In chapter 7 Paul resumes discussing his relationship with the church in Corinth. He rejoices over their response to his corrective letter and appeals to them to open their hearts to him completely. Chapters 8 and 9 encourage the Corinthians to complete the offering for the poor in Judea.
7:1 – See notes on chapter 6. The editors should have included this verse in that chapter.
7:2 4 – The Corinthians have been partially turned against Paul and his helpers by the influence of Paul’s opponents who want a following for themselves. Paul appeals to the Corinthians to recognize the genuineness of his ministry and to accept him as Christ’s true apostle. Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. Paul had given them no reason to doubt him. And they know his record.
I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. In the wisdom of God’s Spirit, Paul avoids attacking the Corinthians. He knows that if he comes across as attacking them, they will become defensive and close their minds. By talking tenderly of his relationship with them, he will draw out their feelings for him in return. Isaiah prophesied of Christ, “He will not quarrel or cry out…A bruised reed he will not break…” – Matthew 12:19,20. Paul was led by that same Spirit, and so must we be if we are going to help people. We may know very well what is right and true, and yet close people’s minds in our very effort to teach them.
There is something very helpful here. When Jesus talked with people, each person had the feeling that he was very valuable and important to Jesus, whether the person was important to the world or not. If the love of Christ is in us, people will sense that they are valuable to us. That kind of love is rare and wonderful. It is one of the greatest factors in breaking through people’s distrust and defensiveness in order to help them know Christ.
I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. People often live up to what we expect of them, good or bad. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds since I have heard the good news of your response to my letter.
7:5 7 – Here Paul ends his long digression and returns to what he was saying in 2:12,13. He had hoped to meet Titus in Troas and to hear from the Corinthians, but did not find him there and so went on into Macedonia. For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn–conflicts on the outside, fears within (twin burdens of a true shepherd). One of the greatest burdens was not yet knowing if the Corinthians had repented or were still in danger of falling away from Christ. But God, who comforts the downcast (compare 1:3 5), comforted us by the coming of Titus with the longed-for news, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow for your sins, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
God comforts the downcast [NASB: the depressed]. Depression has many causes, but in many cases the ultimate answers to depression are spiritual.
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7:8 13 – Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. No one who loves people wants to make them uncomfortable. But there are situations (such as the dentist’s chair) where we have to inflict some discomfort in order to save someone from much greater suffering. The discipline practiced by a good church leader is like that. So is the discipline of a loving parent, and most of all the discipline of the heavenly Father – Hebrews 12:5 11. Though I did regret it–I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while–yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. Sorrow for sin is not repentance by itself, but it is part of it because it leads people to a change of mind and will, a turning from sin, which is true repentance. Sorrow is necessary to produce repentance and change – James 4:8 10. The world tries to evade sorrow at any cost, to drown it, etc. But it is the only thing that can turn a person around. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. Godly sorrow is a sorrow toward God, sorrow that we have caused him grief and have harmed his cause or his people. We hate what we have done and want very much not to do it again. We would go back and undo it if we were able. Worldly sorrow, on the other hand, is sorrow for ourselves: sorrow that we got caught, sorrow for the consequences we suffer, perhaps even sorrow that our righteous image of ourselves has been destroyed (is this the kind of remorse that destroyed Judas?) If we had the chance we would still do it again, for it is not the sin we hate, just the consequences.
See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves of guilt of condoning the evildoer, what indignation over what the person did, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. Paul’s corrective letter had done its work. So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. By this we are all encouraged.
Paul does not mean literally that he had no concern for the sinner or the injured when he wrote. He did, but he is exaggerating to make a strong point – compare 1 Corinthians 9:9,10. Though the salvation of the sinner and justice for the injured were important to Paul, the whole attitude of the Corinthians toward Paul’s ministry was much more important. If they refused Paul’s ministry, they refused the continued grace that Christ wanted to apply to their lives through Paul. It would also mean their following after the self-serving false apostles who could not lead the Corinthians to anything good. Sometimes God uses painful episodes in the church to force Christians to decide who they are and what they stand for. Sometimes it takes something like that to clarify our thinking.
Who are the offender and the injured referred to here? The traditional view is that Paul refers to the man who had his father’s wife – 1 Corinthians 5. However we cannot be sure. See notes on 2 Corinthians 2:5 11.
7:13 16 – In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit had been refreshed by all of you. When people’s hearts are whole in the Lord, when they are full of the life of God, they will be a blessing to all whose lives they touch. Their gracious ministry to Titus was more evidence of their repentance. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. Again, people have a way of living up to what we expect of them, good or bad. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. See how Paul uses every positive, gracious thing he can to build bridges between himself and the Corinthians. Part of good shepherding and ministry is in correcting people, helping them to see their faults and what is right. But equally important is approving of the good things in people and building bridges of good feeling and joy. Having a basically positive relationship makes correction much more effective when it has to be done. What a heart Paul had and how wise he was as a caretaker of God’s people!
And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you. Paul reinforces their obedience with praise and approval. He helps them to identify themselves as obedient Christians. It is a great joy to a teacher or leader when those he has taught do well spiritually. No other reward is needed. The writer of these notes and his wife used to go out every year with a certain couple to celebrate another drug and alcohol-free year in the life of that couple. Their lives were turned around by Christ, and it brought us joy.