Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Corinthians 7:1

Clarke's Commentary

CHAPTER VII.

The apostle's inference from the preceding exhortation, 1.

He presses them to receive him with affection, because of his

great love towards them, 2-4.

He tells them what distress he felt on their account in

Macedonia, till he had met with Titus, and heard of their

prosperity, 6-7.

He rejoices that his first epistle was made the means of their

reformation, 8, 9.

States how they were affected by his letter, and the process of

their reformation, 10, 11.

Shows why he had written to them, 12.

Rejoices that his boasting of them to Titus is found to be a

truth; and takes occasion to mention the great affection of

Titus for them, and his own confidence in them, 13-16.

NOTES ON CHAP. VII.

Verse 2 Corinthians 7:1. Having therefore these promises — The promises mentioned in the three last verses of the preceding chapter, to which this verse should certainly be joined.

Let us cleanse ourselves — Let us apply to him for the requisite grace of purification; and avoid every thing in spirit and practice which is opposite to the doctrine of God, and which has a tendency to pollute the soul.

Filthiness of the flesh — The apostle undoubtedly means, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, and all such sins as are done immediately against the body; and by filthiness of the spirit, all impure desires, unholy thoughts, and polluting imaginations. If we avoid and abhor evil inclinations, and turn away our eyes from beholding vanity, incentives to evil being thus lessened, (for the eye affects the heart,) there will be the less danger of our falling into outward sin. And if we avoid all outward occasions of sinning, evil propensities will certainly be lessened. All this is our work under the common aids of the grace of God. We may turn away our eyes and ears from evil, or we may indulge both in what will infallibly beget evil desires and tempers in the soul; and under the same influence we may avoid every act of iniquity; for even Satan himself cannot, by any power he has, constrain us to commit uncleanness, robbery, drunkenness, murder, c. These are things in which both body and soul must consent. But still withholding the eye, the ear, the hand, and the body in general, from sights, reports, and acts of evil, will not purify a fallen spirit it is the grace and Spirit of Christ alone, powerfully applied for this very purpose, that can purify the conscience and the heart from all dead works. But if we do not withhold the food by which the man of sin is nourished and supported, we cannot expect God to purify our hearts. While we are striving against sin, we may expect the Spirit of God to purify us by his inspiration from all unrighteousness, that we may perfectly love and magnify our Maker. How can those expect God to purify their hearts who are continually indulging their eyes, ears, and hands in what is forbidden, and in what tends to increase and bring into action all the evil propensities of the soul?

Perfecting holiness — Getting the whole mind of Christ brought into the soul. This is the grand object of a genuine Christian's pursuit. The means of accomplishing this are,

1. Resisting and avoiding sin, in all its inviting and seducing forms.

2. Setting the fear of God before our eyes, that we may dread his displeasure, and abhor whatever might excite it, and whatever might provoke him to withhold his manna from our mouth. We see, therefore, that there is a strong and orthodox sense in which we may cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, and thus perfect holiness in the fear of God.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

6:14-7:16 CONCERNING PREVIOUS CORRESPONDENCE

The Christian in ungodly society (6:14-7:1)

Apparently the Corinthians still misunderstood what Paul was trying to teach them about relationships with unbelievers (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:9-11). Previously they thought it meant cutting themselves off from unbelievers completely. Now they go to the other extreme and think their relationships can be as close as they like, even to marriage. Not so, says Paul. There must be no permanent and binding relations with unbelievers. The new life of Christians is as different from the life of non-Christians as light is from darkness or as Christ is from Satan (14-15).

The church is the temple of God, and so is the individual Christian (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19). God dwells within his people, and his dwelling place must be holy. Being united with idol worshippers is the same as bringing a heathen idol into God’s temple (16). Christians can have no part in the ungodliness of the sinful society in which they live. They are now members of the family of God, and their relationship with their heavenly Father is more important than all their physical and earthly relationships (17-18). In view of this, they must make sure they are cleansed from the impurities of the ungodly world, so that they might be holy before God (7:1).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

This is a reiteration of the command to "be ye separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17), only here it is reinforced by Paul's appeal to the promises certified to the Corinthians because of their status as God's true temple.

Holiness in the fear of God … Only those who are holy shall see God (Hebrews 12:10; Hebrews 12:14). Absolute perfection is required of all who would enter heaven (Matthew 5:48). How then can any man be saved? It is admitted by all that perfection in any absolute sense is impossible for mortal man. The answer lies in the perfection of Jesus Christ; and those who accept his gospel, believing, repenting and being baptized "into Christ" are in that manner made a part of Christ, his spiritual body the church, being in a true sense ACTUALLY Christ. In that state of being "in Christ" and fully identified with him, all of the perfection of Christ himself is credited to all of the members of the Lord's body. That is why Paul could say, "That we may present every man perfect in Christ" (Colossians 1:28).

However, Paul did not say that "we WILL present every man" (that is, every Christian), but that "we MAY present," indicating that Christ's perfection, while truly available for every Christian, does not pertain to him automatically. That the manner of a person's life is in some manner determinative appears from what is said here. The practical answer lies in the truth that God will in no case require of a man a perfection which is beyond his power, promising to forgive every sin that a Christian commits; but a Christian must work at it, sincerely and truly, and never stop trying. In all the Bible there is no indication that God will forgive any man for not doing the things which he easily could do, but will not do, or forgive those who continue in presumptuous sin. Paul here commanded the Corinthians to "cleanse themselves" from all defilements of the flesh and to perfect "holiness in the fear of God." This was not something which would be accomplished apart from themselves, but something they themselves were to do.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Having therefore these promises - The promises referred to in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; the promise that God would be a Father, a protector, and a friend The idea is, that as we have a promise that God would dwell in us, that he would be our God, that he would be to us a Father, we should remove from us whatever is offensive in his sight, and become perfectly holy.

Let us cleanse ourselves - Let us purify ourselves. Paul was not afraid to bring into view the agency of Christians themselves in the work of salvation. He, therefore, says, ‘let us purify ourselves,’ as if Christians had much to do; as if their own agency was to be employed; and as if their purifying was dependent on their own efforts. While it is true that all purifying influence and all holiness proceeds from God, it is also true that the effect of all the influences of the Holy Spirit is to excite us to diligence to purify our own hearts, and to urge us to make strenuous efforts to overcome our own sins. He who expects to be made pure without any effort of his own, will never become pure; and he who ever becomes holy will become so in consequence of strenuous efforts to resist the evil of his own heart, and to become like God. The argument here is, that we have the promises of God to aid us. We do not go about the work in our own strength. It is not a work in which we are to have no aid. But it is a work which God desires, and where he will give us all the aid which we need.

From all filthiness of the flesh - The noun used here (μολυσμὸς molusmos) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The verb occurs in 1 Corinthians 8:7; Revelation 3:4; Revelation 14:4, and means to stain, defile, pollute, as a garment; and the word used here means a soiling, hence, defilement, pollution, and refers to the defiling and corrupting influence of fleshly desires and carnal appetites. The filthiness of the flesh here denotes evidently the gross and corrupt appetites and passions of the body, including all such actions of all kinds as are inconsistent with the virtue and purity with which the body, regarded as the temple of the Holy Spirit, should be kept holy - all such passions and appetites as the Holy Spirit of God would not produce.

