God's Work of Grace

MIT - Paul continues to affirm the validity of his labor and love for the church by pointing to the grace of God through Christ in his life and ministry.

I. Boast in the Grace of God (12-14)

Paul opens and closes verses 12-14 with the theme of boasting. We too often think of boasting in a negative way and rightly so.

The Scriptures often warn against boasting.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

We typically think of boasting as a display of arrogance, vanity, pride, and self exaltation.

How do we often see boasting displayed?

This is not the type of boasting Paul is referring too. Paul is not about to boast in his abilities as a church planter, or his wisdom as a theologian, or his great oratory skills as a preacher.

Boasting is actually a good thing when it is rightly expressed.

Boasting is to express an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy.

The key to recognizing a positive boasting is the person or object one’s confidence is in. That is why it is important to notice how Paul boasts and in whom he about to boast.

What we see in verses 12-14 is that Paul is about to boast in the grace of God in his life and the life of the church.

The first way Paul boasts in God’s grace is of his,

A. Conscience that Testifies of God’s Grace

12 For our boast is this,

Paul sets up what he is about express confidence in. He wants the Corinthian church to know there something that he is sure of that should stop the rumors and trash talking of the “super apostles” and false teachers. He is about to end the slander that is being spread against him and his gospel partners.

Paul writes,

For our boast is this the testimony of our conscience, Paul wants them to know all his conscience is clear. He and his conscience is a witness that the things that he has been accused of are false, there is not validity to the claims his adversaries are making.

We need to understand something important about conscience. Just because someone may say “my conscience is clear” does that mean they are in the right and free from any wrong doings?

Absolutely not, we know that our conscience can be seared and rendered useless when it comes to discerning the ways of God. Our conscience is only truly clear and testifying rightly as it aligns with the word and will of God. We can be free from personal guilt and shame while at the same time behaving in a way contrary to God’s ways. Therefore we can say our conscience is clear, because of our lack of knowledge, our lack of spiritual understanding, or even our lost state and be guilty and under the wrath of God.

Notice what Paul does though, he connects his clear conscience to his actions.

For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity. He writes not only does our conscience testify that we are free from guilt, but judge it against our behavior. Look how we acted in the world. See what the people in the market say about me as I was building tents. See what the brothers and sisters from other churches say about us as we ministered the gospel to them. See what people in authority say about us.

Notice what Paul says in

2 Corinthians 2:17 ESV

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Charles Hodge explains,

2 Corinthians: Crossway Classic Commentaries The Apostle’s Defense against the Charge of Inconstancy (Verses 12–24)

What Paul means here is that the virtues that distinguished his behavior in Corinth were not merely forms of his own excellence, but forms of the divine life—modes in which the Spirit of God who lived in him manifested himself.

Paul was challenging the to look at his life, not because he had some high moral character, but that Christ was in him and his behavior reflected the character of Christ!

He continues, his conscience was not clear and his behavior was,

not by earthly wisdom,

In other words, the world will tell you there are some things your conscience should be clear on…You can be sure just because the world clears you conscience and approves of behavior it is not you are not clear of guilt.

For example, what are some things the world says are ok, go ahead, you shouldn’t feel guilt or shame over these things?

When Paul is defending himself against the false accusations he say’s don’t look to the worlds standards and wisdom. They are not the ones we are to judge leaders against. Don’t look to the worlds behavior, they are not our authority, look to the Scriptures that is what clears our conscience and informs our behavior.

Here is another lesson for us, if we are going to make accusations against our pastors, deacons, and even brothers and sisters in Christ we need to make sure they are backed up by the Bible and not coming from the standard of the world.

So Paul explains where is wisdom is not coming from, then he explains where his wisdom and conduct that he is boasting in is coming from, not from the wisdom of the world,

but by the grace of God,

Paul knew his only confidence his only reason for boasting was not in himself but in Christ. His only reason for having a clear conscience for being able to defend his conduct and ministry was because he was in Christ and Christ was in him. He knew he had been changed, born again by the Spirit of God and made new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

This is was Paul’s boast that God has called him out of his life of a church hating pharisee and called him to be a shepherd of God’s sheep!

Here is what I love about the grace Paul boast in. You know how he was able to prove it? Paul was able to boast in God’s grace in his life because of his display of this grace to the church.

What is the final phrase in verse 12.

that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom, but by the grace of God, and supremely toward you.

