Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 1

In this epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle discusses these ministers and points out their dignity. First, he gives his greeting; second, he begins his message (verse 3). In the greeting, he does three things: first, he mentions the people who send the greeting; second, those who are greeted; and third, the good things he wishes for them. Regarding the first point, he does two things: first, he mentions the primary person sending the greeting, namely Paul; and second, his companion, Timothy.

The person sending the greeting is described by his humility, because he is Paul, which in Latin means "humble." He is that humble person of whom it is said in Isaiah 60:22: The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation. He is also described by his doctrine, because Paul is called the mouth of the trumpet. This is the trumpet mentioned in Zechariah 9:14: The Lord God will sound the trumpet, and march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. He fits what is said in Isaiah 58:1: Lift up your voice like a trumpet.

He is also described by the authority of his office, because he calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ. Here he mentions three things. First, that he is a representative; hence, he is called an apostle, meaning "one who is sent," for only twelve apostles were sent directly by Christ: He chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles (Luke 6:13). The other disciples, however, were not sent directly, but secondarily. This is why the apostles are succeeded by bishops, who have a special care for the Lord’s flock, while other priests succeed the seventy-two disciples and perform duties assigned to them by the bishops. His office, therefore, is that of an apostle: If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you (1 Corinthians 9:2); He who worked through Peter for the ministry to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8).

But why does he call himself an apostle here, when in the epistle to the Romans he calls himself a servant? The reason is that he was rebuking the Romans for their quarreling and pride—which is the mother of quarrels, as there are always disputes among the proud. Therefore, to cure them of quarreling, he leads them to humility by calling himself a servant. The Corinthians, however, were obstinate and rebellious. So, to curb their boldness, he uses a title of authority here, calling himself an apostle. Second, he mentions the one he represents, Jesus Christ: We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Third, he mentions how he obtained his ambassadorship. He is not a false apostle, like those of whom it is said, I did not send them, yet they ran (Jeremiah 23:21). Nor was he given to the people in God’s anger, in the sense of Job 34:30, who makes a hypocrite to reign, or Hosea 13:11, I have given you kings, but in my anger. Instead, he obtained his apostleship by God’s will and pleasure: He is a chosen instrument of mine (Acts 9:15). Therefore, he says, by the will of God.

The other person is Timothy; therefore, he says, and Timothy our brother. He is a brother, I say, because of their shared faith—You are all brothers (Matthew 23:8)—and also because of his office, for he was a bishop. This is why the Pope calls all bishops brothers. Paul mentions Timothy because, since Timothy had visited them, as mentioned in the first epistle (chapter 16), the people might believe that he had maliciously reported to the Apostle the things about which he is now writing to them.

Next, he mentions the people being greeted: first, the primary recipients, and second, those associated with them. He says, to the church of God, which includes all believers, both clergy and laity: that you may know how one ought to behave (1 Timothy 3:15). This church is at Corinth, because Corinth was the chief city of Achaia. Those associated with the primary recipients are all the saints who are reborn by the grace of the one Holy Spirit: But you were washed, you were sanctified... in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11). These saints are in all Achaia, of which Corinth is the chief city.

The Apostle wishes good things for the people he greets; therefore, he says, grace to you and peace. In this, he does two things: first, he mentions the good things wished; second, their author (verse 2b).

He mentions these two gifts as two extremes, between which all other good things are contained. The first good is grace, which is the beginning of all good things, because before grace there is only a diminished goodness in us. The last of all goods is peace, because peace is the ultimate goal of the mind. No matter how peace is defined, it has the character of an end. In eternal glory, in government, and in one's way of life, the end is peace: He makes peace in your borders (Psalms 147:14).

He indicates the author of these gifts when he says, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These two expressions can be understood in two ways. First, when he says, from God our Father, it can refer to the entire Trinity. For although the person of the Father is the Father of Christ by nature, the entire Trinity is our Father by creation and governance: For you are our Father (Isaiah 63:16); You would call me, My Father (Jeremiah 3:19). Therefore, good things come from God our Father—that is, from the entire Trinity: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11).