And spirit - By “filthiness of the spirit,” the apostle means, probably, all the thoughts or mental associations that defile the man. Thus, the Saviour Matthew 15:19 speaks of evil thoughts, etc. that proceed out of the heart, and that pollute the man. And probably Paul here includes all the sins and passions which pertain particularly to mind or to the soul rather than to carnal appetites, such as the desire of revenge, pride, avarice, ambition, etc. These are in themselves as polluting and defiling as the gross sensual pleasures. They stand as much in the way of sanctification, they are as offensive to God, and they prove as certainly that the heart is depraved as the grossest sensual passions. The main difference is, that they are more decent in the external appearance; they can be better concealed; they are usually indulged by a more elevated class in society; but they are not the less offensive to God. It may be added, also, that they are often conjoined in the same person; and that the man who is defiled in his “spirit” is often a man most corrupt and sensual in his” flesh.” Sin sweeps with a desolating influence through the whole frame, and it usually leaves no part unaffected, though some part may be more deeply corrupted than others.

Perfecting - This word (ἐπιτελοῦντες epitelountes) means properly to bring to an end, to finish, complete. The idea here is, that of carrying it out to the completion. Holiness had been commenced in the heart, and the exhortation of the apostle is, that they should make every effort that it might be complete in all its parts. He does not say that this work of perfection had ever been accomplished - nor does he say that it had not been. He only urges the obligation to make an effort to be entirely holy; and this obligation is not affected by the inquiry whether anyone has been or has not been perfect. It is an obligation which results from the nature of the Law of God and his unchangeable claims on the soul. The fact that no one has been perfect does not relax the claim; the fact that no one will be in this life does not weaken the obligation. It proves only the deep and dreadful depravity of the human heart, and should humble us under the stubbornness of guilt.

The obligation to be perfect is one that is unchangeable and eternal; see Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15. Tyndale renders this: “and grow up to full holiness in the fear, of God.” The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection - perfection in all things - in the love of God, of Christ, of man; perfection of heart, and feeling, and emotion; perfection in his words, and plans, and dealings with people; perfection in his prayers, and in his submission to the will of God. No man can be a Christian who does not sincerely desire it. and who does not constantly aim at it. No man is a friend of God who can acquiesce in a state of sin, and who is satisfied and contented that he is not as holy as God is holy. And any man who has no desire to be perfect as God is, and who does not make it his daily and constant aim to be as perfect as God, may set it down as demonstrably certain that he has no true religion, How can a man be a Christian who is willing to acquiesce in a state of sin, and who does not desire to be just like his Master and Lord?

In the fear of God - Out of fear and reverence of God. From a regard to his commands, and a reverence for his name. The idea seems to be, that we are always in the presence of God; we are professedly under His Law; and we should be awed and restrained by a sense of his presence from the commission of sin, and from indulgence in the pollutions of the flesh and spirit. There are many sins that the presence of a child will restrain a man from committing; and how should the conscious presence of a holy God keep us from sin! If the fear of man or of a child will restrain us, and make us attempt to be holy and pure, how should the fear of the all-present and the all-seeing God keep us not only from outward sins, but from polluted thoughts and unholy desires!

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

1.These promises, therefore. God, it is true, anticipates us in his promises by his pure favor; but when he has, of his own accord, conferred upon us his favor, he immediately afterwards requires from us gratitude in return. Thus what he said to Abraham, I am thy God, (Genesis 17:7,) was an offer of his undeserved goodness, yet he at the same time added what he required from him — Walk before me, and be thou perfect As, however, this second clause is not always expressed, Paul instructs us that in all the promises this condition is implied, ⁽⁶²⁴⁾ that they must be incitements to us to promote the glory of God. For from what does he deduce an argument to stimulate us? It is from this, that God confers upon us such a distinguished honor. Such, then, is the nature of the promises, that they call us to sanctification, as if God had interposed by an implied agreement. We know, too, what the Scripture teaches in various passages in reference to the design of redemption, and the same thing must be viewed as applying to every token of his favor.

From all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Having already shown, that we are called to purity, ⁽⁶²⁵⁾ he now adds, that it ought to be seen in the body, as well as in the soul; for that the term flesh is taken here to mean the body, and the term spirit to mean the soul, is manifest from this, that if the term spirit meant the grace of regeneration, Paul’s statement in reference to the pollution of the spirit would be absurd. He would have us, therefore, pure from defilements, not merely inward, such as have God alone as their witness; but also outward, such as fall under the observation of men. “Let us not merely have chaste consciences in the sight of God. We must also consecrate to him our whole body and all its members, that no impurity may be seen in any part of us.” ⁽⁶²⁶⁾

Now if we consider what is the point that he handles, we shall readily perceive, that those act with excessive impudence, ⁽⁶²⁷⁾ who excuse outward idolatry on I know not what pretexts. ⁽⁶²⁸⁾ For as inward impiety, and superstition, of whatever kind, is a defilement of the spirit, what will they understand by defilement of the flesh, but an outward profession of impiety, whether it be pretended, or uttered from the heart? They boast of a pure conscience; that, indeed, is on false grounds, but granting them what they falsely boast of, they have only the half of what Paul requires from believers. Hence they have no ground to think, that they have given satisfaction to God by that half; for let a person show any appearance of idolatry at all, or any indication of it, or take part in wicked or superstitious rites, even though he were — what he cannot be — perfectly upright in his own mind, he would, nevertheless, not be exempt from the guilt of polluting his body.

Perfecting holiness. As the verb ἐπιτελεῖν in Greek sometimes means, to perfect, and sometimes to perform sacred rites, ⁽⁶²⁹⁾ it is elegantly made use of here by Paul in the former signification, which is the more frequent one — in such a way, however, as to allude to sanctification, of which he is now treating. For while it denotes perfection, it seems to have been intentionally transferred to sacred offices, because there ought to be nothing defective in the service of God, but everything complete. Hence, in order that you may sanctify yourself to God aright, you must dedicate both body and soul entirely to him.

In the fear of God. For if thefear of God influences us, we will not be so much disposed to indulge ourselves, nor will there be a bursting forth of that audacity of wantonness, which showed itself among the Corinthians. For how does it happen, that many delight themselves so much in outward idolatry, and haughtily defend so gross a vice, unless it be, that they think that they mock God with impunity? If the fear of God had dominion over them, they would immediately, on the first moment, leave off all cavils, without requiring to be constrained to it by any disputations.

(624) “Ceste condition est tacitement attachee a toutes les promesses;” — “This condition is tacitly appended to all the promises.”

(625) “Appelez àpurete et sainctete;” — “Called to purity and holiness.”

(626) “Afin qu’il n’apparoisse en nul endroit de nous ancune macule ou souillure;” — “That there may not appear in any part of us any spot or filth.”

(627) “Combien sont impudens et deshontez;” — “How impudent they are and unabashed.”

(628) Calvin manifestly refers here, as in a variety of other instances, to the temporizing conduct of the Nicodemites. See Calvin on the Corinthians, vol. 1, pp. 286, 384. — Ed.

(629) It is employed by Herodotus in the sense of perfecting or completing, (see Herod. 1:51,) while in various instances it is made use of by him to mean — discharging a religious service — in connection with θρησκείας, (ceremonies,) εὐχωλας , (vows,) and θυσίας, (sacrifices.) See Herod. 2:37, 63, 4:26. — Ed.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Shall we turn in our Bibles now to II Corinthians, chapter seven.

The first verse of chapter seven immediately refers us back to chapter six. And so as we look at this, we realize that chapter seven more, verse one of chapter seven, more appropriately belongs with chapter six. This is one of those cases where I feel they made a mistake in their chapter separations.

Originally, when Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, it was just a letter that they were to read straight through. In about the year 1300, in the 1300s, a scholar decided to divide the Bible into chapters. And so, they made chapter distinctions in the 1300s to help a person, really, in looking up a scripture. Oh, I know it's somewhere in Isaiah. Well, that's a pretty long book. So they divided Isaiah into sixty-six chapters, so you can say, "Well, it's somewhere in the fifty-third chapter. If I say, "Oh, well," then you were able to find it more readily.

