II Corinthians 1:18-22 (NRSV)
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been “Yes and No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.” 20 For in him every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” For this reason it is through him that we say the “Amen,” to the glory of God. 21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, 22 by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
In II Corinthians 1:18-22, Paul discusses the faithfulness of God. The point is to document and describe the faithfulness of God. This is a theological excursus, but closely tied to context. We should pay attention to the Trinitarian formulation of this theological section. Some of his Corinthians detractors have accused Paul of insincerity. They have argued that if Paul is not dependable, sometimes saying both yes and no, then how is it possible to believe what Paul says about God? Paul chooses not to defend himself but affirms that Jesus is the proof that God will always do as promised.
As Paul begins, he says that 18 as surely as God is faithful, reminding them that while a human word may be unreliable, the word of God is reliable. Therefore, he assures them that our word to you has not been “Yes and No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.” This passage assigns a type of simplicity to the Word of God or the kerygma of the early church.[1] Christ is the basis for the affirmation of the reliability of the word of God, for in Christ, we see the simplicity of the word in the divine Yes to humanity.[2] Some of those among his readers did not trust the word of Paul. Paul focuses on the simplicity of the word from God that Jesus presents. The simplicity of God reveals itself in in this self-confession and self-attestation of the identity of the Father in the Son. Paul can say this for a simple reason. 20 For in Christ every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” The point here is that God has given them eschatological blessings in Christ. The simplicity of God also reveals itself in the repetition and fulfillment of the promise of God in Christ. However, this fulfillment of the promise occurs in such a way that it remains promise. We have the opportunity of seeing in Christ the promise of God.[3] For this reason it is through him that we say the “Amen,” (the human response to the faithfulness to the faithfulness of God in Christ) to the glory of God. Paul reminds them about the center of their preaching, namely, Jesus Christ. We have here an indication of the grounding of Christian eschatology, especially in the framework of the Already and the Not Yet. This passage, with its affirmation that in Christ all the promises of God are Yes and Amen, affirms the Already aspect.[4] Paul sees the promises of God as awaiting their fulfillment until the perfect obedience of Jesus. 21 However, God establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us in our baptism, 22 by putting the divine seal on us in our baptism and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment (an advance on the life of resurrection from the dead[5] or a pledge of future glory[6]). The Spirit imparted to believers guarantees them a share in the future consummation.[7] Another way of saying this is that by the Spirit, the future of Jesus Christ is already present to believers as their personal and common future of salvation.[8] If we think of this passage in the context of baptism as the constitution of Christian identity, baptism is an act of transfer. The baptized no longer belong to themselves. They belong to Christ. The notion of baptism as a seal meant a distinguishing mark assures the baptized of eschatological deliverance at the coming world judgment, a sign of their election and hope.[9] It might also refer to the gift of the Spirit to all believers. If we think of the relationship between baptism and faith, in anointing and the sign of the cross as sealing for the participation of the baptized in the anointing of Christ. All of this is constitutive for the title “Christ” or “Messiah,” in which the early church also saw a sign of the imparting of the Holy Spirit conferred by the laying on of hands.[10]
[1] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 240.
[2] Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.1, 61.2, 532.
[3] Barth, Church Dogmatics, II.1, 31.1, 460.
[4] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology 3, 545.
[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 241.
[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 552.
[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 98.
[8] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 134.
[9] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 239.
[10] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 266.
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