But if God our Father is taken to mean the entire Trinity, why is the person of the Son added when he says, and the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there another person in the Trinity? I answer that the Son is added, not as if he were an additional person, but on account of the other nature—namely, the humanity assumed by the Son into his divine person. The reason Paul lists him with the Trinity is that all good things come to us from the Trinity through the Incarnation of Christ. First, grace: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17), and second, peace: He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).

Alternatively, when he says, from God our Father, it can be taken to mean the person of the Father alone. Although the entire Trinity is our Father, as has been said, the person of the Father is called our Father by appropriation. Then the Lord Jesus Christ can be referred to the person of the Son. No mention is made of the Holy Spirit because, as Augustine says, since he is the bond between the Father and the Son, whenever the Father and the Son are mentioned, the Holy Spirit is also understood.

Here begins the message, in which the Apostle does two things. First, he excuses himself for not visiting them as he had promised. Second, he begins to pursue his main intention, which starts in chapter 3.

Regarding his excuse, he first works to win their goodwill before presenting the excuse itself (verse 15). To win their goodwill, he cites both general and special facts (verse 8), showing that whatever he does is for their benefit.

In demonstrating this benefit, he first mentions the profit others have gained from him and, second, the reason for it (verse 5). This first point, concerning the profit to others, involves three parts: first, he gives thanks; second, he describes the manner of his thanks (verse 4); and third, he explains the cause for it (verse 4b).

He gives thanks, therefore, to the entire Trinity, the source of every good. For this reason he says, Blessed be the God—that is, the entire Trinity—and to the person of the Father when he says, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the Father has given us all things. It should be noted that we bless God and God blesses us, but in different ways. For when God speaks, he accomplishes: He spoke and they were made (Psalms 148:5). Therefore, for God to bless is to produce something good and to infuse something good, and so to be a cause: I will indeed bless you and multiply your descendants (Genesis 22:17). But our speech does not cause things; it acknowledges or expresses them. Therefore, our blessing is the same as recognizing good. When we thank God, we bless him, that is, we acknowledge that he is good and the giver of all good: Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for the good things he has done for you ; Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; praise and exalt him above all for ever (Daniel 3:57).

It is fitting that he thank the Father, because he is merciful; for this reason he says, the Father of mercies. And because he is a comforter, he says, and God of all comfort. He thanks God for the two things people especially need. First, they need to have evil removed from them, and this is done by mercy, which takes away misery, for it is characteristic of a father to have compassion: As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him (Psalms 103:13).

Second, people need to be supported in the face of evils that occur, and that is to receive comfort. For unless a person has something in which their heart can rest, they will not stand firm when evils come upon them. Therefore, a person comforts another by offering them something refreshing, in which they can rest in evil times. And although a person might be comforted by something and find rest and support in the case of some evils, it is God alone who comforts us in all evils. For this reason, the Apostle calls Him the God of all comfort. For if you sin, God comforts you, because he is merciful. If you are afflicted, he comforts you either by rooting out the affliction by his power or by judging justly. If you labor, he comforts you with a reward: I am your shield; your reward shall be very great (Genesis 15:1). Therefore, it says in Matthew 5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

He tells us why he is thankful when he adds, who comforts us in all our affliction. As if to say: He is blessed because he comforts us in all our affliction: God who comforts the downcast (2 Corinthians 7:6).

He gives the reason for this when he says, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. Here it should be noted that there is an order among God’s gifts. For God gives special gifts to some so that they may pour them out for the benefit of others; he does not give light to the sun in order that the sun may shine for itself alone, but for the whole world. Therefore, God desires that some benefit come to others from all our gifts, whether they be riches or power or knowledge or wisdom: As each has received a gift, employ it for one another (1 Peter 4:10). This then is what the Apostle says: who comforts us in all our affliction.

But why? Not only for our benefit, but so that it may also profit others. For this reason, he says, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. For we can comfort others by the example of our own comfort. One who is not comforted does not know how to comfort others: He who has not been tried, what manner of things does he know? (Sirach 34:9, Vulgate). The Spirit of the Lord is upon the one who can say, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me to bring good tidings to the afflicted (Isaiah 61:1), and who comforts all who were mourning in Zion (Sirach 48:27, Vulgate).

