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2 Corinthians Chapter 7
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God."
The "promises" Paul is talking about are in the preceding chapter. We
are promised salvation (6:2). We are given true fellowship with one another (6:11,13 - our
hearts are opened wide to one another). God has promised to dwell with us (He is our
God and we become His people - 6:16). If we say "yes" and are made clean
in Christ, He promises to welcome us into His kingdom (6:17). The Lord Almighty
becomes your Father, and you are His child (6:18).
These are His promises to us, and they are (He is) so great, we are reasonably drawn to
lives of holiness, before Him, and in relation to other people. We are to be
cleansed from sin. Sanctification (being set apart and made holy in relation to God)
is done in us by the Holy Spirit of God (2 Thessalonians 2:13). EVERYTHING
(salvation, sanctification, eternal life) was done in Christ through His cross.
Because of Him and what He did, we are given the Holy Spirit, Who is washing us in
holiness. Don’t be like Peter, who said "Never shall you wash my
feet" (John 13:6), but let Him cleanse your life. (You’ll be glad you did).
Verse 2. "Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted
no one, we took advantage of no one."
Make room for other people in your heart, especially for those who have become clean in
Christ Jesus. As to those who love Him, you can identify them by this verse.
The one truly in Christ bears no malice toward other people, but loves them. They
don’t corrupt others, but instead bring them to the Bread of God. You have to
wonder about the "tele-evangelists" who are continually asking for money,
because Paul "took advantage of no one." Set others FREE and don’t
lead them into bondage. "Love" is an action word.
Jesus told us to "love one another" (John 13:34). And we are to love
them, just as we love ourselves. If you think you do not love yourself, think about
the amount of time you spend caring for yourself. You probably bathe, clean your
teeth, care for your hair, trim your nails, scent yourself, wear clothing, and you spend a
lot of time on these pursuits - probably much more time than you give to any other person.
Make room for others in your actions and in your heart.
Verse 3. "I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are
in our hearts to die together and to live together."
When I returned from Japan at 20 years of age, I asked to be sent to Maine, partly
because I wanted to see the place of my birth, and partly to meet my grandparents for the
first time. I was filled with apprehension, because my parents had been estranged
from them, since before my birth. I hesitantly called them, they were surprised, we
arranged to meet, and then we had one of the most wonderful evenings of my life. We
were glad to see one another, and treated each other with love, because we were family - a
prodigal had come home. We did not condemn each other but instead made room for each
other in our hearts.
To be "family" is to be willing to let that other person stay in your home.
To be "family" is to consider even DYING for a family member. If it
were possible and it would help them, I would die for any of my children. We have
become new in Christ, we are His special ambassadors to this world, we are taught His
Word, but more than anything we are given love. We do not condemn others anymore,
because they look different or are from a different church. We are given love, one
for another. What is your attitude toward someone who is in Christ, but of another
denomination? - The answer can define who you really are.
Verse 4. "Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your
behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our
affliction."
When you see a young couple (or an older couple) "head-over-heels" in love
with one another, what do you think? Some might be jealous and think, "they
make me sick" but others will be PLEASED for them, because love is beautiful.
When we see that couple, what emotions typically are they experiencing in relation to one
another? - They have CONFIDENCE in the love of that other person. The man will BOAST
that she is his, and she will also boast of him. They derive great COMFORT, just
from being in the presence of the one they love. They overflow with JOY in the
other’s presence, or merely at the THOUGHT of that other person. No matter WHAT
the trouble (affliction) in life, each has their beloved, and that is enough.
That is the kind of love Paul had for the Corinthians and that is the kind of love you
and I need to have for one another. Greek words like "Eros" or
"agape" or "phileo" are not at issue here, for this is not linguistics
but instead the heart. We are to ABANDON ourselves, in perhaps OUTRAGEOUS love, for
God, and for one another. It is expected we will DELIGHT in the presence of our
beloved. You might think, "Isn’t it RISKY to be that open with
strangers" (from a human perspective). Yes, it is. I have been dealing with
Christians for over forty years, and I could tell you stories that would make you
cautious. But I have also learned that it is better to love and to lose, than to be
safe and not know love.
Verse 5. "For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we
were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within."
Paul had sent these people a very harsh letter (1st Corinthians), attacking
their thoughts and practices in a variety of ways, and he had been especially upset about
the man they had condoned, who was cohabiting with his father’s wife (1 Corinthians
5:1 & forward). J. Vernon McGee made the interesting comment:
"Someone is going to say to me, ‘I thought the Scripture is verbally inspired
and that Paul was writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he wrote to the
Corinthians.’ That is correct. This is the inspired Word of God…How is it
then that Paul was rebuking himself? It was because Paul was human. God had
him write like that to let you and me know how human he really was."
