2 Corinthians 1:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But here he declares another virtue of his. What is it? "Wherever we lived," he says, "we everywhere acted according to a pure and sincere conscience. This contributes not a little to our rest and comfort, and not only to comfort, but to something far greater than comfort, namely praise."

He spoke this to the faithful both to teach them not to lose heart in afflictions, but to rejoice if only they have a pure conscience, and also, in part, to expose the false apostles before them.

As in the first Epistle he said, "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be made void" (1 Cor 1:17). And, "that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (1 Cor 2:5), so here also he says, "not in wisdom, but by the grace of God."

Moreover, by the words "not in wisdom" he hints at something else: not by deception and seduction. In this way he puts worldly instruction to shame.

"Our boast," he says, "is the testimony of our conscience." That is, our conscience has no cause to condemn us as criminals persecuted for evil deeds.

"Even if," he says, "we endure countless calamities, even if attacks and dangers threaten us from every side, one testimony of a pure conscience is enough for our comfort. It is enough not only for comfort, but also for receiving a crown.

"It tells us that we endure these calamities not for any crime, but for what is pleasing to God, for virtue, for true philosophy, and for the salvation of many."

Therefore the first comfort, of which the Apostle spoke above, flowed from God. This one, of which he now speaks, came from themselves and was the fruit of their pure life.

For this reason he calls this comfort a boast, because it was the fruit of their virtue.

In what does this boast consist, and what does our conscience testify to us? "In simplicity and godly sincerity." That is, we did nothing craftily, hypocritically, falsely, flatteringly, maliciously, deceptively, seductively, or from any similar motives.

Rather, we always acted with complete freedom, simplicity, truth, purity, and innocence of heart, with a guileless soul. We had nothing that needed to be hidden, nothing shameful.

"Not according to fleshly wisdom." That is, without craft and deceit, without elaborate words and subtly woven arguments. This precisely is what he calls fleshly wisdom.

Therefore the very thing by which the false apostles were puffed up is what he rejects and despises. By this he clearly shows that fleshly thinking is unworthy of praise, and that he not only does not seek it, but is even ashamed of it and turns away from it.

"But by the grace of God we lived in the world." What does "by the grace of God" mean? It means by the wisdom and power given to us by God, manifested in miracles and in victory over sages, rhetoricians, philosophers, kings, and nations.

This happened although we are unlearned men and have borrowed nothing from worldly wisdom. This was no small comfort and boast: to know that they acted not by human power, but accomplished everything by the grace of God.

"In the world." This was so not only in Corinth, but throughout the whole inhabited world. "And more abundantly toward you." What does "more abundantly toward you" mean? It means: by the grace of God we lived.

"Among you," he says, "we performed more miracles and signs, kept greater watchfulness, and cared for a blameless way of life." The Apostle calls this also the grace of God, attributing even his own struggles to it.

There in Corinth he performed a work beyond obligation when, sparing the weakness of the Corinthians, he preached the Gospel among them without any recompense from them.

We also acted in sincerity and openness of mind, having nothing that needed to be hidden, and nothing shameful. This is what God accepts. He said this with the treacherous false apostles in mind.

"Not by fleshly wisdom." That is, without elaborate words and cunningly woven thoughts. For fleshly wisdom is such, and they are puffed up by it. He rejects and despises it.

"But by the grace of God, we conducted ourselves in the world." That is, by the wisdom given by God, and by the signs and wonders that occurred through the grace of God.

The greatest consolation is when someone has the testimony within himself that he does everything not by human power, but by the grace of God. And they lived so not only in Corinth, but in the whole world.

"And more abundantly toward you." How so? The Apostle preached the gospel to them not only with signs, but also without any payment from them. Notice how he refers his own actions to the grace of God.

The only true virtue is that which strives toward the end in which man's good consists, a good compared with which there is nothing better.

Therefore the honors for which Cato asked should not have been requested by him. The commonwealth itself should have given them to him for his virtue, without his asking.

Nor did he wish to act toward them as he would have acted if he had only wanted to exercise lordship over their faith. That would mean behaving as master over the whole order of their religious life.

On the contrary, he wanted to give them time to prepare for a more joyful meeting together. Since they were firm in faith, but had stumbled only in life and conduct, he decided to avoid every occasion for severity.

