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Rightly Dividing
the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
Established
November 2008 Published Weekly on Friday
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all men (and women) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:3-4)
2 Corinthians (7:1-16)
(Lesson 18)
I want to welcome everyone
to HBS, and then I want to send a special “greeting” to the folks who have
recently joined us on the www. Our
small, intimate group continues to grow.
When I was traveling from house to house with my white board and Bible a
few years ago, our group consisted of about 8 people. Today we’re averaging right around 600 people
per week, give or take a few. Praise
God.
Thank you for your
attendance and for your interest in understanding what God has said to us through
His Word. Together we are growing in grace and knowledge of our
Lord:
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
to Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
(2Peter 3:18)
Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so
that your progress will be evident to all (1 Timothy 4:15).
********
I
think a quick lesson review will benefit everyone before we begin chapter 7.
2
Corinthians was written around 55-56 AD while our Apostle Paul was in
Macedonia.
We
know of four letters he wrote to this church in Corinth but we only have two of
these:
1)
The letter referred to in 1 Corinthians 5:9 (we don’t have this letter)
2)
1 Corinthians
3)
The severe letter 2 Corinthians 2:3-4
(this letter was lost and/or destroyed)
4)
2 Corinthians.
After
writing 1 Corinthians, Paul continued his ministry at Ephesus until he heard
his well-written letter had not accomplished its desired purpose. A group of false teachers came to Corinth
presenting themselves as apostles. They challenged
Paul’s integrity and his apostolic authority (2 Corinthians 11:4, 12:11).
Paul
decided to make a quick trip to Corinth to confront this serious situation (2
Corinthians 12:2, 13:1-2). This was the painful and less than beneficial visit. Paul returned to Ephesus and wrote the
Corinthians a severe letter out of
great distress, anguish, and with many tears (2 Corinthians
2:4). Titus probably carried this letter
to Corinth (2 Corinthians 12:8). Paul had
second thoughts after writing it. He was
concerned about how the Corinthians would react to it. He left Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41) for Macedonia
by way of Troas where he expected to meet Titus to receive news of the effect
of the severe letter. But Titus was not there (2 Corinthians
2:12-13). This disturbed Paul greatly
and added to his depression. Eventually these two did meet and the
news from Corinth was basically good. Some
of the Believers had a change of
heart and attitude, i.e. they repented,
which pleased Paul (2 Corinthians 7:5-16).
The report from Titus was encouraging.
The Corinthians were still a work
in progress just as we all are, but the situation showed signs of
improvement at Corinth and this prompted the writing of 2 Corinthians, which is
not a well constructed letter at all when compared to his other writings.
Paul
Reveals His Heart
2 Corinthians 7
1: Therefore,
having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Therefore, Paul concludes his
previous discussion (6:14-18) about the need to separate from worldly influences
in order to live a life that pleases God.
The commandment to come out from
their midst (6:17) is coupled with these promises: “And I
will welcome you,” and “And I will
be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me.” Paul wants the Corinthians (and us) to know in
order to have a close relationship with God they have to put distance between
themselves and the world’s
influences. I heard a pastor say one
morning, “You can’t fully commit to loving God while still clinging to the toilet bowl a.k.a. the world.”
(1 John 2:15) Do you get it?
Paul
then gives them two things to do in light of these promises of God: Beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God.
Cleanse ourselves
from all defilement of flesh and spirit – here Paul includes himself as he
informs the saints in Corinth they have to make an effort to cleanse their hearts, making a serious
effort to overcome the sin in their lives.
Sinful living is inconsistent with who Believers are in Christ
Jesus. Paul teaches this rudimentary
truth in Romans 6:14-15: For sin shall not be master over you, for
you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under law but under grace? May
it never be!
God’s
Grace does not give you liberty to commit sin – to partner with the world (v14). Can you and I continue living like lost
people once we become saved people?
Yes. Should we continue living
like lost people once we become saved people?
No!
