2 Corinthians 1:15-22

‘Man proposes, but God disposes.’

We can make our plans in good faith, but they don’t always work out.

As we saw yesterday, Paul had come under heavy and unfair criticism from some of the Corinthians (who were themselves being influenced by certain infiltrating false apostles who had a vested interest in putting Paul down and lifting themselves up at his expense.) Reading between the lines, one of their accusations was that he was fickle; that he easily broke his promises. ‘He makes a plan to visit,’ they said, ‘then he changes his mind. He calls it off. You don’t know where you are with the man!’ Paul’s answer was to ask a question: Are you going to accuse me of being flip with my promises because it didn’t work out? Do you think I talk out of both sides of my mouth – a glib yes one moment, a glib no the next? Well, you’re wrong. I try to be as true to my word as God is to his. Our word to you wasn’t a careless yes canceled by an indifferent no. How could it be? The Message.

Paul goes on to say two things that I will try to paraphrase: We can’t be accused of lightly saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ when:

  • Our message is a great big ‘YES’ (20). Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the YES of Jesus. The Message. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘’Yes’’ in Christ. (N.I.V.)…for it is he who is the ‘’YES’’ to all God’s promises. (GNB).He is the divine Yes. Every promise of God finds its affirmative in Him… (J.B. Phillips). Jesus is the ‘YES’ to all God’s promises. Every one finds its fulfilment in Him. We also utter our own ‘yes’ (‘’Amen’’) by faith. We add our own signature to the cheque made out by God and already signed by Jesus. So we can draw on all the riches God has for us. (So Paul is saying that there is no arbitrary breaking of promises with God. Just as God is faithful in fulfilling all His promises, so Paul, as a preacher of this positive gospel, may be trusted not to say one thing about his travel itinerary, and then change it without real cause.)
  • We’re a great big ‘yes’ (21, 22). God has spoken His ‘yes’ over us; shown that we’re His and that He’s paid for us by giving to us His Holy Spirit: God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge – a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete. The Message. Here Paul is saying ‘It’s God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.Because I’ve been given the Holy Spirit as you have you can be sure that God will cause me to act with integrity.’

Sometimes we can’t understand what another Christian does. But if they are earnestly seeking God, we can trust the Holy Spirit who is in them to guide them (just as He does with us.) We would want to be given the benefit of the doubt, so let’s be generous hearted. Once we start to question the integrity of others or distrust their words, the door is opened to all kinds of problems. Warren W. Wiersbe: The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (New Testament) p.506                   

 Prayer: I want to always remember, dear Lord, that I am no-one else’s judge. There is so much in me to sort out I hardly have time to point the finger at others. Please keep working on me, and help me to work on me too, by the power of your Holy Spirit!