2 Corinthians 1:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"By contrast, a minister of the Spirit of God, led and governed by Him, cannot always be master of his own will, since he depends on the authority of the Spirit.

"The same happens to him as to a faithful slave, who only carries out the commands of his master. He has no authority over himself and knows no rest even for a little while.

"At times he promises something to his fellow servants, but afterward does not fulfill his promise when it proves contrary to his master's will."

This is what the Apostle's words mean: "I do not purpose according to the flesh." That is, "I am under the governance of the Spirit of God, and I have no authority to go where I wish.

"I am subject to the authority and commands of the Comforter, and His voice guides and governs me. Therefore I could not come to you. This was not pleasing to the Spirit of God."

Something similar often happened, judging from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16:6-9). When the Apostles intended to go together, the Spirit commanded them to go elsewhere.

"Therefore, the fact that I did not come to you, despite my promise, did not arise from my levity or inconstancy. It arose from the Spirit, to whom I am subject and must obey."

Do you see here also his customary manner of reasoning? From what others thought proved that he reasoned according to the flesh, namely that he did not fulfill his promise, he shows precisely from this that he disposes of himself entirely according to the Spirit.

This is completely contrary to acting according to the flesh.

"What then," someone will say, "did the Apostle not promise to come by the inspiration of the Spirit of God?" No, not by the inspiration of the Spirit. I have said before that Paul did not foresee everything future and everything that would successfully take place.

This is why in the first Epistle he says: "so that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go" (1 Cor 16:6). He plainly feared that, if he said "to Judea," he might afterward be compelled to go elsewhere.

Here, however, after this did not happen, he already says: "and you may send me on my way to Judea."

Since the promise to come to them in Corinth was a matter of his love for them, he spoke about it clearly. But his desire to go from them to Judea did not concern them at all. Therefore he had spoken of this earlier in an indefinite way.

Afterward, when he was assured of this also, he says here plainly that he will go to Judea. This too was done for their benefit, so that none of them would think of him beyond what was proper.

Indeed, if the Apostles had shown in themselves no signs of human weakness, to what impiety might people have come? Even with these signs, they wanted to sacrifice bulls to them.

Why are you surprised that Paul did not always know the future, if at times he did not even know what it was better to pray for? "For we do not know," he says, "what to pray for as we ought" (Rom 8:26).

He says this not only to show his modesty. He also points to the very case when he did not know what it was better for him to pray for.

When did he not know this? When he prayed for the removal of temptations from him. "A thorn in the flesh was given to me," he says, "a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted.

"Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it might depart from me. But the Lord said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:7-9).

Do you see how the Apostle did not know what it was better for him to ask? Therefore he did not receive it, although he prayed for it more than once.

He feared that if he said he would go to Judea, and afterward was compelled by the Spirit to depart somewhere else, he might seem to be a liar.

But now, when he did not succeed in coming to them, he boldly says that he had wanted them to send him on to Judea. Yet God willed that I should not come to you at all, nor be sent by you to Judea.

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.

It had not received the approval of his higher guide. "Therefore," Saint John Chrysostom concludes in the Apostle Paul's name, "the fact that I did not come to you, despite my promise, did not depend on my frivolity or inconstancy."

"It depended on the Spirit of God, to Whom I am subject and Whom I must obey. What then? someone may say. Did the Apostle not promise to come by the inspiration of the Spirit of God?"

"No, not by the inspiration of the Spirit. This promise was the work of his love for the Corinthians."