This church accused Paul of being dishonest with them, or at least of being flippant in the things he said. They accused him of telling them one thing but doing another. Paul will dig into accusation just ahead in v.15ff.

But first, Paul wants me to consider the importance of having a consistent character.

In the face of the church’s accusations - which must have appeared in their letter to him - Paul could say he had a clear conscience. To the world, and especially to the Corinthian Christians, he could confidently say that through God’s grace he had conducted himself with holiness and sincerity.


Paul didn’t embed obscure messages or insert loopholes into his letters. He said what he meant and meant what he said. Some of the believers knew this about him and he hoped that all of them would know him that way. When our Lord Jesus returns, Paul said he wants them to be as proud of him as he will be of them.

Consistent honesty in dealing with people is Paul’s defense.

Likewise, when an accusation is made against me I should all be able to point to consistent reliability and forthrightness in the way I’ve dealt with people.

Here’s why some called him a liar…

Writing from Ephesus, in 1 Cor 16:2-8 Paul laid out the following itinerary, planning to visit them twice:
     Ephesus → Corinth → Macedonia → Corinth → Jerusalem

But his plans changed. His actual itinerary became:
     Ephesus → Corinth → Ephesus → Troas → Macedonia

[NOTE: At the end of this post I marked up some maps to make this clear for those it interests.]

So he only visited them once. But he was confident that his past would absolve him of accusations when he had to change his plans. He didn’t expect them to see him as dishonest because he had always been honest and straightforward with them.


His trustworthiness is associated with the identity with God through Christ, which was sealed by the Holy Spirit. God’s “Yes” always means yes, and so does Paul’s. He had every intention of carrying out the plans as he’d described them.

Yet some at Corinth accused him of being double-minded, not a man of his word. Those Christians seem rather petty to me, but what strikes me even more is that Paul’s second visit was so important that they felt cheated when it didn’t happen.

That points out an unhealthy importance placed on one man. They should not be angry and accusatory because Paul couldn’t make it. They should not be that dependent upon him. And – watch this! – that is exactly why he didn’t visit the second time.


It was in order to “spare” them that Paul didn’t make the second visit. They expected him to come with authority, take charge, and tell them how to overcome their current challenges. But Paul was not willing to lord it over their faith. He wanted to be co-ministers with them, not a perceived boss.

So many other places Paul commends his ministry partners (e.g., Philippians 2:25; Philippians 4:3; Colossians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 8:23; Philemon 1:17,24; 1 Thessalonians 2:2). That is what he wanted to be with these Corinthians. But because they wanted him to come and take control, he decided it best not to visit the second time. Their response to that shows that his decision was wise.

Takeaway: (1) All of God’s ministers of are equal partners in His mission – there is no rank. (2) All believers are God’s ministers.