Let’s
look at Romans 6:1-2: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that (God’s)
grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who (did what) died to sin still live in it?
Now
we didn’t die I think that’s rather obvious,
you’re still here; I’m still above ground too, but something else did die, according to this book. What was it?
It was our sinful flesh. In
Ephesians 4:17-24 Paul refers to our flesh
as the “old man” or our “old self” depending on your Bible
translation. I’ve also heard people
compare our flesh to old Adam the person responsible for
bringing sin and death into the world and there’s nothing wrong with that
because it’s true (Romans 5:12-14). Anywhere
you read the expression “our flesh,”
you could substitute the term either “old man,” “old self” or “old Adam” and
not alter the meaning of the passage.
The terms are interchangeable.
No
one does it better than Paul in describing the conflict of the two natures, our
flesh and the inner man, our Spirit in
saying: For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil
that I do not want (Romans 7:19). Said
another way, our flesh pursues
things contrary to the Spirit of God.
Turn to Galatians 5:17: For the flesh sets its desire against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one
another, so that you may not do the things
that you please.
This
is one the rudimentary teachings of our faith.
So when Paul informs the saints at Corinth they need to cleanse themselves from all defilement of
flesh he’s not saying take a bath and use hot, soapy water. He’s referring to their sin nature, which they received from Adam. He’s saying they are to cleanse themselves from all defilement of flesh and Spirit, perfecting holiness (or the sanctification
process) in the fear of God.
Let’s
also consider this, when we sin the Spirit
is defiled along with our flesh. The heart and mind of the individual,
along with their desires, motives, and thoughts are the cause of outward defilement. Look at what Jesus said: But the things that
proceed out of the mouth come from the heart (the inner man), and those defile the
man (and the woman)… Matthew 15:18-20,
23:27-28; Proverbs 23:7).
So,
even though the Corinthians were saved and their salvation was never in doubt (Romans
8:1), their spiritual growth or faith walk
with the Lord was (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
The Greek word for walk is Peripateo (pronounced: per-ee-pat-eh’-o), Verb, Strong’s Greek
#4043, meaning: to walk, live, the manner in which a person conducts their life.
To
grow in grace (faith) means to grow
spiritually. It means to mature in the
knowledge of God and in godly living. The ultimate goal of the Believer is to become like
Christ. Just as a person grows from an
infant to a mature adult, a true Believer should grow spiritually from an
infant to a mature Believer in Christ Jesus:
…like newborn babies, long for
the pure milk of the word, so that by it you grow in respect to salvation, if
you have tasted the kindness of the Lord (1 Peter 2:2-3).
To
grow in grace and/or faith involves
growing in God’s Word, rightly divided, and in its application. In the book of Hebrews Paul speaks against
those Believers who failed to do this very thing: For
though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to
teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to
need milk and not solid food. For
everyone who partakes only of milk is
not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he (or she) is an infant (Hebrews 5:12-13).
The
dictionary defines righteousness as
“behavior that is morally justifiable or
right.” The Bible’s standard of
human righteousness is God’s own
perfection in every attribute, attitude, behavior, and every word; that’s more
than a step or two above the world’s standard. We can best observe these characteristics
through two things God gave mankind His laws and His Son, Jesus Christ.
When
you get right down to it, there are only two paths to follow in life; the path
of our flesh (Galatians 5:16-21) or
the path of the Holy Spirit (John
14:6; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). If your heart truly belongs to God, if you’re
consumed with the desire to please Him, to glorify Him in all you do, then you
are on the path to growing in grace
and to being spiritually mature in Christ Jesus. Will you stumble now and again? Yes, we all do. But we don’t leave the path… we’re running
the race not only to finish but to finish well (1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy
4:7-8).
Let’s
go to verses 2-4.
2 Corinthians 7
That’s
one positive sounding paragraph and the right approach, if your desire is to
bring about repentance (change) in an individual or a group,
depending on your audience, which is certainly the case here. In 2 Corinthians 6:11-13, Paul wrote: Our
mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide… open
wide to us also. Then in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, he dealt
with their worldliness; those partnerships that kept them from having
an open and honest relationship with
Paul.
