II Corinthians 1:17 When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?
18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
The apostle Paul was not an entertainer. His work was far too important for such foolishness. The souls of the people were too precious to waste time on frivolity. Paul did not look to appease the flesh.
Far too much preaching is designed to make the hearers feel good about themselves. Paul warned of this in II Timothy 4. He knew that even in his time, people were looking for smooth talkers. He was directed by God to warn that this attitude would increase over time. We are certainly living in such a time today.
When men like Joel Osteen can draw thousands into his stadium, you know they are not looking for truth. When Kenneth Copeland and Donny Swaggart can draw crowds to hear their lies, you know they are not looking for truth. Those are just a few of the thousands of men and women who are deceiving the masses.
Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
God warned of this in the Old Testament. The attitude is: ‘don’t tell me I am wrong. I do not want to hear that. I want someone who will endorse my course in life and applaud me for my wisdom, etc.’ That is what is happening too often today.
In I Corinthians, Paul was directed by God to address the carnality among the Corinthian saints. They were cliquish and they were also tolerating immorality. That had to stop.
Paul also reminded the saints that his message was not confusing. It was not double-speak. What he said was directly from God and God is never confusing.
In verse 18 Paul continued to remind the recipients that their words to the people was in truth. God was their witness.
In verse 19 we get further information on the “we” and the “our” in this book. We see here that Silvanus was also with Paul and Timothy. Their message was true and it was assertive. It was God’s Word and thus it could not be anything but true.
In verse 20 Paul continued this thought. There is never an occasion to doubt what God has said. We know that this is a common tendency with man. We know that when Paul was converted on the road to Damascus that he sat in Damascus for three days, blind and alone. Ananias was told to go and pray over him that he receive his sight. Ananias’ first response was to point out who Saul was. God told him he was a changed man and did not need to be feared any longer. Ananias, being a faithful servant of God accepted this assurance and went to Saul and prayed over him and helped him there.
The writers who have been busy corrupting God’s Word will be held accountable for the confusion they have caused regarding God’s Word. Most people have no confidence in God’s Word. They are confused by the many voices they have heard. Many have decided to write it off as unworthy of serious consideration. Most people who attend some religious service do so for entertainment. They like the music and they like the atmosphere. It is a nice place to meet friends and hear a short pep talk. Few attend because they are actually wanting to know the Lord.
That is God’s design for a true local church. You notice in verse 21 that Jesus Christ’s design for the local church is to “stablish” the saints. That is another way to say ‘establish’. God wants His children to be well grounded, and able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 4 tells us that God:
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
No one reading this devotional can say they have been perfected already. Some are reading these because they want to know the truth. Others are curious. Some read them occasionally, just to see what he said today. Some have left and do not want to hear any more.
I am not the source of truth. I am only a messenger whose duty it is to proclaim the Truth. The Truth is God/Jesus. The Truth is God’s Word. Not the multiplicity of perversions, but for the English speaking world, it is the KJV.
We see in verse 21 that true saints have been anointed by God. The Greek word translated as “anointed” here means to smear or to rub with oil, to consecrate”. True saints are different. That is a fact. True saints begin to reflect the image of the true Son of God.
In verse 22 we see that we are also sealed and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The true saint does not pray for the Holy Spirit. He accepts the fact that he/she was given the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. That gift does not cause him or her to start to babble or roll in the aisle or fall down slain. The evidence is the changed life that is a genuine improvement from what the person was prior to salvation. Changes will continue as the person grows in the Lord. The true child of God has the assurance of his/her salvation by the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit in their heart. They seek after Truth. They seek out a good church where they can grow in the Lord. They desire to talk to others about the Lord. They want to see people saved.
In verses 23-24 Paul continued to reveal the purpose for his delay in coming to them. I Corinthians had much rebuke in it. God saw the changed heart of the saints. He delayed Paul’s coming so that he could come with a different tone. We need to be reminded that the apostles were directed to finish the Scriptures. They were evangelists who preached in various places. They needed to be directed by the Spirit of the Lord. They could not be vengeful or mean-spirited. God wants His children to grow in Him. He knows just how much rebuking a person needs. He knows how much time to give after the rebuke so that His Holy Spirit can work with the Word to affect the right change in the recipient.
In verse 24 Paul reminded the saints that they did not have dominion over the recipients’ faith. Godly pastors need to preach with conviction. Godly leaders are not dictators. They speak the truth and they leave the people to choose whether they want to accept the truth or not. They do not apologize for the truth. They understand that the truth will be offensive to those who do not want to hear it. True spiritual leaders are there to help the saints to grow stronger in the Lord, and help the lost to see the need to accept God’s Truth alone. When we grow stronger, naturally our joy in the Lord increases. The saints in Corinth stood by faith in God. It was not faith in the apostles, but in God.
The same is true today. True saints stand in the faith of God. Too many people have rejected God and they stand in the faith of their favourite heretic. They might change heretics but they just go from one to another. Rarely do we see some move away from that cycle. Praise God, a few do repent and get saved and start to serve the true and living God.
Our prayer is to be an encouragement to each one that reads these devotionals.
Pastor Bartel