The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (198 page)

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.
²⁰
For 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.
²¹
I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned before and
have not repented
of the impurity, immorality, and licentiousness which they have practiced.

Further Warning

13
  
This is the third time I am coming to you. Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of
two or three witnesses
.
²
I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—
³
since
you desire proof
that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you.
⁴
For he was
crucified in weakness
, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we shall live with him by the power of God.

5
 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
⁶
I hope you will find out that we have not failed.
⁷
But we beg God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
⁸
For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
⁹
For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. What we pray for is
your improvement
.
¹⁰
I write this while I am away from you, in order that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority which the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

Final Greetings and Benediction

11
 Finally, brethren, rejoice. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.
¹²
Greet one another with
a holy kiss
.
¹³
All the saints greet you.

14
 
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the fellowship of
ⁿ
the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Commentary on The Second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

1:1 an apostle:
A messenger of the gospel commissioned directly by Christ (Acts 26:12-18) and a witness of his Resurrection (1 Cor 9:1). Throughout this letter Paul asserts and defends his apostolic authority against those who have challenged it. He was established in this office by God's
will
and call, not by his own recommendation (2 Cor 1:21; 2:17).
Timothy:
A faithful companion of Paul (Acts 16:1-3) and a familiar figure to the Corinthians (Acts 18:5; 1 Cor 4:17).
See note on 1 Tim 1:2
.
the Church of God:
The local community in Corinth, which is an integral part of the universal Church. Paul himself is the founder of this congregation (Acts 18:1-11).
Achaia:
A Roman province in southern Greece whose capital city was Corinth. Paul is writing just north of Achaia in the province of Macedonia (2:13; 7:5). 
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1:2 Grace to you and peace:
A standard Pauline greeting.
See note on 1 Cor 1:3
. 
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1:3-7
Paul's opening prayer blesses God the Father for the
mercies
and
comforts
he pours out upon his children in need. He not only comforts them with inner consolation but also gives them strength to endure every hardship. The divine comfort that Paul receives overflows to benefit the Corinthians undergoing their own afflictions (1:6-7). • Paul's benediction resembles an OT prayer form that blesses Yahweh for his greatness and thanks him for rescuing the righteous from mortal dangers (1 Chron 29:10-13; Ps 28:6; 66:20; 124:6). 
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1:5 Christ's sufferings:
The mission of the believer is to become like Christ, which means patiently enduring life's most unbearable pain and suffering (Phil 1:29; 1 Pet 2:21). Paul and his missionary team experienced such hardships on a routine basis (2 Cor 4:8-12; 11:23-33). 
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1:7 unshaken:
A timely note of encouragement. Despite Paul's strained relationship with the Corinthians in the past, he remains confident in their present loyalty to the gospel. 
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1:8 in Asia:
A Roman province in western Turkey. The
affliction
Paul suffered in this region is otherwise unknown to us, although some think he is alluding to the riot in Ephesus in Acts 19:23-20:1. Whatever the trial, it proved to be a learning experience for Paul, helping him to trust more in God and less in himself. 
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1:11 help us by prayer:
Christians united with Christ are also united with one another. This communion of the saints enables them to pray for other believers in need and solicit divine blessings for them. When the Lord answers these prayers, we have further cause for praising him (9:12) (CCC 2634-36). 
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1:12 our conscience:
Paul defends his sincerity against accusers who apparently questioned his motives for pursuing apostolic work.
not by earthly wisdom:
Paul's gospel does not stem from human ingenuity but from God, who revealed it through Christ. The marked difference between worldly knowledge and the wisdom of God was earlier explained in 1 Cor 1:18-4:7. See word study:
Wisdom
at 1 Cor 1:20. 
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1:14 day of the Lord Jesus:
Some ancient manuscripts read "our Lord" instead of "the Lord". The day in question is the Day of Judgment, when Christ will scrutinize the thoughts, words, and deeds of all people and nations (5:10). For the background and theology that underlie this Pauline expression,
See note on 1 Cor 1:8
. 
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1:15 a double pleasure:
Refers to Paul's original plan to visit the Corinthians on his way "to" and "from" the province of Macedonia (1:16). Because tensions were high after a painful, emergency visit (2:1), he changed his itinerary and chose not to visit them again
after
being in Macedonia. He apparently traveled straight back to Asia Minor (Troas, 2:12) instead of making his intended return. 
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1:16 to Judea
: i.e., to deliver funds collected for poor Christians in Jerusalem (chaps. 8-9; Rom 15:25-27). 
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1:17 Was I vacillating
 . . .
?:
Critics charged Paul with being fickle because he altered his travel schedule from his original plan to make two visits to Corinth (1:16). Paul in fact was not fluctuating between
Yes and No,
as though he were unpredictable or double-minded, but he was making all decisions in the best interests of the Corinthians. In this case, he wished to avoid (1:23) another confrontational visit (2:1) and so withdrew until tensions were eased.
See note on 2 Cor 1:15
. 
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1:19 Silvanus and Timothy and I:
The original founders of the Corinthian Church (Acts 18:1-18). Silvanus is also known as "Silas" (Acts 18:5). 
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1:21-22
Paul traces the blessings of the Christian life back to the Trinity
—God
the Father established us in
Christ
the Son and filled our hearts with the living
Spirit.
Notice that Paul also ends the letter with a trinitarian benediction (13:14). 
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1:21 commissioned us:
Literally, "anointed us". As Jesus the Messiah ("Anointed One") was anointed with the Spirit (Acts 10:38), so Christians share in the anointing of the same Spirit through the Sacraments (1 Jn 2:20, 27). 
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1:22 his seal:
An inward stamp of divine ownership. Seals in the ancient world were often impressed in clay or wax by a king, queen, or royal official as a sign of authority, identifying the owner of property or the sender of a letter (1 Kings 21:8; Esther 8:8-10; Dan 6:17). • Paul's teaching points to the indelible "character" imprinted on souls who receive Baptism and Confirmation. This spiritual mark entitles them to God's grace and protection, while its permanent effect makes it impossible to receive these Sacraments of Initiation more than once (CCC 1272-74, 1296).
guarantee:
A commercial term for a "pledge" or "first installment" given in advance of full payment. On earth, believers share in the "first fruits" of the Spirit (Rom 8:23) as they await the full inheritance of divine life and blessing in heaven (2 Cor 5:5; Eph 1:14) (CCC 735, 1107). 
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1:23 I call God to witness:
An oath formula calling on God to confirm the reliability of personal testimony (Rom 1:9; Phil 1:8). Even God could bear witness that Paul's decision to cancel one of his scheduled visits to Corinth was motivated by love, i.e., it was to
spare
them an inevitable confrontation by giving them time to repent and to be reconciled with him (CCC 2154). 
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2:1 another painful visit:
Paul made a hurried and unpleasant visit to Corinth between writing 1 Cor and sending 2 Cor. This must have been the apostle's second visit to Corinth, since he expects to come again for a "third" time (12:14; 13:1). See introduction:
Destination.
 