Then in the 1600s, they came along and they divided the Bible up also into verses. Divided the chapters into verses. And so making it even that much easier to look up a particular passage of scripture. But this was done by man, nothing about divine inspiration as far as the chapter divisions. And so, though they overall did a very excellent job, in a few places I feel that they did make a mistake. And this is one where I feel there is a mistake in the chapter divisions. For obviously, as we begin chapter seven, we have a reference back to chapter six as he refers to the promises that he had just quoted.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved ( 2 Corinthians 7:1 ),

What promises? In verse seventeen and eighteen, Paul put together a collage of scriptures from the Old Testament, none of them quoted exactly accurately. But in the latter part of chapter six, and of course, remember Paul did not have chapters and verses, and so he is quoting from memory, which they so often did. But let me share something with you now.

I do feel that there is a tremendous benefit in a lot of the new translations, in that it has gotten us away from this kind of being bound to chapter and verse, or being bound to the exact wording of a scripture. The Holy Spirit is not really called the Spirit of Chapter and Verse. He's called the Spirit of Truth. Now, it is more important that you grab the truth out of the verse than the exact wording. The truth that is there is what will set us free.

And so Paul is free quoting, free translating as he brings the essence of truth that was expressed through the word. And I think that this is great when we have the truth in our hearts and we can express the truth and we don't have to worry about getting the exact quotation.

A lot of people are so bound because, "Oh, I don't know if it's in or on, you know." And I'm afraid to say it because I don't know if it's in or on, you know. And I want to be so . . . We grew up in Sunday School, and the teacher, "No, no, no, that was wrong." You know, because you made some slight mistake in the preposition or something. And so we become fearful of quoting the scripture because we want to quote it exactly word for word.

But the new translations, especially the Living Letters, Amplified and so forth, do help free us from that sort of bondage almost that we had to the "get the word just exactly right." Get the truth right, that's what's important. The Spirit of Truth. King James is an excellent translation, but the Bible wasn't written in King James. Paul didn't know anything about King James English. And I, he can't quite go along with the fellow who says, "Well, I like the King James Bible because that's the one Paul wrote." And they are so bound, you know, to the exact word.

So, Paul is freely quoting from several passages of the Old Testament and as he is freely quoting, he makes reference here to some of the glorious promises that God has made. First of all, God said, "I will receive you" ( 2 Corinthians 6:17 ). And that, in itself, is something to be thankful for. Something to rejoice over, the fact that God will receive me. You know, the President of the United States won't even receive me.

I, years ago, when I was in college, I went back to the Ford Motor Company. I wanted to meet Henry Ford. That's the kind of a young man I was. And I went into the factory there in Detroit, Michigan and I said to the girl at the desk, "I'd like to see your boss." And so, she got me into her boss and I said, "I'm here; I'd like to see Henry Ford." And the fellow said, "Well, I would, too. I've been working here for the Ford Company for thirty years, I haven't seen him yet, you know." He wouldn't receive me. But the Lord said He would receive me. That's what is important.

Not only that, He said, "I will be a Father unto you" ( 2 Corinthians 6:18 ). Now, there are a lot of people who have difficulty in relating to God in the father image, because they did not have a good relationship with their own fathers. And unfortunately, we are finding this to be true more and more. As the fathers refuse to take their real role as a father within the home, and thus, many times people have a hard time relating to God as a father. If indeed you have a poor father image because of your own relationship to your own earthly father, don't be afraid of the father image.

If you've had a good relationship with your father, then this becomes really glorious as God says, "I will be a Father to you." And it has all of the right implications. It should have, no matter what kind of a father you've had. It should have the right implications to you.

Fortunately, I had a great dad. And so this thing has all the right implications. I'm thrilled that God would say, "I will be a Father unto you," because I had a great father. My father was a real supporter and fan of his son. I could be playing football, the stands would be crowded with people, and after I had made a touchdown, everybody was cheering and yelling, I could hear my dad above them all. Always I could hear my dad. "That's my son, you know." Great dad! And so, I have no problem with this father image, and it's really something that's very meaningful to me that God would say, "I would be a Father unto you," because it implies to me the love, the devotion, the attention, the provisions, the concern--all that my dad was to me. "And ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" ( 2 Corinthians 6:18 ). Glorious promises.

"Having therefore these promises," that He would receive us, that we would be His sons and daughters, He would be our Father,

let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God ( 2 Corinthians 7:1 ).

So the call was, "Come apart and be separate, saith the Lord, touch not the unclean thing." The broader context is, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has light with darkness? What concord has Christ with Belial? What part has he who believes with an infidel? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?" So come apart from idolatry. Come apart from unrighteousness. "Be separate, saith the Lord, don't touch the unclean thing. And if we will, then God will receive us, be our Father, we will be His sons and daughters" ( 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ).

And because of these promises, let us then really come apart; cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the mind. And there is both. The filthiness of the man's flesh, the filthiness of the man's mind, as we perfect or we become complete in holiness in the fear of God. The reverence of God, the awe of God.

Again, I think it was Thursday night that we mentioned that whenever we talk about the fear of God, there are some people that have the wrong concept here. When I was a child, I was afraid of God. I had heard a lot of preaching that caused me to be afraid of God. I was afraid that God was going to hurt me. That He was just waiting for me to do something wrong, and then He was going to hurt me. And as a child, I had this fear of God. God's going to hurt me.

That is not the fear of God that the Bible is encouraging. My fear of God is changed. Now I fear that I might hurt God. I love Him. I appreciate His love; I don't want to do anything that would hurt Him. And that's what the true fear of the Lord is. Afraid that you might hurt Him. God truly isn't going to hurt you, and I surely don't want to hurt Him.

Now, Paul is talking in sort of a relieved way. Paul heard that there were problems in Corinth, that there were divisions there, and so he visited the church and his visit was a disaster. Yes, there were divisions, and they sort of polarized when Paul came. So Paul left Corinth quite upset. He then wrote a letter to them and sent it by Titus. And after he wrote the letter, he worried about that letter that maybe he was too severe. Maybe he laid it on them too heavy. And so he was really worried about what their reaction would be to the letter that he wrote because he was very firm in the things that he said. And he did rebuke them soundly in many areas.

And so, Paul now is coming back to the previous letter. And Titus, having met him . . . Paul was in Troas, opportunities came to minister there, but Paul couldn't rest in his spirit because he was so worried about the Corinthians and what their response might be. The heart of the true minister. You know that, at times, it is necessary to rebuke. And yet, you're fearly because you don't want to hurt. And so Paul said,

Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you ( 2 Corinthians 7:2-3 ).

So, Paul is now asking for acceptance by them, for he has been honest before them.

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus ( 2 Corinthians 7:4-6 );

So, Paul is telling now of his feelings, his love for them, and how concerned he was because he hadn't heard from them. And he had sent this letter off, he didn't know how they received it, he didn't know just what the reaction was going to be, and he had this real turmoil going on within him. The fighting on the outside, no rest; within him he was filled with fear. Until he finally caught up with Titus, and Titus told him of the positive response of the people in Corinth to the letter that he had written.

And so, "God that comforts those that are cast down," I like that. "God who comforts those who are cast down." You're cast down in spirit tonight. God comforts those that are cast down. But that comfort comes by getting our eyes on the Lord. Getting them off of those troubling things that have disturbed us. You see, our problem is that we so often become so completely involved in our problem that we lose sight of God. The problem becomes overwhelming; we lose perspective. Our problem seems to be greater than God. But God comforts those that are cast down. So we need to get our eyes upon the Lord this evening.

If you're discouraged, if you're cast down, if you're worried about a pressing situation, get your eyes off of that and get your eyes on to the Lord. Just begin to worship Him, tell Him how much you love Him. Develop your relationship with God, and you'll be amazed how the other things will just smooth out. Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these other things will be taken care of" ( Matthew 6:33 ). Isn't it interesting how that our minds are so filled with these other things.

