2 Corinthians 7:4-13

Applebury's Comments

Paul's Frankness
Scripture

2 Corinthians 7:4-13 a. Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.

5 For even when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 6 Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7 and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you, while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced yet more. 8 For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it (for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season), 9 I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter. 12 So although I wrote unto you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be made manifest unto you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we have been comforted: and in our comfort we joyed the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit hath been refreshed by you all.

Comments

Great is my boldness of speech.Some assume that Paul is referring to the great confidence which he had in the Corinthians. While the expression may be translated confidence it really refers to one's frankness in speaking our boldly. Paul did speak frankly when he boasted about the willingness of the Corinthians to follow his instructions. See 2 Corinthians 7:14. Frankness is seen in two issues: (1) he was filled with comfort and (2) he was overflowing with joy in all his afflictions. Paul suffered as anyone else would when he was afflicted. The sting of the lash hurt him as much as it did anyone else. He felt the pain of hunger and cold as anyone else did. But the joy of knowing that he was the servant of God, bearing the message of reconciliation to all who would accept it, caused his joy to overflow like a river out of its banks and cover the ground as far as one could see.

for even when we were come into Macedonia.Paul now describes his distress and shows how God had comforted him in it all.

His anxiety over the situation in Corinth had caused him to go to Troas where he was hoping to find Titus and learn from him about conditions in Corinth. But when he got there, he had no relief for his spirit, so he went on to Macedonia. There, he says, Our flesh had no relief. In the first instance it was anxiety of mind and heart as he waited for the report of the action of the church on the instruction he had written them in First Corinthians, particularly in chapter five about the sin of the one who had taken his father's wife thus bringing the whole church into disrepute before the pagans. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. But his distress in Macedonia seems to have been the result of physical hardships which he suffered. He describes them as afflictions, fightings and fears, but gives no details as to their nature. We may assume that those who had been opposing him kept up their steady bombardment of criticism by every means that would bring him distress. Conflicts that were without produced fears within, fears, perhaps, as to whether or not he would be able to complete his mission of reconciling the sinners at Corinth to their God, for this would require repentance and a change of conduct on their part.

He that comforteth the lowly.Paul had faced enough to cause him to be depressed, but God who had led him in triumph in Christ in every place had not forsaken him. Although long delayed, God had comforted him by the presence of Titus who he met in Macedonia.

Some have assumed that the section from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18; 2 Corinthians 5:1-21; 2 Corinthians 6:1-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1-6 is a long digression. Paul began it with the reference to his trip to Macedonia to look for Titus without saying whether or not he had found him until he reached 2 Corinthians 7:6. But we should remember that Paul's meeting Titus and learning from him about the repentance of the Corinthians had filled him to overflowing with joy in all the suffering which he had undergone. It was perfectly logical for him to treat at length his hope and joy and frankness as he told of his love and longing for the Corinthians and urged them to make room for him in their hearts. This, of course, involved their repentance and change of conduct about which he was now ready to write.

and not by his coming only.It was not the presence of Titus only that brought comfort to Paul, for two other factors were involved: (1) the fact that Titus himself had been comforted by the Corinthians, and (2) the report Titus made of the attitude of the Corinthians toward Paul. Paul alluded again to their attitude toward Titus in verses 14-15.

while he told us your longing.The Corinthians had their hearts set on seeing Paul again. While it is true that at one time some arrogant ones among them had suggested that Paul would not come to see them again, every trace of this seems to have been wiped out by the report of Titus. 1 Corinthians 4:18. Titus told him about their lamentation, deep personal mourning, for the things that they had permitted to go on in their midst that had brought the church of God into disrepute before the pagans of their community and caused sorrow to Paul as their father in the gospel. The wrong had been done by disregarding the instruction of the apostle. The Corinthians had shown great zeal for him as their spiritual father by correcting the situation. So while Paul rejoiced at the coming of Titus, he rejoiced even more over the report of their attitude toward him, for that meant their reconciliation to God.

for though I made you sorry with my epistle.See comment on 2 Corinthians 2:3-4 as to the identity of this epistle. In the absence of any manuscript evidence to the contrary I assume that this is a reference to First Corinthians. That epistle is full of sharp rebuke for various sins that were being practiced by the church in Corinth. Paul seems now to return to what he had written in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 which appears to be a clear reference to the one who was living with his father's wife. See 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. See Studies in First Corinthians for comments on that situation.