Paul’s godly and sincere behavior was supremely and primarily displayed toward the people of God! Here is where it get’s personal.

Can we say that about ourselves? Our pastors, our deacons? That we know that are godly and sincere because they display God’s grace to the people of God?

B. Confidence in Perseverance through God’s Grace

13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand 14 just as you did partially understand us--

Paul says, look here, all this ink we have spilt to shepherd you, to exhort you, to protect you, you should understand. You don’t have to have any special knowledge to understand what we have written you. It is black words on white paper, or parchment....We hope you will fully understand what we are saying to you. It is for your good and for your benefit. There are times you partially understood and didn’t fully understand, but we want to to have complete knowledge and understanding regarding our writings.

Then Pauls writes, we really want you to understand,

that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

Paul here is point to the return of Christ, the gathering of his bride and he says for those of us who have been born of the grace of God there will be a boasting and rejoicing on the day of Christ return.

There will be those of us who have died, who will burst the grave wide open. There will be those who are living will follow them as the dead in Christ are raised first and Christ will gather us in the air and what a day of rejoicing and boasting that will be.

Paul say’s you will look to us and say there are the men of God who proclaimed the gospel of God through Christ to us! There are the pastors and elders who counseled us through the death of family members, battles with sin, and strife within the family of God. They are the ones who prayed for us, preached to us and presented us blameless and spotless on the day Christ returned.

The men of God, like Paul , Timothy and Silas will look at the Corinthians and say praise God, they persevered by the grace of God. We say God save them through the preaching of the gospel. We say their children come to faith, we saw them disciple others, we saw them serve on another, we witnessed them putting others before themselves.

By God’s grace we were a part of their salvation, their sanctification, and now we see their final glorification!

Do you have see what a glorious day for the church that will be? Is there a pastor or pastors you can’t wait to see on that day? Maybe they led you to salvation, maybe they shepherded you through a difficult season?

Of course our boast is not in them as men, but in God’s work in them by his Spirit and through his Son! The second affirmation of Paul’s love for the church is a,

II. Desire to Minister the Grace of God (15-21)

A. Paul Desired to Bring Grace to Corinth

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first,

Notice in verse 15 and 16 Paul writes, I wanted to come to you first, and I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia. He makes it clear to them that he was positive that he wanted to come to see them. He desired to come and serve them. He longed to get to the church at Corinth. Now we have discussed this in the past, but can’t we learn from his example here.

Paul doesn’t say good riddance to a church that is full of problems.

Paul doesn’t just quit on a church because there are those there who he doesn’t agree with.

Paul doesn’t ignore a church because of their immaturity.

Instead Paul sees this as an opportunity and calling to strengthen a weaker body of Christ. We know this because of the reasons he give for wanting to visit Corinth.

so that you might have a second experience of grace.

As I studied this, and was meditating on the second experience of grace. I saw this as Paul meaning, the first experience of grace was your salvation when we brought the gospel to you. The second experience of grace will be your further growth in the understanding of God and his Word and your sanctification. But the commentators I was reading were focusing more on logistics of Paul’s trips than what to me this statement plainly said.

Then I read this from John Gill,

An Exposition of the New Testament, Volumes I–III Chapter 1

under his ministry, was their conversion, so this second benefit may design their edification, and establishment in the faith, their growth in grace, and improvement in spiritual knowledge.

Paul wanted to get back to the struggling church at Corinth so that they might experience God’s grace in edification, maturation, and sanctification.

Lesson from Paul's Letters to the Corinthians:

Paul didn't just pack up, leave, and put the church of Corinth out of his mind because of their problems. Instead he desired to go back and labor with them out of his love for the brothers.

Paul’s second desire seems to be a fruit of a second experience of grace.

16 I wanted to visit you one my way to Macedonia, and come back to you from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea.

He says I want to stop by on my way to and my way from Macedonia. On my second stop I want you to help send me to Judea. So as I minister the grace of God to you and as you grow in grace I ask that your sanctification will result in your laboring with me as I am seeking to fulfill the great commission.

I pray you will pray for me, support me, and possibly even send men on the journey with me. (Buck’s translation).

17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes and No, no at the same time?

