Bible Study - 2 Corinthians Chapter 7
Bible Study - 2 Corinthians Chapter 7
| 1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. |
The promises Paul is referring to are the ones he compiled in 6:16-18 from various Old Testament scriptures. God has fulfilled His promises, although some of His promises were made with conditions. When His people met the conditions the promises were fulfilled. When they weren't, God withdrew his protection. Paul is concerned for the welfare of the Corinthians. His use of the word agapetos, beloved, is not a greeting but a true feeling. Paul rarely uses this appellation. Paul continues this by using "we" in his exhortation The point is that we should purify ourselves from things that defile our bodies and spirits. Flesh and spirit here don't mean the sinful pull versus the Christ-like pull as Paul uses elsewhere. Paul is meaning both the physical outer being and the inner heart and mind of the person. This also does not mean what food we eat, but refers to destructive sinful behavior. Whatever stands between us and reconciliation with the Father and becoming more like Christ is to be removed. While we are all sinners every day, the Corinthians were pursuing defiling sins, things that alter our character such as sexual immorality, idolatrous behavior, and such. |
| 2 Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. | Here Paul makes a digression about his relationship with the Corinthians. Paul is saying that the breech in their relationship was not from his side, but theirs. This parallels the breach in their relationship with God. God is not the author of the breach, they are. There was not a single instance where Paul and those who came with him did anything to justify the attacks on them. |
| 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. |
The reason for bringing this up is not to point fingers and assign blame. In a breach of relationship it is necessary to identify the cause. But that is not to accuse but to heal the breech. Clearly, that is Paul's intention. He is clearing his name so that the relationship can be healed rather than a counterattack as would be the world's response. The cause of the wound must be removed and the wound cleaned before the surgeon can close it. Paul frequently uses martial allegories to relate Christian living. To die and live together is the attitude and way of life of soldiers who train together, fight together, and die together. The bond between soldiers is such that even when there has been offense between them, they still fight back to back trusting the other to literally have their back. |
| 4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction. |
With verse 3 Paul ends the side discussion started at 2:14, and in this verse continues the narrative from where he left off at 2:13. Paul repeats his great confidence in the Corinthians. He chose a lot of Greek words that begin with the letter Pi to say this a second time and give it added emphasis. This nearly over the top description of Paul's feelings towards the Corinthians is evidenced by his boasting about them. He later mentions his boasting to Titus before he sent him to Corinth in 7:14, to the Macedonians in 9:2, and to all the regions of Achaia in 11:10. He was proud of them as he wanted them to be proud of him in 5:12. That they had issues did not diminish his pride in them. It may be that their success in the midst of so much of the Corinthian culture pulling them away made this church so dear to Paul. A key to Paul's joy in the midst of affliction is stated in this chapter. He dwells upon the souls saved, and that is his comfort and joy no matter the circumstances. Paul is always heavenly-minded. |
| 5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. | Here Paul talks about the trials that the thoughts of the Corinthians helped him through. Macedonia was a challenge to Paul and his team. Afflictions and conflicts kept them from even being able to rest. (Flesh here is not in the theological sense, but in the common usage referring to the physical body.) And their internal fears also kept them from rest. |
| 6 But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; |
Titus was not at Troas in 2:12. But now Titus joins Paul. Titus had been sent by Paul to Corinth because Paul didn't want to go and have his own visit marred by the need to continue to confront bad behavior as he did in his third letter. Titus was a comfort as a fellow worker for the gospel, having shared the hardships and triumphs of ministry with Paul. A brother in Christ can be of great comfort. And who has shared much of the same trials is especially equipped to be of comfort. |
| 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. | Even more comfort was the report from Titus. First, there was that Titus was comforted in his visit. This means that they were still seeking Christ and were living out their faith. Second there was Titus' report that the Corinthians held Paul in their hearts with longing, mourning and zeal like Paul does for them. |
| 8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it - for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while - | Paul's letter of chastisement was necessary, but Paul wished it hadn't been necessary. Like a good parent who has to punish their child for the child's own good, but is regretful about the need to do it, as well as regretful about giving the discipline itself, and regretful for the sorrow it causes in the child they love. Still, it is a sorrow for a short time to save the child from the much greater pain or even disaster that would come to them without being disciplined. Like the child, the sorrow from discipline is only for a short time. The sorrow from a lack of discipline can last a lifetime for a child in this life, an eternity for one who rebels against God. |