I do not regret it.After hearing Titus-' report of their reaction to that epistle, Paul writes, I do not regret it. Then he hastens to add that he had regretted it, that is, not the writing of the epistle but the effect of it for it brought them temporary sorrow. Paul, as their spiritual father, did not take pleasure in causing them sorrow, even though he had to reprove them for their sin with the hope that they might be restored to the life of purity and righteousness in Christ.

I now rejoice.Again he makes it clear that he was not rejoicing that it had become necessary for him to write so as to bring them sorrow, for his rejoicing was in that which resulted from their sorrow, that is, their repentance. At one point they seem to have been indifferent toward the sin of the one who was living with his father's wife. The instruction which Paul had given had caused them to reverse their attitude and carry out the punishment which had been ordered by the apostle. Repentance is the change of the mind or the reversal of a decision which is brought about through godly sorrow and results in changed conduct. Two other motivating forces are mentioned in the Scriptures which lead to repentance: (1) the goodness of God (Romans 2:4) and (2) the impending judgment (Acts 17:30-31).

for ye were made sorry after a godly sort.Literally, according to God. This means sorrow as God would have it turn out, for it would lead to repentance. Consequently nothing that Paul had written in his epistle had caused them loss. They had corrected the wrong; they were to forgive the sinner; they were not to allow Satan to have the advantage over them. 2 Corinthians 2:11.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation.In accord with God's purpose, their sorrow had produced a reversal of their decision about sin. That, in turn, brought about their salvation, and there was no regret in it.

but the sorrow of the world worketh death.This bold contrast between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world justifies Paul's rejoicing over the outcome of his epistle. The sorrow of the world involved shame and disgrace and led ultimately to death, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

For behold, this self-same thing.Paul now calls upon the Corinthians to observe for themselves what had happened as a result of the sorrow that was according to God: (1) what earnest care it produced in you, that is, their eagerness to correct the sin that they had so carelessly allowed to go on in their midst; (2) clearing of yourselves, that is, the action they had taken under the instruction of the apostle to clear themselves of involvement in such sins as fornication, covetousness, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness, extortion and the like. See 1 Corinthians 5:11; (3) what indignation, that is, they were indignant that they had allowed one of their members to bring them such disgrace; (4) what fear, that is, reverence for God and the word delivered to them through His apostle, lest they be punished with the wrongdoer; (5) what longing, that is, their earnest desire for the purity of life to which they had been called in Christ; (6) what zeal, that is, their eager response to the directions Paul had written to them, for they had purged out the old leaven that they might no longer be characterized by malice and wickedness; (7) what avenging, that is, they had taken the necessary steps to punish the wrongdoer for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. See 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 2:8-11.

Paul was generous on his commendation of the Corinthians, reminding them that in all these things by their swift action they had proved themselves to be innocent of any further wrongdoing.

I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong.The attitude of the Corinthians which Paul had just described explained his purpose in writing First Corinthians, particularly, chapter five. His purpose was not primarily for the benefit of the one who had done the wrong, nor was it for the one who had suffered the wrong. It was for their concern for the apostle's instruction that had led them to take the necessary steps to clear themselves from guilt of carelessly allowing such practices to go on in their midst. What they had accomplished had been done in the sight of God as they demonstrated their earnest care for Paul.

Another view of this verse assumes that the one who was wronged was Paul, not the father of the man who was living with the father's wife. It assumes that the one who did the wrong was one of his detractors who had sought to discredit him before the Corinthians. This is based on the supposition that the epistle that had caused them sorrow was some other than our First Corinthians. See Studies in First Corinthians on chapter five.

Therefore we have been comforted.Thus Paul closes his remarkable explanation of the effect of Titus-' report about conditions in Corinth.