2 Corinthians 2:16b-17 Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
Paul asks “who is adequate for these things?” Who is adequate to be a person through whom God manifests the aroma of Christ Jesus? It cannot be anyone and everyone, for God is not in the business of “peddling the word of God.” Evidently, there were people who were “peddling” their beliefs for perhaps personal gain. They sold their message for person gain. They were in it for the money, honor, attention, or comforts afforded to teachers in that time.
Paul says “we” are not like that. The “we” would include him and his ministry companions, those who follow the way of truth found in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21). They are not trying to get people to believe in something for the purpose of personal gain like wealth. They are sharing the word of God in sincerity. What they share comes from God. They “speak in Christ in the sight of God.” They are accountable to God.
Ministry is not a lucrative enterprise. There are rare situations where a large church will pay its ministers significant funds, but most pastors are given just enough to get by. There are other ways that ministers today can peddle God’s word. For example, they can seek honor and position. They may like the attention that comes with being a pastor. It is too easy to allow money or compensation, or lack of it, to become a reason for staying or leaving a church.
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