2 Corinthians 2
1So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
Forgiveness for the Sinner
5If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Ministers of the New Covenant
12Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
4 comments:
Regarding chapter 1:
1) great stuff on trusting through hardships...paul talks about being at the point that you are beyond the point of enduring...that you can feel death. Yet, he says, through it all, this happened so that we are forced to rely on God. How often in our lives do we REALLY let go? How often do we REALLY say, ok GOD, i dont like where this is going or i am afraid or i need help, but we STILL try and control it. for me, letting go is so hard. this serves as a reminder of how ignorant i am when i simply just dont say "it's up to you God and i am out of it. you will handle it and you will take care of me".
Regarding Chapter 2:
1) after reading this..i am confused why Paul is changing his trip plans. he no longer is going to visit twice. Why? was it punishment towards the Corinthians?
2) Does anyone else notice the "tone" of Paul and find it interesting? he speaks in a way, that resembles Jesus. what do you guys think of this? on one hand, it shows an apostle following the word of God. on the other hand, it seems very "authoritative". maybe i am misreading. help me with this one.
3) the quote on being the aroma of christ is awesome...an aroma can spread very easy. we are witnessing always.
I am with you on this one timmcd6. Very interesting tone implied/inferred here. I have to admit that I basically just feel out of the loop when I read this. Sort of just see it as a tiff between others. I would also be interested to hear what others have to say.
I thought this was so interesting
16To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom.
How true. Those who oppose Christ display fear and strike back with vengeance because the Spirit is not revealed to them.
Father God,
Keep us consistent in your word and help us encourage one another through this week.
In Christ,
cas
2 Cor 2
I agree with being weirded out by this chapter. My concordance pointed out that Paul is probably trying to end a tiff here with an adversary who caused him great pain, and that he wants the church to forgive him. In a sense he points out that we need as a church to forgive and not let the devil work his way in the church by not forgiving those who have offended the church.
Its also interesting to see Paul "go up against" the other people of his time, proclaiming how he doesn't do it for profit, but instead is doing it for God's Glory, presumably because others are trying to gain financial advantages by speaking about God.
Lord, help us to be the aroma of Christ like Paul was and to be of aid to those who need it. We beg for your mercy for our human nature, and ask for forgiveness.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
crb
No doubt, Paul, by encouraging forgiveness of the offending brother, is setting the standard for Church discipline that he will later flesh out more. In short, any discipline with believers is to be redemptive, seasoned with Grace, motivated by love. Obviously, Paul would see casting someone out with no reconciliation/forgiveness (which implies someone has been repentant) as a victory for Satan among them.
I think the early church was such a tight community that church discipline actually was effective. In our day of hundreds of churches driven by a consumeristic mindset among the congregations (e.g., I like this kind of teaching, more choruses, and seating in the round...), there is little sting in any form of discipline, therefore we see little life change when sin is spreading within. Obviously, this is my opinion. If you all disagree, we can discuss that more. I am open to seeing it differently.
As far as Paul's tone (which has been brought up alot already), he definitely took up the authority of the apostle and Christ in this chapter. There are other places that he will really assert himself more, however.
And I agree with the amazing metaphor of the "aroma of Christ"..."fragrance of life"..."smell of death" Very powerful.
God, continue to help us as we walk forward in life to be your fragrance hear on earth...gracious in our ways, pure in our minds and hearts.
In Christ's name,
ER
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