2 Corinthians 1:19

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. Proof of the unchangeableness of the doctrine from the unchangeableness of the subject of it-namely, Jesus Christ. He is called "the Son of God," to show the impossibility of change in One co-equal with God Himself (cf. 1 Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6). BY ME AND SILVANUS AND TIMOTHEUS. The Son of God, though preached by different preachers, proved to be one and the same. Silvanus is contracted into Silas, Acts 15:22: cf. 1 Peter 5:12....

19._For the Son of God _Here we have the proof — because his preaching (283) contained nothing but Christ alone, who is the eternal and immutable truth of God. The clause _preached by us _is emphatic. For, as it may be, and often does happen, that Christ is disfigured by the inventions (284) of men, and is adulterated, as it were, by their disguises, he declares that it had not been so as to himself or his associates, but that he had sincerely and with an integrity that was befitting, held forth Christ pure and undisguised. Why it is that he makes no mention of Apollos, while he mentions by name Timotheus and Silvanus, does not exactly appear; unless the reason be, as is probable, that the more that individuals were assailed by the calumnies of the wicked, (285) he was so much the more careful to defend them. In these words, howe

15-24 The apostle clears himself from the charge of levity and inconstancy, in not coming to Corinth. Good men should be careful to keep the reputation of sincerity and constancy; they should not resolve, but on careful thought; and they will not change unless for weighty reasons. Nothing can render God's promises more certain: his giving them through Christ, assures us they are his promises; as the wonders God wrought in the life, resurrection, and ascension of his Son, confirm faith. The Holy Spirit makes Christians firm in the faith of the gospel: the quickening of the Spirit is an earnest of everlasting life; and the comforts of the Spirit are an earnest of everlasting joy. The apostle desired to spare the blame he feared would be unavoidable, if he had gone to Corinth before he learned what effect his former letter produced. Our strength and ability are owing to faith; and our comf...

Verse 19. _FOR THE SON OF GOD_, c.] If I could have changed my purpose through _carnal_ or _secular_ interests then I must have had the same interest in view when I first preached the Gospel to you, with Silvanus and Timotheus. But did not the whole of our conduct prove that we neither _had_, nor could _have_ such interest in view?...

FOR THE SON OF GOD - In this verse, and the following, Paul states that he felt himself bound to maintain the strictest veracity for two reasons; the one, that Jesus Christ always evinced the strictest veracity 2 Corinthians 1:19; the other, God was always true to all the promises that He made 2 Corinthians 1:20; and as he felt himself to be the servant of the Saviour and of God, he was bound by the most sacred obligations also to maintain a character irreproachable in regard to veracity on the meaning of the phrase “Son of God,” see the note, Romans 1:4. JESUS CHRIST - It is agreed, says Bloomfield, by the best commentators, ancient

EXPOSITION Address and greeting (2 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:2). Thanksgiving for the comfort sent to him by God, wherein, as in his affliction which rendered it necessary, they sympathetically shared (2 Corinthians 1:3). He has earned a right to their sympathy by his sincerity (2 Corinthians 1:12). His change of purpose with respect to a visit to Corinth, with digression on the unchangeableness of the gospel (2 Corinthians 1:15). Explanation of his Reasons ...

FOR THE SON OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST,.... The apostle having asserted that the Gospel preached by them was not yea and nay, variable and different, or what was affirmed at one time was denied at another, proceeds to point out the subject of the Gospel ministry, THE SON OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST; that Christ is "the Son of God": this article he began his ministry with, Acts 9:20, and all the apostles affirmed the same thing; and which is of the greatest moment and importance, and ought to be abode by, insisted on, and frequently inculcated; as that he is the eternal Son of God, existed as such from everlasting, is of the same nature, and has the same perfections with his Father; and therefore is able to destroy the works of the devil, for which he was manifested in the flesh, and every way equal to the business of redemption, which he has finished; and having passed into the heavens under

2 Corinthians 1:1. _Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,_ Paul is very careful to remind the Corinthians of that fact, since some of them had gone the length of denying his apostleship altogether. 2 Corinthians 1:1. _And Timothy our brother,_ Whom, in all humility, he associates with himself, although he was a younger man, of far less consequence; but Paul loved him very much, and therefore he put his name at the beginning of this Epistle side by side with his own: «and Timothy our brother,» 2 Corinthians 1:1. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: grace be to you and peace

2. PAUL'S EXPERIENCE AND EXPLANATIONS. CHAPTER 1:8-24 _ 1. His Experience. (2 Corinthians 1:8)_ 2. His Explanations. (2 Corinthians 1:15) The Apostle speaks, first of all, of the trouble he had when he was pressed out of measure (or “weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power”), in so much that he despaired of his life. What experience did he mean? The question cannot be positively answered. It may have been the trouble in Ephesus (Acts 19:1) to which he refers in 1 Corinthians 15:32, “If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts in Ephesus .” Others think that it was

But had he not laid himself open to a charge of fickleness? Had he not led them to expect that he would ere this have paid them another visit, returning through Corinth from Macedonia, and taking from Corinth his final departure to Judæ a when he went to convey the money collected for the poor Christians at Jerusalem. It was not true that in abandoning that plan he had showed himself one whose word was not to be trusted. It was true that while the confidence he has just referred to was unshaken, he had made and announced this plan. And he had not laid his plans, as men too often do, so that their Yea is lightly turned to Nay. God is to be relied on, and the message delivered by His messengers has always been direct and unambiguous. For there was no ambiguity about Christ, who had been the subject of the apostle's preaching. On the contrary, all the promises of God had received confirmati...