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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
1:12-2:17 Paul's Boast. Paul begins the body of his letter with a detailed defense of why he had changed his mind more than once regarding his earlier plans to return to Corinth:
1:12-14 The Content of Paul's Boast. Paul defends his conduct and integrity in his relationship with the Corinthians.
1:12 To boast is by no means a bad thing if the object of one's boasting is not oneself (1 Cor. 1:29; 4:7; Eph. 2:9) but God (Rom. 5:2; 15:17; 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17-18). Paul boasts because he acted with simplicity (open uprightness; see 4:1-2), which, given human sinfulness, can be true only if God has changed one's life. So, too, Paul's godly sincerity explicitly refers to God as its source (see 2:17; 1 Cor. 5:8). Thus, Paul boasts in his conduct because it came about not by earthly (lit., fleshly) wisdom but by the grace of God--a contrast between living according to the thinking and values of a fallen world that is in rebellion against its Creator and the believer living in accordance with the death of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14-17) and the transforming presence of the Spirit (3:18).
1:14 The day of our Lord Jesus assigns to Jesus the role of judge attributed to Yahweh on "the day of the Lord" (e.g., Isa. 13:9; Joel 1-3; Zechariah 12-14; Mal. 4:5; cf. 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). Jesus' role as judge is a clear affirmation of his messianic identity and divine status.
1:15-22 The Reason for Paul's First Change of Plans. Paul explains that his initial decision not to come directly to Corinth as originally planned (see 1 Cor. 16:5) was actually determined by his desire to bring more blessing to them and thus to be like Christ, in whom God's promises are fulfilled (2 Cor. 1:20).
1:15-16 first . . . on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia . . . on my way to Judea. See Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background. a second experience of grace (Gk. deuteran charin, lit., "second grace" or "second benefit"). Some think this refers to a second opportunity to contribute to the collection for the believers in Jerusalem (see chs. 8-9). On this interpretation, contributing to the needs of others is called "grace" because it is made possible by God's grace in the lives of those who give (8:1, 4, 6-7, 19; 9:14): the Corinthians are set free to meet the needs of others because God has met their needs in Christ (8:9; 9:6-11). Others see this as a reference to the added experience of various blessings from God that would come from another visit by Paul.
1:17 "Yes, yes" and "No, no." Because of his change in plans (vv. 15-16), Paul's opponents accused him of vacillating and being indecisive.
1:18-19 Paul can affirm that his word . . . was not Yes and No, but in him (Christ) it is always Yes because his change of plan was in accord with God's will.
1:20 God's promises find their fulfillment in Christ, indicating that the OT Scriptures should be read as pointing to Christ (see the Overview of the Bible). Paul expresses his agreement--i.e., his Amen (the Gk. form of the Hb. word meaning "to confirm")--thus confirming what God has done through Christ (through him) not only by preaching Christ (v. 19) but also by acting like Christ toward the Corinthians, including changing his plans in order to minister to them.
1:21-22 To be anointed is to be set apart and gifted by God for his calling, symbolized in the OT by the pouring of olive oil as a sign of God's rich provision. It is also a play on the word "Christ," which means "anointed one"; Christ's messengers (us) are also anointed. seal. A mark of ownership, often used by ancient kings to signify ownership. See note on John 6:27. guarantee. A financial term (Gk. arrabōn, "down payment, deposit, guarantee") referring to the first installment paid as a pledge of faithfulness to complete the purchase. The Spirit comes as God's pledge to complete ("pay in full") the final redemption of his people at the end of the age, and the Spirit's presence in Christians' lives now is a reliable "sample" or foretaste of this future fullness (cf. John 5:24 and note; Rom. 8:11).
1:23-2:4 The Reason for Paul's Second Change of Plans. See Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background; and note on 1:12-2:17. Paul makes clear that just as his first change of plans was a Christlike act in accordance with the promises of God (see note on 1:15-22), so too his decision not to come but to send them a "tearful letter" was an expression of God's love to them in Christ (2:3-4).
1:23 to spare you. Just as Christ came first to save his people rather than to judge the world, so too Paul did not return immediately to Corinth, in order to spare them a taste of God's wrath. Like Christ, Paul is willing to judge those in Corinth who will not repent (see 13:1-10); but before judgment comes mercy.
2:1-2 painful visit. See Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background.
2:4 Paul wrote them a severe letter with many tears. As an expression of his love, it called the Corinthians to repentance in no uncertain terms (see 7:8-9). See Introduction: Theme.
2:5-11 The Application of Paul's Example to the Corinthians. The majority in Corinth had expressed their repentance by punishing the leader of the rebellion against Paul. Paul now calls them to follow his own Christlike example toward them by extending mercy to the offender, lest Satan have his way once again in the church.
