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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 1:15-22
Second Corinthians 1:15-22 is part of the long introduction to this book. We have pointed out that Paul wrote such a long introduction in order to calm down the Corinthian believers and to soothe them. The complicated Corinthians talked about Paul and even criticized him. Some may have said, “Paul told us that he would come to Corinth, but he has not yet come. Paul seems to be changeable; he says yes one day and no the next day. Thus, Paul is not faithful or trustworthy. Let him say whatever he wants. He always changes his word.” Because this was the situation with at least some of the Corinthians, Paul included 1:15-22 in his word of introduction.
Verse 15 says, “And in this confidence I intended to come to you previously that you might have a second grace.” By “this confidence” Paul is referring to what he has just said in verses 12 through 14: the testimony of his conscience that he and his co-workers conducted themselves in the singleness and sincerity of God, not in human wisdom, but in the grace of God. It was in this confidence Paul intended to come to the Corinthians. His intention and decision to visit Corinth were not political or changeable. Paul and his co-workers did not live in such a way. On the contrary, they lived in the singleness and sincerity of God. Their yes was yes, and their no was no. They did not say yes at one time and no at another.
In verse 15 Paul speaks of the Corinthians having a second grace. This is a double grace by the apostle’s coming to Corinth twice, once referred to in this verse, and again, referred to in the next verse. Through the apostle’s coming, the grace of God, that is, the imparting of God as the life supply and spiritual enjoyment, is bestowed upon the believers. His two comings would bring them a double portion of such grace.
Verse 16 says, “And through you to pass through into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be sent forward to Judea.” Macedonia was a province of the Roman Empire, north of Achaia, in which were the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica.
In verse 17 Paul asks, “This therefore intending, did I then use fickleness? Or the things which I resolve, do I resolve according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes and no, no?” Fickleness here means changeableness, turning from one thing to another. Here Paul indicates that he did not use fickleness; he did not change from yes to no and from no to yes. Furthermore, he did not resolve according to the flesh. To resolve is stronger than to decide. Paul was not two-faced. He did not say yes and no at the same time, for he did not resolve anything according to the flesh.
In verse 18 Paul declares, “But God is faithful, that our word toward you is not yes and no.” “But” gives a contrast. In the preceding verse the apostle refers to the charge that he is a man of yes and no. In this verse he defends himself by saying that God is faithful, so that the word of their preaching is not yes and no. Hence, neither are they fickle persons of yes and no. Their being is according to their preaching. They lived according to what they preached. The word of the apostles’ preaching (1 Cor. 1:18) in verse 18, their word toward the Corinthians, was their message concerning Christ (v. 19).
In verse 18 Paul indicates that he was one with God. Paul did not use fickleness; he did not say yes and then no. Rather, he was the same as God in being faithful. His word toward the Corinthians, the word of his ministry, was not yes and no. Paul did not change his tune. From the first time he came to the Corinthians until the writing of this Epistle, his preaching sounded the same note. There was no change at all in the word of the ministry.
In verse 19 Paul continues, “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, Who was preached among you through us, through me and Sylvanus and Timothy, did not become yes and no, but in Him is yes.” “For” indicates that what follows is an explanation of what is mentioned in the preceding verse. God is faithful, never changing, especially in His promises concerning Christ, so that the word the apostles preached concerning Christ is likewise never changing, because the very Christ whom God promised in His faithful word and whom they preached in their gospel did not become yes and no, but in Him is yes. Since the Christ whom they preached according to God’s promises did not become yes and no, the word they preached concerning Him was not yes and no. Not only their preaching but also their living was according to what Christ is. They preached Christ and lived Him. They were not men of yes and no, but men who were the same as Christ.
In verse 20 Paul says, “For whatever promises of God there are, in Him is the Yes; wherefore also through Him is the Amen to God, for glory through us.” “For” again gives the reason for what is mentioned in the preceding verse. Christ, whom the faithful God promised and whom the sincere apostles preached, did not become yes and no, did not change, because in Him is the Yes of all the promises of God, and through Him is the apostles’ and believers’ Amen to God for His glory. Christ is the Yes, the incarnate answer, the fulfillment of all the promises of God to us. The Amen here is the Amen given by us through Christ to God (see 1 Cor. 14:16). Christ is the Yes, and we say Amen to this Yes before God. The phrase “for glory” means for the glory of God. When we say Amen before God to the fact that Christ is the Yes, the fulfillment, of all the promises of God, this is a glory to God through us.
The “us” in verse 20 refers not only to the apostles, who preached Christ according to God’s promises, but also to the believers, who received Christ according to the apostles’ preaching. Through both there is glory for God when they say Amen to Christ as the great Yes of all God’s promises.
