Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 2

Painful Letter Versus Painful Visit (1:23-2:4)

Paul now comes back to the reason why he had not visited the Corinthian church a third time. One painful visit was enough! So, instead of another tense and unpleasant visit, he had put all the unpleasant things he had found it necessary to say into a letter.

(This was the "painful letter," and either it has been lost entirely or a good part of it is preserved in 2 Corinthians 10-13.)

The reason the visit was painful was that the church at Corinth was torn by quarrels and factions. Not only so, but some in the church had refused to acknowledge the authority of Paul. Just exactly what went on during that visit we do not know, but from other references as well as this one, it would appear to have been largely a matter of discipline—what to do with some person who had committed some serious sin. Who the person was and what the offense was, Paul does not say. Possibly he did say, but before these letters were released to the public, the name of the person and the details were edited out. This is just as well; at this distance personalities matter little. Paul’s principles are not "dated" but are still sound.

Verses 5-11

Forgiveness (2:5-11)

From all we can tell from this letter, it seems that between the time Paul had made that painful visit, and the time he wrote, the church at Corinth had punished the offender in some way. The point here is: "Punishment by the majority is enough" (vs. 6). Paul’s principles in church discipline might be stated simply:

There must be authority in the church with power to act.

All persons in the church must be subject to this authority.

In case of outbreaking sin, the authority must act, for the good of the church and of the sinner as well.

Enough is enough. Once punished, the offender should be restored by forgiveness to the fellowship of the church.

The above leaves some questions unanswered. Who, for in­stance, is the authority in the church? And what kind of punish­ment can a church inflict? As for Corinth, Paul undeniably looked on himself as the authority, as personal representative of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, both here and in First Corinthians Paul urges the church as a whole to take action. Both democratic and nondemocratic churches point to this incident as model for the way they do things. Paul reserved the last word for himself; but he seems to have felt that if the church did its duty in sifting out evildoers, there would be little need to appeal to him. As for the penalty, it appears to have been excommunication. But here, as in 1 Corinthians 5:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:1-6, the excommunication—that is, removal from the circle of Christian fellowship—is not to be permanent. So now Paul urges forgiveness, and far from wishing to have the power to veto their action, he humbly says, "Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive" (vs. 10).

Verses 12-13

Looking for Titus (2:12-13)

Paul had not been willing to wait for a letter from Corinth telling him how things were going there. From previous experi­ence (see I Cor.) he knew that the Corinthians were capable of writing him a long affectionate letter without ever telling him what was really wrong with the church. So he had sent Titus in his place, to see what the situation was and to report. But still he was too impatient to wait for Titus to return. Paul came as far as Troas (a visit not recorded in the Book of Acts), looking for Titus and not finding him at first. Macedonia, as Paul uses the word, generally means Philippi and other places, but especially Philippi. Paul found that church his pride and joy (Philippians 4:1), and wrote to the Philippians the happiest of all his letters. Paul had to give more thought to the church at Corinth, but we can­not say that he found the Corinthian church the most congenial.

Verses 14-17

The Aroma of Christ (2:14-17)

Now Titus did at last arrive (7:6), and the news he brought was good, but Paul does not say so here. Instead, by one of the quick shifts of thought so typical of him, he starts to praise God, presumably for the news that Titus brought, only he does not say this. He bursts into one of his elaborate by-the-way figures: the triumphal procession. To get the real picture here that Paul in­tended, the reader must remember that all Roman emperors were generals, and after a general had won some notable victory the Roman senate would grant him the right of a "Triumph" or vic­tory procession. At the tail end of the procession would come those captives who, when the "Triumph" was over, would be publicly killed to top off the occasion. Paul had perhaps seen these affairs and been impressed by them. He mixes his metaphor here as he often does, but some of the main ideas are clear. Christ is the Lord of lords who celebrates his triumph. The Chris­tians, including Paul, are the captives in the procession. We said the metaphor is mixed, because in an emperor’s triumph the slaves were his enemies, and were going to be cruelly killed; whereas in Christ’s triumph the slaves are on their way to eternal life. But the point is, Christ is the victor and Christians share in his triumph over sin and death.

Another feature of this figure of speech is in Paul’s reference to "fragrance." Paul may have been thinking of the incense bearers, the priests who would walk in such a triumphal proces­sion carrying censers. To some in the procession, that perfume would always remind them of joy and peace and victory; to oth­ers, the poor men doomed to death that day, it would be an odor reminding them of the slaughter to come. So Paul, mixing his metaphor a bit more, thinks of Christians as an "aroma" or "fra­grance" which, like all odors, means different things to different people. To put it in plain language: Christians should remind all men of God. But to some, God is a terror to think of; while to others he is perfect love. To some, God means death; to others, life.

Paul already has on his mind what he will develop at some length in this letter, namely, the Christian ministry. This is closely connected with the other theme on which he spends so much space, that of Paul’s own credentials and authority. At the end of chapter 2, Paul in one sentence says a number of important things about the ministry. "We are not . . . peddlers of God’s word," he says. A peddler cares little for what he sells; he will sell anything to make a little money. Neither does he care about the people to whom he sells. He is here today and gone tomor­row; he is interested only in making what money he can, selling anything to anybody. The true minister is no peddler; he is not in it for money, and he is keenly interested not only in what he has to "sell" but also in the people he is to reach. Further, the minister is commissioned by God; he is not self-appointed. And what he says, he says "in the sight of God," and all his speaking is "in Christ," that is, in harmony with Christ’s spirit.