2 Corinthians 1:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: just as you did partially understand us — that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

NIV: as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

NASB: just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, on the day of our Lord Jesus.

CSB: just as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride, just as you also are ours in the day of our Lord Jesus.

NLT: even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

KJV: As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

NKJV: (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Paul is defending himself against false charges: that he has not been straightforward or honest with the Corinthians. He insists the opposite is true both for himself and his co-workers. They operate with "simplicity," which here means the opposite of guile or trickery. Paul and his associates deal in integrity and openness. They use no falsehood: they are sincere. Paul's letters are the same as his personal conduct, he says; everything is out in the open. He writes what it means, and he means what he writes (2 Corinthians 1:12).

Earlier Paul wrote that he hoped the believers of Corinth would fully understand what he is writing to them, just as they did partially understand what he wrote to them in his previous letter. Paul will address the parts they did not understand or accept in the coming chapters.

When Paul speaks about "the day of our Lord Jesus," he means the day Christ returns to earth to make all things right. Paul's hope is that the Corinthians' spiritual knowledge, and their relationship to God, will be so well-developed that they will boast of Paul and his co-workers on the day of the Lord Jesus just as Paul hopes to boast of them.

This is not the self-centered, prideful "boasting," of course, but a celebration of what the Lord has done through the connection between Paul and the Corinthians. It's a gathering together at the finish line to say, "We could not have done it without the Lord working through Paul and Timothy and Titus and all of them." Or, "Look at those Corinthians! Our suffering in ministry was worth it all along."

Second Corinthians 1:12–24 contains a defense against accusations. Apparently, some claimed Paul had acted without integrity, openness, or commitment to his stated plans to visit the Corinthians. Those were referenced near the end of his letter of 1 Corinthians. Paul insists that, especially with them, he and his co-workers have behaved with simple integrity and transparency, as well as sincerity. His change in plans has not been a case of frivolously saying ''yes and no'' to them at the same time. He has responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit and delayed his most recent visit for their own good.

Paul begins another letter to the Corinthians following a series of tumultuous events with them. He begins by praising God for His comfort to those who are in affliction, connecting Christian suffering to the sufferings of Christ. Paul insists that his suffering and the comfort he has received from God have been for the Corinthians' benefit. He defends both his integrity and sincerity in dealing with them and explains that he delayed his planned trip to visit them again for their sake.

Second Corinthians 1 follows about a year after the end of 1 Corinthians, and much has happened between the two letters. Paul has had a painful visit with the Corinthians before traveling to Macedonia, where he wrote a painful letter. The text of which has not been kept. He writes this new letter from Macedonia, as well, after learning about a positive change of heart on their behalf. Paul begins by praising God for His comfort for those who are afflicted and defending himself against several complaints from some in the church.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.