We are able, I say, to comfort them by exhorting them to endure sufferings and by promising eternal rewards. That is, we exhort you by the Scriptures and internal inspirations, so that we may patiently endure and exhort others by our example and by the Scriptures themselves: For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you (1 Corinthians 11:23); What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to you (Isaiah 21:10).

Having mentioned the benefit that comes to others from the apostles, he gives the reason for what he has said: For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. And because he has said two things—namely, that God comforts us in every affliction and that we ourselves can also comfort others—he explains here the reason for both. First, he shows how God comforts us in every affliction; second, how our comfort is turned to the comfort of others (verse 6).

He says, therefore, I am right in saying that he comforts us in every affliction, for as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. He speaks of Christ’s sufferings, that is, sufferings begun by Christ: Begin at my sanctuary (Ezekiel 9:6). For the sufferings for our sins began in Christ, because he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24); then they continued through the apostles, who said, We are slain all the day long (Psalms 44:22; Romans 8:36); and then through the martyrs, who were cut in two and were tempted (Hebrews 11:37). Finally, sinners themselves will patiently bear God’s anger for their sins.

Alternatively, "the sufferings of Christ" means what we endure for Christ: Then they left the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (Acts 5:41); For your sake we are slain all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter (Psalms 44:22). Just as we share abundantly in these sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too: When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul (Psalms 94:19).

After showing that the Lord comforts His servants—that is, the ministers of the faith and preachers—in their tribulations, the Apostle now shows that their comfort benefits others. First, he shows that their comfort results in the advantage and salvation of others; second, he shows the relationship of this comfort to salvation in verse 6b.

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that the Apostle says he received three things: afflictions, when he says, “In all our afflictions”; comfort, when he says, “who comforts us”; and exhortation, when he says, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” Taking these three things in a passive sense, we can say that the apostles are afflicted, comforted, and exhorted. Therefore, the Apostle also shows that three things result in the comfort of others, and these occur in a definite order.

First is their affliction. When he says, If we are afflicted it is for your comfort and salvation, it is because by our example God is telling you to endure suffering, from which eternal salvation will come to you. This is why we read in 1 Maccabees 6:34 that they showed the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to arouse them for battle. This is what happens when the lukewarm and lazy are shown the sufferings of the saints as an example.

Second, he shows that their comfort benefits others when he says, and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort. It is as if to say: The very comfort we receive through the hope of a reward is a comfort to you, for by our example you also rejoice in having the same hope of a reward.

Third, he shows that the exhortation they receive benefits others, saying, if we are exhorted by an internal inspiration or by scourges, it is for your exhortation—that is, so that you may be inspired to greater things and hope for salvation. Therefore, it says in 2 Maccabees 15:17 that, exhorted by the word of Judas, they determined to attack bravely.

He explains the relationship between this comfort and salvation when he says, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. In this regard, he does two things: first, he shows the patience to be had in adversity; second, he shows the fruit that results from patience (in verse 7).

He says, therefore, that these things work for your salvation, since by our example you are made strong enough to endure sufferings and patiently bear the trials that we also suffer. As it is written, By your endurance you will gain your lives (Luke 21:19), and, As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets (James 5:10).

You obtain fruit from this patience because from it our hope for you becomes firm, knowing that you are made heirs of eternal life. As it says, Suffering produces endurance, and endurance true hope (Romans 5:3–4). As Gregory notes, “Hope in God becomes firmer to the extent that one suffers more difficult things for his name. For as a result of the sufferings the saints endure for Christ, the hope of eternal life rises in them.”

The reason for this hope is knowing that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort—that is, in eternal life. As it is written, The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11–12). And again, But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:13).

Then, when he says, For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia, he wins their favor by mentioning specific things. He does three things: first, he describes the persecution he suffered in Asia; second, the special comfort he received (in verse 10); and third, the cause of that comfort.

