One of the great summaries of our hope is found in a surprising context. “For all the promises of God in him (Jesus Christ) are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (II Cor. 1:20). Our Lord is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, the way, the truth and the life. By being in him, we stand related to the full blessings of the everlasting covenant.
Yet the circumstance which evokes this great statement seems trivial –Paul had changed his travel plans.
In sorting out the passage, we are led to a powerful exhortation constantly needed by the best disciples of Christ.
Paul’s motive misjudged
During the third missionary journey, it is evident Paul had notified the Corinthians that he planned to travel from Ephesus directly to Corinth, spend time with them, go north to visit the ecclesias in Macedonia, then return to Corinth before sailing for Judea with funds for the poor brethren in Jerusalem (II Cor. 1:15-16 and see “Notes on the Daily Readings,” Tidings, March, 1993).
He did not follow through on those plans. Instead, he sent Titus to Corinth and then went north from Ephesus up to Troas where he intended to wait until Titus had finished in Corinth (2:12-13; 7:5-7; Acts 20:1-2).
A major issue was made in Corinth about this change in itinerary. That is clearly evident from the fact Paul twice uses the strongest terms in addressing the subject: “But as God is true our word toward you was not yea and nay…Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth” (II Cor. 1:18, 23). He virtually confirms by an oath that his change in plans was not a matter of caprice or slight.
Why make such a big issue out of such a simple matter? The answer becomes evident when we remember II Corinthians is dominated by Paul’s defense of himself against various personal attacks (reference March Tidings). His change in plans had been attributed to fleshly caprice (v. 18).
The argument would go something like this: “Paul tells you what you want to hear without really thinking things out. This change in plans is a perfect example. The same is true of his teaching which he tries to make desirable to both Jews and Gentiles. Furthermore, if you were really important to Paul, he would never delay his visit here.”
Paul’s motives had been totally misjudged. He was delaying his visit to Corinth to spare them his apostolic censure: “To spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth…But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness” (1:23; 2:1). And he did not alter his gospel to curry personal favor with his audience. Both Jews and Gentiles did find their full benefit in Christ. There was absolutely no inconsistency in pointing out the fulfillment of the law to the one group and the freedom from legal entanglements to the other.
Believers susceptible to the argument
It is not difficult, however, to see why the Corinthian ecclesia might accept the questioning of Paul’s motives. These were brethren and sisters who had come to an understanding of the first principles of Bible truth. One of the basic truths is that man is not inherently good; the believer understands that the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). This was true of every man’s heart, even Paul’s.
In addition, the more sincere the disciple, the more he is constantly scrutinizing his own heart. When he does so, he sees points of hypocrisy; he recognizes times when he pretends to be what he is not; he comes face to face with the fact his own motives are sometimes a mixture of spiritual and carnal thinking.
The exercise of self examination is highly beneficial. The difficulty is that the more a man demands of himself, the more critical he can become of others, including apparently earnest disciples like Paul.
Illustrating the problem
There was a real danger in the suspicions against Paul, not for the apostle but for those who were judging him. Changing travel plans is not a sin. The reasons for doing so might have been wrong, as Paul’s critics claimed, or they might have been highly spiritual, as was the case. No one would really know unless they could evaluate his heart.
As circumstances developed, Paul’s eventual visit to Corinth proved his critics wrong. Yet being exposed as wrong was not their biggest problem. A more serious concern was the fact that “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged” (Matt. 7:2).
By suspecting the worst of Paul in an ambiguous situation, they were inviting the Lord to judge them in the same way.
The same applies to us.
Two contemporary examples
We remember a young brother who was working on an advanced degree. Some of his peers thought he was on an ego trip; he contended the qualifications would give him flexibility in getting a teaching job so he could potentially help a small ecclesia. Ironically, his severest critics were young brethren who were intensely introspective themselves and highly critical of their own motives. They felt if they were susceptible to self-deception, so was their fellow brother.
Who was correct? The brother got his degree but never did teach. He ended up in the business world and retired early to the mission field. Whether or not his motives were right while he was pursuing an education, we won’t know until the judgment seat. But we do know that his critics were guessing at the condition of his heart, suspecting the worst, which jeopardized them before the Lord.
A second example is the time of Sunday lectures — should they be in the afternoon or evening. Each side can be highly judgmental of the other, suspecting them of seeking their own convenience rather than the benefit of others or of attracting visitors.
Not naive
This is not a call to be naive about the human heart. The apostle Paul was fully willing to say some were “…of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness.” The difference between this and the other situations is that he was not guessing at their hearts. These were people who openly “teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words” (I Tim. 6:3-4).
There is no danger in opposing false teaching; in fact, the danger is in failing to do so. But there is a great danger in suspecting the worst about our brethren when all we are doing is guessing at their motives.
We stand related to great and precious promises in our Lord Jesus. Let us not destroy our opportunity to participate in them by judging one another before he comes “…who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts…” (I Cor. 4:3-5).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One