2:6 punishment. Mostly likely excommunication from the fellowship of the church, just as in 1 Cor. 5:2, 5, 13. The person in view is most likely the Corinthian leader of the opposition against Paul, not the offender from 1 Cor. 5:1-5, as is often suggested, since the content of the sin was different.
2:10 forgive. Christians are to forgive because they have been forgiven (Matt. 6:14-15; 18:35; Col. 3:13).
2:11 Satan's designs are to destroy the mutual forgiveness, love, and unity that is to characterize God's people as those who have been reconciled to God through Christ (see 5:16-6:2). In this way, Satan aims to dishonor God's own glory revealed in Jesus as the Son of God (1:19-20).
2:12-17 Paul's Visit to Troas and Macedonia. These paragraphs mark a turning point in Paul's argument as he shifts his attention from the past to the present. They explain some of Paul's actions behind writing 2 Corinthians (vv. 12-13; see also 7:5-16) and reintroduce the main theme of the letter (2:14-17).
2:12-13 Paul came to Troas (see note on Acts 16:8) after he left Ephesus for Macedonia in anticipation of meeting up sooner with his coworker Titus, whom he had sent to Corinth to present his "tearful letter" (2 Cor. 2:3-4; see ch. 7; and Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background). Despite the receptivity for the gospel in Troas (a door was opened for me in the Lord), when Titus failed to show up, Paul's spirit was not at rest, a reference to his inward anxiety over the welfare of Titus and the church in Corinth (see 7:5-7). This is yet another example of the suffering Paul endured as an apostle (see 11:28). The NT elsewhere mentions various feelings or perceptions experienced by a person's "spirit"--the nonmaterial part of a person, in effect the conscious self (see Luke 1:47; Acts 17:16; Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 7:34; 2 Cor. 7:1, 13; also Mark 2:8; John 13:21).
2:14 thanks be to God. A characteristic thanksgiving formula that, like 1:3, sets the tone and introduces the themes to come (see 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 8:16). leads us in triumphal procession. Most interpreters see this as a reference to the lavish victory parades celebrated in Rome after great battles. God is depicted as the sovereign victor, with Christ as the general, leading the victory procession, and Paul as "captured" by Christ but now joyfully following him. Images of such parades are still visible in some ancient works of art, such as in the reliefs on the Arch of Titus in Rome commemorating the emperor's victory over Jerusalem. The picture here reflects a recurring theme throughout 2 Corinthians, namely, the contrast between the believer's apparent (temporal) defeat and the believer's actual (spiritual) victory (see chart). Another view is that the "triumphal procession" is an expression of Paul's praise to God for leading him (like a prisoner in a Roman triumphal procession) into situations of suffering such as he experienced in Troas (2:12, 13). Thus through Paul's suffering God spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere (see v. 15).
2:15-16a aroma . . . fragrance. Taken by some as a reference to the incense spread along the streets during the triumphal procession (see note on v. 14). However, the terms used here (Gk. euōdia, "fragrance, aroma"; and osmē, "aroma, odor") are used often in the Greek OT to refer to the aroma of a sacrifice pleasing to God (e.g., Gen. 8:21; Ex. 29:25; Lev. 1:13; Num. 15:3). With Christ pictured as the primary sacrifice, Paul's offering of his entire life to God (cf. Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15-16), including his suffering for the sake of Christ, can then be seen as an extension of Christ's death in the world (see 2 Cor. 1:5), as the aroma of Christ to God. from death to death . . . from life to life. Some encounter Paul's life and message and dislike it, leading to their own condemnation. Others are attracted by the Christlike beauty seen in Paul and his message, and they accept it, leading to their own eternal life.
2:16b-17 Who is sufficient for these things? The implied answer clearly is "No one." The work of the gospel (and the Christian life as a whole) can never be carried out on the basis of human ability or by human means. As Paul goes on to explain, our "sufficiency" comes only from God by means of his grace ("sufficient" translates Gk. hikanos, "sufficient, competent, qualified"; the same term and its related noun occur three times in 3:5-6). (See further the example of Moses in Ex. 4:10-12, where God promises to equip Moses to accomplish the work that God has called him to do.) In contrast to his many opponents, some of whom at least demanded payment for their ministries as if they were retail peddlers of God's word (see 2 Cor. 11:7-15; 12:13-16), Paul's commitment to support himself brought with it many hardships (see 1 Cor. 4:11-13; 9:18; 15:10; 2 Cor. 6:5; 11:23); as such it is yet another example of his willing, Christlike suffering on behalf of his churches.
