Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
Paul had not yet come to Corinth because he wanted to spare the believers. He called God as a record upon his soul as witness to the truth of that motive. If he had come at that time he would have had to rebuke them for their conduct, and their resistance could have brought on a crisis that would have endangered souls.
God redirected him to send a letter instead, urging them to repent and to deal with those disgracing the church before he came, so that his later visit could be marked by love and meekness rather than correction. In this delay he was seeking to avoid severity toward them as far as he possibly could. He sought to lead believers toward joy and away from error by kind persuasion rather than by authority, control, or dominion.
The verse therefore means ministers are never to exalt themselves as supreme or infallible, never to set themselves up as lords over the faith and consciences of believers to rule over them, and never to use authority or dominion over them. Ministers are to use their entrusted endowments only to magnify truth, doing their work in sincerity and humility as wise stewards and helpers of joy. They are to lead erring ones to renounce error by kindly persuasion and by clear, decided truth spoken in love, revealing Christlikeness of character and remembering that only God can impress the mind and purify the heart.
Paul had not yet come to Corinth because he wanted to spare the believers. He called God as a record upon his soul as witness to the truth of that motive. If he had come at that time he would have had to rebuke them for their conduct, and their resistance could have brought on a crisis that would have endangered souls.
God redirected him to send a letter instead, urging them to repent and to deal with those disgracing the church before he came, so that his later visit could be marked by love and meekness rather than correction. In this delay he was seeking to avoid severity toward them as far as he possibly could. He sought to lead believers toward joy and away from error by kind persuasion rather than by authority, control, or dominion.
The verse therefore means ministers are never to exalt themselves as supreme or infallible, never to set themselves up as lords over the faith and consciences of believers to rule over them, and never to use authority or dominion over them. Ministers are to use their entrusted endowments only to magnify truth, doing their work in sincerity and humility as wise stewards and helpers of joy. They are to lead erring ones to renounce error by kindly persuasion and by clear, decided truth spoken in love, revealing Christlikeness of character and remembering that only God can impress the mind and purify the heart.