The Effects of the Severe Letter
7: 5-16
The effects of the severe letter DIG: Paul picks up the account of his travels which he left off in 2:12-13. How does his account in 7:5-7 illustrate why he began this letter with thanks to God for his comfort (1:3-7)? What was the result of Paul’s previous letter to them? What intentions does Paul clarify here? What tone of voice do you hear in verse 16? In light of the previous severe letter, why did Paul emphasize his present joy and confidence?
REFLECT: Have you ever been confronted about a wrong by someone who loves you? How did you feel toward that person at the time? How are godly sorrow and worldly sorrow different? What determines which type of sorrow a person has? When is it more loving to confront someone with their sin than to ignore it? What attitudes are needed to keep loving confrontation from becoming judgmental? How do you see those attitudes in Paul?
Confrontation of sin leads to pain and sorrow, which leads to repentance, which leads to salvation.
There are few things in life more painful than broken relationships. This is especially true in ministry. Difficult relationship between the sheep and the shepherds. As he wrote Second Corinthians, Paul nursed a broken heart over the church he founded, loved, and served. The church in which he had invested nearly two years of his life had repaid him with disloyalty. They had allowed false apostles (to see link click Af – The Problem of the False apostles) to come into their assembly and attack Paul’s character and ministry. One of them had apparently verbally assaulted Paul (2:5-10) during the apostle’s painful visit to Corinth (see Ao – Paul’s Painful Visit). That the majority of the church had not defended him from those attacked wounded him greatly. The visit was so discouraging that he didn’t want to return to Corinth and expose himself to more pain (2:1). As a result of the visit, he had written a sternly worded letter, rebuking the Corinthians for their disloyalty and lack of love toward him. Paul sent the letter to Corinth with Titus, who was to bring the Corinthians response back to him. At that point the narrative broke off, and Paul entered into a prolonged digression about his ministry (see Ar – Paul Reflects on His Ministry). Here, in 7:5, the apostle returned to the effects of that severe letter.
When Paul came into Macedonia from Troas in search of Titus, his body had no rest. Nothing had changed, he had no relief from his concern over the situation in Corinth. On the contrary, he had new concerns. What if the severe letter had made things worse? Was the breach with the Corinthians now irreparable? How would they treat Titus? Instead of hope, Paul found himself faced with all kinds of troubles – altercations without, apprehensions within. But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us with the arrival of Titus, which brought joy to Paul’s heart (7:5-6)! The report was good. There were still some unresolved problems (which Paul addressed in Chapters 10-13), but the majority of Corinthian believers had repented and reaffirmed their loyalty to the apostle and the truth he taught, which brought him immense relief.
This very personal section offers profound insights into restoring broken relationships. It lists seven signs of a genuine desire for real restoration. And though the context is the relationship between a pastor and his congregation, these principles are vital for restoring any broken relationship.177
1. Loyalty (7:7): As noted above, Titus’ return encouraged Paul. However, the apostle was not only comforted by his arrival, but also how encouraged he was by the Corinthians. Titus shared Paul’s concern over the Corinthians’ rebellion and no doubt viewed his mission to Corinth with some anxiety, not knowing what to expect. But the Corinthians brought him comfort and joy by their repentant attitude. They had responded properly to the severe letter. Specifically, Titus told Paul how the Corinthians longed to see him, how distressed they were over his situation, and how zealous they were for his defense. Taken all together, this points to their loyalty to Paul. Their attitude was not one of grudging acceptance of Paul’s apostolic authority. They longed to see him. Realizing that their sin had caused him pain, they were distressed over the breach in their relationship. They also expressed zeal, both to restore their relationship with Paul and to defend him against any further attacks. Their loyalty encouraged Paul so much that the news made him even happier than Titus’ return!
2. Repentance (7:8-10): The Corinthians not only responded correctly to Paul but also to God. They reaffirmed their loyalty to the apostle and acknowledged their disloyalty to him as a sin against God. That recognition is essential to restoring broken relationships. Paul knew that he had caused the Corinthians pain by the severe letter that he had sent them. And, as his parenthetical statement: I do not regret it. Even if I did regret it before reveals, he did experience temporary remorse over writing that letter. While he anxiously waited for Titus to return with the Corinthians’ response, the apostle worried that the letter might have made things worse. That letter did in fact cause them distress, though only for a short time (7:8).
