⁵For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— ⁶nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.

The God who “examines our hearts” (vs. 4) is our star and expert witness. As the writer of Hebrews puts it,

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. (Heb. 4:12–13)

Whether Paul had been familiar with the book of Hebrews or not (its authorship is still debated), he would have been in complete agreement. Living and speaking hypocritically is futile because in the end we will have to give an account to the One who will accept no duplicity. We doubt Paul felt a need to defend himself as he did with the believers at Corinth (from where he wrote this letter to the Thessalonians). Rather he emphasizes his example so they would not fall into the temptation of manipulative speech in their evangelization.

We see here some basic principles for ministry. Avoid at all cost the use of flattering speech. The word “flattery” is used only here in the Bible and only occasionally in ancient literature, both in a positive and negative light. Clearly here, Paul sees it as something to avoid. The Dictionary of Biblical Languages describes the word as “blarney that gratifies one’s vanity.” Paul was persuasive in his teaching, but he did not resort to puffing people up to gain a hearing.

To be sure, our speech should be gracious and accommodating. Paul himself complimented his audience earlier in this mission tour, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects” (Acts 17:22). This was not flattery but a genuinely positive statement upon which he built his apologetic approach. Flattery is a deceptive tool meant to advance one’s own agenda, to build someone up on the foundation of their vanity. While that may be a powerful tactic in winning arguments or getting one’s way, it has no place in the persuasion of the gospel. It breeds pseudo-conversions that feed on people’s pride, rather than humility. Churches built on such methods will undoubtedly suffer from the constant tension that competing prides foster.

Lord, help me learn the difference between complimenting and flattering.