All through Bible college I was looking for that one that God had chosen to be with me in the ministry. Every year when the new class came in, I sat in the front row looking them over. Graduation time came, and I had never seen one that really did anything for me. In fact, we used to say that 95 percent of the women in America were beautiful and the other 5 percent went to our school. And I was getting a little panicky. Graduation time has come. Going have to go out into the world by myself. But the Lord kept giving me the scripture, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be taken care of, will be added to you."

So, I just began to seek the Lord first, His kingdom. And one evening, in the most unexpected way, as I was sitting at a ballgame . . . I had graduated; I had been out ministering as an evangelist. I had come home for a time. My brother was playing on a ball team, and we used to play together a lot, so I went out to watch his game. And as I was sitting there watching the game, here came this beautiful gal who didn't want to sit down on the bench because it was dusty. And so I just scooted across and said, "Here, I've dusted off a place for you." Right out of the blue, there she was.

So Paul said, "I was comforted."

And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more ( 2 Corinthians 7:7 ).

Titus brought good news: "Paul, the people have really repented. They really love you, Paul. They really appreciate your love and concern for them. And they were grieving over these things that they had allowed to become a part of the fellowship there in Corinth." And so, Paul speaks about the report of Titus just really rejoicing his heart.

For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent ( 2 Corinthians 7:8 ):

"Man, I was sorry for a while until I got Titus' word. I was really sorry that I wrote that letter, because I didn't know how the response was. And so at one time, I had really felt bad that I wrote it. Now I don't."

for I perceive that the same epistle [or letter] hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death ( 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 ).

And so, Paul draws a distinction here between sorrow and repentance. There is a sorrow; there is a godly sorrow that works repentance. There is a sorrow of the world that brings death. Repentance brings a change. True repentance is to change. We find in the Scriptures that Judas brought the money back that he had received from the high priest when he betrayed Jesus. "And he said, 'Take this back; I betrayed innocent blood.' And they said, 'What's that to us? It's your problem.' And so he threw it down at their feet and he went out and he said, 'Now it's your problem.' And he repented and went out and hung himself" ( Matthew 27:3-5 ).

Judas was sorry for what he did, as many people are sorry for what they have done. But if you're sorry and you keep doing it, that just brings death. If you're sorry and you don't do it anymore, that's repentance. Godly sorrow that leads to repentance.

Peter denied his Lord three times. When the rooster crowed, Jesus looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the words of Jesus that said, "Before the cock crows you will deny me three times. And he repented and went out and wept bitterly" ( Matthew 26:75 ). Never again did Peter deny his Lord. He repented. There was a real change. And repentance always does signify a change, and the godly sorrow works repentance.

I dare say if you would go to San Quentin Prison and do a survey asking the question, "Are you sorry for your crime?" That you probably have a very high ratio of prisoners that would mark a "Yes, I am sorry for what I did." But if they were totally honest, and your next question said, "Are you sorry for what you did, or are you sorry that you got caught?" That if they were truly honest, most of them would then put, "I'm sorry I got caught." For when they get out, they go back and they do the same thing over again, only they would try and do it more cleverly so they won't get caught the next time.

Now, make sure that you just don't have a sorrow that you've been found out, sorrow that you got caught. That's worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow brings a change, a changed life. "Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, not to be repented of."

For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter ( 2 Corinthians 7:11 ).

So, the things that Paul wrote to them about: their carnality, their allowing into the fellowship evil conditions. And there was a real repentance there in Corinth over these things.

Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you ( 2 Corinthians 7:12 ).

So, it was really for your sakes that I wrote these things. That you might know how concerned I am about you.

Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all ( 2 Corinthians 7:13 ).

So, I'm rejoicing because of the treatment you gave Titus, and how joyful he was over what God had wrought in your lives.

For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed ( 2 Corinthians 7:14 );

And he, Paul no doubt told him what a tremendous church the Corinthian church was, what great people.

but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all [of these] things ( 2 Corinthians 7:14-16 ).

So Paul's report from Titus, his reaction and response to it. Titus' feelings concerning the church of Corinth and how that the hurts and the wrongs had now been corrected as the result of Paul's first epistle.

Now, as we get into chapter eight, towards the end, in fact the sixteenth chapter of the first epistle, Paul wrote to them in Corinth also, on the first day of the week to set aside an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. You remember when the church first started in Jerusalem there was an attempt at a communal type of living. The people were selling their possessions, bringing the money to the apostles, and the apostles made distribution to every man according to as he had need. They had a real equality.

But in times when they had ran out of funds, they had sold their homes, their properties, now the money had been dissipated. The needs were still there. And so, the church in Jerusalem was in a very poor condition. The church in Jerusalem was made up basically of Jews who were suspicious of the Gentile believers. Not all of them were convinced that a Gentile could really be saved except he became a Jew. There were many Pharisees and all who believed, but they brought in a lot of the Jewish practices, and with it, a general suspicion of the Gentile.

Paul, being an apostle to the Gentile, is desiring to take to Jerusalem, to the Jewish believers, a good, healthy sum of money to help them in their poverty, to sort of break down the feelings that existed in the Jewish believers towards the Gentile believers. He felt if we could bring to them a generous offering from the Gentiles, that this wall of partition that more or less existed between them could be broken down. And they would realize the oneness of the family of God as they received help and support from the Gentile believers, a token of their love and esteem for Jerusalem.

Now, it was from the church in Jerusalem that the gospel went out. And so there was a debt, in a sense, of the Gentile believers to the church in Jerusalem, for it was the result of the church in Jerusalem sending out the apostles and all that they received the gospel.

So, Paul comes back now and spends the eighth chapter on the issue over the offering that he wanted them to take for the church in Jerusalem. And in encouraging them to give, he first of all tells them of what the churches in Macedonia gave. Now Macedonia was upper Greece, the area of Thessalonica, Berea, Philippi. And these churches in the upper part of Greece were rather poor. And yet, they gave very generously.

The church in Corinth was a wealthy church. And so, Paul is encouraging them to follow the example of the poor brethren in Macedonia. And so,

"

Contending for the Faith

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved: In the two previous verses, Paul relates specifically and possibly the greatest promises from God that can be made to a believer; however, these promises are undoubtedly conditional. After telling the Corinthian Christians that if they will "come out from among" the unbelievers and if they will "separate" from them, not only will the Lord "receive" them but that God will be "a Father" to them and they "shall be (His) sons and daughters." Paul shows heartfelt affection as he addresses the Corinthians as his "dearly beloved" when he reassures them of these promises.

let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit: Paul’s affectionate reassurance is emphasized by his including himself in these mandatory conditional actions when he emphasizes "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." To receive the promises of God, all believers must make a complete break from all sins and worldliness. The significance of Paul’s including himself is astounding when one thinks about the shameful and dishonorable way in which they have treated him; yet he reaffirms both his love for them and the unity that he seeks with them.

Including himself, Paul pleads with all Christians to "cleanse" (katharizo) ourselves, that is, to purify ourselves thoroughly and "purge" (Strong 2511) all filthiness (molusmos) of the flesh, referring to all "immorality" (Strong 3436) and other forms of defilements. The "flesh and spirit" used in this context are not referring to the body and the spirit individually. Instead, in this context, Paul uses both terms to refer to the body. Therefore, the filthiness of the "flesh and spirit" is not contrasting sin and righteousness as these two words might seem. In this context, filthiness of the "flesh and spirit" makes reference to every possible kind of sin regardless of whether they are public or private. To please God and receive His promises, Christians must "cleanse the body and spirit from "everything that pollutes" (Bratcher 73).

perfecting holiness in the fear of God: The flesh and spirit are cleansed to perfect holiness. The word "perfecting" (epiteleo) means to "accomplish" (Strong 2005) and "holiness" (hagiosune) means "sacredness" (Strong 42); therefore, Christians are not only not to be instruments of sin, but they are to be instruments of righteousness unto God; that is, to live lives that are governed by God’s command and that are dedicated to God. Paul presents the same message to the Christians in Rome:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Romans 6:12-13).

