Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 2

Verse 1

2Co 2:1

2 Corinthians 2:1

But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow.—Paul determined not to go to Corinth until he had a good report from them. Until they had improved so that he could come with words of approval rather than of condemnation.

Verse 2

2Co 2:2

2 Corinthians 2:2

For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me?—If he blamed them and made them sorry, who would comfort and make him glad, save those he had made sorry? [His first epistle had caused sorrow to himself and to the church. But the sorrow had re­sulted in repentance, and so, at last, in their joy and Paul’s joy. The end had justified the means.]

Verse 3

2Co 2:3

2 Corinthians 2:3

And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice;—In his first epistle he had told them of their wrongs in countenancing the incestuous man, and following false teachers. He most earnestly endeavored to show them their wrongs and bring them to repentance, that he might come to them, not with a rod, but in love and in the spirit of meekness. [He communi­cated with them by letter, instead of incurring the risk of a painful personal visit, because he was convinced that they would find their own joy in his joy—which, in the present instance, could not but be produced by the doing away of the existing evils according to the instructions contained in his letter.]

having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.—[In case they acted according to his instructions their meeting would be one of mutual joy.]

Verse 4

2Co 2:4

2 Corinthians 2:4

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears;—He had felt deep affliction and anguish of heart to have to write the words of condemnation he had felt compelled to write to them. He wrote them in tears himself, not to grieve them, but out of his deep and abundant love for them.

not that ye should be made sorry,—His love for them led him to seek to deliver them from their errors and sins, lest they should fall under the condemnation of God. [His ulti­mate and main object was, not that they should be made sorry, but that through sorrow they might be led to repent­ance, and so to joy.] but that ye might know the love which I have more abun­dantly unto you.—True love for any person makes one seek to deliver the loved ones from wrong. Sometimes people uphold their husbands, wives, children, and friends in a wrong course, and say they do it from love. This is not true and helpful love. Love says get them pure and right before God, and insists on the discipline needed to purify them. Not to do this is to en­courage them in their own ruin. A selfish determination to uphold one’s family or friends in a course of wrong is not love. It is really hatred, in a Bible sense of the word.

Verse 5

2Co 2:5

2 Corinthians 2:5

But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all.—The incestuous person mentioned in the first epistle (1 Corinthians 5:1) is supposed to be here meant. If he had caused sorrow it was not to Paul alone, but they had felt it. The parenthetical clause says it would be too severe condemnation of them to say it had not caused them grief.

Verse 6

2Co 2:6

2 Corinthians 2:6

Sufficient to such a one is this punishment—Paul felt that the guilty person had been sufficiently punished by “the many” putting him away as he had directed.

which was inflicted by the many;—Some expositors thing that “the many” means the majority, and that a vote was taken, and a majority voted to put him away while the minor­ity opposed it. But the record does not show this. He did not command them to vote on it, but “to deliver such a one unto Satan.” (1 Corinthians 5:5). It was the question of obeying a plain command of God given through Paul—God himself de­cided the case. There is not an intimation that there was a single objection, or that an objection was called for. They obeyed; the man was put away. The order of God is that all Christians shall be of one mind and one voice.

Verse 7

2Co 2:7

2 Corinthians 2:7

so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him,—As he had been sufficiently punished to bring him to repentance, Paul admonishes them to forgive and en­courage him.

lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow.—Lest he should give up and be lost. It was a grievous and shameful sin, but not a word is said about vindicating the honor of the church. The end was to save the sinner. Indeed, it is possible to vindicate the honor of the church by giving the children of the church up to ruin. Sometimes it is necessary for a father and mother to cut off a hopelessly wayward son from the family, lest he corrupt and lead the other members of the family into ruin; but it would be a strange father and mother that would think they had vin­dicated the honor of the family by giving a child over to hope­less ruin. So a church should feel. The end of discipline, whether by individuals, or the church as a whole, should be to save the sinning one by delivering him from his sins.

Verse 8

2Co 2:8

2 Corinthians 2:8

Wherefore I beseech you to confirm your love toward him.—They should show their love by forgiving him, reward­ing him, cherishing him, and making it evident to him that he was again recognized as a brother. [The expressions of love to him ought to be as public and as unmistakable as the expres­sions of disapproval and condemnation. Confirm here means public testimony of kind feeling to him by the reversal of his excommunication. ]

Verse 9

2Co 2:9

2 Corinthians 2:9

For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you,—One end of his writing of the difficulty instead of coming in person was to test their readiness to obey the will of God in all things, even where their personal friends were involved.

whether ye are obedient in all things.—He found them obe­dient, and so was filled with joy. This shows that the conclu­sion under verse 6 is correct.

Verse 10

2Co 2:10

2 Corinthians 2:10

But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also:—When the church forgave, Paul forgave. That is, he approved what the church did acting under his directions. What he had for­given he had forgiven for their good.

for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes have I forgiven it in the presence of Christ;—He did it as a servant of Christ and by his directions. What a church does by the direction of God, God does. When the church puts a man away from among them, in accordance with the law of God, God puts him away. When the church restores following the law of God, God does it. It is a serious matter to a soul to be put away by the church of God.