It is not a matter of great importance to decide to go to a certain place. This certainly cannot compare with a major decision like the decision to get married. Nevertheless, the Corinthians criticized Paul over such a small matter. Some of them probably said, “Paul said that he would come to Corinth, but he hasn’t come. This proves that he is a man of yes and no.” Paul defended himself against this accusation. Thus, even in this Epistle of encouragement, there is an aspect of argument and vindication.
In these verses Paul seems to be saying, “You Corinthians are mistaken. When I resolved to come to Corinth, I did not resolve by myself or in myself; I resolved with the unchanging Christ of the faithful God.” In his vindication Paul speaks of God and of Christ, indicating to the complicated Corinthians that he was absolutely one with God and with Christ. God is faithful, and Paul also was faithful. Christ, the Son of God, is unchanging, and Paul, a person who was one with this Christ, was also unchanging. He resolved not according to human wisdom, but in oneness with the faithful God and the unchanging Christ. In these verses we have a strong indication that Paul was living absolutely in Christ and in God. He was one with God and with Christ.
First Corinthians is a revelation of what God is seeking today. God is seeking a people who live Christ and who are one with Him. Such a people eventually become the church. Do you know what the church is? The church is a collective people who live Christ and who are one with God. To have such a people is the desire of God’s heart, and it is what He purposed to have in eternity. It is revealed in brief in 1 Corinthians, where Paul was urging the believers to forget Judaism, Greek philosophy, and human wisdom and culture and realize that what God desires is a people who live Christ and who are one with God. Then in 2 Corinthians Paul shows them that he himself and his co-workers were such persons. All the apostles were people who were one with God and were living Christ. Therefore, even in the insignificant matter of resolving to go to a certain place, Paul resolved not in himself, but in Christ and with Christ. He did not have any intention which was apart from God or separate from Him. No, Paul was one with the faithful God, and he lived the unchanging Christ. His intention to come to the Corinthians was resolved in oneness with the unchanging Christ of the faithful God.
In verse 21 Paul goes on to say, “But He Who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God.” The apostles, who preached Christ according to God’s promises and lived Christ according to their preaching, and the believers, who received Christ according to the apostles’ preaching, are joined to Christ, becoming one with Him, through whom they say Amen before God to the great Yes of God’s promises, which is Christ Himself. However, they do not attach themselves, but God attaches them all together to Christ. Their being one with Christ is of God and by God, not of themselves and by themselves.
By the use of the word “but” in verse 21 Paul introduces a contrast. Paul has just indicated that he was one with the faithful God and that he lived the unchanging Christ. Why, then, does he introduce the next verse with a “But?” “But” used in this way often involves an unfavorable contrast. Paul uses “but” to indicate that even his being one with God and living Christ were not of himself or by himself. For this reason, Paul seems to be saying, “Yes, I am one with God and I live Christ. But this is not of me; it is of God, who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and who has anointed us. My being one with God and living Christ are of God, not of myself. I have no ground to boast concerning this. Any boast must be of God Himself.”
In verse 21 Paul speaks of being firmly attached with the believers unto Christ, the anointed One (Dan. 9:26; John 1:41). The Greek words rendered “firmly attaches us with you” can also be rendered “firmly connects us with you.” Literally, the word attaches means establishes. God establishes the apostles with the believers in Christ. This means that God attaches the apostles together with the believers unto Christ, connecting the apostles and the believers with Christ, the anointed One. Hence, the apostles and the believers are one not only with Christ the anointed One, but also with one another, sharing together the anointing of Christ which He has received of God. Since we have been attached by God unto Christ, the anointed One, we are spontaneously anointed with Him by God.
Verses 21 and 22 are deep and profound. Although the Greek word rendered attaches in verse 21 is establishes, the true meaning of the word here is not establish; it is attach. Here Paul is saying that God attaches us unto Christ; he does not refer to being established in Christ.
We should not take this verse for granted or assume that we understand it. What does Paul mean when he says that God “firmly attaches us with you unto Christ”? The word “us” denotes the apostles, and “you” refers to the believers. God attaches the apostles together with the believers not in Christ, but unto Christ. Apparently there is no difference in saying that God attaches us to Christ or unto Christ. Actually, the preposition “unto” used here is stronger than the preposition “to,” for “unto” implies a result, a particular end that is in view. For example, we have been justified unto life. This means that justification results in life, that justification is with a view to life. Here Paul is saying that God attaches the apostles with the believers with a certain result in view. This result is that we are unto Christ.
In Greek Christ means the anointed One. Christ is actually the anglicized form of the Greek word. Christ, the anointed One, is full of ointment, full of anointing. Hallelujah, God attaches the apostles with all the believers to this anointed One! Because we have been attached to Him, the ointment flows in us.