Sometimes confronting sin requires going beyond what love and compassion might be comfortable with. But it is necessary to do so, because sin is a deadly killer. Paul was not an abusive, harsh disciplinarian, but a reluctant one, and he took no joy in causing temporary pain to the Corinthians. He was like a father with mixed feelings about disciplining a beloved child. But what motivated him to write the severe letter was his love for them, the truth, and his fear of the consequences of their sin. Despite his temporary regret, Paul knew that discipling the Corinthians’ sin had to be done.
There are times in the ministry when strong confrontational words are necessary. Sin crouches at the door; false apostles are everywhere, Satan constantly seeks to destroy the work of God. The faithful shepherd must not shrink from calling his sheep to obedience to Scripture. Therefore, Paul could rejoice, not that the Corinthians were pained, but because the pain led them to turn back to God. His regret vanished when he saw the fruit of their pain. For you handled the pain in God’s way, so that you were not harmed by us at all. Pain handled in God’s way produces a turning from sin to God which leads to salvation, and there is nothing to regret in that (7:9-10a)! The progression is obvious: confrontation of sin leads to pain and sorrow, which lead to repentance, which leads to salvation.178
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being such a wise Father! Thank you for Your perfect love and holiness. You are never cruel in correcting, but You always discipline lovingly. You seek to bring me to joy, when I walk in obedience and fellowship with You. “My child, do not take lightly the discipline of ADONAI or lose heart when you are corrected by Him, because ADONAI disciplines the one He loves and punishes every child He accepts.” (Hebrews 12:5-6). You have the perfect balance of punishment for sin in Your correction and loving forgiveness upon repentance. May You guide me to follow Your example of not avoiding discipline when it is needed, but in doing it with love and kindness. In your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
But pain handled in the world’s way produces only death (7:10b). There are two ways of handling pain. Ungodly, worldly sorrow, merely being sad or experiencing pain, has no virtue in it. It is concerned with self, not ADONAI or others who have been harmed; and it leads to self-hatred, self-pity, depression, despair and death. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, leads to repentance (Hebrew: t’shuvah), turning from sin to God, making restitution for wrongs, and resolving to act righteously. Ha’Shem is not interested in one’s merely feeling sorry for having sinned, but in one’s resolute, turning from sin and not doing it again when tempted with a similar situation in the future.179
3. Purity (7:11): To Paul’s greal relief, the Corinthians proved themselves blameless (Greek: hagnos, meaning innocent or free from sin) in the matter. They demonstrated the genuineness of their repentance by their purity. This verse lists seven characteristics of purity that true repentance produces, and it provides the clearest definition of repentance found anywhere in the Bible. Paul introduced those characteristics with the emphatic phrase for just look, which indicated his overwhelming joy. The apostle was excited by Titus’ report of the improved situation at Corinth. The repeated use of the comparative word what in the Greek before each characteristic underscored the intense emotion felt by Paul.
First, what handling the pain God’s way produced in you! What earnest diligence. Their godly sorrow produced an eagerness for righteousness on their part. It ended the indifference toward Paul and their complacency about their sin. They were eager to make things right, and to restore their broken relationship with the apostle.
Second, what eagerness to clear your name (Greek: apologia, meaning vindication or a speech in defense of). It describes Paul’s vindicating himself before the mob at Jerusalem (Acts 22:1 and 25:16), his defense of his rights as an apostle (First Corinthians 9:3), his defense of the Gospel (Philippians 1:7 and 16), and his defense before the Roman authorities (Second Timothy 4:16). The Corinthians had a strong desire to clear their name, remove the stigma of their sin, rid themselves of their guilt, and prove themselves trustworthy. Therefore, they made sure that all who had known of their sin then knew about their repentance.
Third, what indignation. The Corinthians were outraged over their sin; they were angry that they had brought shame on themselves, offended Paul, and sinned against God. Now they hated the sin that they had previously cherished (Romans 6:21).
Fourth, what fear. The Corinthians’ fear proved the genuineness of their repentance. They had humble fear and awe of ADONAI as the One who disciplines (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children). Their brash, bold sinning had turned into a respectful concern that they no longer disobey and dishonor Him.
Fifth, what longing. The Corinthians’ repentance resulted in a longing or yearning to see their relationship with Paul and the Lord restored.
