1. This epistle lesson sounds altogether strange and wonderful to
individuals unaccustomed to Scripture language, particularly to that
of Paul. To the inexperienced ear and heart it is not intelligible.
In popedom thus far it has remained quite unapprehended, although
reading of the words has been practiced.
2. That we may understand it, we must first get an idea of Paul's
theme. Briefly, he would oppose the vain boasting of false apostles
and preachers concerning their possession of the spirit and their
peculiar skill and gifts, by praising and glorifying the office of a
preacher of the Gospel with which he is intrusted. For he found that,
especially in the Church at Corinth, which he had converted by the
words of his own lips and brought to faith in Christ, soon after his
departure the devil introduced his heresies whereby the people were
turned from the truth and betrayed into other ways. Since it became
his duty to make an attack upon such heresies, he devoted both his
epistles to the purpose of keeping the Corinthians in the right way,
so that they might retain the pure doctrine received from him, and
beware of false spirits. The main thing which moved him to write this
second epistle was his desire to emphasize to them his apostolic
office of a preacher of the Gospel, in order to put to shame the
glory of those other teachers--the glory they boasted with many words
and great pretense.
3. He starts in on this theme just before he reaches our text. And
this is how it is he comes to speak in high terms of praise of the
ministration of the Gospel and to contrast and compare the twofold
ministration or message which may be proclaimed in the Church,
provided, of course, that God's Word is to be preached and not the
nonsense of human falsehood and the doctrine of the devil. One is
that of the Old Testament, the other of the New; in other words, the
office of Moses, or the Law, and the office of the Gospel of Christ.
He contrasts the glory and power of the latter with those of the
former, which, it is true, is also the Word of God. In this manner he
endeavors to defeat the teachings and pretensions of those seductive
spirits who, as he but lately foretold, pervert God's Word, in that
they greatly extol the Law of God, yet at best do not teach its right
use, but, instead of making it tributary to faith in Christ, misuse
it to teach work-righteousness.
4. Since the words before us are in reality a continuation of those
with which the chapter opens, the latter must be considered in this
connection. We read:
"Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some,
epistles of commendation to you or from you? Ye are our epistle,
written in our hearts, known and read of all men; being made manifest
that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with
ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone,
but in tables that are hearts of flesh."
"We, my fellow-apostles and co-laborers and I," he says, "do not ask
for letters and seals from others commending us to you, or from you
commending us to others, in order to seduce people after gaining
their good will in your church and in others as well. Such is the
practice of the false apostles, and many even now present letters and
certificates from honest preachers and Churches, and make them the
means whereby their unrighteous plotting may be received in good
faith. Such letters, thank God, we stand not in need of, and you need
not fear we shall use such means of deception. For you are yourselves
the letter we have written and wherein we may pride ourselves and
which we present everywhere. For it is a matter of common knowledge
that you have been taught by us, and brought to Christ through our
ministry."