a "proof of Christ speaking in him," that is, a proof of apostolic authority, that is exactly what they will get. "I will not spare." He will execute apostolic judgment where needed. Also he says, of this authority, "which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you." In short, he does not purpose that there be any child's play about it; all will be serious business, for it will indeed be Christ speaking in him. "For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God." When Jesus was born into this world, He took upon Himself a body of flesh, which, although it had no sin, was subject to all other weaknesses that we are. Through this weakness He was crucified, but by the power of God He is alive for evermore. Now the apostle says, "For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you". He has already very clearly shown that in the very times of our weakness are the times when the power of God is most abundantly made manifest. Here he points out that we are weak even in Christ, (not that Christ is weak, but we are weak,) but we shall live with Him by the power of God, the same power that raised Him from the dead; and it is the same power that is "toward you". So it can never be considered weak.

(Verses 5 through 9) "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection."

Since one word, "reprobates," stands out so clearly in this quotation, perhaps we should take a closer look at it before considering the remainder of the text. This word is here used only as a noun, so we will look at the dictionary's definition of it as that part of speech. "Reprobate, one who is very profligate or abandoned; a person abandoned to sin; one lost to virtue; a wicked depraved wretch." Since the first part of this definition makes use of a word, which may not be in our everyday vocabulary, let us check its meaning also. That word is "Profligate." Now its meaning: "Profligate, (adjective) ruined in morals; abandoned to vice; lost to virtue or decency, vicious; shameless in wickedness." We might add that the Greek word, "adikomos," which is translated "reprobate" is mostly used concerning metals and coins, in which usage it means "not standing the test, or not approved," which, when applied to a coin, brands it immediately as counterfeit. Therefore when used in a moral sense it means, "reprobate," as here translated. Now we return to the text. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." There are many things set forth in scripture that could be part of the test for determining whether we be in the faith. However, from Paul's teaching in this letter, it would seem that his primary criterion for this is, "Do we repent of and turn away from our sins and errors? Or do we continue on in those sins even after they have been so forcefully brought to our attention?" Then he asks a question that, in the very nature and wording of it, indicates that the only acceptable answer is an affirmative. That question is, "Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" If we belong to Christ, He is in us; and if He is not in us, we are reprobates. He then says, "But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates." These Corinthians are well acquainted with Paul's manner of living. So he is confident that they know that he and his companions are exactly what they profess to be, the servants of God. Notice that his prayer for them, like everything else he has said to them, or for them, is for their good. He does not pray that they will be obedient that he may be recognized as a great teacher, but simply that they may do that which is right even if he is considered a reprobate. Since Paul is a true servant of God, and not a reprobate, he declares, "We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." Much earlier in this epistle he has said, "For the love of Christ constraineth us"; and this truth still holds. As Jesus the Christ is the truth, His true servants can only serve the truth. Moreover the apostle says, "For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection." His meaning seems to be, "When we are weak and realize that we have to lean upon the strength of our Lord, it makes us glad to see that you are strong enough to turn away from sin and walk according to the Holy Spirit. In fact, that is the very thing for which we have been working and wishing, even your perfection, or maturity, as a Christian."

(Verse 10)"Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction."

Again Paul assures these brethren that his writing these things to them is for the purpose of sparing them the sharpness, or severity he might use if speaking face to face. And since the power given him of God is for edification, and not for destruction, this is the better way.

The remainder of this chapter contains some advice, salutations, and Paul's closing prayer for the Corinthians; and all seem to be clear enough to need no explanation.

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. all the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen."