We are now midway through the second letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. As we read these 8 verses, let us bear in mind the main melody that rings throughout the whole letter and joins each part together – the fellowship of the weak. Paul was writing to a church that looked at first like it would break fellowship and part ways. In this letter, he gives them a message that was given to him, invites them back and celebrates their return.
The gospel message – that God Himself would take on flesh, dwell among us, and suffer – was well-received by the Corinthian church. They loved the message, that is, until they found out that this would be their story too – then it gets challenging. How do we respond when we find ourselves weak and suffering?
Paul’s invitation to this young church is for us as well – if we are weary and need rest, if we mourn and long for comfort, if we sin and need a Saviour, God, through Paul, invites us to the fellowship of the weak, to know the risen Jesus Christ.
(A) MAKE ROOM FOR US: PAUL CALLS THE CHURCH TO RECEIVE THE SUFFERING APOSTLES, AND THE CHRIST WHO SENT THEM (2 COR 7:2-3)
In 2 Cor 7:2, Paul calls the church to “make room in your hearts for us”. In the footnote, we learn that the phrase “in your hearts” were not in the original Greek text, but were later added on by Bible translators clarifying Paul’s intention – that he did not mean to say “give us space to live when we arrive” but “open up your hearts to us, be ready to receive us in your hearts.” How do we know this?
Located near the sea, the city of Corinth was a prosperous hub of trading. The church was rich and comfortable (think air-conditioning and everyone driving to church), and so they struggled to accept that those who belonged to Jesus Christ could live lives of suffering and humiliation. In chapter 6, Paul painted a picture of the suffering he and the apostles were going through – beating, imprisonments, sleepless nights, hunger, slander etc. (2 Cor 6:4-5,8-10). He went on to say, “our heart is wide open…in return widen your hearts also” (2 Cor 6:11-13).
As they listened to the letter from the pews, the Corinthian church might have thought: “Why is it so bad? Is God punishing them? Are Paul and the apostles really God’s chosen messengers?” They knew that if they widened their hearts and accepted the apostles, all this suffering could be their lot in life as well. They were clinging so much to comfort that Paul knew that his report of suffering could cause their hearts to shrivel up and be closed off to his message. So he calls for them to make room in their hearts.
In chapter 6, Paul urged the believers to close their hearts to any fellowship, partnership or communion with the world – but the end goal was not a closed heart. As they run away from sin, they were to run towards Christ in opening their hearts to fellowship, partnership and deep communion with the suffering apostles, and through them, their suffering Savior. We share in Christ’s suffering, and his peace and joy. Don’t let our fear of suffering and the love of comfort control us. Make room in our hearts and let the love of Jesus Christ control us.
Who are the Christian men and women in our lives we look up to or make room in our hearts for? Who do we pray that God would make us like? If our vision of blessing and God’s promises in scripture sound different, which do we hold firm to, and which are we willing to change?
As the Corinthian church closed their heart to the apostles, they also closed their heart to God’s word and to God Himself, to the crucified Jesus Christ whom they claimed to love. Paul was not pleading with them for the sake of popularity or to gain approval, but because he was bringing Jesus Christ to them, in whom they would have fullness of life.
Paul then clarifies that in all their suffering and need, they have never been corrupt or taken advantage of anyone (2 Cor 7:2). Thus, all the more, they should open their hearts towards them.
As Paul points out the sheer contrast between the comfortable lifestyle and worldly ways of the Corinthian church, and his and the apostles’ suffering (ref. 1 Cor 4:11-14), he admonishes them in a gentle and tender-hearted manner. The last thing he wants is for them to feel that they don’t belong and that perhaps they should leave. He knew that condemnation (2 Cor 7:3) and shame (1 Cor 4:14) would only close their hearts to the truth. Hence, he is careful to communicate the precious truth of the gospel in a way that restores his beloved children – by making a hard argument in soft words. His hard argument is that embracing a crucified Savior is to embrace suffering. Yet as a groom would say to his bride, he tells them “you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together” (2 Cor 7:3) and as a father speaking to his child, he says, “I have great pride in you” (2 Cor 7:4). Paul wants to save them, not shame them. He knows his message is precious and gives it to them tenderly, gently, and firmly yet lovingly.
