2 Corinthians 1:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

NIV: set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

NASB: who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

CSB: He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

NLT: and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

KJV: Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

NKJV: who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

This is part of a response to accusations that Paul has shown lack of commitment. This is aimed at his changing of travel plans to come and visit the believers in Corinth. Paul is declaring something the Corinthians would surely agree with: God, he has said, is the one who established both him and the Corinthians in Christ. God is the one who has anointed them all with the Holy Spirit.

Now Paul adds that in giving them the Spirit in their hearts, God has put His seal on them. He has given the Holy Spirit to each believer as a guarantee or deposit or down payment. In Paul's day, a seal was a mark stamped in wax that showed ownership. Those sealed with the Holy Spirit belong to God, and they belong to God forever. The Spirit is a guarantee that we will remain in God's possession throughout this life and into eternity. God's Spirit in our hearts serves as evidence that Christians are secure in God's family.

So, then, all who are established in Christ by God and anointed with the seal of God's Holy Spirit by God are guaranteed by God to spend eternity with God.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 11:49:41 PM