He says first, therefore, that it is good for you to know not only what we have said about our afflictions in general, but we do not want you to be ignorant, because it is profitable for you to know them. It is profitable because you become more patient through our example. He says, we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced. As it is written, Remember my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the gall (Lamentations 3:19).

This refers to the persecution mentioned in Acts 19:23 and following, which was started by a certain silversmith from Asia who incited the people against Paul. The Apostle describes it from three aspects. First, from its location, because it was in Asia; therefore he says, in Asia, that is, Ephesus, where he should have been honored and comforted instead. Second, from its bitterness, because it was an extreme suffering; therefore he says, for we were so utterly crushed. Third, it was beyond his strength, and so he says, unbearably.

However, this seems to contradict what is said in 1 Corinthians 10:13: God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. My answer is that suffering “beyond one’s strength” can be understood in two ways. First, it can mean beyond one’s natural strength, which is what the Apostle means here; God sometimes permits His servants to be tempted beyond this. Second, it can mean beyond the strength of grace, which is what the Apostle means in 1 Corinthians 10:13 when he says, God is faithful.

That the Apostle is speaking of natural strength is indicated by what he says next: we despaired of life itself. It is clear that, above all else, life is most desirable. Therefore, when a persecution is so great that life itself becomes wearisome, it is obviously above the strength of our nature. This is what he means when he says, we despaired of life itself, as if to say that the persecution was so cruel that life became a burden, as in Job 10:1: I loathe my life.

Against this, however, James 1:2 says: Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials. My answer is that affliction can be considered in two ways. In itself, it is wearisome. But in relation to faith, it is joyful, since it is endured for God and with the hope of eternal life.

We were not only weary of life, but we were certain of death. Therefore, he says, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, that is, the certainty of death. It is as if to say, “In my own mind, I was about to die.” Alternatively, the sentence of death could mean that reason itself would suggest choosing death because life had become so wearisome.

He expands on the reason for his affliction when he says, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves—that is, so that human pride would be suppressed and we would trust God in all things. As it is written, O Lord, my strength and my stronghold (Jeremiah 16:19), and, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7). And so he says we should rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead, for The Lord kills and brings to life (1 Samuel 2:6).

Because the Lord does not abandon those who trust in Him, the Apostle mentions the comfort he received from the Lord, saying, he delivered us from so deadly a peril. In this regard, he does three things: first, he describes his present comfort from past evils; second, the comfort to come; and third, the cause of love.

He says, therefore: We have been comforted by God, who delivered us in the past from such a deadly peril and is delivering us in the present, because He does not stop delivering. As it is written, When you pass through the waters I will be with you (Isaiah 43:2). On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again in the future, for it is said, You who fear the Lord, hope for good things .

Your prayers give us reason for this hope. Therefore, he says, you also must help us by prayer, which you make for us. As it is written, A brother helped is like a strong city (Proverbs 18:19), and, I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf (Romans 15:30).

These prayers are necessary because God often gives gifts to one person because of the prayers of many. The reason for this is that God wishes to be thanked for the gifts He gives, and as a result, many are obligated to give thanks. This happens when, by giving a gift to one person in response to the prayers of many, God places all those who prayed under an obligation to Him. Consequently, not only the one who received the benefit, but also those who prayed, should give thanks to God.

This is what Paul means when he says, so that many will give thanks. He says this comes from many faces, which can refer to age, status, or the diversity of nations or customs. This thanksgiving is given on our behalf for the blessing—that is, for the gift of faith we have, which was granted to us in answer to many prayers. As it is written, Always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father (Ephesians 5:20).

Alternatively, from the faces of many persons could refer to the condition of persons. The phrase For the blessing granted to us would then mean that because they have the same gift—namely, faith or charity—thanks may be given on our behalf by means of the many people who are in the faith of Christ.

Therefore, according to this second explanation, the many faces are understood as the various virtues. The predominant virtue in a person is called his “face”; thus, patience is the face of Job, humility is the face of David, and so on.

After speaking of the comfort he had received from God following his persecution, the Apostle assigns the cause of this comfort, which is hope in God’s help. In this regard, he does two things: first, he states the cause of hope; second, he supports this with the testimony of those to whom he is writing (v. 13).