Here we see the accusations against Paul. Evidently his trips had been hindered. This gave Paul’s opponents to take shots at him saying, “see he says he is going to do this and then he doesn’t do it. He says he is going to come then he doesn’t show up.” If we can’t depend on him to keep his word on his coming to visit why would we trust his preaching, why would we depend on his doctrine?

What is the problem with that logic?

Does anyone ever accomplish 100% of their desired travel plans? Are we ever hindered from going somewhere we desired to go?

Example: Since January, I have planned to go to the G3 Preaching workshop in LA this week. But you know what happened? A providential pandemic. The workshop was cancelled, and I had to change my plans....

However there is another reason to consider Paul’s change of plans. His hindrance may have been a result of his wisdom and humility.

Paul has already made this short and painful visit. This visit didn’t go well as some of his adversaries may have cause even more division, there may have been a refusal to repent, and a generally unhealthy meeting to place. Instead of Paul’s short visit resulting in correction it possible was causing more division.

Paul recognizing this, may have said I need to delay my trip in order to give me time to pray and seek God’s wisdom and a work of grace in all of our lives.

Here is an important lesson for all of us. We can’t fix every situation. He will never heal every broken relationship the first time we seek reconciliation. As long as the church is made up of sinners in different stages of sanctification we can expect there is going to be strife, conflict, disagreements and so on. This does not give us the excuse to not seek reconciliation, but some times after the problems have been addressed we need to back up and pray and ask for the grace of God, by the Spirit of God to do his work. There are times when we can talk until we are blue in the face, or be talked to until the other person is blue in the face and the flesh will continue to win out. At that point we need to back up and pray for the Spirit to do his work in overcoming the flesh and give us patience and wisdom to no what should be the next steps.

In the days of Paul do we think he might experience some providential hinderances? Did that change his preaching or his doctrine? Notice Paul’s answer in verse 18.

18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.

In other words, Paul said,

God may have changed our destination, but he has in no way changed our doctrine!

God may have changed the when and where we preach, but the Word we preach has not wavered.

God may have changed the places we go, but the gospel we preach remains the same.

John Gill stated it this way,

An Exposition of the New Testament, Volumes I–III Chapter 1

And by this the apostle would intimate, that since he was faithful and upright, uniform, consistent, and all of a piece in preaching the Gospel to them; so they ought to believe, that he was sincere in his resolutions and promises to come and see them, though as yet he had been hindered, and had not been able to perform them.

He did not want the false accusers to question Paul, Timothy, and Silvanus’ commitment to coming to them and caring for them. It is real easy for someone to point out the shortcomings of pastor, elder, or deacons changing plans. However, we need to be more concerns about our spiritual leaders commitment to sound doctrine.

God may providentially adjust our schedule, but God will never change the core truths of the Gospel.

Notice what Paul does next to affirm the absolute trustworthiness of the word they preached.

He points to,

B. God’s Promise of Grace through Christ

Look at verse 19 to see who they are preaching,

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you,

It is no other than the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead, Jesus - the on who saves, Christ the coming one, the anointed one - the messiah.

The one who is eternal, with the Father from the beginning, the one who came to save his people from their sins, the one who was prophesied of from the Scriptures, who would come and rule and reign as Sovereign King.

John Gill,

all the apostles affirmed the same thing; and which is of the greatest moment and importance, and ought to be abode by, insisted on, and frequently inculcated; as that he is the eternal son of God, existed as such from everlasting, is of the same nature, and has the same perfections with his father; and therefore is able to destroy the works of the devil, for which he was manifested in the flesh, and every way equal to the business of redemption, which he has finished; and having passed into the heavens under this character, is a powerful advocate with the father; and which renders him a sure foundation for the church, and a proper object of faith: that the son of God is Christ, anointed to bear and execute the office of a mediator in the several parts and branches of it; a prophet to teach his people, a priest to make atonement and intercession for them, and a King to govern and protect them: and that the son, who is become the Lord’s Christ, is Jesus, a Saviour; and that salvation is alone by him, to which he was appointed from eternity, and was sent in the fulness of time to effect it; and by his obedience, sufferings, and death, is become the author of it, and is the only able, willing, and suitable Saviour for poor sinners.

Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 760). London: Mathews and Leigh.

Him we proclaim!

Notice next who is preaching Christ,

Silvanus and Timothy, and I, was not Yes and No, but in Him it is always Yes.

