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§9 Repentance (2 Cor. 7:5–16)

After giving an extensive apology for the legitimacy of his apostleship in 2:14–7:4, Paul now resumes his travelogue from 2:12–13. Paul had mentioned there that he had abandoned an open door in Troas because of his concern for the Corinthians’ reaction to his tearful letter, and so he had gone to Macedonia in order to find Titus and hear his report. Paul began the defense without actually stating whether he managed to meet with Titus in Macedonia. Hence, the present section resumes the earlier narrative by recording Paul’s elation when Titus finally arrived and reported on the Corinthians’ repentant attitude following the tearful letter. The terms that Paul introduced in verse 4 (comfort, joy, tribulation, and confidence) are taken up and further developed in this section.

7:5–13a / Paul describes the joy he received from hearing about the Corinthians’ repentant attitude toward himself and recalls the comforting news that Titus brought to him in Macedonia.

7:5 / In order to set the stage, Paul recollects the tremendous difficulty he had been facing until he received the news from Titus. Paul refers to this body of ours (lit., “our flesh”), recalling the discussion about his suffering and dying body in 4:7–5:15. From every side, Paul encountered difficulty in Macedonia. He was persecuted on the outside by Jews and Gentiles. He was oppressed on the inside by fears, particularly regarding the church at Corinth (cf. 2:12–13; 11:28). Paul had no rest (anesin) (cf. 2:13: “I still had no peace [anesin] of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there”).

7:6 / In sharp contrast to this tribulation in Macedonia, Paul expresses the comfort he received at the coming of Titus. The very fact that Titus found Paul in Macedonia is a cause of comfort for Paul. Evidently, he had been deeply concerned when Titus did not arrive as planned. Perhaps he was worried that Titus had met with disaster. The apostle does not credit human intervention for the positive turn of events that encouraged him so much; rather, he ascribes all the credit to God. God comforted Paul through the instrumentality of Titus’s coming. Paul characterizes God here as one who comforts the downcast (ho parakalōn tous tapeinous). This alludes to Isaiah 49:13 LXX: “Rejoice, O heavens, and let the earth be glad; let the mountains break forth with joy; for the Lord has had mercy on his people, and has comforted the downcast of his people (tous tapeinous tou laou autou parekalesen).” Paul has already alluded to Isaiah 49:9 in the previous context (cf. 2 Cor. 6:2), and this passage is also crucial to Paul’s apostolic self-concept (cf. Gal. 1:15–16; Isa. 49:1). Just as in 6:2 Paul views the Corinthians as in danger of forfeiting the eschatological salvation prophesied in Isaiah 49, so also in 7:6 he perceives his own relief over the coming of Titus as an evidence of God’s comfort of his people in the endtime.

7:7 / Paul was comforted not only by the actual coming of Titus to him in Macedonia but by the report that Titus was able to give him about the Corinthians. Evidently, Titus’s mission to Corinth had succeeded in bringing the Corinthians to repentance in their attitude toward the apostle. Paul is comforted by the fact that Titus had received comfort from the Corinthians. But how exactly was Titus comforted? Does this imply that, like Paul, Titus was anxious about the situation in Corinth? Did Titus receive mental relief that the Corinthians were making a significant turnabout in their stance toward Paul? If so, Titus’s relief about the situation resulted in Paul’s relief, too. The principle of vicarious comfort was expressed in the opening thanksgiving: Paul’s comfort results in the Corinthians’ comfort (1:6). Titus was able to report that the church had a longing for Paul and earnestly desired his visit. Evidently, the Corinthians had already begun to open their hearts to the apostle, just as he now exhorts them to do more fully and finally by completely cutting themselves off from the remaining opponents in the congregation (cf. 6:11–7:4). The church expresses its deep sorrow for temporarily defecting from its founding apostle (or at least not adequately supporting him), and is now ready to obey Paul with a renewed sense of commitment and ardent concern. This latter term, which can be translated simply “zeal,” may imply their punishment of the offender (cf. 2:5–6; 7:11). All of this good news causes Paul to rejoice all the more, thus putting an end to his fears about the church (cf. 7:5).

Yet we may wonder whether Paul’s rather optimistic recollection of Titus’s report about the Corinthians tells the whole story. If we accept the letter as a unity in its present form, the text bristles with tensions. The Corinthians are not so completely restored to fellowship with their founding apostle as this passage would suggest (cf. 1:12–2:13; 2:14–7:4; 10–13).

7:8–9a / Having stated the joy with which he received the good news from Titus about the Corinthians’ repentance (vv. 5–7), Paul now proceeds to recall why he originally sent the tearful letter and Titus to Corinth (vv. 8–13a). Paul begins in verses 8–9a by explaining (hoti) his joy over their deep sorrow in verse 7. Instead of returning to Corinth as he promised during the painful visit, Paul wrote a letter (the so-called tearful letter), which caused him considerable anguish and tears (cf. 2:4) because he knew that it would cause the Corinthians deep sorrow. He could only hope that such a heavy-handed letter would not embitter the addressees against him, further aggravating the situation or even causing a complete and final break between the Corinthian church and its founding apostle. As he waited for a response, Paul was intermittently plagued by regret (note the imperfect tense) about the harsh tone and the possible negative reaction it might elicit from the Corinthians. Hence, Titus’s report was able to dispel Paul’s fears, for the apostle learned not only that, as expected, the letter did in fact hurt the Corinthians, but also that it caused them to repent. Therefore, Paul does not regret the ultimate effect that the letter had, but rather rejoices in it (7:9a). Yet, as Paul has already pointed out, he never wanted to grieve the ones who really should make him glad (cf. 2:2).