He says, therefore: We still hope to be rescued by God and comforted, For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience. This is as if to say: the cause of this hope is our good conscience, for hope is an expectation of things to come and arises from grace and merits. Therefore, in this regard, he does three things: first, he shows the boast which he has in the testimony of a pure conscience; second, he suggests the cause of this boasting (v. 12b); third, he reveals the source of this cause (v. 12c).

He says, therefore: The reason I hope and trust in God is that our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience. That is, I glory in the testimony and purity of our conscience: If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:21); The Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). It should be noted that the testimony of conscience is true because it does not deceive, for many who appear good outwardly are not good in their conscience, and conscience always endures. He does not say, “the conscience of others,” but our conscience, because a person should put more trust in the testimony of his own conscience about himself than in the testimony of others. This is not done by those who consider themselves good because others are evil, rather than because they themselves are truly good. Nor is it done by those who boast in the goodness of a good person to whom they are joined by some bond.

He suggests the cause of this boast when he says, in simplicity of heart, which points to two things. For purity of conscience consists of two things: namely, that the things a person does are good and that his intention is right. The Apostle says these two things of himself. First, that he has a right intention toward God in his action; therefore he says, in simplicity of heart, that is, with a right intention: Seek him with sincerity of heart ; The integrity of the upright guides them (Proverbs 11:3). Second, that the things he does are good; therefore, he says, and godly sincerity in his actions: That you may be pure and blameless (Philippians 1:10).

He reveals the source of this glory's cause when he says, not by earthly wisdom. This can be taken in two ways. First, as referring to what he had just said, namely, godly sincerity, where he is suggesting the source of his sincerity and simplicity. It is as if to say: many of the ancients, like the philosophers, were wise in earthly wisdom, and many Jews lived honorably, trusting in the justice of the Law. But we have behaved in the world, not by earthly wisdom, which is according to the nature of things, nor by the desires of the flesh, but by the grace of God: To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6); not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Corinthians 2:4); By the grace of God I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10).

A second way to understand this is that not by earthly wisdom means not relying on human wisdom, but on the grace of God: Do not rely on your own insight (Proverbs 3:5).

It might also be explained in another way: that in saying, in simplicity of heart and godly sincerity, he is referring to his purity of life; but in saying, not by earthly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he is referring to the truth of his teaching. This would be as if to say: Just as our life is in the simplicity and sincerity of God, so our teaching is not in earthly wisdom, but in the grace of God. However, the first two interpretations are more valid.

And although we have behaved this way in the world, we have done so even more toward you, because he had received collections from the other churches, but not from them: I robbed other churches (2 Corinthians 11:8). The reason for this might be that they were greedy; therefore, in order not to sadden them, he refused to take any revenue from them.

Then he calls on them to witness to this holy manner of life, saying, For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand. This is as if to say: these things I write to you are not unknown to you, because you have already read them in the first letter and you know them by experience: I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment (1 John 2:7).

And although you do not know fully, because you have accepted false apostles, I hope that you will understand until the end—that is, of your life. I hope you will understand perfectly, just as you have understood in part. The reason for this is that when we see someone starting well, we should hope that he will always progress well. And why? Because he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

And you will understand, so that you can be proud of us; that is, that through us you might obtain eternal glory, which a person reaches through the faith of Christ that we preach to you: The glory of sons is their fathers (Proverbs 17:6). I say that you can be proud of us as we can be of you, because we hope for the reward of eternal glory through you who have been instructed by us: For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Is it not you? (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

And this boast will be ours from you on the day of the Lord Jesus—that is, on the day of judgment. It is called Christ’s day because he will then carry out his will on sinners, punishing those who in this world did their own will by sinning against the will of Christ the Lord: At the set time which I appoint I will judge with equity (Psalms 75:2); And books were opened... and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done (Revelation 20:12).

After winning the goodwill of the Corinthians, the Apostle adds his excuse. In this regard, he does three things:

1. He mentions what he intended.
2. In the form of a question, he answers an accusation they made against him (2 Corinthians 1:17).
3. He excuses himself.

