8:22
Another unnamed brother is mentioned who will be going with the party. He is zealous, presumably for the gospel and for Christ. Zeal is something that Paul so as being very important, as long as it was zeal for the right things. The man also had great confidence in the Corinthians, ie he believed they were a cause worth fighting for. Throughout this letter we see two things. One is Paul’s zeal for the Lord and the gospel above all else, the other is his belief in the Corinthians (while having his eyes wide open to reality).
8:23,24
Paul then goes back to Titus, reaffirming him. He is described as Paul’s “partner and co-worker among you”. He then again speaks highly of the “brothers”. They both represent the church and are “an honour to Christ”. So again we see the vertical (relationship with God) and the horizontal (relationship with men). The two go together, as they do in the two greatest commandments. The Corinthians are then urged to prove that their love is genuine by their actions, and to demonstrate that Paul’s faith in them was justified, and so that other churches would see it. There can be times when it seems that churches are seeking to out boast each other, we should seek to demonstrate faith and love towards each other.
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