Notes on 2 Corinthians 2

1 But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.
2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; 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 unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

As is often the case, the first part of this chapter completes a thought begun in the last one. Paul explains more fully why he decided not to visit Corinth as he first planned to do. This kind of compassion illustrates the godly love he wrote about in 1 Corinthians 13, the longsuffering love that does not melt away in the face of sin and rebellion. His own joy is bound up with theirs, and his sorrow comes from his desire that they might be restored to the fellowship with the Lord that he enjoys himself. There is a great difference between an angry, judgmental attitude and one of love that condemns sin without rejecting the sinner as well. It is often difficult for us to make that distinction; as one example, it is hard to hate the sin of homosexuality without hating the homosexual as well. Because we refuse to tolerate sin among believers, whether homosexuality or any other, does not mean we should refuse to allow sinners to come to our assembly together. Otherwise, they might never have the opportunity for salvation.

5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.
6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Casting a Christian out of the fellowship of believers for gross sin does not mean casting him or her out of the body of Christ; we have no power or authority to do that. The obligation to love and have compassion does not end then either. Judgment must always be tempered by mercy; just as the Lord forgives sin when it is confessed, and pardon is asked, we should do the same. Restoration to fellowship should always be the goal, just as Paul urges for, apparently, the man whose sin he condemns in the first letter. Satan can, and does, use a besetting sin as a trap and a snare, to turn Christians away from Christ, and from other believers. It suits his purposes perfectly well to separate Christians from the love and support of the body. It is interesting to note the authority that Paul takes to forgive someone in "the person of Christ." We know, of course, that Christ has already forgiven our sins, but it still has to be accepted by the person involved. It is the same here; the church could forgive the man involved, but if he refused to accept that forgiveness, he remained condemned, by his own choice.

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,
13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Paul was very close to those who ministered with him in the Gospel. Both Timothy and Titus were like sons to him, and he was willing to make great personal sacrifice to know that things were well with them. Even though he found an open door to preach the Gospel, as he said, in the city of Troas, he could not be at piece there, because Titus did not meet him as expected. Though sometimes we have to stand alone, the Lord often provides fellow laborers in doing the work of ministry, whatever it may be, for mutual support and counsel. He sent the disciples forth two by two, not all alone, and it is still the practice for visitation to be done in teams of two. This is consistent with the Lord's promise to answer prayers in which two agree, and to be in the midst where two or more are gathered in his name. One reason that a praying married couple has so much power is precisely because of that promise. There is truly strength in unity. By the same token, we should not desert our partner in ministry. Titus may have had reason to leave Troas before Paul arrived, but in point of fact his departure was a hindrance to Paul's ministry there.

Defeat is never a word in our vocabulary if we continually place our trust in Christ. Victory is not dependent on circumstances, but on faith. Things may not go as we anticipated or planned, but if we go on in the confidence that God is always in control, we can overcome anything, including death itself. We have been made more than conquerors, Paul wrote to the Romans, through him who loved us, no matter where we are or what happens (Romans 8:37). How do we savor, or enjoy, the knowledge of Christ? By always seeking fellowship with him, and by always seeking his will in every place, and every situation. That knowledge is our understanding of who he is, and how his will is being worked out in our lives. Our lives as Christians, our witness, also has its own scent, the literal meaning of the word savor in scripture, to God himself, and to others. The Old Testament often describes the sacrifice as having a sweet savor to God (Exodus 29:18, and many others), indicating it gives him pleasure like a sweet perfume would to us. To the lost, our witness has the smell of death, because it brings the realization of their own fate as lost in sin. The reaction may be quite violent, or it may provoke a desire to escape death and find life. None of us worthy for the witness we have in Christ; our worth comes in him. The idea that there are those who use the Gospel for their selfish needs recurs often in Paul's writings, and a part of the purpose of this letter is to confront just that type of frauds and liars that were present in the Corinthian church.

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