Second Corinthians has been called Paul’s self-portrait. Paul is more open here about his personal feelings than anywhere else in the New Testament. He also defends himself in a way that is uncharacteristic of his other writings. The reason? Paul was under attack. There were some in the assembly at Corinth who questioned his apostleship and, by attacking his authority, they attempted to discredit his teaching. Paul intended to visit but his visit was delayed. Some used this as an opportunity to question his credibility. In their ignorance, they completely forgot that Paul had qualified his plans with the words “if the Lord permits” (1Co 16:7).1 There were issues in the assembly that still had to be worked out. Changed plans were actually Paul’s way of being gracious, in order to spare them from rebuke (2Co 1:23). He was determined that he would not come to them again in heaviness (2:1). Paul did not use human wisdom or lightness in his decisions (1:17). He makes clear that his character is in line with the character of God, who is true, who does not waver, and who means what He says (v18).
Paul turns this attack around and points the believers to promises of hope that have all been fulfilled in Christ. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God” (v20).
Think of all the questions to which God says yes. Am I loved? Am I forgiven? Am I secure? Is there purpose in life? Is there hope beyond the grave? To all of these questions God answers an emphatic yes! Are there promises of God that are not fulfilled in Christ? We can answer this question with a resounding no! Therefore, if the promises of God in Christ are yes and never no, how can Paul be a “yes and no man”? In the middle of his defense, Paul points the believers to the promises of God that are faithful and true. Four promises are listed in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; establishes, anointed, sealed and given are four verbs that describe what God does in the life of every believer.
Aspect #1: Establishes
Paul uses the same verb translated “confirm” (bebaioō, “makes us stand firm”) twice in his thanksgiving section in 1 Corinthians (1:6,8). God, who is faithful, calls us, confirms us and establishes us in Christ. “Establishes” is a present participle, which simply means God continually makes us to stand firm. Maybe you feel the Christian life is all on your shoulders. Maybe you feel you have to grin and bear it along the Christian walk. We are not alone in this journey! It is God who establishes us and makes us stand firm in Christ. This word was also used in a legal sense of a guarantee given to a commitment that will be carried out. Paul seems to be using this first promise to emphasize God’s work in his life that guarantees the faithfulness of what He says. The phrase “us with you” (2Co 1:21) makes clear that Paul is not against the Corinthians; instead, both he and the Corinthians stand together in Christ. They have a connection in Christ. Paul is linked to them, and they are linked to him. This implies that Paul cannot sever his ties to them, and they cannot sever their ties to him without weakening their foundation in Christ.
Aspect #2: Anointed
God “establishes” us (present participle); this is an ongoing guarantee (a commercial term used by a seller to a purchaser). “Having” anointed, sealed and given us the earnest of the Spirit, the three participles which follow are all aorist (past tense). The next points would not go unnoticed by the Corinthian believers, who held the activity of the Spirit in high regard (1Co 14:12). The Greek verb is chriein, and it is possible that Paul intends a play upon the name Christos, to which it is juxtaposed.2 Paul himself uses the verb nowhere else.3 The related noun chrisma (1Jn 2:20,27) describes the anointing all believers receive when they receive the Holy Spirit. In the OT, prophets, priests and kings were anointed with physical oil to be set apart for service as God’s representatives to Israel. Believers are not anointed with physical oil but rather with the Holy Spirit who directs, empowers and teaches us (1Jn 2:20,27).
Aspect #3: Sealed
“Sealed” refers to stamping a mark of identity on something. God’s seal of ownership has been set upon us. This again is commercial imagery associated with a guarantee. The mark is not only of ownership but a guarantee of authenticity. The seal in the life of the believer is the Holy Spirit by whom God has marked us as His own possession. “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph 1:13 KJV). It refers to believers being stamped as God’s and receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (Rom 8:9 KJV). We are sealed as God’s possession, whom He will protect and keep until the day of redemption. “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30 KJV). John Newton said, “I am packed, sealed, and waiting for the post.”
Aspect #4: Given
The believer is not only “anointed” and “sealed” by the indwelling Holy Spirit but also “given the earnest of the Spirit” (2Co 1:22 KJV). The earnest is seen as the down payment or guarantee of our eternal inheritance; “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption” (Eph 1:13-14 KJV). The earnest has been called “the first installment of future glory.” Peter describes our inheritance as “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pe 1:4-5 KJV). We have an inheritance that is guaranteed by the earnest and that is reserved in heaven. “Reserved” (tetērēmenēn) signifies “protected.” The use of the perfect passive participle suggests that the inheritance, already established, “is” secure in heaven. We have an inheritance that is absolutely guaranteed and completely protected! What wonderful promises of hope we have in Christ!
The following is an excerpt, verses 2 and 4, from a hymn by Isaac Watts titled “Why Should the Children of a King Go Mourning All Their Days?” These beautiful words perfectly express the sentiment of 2 Corinthians 1:21-22:
Dost Thou not dwell in all the saints,
And seal the heirs of heaven?
When wilt Thou banish my complaints,
And show my sins forgiven?
Thou art the earnest of His love,
The pledge of joys to come;
And Thy soft wings, celestial Dove,
Will safe convey me home.4
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.
2 Chriein is used of the messianic anointing of Jesus (see Luk 4:18; Act 4:27; 10:38; Heb 1:9).
3 Victor Paul Furnish, II Corinthians: Translated with Introduction, Notes, and Commentary, Vol. 32A, Anchor Yale Bible (London: Yale University Press, 2008), 137.
4 Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
