DID PAUL USE GUILE?

II Corinthians 12:16  But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. (KJV) I Thessalonians 2:3  For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: (KJV)

The 2 Corinthians passage is probably one of the Biblical verses that is most often taken out of context.  Paul is responding to charges that he's used guile (trickery), not admitting to them.  If you read the text around it, it's made quite clear that he has not used guile.  The situation is that the Corinthians were worried that Paul was after their money.  However, Paul wasn't in Corinth at the time, so he couldn't have taken anything from them.  However, Paul did send some friends to Corinth on his behalf, and the Corinthians were worried that he would be taking money from them using his friends, which would have been an act of guile.  He is pointing out, however, that none of those he sent to Corinth ever asked for money from the Corinthians, so he's never taken money from them directly or through the use of guile.  Not a contradiction.