Earnest - 2 Corinthians 1:13-24

One thing that I find interesting about the Corinthians is that when Paul says that he wants to visit them but then has to change his travel plans because there’s been, I don’t know, a riot, they say that he’s fickle and not taking the seriously. But when he drops everything at least twice to come to Corinth to counsel the wayward saints there and help get the church back on track, crickets. I feel like at this point, it’s one of those things where some people are just looking for a reason to leave the church and if it wasn’t the change in Paul’s travel plans, then it would have been something else.



Even the IM recognizes the difficulty in understanding verse 15-20, when Paul explains to them that he did not take the rescheduling of the trip lightly. There is a whole bit of “yea yea, and nay nay? But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.” The IM comments, “The difficult passage in 2 Corinthians 1:15-20 appears to be Paul’s response to an accusation that he had shown levity or light-mindedness in promising to visit Corinth but then changing his travel plans. Some said he could not be trusted- one day he said ‘yea’ (yes, I am coming), but then the next day he said ‘nay’ (no, I am not coming). Paul’s critics seemed to imply, ‘If we cannot trust Paul, how can we trust what he taught us about God?’ In response to this allegation, Paul declared that the message he and his companions taught was true and that God and Jesus are trustworthy and do not vary. Jesus is always ‘yea’- the fulfillment or ‘amen’ to all God’s promises.”



Even though it seems like the detractors are grasping at straws, Paul continues to bear testimony to them he and his companions were “anointed” by God, “who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” There are a couple of words here that are important. First “anointed,” which the IM says might be reference to “an anointing with oil, similar to that received by kings, priests, and prophets in the Old Testament, setting them apart for their divinely ordained work.” If I remember correctly, Jesus anointed the initial Twelve Apostles, and I would imagine that this practiced continued as long as the priesthood was on the earth.



The IM also notes, however, that this might just be referencing the Spirit that has been given to Paul and his fellow missionaries. The word “seal” might have a different use here than what we are used to with the sealing ordinance. The IM notes, “The Greek word Paul used to indicate being ‘sealed’ by God means that God had placed His stamp of ownership upon him.” Paul’s use of the word “sealed” here doesn’t denote an ordinance or some sort of special promise made to him by God, but might mean a commitment on Paul’s part to do God’s work. Another word that is notable here is “earnest.” The article about this chapter from gospeldoctrine.com says, “an ‘earnest’ is ‘something of value given by a buyer to a seller, to bind the bargain’ or a ‘token or installment of what is to come.’”



I can see Paul using the word “seal” and “earnest” as an analogy of committing and being committed to Christ, but I don’t really understand much beyond that. But the IM gives a very good analysis, saying, “As used by Paul is means that the Lord gives us His Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord’s surety that He will fulfill His promise to give eternal life to the faithful… When we feel the Spirit of the Lord, we can know we are accepted of the Lord and that His promises are in effect in our lives.” In this explanation, I couldn’t figure out if we are the buyers or the sellers. I guess it can go both ways. If we are the sellers, the “earnest” that we give to God is our effort and desire to keep the commandments. If we are the buyers, the “earnest” that we get from God is the Spirit. Interesting concept.