For we are not as many, who corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
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Ambrosiaster
AD 400
Paul is alluding to various false apostles who used to corrupt the Word of God through bad interpretation. Some of them were so zealous for Jewish tradition that they did not teach properly about Christ. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.
For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God. The particle for denotes that Paul, with the few other Apostles, was by God"s grace a fitting minister of Christ, and scattered wherever he went the good odour of the Gospel, while many others were unfitting preachers of the Gospel, of evil odour and of bad report
The Latin for corrupt is "adulterate," which, Salmeron says, denotes the act of one who has connection with a woman that is not his wife; so does he who mingles truth and falsehood adulterate the word of God. S. Gregory (Morals, lib. xxii. c12) says: "To adulterate the word of God is either to think of it otherwise than it Isaiah , or to seek from it, not spiritual fruit but the corrupt offspring of human praise. To speak in sincerity is to say nothing but what one ought, i.e, to seek always the glory of the Creator." Again (Morals, lib. xvi. c25) he says: "An adulterer seeks not offspring but carnal delight; and whoever perversely serves vain-glory is rightly said to adu...
"In this strain also the Apostle Paul, inasmuch as he had a good conscience, said to the Corinthians: "For we are not as many, who corrupt the Word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ; "
Paul will not imitate the false apostles, who claim rewards for themselves. For corruption occurs when one sells for money what one ought to give freely. Paul speaks in Christ, not by his own wisdom but by the power which comes from him.
'For even if we use great sounding words, yet we declared nothing to be our own that we achieved, but all Christ's. For we will not imitate the false apostles; the men who say that most is of themselves.' For this is to corrupt, when one adulterates the wine; when one sells for money what he ought to give freely. For he seems to me to be here both taunting them in respect to money, and again hinting at the very thing I have said, as that they mingle their own things with God's; which is the charge Isaiah brings when he said, Your vintners mingle wine with water: Isaiah 1:22, Septuagint for even if this was said of wine, yet one would not err in expounding it of doctrine too. 'But we,' says he, 'do not so: but such as we have been entrusted with, such do we offer you, pouring out the word undiluted.' Whence he added, But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
'We do not,' says he 'beguile you and so preach, as conferring a gift on you, or as bringing ...