Paul says it is not just me preaching Christ crucified but my partners in the gospel. My co-laborers in the ministry. My fellow servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are all consistently,

Proclaiming Christ! There is never any deviation from the true gospel from the Scriptures we preach.

Why you ask?

20 For all the promises of God find their yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Revelation 3:7 ESV

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Revelation 3:14 ESV

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

Do you see, throughout the Scriptures, Christ is faithful, the Truth, the Way, the Life, the holy one, the Amen of God!

Paul says as long as we are preaching Christ and him crucified our preaching is above reproach, if we are preaching Christ our ministry is affirmed in Him. If we are proclaiming the promises of God in the Lord Jesus our accusers are out of bounds in questioning us. If we are faithful to the Scriptures and to Jesus you can be assured the aim and goal of our ministry is,

to God for his glory.

The proclaiming of Christ consistently and completely is ultimately for praise and glory of God. As Christ the King is exalted, God is glorified. As Jesus is proclaimed as sinless, sovereign, Savior, the church is edified, built up in Him. The stronger and more united the church becomes the brighter and more radiant the glory of God shines!

David Garland writes, “Their chorus of amens in worship proclaims God’s faithfulness in making salvation possible for them through Christ. Proclaiming God’s faithfulness in worship brings glory to God, the very goal of human existence.” (pg. 104)

As the church grows in faith, love, and purity, the watching world cannot help but see the one how works all thing for the good of His own people and for his own glory and fame!

Paul, is about to lay out a string of,

C. God’ Work of Grace through Christ (21-22)

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 ESV

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

What is the repeated word in these two verses?

AND!

Verse 21 opens with And it is God who…and.....and....and....

Everything good that happens in the life of the believer and in the life of the church is a result of God who works for us and in us through His Son and His Spirit!

What is the first work of God in Christ?

1. God Establishes Us In Christ

21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ

God is the one who has established, secured, confirmed and strengthened the believer. Notice how Paul words this, establishes us with you, how in Christ!

Paul says

We cannot just cut ties with one another.

We cannot just up and run when problems come.

We cannot say we love one another and then leave one another due to preferences, problems, or painful confrontations.

God has established us with you in Christ! Does that not sound like covenantal language?

I have heard people say, I am covenanted with my wife but no the church.

What does God say about the marriage relationship? What God has put together let no man tear asunder?

Here Paul says, God has established us with you in Christ! Who is wants to be the cause of a breaking of that relationship? God has joined us together as a body of Christ through Christ. Let no man or woman tear it asunder.

He wants the Corinthians to remember, that these reasons the him and his partners are being questions are false, fallible and have no credibility to stand against the confirmation of those who are in Christ! He is our security. He has purchased us and will not give us away or resale us! We are his.

But not only has God established us in Christ,

Secondly,

2. God has anointed us

and has anointed us,

The ones whom God has purchased and secured, he has also commissioned and spiritually gifted to serve him.

Think about what Paul is doing here, you better be very careful before you being to question, slander, or spread false accusation about a man or women God has bought with his own blood, and called into his service.

If a man or woman has been saved, given a desire according to the Scriptures to serve God, and the church has affirmed their gifting we are saying it is God who has done this, therefore we better be careful before we turn around and gossip and grumble against these God anointed men.

Third we see,

3. God has put his seal on us

and who has also put his seal on us

God has marked us as his, he has proven us to be his children. There should be no doubt who those who are in Christ belong to. Throughout the NT Christians not just ministers like Paul and his partners are established, anointed, and sealed.

2 Timothy 2:19 ESV

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Ephesians 1:13 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 4:30 ESV

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

If someone looks at us do they see the seal of God, the mark of His Spirit that we belong to Him?

Fourth,

4. God has given us his Spirit

and has given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Don’t miss Paul’s inclusive language here. He has given us his Spirit. Every believer, every member of God’s church of God’s family has been given God’s spirit as a deposit to guarantee their future glorification. In whom we have been established, anointed, sealed, and are guaranteed that on the day of redemption at the return of Christ we will be caught up with Him in the air!

Between now and then, our logistical plans may changed, but our final destination and doctrine are not yes and no, but yes in Christ, therefore we ought to be united in Him for the good of the church and the glory of God!

III. Love for the Church of God (1:23-2:4)

A. Love with labor

23 But I call God tow witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth.

24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

B. Love with compassion

2:1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you that my joy would be the joy of you all.

C. Love with affliction

4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.