Ep 296 – 2 Corinthians 1:12-24

Are you a man or woman of your word? Can people trust what you say? As we look at verses 12-24 of 2 Corinthians 1, we're going to see Paul defending his integrity against attacks from an undisclosed group of individuals within the church at Corinth. He was going to have to give them proof that he was trustworthy and as good as his word. They had no reason to doubt what he said or question what he taught. There were those who were basically accusing him of lying because he had promised to make another visit to Corinth, but had failed to do so. But rather than asking Paul what reason he might have had for the delay, they simply spread rumors about his veracity and reliability. But this kind of accusation wasn't going to sit well with Paul, not because he cared that much about his personal reputation, but because he was an ambassador and representative of Jesus Christ. As an apostle, he couldn't afford to have his word questioned, because he spoke on behalf of Jesus. Truth was paramount to Paul. False gospels and messages that twisted the facts about Jesus and His redemptive work on the cross were not to be tolerated. So, to be accused of being untrustworthy was unacceptable to Paul. The message he carried was too important to let anyone question his integrity or doubt the reliability of the words that came out of his mouth