Are we sometimes too eager to confront fellow Christians and remind them that the Christian life is about suffering and persecution? Do we remind them of this truth in a gentle way, or do we do so almost enjoying their discomfort as we point out their sin? How do we help people who hear this message really make room in their hearts? We must not be happy if people walk away after we’ve said our piece. We hold in our hands the weighty truth of Jesus Christ, and must not simply drop it on people, but give it to others gently, bearing the burden with them, remembering how we struggled to receive it ourselves. We give it to others in a way that helps them to hear it and hold on to it, in a way that says, “you are in my heart, to die together and to live together” (v3). So as Paul calls the church to make room in their hearts to receive the suffering apostles and the Christ who sent them, he speaks his message with great reverence and great humility, not to condemn them but to show them the love and care of Jesus Christ.
Just as Paul is not shy to correct the Corinth church, he is ten times as happy to praise them and rejoice with them when they do well.
(B) THOUGH WE ARE MANY, WE ARE ONE BODY: PAUL OVERFLOWS WITH JOY AMIDST AFFLICTION THROUGH HIS UNION WITH THE BOD OF CHRIST (2 COR 7:4-7)
In 2 Cor 7:4, Paul says that he is confident, bold, proud of them, comforted by them, and overflowing with joy. He begins the joyful turn of events in 2 Cor 7:5.
We recall from 2 Cor 2:12-13 that when Paul went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, his spirit was not at rest because he did not find his brother Titus, who was meant to carry a report of the Corinthians’ response to Paul’s first letter. So great was Paul’s affection for the Corinthians and his concern for their souls that he could not rest until he had heard about them, so he went off to Macedonia.
Yet when Paul and the apostles came to Macedonia, they still had no rest. They were afflicted at every turn – fighting without and fear within (2 Cor 7:5). He was confronted by both external struggles (of beatings and imprisonments etc.) and internal fears. He not only worried for Titus, but also for the Corinthian church, that they might have been seduced to sin or made compromises with the culture; they had also doubted Paul. He does not know what they are being taught about Jesus Christ and who is teaching them to read God’s word.
We may have had a similar experience in church, where our words of correction may unintentionally have turned a brother or sister away, and they have stopped coming for cell group. And we wonder, “Who’s teaching them about Jesus now? Who’s going to love them and tell them the truth?”, and our hearts are filled with fear because we don’t know how they’re doing in the faith.
We never hear of Paul tearing in the face of external suffering and persecution, but this is what makes Paul fear – when his beloved sheep go astray. We feel the anguish of his heart as he longs for them like a parent does for their child. “Have false teachers gotten to them? Is sexual sin getting the upper hand? Have they wandered away from the gospel of Jesus Christ?”
We often think of Paul in rarefied terms – a great man of God on a spiritual level above the rest of mankind. We hardly stop to step into his shoes and see how real his suffering was. It affects how we think of the ministers and leaders around us today – we hardly consider how weak they are, that they need us as much as we need them. Consider your pastor tending to the needs of many in the past year – preaching to a hall of empty seats week after week, learning to preach with a face shield, worrying about the individuals they haven’t seen in months. How a shepherd’s heart breaks for his sheep! Our leaders struggle; they can get depression; they need your help and your prayers.
Yet as Paul shares his struggles, we need not read far to find him praising and looking to God. In 2 Cor 7:6, he lifts his downcast soul to behold God, and he is comforted by the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3). First, he is comforted by the safe arrival of Titus, his faithful brother. On top of that, he rejoices still more at Titus’ report of the Corinthians, of their longing, their mourning and their zeal for Paul.
