II Corinthians 7, Sorrow and Relief

Paul has been explaining the motivations behind his ministry.

2 Corinthians 7: 1-3, Open your hearts to us!
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 

Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 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.

Paul calls for renewed affection and commitment.  He expresses his full commitment to the church in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 7: 4-7, Confidence (and relief!)
I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. 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. 

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 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, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. 

Paul's anxiety was greatly relieved by finally finding Titus in Macedonia.

2 Corinthians 7: 8-12, The tearful letter caused sorrow
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. 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. 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 leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, 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. 

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. 

The "tearful letter", now lost to us, apparently had its desired effect, although Paul clearly worried about the effect of that letter.

2 Corinthians 7: 13-16, Open your hearts to us!
By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 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.

The good report from Titus has greatly reassured Paul that he was doing the right thing in his ministry with the Corinthian church.

In the next chapter Paul changes direction and discusses the church gifts to Jerusalem.

II Corinthians 6, Ministering in Purity

Paul continues to describe his motives for ministry.

2 Corinthians 6: 1-2, Please heed our call
As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

Be sensitive to God's grace, Paul pleads, and heed Christ's call for forgiveness. Paul is quoting from Isaiah 49:8, a passage about the restoration of Israel.

2 Corinthians 6: 3-10, We ministered to you in purity
We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

In one long pulsing sentence Paul drums quickly through his many experiences, good and bad, in ministering to the people of Corinth.

2 Corinthians 6: 11-13, So open up to us!
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts also.

Paul speaks as a lover betrayed, passionately begging that his care and affection be reciprocated!

2 Corinthians 6: 14-18, Separation from evil
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? 

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 

Like the prophets of old, Paul calls out for the believers to set themselves apart as true citizens of God's kingdom.

This ringing call is often misinterpreted.  In another passage (I Corinthians 5: 9-11), Paul says that one cannot, indeed should not, separate from those outside the church or else "you would have to leave this world".  Paul is not arguing about mere personal associations, but something much deeper. Some note the word "yoked" in verse 14 as indicating a deep involvement with an unbeliever, but I see a general theme that follows Matthew 6: 24, we cannot serve two masters and so a decision must be made: to whom (or what) do we owe allegiance?

According to the NIV Footnotes, the Greek word in verse 15 is really Beliar, a variant of Belial, a term for Satan.

Paul has a string of three quotations in verses 16-18 echoing Old Testament passages.  The first comes from similar passages such Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 32:38, and Ezekiel 37:27; the second from Isaiah 52:11 or Ezekiel 20:34,41, and finally, most likely, the third quote is from 2 Samuel 7:14. (The Greek text had no way to indicate quotations so the quotation marks in appearing in the NIV English translation represent an interpretation of the translators.  The prelude, "As God as said," surely indicates that Paul is quoting from the Old Testament here.)

Paul continues his emphasis on purity in the next chapter.

II Corinthians 5, The Ministry of Reconciliation

Paul has been describing his brushes with death and his eternal perspective in ministry.

2 Corinthinans 5: 1-4, More on eternal things
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

We look forward to eternal life, which Paul merely calls, "life", in which we replace this "tent" of a body with a "heavenly dwelling".

2 Corinthinans 5: 5-9, A Deposit on that life
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. 

We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Paul is confident of this eternal life and our part in it.  The Holy Spirit is the first down payment on this eternal life, our "guarantee".  And Paul is now eager to move on to that new life!  (But I am not; I still enjoy this interesting life, even if my "tent" has begun to groan a little.)

2 Corinthinans 5: 10-11a, The judgment seat of Christ
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.

There is indeed some type of final judgment, some future final decision by Jesus, apparently based on how we have lived this life.  And so Paul feels a certain urgency in his mission.  Note that although Paul will routinely insist we are "saved by grace", we are still expected to live out a life that reflects that viewpoint, with good actions and caring deeds.  Paul sees this a natural result of the Holy Spirit taking control of our hearts and minds.

2 Corinthinans 5: 11b-14, Under compulsion
What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

Paul is compelled by love for the Corinthians and wants them to know his transparency in that love. He wavers between trying to defend himself again and claiming that no defense is necessary.

2 Corinthinans 5: 15-17, An eternal perspective
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

This is a famous passage, central to Paul's daily motivation in ministry. Paul's motivation is Christ's death for all mankind and the new creation, the new "citizenship" that comes with that.

2 Corinthinans 5: 18-21, The ministry of reconciliation
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christians are "ambassadors of reconciliation", representing the Kingdom of God to a confused world. The "ambassador" metaphor is a strong one; the author of Hebrews says that we are citizens of a better (future) country and currently live in a country "not our own" (Hebrews 11:13-16), a good reminder for any Christian in any country in any time.

The phrase in verse 21, in which Jesus became "sin" for us could also be translated "a sin offering" for us (NIV Footnotes.)

In the next chapter. Paul continues to describe his motives for ministry.

II Corinthians 4, Jars of Clay

Paul has been defending his ministry.  Along the way, he explains why some of his people, some of the Jews, are still resistant to their Messiah.

2 Corinthinans 4: 1-2, Commitment to truth and honesty
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Paul emphasizes honest, sincere proclamation, without deceit! (Hallelujah!) If only the gospel were always communicated in this way!

2 Corinthinans 4: 3-6, A veil over mankind
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 

Again Paul references "the veil", a blinding of our world that has occurred since the Fall of humankind in Genesis. His solution is to preach Christ (and to allow the Holy Spirit to break through.) Paul then uses God's creative statement ("Let there be light" from Genesis 1: 3-4) to describe a breakthrough in human hearts.