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2:3 I wrote:
Several times Paul refers to a previous letter of "anguish" and "tears" that he sent to reprimand the Corinthians (2 Cor 2:4, 9; 7:8, 12). This may have been 1 Corinthians but is more likely a personal letter that has not survived. Some think the substance of this correspondence is preserved in chaps. 10-13, although arguments for this view remain conjectural. 
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Word Study

Amen
(
2 Cor 1:20
)

Amen
(Gk.): means "so be it", "so it is", or "truly". Behind it stands a Hebrew term that conveys a sense of firmness or reliability. The term "Amen" appears frequently in the OT, where it is pronounced to confirm a divine oath or curse (Num 5:22; Deut 27:15), attest to the greatness of God (1 Chron 16:36; Neh 8:6), or express a prayerful wish (Tob 8:8). A double "Amen" concludes the first, second, and third divisions of the Psalter (Ps 41:13; 72:19; 89:52). In the NT, "Amen" is a liturgical response arising from the congregation in both the earthly (1 Cor 14:16) and heavenly liturgies (Rev 5:14; 7:12). It expresses a firm belief in God's revealed truth and often comes at the end of doxologies that extol his glory (Rom 11:36; Gal 1:5; Eph 3:21). To say "Amen" is to desire God's promises to be fulfilled and to trust that they will be (2 Cor 1:20). Christ is called the "Amen" because he embodies the reliability and covenant faithfulness of God (Rev 3:14). Jesus often uses this expression as an abbreviated oath formula to insist that his words are incontrovertible declarations of truth (Mt 5:18; 18:3; Jn 1:51) (CCC 1061-65).

2:5-11
These verses hint that Paul's "painful visit" to Corinth (2:1) had something to do with an individual
(such a one,
2:6; 7:12). The identity of this offender remains a mystery. Ancient commentators identified him as the incestuous man of 1 Cor 5:1-5 who was excommunicated for his shameful behavior. Modern commentators tend to view him as an outspoken critic who slandered and insulted Paul while the rest of the Church stood by in silence. Whatever the precise nature of his crime, the Corinthians are urged to forgive and restore him to their fellowship. 
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