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that in a previous letter (which we do not have) that the Apostle had sent to the Corinthians by a messenger, he had promised to visit them before going to Macedonia. He also promised to return again to Achaia, where Corinth is, and then travel from Achaia to Judea. Then, in a second letter (which we call his first), he wrote to them that he would first go to Macedonia and then later to Corinth.

Because this seemed to contradict his first promise, the Apostle now excuses himself by first mentioning the promise he originally made. Hence, he says, Because I was sure of this. It is as if to say: “You know my honesty and sincerity, and you are my witnesses and my glory. Therefore, because I was sure of this—that is, relying on this, because we hope to be glorified by you—I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second grace.” A second visit that strengthens faith is called a “second grace” in relation to the time they were first converted by his ministry and teaching.

Paul’s original plan was: I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea. This is the sequence of the first promise, but the sequence in the letter we call 1 Corinthians is contrary to this, as was mentioned.

Next, he frames the accusation for this change, for which the Corinthians criticized him, as a question: Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? They charged him with two things on account of this: first, fickleness, because he changed his mind (The fool changes like the moon, Sirach 27:11); and second, worldly affection, because it seemed to them that he had acted out of some fleshly and human motive.

Hence, he touches on two points. First, regarding fickleness, he asks, Was I vacillating, if I failed to do what I once wanted to do? God forbid! As it is written, Neither must you think, if we command different things, that it comes from the fickleness of our mind (Esther 16:9, Vulgate), and In the mighty throng I will praise you (Psalms 35:18). Second, he touches on worldly affection when he says, Do I make my plans like a worldly man, that is, according to worldly affection, ready to say Yes and No at once? This means to affirm and deny simultaneously, as in Some suspect us of acting in worldly fashion (2 Corinthians 10:2) and A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:7–8).

Having laid out their accusation, he excuses himself, saying, As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. In this regard, he does two things:

1. He declares that he did not lie.
2. He shows how he did not lie (2 Corinthians 1:21).

He shows that he had not lied in two ways: from his character and from the reason he did not lie. From his character, because we should not suppose that a person would easily lie if he has never been found to be a liar. According to this explanation, the phrase As surely as God is faithful is spoken with the force of an oath. It is as if to say: “God is my witness that my word—that is, my preaching—to you has not been Yes and No; there is no falsehood in it.” As it is written, A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is he (Deuteronomy 32:4).

Alternatively, if God is faithful is taken to mean the truth of the divine promise, then the sense is this: God is faithful, meaning He keeps His promises, and He had promised to send you preachers of the truth: I will give you shepherds after my own heart (Jeremiah 3:15). Therefore, since I was sent by Him, our word to you has not been Yes and No.

Regarding the reason, he excuses himself on two grounds: the motive and the efficient cause. His motive for not lying is that a person who assumes an office is naturally moved to do what suits that office, not what is contrary to it. It is obvious that the Apostle’s office is to preach the truth. Therefore, he is not moved to do the contrary of the truth, which is to lie. In this regard, he does three things:

1. He proves the truth of his word by the word of Christ.
2. He proves the truth of Christ by the word of God.
3. He concludes with his intended point (2 Corinthians 1:20b).

Therefore, he says that his words should be regarded as true—and true they are—because he has preached Christ, in whom there is no falsehood. This is what he means when he says, For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you... He was preached by Paul principally, and by Silvanus secondarily (who is the Silas of Acts 18:5), and by Timothy, who was mentioned above. For those two were with the Apostle when he first converted the Corinthians.

He, namely the Son of God, was not Yes and No—that is, there was no falsehood, for He did nothing improper—but in him it is always Yes. This “Yes” is the truth, for truth and being are convertible. As Christ says, I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).

Because there might be some doubt about his statement that there was no falsehood in Christ, he immediately proves it, saying, For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. He proves this in the following way: it is obvious that there can be no falsehood in that which is the manifestation of divine truth. But the Son of God came to manifest the divine truth in the promises God made to be fulfilled through Him. Therefore, there is no falsehood in Him.

