1:12
The backdrop to all this was that Paul had had to change his plans, and some in Corinth had put a very bad gloss on this. Paul declares that he has conducted himself properly, he has a clear conscience. He has acted properly, and properly towards the Corinthians. He has acted with integrity and sincerity. There was never any attempt to deceive or take advantage of the Corinthians. Paul acted relying on God’s grace, not worldly wisdom. Worldly wisdom can tell us to mislead people, or to say one thing while we mean something completely different, or it can urge us to make promises we have no intention of keeping. Paul did not follow such ways.
1:13,14
There was much talk circulating in the Corinthian church about Paul, most of it derogatory. One aspect of this was accusing Paul of writing one thing while saying another, or meaning something else. Paul is stressing that he is writing in plain English (actually Greek, but you know what I mean). At present they only partly appreciated who Paul was and what his work was. They were seeking to interpret it in worldly terms. Paul wants them to appreciate it in eternal terms, so he points them to the day of the Lord Jesus. It is significant that he calls it the “day of the Lord Jesus”, rather than “the day of the Lord”. This is another minor indicator of the deity of Christ.
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