SUMMARY
Boasting in an integrity and sincerity rooted in graceGrace is the unmerited gift of God's love and acceptance. In Martin Luther's favorite expression from the Apostle Paul, we are saved by grace through faith, which means that God showers grace upon us even though we do not deserve it. More, rather than duplicitous wisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the... More, PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. More describes how that grace overflows toward his readers so that they too can recognize the truth he is writing about in his letters. Such grace funds his third hope—that ultimately he and his readers mutually boast and reciprocally boast about one another.
ANALYSIS
Paul begins with a boast, what he calls a “testimony of conscience” (2 Corinthians 1:12). Just as MosesProphet who led Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land and received the law at Sinai. More stood in the “tent of testimony (or witness)” (skēnē marturiou), a meeting place in the desert where people would come to discern the Lord’s purposes for them (Exodus 33:7), so Paul assumes that we stand before the Lord in our consciences where we are called to discern what is true and right (Romans 2:14-16). Thus, his claims about himself and appeals to the Corinthians will always be manifestations of conscience, which he assumes everyone has, and not acts of coercion (2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 5:11).
His boast is precisely that he has conducted himself in the world with godly sincerity and haplotēs, a Greek word that means both simplicity and generosity—that one is without ulterior motive (simplicity) and thus can truly be magnanimous (generous) toward others. Echoing his argument in 1 Corinthians, in which he contrasted the “word of the cross” with the world’s “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25), Paul maintains that his behavior toward the Corinthians is motivated solely by God’s grace and not a duplicitous wisdom that would seek to control or manipulate them (2 Corinthians 1:12).
Most importantly, this grace overflows toward them. In response to their charge that he writes domineering and deceptive letters, he says—anticipating his argument to follow on the Spirit and the letter (2 Corinthians 3:6)—that he writes not only what they can “read” but also what they can “recognize” for themselves as truth within their own consciences (2 Corinthians 1:13). Overflowing grace enables them not just to read, but also to recognize truth in what he is writing about in the letter.
Such grace is the basis for Paul’s third hope for the letter—that at the end of time, on the “day of the LordThe Day of the Lord, in prophetic writing, is the day of judgment when God will intervene directly in world affairs. As described in Zephaniah, for instance, God will sweep everything away. In Matthew's gospel God is described as gathering the elect on the day... More,” they will recognize the truth they have started even now to recognize in part. And that truth is that because of grace, both they and Paul are already in a relationship in which they can mutually boast about one another (2 Corinthians 1:14; see also 1 Corinthians 13:1-13). Thus, on the one hand, Paul hopes that they will realize that he loves them (2 Corinthians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 11:11) and boasts about them to others (2 Corinthians 7:4); on the other hand, he hopes that they, on the basis of their own consciences, will reciprocate by boasting about him—defending him to those who denigrate his character and question his competence as an apostleDerived from a Greek word meaning "one who is sent," an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person's idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus... More (2 Corinthians 5:12).
RELATED PASSAGES
Genesis 38:13-26 — Judah Does Not Recognize Tamar
Genesis 42:7-15 — Joseph’s Brothers Do Not Recognize Him
Exodus 33:7-11 — Moses’ Tent of Witness in the Desert
IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 29:9-14 — On Reading without Understanding
Joel 2:1-31 — The Day of the Lord
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 — Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
Romans 2:14-16 — Our Conscience Accuses or Excuses Us
Romans 15:15-21 — Paul’s Boast about His Work for God