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Having the promises of intimate fellowship with God for obedience, Christians should avoid certain probable sources of spiritual contamination. These sources of contamination may be external or internal, in relation to other people or in relation to God. "Flesh (or body, Gr. sarx) and spirit" here is a figure (merism) for the whole person (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 7:34). Instead we should press on in our continual struggle against sin while fearing God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:11). This verse stresses what we must do to progress in practical sanctification, and it reminds us that this process is continuous.

"Paul is probably implying that the Corinthians had become defiled, perhaps by occasionally sharing meals at idol-shrines or by continuing to attend festivals or ceremonies in pagan temples (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:10; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22), or even by maintaining their membership in some local pagan cult. If they made a clean break (cf. katharisomen, aorist) with pagan life in any and every form, they would be bringing their holiness nearer completion by this proof of their reverence for God." [Note: Harris, pp. 360-61.]

"This passage [2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1] is a specific call for separation from the temple cults of Corinth, in direct continuity with the holiness-separation theme of 1 Corinthians, and is located here as the climax of the apologia for Paul’s apostolate." [Note: Barnett, p. 341.]

Barclay's Daily Study Bible

Chapter 7

GET YOU OUT ( 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ; 2 Corinthians 7:1 )

7:1 Do not allow yourselves to become joined in an alien yoke with unbelievers. What partnership can there be between righteousness and lawlessness? What fellowship can darkness have with light? What concord can there be with Christ and Belial? What share can the believer have with the unbeliever? What agreement can the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, even as God said, "I will dwell in them and I will walk in them, and I will be their God and they will be my people." Therefore, "Come out from among them and separate yourselves," the Lord says, "and, have no contact with impurity, and I will receive you, and I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me," says the Lord, the ruler of all. So then, since we possess these promises, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, and let us thus make holiness complete in the fear of God.

We come now to the passage which we omitted previously. There is no doubt that it comes in very awkwardly where it is. Its sternness is at odds with the glad and joyous love of the verses on either side of it.

In the introduction we saw that Paul wrote a letter prior to First Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 5:9 he says, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men." That letter may be altogether lost. Or it may be that this is a section of it. It could easily happen that, when Paul's letters were being collected, one sheet could get misplaced. It was not until A.D. 90 or thereby that the collection was made, and by that time there may well have been none who knew the proper order. Certainly, in substance, this well suits the letter referred to in 1 Corinthians 5:9.

There are certain Old Testament pictures behind this. Paul begins by urging the Corinthians not to be joined to unbelievers in an alien yoke. Undoubtedly that goes back to the old commandment in Deuteronomy 22:10, "You shall not plough with an ox and an ass together." (compare Leviticus 19:19). The idea is that there are certain things which are fundamentally incompatible and were never meant to be brought together. It is impossible for the purity of the Christian and the pollution of the pagan to run in double harness.

In the demand, "What has the temple of God to do with idols?" Paul's thought is going back to such incidents as Manasseh bringing a graven image into the temple of God ( 2 Kings 21:1-9), and, in the later days, Josiah utterly destroying such things ( 2 Kings 23:3 ff.). Or he is thinking of such abominations as are described in Ezekiel 8:3-18. Men had sometimes tried to associate the temple of God with idol worship, and the consequences had been terrible.

The whole passage is a rousing summons not to hold any fellowship with unbelievers. It is a challenge to the Corinthians to keep themselves unspotted from the world. It has been well remarked that the very essence of the history of Israel is in the words, "Get thee out!" That was the word of God that came to Abraham as the King James Version has it. "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house" ( Genesis 12:1). That was the warning that came to Lot before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. ( Genesis 19:12-14). There are things in the world with which the Christian cannot and dare not associate himself.

It is difficult to realize just how many separations Christianity meant for the people who first accepted it.

(i) Often it meant that a man had to give up his trade. Suppose he was a stone mason. What was to happen if his firm received a contract to build a heathen shrine? Suppose he was a tailor. What was to happen if he was instructed to cut and sew garments for priests of the heathen gods? Suppose he was a soldier. At the gate of every camp burned the light upon the altar sacred to the godhead of Caesar. What was to happen if he had to fling his pinch of incense on that altar in token of his worship? Time and time again in the early Church the choice came to a man between the security of his job and his loyalty to Jesus Christ. It is told that a man came to Tertullian. He told him his problem and then he said, "But after all I must live." "Must you?" said Tertullian.

In the early Church a man's Christianity often meant that he had to get out from his job. One of the most famous modern examples of this same thing was F. W. Charrington. He was the heir to a fortune made by brewing. He was passing a tavern one night. There was a woman waiting at the door. A man, obviously her husband, came out, and she was trying to keep him from going back in. With one blow of his fist the man felled her. Charrington started forward and then he looked up. The name above the tavern was his own, and Charrington said, "With that one blow that man did not only knock his wife out, he also knocked me clean out of that business forever." And he gave up the fortune he might have had, rather than touch money earned in such a way.

No man is keeper of another man's conscience. Every man must decide for himself if he can take his trade to Christ and Christ with him to his daily work.

(ii) Often it meant that a man had to give up social life. In the ancient world, as we saw when studying the section on meat offered to idols, many a heathen feast was held in the temple of a god. The invitation would run, "I invite you to dine with me at the table of our Lord Serapis." Even if that were not so, a heathen feast would begin and end with the pouring of a libation, a cup of wine, to the gods. Could a Christian share in that? Or must he get out and say good-bye to the social fellowship which used to mean so much to him?

(iii) Often it meant that a man had to give up family ties. The pain of Christianity in the early years was the way it split families. A wife became a Christian and her husband might drive her from his house. A husband became a Christian and his wife might leave him. Sons and daughters became Christians and might find the door of the home shut and barred in their faces. It was literally true that Christ came not to send peace but a dividing sword upon earth and that men and women had to be prepared to love him more than their nearest and dearest. They had to be prepared to get out even from their homes,

However hard it may be, it will always remain true that there are certain things a man cannot do and be a Christian. There are certain things from which every Christian must get out.

Before we leave this passage, there is one point we may note. In it Paul quotes scripture and his quotation is a mixture of a variety of passages, none quoted accurately, from Leviticus 26:11-12, Isaiah 52:11, Ezekiel 20:34, Ezekiel 37:27 and 2 Samuel 7:14. It is a fact that Paul seldom quotes accurately. Why? We must remember that in his time books were written on papyrus rolls. A book the size of Acts would require a roll about thirty-five feet long, a very unwieldy thing. There were no chapter divisions; they were inserted by Stephen Langton in the thirteenth century. There were no verse divisions; they were inserted by Stephanus, the Paris printer, in the sixteenth century. Finally, there was no such thing as a concordance until the sixteenth century. The result was that Paul did the only sensible thing--he quoted from memory, and so long as he got the substance right he did not worry about the actual wording. It was not the letter of scripture but the message of scripture which mattered to him.

THE ACCENT OF LOVE ( 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 ; 2 Corinthians 7:2-4 )

7:2-4 We have wronged no one. We have corrupted no one. We have taken advantage of no one. I am not speaking with any intention of condemnation. I have already told you that you are in our hearts, so that I am ready to die with you and to live with you. I have every confidence in you. I know that I can boast much about you. My comfort is complete. I am overflowing with joy amidst all the things that press sore upon me.