Now
with the words make room for us in your hearts Paul returns to the
idea he left off with in 2 Corinthians 6:11-13.
He was completely honest with the saints in Corinth; he’s telling them
now they must follow suit; they need
to be honest with him. They need to open their hearts to the truth about
Paul and his ministry.
I
began this lesson with a brief review not only to help everyone refresh their
memory but also to remind y’all this letter was written after Paul had received
word from Titus his severe letter had
a slight, positive effect. Some of the
Corinthians had a change of heart and attitude. Paul became depressed after sending the
letter, but he had received good news with Titus’ report – some of the
Corinthians repented. There are still some unresolved issues that
need to be worked out and Paul is writing now about those things, but notice he
is careful to do three important things first:
First
he states and I’m paraphrasing, “I have a
clear conscience.” Paul wrote: We
wronged no one, we corrupted no one, (and) we took advantage of no one. Paul’s
not talking about during his entire lifetime, at one time he was the chief
persecutor of those who believed that Jesus was the Son of God or followers of
the way (See Acts 9:2, 11:26). He
certainly did some mean-spirited things in those days. He means as God’s called apostle to the
Gentiles. While he was ministering at
Corinth, for example, he did not wrong
anyone, corrupt anyone or the gospel, and he did not take advantage of anyone Jew or Greek, in
spite of what his opposition was saying about him.
Second,
he said, “I do not speak to condemn you.” Too many times when a person comes to help
another the first thing they do is condemn
them or their behavior - “I told you alcohol
would ruin you one day, but you wouldn’t listen…” – kind of thing. It may
be the truth, but it is the truth minus something significant and that would be
agape love. Furthermore, it does
not fulfill the law of Christ. Although this book does not clearly define
the law of Christ, Paul writes in
Galatians 6:2: Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Paul
also mentions the law of Christ in 1
Corinthians 9:20-21: To the Jews I
became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as
under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those
who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not
being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I
might win those who are without the law.
Paul became all things to all men, so that he might save some
(v22b).
Think
this through. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had left the Sadducees speechless,
they met together. One of them, a legal
expert (in the Mosaic Law) tested
him. “Teacher, what is the greatest
commandment in the Law?” He replied, “You
must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with
all your mind. This is the greatest
commandment. And the second is like
it: You must love your neighbor as
you love yourself. All the Law and
the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:34-46 – Common English Bible;
Luke 44:13-27). Clearly, the law of
Christ can be found here.
Paul
is following the law of Christ. He loves these people regardless of how
they’re behaving “for I have said before
that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.” Paul’s saying he’s not going to abandon
these Believer’s for any reason.
I’ve
lost track of the number of conversations I’ve been in or overheard where
people condemned not only someone’s
behavior but that individual as well, and it didn’t matter if that person was a
Believer or an unsaved individual they were thrown under the bus. They totally dismissed the things God said: we all
are created in the image of God;
THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS
HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN
WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. And He
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors… (Genesis
1:26; Romans 3:10-11, 23, 4:7-8; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21)
Where
in your Bible does it say the Body of Christ is a private club and sinners are
not welcome?
Then
the third thing, after there’s a change
of heart (repentance), he
encourages them: “Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your
behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing
with joy.” The only other place in the N.T. where
this word appears is in Romans 5:20 and it’s only a word that Paul uses. It’s a word he chooses to use when his heart is full and he finds it difficult
to express in words what he wants to say – ever been there? Today people send chocolate and flowers,
asking the florist to write an appropriate sentiment to go along with the gift. Paul didn’t have that option, so he came up
with this word that means to superabound,
greatly. Paul’s confidence and pride in
these Believers is reassuring; it lets them know he’s committed to them.
