REPROOFS UNTO REPENTANCE

2 CORINTHIANS 7:8-16

NASB

8 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 a while — 9 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 [a]through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance [a]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this [a]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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 His [a]affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.

7:9 [a]Lit from  7:10 [a]Or leading to a salvation without regret  7:11 [a]Lit sorrow according to God  7:15 [a]Lit inward parts 

NLT

8 I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right. 12 My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us. 13 We have been greatly encouraged by this.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind[*] at ease. 14 I had told him how proud I was of you —and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true! 15 Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect. 16 I am very happy now because I have complete confidence in you.

[7:13] Greek his spirit.  

Wisdom. I’m no scholarly linguist, but in my experience, “wisdom” seems to be one of the most difficult concepts to grasp for people growing up and building a vocabulary. It often gets confused with intelligence, smarts, knowledge, common sense, experience, or even general information. For so many people, “wisdom” is an abstract idea rather than a concrete reality. I think one reason we have trouble defining this term is because we have so few examples of genuinely wise people. Another reason is because wisdom naturally draws on other forms of knowledge but must be distinguished from them.

Wisdom is not the same as intelligence or “book smarts” or academic education. I have met extremely smart people over the years, from astronauts to professional philosophers, from world-renowned scholars to greatly admired teachers. Not all of them were people I would describe as “wise.” Nor is wisdom the same as experience, knowledge, or common sense that comes with age and maturity. If a person eventually learns by making the same mistake in life over and over again, he is no wiser than a trained house pet. Not every silver-haired man or woman wears that gray as a mark of wisdom.

The kind of true wisdom I’m thinking about is divine perception, the ability to see life from God’s point of view, drawing on His knowledge, discernment, insight, diagnosis, and prognosis. People aren’t born with that kind of wisdom. It comes from God, not from men. James affirmed: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jas. 1:5).

Who needs this wisdom? In Proverbs 1:20-22, the personification of wisdom addresses three kinds of people: the naive (or simple-minded), the scoffers (or rebelliously cynical), and the fools (or intentionally ignorant). These people shrug off wisdom’s tap on their shoulder and refuse to listen for her voice. They want to look at things from their own narrow, selfish, prejudiced, and worldly perspective rather than from God’s point of view. Proverbs goes on to tell those of us who desire wisdom where to find it: “Turn to my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you” (Prov. 1:23).

Reproof. Few of us associate wisdom and reproof. We often couple reproof and shame. Reproof and embarrassment. Reproof and punishment. Reproof and anger. But not reproof and wisdom! Reproof, another term for “rebuke,” occurs when somebody points out a fault or flaw. It’s not comfortable. It’s sometimes extremely painful. But when we listen, it becomes a path toward wisdom.

In 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, we are able to listen in on a conversation between Paul and the Corinthians in which Paul refers to a reproof he gave them in an earlier letter. The Corinthians, enamored with worldly wisdom, needed to be set on the right path of divine wisdom. Paul intended his reproof to accomplish just that.

— 7:8-12 —

Paul refers to a letter he sent during the interval between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, one that has been lost. This missing epistle is sometimes referred to as the “severe letter” or the “tearful letter” (2 Cor. 2:1-5), because in that tiny epistle he rebuked the Corinthians for tolerating a sinning member in their congregation, who I think was the same man mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 because of his shameful and ongoing sexual immorality (see my comments on 2 Cor. 2:5-6). After sending it, Paul had second thoughts about the pain it was sure to inflict —much like a person might wish to click an “unsend” button after sending a harsh email that could potentially backfire and lead to more anger rather than constructive communication. Thankfully, however, after delivering the severe letter, Titus returned to report the Corinthians’ repentant spirit, which brought great relief to Paul. Paul’s sharp note of rebuke, though painful even for him to write, led to a change of heart among the Corinthians.

The difference between sorrow inflicted by God and sorrow inflicted by the world is that one is purposeful while the other is pointless. Sorrow “according to God” produces repentance; worldly sorrow produces death (7:9-10). From a spiritual perspective, the feelings of guilt, shame, and sadness that accompany a stern rebuke are not meant as a punishment, but as a call to repentance. By receiving the reproof, one opens the inner door of the soul to wisdom. By contrast, an angry reaction of resentment will bolt the door against an opportunity to learn from the experience.

When Paul says that godly sorrow produces “repentance” that leads to “salvation” (7:10), we need to ask ourselves, “What kind of salvation?” Not every instance of the word “salvation” (sōtēria [4991]) refers to the destiny of our soul when we die or where we’ll spend eternity after our bodily resurrection. In 2 Corinthians 7, the “salvation” Paul refers to relates to being rescued from the consequences of sin. When a person starts down a path of rebellion and refuses correction, they begin to experience the effects of alienation from God’s people, God’s principles, and God’s power. The result? That person loses the safety of the church, the wisdom of God’s Word, and the benefits of spiritual nourishment and inner strength. The final outcome of this can be actual physical death (1 Jn. 5:16).