Paul did indeed write as led by the Holy Spirit of God. But here he was in Troas,
pacing back and forth, wondering, "did I do the right thing?" He was a
guy, a human being just like the rest of us. The difference between our lives and
his, is that he was COMPLETELY sold out to the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
He loved these people, but he had doubts. "Did I hit them too hard?
Perhaps I was too harsh. Should I have been softer to them?"
"Afflicted…conflicts…fears" - do you ever feel like that?
You’re in good company, for Paul the Apostle had just those feelings about the people
he loved.
Verse 6. "But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of
Titus,"
At last, Titus came to Paul, with information about the response of the Corinthians to
Paul’s first letter! Note that he saw the arrival of Titus as God’s
comfort to the "depressed" (or "humble"; perhaps "cast
down"). God uses people - He wants us to NEED each other, which tends to
draw us into love. The Lord (Who lived inside of Paul) could have revealed the news
about the Corinthians in a dream; or simply impressed the information into Paul’s
mind. He could have sent an angel. And in a way, He did, for here came Titus,
with just the news needed by Paul at that time. (Paul had been depressed, just like
the rest of us get sometimes).
It’s time we learned to comfort one another. So often the husband yells at
the wife that she should stop "complaining all the time," when in fact the real
reason she complains is because he does not comfort her. Help that other person.
Speak kind words to them. Do they need information? - Go to the library or
onto the Internet, and get it for them! Just like Titus was to Paul, so should WE be
to one another.
Verse 7. "and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he
was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me;
so that I rejoiced even more."
It was not just the arrival of Titus that excited Paul so much (though it was great to
see him), it was the NEWS Titus brought about the Corinthians. Titus was excited as
well (he too had been "comforted" by those at Corinth). A great change had
come upon the people. They now LONGED for God and the things of God. Before,
they had criticized Paul and thought they were spiritually superior to him, but now they
wanted to see him. They mourned their previous sinful natures, and their love for
Paul had reached the point where they had a genuine ZEAL for him and for the Word of God.
Verse 8. "For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it;
though I did regret it -- for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a
while –"
It is unpopular, these days, to talk of disciplining children. And there is indeed
danger in the correction of others. To discipline harshly and without love, brings
harm to that person. Paul said "You fathers do not provoke your children to
wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
Also, "You masters (bosses), do the same things to them (your workers), giving
up threatening" (Ephesians 6:9). We are to train up others so they may become
sound and mature, but all must be done for THEIR needs and not merely our own. Paul
had disciplined these people.
I was a "Doctor Spock baby" and was raised essentially without discipline.
When my father would lose his patience and charge me like an enraged bull, my
mother would leap between us, shouting "Oh, Earle, don’t hurt the boy."
They would start to fight, and after a few minutes, I could wander away, untouched,
but with a sad heart. I grew up willful, angry, and in great need of correction.
The good parent, the effective boss, the careful shepherd, must discipline, and yet all
must be done in love. Correction done in love brings a good outcome, and therefore
Paul did not regret what he said. And yet, he did regret, for love not only corrects
but also cares. To be truly sorry, as were the Corinthians, is to express repentance
(a change of direction), but then after, comes growth and joy.
Verse 9. "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were
made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the
will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us."
Here’s what I want for my children: Faith, honor, dignity, purpose,
goodness, self-control, soundness of character, a longing for justice, compassion, and
trust in our God. We see from our quarrels and our wars and our violence, that such
characteristics are not natural to man. We learn them through receiving God, and by
using the gifts of God to help one another.
Correction will uplift that other person, and lead them into a life of honor, of love.
We are not precisely "leaders", for when we honestly "lead", we
serve, that you may suffer loss in nothing. To become sorry in a Godly manner, is to
become whole inside. The true minister (we are all ministers to one another) does
not recite empty words, or threaten, and is not after your money. The servants of
royalty, in medieval times, would dress their master in fine clothing. As a child of
the King, you are royalty, and I am to dress you in His robes of righteousness, honor, and
love.
Verse 10. "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a
repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces
death."
I was "saved" when I was 16 years old, but then I ran away, to 15 years of
wasted time, toying with atheism, eastern religions, and finally a recognition of my need
for Christ. I have ached as I considered those wasted years, and have repented of
what was done. Godly sorrow includes a recognition of what Christ has accomplished -
He became the Way to God, by dying for our sins.
I was depressed, in those 15-years, many times, and recognize the difference between
the sorrow of the world, and the sorrow that leads to salvation. In the one is only
regret that leads to bitterness and a living death of the soul. The other takes us
to Christ and His Living Water, Who refreshes and gives life. We don’t need to
dwell on our sins, for the Holy Spirit will convict us of them, and then lead us to joy in
the Arms of the Christ of God.