They not only responded well to Paul’s words after the painful visit (2 Cor 2:1-4), but now they even longed to be with him. And like Paul in 2 Cor 2, they now mourned the hurt they caused to one another, to themselves, to the church, and to Paul. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted (Matt 5:4). Finally, they were now also filled with passion and enthusiasm for him and his ministry. What a deep comfort. The way they turned, repented, and received Titus assured Paul’s weary heart, and he rejoices.
In the midst of suffering, we may tend towards one of two extremes: despair or denial. Yet Paul wasn’t hyper-spiritual. He could have fallen into despair because the circumstances were so dire, or he could have fallen into denial, denying that the circumstances had any effect on him. Instead, he gives us a vivid picture of what it looks like to suffer well as a Christian: “In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (v4). Whichever extreme we tend towards, our response needs to be shaped by Scripture.
Ultimately, this letter is not a witness to Paul’s wisdom, but to the cross of Jesus Christ, a truly evil thing that yielded great peace and joy. And we who stand at the foot of the cross experience genuine grace and genuine grief, and real comfort in the midst of terrible circumstances.
Do we have people whom we care for – as Paul cared for the Corinthians – whose lives affect us in such a profound way? This is what it means to be in a church family – to experience grief as well as deep joy, by God’s grace. This is Paul’s heart when he says in 2 Cor 7:3: “you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.”
(C) GODLY GRIEF LEADS TO REPENTANCE (2 COR 7:8-9)
Finally, Paul relates his regret and rejoicing – he regrets that his letter grieved them in the short term, but rejoiced that it led to their repentance. He knows that rebuke is difficult on the ears and on the heart, but their sorrow will pass and their joy in God will abide; it will last. It is like giving a baby a vaccination. You feel sad when the baby cries from pain, but you rejoice in the effects of the vaccine in the long run.
Often, we find ourselves more concerned about our physical health than about the health of our soul. Somehow we think that having cancer or a tumour is more real and we seek medical help immediately, yet if we’re proud, lustful, or stingy, we wait and hope it goes away. If our doctor finds a problem with our body during a medical check-up, we want to hear it; we need to know. Yet when we see someone needing correction, we think that telling them is being a downer. That’s not what Paul is saying here.
Paul is rejoicing because their grief turned them back to Christ. This is the heart of Christian ministry. We pray, we choose our words carefully, then we pray again. We do all that is in our power to help a brother or sister in sin. Then we pray some more because the Holy Spirit has to convict them. Then we wait and we hope, and hopefully we rejoice when they repent. Like Paul, in days of difficult ministry, we can look to the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. As we carry His message (not ours), we dare not speak it loosely, but with love. We dare not compromise on the message of repentance and we dare not twist it to make it easier. We pray that God would help those we minister to, to join us in looking to Him as well.
At the centre of this text, we see the words “But God” (2 Cor 7:6). He is the centre and focus of all that we do. This is not just information to store away in a pocket, but an invitation to be partners in Christ’s ministry. We must come to Jesus and walk in step with the Spirit. As we serve, we learn how dependent and weak we are, and how precious Jesus is. If the words of correction are from God, then we will speak them with a humility and reverence that comes from knowing that God stands behind His word and our trust is in Him. The words of truth depend not on how persuasively we say it or how eloquent we are, but on God Himself.
On the other hand, when we truly want our brothers and sisters to widen their hearts to God rather than to us, we will welcome correction and model for them humility and repentance, because it’s not about us; it’s about God. Where there is grief from correction, it must turn us away from our sin and back to the Father.
And so Paul invites the Corinthians, and us today, to widen our hearts to Jesus Christ, the man on the cross. He invites us into the fellowship of the weak. At times, following Jesus may feel like it’s killing us, when we’re clinging on to Him with all we’ve got, and we feel so weak. Then, let us gaze into the heart of Jesus Christ the way Paul does, and let us widen our hearts in love to him, to our neighbour, and to those we serve.