Paul is speaking with the accents of purest love. The breaches are healed. The quarrels are all made up and love reigns supreme. The phrase that we have translated "Our heart lies wide open to you," literally means, "Our heart is enlarged." Chrysostom has a fine comment. He says that heat makes all things expand and the warmth of love will always expand a man's heart.

In the King James Version in 2 Corinthians 6:12 we note a translation which is very common in the New Testament and not very fortunate, "Ye are straitened in your own bowels." The word translated bowels is the Greek word splagchna ( G4698) . It literally means the upper viscera, the heart, the liver and the lungs. In these organs the seat of the emotions was supposed to lie. The form of expression sounds awkward but it is not really any more curious than our own English form. We speak of a man being melancholy which literally means that he has a black liver. We put the seat of love in the heart, which, after all, is a physical organ. But in English idiom it is more natural to use the word heart than bowels.

Paul here makes a great series of claims. He has wronged no one, he has corrupted no one, he has taken advantage of no one. Towards the end of his life Sir Walter Scott made the great claim, "I have unsettled no man's faith, I have corrupted no man's principles." Thackeray, also towards the end of his life, wrote a prayer in which he prayed that he "might never write a word inconsistent with the love of God, or the love of man, might never propagate has own prejudices or pander to those of others, might always speak the truth with his pen, and might never be actuated by a love of greed."

Only one thing is worse than sinning oneself, and that is teaching another to sin. It is one of the grim truths of life that another must always present a person with his first temptation, must give him the first push into sin, and it is a terrible thing to introduce a younger or a weaker brother to the wrong thing.

Someone tells of an old man who on his death-bed seemed distressed by something. When asked what was the matter he said that, when he was a boy, he and some companions had been playing at a cross-roads in the middle of a common. There was a signpost there and it was loose in its socket. They turned it round so that its arms were facing in the wrong directions. And the old man said, "I cannot stop wondering how many people were sent on the wrong road by the thing we did that day."

There can be no regret like the regret of having sent another on the wrong way. It was Paul's proud claim that his guidance and his influence had always been towards the best.

He finishes this passage by telling the Corinthians how complete his comfort is and how overflowing his joy even although at the moment troubles are all around him. Surely there never was a clearer proof that human relationships are the most important thing in life. If a man is happy at home, he can face up to anything outside. If a man is in fellowship with his friends, he can withstand the slings and arrows of fortune with a smile. As the writer of the Proverbs has it, "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted ox and hatred with it." ( Proverbs 15:17).

GODLY SORROW AND GODLY JOY ( 2 Corinthians 7:5-16 )

7:5-16 For when we arrived in Macedonia we could find no rest for our body, but we were sore pressed on every side. There were wars without and fears within. But he who comforts the lowly comforted us--I mean God--by the arrival of Titus. We found this comfort not only in his arrival, but in the comfort which he found amongst you, for he brought news of your longing to see me, of your grief for the past situation, of your zeal to show your loyalty to me. The consequence was that my gladness was greater than my troubles. For if I grieved you with the letter I sent you, I am not sorry that I sent it, although, to tell the truth I was sorry; for I see that that letter, if it was only for a time, did grieve you. Now I am glad, not that you were grieved, but that your grief was the way to repentance. It was a godly grief that came to you, so that you have lost nothing through our action, for godly grief produces repentance which leads to salvation and which no man ever regrets. But worldly grief produces death. Look now! This very thing, this godly grief--see what earnest longing it produced in you, what a desire to set yourselves right, what vexation at what you had done, what fear, what yearning, what zeal, what steps to inflict condign punishment on the man who deserved it! You have shown yourselves pure in this matter. If I did indeed write to you, it was not for the sake of him who committed the wrong, nor for the sake of him who was wronged; it was to make quite clear to you in the sight of God the earnestness you really possessed for us. Because of this we have been comforted. In addition to this comfort which came to us, we rejoiced with still more overflowing joy in the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by the way in which you all treated him. For if I did rather boast about him, I was not put to shame, but just as everything we have said to you was spoken with truth, so too our boast about Titus was proved to be the truth. And his heart goes out overflowingly to you when he remembers what obedience you showed, how you received him with fear and trembling. I am glad that in everything I am in good heart about you.

The connection of this section really goes as far back as 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, for it is there that Paul tells how in Troas he had no rest because he did not know how the Corinthian situation had developed and how he had set out to Macedonia to meet Titus to get the news as quickly as possible. Let us again remember the circumstances. Things had gone wrong in Corinth. In an attempt to mend them Paul had paid a flying visit which only made them worse and nearly broke his heart. After the failure of the visit he had despatched Titus with a letter of quite exceptional sternness and severity. He was so worried about the outcome of the whole unhappy business that he was quite unable to rest at Troas although there was much there that he might have done, so he set out to meet Titus to get the news as quickly as possible. He met Titus somewhere in Macedonia and learned to his overflowing joy that the trouble was over, the breach was healed and all was well. That is the background of events against which this passage must be read and it makes it very rich.

It tells us certain things about Paul's whole method and outlook on rebuke.

(i) He was quite clear that there came a time when rebuke was necessary. It often happens that the man who seeks an easy peace finds in the end nothing but trouble. The man who allows a perilous situation to develop because he shrinks from dealing with it, the parent who exercises no discipline because he fears unpleasantness, the man who will not grasp the nettle of danger because he wants to find the flower of safety, in the end simply piles up greater trouble for himself. Trouble is like disease. If it is dealt with at the right time, it can often easily be eradicated; if not, it can become an incurable growth.

(ii) Even admitting all that, the last thing Paul wished was to rebuke. He did it only under compulsion and took no pleasure whatever in inflicting pain. There are those who take a sadistic pleasure in seeing someone wince beneath the lash of their tongue, who pride themselves on being candid when they are only being rude and on being blunt when they are only being boorish. It is the simple fact that the rebuke which is given with a certain relish will never prove as effective as the rebuke which is obviously unwillingly dragged out and which a man gives only because he can do no other.

(iii) Further, Paul's sole object in giving rebuke was to enable people to be what they ought to be. By his rebuke he wished the Corinthians to see the real earnestness they possessed for him in spite of their disobedience and their trouble-making. Such a course might for the moment cause pain, but its ultimate object was not the pain; it was not to knock them down, but to lift them up; it was not to discourage them, but to encourage them; it was not simply to eradicate the evil, but to make the good grow.

This passage tells us also of three great human joys.

(i) There breathes through it all the joy of reconciliation, the healed breach and the mended quarrel. We all remember times in childhood when we had done something wrong and there was a barrier between us and our parents. We all know that can still happen between us and those we love. And we all know the flood of relief and the happiness when the barriers are gone and we are at one again with those we love. In the last analysis the man who cherishes bitterness hurts no one more than he hurts himself.

(ii) There is the joy of seeing someone in whom you believe justifying that belief. Paul had given Titus a good character and Titus had gone to meet a very difficult situation. Paul was overjoyed that Titus had justified his confidence in him and proved his words true. Nothing brings so deep a satisfaction as to know that our children in the flesh or in the faith do well. The deepest joy that a son or a daughter or a scholar or a student can bring to parent or teacher is to demonstrate that they are as good as the parent or the teacher believes them to be. Life's sorest tragedy is disappointed hopes and life's greatest joy is hopes come true.

(iii) There is the joy of seeing someone you love welcomed and well-treated. It is a fact of life that kindness shown to those we love moves us even more deeply than kindness shown to ourselves. What is true of us is true of God. That is why we can best show our love of God by loving our fellow men. The thing that delights the heart of God is to see one of his children kindly treated. Inasmuch as we do it to them we do it to him.

This passage also draws one of the most important distinctions in life. It draws the distinction between the godly and the worldly sorrow.