| 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. |
Paul never lost hope in the Corinthian church. He knew that good seed was planted and it was well watered and cultivated while he was there. And also Paul was hopeful that the truth would win in the end as he later says in 11:10. Still, it to hear from Titus that the response to his letter of chastisement was well received and acted on was great news and reason to rejoice. There is a very important theological point made here, and one that contradicts the entire message of many "popular" preachers and a large segment of self-proclaimed Christians. One, the purpose of sorrow at being corrected is to bring one to repentance. And two, this sorrow is God's will. Prosperity preachers are not the only ones who skirt around or reject this point. They say things like, "We don't want anyone to feel guilty" or "Doesn't God want me to be happy?". This is deception. When we do things that are wrong we should feel sorrow. In other words, when we are guilty we ought to feel guilty. Doing wrong without feeling guilty is the mark of a psychopath. We are to make disciples of all nations, not psychopaths of all nations. Someone who feels no guilt has zero motivation to seek God's forgiveness. And without His forgiveness, there is no place for such a person in heaven. This is probably the most dangerous deception of our time. A parallel to it is the, "at least I'm better than them" attitude. Everyone has sinned and needs God's grace. We forget that at the peril of our souls. At the end of this verse Paul states that this was so the Corinthians might not suffer loss in anything through them. If he had ignored the bad behavior, they most certainly would have suffered loss, perhaps even the loss of their place in heaven. |
| 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. |
Again, God brings sorrow. God does make us feel guilty. This is right and true. But Godly sorrow brings us to repentance which brings salvation. Therefore, there is no regret for feeling guilty. (In the Greek, repentance, salvation and no regret are directly connected.) If we deny this, then there is no repentance and no salvation. Worldly sorrow does not bring us to repentance. That sorrow is regret at getting caught. It is regret about the consequences. There is no ownership of having done wrong. The motivation is to avoid to the consequences in the future, not to turn from the sin. Paul brought correction to the Corinthians. They could have reacted badly, turning on Paul and rejecting correction. That is worldly sorrow. Even more, it is rebellion against God. So what will we do when a brother or sister corrects us? |
| 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. | Were they innocent? Not at first. By standing by while bad behavior was occurring they were complicit in it. By their silence and inaction they were guilty of the behavior themselves. Paul's third letter was to the whole church, not just the ones behaving badly. On the one hand we don't like to be corrected, and on the other hand we don't like to confront bad behavior. In their reaction to Paul's correction, accepting it and acting on it, ("avenging of wrong",) they vindicated themselves. Accepting they were in the wrong, stepping out and confronting the bad behavior, (as they should have done from the first,) they made themselves right with God. |
| 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. | In poetic language, Paul is saying that his letter of correction was not for the one who was behaving badly. He didn't know better. Nor was it for the one who was harmed by the bad behavior. That was Paul. It was for those who stood by. They knew better, and did nothing. In the eyes of God that makes their guilt greater than the offender. |
| 13 For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. |
That they took the correction on board, and turned from inaction to action, showing they really were seeking after Christ was the source of comfort. Paul could see from the joy in Titus that the Corinthians had changed. Being among those earnest, (not perfectly,) seeking Christ, always willing to correct themselves and accept correction from others, is such great refreshment to a like-minded Christian. To one who rebels against God it is a trial. |
| 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. | Paul was generous with his praise of the Corinthian church. Amazing things had happened. People turned to Christ and their lives were transformed. It is no wonder that Paul was full of joy that his boasting was vindicated by what Titus experienced on his visit. |
| 15 His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. | The Corinthians did not rebel against correction. They recognized that they were in the wrong. And they obeyed. Thus, they were respectful of Titus when he came. Paul uses the phrase "with fear and trembling." This is not the fear of punishment or mortal fear. It is the fear of failure to do what is expected. Only Paul uses "fear and trembling" in the New Testament. It is the reverence we should have towards God, and an attitude that we should take living rightly that seriously. |
| 16 I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you. | Despite their faults, falling for false teachers, following false doctrines, going back to their pagan religion's salvation by works, repeated and improper tolerance of sin in their midst, and all the other problems this church had, Paul always had confidence in them despite the moral cess pool of a city they lived in. This was because he knew good seeds were planted. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.