Paul uses the noun repentance (metanoia) only in 2 Corinthians 7:9, 10 and in Romans 2:4 (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25), and the verb (metanoein) in 2 Corinthians 12:21. In each case, the term is used in the context of divine judgment, which results from an impenitent heart. The Corinthians were in danger of accepting the grace of God in vain because of their stance toward the apostle (cf. 6:1). Paul and his gospel of reconciliation are so inextricably intertwined that it was impossible for the Corinthians to accept one without the other, for Paul was the divinely-chosen ambassador of Christ, as though God were making his appeal through him (5:20). Therefore, the Corinthians needed to change their minds about Paul and their behavior toward him in order to avert divine judgment. This point is developed in the subsequent context of the present chapter.

7:9b / Paul then explains the reason (For, gar) for his joy over the Corinthians’ repentance. The Corinthians became sorrowful to repentance as God intended. It is God’s will that sinners repent and thus avert judgment (cf. Ezek. 18:32). Paul rejoices over the Corinthians’ repentance because they also averted disaster. The verb translated be harmed here denotes “suffer loss.” What kind of loss was averted by the Corinthians’ sorrowful repentance? In 1 Corinthians 3:15 the same verb is used in the context of divine judgment: “If it [sc. what a man builds] is burned up, he will suffer loss (zēmioun); he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” Evidently, if the Corinthians had not repented, then he would have come to them in judgment. Indeed, 2 Corinthians 12:21 warns the Corinthians that when he comes for the third time those who are still impenitent face a judgment that will cause Paul to mourn. Furthermore, as he states in 10:6, “we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience” (cf. also 1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 1:23; 13:1–3). Paul regards himself as possessing apostolic authority and power to execute divine judgment in their midst. Already he has ordered and obtained the punishment of the troublemaker who had offended him during his painful second visit to Corinth (cf. 1:5–11).

7:10 / Paul explains what he has just stated in verse 9b about being sorrowful as God intended. Paul’s distinction here between godly sorrow (lit., “sorrow according to God”) and worldly sorrow (lit., “sorrow of the world”) remains somewhat unclear. Evidently, the apostle wants to distinguish between two different motivations for sorrow and their outcomes. On the one hand, there is a kind of godly sorrow that effects a change of mind and behavior. This kind of sorrow leads to salvation in accordance with the will of God. On the other hand, there is a kind of worldly sorrow that brings death, probably because it is not characterized by a genuine change of mind and heart and a corresponding change of behavior. Hence, the sinner incurs the full wrath of God in judgment.

7:11 / Paul elaborates on the kind of repentance that the Corinthians have shown. Seven terms connected by the adversative particle alla (“[not only this,] but rather”) are listed here that describe with rhetorical intensification the Corinthians’ repentance. The apostle thereby takes up the terms longing and “zeal” (here translated concern) from verse 7. The issue had been Paul’s apostleship, and now the Corinthian church has repented of its previous attitude and actions toward Paul. Moreover, its members have manifested fruit in keeping with repentance, including, as Paul had instructed in the tearful letter, the “punishment” (ekdikēsis, here translated readiness to see justice done) of the troublemaker who had offended the apostle during his painful visit (cf. 1:5–11). They show thereby that the conflict with Paul during the second visit was not their fault, and that they were in fact innocent (lit., “holy, pure”) in this matter, since they did not actually cause it. Apparently, the Corinthians had not adequately supported Paul when the troublemaker called his authority into question. The majority of the congregation (cf. 2:6) has now provided an effective “defense” (apologia, here translated eagerness to clear yourselves) of their position.

There is a palpable tension in the text. If the Corinthians had been completely innocent during the debacle, as they seem to claim and as Paul now seems to accept, then they would have no need for sorrow and repentance. If, however, the Corinthians were culpable so as to require repentance, then it becomes difficult to explain why Paul had only one person punished rather than the whole congregation. The answer seems to lie in degrees of guilt. The troublemaker openly denounced Paul, while the Corinthians either passively stood by and watched or secretly agreed with the malefactor.

7:12 / Paul reveals that the real purpose of the tearful letter was to test the Corinthians (cf. 2:9) and to help restore them to a proper relationship with himself as their apostle. His intent was not first and foremost to punish the evildoer or to seek vengeance for himself any more than it was Moses’ purpose to punish Korah and his followers. Paul speaks of himself here in the third person as the injured party (lit., “the one who was wronged”) in an attempt to be less direct (cf. 12:2–4, where he likewise speaks of himself in the third person). Since his relationship with the Corinthians is one of revelatory mediator, they come to their insight (phanerōthēnai) about their devotion to the apostle ultimately before God (enōpion tou theou; cf. 4:2), before whom Paul speaks (cf. 2:17).