Instead, he wished to help their joy. Therefore he left it to them to hold judgment and discipline over the one who had greatly grieved both him and them, namely the incestuous man.

But since the offender repented, the Apostle adds at this point that it is better to forgive him. Otherwise Satan might triumph, for his devices are not unknown.

This grace was especially manifested in various wondrous gifts and great signs of the divine dignity of Christian preaching. By the grace of God, according to Bishop Theophan, "the Apostle means not only elevation, purity, and detachment from selfish strivings, but also the manifestation of God's power through them."

Saint John Chrysostom remarks, "The Apostles were not without reason comforted and boasted in this. They were assured in themselves that they acted not by human power, but accomplished everything by the grace of God."

"They did this not only in Corinth, but in the whole inhabited world. For he says, 'we conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.' What does 'more abundantly toward you' mean? It means, by the grace of God we conducted ourselves."

"Among you we performed more wonders and signs, and we were especially careful to conduct ourselves so as not to deserve reproach from you." For it is known that in Corinth he renounced his rights regarding the support of preachers of the word of God.

It is noteworthy that when the Apostle speaks of this circumstance (1 Cor 9:15), he proceeds from the fact that no one could make his boasting void.

Here too he speaks of boasting, but more positively. He affirms not only that, in the awareness of his pure conscience, he can be an object of boasting for them.

He is also certain that the Corinthians partly recognize this. Above all, he hopes that it will be fully revealed on the day of the common judgment of the Lord.

Then, for the Apostles too, those who believed through them will be their best boasting. Thus, besides himself, the Apostle calls the Corinthians themselves as witnesses of his sincerity and constant faithfulness to himself, and points to Jesus Christ Himself.

"Thus," says Saint John Chrysostom in the Apostle's name, "although we are now afflicted, we have no small consolation, both from a good conscience and from the revelation expected then."

"Now our conscience alone knows that in everything we act by the grace of God, as you also know and will yet know. But then all men will know both our deeds and yours, and will see that we are glorified through one another."

"For our boast is this," he says. The boast is what he said before: "in whom we trust that He will still deliver us" (see 2 Cor 1:10). To boast in this way, I have a foundation in the testimony of conscience. Here, therefore, "boast" is the same as boldness. Theodoret writes: "The testimony of conscience gives us boldness to hope for deliverance from dangers."

Or "boast" means inward consolation. God delivered and will deliver, but until deliverance comes, for this has its own appointed term, we are upheld by the awareness that we suffer without guilt. This gives us courageous and cheerful endurance of sorrows.

Saint Chrysostom says: "Here the Apostle reveals another means of consolation for us, one not at all insignificant, but very important. It can encourage the soul even when calamities oppress it. He shows another virtue of his own. Which one? That wherever we lived, he says, we always conducted ourselves according to a pure and sincere conscience. This contributes not a little to our calm and consolation. The Apostle says this to the faithful in order to teach them not to lose heart in afflictions, but to rejoice, provided only that they have a pure conscience. 'Our boast,' he says, is 'the testimony of our conscience.' That is, our conscience has no reason to condemn us as criminals pursued for evil deeds. For, he says, even if we suffer countless calamities, even if attacks and dangers threaten us from every side, the testimony of a pure conscience is enough for our consolation. It tells us that we suffer these calamities not for any crime, but for pleasing God, for virtue, for true philosophy, and for the salvation of many. Therefore the first consolation, of which the Apostle spoke above, flowed from God. This one, of which he now speaks, came from them themselves and was the fruit of their pure life. Because this latter consolation was the fruit of their virtue, he also calls it his boast."

In what exactly did the boast consist, and what did conscience testify? "That in simplicity and godly purity we lived." "We lived," anestraphemen, means that we moved among others, bore ourselves in relations with others, and acted upon them and before them. "In simplicity," haplotetos, means with a childlike simplicity, without guile, hiding no designs, open just as it is. "In purity," eilikrineia, means sincerely, inwardly and outwardly. Neither word, nor deed, nor expression, nor anything external in us differs from what is in our heart. "Godly" means either Godlike, or pleasing to God, as Theophylact says, or given by God and manifested as before God.