Verse 11. "For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow,
has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what
longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated
yourselves to be innocent in the matter."
To sorrow in a Godly manner, is to be led into indignation - at ourselves! And
there is a holy fear, as we discover who we really are, and then - Who God is! There
is a zeal which demands we be cleansed, to become clean in Him. Oh, how we come to
desire our Lord and the cleansing He brings through the Cross of Christ!
There was a time, before this Godly sorrow was produced, when we perhaps became
satisfied with who and what we were. We likely had a philosophy of life that
answered a lot of questions, and possibly we seemed wise to other people. But Christ
on the cross gives the lie to our complacency, for in Him dying for you and me, we see our
wickedness and our need of God. Jesus SATISFIED the requirements of a holy God for
your life - you are vindicated, cleared of all past crimes, and set free in Him!
Verse 12. "So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the
offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf
might be made known to you in the sight of God."
Paul had reported to them his horror that a notorious sinner was among them; a man was
committing sexual immorality with his father’s wife! (Please see the commentary
on 1 Corinthians 5). They had actually felt proud of themselves, that they were so
"tolerant" of sinners. They did not understand that sin is contagious and
those who "tolerate" sinners, will become like them.
Paul wrote not to the one who sinned (God would take care of him) but to protect the
body of Christ. God the Holy Spirit is reaching through the words of Paul, right to
your heart and mine. What are you allowing in the name of tolerance? It
is God’s intention that you will be set free from that which will bring you down.
Be sensitive to Him when He speaks to your heart, because He really cares for you.
Verse 13. "For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our
comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been
refreshed by you all."
Emily Dickinson said, "If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in
vain…If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain…I shall not live in
vain." That was the heart of the apostle Paul, who found HIS
"comfort" in the comfort of other people. Titus was apparently
"beside himself" with joy, at the change in the Corinthian people. They
found joy in the salvation of others; in serving people just like you.
At this point in history, people are determined to find personal comfort. Money,
prestige, power, ease in travel, instant communication without true involvement,
gratification - these are the personal goals of our race. Paul stands out from us
like a diamond on black velvet, because he understood he was not created to be served, but
to serve. We have the same call - What will we answer to the call of God?
Verse 14. "For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put
to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus
proved to be the truth."
Paul tended to boast about the people he served, much like a proud parent tends to
boast about their child. And if you think about it, the parent is not so different
from Paul. The good parent clothes the child, feeds the child, protects the little
one - the true parent SERVES the child out of love.
That was precisely what Paul did for the Corinthians. He was a Jew, they were
Greeks, and yet he served them from an unlimited reservoir of God’s love. He
fed them the Bread of Life, clothed them with righteousness, and protected them from harm.
So should we act toward one another. This child (the Corinthian church) was
taken out of harm’s way, and Paul was saying, "See Titus, I KNEW they could do
it!"
Verse 15. "His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers
the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling."
We are not talking here about obedience to Paul, or to Titus, but obedience to the Holy
Spirit of God. First we give ourselves to God, and only then do we sit under the
ministry of any man (2 Corinthians 8:5). When we belong to God, we begin to trust,
first placing our faith in Him, and then, cautiously, we receive instruction from those
God sends to us.
You see, an element of love is TRUST, and sure, the enemy will do his best to mislead
us (often using people to lead us off the track) - but God will warn us when we go astray,
and pull us back to His way. Trust in God, be watchful of people, but RECEIVE in
love, those whom God has sent to help you through.
Paul was able to say of the Corinthian church, "I have confidence in you in
everything" (NKJV). To work and live in relation to others and to not have
trust between you, creates anxiety for all. To be safe with other persons starts
with you. - The best way to create trustworthiness in your spouse, your children, and
those who work with you, is for YOU to become a person of trust. Become open, decide
to be honest (in love), even to your hurt; you’ll have a better life - guaranteed.
(And here’s an extra: This kind of confidence leads to --- joy).
Verse 16. "I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you."
To have confidence in another person, is to TRUST them. If you think about it,
trust is one of the rarest commodities in this world. Divorce is rampant in our
society, and most married people are deeply unhappy with their lives. The true
reason for the unhappiness and the divorce is a lack of trust. You simply
don’t feel you can TRUST that other person. When God teaches us to love Him and
love one another, He is offering us a life of trust, of faith, where you can REST content
in relation to that other person.
What God wants to give us is the ability to turn our back on the other person in safety
- They won’t stab us when we aren’t looking, and they will defend us in areas
where we cannot see. The body of Christ was designed for this, and we can only be
this way, when we become repentant people, and ourselves become trustworthy. We are
to be a people of confidence, because He loves you and me.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
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