Sixth, what zeal. The Corinthians experienced a renewed zeal for holiness. Zeal is a combination of love and hate. It produces a strong love that hates anything that would harm the object of love. Yeshua Messiah expressed both aspects of zeal when He cleansed the Temple (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Iv – Jesus Entered the Temple Area and Drove Out All Who Were Buying and Selling). It was His passionate love for His Father’s House that caused Him to hate the terrible sin that defiled it.
Seventh, what readiness to make things right! This was the evidence of their repentance. Truly repentant people have a strong desire to see justice done and to make restitution for the wrongs they have committed (2:6-7). Instead of making excuses, the Corinthians accepted the full responsibility of their sins. Therefore, repentance had brought purity to the sinning believers in the Corinthian church, and every aspect of their lives reflected it.
4. Devotion (7:12): Because of the Corinthians’ immaturity and sinfulness, they were worldly and living by merely human standards (First Corinthians 3:3). As a result, they had lost touch with how they truly felt about Paul. So one of the apostles’ goals was to strip away their sinful, wordly attitudes and reveal to the Corinthians their real attitude toward him. Paul led up to his point by first eliminating other potential reasons for writing. This roundabout approach served to heighten the dramatic effect of his words. When he wrote the severe letter, it was not for the sake of either the one who did the wrong. He did not write primarily to condemn the man who had caused him so much grief during his painful visit. Nor was his main concern for himself as the one wronged. In other words, he was not seeking personal revenge. The most important reason Paul wrote the severe letter was so that before God you could see for yourselves how deep is your devotion to us. His letter peeled back the layers of deceit that had encrusted their hearts and let them see Paul as the trusted servant of God they had always known him to be.
5. Unity (7:13): The Corinthians repentance, purity, and renewed loyalty to Paul were reason enough for him to be encouraged. But besides his own encouragement, Paul received even greater joy of seeing how happy Titus was over the Corinthians’ repentance and obedience. Because of their repentance, his mind had been set at rest Greek: anapauo, meaning temporary relief as opposed to a permanent peace). Though he was overjoyed at the good news from Corinth, he was wise enough to realize that pockets of dissent still existed. Their many factions (see the commentary on First Corinthians Ak – Splits and Division in the Church at Corinth) had resulted in the most chaotic church in the B’rit Chadashah. But now they had come together, seeking to restore their relationship to Paul and his teaching.
6. Obedience (7:14-15): As a result of their repentance, many of the Corinthians who had rebelled against Paul now submitted to him (Hebrews 13:7). He had been confident that they were genuine believers and would repent when confronted with their sin. Therefore, he had boasted somewhat to Titus before sending him to Corinth that the Corinthians would respond obediently. Paul, in a sense, staked his reputation on the outcome, and now, after hearing the positive report from Titus, was relieved that he had not been made to look foolish. On the contrary, just as everything Paul had said to them was true (2:17, 4:2, 6:7), so too our boasting in front of Titus has proved true (7:14). His truthfulness and discernment were vindicated by the Corithians’ obedient response. It meant that his integrity, and thus his usefulness to them as a servant of God remained intact.
The Corinthians’ received Paul’s representative, Titus, with reverence and respect (First Corinthians 2:3; Ephesians 6:5; Philippians 2:12). This had calmed Titus’ fears and caused his affection for them to be all the greater as he remembers how ready you were to obey (7:15). Their willing obedience to the Word of God proved the genuineness of the Corinthians’ repentance. When people are truly repentant, they submit to the commands of Scripture without hesitation. To have a congregation of such obedient people brought joy to the hearts of Titus and Paul.
7. Trust (7:16): I am glad that I can have such complete confidence (Greek: tharreo, means to be courageous or to dare) in you. Paul’s reaffirmation of his trust in the Corinthians brought closure to the issue. Paul had the courage to entrust himself to the Corinthians once again and dare to believe that they would not fail him. This is a fitting climax to the second section of the book, Chapters 1-7 (see Ak – Paul Defends His Ministry). The Corinthians’ repentance encouraged Paul to share with them a project that was dear to his heart, the collection for the needy Jewish believers in Jerusalem (see Bm – The Call to Complete the Collection). It also gave him the boldness to confront the last remaining pocket of resistance to his apostolic authority (see Br – Paul Defends His Apostolic Authority).180
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