The "god of this age" is surely the same being as the Serpent in the Genesis account.

2 Corinthinans 4: 7-12, Jars of clay
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

In a series of four phrases, each containing "but not", Paul details struggles and conflicts, each of them successfully endured.  Like jars in a storeroom, they are under pressure but haven't broken. Paul and his party are mere "jars of clay", frail and easily shattered (but potent when filled with new wine!) experiencing the possibility of death at every turn ... but still reflecting Jesus.

2 Corinthinans 4: 13-15, Hope amidst affliction
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Facing death regularly, Paul relies ultimately on the Resurrection, a place where all believers will meet together with Jesus. That eternal meeting in the New Country is Paul's ultimate goal.

The quote in verse 13 is from Psalm 116:10 (but closer to the Septuagint version of this verse.) Psalm 116 is about hope in the midst of death and affliction.

2 Corinthinans 4: 16-18, Unseen eternity
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Focusing on an unseen eternity, Paul obviously has a "long-term" approach to his ministry!

Paul continues to describe that future life in the next chapter.

II Corinthians 3, The New Covenant

As Paul defends his ministry, he moves on to describe in more detail the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

2 Corinthians 3: 1-5, You are our recommendation letter!
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Paul is aware that he has been defensive.  Here he says, "So you -- your lives -- are my defense!" It has been Christ, working through Paul, that has created this good work in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 3: 6-11, The New Covenant 
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

The New Covenant writes on our hearts (Jeremiah 31: 31-34) and is more powerful than even the bright Old Testament law given by Moses.

2 Corinthians 3: 12-15, The Veil
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

Here Paul pulls up imagery from Moses's encounter with God in Exodus 34 (Exodus 34: 33-35.) The veil prevents direct communication with God and prevents understanding of spiritual things. Some Jewish resistance to the Messiah is the result, says Paul, of a "veil" between them and God.

2 Corinthians 3: 16-18, The Spirit removes the veil
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The "veil" separating us from God is removed by the Holy Spirit, which Paul identifies as coming from God and identifies as being God.

II Corinthians 2, The Sweet Aroma of Forgiveness

Paul continues to describe his concerns for the Corinthians, along with defending his recent travels. Instead of a visit, Paul apparently wrote a strong letter instead, concerned about their progress.

2 Corinthians 2: 1-4, I don't want to grieve you!
So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. 

I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Paul was concerned that a visit might be harmful but wants them to know that he has confidence and pride in them.

2 Corinthians 2: 5-8, After confrontation comes forgiveness
If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

They have now punished the individual who was causing the most grief.  Paul encourages them to complete the reconciliation by opening their arms in love to the culprit.

2 Corinthians 2: 9-11, Forgiveness wins!
The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was anything to forgive--I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

They have stood up to Satan. Bitterness, continued anger, refusal to forgive -- those are all tools of Satan and Paul seeks a much better way.

2 Corinthians 2: 12-13, To Troas and Macedonia
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.

Paul's travels from Troas back to Macedonia (northern Greece) bypassed Corinth, most likely taking a northern sea route.  This was due to concerns about Titus, who was supposed to meet Paul in Troas.

2 Corinthians 2: 14-17, The aroma of Christ
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

The Christian is an ambassador for God, bringing a "sweet aroma" of forgiveness and reconciliation.

One commentator describes a Roman emperor's victorious procession into Rome with incense burners being carried by captured prisoners. Here the incense leads to life for those who follow the True Emperor.

In the next chapter Paul describes in more detail the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

Paul's "Second" Letter to Corinth

Paul's first letter to Corinth (I Corinthians) addresses divisiveness in that church and a variety of moral failures one might expect from a new church built out of Gentiles who had no strong understanding of the law of Moses.  That letter was written while Paul was in Ephesus for three years.

Apparently a later letter was sent to Corinth, an angry "letter of tears" dealing with the continued fractions and issues within the church. As far as we know, that letter has not survived.

Then, at a later date, Paul wrote an additional letter describing his deep love for the people of that church and his continued concerns.  This letter, now called II Corinthians, is much more positive than the prior unknown letter.  Still Paul sfeels a need to defend his ministry, including his change of plans regarding a visit to Corinth.

In addition to expressing his concern for the people of Corinth, Paul is also active in raising donations for the church in Jerusalem where there has been a devastating famine.

This letter, II Corinthians, is an emotional personal letter.  Reading it, we have insight into Paul's character, including his concerns and frustrations.  Although the letter has significant theological statements, it is primarily a compassionate pastoral letter written to a struggling congregation.

The tone of the letter changes at chapter 10, when Paul becomes more defensive and a little angry. Some have suggested that these last four chapters (10-13) contain the earlier "letter of tears" and have been tacked on to the rest of the letter later.  If that is true, then the chronology would put II Corinthians 10-13 as a separate letter, before the rest of II Corinthians.  The most obvious problem with this viewpoint (in my opinion) is that any standard greetings or conclusions separating that letter has been stripped away; if the last four chapters were a separate letter, we would expect a greeting similar to that at the top of chapter 1.  I find it easier to believe that Paul, writing a personal emotional letter, returns to his previous frustrations and "clears the air" by making it plain that the previous accusations against him were slanderous and unfair.

Resources on this letter may be found in Wikipedia and also in the additional resources at the end of that article.  There is also a nice summary at OverBible.