Text:

1:21 Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 23 But I call God to witness against myself, that to spare you I did not come to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers in your joy, for it is by faith that you stand.
2:1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, who is he who makes me glad but the one whom I make sad? 3 And I have written this very thing to you, so that when I come I may not have sorrow on account of those over whom I ought to have rejoiced, being confident of you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love I have especially toward you.

the explanation:

The preaching of the Apostle Paul bore fruit in the city of Corinth, and a group of believers in the Lord Jesus arose and formed a church. After the departure of the Apostle, Judaizing missionaries came and incited the believers against Paul, so the group split and some deviated from the faith, and tension prevailed in their relationship with the Apostle. This prompted the Apostle to make several visits to the city and to send a series of letters to address the problems. Today's letter falls within the context of the last letter, in which the Apostle expresses his joy at the end of the crisis and the return of the believers, repentant, to the life of sound faith.

“Brethren, he who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God.” This is an affirmation that the faith of the Corinthians is the result of God’s work. The apostle’s preaching established the door for God to change the lives of the hearers, and steadfastness in Christ came as a result of this divine intervention. The apostle is therefore an intermediary, but the action is God’s.

“Who also has sealed us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” The seal refers to baptism, in which the believer is sealed with the seal of God and the seal is the distinguishing mark that indicates that its bearer belongs to God. Thus, through faith God has made us His property and through baptism He has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us as a pledge and has committed Himself to believers because through baptism the divine promises are fulfilled and grace is poured out for salvation.

The common denominator among all believers is God’s work in Christ and the seal, and the bond between believers is the person of the Lord Jesus. In this way, the relationship between believers is solid, stable and unshakable. For this reason, the apostle hastens to solve problems and settle situations, because their exacerbation is a destruction of God’s work and not merely an attack on the person of the apostle.

“I call God as witness against myself, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.” When the apostle learned of the tense situation, he made a quick visit to the city (see 2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1-2) hoping to improve the situation, but things got worse and he was forced to leave disappointed after promising to return soon. But out of compassion for them, he postponed the visit, fearing that the tension in their personal relationship with him would lead to a severing of their relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ and thus they would lose their salvation. Therefore, he said to them: I did not come to spare you, “for we are lords over your faith.” That is, we are not your authority, since we are not the foundation and starting point of your faith, “but we are helpers of your joy,” that is, companions who cooperate with each other and support each other, “and because you stand firm in the faith,” because God is the foundation of faith, not the apostle.

“I have determined this within myself, that I will not come to you again in distress.” The apostle waited in the hope that the tension would subside, and he did not want to sadden the believers in Corinth, as his mission was one of joy and gladness for all, so he said, “For if I make you sad, who can make me glad except the one to whom I cause grief?”

“But this very thing I have written to you… out of great anguish and anguish of heart I have written to you with many tears…” The apostle delayed his visit, and in the meantime he wrote them a letter full of corrective phrases and charged with a stern rebuke that refutes all the slander and clearly shows the apostle’s truthfulness and faithfulness, and most of all his love and vigilance for their salvation (see 2 Corinthians 10-13). This letter was clearly tinged with tears, for the apostle wrote with a broken heart and his love compelled him to be strict and severe, since there was no other solution. The letter was carried by his assistant Titus, who worked to calm the situation, as this tearful letter found a place in the hearts of the repentant believers in Corinth, who turned from their position and corrected their behavior. The apostle did not rest until he met Titus, who brought him the good news. Then the apostle wrote to them again, expressing his joy and comfort (see 2 Corinthians 1:1-6) and announcing the news of his upcoming visit, which would not be dominated by sadness.

Quoted from my parish bulletin
Sunday, September 25, 1994 / Issue 39