2 Corinthians 2:17
“For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.”
What does 2 Corinthians 2:17 mean?
Paul is drawing a stark contrast between his approach to sharing faith and what others were doing in his time. Some people were treating the gospel like a commodity to sell, twisting it for profit or personal gain, but Paul insists that he and his companions speak God's word with genuine sincerity, not as a marketing scheme. He emphasizes that everything he says happens in God's presence and through Christ, which means his words are accountable to God himself, not shaped by what will earn him money or favor. This matters because it speaks to why we share faith at all. When our deepest motivation is authenticity and pointing people toward God rather than benefiting ourselves, our words carry a different kind of weight. If you're wondering whether someone's spiritual teaching is trustworthy, this verse suggests one good question to ask is whether they seem genuinely committed to truth, or whether something else (money, status, control) might be driving them.