The grace of God is not only gives us everything we need to meet the challenges of life, but it has enabled us to conduct out lives in holiness and godly sincerity. My conscience is clean in this matter, although I want you to understand that in “boasting” about this, I am boasting about the grace of God, not myself. We have always done business in this way, especially where you are concerned.
I know that there are people in Corinth who are slandering me right now and they are doing everything they can to twist my words, so I want to speak clearly and plainly with you. I am not that hard to understand. Don’t look for hidden meanings in my words. I’m a “what you see is what you get” kind of a man.
If you look for hidden or double meanings, or if you listen to what the people who are lying about me are saying about what I supposedly really mean, you won’t grasp the full import of what I am really saying to you. And I want to make this clear from the very beginning: when we stand before our Master in judgment, I honestly believe that I am going to be just as proud of you as you are going to be proud of me.
I feel this way because I am certain, once all of the confusion is past, and you really understand what you need to do, that you will do the right thing. Being confident of that, I originally planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then again on my way back. I was thinking that the two visits would be a kind of a double blessing for both of us.
My intentions here were quite firm. A spirit filled man isn’t the least bit wishy-washy the way some people are who operate while being dominated by the power of sin operating in their bodies. I think if you examine my track record you will find that I am a man talks out of both sides of his mouth, saying “yes” one minute and “no” the next.
Our character in dealing with you is a reflection of the character of the God who indwells us and is transforming us into His image. He is a rock. He is absolutely, utterly reliable. He doesn’t say “yes” then change His mind, and neither do we.
Silvanus, Timothy, and I preached Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to you, and through Christ God is saying one big, final “Yes!” to you!
Through Jesus Christ God has said “Yes!” to every promise He can make and every blessing He has to give to us! And as we experience God’s faithfulness we glorify Him by celebrating His faithfulness.
Let me once again put this into perspective by putting God in His proper place, at the center of everything. God called us and told us to bring the message to you. Then He poured out His Spirit on us so that the words we spoke to you conveyed the very power of the Holy Spirit. You responded to the life and power of God in that message and came to live your lives as we do, “in Christ.” We live for Him and He lives in and through us.
This wasn’t just some “decision” we made to become Christians, it was the power of God working to permanently and radically transform us. It’s like when you want to seal a letter by pouring a little puddle of wax and then pressing your ring into the wax as it hardens. The imprint of the ring is preserved in the wax. Brothers and sisters, we are the wax and God’s Spirit is like the ring. He has put His mark on us. What God has already done in your life is like a down payment of everything He is planning to do in you, through you, and for you in this life and in the life to come!
So I can hear my critics saying, “Paul, if God is faithful, and His empowering life is inside of you like you say it is, then why didn’t you come to see us the way you said you were going to? You’re a hypocrite Paul. You’re not really who or what you say you are!” To that I can only respond by saying that while God is transforming my character, I’m still mortal. I’m not omniscient. I received new information about conditions in Corinth that made me decide not to visit at this time; but I made this decision because I thought it was best for you, not out of any selfishness on my part.
If I had come at that time, I would have had to exercise my direct authority and probably would have had to excommunicate some people but, I thought there would be a better way to handle this situation than making a direct visit. Everything I do is designed to help you come to the place where your faith is like a rock and your hearts are filled with joy!
But I will admit to at least some measure of selfish motivation in my decision to change my mind and not to come and visit you immediately. There were issues that had to be dealt with and that could not be done without causing a considerable amount of stress and some serious emotional turmoil. There was no way I was going to put all of us through that in a direct confrontation if there was some other way to deal with the situation.
You people are so precious to me, and under normal circumstances coming to visit you causes my heart to overflow with joy – which wouldn’t have been the case if I had to come and see you.
But I thought there might be a better way to handle it, so I wrote you a letter. The bottom line is that I am confident that you will take the difficult steps and do the right thing as long as you are clear in your own minds about what needs to be done. That way you would be able to resolve the situation, and when I finally visited you on my way back from Macedonia, we could devote all of our time together to the joyful fellowship we have in Christ, and not have to deal with these painful matters.
It wasn’t an easy letter to write; I literally wept as I wrote it. And even though I asked you to take some difficult steps, I trust that you were able to sense that my only motivation in writing was one of love and concern for you.
Now, I know that we are all heart-broken about the Christian brother who got himself involved in that disgraceful sexual situation, but I am very proud of the way you handled it.
You excluded him from the Lord’s table and cut all social ties with him, and now I hear that he has repented! That brings this whole matter to an end. Welcome him back. Comfort him. Never refer to this matter again. It’s over with. Make sure that he understands that he has been welcomed back into the full warm embrace of Christian fellowship.
I am very pleased at the way you handled this situation; your obedience is a real display of Christian growth and maturity.
As for our newly restored brother, make sure he knows that you forgive him, that I have forgiven him, and that Christ Himself has forgiven him.
His full restoration to your fellowship will keep Satan from sneaking in and taking advantage of this situation, which is exactly what the Evil One intends to do if we drop our guard for even a moment.