Verse 11

2Co 2:11

2 Corinthians 2:11

that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan:—The advantage that Satan seeks is to get the sinning one en­tirely under his control. [That Satan is at the bottom of any policy fitted to defeat the work of the church in the struggle against sin is the principle involved in this very definite state­ment; and the nature of his agency warrants the special atten­tion of all who are laboring for the purity and success of the church. The retention of the openly corrupt in the fellowship of the church, if this can be effected, serves Satan’s purpose by contaminating the rest and lowering its standard of purity; but when this fails, through the faithful watchfulness of the guardians of the church (Acts 20:28-31), the hopelessness of all restoration to the fellowship even of the manifestly peni­tent will equally serve his purpose, as it will either harden the offender of drive him to despair, and thus indirectly weaken the influence of the church—a lesson to the servants of the Lord, to beware, both of laxity toward those who walk disor­derly, and of the relentless severity towards those who, how­ever deep their fall, give good evidence of genuine repent­ance.]

for we are not ignorant of his devices.—Paul, through the Spirit was aware of the devices of Satan to lead the discour­aged to ruin.

Verse 12

2Co 2:12

2 Corinthians 2:12

Now when I came to Troas—[There is here an appar­ently abrupt transition, but Paul is only resuming the narra­tive he broke off at verse 4 in order that he might finish the topic of the painful circumstance under which the first epistle was written. He now briefly tells the effect that this change from a personal visit to a letter had upon himself, owing to the delay which was necessary in hearing from the effect it had produced. Titus had been sent to Corinth to look after the collection for the saints of Judea (2 Corinthians 8:6). While there he took an interest in the settlement of the troubles afflicting the church. Paul depended on him in the matter and expected him to meet him at Troas and report the condition of the church, and how they received his letter. Paul, after the up­roar led by Demetrius, left Ephesus on his intended visit to Macedonia. He came to Troas, the seaport at which they em­barked to pass over from Asia to Macedonia.]

for the gospel of Christ,—He did not intend to make a rapid journey to Corinth, but a regular missionary tour.

and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord,—He found an opening there for the gospel of Christ, a promise for good through preaching.

Verse 13

2Co 2:13

2 Corinthians 2:13

I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother:—He was so disappointed in not finding Titus on his arrival at Troas, and hearing from Corinth, that he could not tarry there contented. [This seems a singular confession, but there is no reason to conclude that it was actuated by any other spirit than the great anxiety he felt for the spiritual wel­fare of the Corinthian church. The very element in him, in virtue of which he could act for God at all, was already preoc­cupied, and though the people were there, ready to receive the gospel, it was beyond his power to preach it to them. His spirit was absorbed and possessed by hopes and fears and prayers for the Corinthians; and as the human spirit is finite, and only capable of so much and no more, he was obliged to pass by an opportunity which he would otherwise have gladly seized. He probably felt that it was more important to secure the stability and faithfulness of those who were already disci­ples than make new ones.]

but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.—He hastened on to Macedonia where he met Titus, heard a good report from Corinth; then sent him with another letter back to Corinth to complete the raising of the funds for the poor saints. (2 Corinthians 8:6-18).

Verse 14

2Co 2:14

2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in tri­umph in Christ,—He thanked God who always delivered him from danger and caused him to triumph over his enemies. He had done this at Corinth, over those denying his claim to be an apostle, even in his absence. [This sudden outburst of thanksgiving is very characteristic of Paul. He does not finish his story, telling where and when he met Titus, but lets this outburst of feeling imply the meeting and its glad results. The first characteristic, then, of Paul’s ministry is its contin­ual triumph; so at least he feels as he rises suddenly out of his anguish of suspense and learns how fully the Corinthians had obeyed his instructions and how truly they trust him.]

and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place.—[As in the diffusion of the sweet odor of the incense; so in the life of Paul, wherever he went there was the diffusion of the knowledge of Christ. That Christ should be known was the end of his mission, and was of all things the most acceptable to God. Wherever he went he presented to men the knowledge of Christ through his preaching and life. And this, both when surrounded by those who accepted Christ and were thus in the way of salvation, and those who rejected him and were thus perishing (Colossians 1:18). For in each case his word was acceptable to God, as accomplishing a divine pur­pose.]

Verse 15

2Co 2:15

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God,—[Paul as a minister and his work of preaching Christ were acceptable to God whatever might be the result of his labors. God by him diffused the knowledge of Christ everywhere as a savor, for it was well-pleasing to God whatever might be the effect it produced. In the preceding verse the knowledge of Christ is declared to be a savor as of incense; here Paul is “the sweet savor of Christ.” But it is not Paul as a man, not the purity or devotion of his life; but as a preacher of the gospel, and therefore the gospel he preached. In both uses the diffusion of the knowledge of Christ is said to be well-pleasing to God. When Paul said he was a sweet odor of Christ, he meant that wherever he went he was the means of diffusing the knowl­edge of Christ, and that was acceptable to God.]

in them that are saved, and in them that perish;—Paul was made a pleasant savor or offering as a servant of Christ unto God. That savor affected both those who believed and those who disbelieved. It led one forward to salvation; it confirmed those who believed not to condemnation. This was according to God’s will, to save those who believe; to leave those who refuse to believe without excuse in their condemnation.

