2 Corinthians 12:14 Commentary and Bible Study

Paul’s first visit is described in Acts 18, when the church was founded. His second visit is referred to in 2 Corinthians 2:1, and now the third time he plans to come to them again, as he confirms in 2 Corinthians 13:1. He was not coming to take anything from them or to depend on them for financial support. He says this even though he had ironically apologised for not taking support from them in the first place. He has already stated that nothing will persuade him to change his policy of undermining the false accusations of the Judaizers by labouring himself and asking no support from those he preached to, even though he was entitled to it in the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:7-10). He didn’t want to their money, or their adulation, but he wanted them as saved members of Christ’s church to be wholly given to the Lord. Paul wants their safety, for them to be pleasing to Christ, to deepen in love for the Lord, to have spiritual pleasure. All this he wants for them. How can this be achieved? By the public ministry of the word yet some cut it from thirty to forty minutes to only fifteen or twenty.Paul had brought them the gospel in the first place, and he regards himself as the spiritual parent and them as the spiritual children. Accordingly, it would be wrong for him to live off them, for the parent saves up for, and provides for the child, and not the other way round. Parents for the children: that is the way to help. Even in a fallen world the parent has an instinct to help the child in any normal family. Christians, without patronising, should have that instinct for care and nurturing of other believers, especially those who are young in the faith. The apostle had great affection for all the members of the churches. He had been resident for a short while at Corinth and he had seen their conversion. He had seen the hearts of the people and though there was trouble in that church which had to be repaired and dealt with, yet he had a great and a deep fondness for them. His ministry was conducted in love, and we do not want to let that pass without due notice.