(i) A godly sorrow produces a true repentance, and a true repentance is one which demonstrates its sorrow by its deeds. The Corinthians proved their repentance by doing everything they could to mend the wretched situation that their thoughtless conduct had produced. Now they hated the sin they had committed, and even hated themselves for committing it, and they laboured to atone for it.

(ii) A worldly sorrow is not really sorrow at all in one sense but it is not sorrow for its sin or for the hurt it may have caused others; it is only resentment that it has been found out. If it got the chance to do the same thing again and thought it could escape the consequences, it would do it. A godly sorrow is a sorrow which has come to see the wrongness of the thing it did. It is not just the consequences of the thing it regrets; it hates the thing itself. We must be very careful that our sorrow for sin is not merely sorrow that we have been found out, but sorrow which, seeing the evil of the sinful thing is determined never to do it again and has dedicated the rest of its life to atone, by God's grace, for what it has done.

-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

Gann's Commentary on the Bible

2 Corinthians 7:1

Having therefore these promises -- The promises referred to in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; the promise that God would dwell among us, that he would be our God and that he would be to us a Father.

let us cleanse ourselves -- Let us purify ourselves. Paul was not afraid to bring into view the truth that Christians themselves have a part in the work of salvation.

from all filthiness [defilement] of the flesh- - The noun used here (μολυσμὸς molusmos) occurs only here in the New Testament. The verb occurs in 1 Corinthians 8:7; Revelation 3:4; Revelation 14:4, and means to stain, defile, pollute, as a garment; and the word used here means a soiling, hence, defilement, pollution, and refers to the defiling and corrupting influence of fleshly desires and carnal appetites.

and spirit -- By “filthiness of the spirit,” the apostle probably means all the thoughts or mental associations that defile the man. Jesus in Matthew 15:19 speaks of evil thoughts, etc. that proceed out of the heart, and that pollute the man.

bringing holiness to completion -- This word (ἐπιτελοῦντες epitelountes, G2005) means properly to bring to an end, to finish, complete. The idea here is, that of carrying it out to the completion. Holiness had been commenced in the heart, and the exhortation of the apostle is, that they should make every effort that it might be complete in all its parts

in the fear of God -- Out of fear and reverence of God. From a regard to his commands, and a reverence for his name. The idea seems to be, that we are always in the presence of God and we should be awed and restrained by a sense of his presence.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Having therefore these promises,.... That God will walk in his temple, and dwell in his churches, be their God, and they his people, that he will receive them, and be their Father, and they his sons and daughters; which promises they had not in hope, as Old Testament saints had the promises of the Messiah and his kingdom, and as New Testament saints have of the resurrection, the new heavens and new earth, and of appearing with Christ in glory; but in hand, in actual possession; for God was really become their God and Father, and they were his people and children; they had had communion with him, and were received, protected, and preserved by him; which promises and blessings of grace, and which are absolute and unconditional, the apostle makes use of to engage them to purity and holiness; and is a clear proof, that the doctrine of an absolute and unconditional covenant of grace has no tendency to licentiousness, but the contrary: and that his following exhortation might be attended to, and cheerfully received, he uses a very affectionate appellation,

dearly beloved; so they were of God, being his people, his sons and daughters, adopted, justified, called, and chosen by him; and so they were by the apostle and his fellow ministers, who, as he says in a following verse, were in their hearts to die and live with them; some copies read brethren, and so the Ethiopic version. The exhortation he urges them to, and, that it might be the better received, joins himself with them in it, is,

let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit: by "the filthiness of the flesh" is meant external pollution, defilement by outward actions, actions committed in the body, whereby the man is defiled; such as all impure words, filthiness, and foolish talking, all rotten and corrupt communication, which defile a man's own body; as the tongue, a little member, when so used does, and corrupts the good manners of others; all filthy actions, as idolatry, adultery, fornication, incest, sodomy, murder, drunkenness, revellings, c. and everything that makes up a filthy conversation, which is to be hated, abhorred, and abstained from by the saints: by "filthiness of the spirit" is meant internal pollution, defilement by the internal acts of the mind, such as evil thoughts, lusts, pride, malice, envy, covetousness, and the like: such a distinction of טומאת הגוף, "the filthiness of the body", and טומאת הנפש, "the filthiness of the soul", is to be met with among the Jews who say r, that when a man has taken care to avoid the former, it is fit he should take care of the latter; they also call the evil imagination, or corruption of nature, "the filth of the body" s. Now when the apostle says, "let us cleanse ourselves", this does not suppose that men have a power to cleanse themselves from the pollution of their nature, or the defilement of their actions; for this is God's work alone, as appears from his promises to cleanse his people from their sins; from the end of Christ's shedding his blood, and the efficacy of it; from the sanctifying influences of the Spirit; and from the prayers of the saints to God, to create in them clean hearts, to wash them thoroughly from their iniquity, and cleanse them from their sin: besides, the apostle is not here speaking either of the justification of these persons, in which sense they were already cleansed, and that thoroughly, from all their sins and iniquities; nor of the inward work of sanctification, in respect of which they were sprinkled with clean water, and were washed in the layer of regeneration; but what the apostle respects is the exercise of both internal and external religion, which lies in purity of heart and conversation, the one not being acceptable to God without the other; he is speaking of, and exhorting to the same thing, as in the latter part of the preceding chapter; and suggests, that it becomes those who have received such gracious promises to be separate from sin and sinners, to abstain from all appearance of sin, and to have no fellowship with sinners; to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of haughtiness, and, under a sense of either external or internal pollution, to have recourse to the fountain opened; to deal by faith with the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, of heart, lip, and life; and which is the only effectual method a believer can make use of, to cleanse himself from sin; namely, by washing his garments, and making them white in the blood of the Lamb:

perfecting holiness in the fear of God; by "holiness" is not meant the work of sanctification upon the heart, for that is wholly the work of the Spirit of God, and not of man; he begins it, carries it on, and perfects it of himself; but holiness of life and conversation is here designed, which in conversion the people of God are called unto, and which highly becomes them: and this they are to be "perfecting"; not that a believer is able to live a life of holiness, without sin being in him, or committed by him; this is in, possible and impracticable in the present life; but the sense of the word επιτελουντες is, that he is to be carrying on a course of righteousness and holiness to the end; to the end of his life, he is to persevere as in faith, so in holiness; as he is to go on believing in Christ, so he is to go on to live soberly, righteously, and godly, to the end of his days; which requires divine power to preserve him from sin, and keep him from falling; and the grace of God, the strength of Christ, and the assistance of the Spirit, to enable him to perform acts of holiness, and the several duties of religion, and to continue in well doing: all which is to be done, "in the fear of God"; not in a servile slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation, but in a filial fear, a reverential affection for God, an humble trust in him, and dependence on him, for grace and strength; it is that fear which has God for its author, is a blessing of the new covenant, is implanted in regeneration, and is increased by discoveries of pardoning grace; and it has God for its object, not his wrath and vindictive justice, but his goodness, grace, and mercy. This shows from what principle, and upon what views believers act in a course of righteousness and holiness; not from the fear of hell, nor from the fear of men, or with a view to gain their applause, but as in the sight of God, from a reverential affection to him, a child like fear of him, and with a view to his glory.

r Tzeror Hammor, fol. 111. 2. s Zohar in Lev. fol. 43. 2.

Light of Israel Bible Commentary

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1

A number of commentators remark how this verse belongs with the previous section. Kretzmann says, "The first verse completes the appeal of chapter 6, to receive not the grace of God in vain."<footnote>Kretzmann, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary, 2 Corinthians, vs. 7:1-4. Coffman adds, "There is no doubt that this passage comes in very awkwardly. When we omit it and when we read straight on from 2 Corinthians 6:13 to 2 Corinthians 7:2 we get perfect sense…" (Coffman, v. 7:1).</footnote> The promises we now have are probably those of the previous scriptures mentioned in verses 17 and 18, where God will receive the separated person and be a Father to that one. The separation or cleansing of the individual is again re-emphasized.