Great is my
boasting on your behalf – this comment is meant to encourage them to take that
next step in their faith walk, in regard to the collection to the poor saints
in Judea (2 Corinthians 9:4) so that neither he nor they will be put to shame by this confidence (2 Corinthians 8:6-8).
Verses
5-7:
For even when we
came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on
every side: conflicts without,
fears within. But God, who
comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not
only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you,
as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I
rejoiced even more.
Here
Paul resumes his interrupted account related to Titus’s report which he began
in 2 Corinthians 2:13. Paul was deeply
concerned about the Corinthian church. For even when we came into Macedonia
our flesh had no rest. (Paul’s
referring to himself in this comment).
But we were afflicted
on every side: This is a brief
summary of the pressures Paul endured in his life and in his ministry
(See 2 Corinthians 1:4-10, 4:7-12, 6:3-10).
Conflicts without,
fears within – most
people readily agree Paul means to say he suffered problems with Believers and
unbelievers alike (2 Corinthians 11:28).
Paul was fully aware of Satan’s schemes.
Ultimately the devil was influencing the conflicts without, causing fears
within, i.e. putting up road blocks in the gospel’s path (2
Corinthians 11:3; 1 Corinthians 7:5).
But God, who
comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus – here Paul reveals one
of God’s attributes. He is the God of all
Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:4).
Paul
said specifically God comforted us by
the coming of Titus. However, I’m certain God
comforted Paul in other ways too. I say this because of what Paul wrote: and
not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in
you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so
that I rejoiced even more (v7). Suddenly, some of the pressure was lifted from Paul’s
shoulders and his heart, he felt rejuvenated;
especially after he and Titus were reunited.
2 Corinthians 7
For though I caused
you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it – for I see that that letter caused you
sorrow, though only for awhile – I now rejoice, not that you were made
sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not
suffer loss in anything through us. For
the sorrow that is according to the will
of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces
death.
The
sorrowful letter Paul refers to in
verse 8 is the severe letter of 2
Corinthians 2:3-4. It has either been
lost to antiquity or it was destroyed by its owners. We don’t have it and the reason(s) why become
a moot point unless the discussion drifts to the effect this letter had on some
of the Believers in Corinth that is.
Paul’s stern letter caused sorrow
but (he said) I do not regret it;
though I did regret it for I see that
letter caused you sorrow, though only for awhile…
I
don’t know if you’ve ever written a letter, mailed it, and then regretted that
action. Letter writing is a lost art today, but in Paul’s day it was
the primary means of long-distance communication. After Titus took this letter, there was no
way to recover it, so this explains some of Paul’s depression (v5). So deep was
his love and his concern for this
church, it took the comfort of God
and the arrival of Titus, bearing good news concerning the letter and the
Corinthians’ repentance to revive
Paul.
I now rejoice, not
that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance (a change of heart
or attitude); for you were made
sorrowful according to the will of God,
so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance
without regret, leading to
salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Once
again, Paul only writes to Believers, (churches and individuals) however he
knows unbelievers will hear these letters being read in the churches as they
are passed around. Here he’s
acknowledging it hurts when someone informs you you’re messing up; when someone
tells you the truth about yourself and it isn’t good. When a Believer receives the truth about
themselves from someone, they are going to react in one of two ways: repentance
without regret, i.e. godly regret leading
to salvation or the sorrow of
the world, i.e. worldly grief,
which produces death.
There
you were tooling along thinking everything was right with the world, when
suddenly someone had the gumption to speak up.
They spoke the truth and like an arrow it stabbed you in the heart and it hurt. If you’re honest, you agree with them even
though you don’t come right out and say it.
At first, you may get defensive, you may even argue a bit, but you know
they spoke the truth. It hurts, but it’s
godly hurt which leads to a change of
heart; an attitude of repentance.
