2 Corinthians 1:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He says, "My word and my preaching were not Yes and No." Then he defends the promises themselves: "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes." If God's promises are faithful, and there is no doubt that God will fulfill them, then much more is He Himself faithful. The word concerning Him is firm. It cannot be said that sometimes He is, and sometimes He is not. He always is, and is one and the same. What, then, does "in Him Yes and in Him Amen" mean? By these words he shows that God's promises will unfailingly come to pass. Their existence and fulfillment depend on God, not on man. Therefore there is nothing to fear. It is not a man who promises, whom one might suspect of unfaithfulness. It is God, who speaks and acts. "To the glory of God, through us." What does "to glory through us" mean? He will fulfill His promises through us, that is, by pouring out His benefits upon us, to His glory. This is the meaning of "to the glory of God." If the fulfillment of the promises serves God's glory, then they will unfailingly be fulfilled. For God cannot disregard His own glory, even if He were to disregard our salvation. Yet He cannot disregard it because of His boundless love for mankind. Moreover, our salvation is closely joined to His glory, which is revealed in the fulfillment of His promises. Therefore, if the fulfillment of the promises serves God's glory, then certainly our salvation will also be accomplished. The Apostle constantly teaches the same in the Epistle to the Ephesians, when he says, "to the praise of His glory" (Eph 1:14). Everywhere he uses such expressions because he wishes to show the necessity of the fulfillment of God's promises. He says the same here. God's promises are immutable, since their fulfillment serves not only our salvation, but also God's glory. "Therefore," he says, "do not be troubled that these promises have been proclaimed through us. Do not doubt the faithfulness of their fulfillment. Their fulfillment does not depend on us, but on God, to whom they belong. For we announced to you not our own promises, but His."

If God's promises are faithful, then much more is God Himself faithful, and the word concerning Him is firm. The words "through us" may also be understood differently, that is, as referring to the glory of God offered to Him through us. For He is glorified through us.

We must clarify how these words of the Apostle are connected with his intention to explain the reason for his altered travel plan. They are connected by contrast. He uses them as a known logical turn of speech from the contrary. He explains that the plans of his journeys may have nothing in common with the essence of his teaching. These are two entirely different things. In the one, there is often something merely human. In the other, there is always only what is divine. He can arrange his preaching journeys himself, and therefore can alter them in a human way. But he always preaches one and the same teaching. The Lord God Himself establishes both him and his disciples in this teaching. That is, immutable truth itself establishes them. But 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. This promise was the work of his love for the Corinthians, says Chrysostom.

Clearly, if there had been any instability in the first source of their teaching, there would also have been some disagreement in their preaching. But there was none in anything. Therefore the Christian teaching proclaimed by the Apostles, from the ever-faithful God the Father, concerning His never-changing Only-begotten Son, is an unchanging teaching. For this reason it deserves unquestioning acceptance, even though the Apostles were not always constant in the outward paths and plans of their activity. Finally, the highest testimony and visible proof of the indisputable truth of the faith received from the Apostles is every manifestation of God's grace revealed at conversion to Christianity. This was revealed through deliverance from sins in Baptism, and especially through the manifestation of various gifts of grace by the power of the mystery of Chrismation. In it a seal was, as it were, given. This seal confirmed the Christian union with God and filled the hearts of believers with gracious feelings. These feelings themselves speak of the truth better than any proofs or testimonies. Such proofs receive their force only from feelings that flow from the grace-filled anointing. According to Bishop Theophan's explanation, "The Apostle proves the unchanging faithfulness of his word by the very deed, by the very effect of preaching. We said: believe in the crucified Son of God and receive remission of sins. Through Baptism receive new life. Through the laying on of our hands be counted worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and this came to pass. The gift of the Spirit is God's seal in us. A seal on wax gives it form. The seal in our spirit is its formation through the action of the received Spirit of grace. Sealing by the Spirit is the giving of the Spirit into the hearts, or His indwelling in the inner man. This indwelling is a betrothal, that is, a pledge and earnest. It assures us that all the promises not yet fulfilled will certainly be fulfilled." Thus the Apostle gives full assurance not only of the truth of what was proclaimed, but also of the immutability of all the divine promises. Christians hope in these promises in the life to come.

Those who approach the Lord by faith immediately experience in themselves the fulfillment of all the promises related to salvation. They experience remission of sins, to which their eased conscience bears witness. They experience renewal, to which their awareness of new life received in the font bears witness. They experience the descent of the grace of the Holy Spirit, to which their felt moral strength bears witness. By this strength they overcome every passion and every sin. They experience adoption as sons, to which the inward feeling of sonship toward God bears witness. This feeling is kindled by the Spirit, through whom they cry, "Abba, Father." Another part of the promises to believers concerns the life to come: resurrection and eternal blessedness with Christ. These have not yet been fulfilled. But that they will certainly be fulfilled is confirmed by the promises already fulfilled. The Apostle gathers all these into the gift of the Spirit, calling this gift a betrothal or earnest of the inheritance. From this it follows directly that all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yes and Amen. They are to the glory of God through us. How are God's promises concerning Christ Jesus fulfilled? Through the Apostles. For in order to become a partaker of them, one must believe. And how shall they believe without preachers? The Lord arranged this. He Himself sat down at the right hand of the Father. In His place He sent down the Comforter, the Spirit. Having clothed the Apostles with His power, He sent them over the whole face of the earth to plant faith and establish salvation among men. The increase of those who work out salvation is the glory of God on earth. This is the final purpose of the fulfillment of all God's promises in the Lord. For this was the Lord's coming in the flesh. For this was the apostolic preaching. For this is faith. For this also is future blessedness. Thus the one God is glorified by every mouth and every deed, by the Apostles and by believers, and by the deeds of both. In his homily on this passage, Chrysostom dwells chiefly on the future promises. "The preaching of the Gospel," he says, "contains many promises. The Apostles announced and preached many promises. They spoke of resurrection, adoption as sons, immortality, great rewards in the life to come, and the ineffable blessings there. These promises the Apostle calls immutable. If God's promises are immutable, and there is no doubt that God will fulfill them, then much more is He Himself faithful, and the word concerning Him is firm. It cannot be said that He sometimes is, and sometimes is not. He always is, and is one and the same. What, then, does 'in Him Yes, and in Him Amen' mean? By this he shows that God's promises will unfailingly come to pass. Their fulfillment depends on God, not on man. Therefore there is nothing to fear. It is not a man who promises, whom one might suspect of unfaithfulness. It is God, who speaks and acts."