Barker and Kohlenberger feel that Paul is hinting here that the Corinthians may have become defiled by occasionally eating at the pagan shrines or attending pagan festivals and ceremonies (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:10; 10:14-22).<footnote>Barker & Kohlenberger, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 682.</footnote> Clarke comments regarding the Corinthians and ourselves saying, "How can those expect God to purify their hearts who are continually indulging their eyes, ears, and hands in what is forbidden, and in what tends to increase and bring into action all the evil propensities of the soul?…"<footnote>Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary, Commentary on 2 Corinthians, v. 7:1. Bruce enhances here: (cf. the correlation of Hebrew basar and ruah, e.g. in Isaiah 31:3; a Qumran example is provided in 1 QM 7.5, where the 'sons of light' who take part in the holy war must be 'perfect in spirit and flesh')…cf. Colossians 2:5…sim to 1 C. 5:3." (Bruce, p. 216).</footnote> God calls his children to absolute purity in all areas of life. We see the same thing long ago with the call of Father Abraham. God said to him, "…I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless" (Genesis 17:1).

We note in this verse that we are to cleanse or purify ourselves from all defilements. This is a figure of speech since we cannot really cleanse ourselves. It is Christ alone who can cleanse us and that cleansing is only through his blood that was shed for us. We can confess our sins but he is the one who cleanses us (1 John 1:9). There is a sense that we have been made perfect forever when we first come to Jesus (Hebrews 10:14). However, there is another sense in which that perfection is gained day by day. Robertson sees it as a continuous process (1 Thessalonians 3:13; Romans 1:4; 6).<footnote>Robertson, Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament, Commentary on Second Corinthians, v. 7:1.</footnote> God does not just want to declare us holy. He wants us to become a holy people.

It is unfortunate that some in the church, even in very early centuries, felt that one could be perfected in this life. In modern times the Holiness Movement has taught this doctrine. Such beliefs seem to have emerged from 19th century Methodist teaching. These groups believe that an entire sanctification is possible in this life. Spurgeon tells of one of these adherents, "I remember hearing a man say that he had lived for six years without having sinned in either thought, or word, or deed. I apprehended that he committed a sin then, if he had never done so before, in uttering such a proud, boastful speech."<footnote>Quoted in Guzik, David Guzik Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on 2 Corinthians, v. 7:1.</footnote> When someone boasts of a sinless life, there is usually some family member nearby who can firmly dispute that statement. The Bible says simply, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us" (1 John 1:10).

We are charged to perfect holiness in this verse and we can do so only with the Lord's help (cf. Colossians 1:28). However, we must remember that we will only be perfect, complete and holy at the Lord's appearing (Jude 1:24-25). The Greek word "perfect" epitelountes, "means properly to bring to an end, to finish, complete…"<footnote>Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, Commentary on 2 Corinthians, v. 7:1.</footnote>

In this verse, we notice two broad areas of defilement, flesh and spirit. When we think about it, there are not so many areas in which we can defile the flesh. There are various sexual sins, varied abuses of the body, such as gluttony, anorexia, alcohol and dope. We can defile our bodies with tattoos, and this is wildly popular, although Leviticus 19:28 clearly prohibits it. There is not so much else we can do to defile the body itself.

The matter of spiritual defilement is a much broader subject. There must be hundreds of ways we can defile our spirits. We will venture to mention a few popular ones: sorcery, witchcraft, false prophecy, hypocrisy, legalism, pornography, false religions, pride, selfishness, lust, and greed. Guzik says, "Sometimes it is easier to deal with the filthiness of the flesh than the filthiness…of the spirit."<footnote>Guzik, David Guzik Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on 2 Corinthians, v. 7:1.</footnote> Sins of the spirit can easily disguise themselves as we see in the sins of the older brother and the Pharisees. The younger brother sinned in the flesh but the "moral" older brother sinned in the spirit by judging (Luke ch. 15). The Pharisees were hard on sins of the flesh but were guilty of sins in their spirit, such as hypocrisy.<footnote>Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, p. 522.</footnote> We must be careful when we look at the sins of another Christian. "Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so God expects different behavior form us, depending on our stage of spiritual development."<footnote>Comfort, Genesis ed., Life Application Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Corinthians, p. 376.</footnote>

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.   2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.   3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.   4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

      These verses contain a double exhortation:--

      I. To make a progress in holiness, or to perfect holiness in the fear of God,2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Corinthians 7:1. This exhortation is given with most tender affection to those who were dearly beloved, and enforced by strong arguments, even the consideration of those exceedingly great and precious promises which were mentioned in the former chapter, and which the Corinthians had an interest in and a title to. The promises of God are strong inducements to sanctification, in both the branches thereof; namely, 1. The dying unto sin, or mortifying our lusts and corruptions: we must cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Sin is filthiness, and there are defilements of body and mind. There are sins of the flesh, that are committed with the body, and sins of the spirit, spiritual wickednesses; and we must cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of both, for God is to be glorified both with body and soul. 2. The living unto righteousness and holiness. If we hope God is our Father, we must endeavour to be partakers of his holiness, to be holy as he is holy, and perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. We must be still perfecting holiness, and not be contented with sincerity (which is our gospel perfection), without aiming at sinless perfection, though we shall always come short of it while we are in this world; and this we must do in the fear of God, which is the root and principle of all religion, and there is no holiness without it. Note, Faith and hope in the promises of God must not destroy our fear of God, who taketh pleasure in those that fear him and hope in his mercy.

      II. To show a due regard to the ministers of the gospel: Receive us,2 Corinthians 7:2; 2 Corinthians 7:2. Those who labour in the word and doctrine should be had in reputation, and be highly esteemed for their work's sake: and this would be a help to making progress in holiness. If the ministers of the gospel are thought contemptible because of their office, there is danger lest the gospel itself be contemned also. The apostle did not think it any disparagement to court the favour of the Corinthians; and, though we must flatter none, yet we must be gentle towards all. He tells them, 1. He had done nothing to forfeit their esteem and good-will, but was cautious not to do any thing to deserve their ill-will (2 Corinthians 7:2; 2 Corinthians 7:2): "We have wronged no man: we have done you no harm, but always designed your good." I have coveted no man's silver, nor gold, nor apparel, said he to the elders of Ephesus, Acts 20:33. "We have corrupted no man, by false doctrines or flattering speeches. We have defrauded no man; we have not sought ourselves, nor to promote our own secular interests by crafty and greedy measures, to the damage of any persons." This is an appeal like that of Samuel, 1 Samuel 12:1-25. Note, Then may ministers the more confidently expect esteem and favour from the people when they can safely appeal to them that they are guilty of nothing that deserves disesteem or displeasure. 2. He did not herein reflect upon them for want of affection to him, 2 Corinthians 7:3; 2 Corinthians 7:4. So tenderly and cautiously did the apostle deal with the Corinthians, among whom there were some who would be glad of any occasion to reproach him, and prejudice the minds of others against him. To prevent any insinuations against him on account of what he had said, as if he intended to charge them with wronging him, or unjust accusations of him for having wronged them, he assures them again of his great affection to them, insomuch that he could spend his last breath at Corinth, and live and die with them, if his business with other churches, and his work as an apostle (which was not to be confined to one place only), would permit him to do so. An he adds it was his great affection to them that made him use such boldness or freedom of speech towards them, and caused him to glory, or make his boast of them, in all places, and upon all occasions, being filled with comfort, and exceedingly joyful in all their tribulations.