2 Corinthians 1:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

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."

Therefore Oecumenius and Theophylact understand αναγινωσκειν not as reading, but as recalling. The Greek word permits this: αναγνωσις means ανωθεν γνωσις.

The sense will be: we write nothing other than what you yourselves recall and what you know. So also Saint Chrysostom says, "He calls the Corinthians themselves as witnesses to what he says."

"Let no one think," he says, "that my words are self-praise unsupported by deeds. For I tell you only what you yourselves know. You, before all others, must be witnesses that I do not lie."

"For when you read our epistles, you see that what is written in them is the same as what you know of us in reality. Our testimony about ourselves in our epistles does not contradict our deeds."

"On the contrary, what you knew of us before fully agrees with what you read about us in the epistles." The following words, "and I hope that you will understand to the end," are better read in connection with, "as you also have understood us in part."

From the experiences of our dwelling and working among you, you have understood us in part. I hope that you will always understand us in this way.

He wishes to say that, just as until now we have given you no occasion to think us crafty or insincere, so in the future you will meet no such occasions.

As we were, so we are now, and so we shall be. Our word and our manner of acting have always been the same, are the same, and will remain the same.

We do not transmit what is our own or introduce what is our own, but what is God's. And God is unchanging, and His truth is eternal.

Whoever preaches and introduces what is his own may speak and act one way today and another way tomorrow. But we are instruments of God: God is the One Who works in us.