Verse 16

2Co 2:16

2 Corinthians 2:16

to the one a savor from death unto death;—The one class already dead in trespasses and sins, sinking deeper and approaching nearer, by every successive resistance of the truth, to the second death. “Evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13).

to the other a savor from life unto life.—These are already alive unto God through Jesus Christ, and through faith in his name, having that life invigorated and developed by every successive welcome given to the word of life, and were thus led from one degree of salvation to another. [In neither case is the final issue as yet seen—the saved are but saved from their past sins and are “guarded through faith unto a salva­tion ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5); the lost are neither wholly nor finally lost, but are on the way to it.]

[It is indeed a solemn truth that in the scheme of redemp­tion nothing that God has done or said is indifferent. Everything is a two-edged sword. All Christian privileges, all means of grace, are, according as they are used, either bless­ings or curses, either an odor of life unto life eternal or of death eternal, to those to whom they come. This double ef­fect of the gospel is set forth in the words of Simeon, when he took the child Jesus in his arms and said: “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34), and in the words of the Lord himself, “For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and that they that see may become blind.” (John 9:39). ]

And who is sufficient for these things?—Who is prepared for such wonderful issues as these? [The question forced it­self on Paul’s mind as it forces itself on the mind of every true minister of the word of truth. Who can feel qualified for a work which involves such tremendous issues? In himself no one is. But some one must preach the gospel, for the Lord Jesus, after his resurrection, said: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15), and Paul knew that that responsibility rested upon him, for the Lord appeared unto him and said: “For to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee.” (Acts 26:16-17). And for this reason Paul accepted the re­sponsibility, and said: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant.” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6). It is obvious that he here assumes his sufficiency, and proceeds to give the ground of the assump­tion.]

Verse 17

2Co 2:17

2 Corinthians 2:17

For we are not as the many,—“The many” certainly re­fers to the false teachers who had come among them and caused much disturbance. [The sense of responsibility as a preacher of the gospel is not shared by all who claim to be ministers of the word of truth. To be the bearer and the representative of a power with issues so tremendous ought surely to destroy every thought of self; to let personal interest intrude is to declare oneself faithless and unworthy.]

corrupting the word of God:—[The expressive word ren­dered here “corrupting” has the idea of self-interest, and espe­cially of petty gain, at its base. The term was originally ap­plied to tavern keeping, and extended to cover all the devices by which the wine sellers in ancient times deceived their cus­tomers. Then it was used figuratively as here, and of philoso­phers of selling the sciences, and in most cases like tavern keepers, blending, adulterating, and giving short measure. It is plain that there are two separate ideas here. One is that of men qualifying the gospel, putting their own meaning into the word of God, temporizing its severity, dealing in compromise. The other is that all such proceedings are faithless and dis­honest, because some private interest underlies them. It is as likely to be avarice as anything else. A man corrupts the word of God, makes it the stock in trade of a paltry business of his own, and in many other ways than by subordinating it to the need of a livelihood. When he preaches not that awful message in which life and death are bound up, but himself, his clever­ness, his learning, his witticism, his elocution, his fine voice he does so. He makes the word of God minister to him, instead of being a minister of the word; and that is the essence of the sin. It is the same if ambition be his motive, if he preaches to win disciples to himself, to gain ascendency over men, to be­come the head of a party which will bear the impress of his mind. There was something of this at Corinth; and not only there, but wherever it is found, such a spirit and such inter­ests will change the character of the gospel. It will not be pre­served in that integrity, in that simple, uncompromising, abso­lute character which it has as revealed in Christ. Have an­other interest in it than that of God, and that interest will in­evitably color it. Thus it will be transformed into that which it was not, and its power is destroyed.]

but as of sincerity,—Paul acted from pure motives and hon­est feelings, in opposition to corrupting by admixture. He could bear looking at through and through, for he was ac­tuated by unmingled honesty and sincerity of aim.

but as of God,—The source of truth, his authority, and from whom he had received his commission.

in the sight of God,—He was ever conscious of God’s pres­ence and that his all-seeing eye was always upon him. [Nothing is better fitted to make a man sincere and honest than this.]

speak we in Christ.—He was one who was united to him, living, moving, and acting as it were in his presence. [What a climax is here presented. All selfishness is excluded. Molded by God, inspired by his Spirit, in union with and en­compassed, as it were, with Christ. Such a one speaking under such conditions was sufficient, for evidently his suffi­ciency was not in himself, but from God.]