7:13a / Now that the “painful letter” has accomplished its purpose of restoring the Corinthians to a proper relationship with their founding apostle, Paul concludes that encouragement has been the general outcome (lit., “Therefore, we have been comforted”).

7:13b–16 / Here Paul goes beyond describing the joy that he received from hearing about the Corinthians’ repentant attitude toward himself (vv. 7–13a) by describing the joy that he derived from hearing about Titus’s reception in Corinth.

7:13b / Just as the comfort with which Titus was comforted was a reason for Paul’s encouragement (or comfort, cf. v. 7), so also the happy state of Titus is here a reason for Paul’s joy (lit., “we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus”). When Titus originally delivered the tearful letter to the Corinthians, he was undoubtedly apprehensive about how the church would receive him. Had Titus already had a difficult encounter with the Corinthians, perhaps in connection with the collection? That would help to explain his uneasiness. After the Corinthians welcomed him, however, Titus’s worry turned to joy, and his mind was set at ease. The verb translated refreshed can also be used in the sense of giving someone rest (cf. Matt. 11:28), although Paul himself admittedly uses it most often in the sense of “refresh” (cf. 1 Cor. 16:18; Phlm. 7 [in the context of “joy and comfort”], 20). The term spirit is used here of the inner life of a person, the source and seat of feeling and volition (cf. 1 Cor. 16:18; Rom. 1:9; 8:16). According to 2 Corinthians 2:13, Paul “had no rest for my spirit” when he was waiting for the news from Titus.

In view of the apologetic nature of 2 Corinthians as a whole, it is interesting to note that Titus’s spirit was refreshed by all of you (cf. v. 15). This would appear to be an exaggeration, if there was still an anti-Pauline faction in Corinth (cf. 2:6). Paul is probably addressing the majority of the congregation who have chosen to side with him. At the very end of the letter, however, Paul writes in a similar vein, “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [is] with you all” (13:14).

7:14 / The reason that Paul rejoiced over the fact that Titus found joy in his reception in Corinth was that the apostle had boasted to Titus about the Corinthians. Paul had evidently done so in order to encourage Titus in his difficult mission to Corinth. If the church had refused both to punish the one who had offended Paul and to repent, then Paul’s praise of the Corinthians would have been exposed as unfounded optimism; Paul would have been embarrassed; and his credibility would have been further eroded even among his coworkers.

Paul is very concerned here about the correspondence of what he says with reality, for his veracity has been severely questioned in Corinth. Changing his announced travel plans, for example, has left Paul with a credibility gap (cf. 1:13, 17). Paul tries to counter these charges by affirming his sincerity as one who speaks the truth in the presence of God without deception (cf. 2:17; 4:2; 6:7; 12:6; 13:8). Indeed, the “truth of Christ” is in him (11:10). And just as he has always spoken the truth to the Corinthians, so now there is positive evidence that what he had told Titus about the Corinthians was also true. This serves to reinforce Paul’s credibility in Corinth, where the situation has significantly improved but has not yet been totally resolved.

7:15 / Paul goes on to describe the afterglow of Titus’s positive reception in Corinth. When he was in Corinth, Titus evidently developed a close personal relationship with the Corinthians and a warm affection for them. Now that he has returned to Paul, Titus looks back with fondness at the time he spent with the church, particularly at the way in which they received him.

The obedience that Titus recalls is the Corinthians’ submission to Paul’s directives in the tearful letter that Titus delivered. Yet why were the Corinthians obedient? The OT formula fear and trembling, which Paul uses also in Philippians 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 2:3 (cf. Eph. 6:5), most often describes the fearful attitude of people before God (cf. Exod. 15:16; Deut. 2:25; 11:25; Jdt. 15:2; Isa. 19:16; Ps. 2:11; but see Ps. 55:5; Jdt. 2:28). In that case, the Corinthians received Paul’s messenger with the same fear and trembling that is due God himself. This indirectly underscores Paul’s apostolic role as an ambassador of Christ through whom God makes his appeal (cf. 5:20). Moreover, Paul has already stated that the Corinthians came to their insight about their devotion to the apostle before God (7:13a).

7:16 / Paul concludes this section on the Corinthians’ repentance by reaffirming the joy and confidence stated already at the end of the previous section (7:4). In the present section, Paul rejoices over the Corinthians and the outcome of the embassy of Titus (cf. 7:7, 9, 13). His renewed confidence in the Corinthians is especially important in view of his imminent third visit to Corinth.

Clearly, however, Paul is not as confident about the Corinthians as he seems to indicate. His repeated statements of confidence and joy do not completely obscure the fact that Paul is still very much contending for the hearts and minds of the Corinthians in the face of disaffection and lingering doubts about his apostleship, at least among a minority of the congregation (cf. 2:6). Nevertheless, Paul wants to conclude the first part of the letter on a positive note that both recognizes the progress made to date and holds out hope for the future. By ending on this positive note (captatio benevolentiae), Paul is in a better situation to request the completion of the collection (2 Cor. 8–9), which will demand a financial sacrifice from the Corinthians.