19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
The heart of Paul’s team’s message was the person of Christ, the Son of God. Since Jesus is God, it is impossible that He would change (He 13:8). Christ as the “Son” was identical in nature to the Father.
who was preached among you by us
The message of Jesus Christ preached by Paul’s team to Corinth was true. As well, Paul’s team did not vacillate in their communication to the Corinthians; they were consistent in their message to the church. However, in methods or itinerary, they made changes to how they did things. Thus, change in method is not change in message.
—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No,
Silvanus (Ac 15:22; 1 Pe 5:12) and Timothy were two members of Paul’s gospel team. They co-sent both 1 and 2 Thessalonians to the churches there (1 Th 1:1; 2 Th 1:1). There were multiple ministers but one message.
Silvanus was a leader in the Jerusalem church. He carried the Jerusalem Council’s decision to the church at Antioch, where he was called a prophet (Ac 15:22). He later joined Paul on the second missionary enterprise (Ac 15:39-40). Like Paul, he was a Roman citizen (Ac 16:37). He was a gospel preacher with Paul (2 Co 1:19). As an amanuensis, he wrote down 1 Peter for Peter (1 Pe 5:12).
When Paul and Silvanus reached Lystra, they added Timothy to their team (Ac 6:1-3). Timothy was the vest-pocket edition of the apostle Paul, Paul’s beloved son in the faith. He was half-Jew on his mother’s side and half-Gentile on his father’s side (Ac 16:1).
When Paul came to Corinth the first time, both Silvanus and Timothy were with him.
but in Him was Yes.
There was no place for Paul to preach with double meanings (2 Co 4:2). His message was confirmed as unequivocally true in Christ (2 Co 1:21, 22). The gospel team was not evasive in preaching about Jesus. Paul’s preaching was true because Christ is real. Christ is the fulfillment of God’s “yes.”
PRINCIPLE:
A minister’s veracity rests on how he communicates Jesus Christ to his people.
APPLICATION:
There is no “yes and no” about Jesus Christ. Nothing was untrustworthy or contradictory about Him.