Thus the Apostle says here: "We did nothing treacherously, hypocritically, or in pretense, neither from flattery, nor maliciously, nor for deception and seduction, nor from other similar motives. Rather, we always acted with all freedom, simplicity, truth, purity, and innocence of heart, sincerely and from the soul. We had nothing that needed to be hidden, nothing shameful" (Saint Chrysostom).

"Not in fleshly wisdom." Here "flesh" means the life which the Fathers call external. The wisdom of this life consists in using every contrivance to maintain good relations with others and family prosperity. It masks itself and carefully covers its aims, which are all concentrated on living always for one's own pleasure, pursuing one's own interests, and not losing face. It spares no one and nothing that appears as an obstacle on the path, yet it covers even this with plausibility. This wisdom has in view neither virtue nor the glory of God, but only the satisfaction of egoism. Egoism gives birth to it, nourishes it, and perfects it. It is crafty in words, and still craftier in the conduct of its affairs. If all its intricate devices were exposed even in one case, we would be amazed and would not believe that a person could be so cunning by himself. For this reason we have the saying, "The evil one taught him." This saying is not without reason, for it expresses the truth.

Could such wisdom appear in the spirit of the Apostles, who were filled with the Spirit of God? Saint Paul denies this when he says: we did not always act in fleshly wisdom, "that is, without treachery and deceit, without elaborate words and intricately woven reasonings. Therefore the very thing in which the false apostles were puffed up is what the Apostle Paul rejects and despises. By this he clearly shows that fleshly wisdom is unworthy of praise, and that he himself not only does not seek it, but is ashamed of it and turns away from it" (Saint Chrysostom).

"But by the grace of God we lived in the world." That is, we lived as God's grace inspired us, as it guided us, and as it acted in us. Life in grace, en chariti, is opposed to the preceding life according to fleshly wisdom. The holy Fathers distinguish three degrees, or classes, of life, in which one and the same person may at times move. One is fleshly life, as described above. It is called life below nature, and even contrary to nature. Another is virtuous life, according to the demands of conscience, possible even outside grace. It is called natural life. The third is the life of grace, which begins, matures, and manifests itself in many ways only by the action of the grace of God. It is called life above nature and is possible only in true Christianity, forming its distinguishing mark.

This life is completely opposed to life according to the wisdom of the flesh. In it nothing is done for oneself, but everything for the glory of God and the good of others. Nothing is done according to one's own inventions, but everything according to the inspiration of grace. Whatever is done is not done by one's own powers, but by grace, which takes the person's own powers only as instruments for the manifestation of its actions. Those who possess it live in mind and heart in God alone. He lives in them, and through them He acts also outside them. But where God is, the limits of nature give way. Therefore such a life is not without wonderworking. Especially among the Apostles could it not be without this.

Therefore, when Saint Paul says, "We lived by the grace of God," he means not only moral height, purity, and detachment, but also the manifestation of God's power through them. Saint Chrysostom says on this: "What does 'by the grace of God' mean? It means by the wisdom and power given to us by God. We proved these by miracles, and by the victory we gained over wise men, rhetoricians, philosophers, and kings, we who were unlearned and had borrowed nothing from human wisdom. The Apostles were not without reason consoled by this and boasted in it. They were certain in themselves that they did not act by human power, but accomplished everything by the grace of God, and not only in Corinth, but in the whole world. For he says, 'We lived in the world, and more abundantly among you.' What does 'more abundantly among you' mean? It means that we lived by the grace of God. Among you, he says, we performed more miracles and signs. We observed greater caution and took special care to conduct ourselves so as not to deserve reproach from you. The Apostle attributes even this last point to the grace of God, ascribing to it his own actions as well. It is known that in Corinth he renounced his rights concerning the support of preachers of the word of God (1 Cor 9), and, sparing the weakness of the Corinthians, preached the Gospel without any payment from them."

According to Saint Chrysostom, then, "more abundantly among you" refers not only to "by the grace of God," but also to "in simplicity and godly purity" and to "not in fleshly wisdom." Since he derives these latter features from the grace of God. He said generally that among you our life was distinguished and shone more abundantly by the grace of God.