Chapter 2
1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?
3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. 5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
Have you ever received a letter that was really emotionally painful? I remember when I was 16 before I had rededicated my life to the Lord that I got a very painful letter from my mother.
At the time I was running with a group of friends who liked to talk about sexual experiences and now I know that most of them were lying about their amorous adventures, but then I was foolish enough to believe it and I’m ashamed to say that I made up a few of my own, just to try to fit in. (Is that the most foolish thing you ever heard of or what?) Well, somewhere during that time I copied a poem that a neighbor had shown me and carried it in my pocket for a while, sharing it with some of my buddies who were impressed by it. It was actually a very terrible, filthy piece of garbage that described in first person language a commitment to a sexually immoral lifestyle. I was in spiritual darkness enough to not only have such a thing, but to think it was cool. Of course I would never in a million years have shown that thing to my parents! Especially my own mother! But guess what happened?
One day I left it on my bed with some other things and when I came home and went to my room the first thing I noticed was that my bed was made up… That was unusual. Then I looked and saw it. There on the bed laying open was that horrible poem! Next to it was another piece of paper. It was a letter from my mother. My heart pounded and I know I flushed with shame. Then I read the painful letter from my Mom. It was written and placed there by the hands that had loved me and cared for me for over 16 years. My stupid foolishness had broken the heart of the dearest person on earth to me. The words in her letter were carefully and prayerfully chosen. My Mom said that she was very hurt and disappointed by what that poem said. She told me that it didn’t represent what our home stood for and it didn’t represent what she hoped and prayed I would stand for. She reaffirmed that she loved me and that she wanted me to live by the Lord’s standard and not this worldly way. I experienced a deep sense of pain and shame. God was using the words my mother wrote there to turn my heart toward heaven and away from hell. I believe that the painful letter my Mom wrote me was much more powerful than if she had called me in and sat me down to preach to me or punished me some other way.
As I read 2 Corinthians I see many parallels with my experience. Paul is the spiritual father of the church in Corinth. He said in 1 Cor 4:15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Paul’s relationship with this church is that of a parent with his children. He loves them deeply and grieves over them when they walk in ways that do not represent the Lord. How does he deal with their spiritual sinfulness?
One way is that he writes letters to them. And thank God that he did! Because he wrote these letters we have them still as God’s message to his early followers who struggled to walk in the faith of Jesus Christ and leave the ways of this world behind them. As we read these words of Paul to this church we see that not much has changed through the centuries. We are still facing the forces of sin and selfishness that has always plagued us. And Jesus Christ is still the victorious Savior who rescues us from the darkness and leads us into his light and love. And we still need strong spiritual men and women who love us and who will show the love of God to us by confronting our sinfulness with the truth of God and the way of life, and who will lead us by example and instruction in the way of Christ. And, listen to me now… We need to become strong spiritual men and women who will have the courage and love to do so for others.
This letter is a model for us of how to confront and convict and then to comfort and restore the erring. It demonstrates the power of a life lived in the presence of Christ with a clear conscience guided by God. You will hear the passion of Paul as he pleads here and pours out furry over there. You can almost smell his conviction in Christ! The letter of 2 Corinthians centers on the theme of Paul’s defense of his apostleship, but he ends the letter warning them that he’s coming to see them for the third time and this time he will deal with those who say that he is weak. In other words, this letter is written to give them a chance to get their act together before he comes and gets it together for them. Paul may be full of the love of God, but he’s not soft, he’s tough! The majority of the Corinthians are clearly hearing and heeding these words, but those that are not and those that are causing confusion and division and sin are called on the carpet of Christian discipline. They will not get away with their continued corruption and insidious influence without a fight.
I remember that some of what I needed in my rebellious phase was a change of relationships. I needed to be confronted and convicted by someone who could continue to strengthen my conscience toward Christ. I was convinced that what I was doing was wrong, but I was more committed to my friends than to the cause of Christ or the way of truth. My heart was all tied up in conforming to the world so that I could get along with those that loved it. A change of heart is a work of God’s Holy Spirit in someone who hears and believes the Word. I could hear the Word, but my faith was not in God, but in myself. That painful letter from my Mom struck a cord that made the light of truth shine with a new intensity into my world. It revealed my true condition. Instead of rebelling further, I responded in repentance. Godly sorrow is such a good thing. Have you been there?
For these Corinthians it wasn’t Paul just spouting off rules of right and wrong that worked to convict to compel them to change. What caught them and what kept them, was their relationship with him! Paul had shared himself fully with them and they had responded to Christ whom Paul preached. Couple this with his walk with Christ among them and his communicating this with them. They had his heart and he had theirs. This was all possible because of the union they shared in Christ when these Corinthians had become Christians. Comfort and pain overflowed and was shared between them. It was personal! It was spiritual. It worked to bring glory to God as it built up the kingdom of Christ.
Let me close out this opening lesson on 2 Corinthians with some practical principles that we discover early on:
1. True Christian relationships are so deep that comfort and pain spill over into the lives of those who share it.
Notice that there are spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and even physical dimensions of the Christian relationship we read about here.
2. Christian growth is established and supported by this kind of relationship between a new Christian and a mature Christian.
What would have happened if these Corinthians had not had someone like Paul to lead them and help them develop in the faith?
3. There will always be worldly influences that have the potential to destroy Christians that must be dealt with. Some of these influences will arise from among the members of the church itself.
Is this not what happened in churches that we read about in the Bible? Some of these influences are religious looking. Did Jesus Christ our Savior himself not teach us to beware of false teachers who come to us in sheep’s clothing, they have an appearance of godliness, but inwardly they are wolfs who devour the flock. These are those who divide us and seek to destroy the harmony and love of God that we share in Christ. They mouth religious words but their fruit is division and confusion and sinful attitudes and actions. By their fruits you shall know them.
But listen to me now… some of these influences are purely sensual and fleshly. They are temptations of the world that captivate and ensnare the hearts of Christians who won’t let go of the world’s temporal lusts and pleasures. Such are what produce the sexual sins, or the desire for material things, or lust for power or popularity, or enjoyment of evils such as violence, pride, selfishness, and rebellion toward authority, godless entertainments, and things like these. Jesus said, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” (Matthew 18:7-9).
To Jesus, sin is the worst thing in the universe. If that’s how he feels about it, what should our response to sin be?
4. Finally, God uses discipline done by those that know and practice the love of Christ to bring his straying sheep home and expel the wolves from the fold.
I stand as living proof. If it were not for the loving correction and Christian discipline that I have received through the years, I know that I would be lost today. The more severe the error, the more important the discipline. God uses Christian leaders to shepherd his flock. Elders have a big job. They have two extremely important relationships that they must maintain. First, is their relationship with God in Christ. They must know him and his will so that they can follow him faithfully. Second, they must know us as members so that they can encourage, instruct and discipline us. But they can’t do this job completely. We need to be doing this for each other as well. If there are matters that can’t be handled between us, we take it to them for their help. If they find a wolf among the flock, their God ordained duty is to protect the flock and run off the wolves.