How do we know a person has responded with God-given wisdom to the correction? Paul provides something like a “checklist” to recognize true repentance (2 Cor. 7:11). He saw it in the lives of the Corinthians:

Paul had no doubts that the Corinthians’ response to his severe letter was genuine. Their words and actions demonstrated that they were “innocent in the matter” (7:11). Paul reminds the Corinthians that their mistake had done more than just the obvious damage limited to the sexual immorality itself. It had also created a rift between them and Paul. Their repentance, however, had not only corrected the initial problem of the man’s sexual relations with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:1-13), but it had also healed their relationship with God and with Paul (2 Cor. 7:12-13).

— 7:13-16 —

Adding a personal touch, Paul exults in the Corinthians’ victory over sin. Not only did it save the congregation itself from their damaged relationship with God and others, but it restored their reputation far and wide. Paul had apparently shared with Titus the confidence he had in the Corinthians to do what was right —a confidence that could have easily turned to a shattering disappointment. When Titus returned from his visit to Corinth, having carried the “severe letter” with its harsh rebuke, Paul’s praise of the Corinthians proved to be well-placed. One commentator explains the situation this way:

Despite Paul’s affirmed confidence in the Corinthians, Titus might have been understandably hesitant to undertake this mission. . . . But any trepidation Titus may have felt proved groundless. Actually the Corinthians responded to him with deference, receiving him with fear and trembling. They zealously sought to carry out Paul’s directives (2 Cor. 7:7, 11).[140]

Recall the emotional roller coaster we’ve ridden with Paul over the last two chapters. The ups and downs of ministry can feel nauseating at times, can’t they? Yet at the end of it all, Paul lands in a place of comfort, rejoicing, and refreshment (7:13). What a change from the tension that existed before! Sin, anger, and distrust clouded everything. Without the strong reproof and the wise response to correction, none of this would have been possible.

Remember where we started? If we want to be wise, we need to heed God’s reproofs —especially when they come from friends who love us, who care about us enough to rebuke us in ways that may seem harsh at the time. From the other angle, if we are going to have a fruitful ministry, we need to be willing to call unrepentant sinners to repentance, not out of spite but out of love (Eph. 4:15).

APPLICATION: 2 CORINTHIANS 7:8-16

Calling Each Other to Account

Clearly, the Corinthians were blessed to have a friend like Paul who didn’t fear to wound them with the truth —a friend who loved them enough to point out their failings. Proverbs 27:6 states, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Most of us have friends with whom we can discuss spiritual things. But with how many of those friends do we really get personal? Ask yourself: If your close friend were going astray, would you feel comfortable stepping in to confront the sin? Or would you regard it as a “private matter” between your friend and God? On the other hand, do you have anybody in your life who would step on your toes or block your path to prevent you from heading toward death? Or have you gathered around yourself a group of “yes” friends, who tell you only what you want to hear?

It’s not just for the believer’s personal spiritual benefit, but for the good of the whole church body, that such quality relationships in which we can examine our integrity together prove indispensable. Although we like to think that our sins don’t hurt anybody but ourselves, we’re wrong. Sin causes collateral damage. We can easily forget about the emotional damage done to those who love and care about us. We can also overlook the damage done to the ministry. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers with it (1 Cor. 12:26). We even forget about the offense to God, who won’t sit back and watch as His beloved children run headlong into destruction (Heb. 12:5-11). God’s discipline of His children can seem harsh, severe, and painful. But in the end “it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11).

In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul reminded the Corinthians that their mistake had done more than just the obvious damage limited to the sexual immorality itself. It had also created a rift between them and Paul. But Paul faithfully called them to account, and their repentance healed their relationship with God and with Paul (7:12-13). Like Paul, faithful pastors must consistently engage in holding others accountable and giving biblical reproof as needed.

I’ll be honest. I wish that confrontation, reproof, and discipline were not a part of ministry, but they are. In fact, Paul said to Timothy, his pastor-in-training: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17, emphases mine). A central part of Timothy’s pastoral ministry in Ephesus included preaching the Word in such a way that he would reprove and rebuke, not just exhort and teach.

Conflict within a congregation leads to anxiety (2 Cor. 2:4). It can be demoralizing for ministers and destructive to ministries. Reproof that leads to repentance, however, can resolve conflict and bring peace. This will lead to a flood of blessings that will renew relationships and revitalize ministries. True and faithful shepherds do not hesitate to bring required rebukes or administer necessary reproofs. Hirelings do neither.