Thomas Aquinas

Ministers of our God, it shall be said to you, Is. LXI, v. 6. In these words the subject matter of this second epistle to the Corinthians is fittingly touched upon. For in the first epistle the Apostle deals with the sacraments themselves, but in this second he deals with the ministers of these sacraments, both good and bad. Now the reason for writing this epistle was that the Corinthians, after his preaching, had admitted false apostles, whom they preferred to the Apostle. On account of this he writes them this epistle, in which he commends the apostles and shows the dignity of the true apostles; he also shows and censures the falsity of the false apostles.

He commends the dignity of the true apostles from this, that they are ministers of God. Ministers, he says, of God, it shall be said to you, namely to the apostles, who indeed are called ministers with respect to three things.

First, with respect to the dispensing of the sacraments. I Cor. IV, 1: let a man so account of us as of ministers, et cetera. For Christ is the institutor of the sacraments, but the apostles and their successors dispense them, and therefore it is added in the aforesaid authority, and dispensers of the mysteries of God.

Second, with respect to governance, namely insofar as they govern the people of God. Sap. c. VI, 5: when you were ministers, you did not judge rightly, et cetera. For God governs all things through prudence. Hence whoever governs anything is called a minister of God.

Third, with respect to the working of human salvation, namely insofar as by their ministry and preaching, men were converted to salvation: of which salvation God alone is the author, because he it is who came to save what had perished, while the apostles are ministers. I Cor. III, v. 4 s.: what then is Apollo? What is Paul? Ministers of him in whom you believed, et cetera.