Two criticisms

Before entering into his specific defense, Paul responds to two more general criticisms. That is the subject of today’s passage. The two criticisms were as follows. (1) Paul’s conduct was shameless and insincere. (2) Paul’s letters are filled with worldly cunning and are two-faced. He often writes one thing while meaning something else. Moreover, they cannot be understood unless one reads between the lines. How deeply Paul’s heart must have been hurt when he heard these criticisms. Let us also remember how careless words spoken casually can hurt people’s hearts. Therefore, Paul begins his defense in order to win their personal trust.

The answer to unreasonable criticisms

There were only two pieces of evidence that Paul could present. One was his own conscience. The other was the fact that the Corinthian believers had witnessed Paul’s conduct up to that point. (1) Paul appeals to them that he has conducted himself sincerely, not by human wisdom but by the grace of God (Paul’s defense appears again in 12:11). (2) He also defends himself by saying that his letters are completely sincere and have no hidden meaning (by this point, the Corinthian believers had received at least three letters from Paul. The first and third letters are no longer extant. The second is what is called “First Corinthians”). Finally, he seeks to persuade them that having the apostle Paul as their spiritual father will be a reason for the Corinthian church to boast before God on the last day. He also tells them that, for Paul, the Corinthian church will be a reason for boasting at the end time as the fruit of his ministry. Paul is not defending himself merely for the sake of self-defense. He has two goals. (1) He is defending himself in order to bring blessing to the Christians in Corinth. If Paul’s teaching is not accepted, the church in Corinth will become a congregation that has strayed from sound teaching. Recognizing Paul’s apostleship will lead to their own blessing. (2) He is defending himself so that God’s name will not be dishonored. If we act for any reason other than these two motives, it is nothing more than a self-centered defense.