2 Corinthians 1:17
“When I therefore was thus determined, did I show fickleness? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the “Yes, yes” and the “No, no?””
What does 2 Corinthians 1:17 mean?
Paul is defending himself against criticism that he's unreliable. People had apparently called him out for changing his travel plans to visit Corinth, and he's asking: would someone truly committed to God's purposes flip-flop like that, just following their own whims and desires? He's pushing back on the idea that his decisions are shallow or self-serving. The repeated "yes, yes" and "no, no" refers to making firm commitments and sticking to them, in contrast to being wishy-washy. Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that his integrity matters to him, and that his changes came from listening to God, not from being fickle or weak-willed.