And that is what he says: there is not Yes and No in the Son of God, because all the promises of God made to humanity find their Yes in him. That is, they are verified and fulfilled in Christ, as it is written: I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs (Romans 15:8).

From this, the Apostle concludes that his own words are true, because he preaches the Son of God, in whom is the truth. That is why through him—that is, through Christ—we utter our Amen, which means “that which is true.” As it is written, The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14), and, He who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, amen (Isaiah 65:16). We speak this truth to God—that is, for the honor of God—manifesting His truth for His glory and for our glory, because our glory is to show and preach the word of God.

Then, when he says, but it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, the Apostle proves that he has not lied by appealing to the efficient cause. Although a person by free will can use their tongue for speaking truth or falsehood, God can establish a person so firmly in the truth that they would speak nothing but the truth. Therefore, if God established someone in the truth, it is obvious that they could not say anything false. Since God establishes us in the truth, Paul says, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ—that is, in the true preaching of Christ.

It is as if to say: “If Christ were outside us, we could lie, but because He is with us and we are in Christ, we do not lie.” As the Psalm says, It is I who keep steady its pillars (Psalms 75:3). We are in Christ in two ways: by grace and by glory. We are in Him by grace, in that we have been anointed with the grace of the Holy Spirit and made members of Christ and joined to Him. By this same grace, Christ as a man was also anointed: God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows (Psalms 45:7).

From the fullness of that anointing, grace has overflowed to all of us, like the precious oil on the head, that is, of Christ, which has flowed down on the beard, the beard of Aaron (Psalms 133:2). Therefore, he says that God has anointed us. He anointed us, I say, as kings and priests: You made them a kingdom and priests to our God (Revelation 5:10), and You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9).

However, the union that is according to glory we do not yet have in reality, but only in sure hope, in that we have a firm hope of attaining this union. We have a twofold certainty for this hope: one is by a sign, the other by a pledge. The first is by an evident sign, which is of faith. Hence Paul says God has put his seal upon us with the sign of Christian faith: Put a mark on their foreheads (Ezekiel 9:4)—that is, the sign of the cross—and Till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads (Revelation 7:3).

This sealing is done through the Holy Spirit: Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him (Romans 8:9). Therefore, the special and certain sign of obtaining eternal life is our configuration to Christ: Set me as a seal upon your heart (Song of Solomon 8:6). The second certainty is by the greatest pledge, that is, of the Holy Spirit. And so Paul says God has given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee, and we are certain that no one can take Him from us.

Note that two things are to be considered in a pledge: first, that it produces a hope of obtaining the reality, and second, that it is as valuable as the reality itself, or even more so. Both of these are true of the Holy Spirit. If we consider the substance of the Holy Spirit, He is as valuable as eternal life (which is God), because He is equal to the three persons. But if we consider the manner in which He is possessed, then He produces the hope but not yet the possession of eternal life, because we do not yet have Him perfectly in this life. Therefore, we are not perfectly happy until we possess Him perfectly in heaven: You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

Then, when he says, but I call God to witness, he gives his excuse for not coming, and he does so by a very strong oath. In this regard, he does three things:

1. He states his excuse.
2. He answers a tacit question (2 Corinthians 1:24a).
3. He explains what he says (2 Corinthians 1:24b).

He excuses himself with a double oath: one of attestation, when he says, I call God to witness, and the other of execration, when he says, against me—that is, against my soul: For God is my witness (Romans 1:9). As a witness, Paul says, he calls upon God that he refrained from coming—that is, after the first time or after he departed from them—and that he did this to spare you. He did this because he knew they were incorrigible. Hence, if he had gone then, he would have had to either punish them (and they might have left the faith altogether) or not punish them (which would have given them an occasion to sin more).

But because someone might ask, “Why do you say you ‘spare’ us? Are you our lord?” he removes this objection, saying, not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy. It is as if to say: “I do not say this as a lord, but as a helper,” as in Not as domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:3). A helper, he says, for your joy and your improvement. He then explains why he mentions their faith, saying, for you stand firm in your faith—that is, you stand in the grace of Christ by faith.