Please
understand repentance is an action
you take. I was raised to believe it’s a
feeling of remorse; put on the old
sack cloth and ashes – kind of thing. It
isn’t that at all. The feeling sorry is
the hurt and it should lead you to action, to
change, this is repentance. That is where the word repenting comes
from. The prophet Isaiah put it this
way: Let the wicked forsake his (or her) way And the unrighteous man (and woman) his (or her) thoughts; And
let him return to the Lord; and He will have compassion on him (and
her)… (Isaiah 55:7).
Paul
says repentance leads to salvation.
He isn’t talking about salvation from sin. The Corinthians were already Believers. He is talking about salvation from self, a
sense of freedom, of deliverance from the
flesh.
Let’s
move on to verses 11-12.
2 Corinthians 7
For behold what
earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what
indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to
be innocent in the matter. So although I
wrote to you, it was not for the sake
of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness
on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God.
There’s
some work yet to be done in Corinth, Paul’s not saying they’ve arrived! He’s only referring to their repentance in this matter (v11). Obviously,
there were signs of spiritual life in Corinth.
But Generally speaking, people do not want their conscience disturbed,
so the message of repentance is
seldom preached. However, all those who
proclaim to teach the truth must pray and labor, as did our Apostle Paul, for
the Spirit’s convicting work in the conscience (John 16:8; Acts 17:30). If sin is “winked” at in our churches or in
our lives and repentance belittled, a
Believer’s faith walk will lack depth and stability. As they say, “The proof is in the pudding” or in Paul’s severe letter in this case. For behold what earnestness this very
thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you Corinthians. True repentance brings a Believer to the
point of saying, “I have sinned” and it
affects change.
Verses
13-15:
For this reason we
have been comforted. And besides our
comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has
been refreshed by you all. For if in
anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as
we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus
proved to be the truth. His affection abounds all the more toward
you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear
and trembling.
We rejoiced even
much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been
refreshed by you all. Please note Paul uses
the word spirit as a synonym for
Titus and not just one aspect of the body, soul, and spirit (2 Corinthians
4:13). The saints at Corinth treated
Titus with respect and received him warmly.
This was a load off of Paul’s mind because they treated Timothy
badly. Titus was a student of Paul, a
new Believer himself; he was aware of the carnality of these Corinthian
Believers. So it was a boost to his
morale to witness the Corinthians’ repentance
firsthand.
Some
people hold to the fact that it was Paul’s severe
letter that brought about this change
of heart without mentioning the work of the Holy Spirit in the Believer’s
life. But let’s give credit where credit
is due, folks. We’re not aware of the
contents of this “stern letter,” but Paul probably said what needed to be
said. Amen. People were hurt after reading it. Some
were angry and stayed that way, however, some of these people decided Paul was
right and they were “wrong.” That’s the power of the Holy Spirit at work in God’s
Church and not merely some words written on paper (Romans 8:27; Philippians
2:13; 2 Timothy 1:7).
For if in anything
I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke
all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to
be the truth.
Everything
Paul communicated to Titus about these Corinthians, while the problems were
ongoing, was proven true by their actions.
This is one of the joyful things about change, i.e. repentance – it
restores people’s confidence again it enables them to boast about you as they once did. Paul had boasted to Titus in hope that the
Corinthians would respond favorably to his severe
letter – Paul’s boasting to
Titus proved to be true.
Verse
16:
16: I rejoice that
in everything I have confidence in you.
Considering
everything we’ve learned about this church up till now that’s quite a
statement, but make no mistake, that comment is more than just words because it
reveals Paul’s heart. It conveys the message that Paul is not
going to abandon these people, no matter what, and that relationships matter to
Paul so they should matter to the Believers in Corinth too.
As
I said earlier, there were unresolved issues in Corinth and Paul wasn’t going
to let these slide. “Let
all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. Be kind to one
another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has
forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
People
were upset with Paul and his apostolic ministry in Corinth; issues remained unsettled
there. People within the church were
still at odds with one another over one thing or another and these “wrinkles”
needed to be “ironed” out; but our Apostle Paul was up to the task.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
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