23I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
1So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
Dig Deeper
A few days ago I sent my four-year-old up to clean his room. Even though he is quite capable, he always tries to claim that he can’t do it all by himself. I sent him up and told him that he had five minutes to pick up his toys. I would come in up five minutes and bring some discipline if his room wasn’t picked up. After five minutes, though, I didn’t go up. I sent his older brother up to remind him that he was supposed to be cleaning his room. A few minutes later then, I went up and he had finished. We could celebrate together that he had completed his task. Why didn’t I go up after five minutes? Because I knew that his attention span would waver, that he wouldn’t have completed his task, and that if I went up then, that I would have to make a painful visit focused on discipline. Instead, I gave him a little more time to get things together so that when I did come we could rejoice.
This is something of the idea that Paul is telling the Corinthians here. Paul had changed his plans and had to inform the Corinthians that he was not coming. He didn’t want to risk another painful visit like the last one. This opened him up to his critics, who now claimed that Paul was a coward who refused to face those who opposed him. So, rather than coming to Corinth for his planned lengthy visit, Paul returned to Ephesus where he wrote them a biting letter of warning that he mentions in verses 3 and 4 (a letter that has been lost to history).
So, was Paul’s change of plans a sign of fleshly, scattered thinking or even worse, a sign of cowardice? No, Paul serves a God of patience and mercy. Keep in mind, that Paul is not afraid of exercising his authority and bringing judgment (1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 5:1-13). But before judgment comes mercy. The Bible is replete with examples of God staying his judgment so that people could get their house in order. Paul wants to extend the same opportunity to the Corinthians.
Paul calls God to be his sole witness to the fact that the reason he did not come was to spare them. In fact, the NIV simply drops what Paul actually says, losing the full brunt of his statement. He literally says, “I call God as my witness against my life.” He is willing to put his life on the line to show them that he is sincere. If he comes, he knows that he will find them unprepared as they were in their last visit. The previous letter, and this one, serve the same function as sending the older brother upstairs to remind the little brother to clean his room. Dad is coming soon and you’d better get it together. Paul didn’t fear rejection, he wished to spare them the judgment he would have to enact if he came to them as planned. If he had come in the middle of their rebellion, he would probably have had to throw some of them out of the Church (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-5; 2 Cor. 5:12-13). He wished to avoid that, hoping that the extra time will give them the chance to repent and get things together. No, this wasn’t an act of cowardice, it was a showing of humility and restraint.
He was holding back his authority for their own benefit, not his. He was not going to lord his authority over them. Instead he chose to work with them to bring about joy. Yet, there is some advantage for Paul in handling things this way, and he is up front about it. If he had to make another painful visit, it would be as painful for him as it would be for them. Who would be there to encourage him? Paul’s joy comes from seeing others succeed in Christ. If he has to enact discipline he will, but he would rather that a show of mercy and restraint bring about repentance and the subsequent joy. Their joy is his joy, so if his postponing his plans would give them time to repent and deal with the sinful attitudes, then when he did come, the trip would be a purely joyful one. His previous letter was designed to bring about their renewed faith, which would give Paul reason to rejoice. This would, in turn, give the opportunity for the Corinthians to share in Paul’s joy and rejoice with him.
In doing this, Paul is firmly rejecting the type of worldly authority that either lords it over others, or manipulates them into behaving a certain way. Paul rejects that type of power. He wants nothing to do with it. He prefers to work with the Corinthians as partners. His authority over them is based on and determined by his great love for them. When they suffer, he suffers. When they rejoice, he rejoices. This is exactly the point Paul made to them in 1 Corinthians 12:25, 26: “there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
This is a stern reminder for Christian leaders who can often be tempted to handle difficulties that come up out of frustration or impatience rather than love. Paul is clear that everything he does, he does for the benefit of those he leads. He leads out of love not impatience or frustration. Christian leaders must always remember that those we lead are God’s children and not ours and he demands that we love them. Whether we take actions of mercy or discipline, and Paul took both as the situation needed, we should be acting out of no other motivation than love.
Paul wants no part of attempting to beat the Corinthians into loving God. He would prefer that they serve God because of their love for and faith in Him. Above all, Paul wants to ensure that his actions don’t come between the Corinthians and their faith in God. Instead Paul’s actions are designed to mimic God’s character so that they can see and experience God more fully. What Paul is demonstrating for the Corinthians and for us, is nothing less than true Christian leadership.
Devotional Thought
Paul demonstrated incredible love and patience for the Corinthians throughout this ordeal. Do you operate under the same sense of love and mercy that Paul did? Whether it be in church matters, at work, or with your wife and children, how would you do things differently if behaved (when appropriate) more like Paul did with the Corinthians?
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