This is part 17 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. Since 2 Cor 2:12, Paul has given a long defense of his ministry. However, before that he was talking about his plans to revisit the church in Corinth, the reason for his change of itinerary, and his desire for a change of heart within the church in Corinth. Long ago, on October 5th ("Good Grief!") I said that grief—as Paul speaks of it—is the friction caused by the desires of this world rubbing up against the call of God’s kingdom. After his long defense of his own ministry, Paul now returns to the subject of grief.
2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.
3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you.
4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
8 Even if I grieved you by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter grieved you, but only for a little while—
9 yet now I am happy, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repentance. For you were grieved as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by
us.10 Godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly grief much more produces death.
11 See what this godly grief has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.
13 By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.
15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.
16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
Commentary
As I did on the sermon on 2 Cor 1:23-2:4, I rewrote portions of the text to communicate certain ideas better than the NIV: the concept of grief in v8-11 (translated in the NIV as sorrow); and the action of production in v10.
v8-11 grief. See in these verses the range of responses in grief. When we know the good that we should do and don’t do it, does it led to despair, apathy, and death? Or does it led to a change of heart and a resolve to do better?
v10 produces ... much more produces. The NIV simply says "brings", but the Greek is more forceful than that. A looser translation might be: If godly grief works to produce healing and wholeness that we never regret, how much more will ungodly grief work to cripple us with deadly despair and regret? (See also the translation in The Message.)
v11 See what this godly grief has produced in you... While ungodly grief focuses on the individual ("Poor, poor, pitiful me!") godly grief is focused on God and the offering of our heart in response to our shortcomings. The seven items mentioned here are a description of the repentance mentioned in v10.
v12-16 Usually we sin in our attempts to produce godly grief in others. We try to do the work of the Spirit to bring others to repentance. That is not the role Paul describes in v12. Rather, this whole passage describes Paul’s ongoing efforts to encourage the church—even as it is disappointing him!
Points to Ponder
When you feel the friction between the life you want to life and the life you are living, do you feel sorry for yourself? Who do you talk to in your pain: that voice in your head that says you’re no good, or God?
Would others describe you as a source of encouragement in their trials, or source of a discouragement?
No comments:
Post a Comment