Verse 21 says that God firmly attaches us and has anointed us. How does God anoint us? He anoints us by attaching us to the anointed One. Again we may use electricity and electrical appliances as an illustration. There is no need for the power plant to supply electricity directly to the lamp. Once the lamp is properly attached by having the plug inserted in the socket, the electricity flows into it. Likewise, we are anointed by being attached to Christ, the anointed One. As believers, we have all received the Spirit in this way. If anyone asks you if you have received the Spirit, you may want to reply, “I have been attached to the anointed One, and daily I receive the Spirit. I am anointed day by day.”
Paul realized that he could be one with the faithful God and live Christ because he had been attached to Christ and anointed by God. Because God anointed him by attaching him to Christ, he could be one with Christ and one with the faithful God. To declare such a word is the proper preaching of the full gospel.
Praise the Lord, we have been attached to the anointed One! Because we have been joined to the universal anointed One, we have been anointed also. In the universe there is only One who has been anointed by God. This One is Christ, the anointed One. Now we are all in this anointed One. We have been anointed by being attached to Him. Now because we have been attached to the anointed One, we can be one with the God of resurrection and live a life of resurrection.
In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul speaks of being members of Christ. What does it mean to be a member of Christ? It means that we are part of the anointed One. Hallelujah, we all are part of the anointed One, for God has attached us to Him!
I would call your attention to the fact that in verse 21 “attaches” is present tense, whereas “has anointed” is perfect tense. This is quite unusual. It indicates that the anointing took place before the attaching. This should cause us to ask this question: When were we anointed? The answer is that we were anointed when Christ was anointed. When the Head was anointed, the Body was anointed also. Psalm 133 illustrates this. The ointment poured upon Aaron’s head flowed down to the beard and then to the skirts of his garments. Likewise, the anointing on the Head flows down to the Body. Because we were anointed when Christ was anointed, we were anointed even before we were born. However, it is during our lifetime that God attaches us to Christ. God attaches us in this present age, but He anointed us long before we were born, when Christ Himself was anointed. To repeat, as members of the Body, we were anointed at the same time the Head was anointed. If we understand this, we shall understand why the verbs “attaches” and “has anointed” are in different tenses.
In verse 22, another deep and profound word, Paul goes on to say of God, “Who has also sealed us and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.” The anointing in the preceding verse is the sealing. Since God has anointed us with Christ, He has also sealed us in Him.
We should not regard the sealing as something separate from the anointing. Actually, anointing implies sealing. As we are under the anointing, the anointing becomes a sealing. In this way we become different from others. Furthermore, the seal causes us to bear the appearance of God. Suppose, for example, that I place a certain mark on a piece of paper with a rubber stamp and ink. Immediately the paper is sealed and bears the image of the stamp. The seal is the image. In the same principle, when God anoints us, the anointing is the sealing. The anointing brings the divine essence into us, just as the rubber stamp applies the element of the ink to the paper. First God through the anointing adds the essence of Himself to us. Then this anointing seals us with the essence of God and makes us the image of God.
In verse 22 Paul also says that God has given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts. The pledge of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself as the pledge. Sealing is a mark that we are God’s inheritance, God’s possession, belonging to God. The pledge is a guarantee that God is our inheritance or heritage belonging to us. The Spirit within us is the pledge, an earnest, of God being our portion in Christ.
God’s attaching us to Christ issues in three things: first, an anointing that imparts God’s element into us; second, a sealing that forms the divine element into an impression to express God’s image; and third, a pledging that gives us a foretaste as a sample and guarantee of the full taste of God. Through these experiences of the anointing Spirit, with the experience of the cross, the ministry of Christ is produced.
These three matters — the anointing, the sealing, and the pledging — are actually one. They are one thing with three aspects. First we are anointed, then we are sealed, and then we have the pledge as a guarantee. Hallelujah, we have the essence, the image, and the guarantee! All these are the processed God who is now the Spirit. The Spirit is the oil with which we are anointed, the essence with which we are sealed, and the pledge which guarantees that God belongs to us and that He is our portion. Because we have been anointed and sealed and have received the pledge, we can be one with the faithful God and live Christ. Now we are qualified and equipped to live the unchanging Christ.
According to Paul’s word in verse 22, the pledge of the Spirit is in our hearts. The Spirit as the earnest of God being our portion is a foretaste to us; so here it says that He is in our hearts. Romans 5:5 and Galatians 4:6 refer to the matter of love. Hence, these verses speak of the Spirit in our heart. But Romans 8:16 refers to the work of the Spirit, for it says the Spirit witnesses with our spirit. Our heart is a loving organ, but our spirit is a working one.
