Our Word toward You Is Not Yea and Nay

 

The background in which the apostle Paul said these words was that he had suddenly changed his plan to visit Corinth a second time and had gone to Macedonia instead. And he explains that this change of plan was not made lightly¹, but was an act of saying “Yea” to the will of God and obeying it.

[¹Lightly: in a careless, thoughtless, or unreliable manner.]

 

2 Corinthians 1:15-17 “15And in this confidence I was minded to come first unto you, that ye might have a second benefit; 16and by you to pass into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come unto you, and of you to be set forward on my journey unto Judaea. 17When I therefore was thus minded, did I show fickleness? or the things that I purpose¹, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the yea yea and the nay nay?”

[¹Purpose: to plan, intend, or determine to do something.]

 

This was not the only time that the apostle Paul changed his route while traveling for the work of the gospel.

 

Acts 16:6-10 “6And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7and when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not; 8and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them.”

 

As we see in this passage, because the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit of Jesus, guided Paul’s way, there was a time when the apostle Paul turned away from his own desire to go into Bithynia and immediately sought to go to Macedonia. In other words, the apostle Paul changed his route not because he followed his own will, but because he followed the will of Jesus. And the reason he did this was that he acknowledged that the way he must go did not belong to himself, but only to Jesus.

 

Jeremiah 10:23 “O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart deviseth his way; But Jehovah directeth his steps.”

 

That is right. The way of life is not in ourselves, but in God, who directs our steps. Therefore, we must not rely on our own understanding, but must acknowledge God in all things and receive His guidance for the way we go.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “5Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.”

 

To acknowledge God is to say “Yea,” that is, “Amen,” to His word. This is what the apostle Paul was telling the brothers in Corinth. Before God, we cannot say “Nay,” but only “Yea”; therefore, we have no choice but to obey His will. Paul also said that Jesus, who was preached through him, Silvanus, and Timothy, showed us this example.

 

Luke 22:42 “saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

Philippians 2:6-8 “6who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”

Romans 5:19 “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.”

 

Amen. As these passages testify, we can know that Jesus also obeyed the word of God only with “Yea.” Therefore, we too must no longer be those who seek to please men, but as servants of Christ, we must please Jesus.

 

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.”

 

When the apostle Paul changed his plan and went to Macedonia, he did not concern himself first with what the brothers in Corinth might think of him. Rather, he simply passed by Corinth and went toward Macedonia as Jesus led him. He was able to do this because, as the passage above says, the apostle Paul was not a servant of men who sought to please men, but a servant of Jesus who sought to please Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus said the following to His disciples.

 

John 13:16-17 “16Verily, verily, I say unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.”

 

Amen. Truly, it is so. We are servants, not masters; and we are those who are sent, not the One who sends. Therefore, it is only right that in all things we acknowledge Jesus, who is our Lord, and obey the words of Jesus with Amen. If we first think of people’s eyes and our own reputation, and first seek our own benefit, then we can no longer be called servants of Jesus. Because the apostle Paul was a servant of Jesus, he was able to say Amen and obey as Jesus led him. And even when the four daughters of Philip and the prophet Agabus spoke, and the brothers tried to keep Paul from going up to Jerusalem, he did not first think of his own safety. Rather, according to the purpose for which he had been chosen (Acts 9:15), he was able to go up to Jerusalem for the name of Jesus.

 

Acts 21:8-15 “8And on the morrow we departed, and came unto Caesarea: and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we abode with him. 9Now this man had four virgin daughters, who prophesied. 10And as we tarried there some days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11And coming to us, and taking Paul’s girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. 15And after these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.”

 

Thus, the apostle Paul was a man who could willingly walk any road for the name of Jesus. We must follow the example of this faith of the apostle Paul. And just as the brothers in Corinth needed to understand the apostle Paul, who did not visit them first as he had planned (2 Cor. 1:23), we today also must not judge someone merely by what appears outwardly. Rather, we must first consider whether that person acted for the glory of the name of Jesus.

 

Matthew 7:1-2 “1Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.”

 

Acts 5:33-41 “33But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and minded to slay them. 34But there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in honor of all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while. 35And he said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men, what ye are about to do. 36For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nought. 37After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the enrolment, and drew away some of the people after him: he also perished; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad. 38And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown: 39but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting against God. 40And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles unto them, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.”

 

Amen.