2 Corinthians 12:19-21

Butler's Commentary

SECTION 3

Weakness in Behavior (2 Corinthians 12:19-21)

19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20For I fear that perhaps I may come and find you not what I wish, and that you may find me not what you wish; that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21I fear that when I come to mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and licentiousness which they have practiced.

2 Corinthians 12:19 Presumptuousness: All through this epistle Paul has been dealing with the presumptuousness of his opponents at Corinth who thought he was writing to defend himself. That presumes, of course, Paul was in the wrong. His opponents were convinced all their allegations against him were true. The Greek text in 2 Corinthians 12:19 is emphatic: Palai dokeite hoti humin apologoumetha. literally, Already you judge that to you we are making a defense.. The Greek word apologoumetha is the same word Peter uses (1 Peter 3:15) to urge all Christians to be ready always to make a defense of the gospelit is the word from which we get the English word, apologetics, a defense based on evidence and reasoning.

Paul puts it this way: Are you thinking all this time that I have been trying to justify myself in your eyes? I have said and written everything to you as a man totally responsible to God and as one serving Christ. Paul has said nothing to the Corinthians that God and Christ would not have said. In fact, what the apostle said is what the divine Godhead has given (revealed to) him to say. Paul's message was inspired and inerrant. It was not some defense of his own egotism, it was from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They assumed all along he was a weakling. He did not come on like they thought an authority would. So, whenever Paul spoke sharply or threatened corrective measures, his opposition assumed he was defending himself.
His exhortations, rebukes, warnings and severe words were actually the words of Christ for their upbuilding (Gr. oikodomes, edification, construction, upbuilding). The Judaizers were in Corinth (and perhaps other opponents of the gospel of grace) tearing down the faith of the Christians, taking away their liberty in Christ, destroying their hope of the resurrection, and enticing them back into their licentious Gentile ways. They were headed for spiritual ruin. All they had gained in Christ was about to be plundered. It called for severe, extreme, uncommon action. This humble apostle was even willing to make a fool of himself and engage in a game of comparisons (boastings). They assumed he was bent on defending his own bruised ego. Actually, he was very nearly compromising his own conscience (in the matter of boasting) in order to rescue the Corinthians from the messengers of Satan. All of his boasting about what he had suffered, what his Jewish heritage was, what he had accomplished was not to build up his reputation so he could take advantage of them financially or religiously. It was to mature them in their spiritual union with Christ. It was to help them benefit from and enjoy their spiritual heritage as Christians. He would sacrifice his own conscience about boasting to keep them giving their attention and loyalty to God's word and keep them from being seduced by the pseudo-apostles. He did not want to constantly recite his credentials and proofs of his apostleship. But false teachers are so cunning, so deceitful. They do not have the constraints of truth and love that bind Christians. They are at liberty to say anything, do anything, pretend anything. That makes it necessary for Christian messengers to have to continually prove the authority of their message. This problem continues to this day. People still think Christians are egotists when they repeatedly stand up for and defend the word of God. Many think Christians are pig-headed, loud-mouthed, bigots when all they are trying to do is keep the world from being seduced by Satan's messengerspseudo-apostles.

2 Corinthians 12:20-21 Perversity: It is almost if some of the Corinthians were daring Paul to make some demonstration of authority or power by reverting to their former heathen ways. As an apostle, an authority in the church he has really done nothing about the sinfulness going on in the Corinthian church. He has said a lottold them a number of things to do, but he has exercised no supernatural powers as he did with Elymas (Acts 13:1-52) or others. They think he is weak.

Paul's fear about his forth-coming third visit to Corinth starts with his fear of what he may find when he gets there (2 Corinthians 12:20). They may not be what he wishes when he gets thereand if that is so, he may not be what they wish he would be. He is going to exercise some chastening power, if they do not correct the sin themselves.

He fears (from reports he gets) that he may find them still quarreling (Gr. eris, strife, in their Pantheon the Greeks even had a goddess of discord named Eris). He also expected to find them jealous (Gr. zelos, zeal in the worst sense, envious), angry (Gr. thumoi), selfish (Gr. eritheiai, rivalrous, competing against one another), slanderous (Gr. katalalia, speaking against one another), gossiping (Gr. psithurismoi, whispering, telling tales), conceited (Gr. phusioseis, puffed up), and discorded (Gr. akatastasiai, rioting, chaotic, separating). To this list he adds in 2 Corinthians 12:21, impurity (Gr. akatharsia, uncleanness, moral or spiritual dirtiness), immorality (Gr. porneia, fornication, porno-) and licentiousness (Gr. aselgeia, lewdness, perversity, wickedness). Most of these have to do with sexual sins and perversions so common in Corinth. It would be difficult to compare modern wickedness with that 2000 years ago, but hardly any perverseness today could be worse than that of Corinth in the first century.

Now what Paul feared was that he would find them continuing in such gross wickedness and that would be proof that his work among them had, after all, been in vain. That would be humbling to Paul. Not that Paul was afraid of humility. That was the essence of his character now as a Christian. But Paul is using the word humble in the sense of being brought to mourn or brought to grief. He would be devastated, should he find them acting wickedly, like a father who had spent himself to lay up a magnificent heritage for his child only to have the child disregard and despise both the heritage and the father.
Paul is closing his letter to Corinthhis last oneand he wants them to know he has tried to be like the father in parable of the Prodigal. That is what ministry is all about. He is not weakbut merciful like a father. But if it is necessary to restore them to the grace of God, his weakness will be exchanged for the chastening authority and power of a father in the faith.