2 โครินธ์ 7:7 วิจารณ์

This chapter begins with an exhortation to progressive holiness and a due regard to the ministers of the gospel (Co2 7:1-4). Then the apostle returns from a long digression to speak further of the affair concerning the incestuous person, and tells them what comfort he received in his distress about that matter, upon his meeting with Titus (Co2 7:5-7), and how re rejoiced in their repentance, with the evidences thereof (Co2 7:8-11). And, lastly, he concludes with endeavouring to comfort the Corinthians, upon whom his admonitions had had so good an effect (Co2 7:12-16).

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS 7 This chapter begins with an inference deduced, from what is said in the latter part of the foregoing chapter, engaging to holiness of heart and life, in opposition to filthiness of flesh and spirit, Co2 7:1 and the apostle, in order to prevail upon the Corinthians kindly to receive his exhortations, observes his own conduct, and that of his fellow ministers towards them; as that they had done them no injury by the advice they had given them, nor had they corrupted them by unsound doctrine, or had coveted their worldly substance, Co2 7:2 not that by so saying he would insinuate as if they had been guilty of injury, corruption, and covetousness; it was far from his thoughts to suggest anything of that kind concerning them, for whom he had so great an affection, as never to separate from them, but living and dying to continue the same regards unto them, Co2 7:3 and which he expresses, and had shown everywhere, by the freedom of speech he had used concerning them, and his boasting of them, and the joy and comfort he had in the midst of his troubles, by the good news he had received of them, Co2 7:4, which he had in the following manner; for though when in Macedonia he had no rest, partly through outward troubles, and partly through inward fears, Co2 7:5 yet meeting with Titus, who had been with them, and had brought an account of their state, it was a means God made use of for the comfort of him, Co2 7:6 and it was not merely the sight of Titus that yielded him this consolation, but the comfortable reception he had met with at Corinth; and also the good effect the apostle's letter written to them had upon them, as related by Titus; what a desire they had to see him, what grief that they should sin, and by it distress him, and what a fervent affection they had for him Co2 7:7 for which reason he did not repent of the letter he sent them, though it did produce sorrow in them, since that was of the right kind, and was but for a time, Co2 7:8 yea, he was so far from it, that he was glad, not merely on account of their sorrow, but because their sorrow was a godly one, and issued in repentance; and so they were no losers, but gainers by the epistle, it producing such good effects, Co2 7:9 which leads him to distinguish between a true right godly sorrow, and a worldly one, and that by their consequences; repentance and salvation following upon the one, and death upon the other, Co2 7:10 the fruits and evidences of which godly and true repentance he makes mention of in seven particulars, by which it appeared that their sorrow and repentance were sincere and genuine, Co2 7:11 when the apostle proceeds to observe to them the end he had in view in writing to them, upon the account of the incestuous person, in which he had used great plainness and faithfulness; and this was not merely on account of him that offended, nor only on account of the person injured by him, but chiefly to testify his care of, and concern for their welfare, as a church of Christ, Co2 7:12 and inasmuch as though they had been grieved, yet were now comforted, it added to the consolation of the apostle and his companions, and the more delighted they were, when they understood what a reception Titus had among them, what reverence he was had in, what respect was shown him, and care was taken of him, Co2 7:13 and the rather, seeing the apostle had boasted of the liberality, generosity, and affectionate regard of the Corinthians to the ministers of the Gospel, Titus found it to be all true what he had said; so that he had no reason to be ashamed, as he must have been, had they behaved otherwise, Co2 7:14 and still it gave him further pleasure, that by their behaviour to Titus, they had gained his heart, and increased his affection towards them; which he could not but express, whenever he called to mind, or made mention of the great respect, veneration, and obedience, they yielded to him, Co2 7:15 and indeed it was not only in this instance, but in all others, the apostle had confidence concerning them, which heightened his joy and pleasure in them, Co2 7:16.

And not by his coming only,.... It was not barely by his coming, that he and his fellow ministers were so much comforted: but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you. The church at Corinth received Titus with all respect and reverence; treated him in the most kind and tender manner; satisfied him in the affair of the incestuous person; greatly refreshed his spirits with an account of their faith in Christ, experience of the grace of God, and their regard and close attachment to the honour of religion, and the interest of the Redeemer; many comfortable opportunities had he with them, in preaching among them, and conversing with them; and the account of this added to the apostle's consolation; for the joys and comforts of one believer yield a considerable pleasure, and are matter of joy and comfort, to another: when he told us your earnest desire; that is, of seeing the apostle, of satisfying him in the thing he had complained of, and of reformation in their conduct, and the discipline of Christ's house for the future: your mourning; for the evil that had been committed among them; the dishonour it had brought upon the doctrine and ways of Christ; their remissness, carelessness, and neglect in discharging their duty; and the grief and sorrow occasioned hereby to the apostle: your fervent mind toward me; in vindicating him, his character, doctrine, and conduct, against the false apostles, and others: so that I rejoiced the more: his joy on this narrative of things abundantly exceeded his troubles and afflictions, which surrounded him on every side, and overcame and extinguished that sorrow, which had possessed him on their account; and greatly added to the joy he felt by the coming of Titus, and the consolation that he had met with at Corinth.

"While he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me." 'These things made him glad,' he says, 'these things comforted him.' Seest thou how he shows that he also is an earnest lover of theirs, seeing he considers their good report as a consolation to himself; and when he was come, gloried, as though on account of his own good things, unto Paul. And observe with what warmth of expression he reporteth these things, "Your longing, your mourning, your zeal." For it was likely that they would mourn and grieve why the blessed Paul was so much displeased, why he had kept away from them so long. And therefore he did not say simply tears, but "mourning;" nor desire, but "longing;" nor anger, but "zeal;" and again "zeal toward him," which they displayed both about him that had committed fornication and about those who were accusing him. 'For,' saith he, 'ye were inflamed and blazed out on receiving my letters.' On these accounts he abounds in joy, on these accounts he is filled with consolation, because he made them feel. It seems to me, however, that these things are said not only to soften what has gone before, but also in encouragement of those who had acted in these things virtuously. For although I suppose that some were obnoxious to those former accusations and unworthy of these praises; nevertheless, he doth not distinguish them, but makes both the praises and the accusations common, leaving it to the conscience of his hearers to select that which belongs to them. For so both the one would be void of offence, and the other lead them on to much fervor of mind.

Paul showed what great affection he had for them. He paid no mind to the stench of the dungeon, nor of the pain of the lashes, nor of the rope with which his feet were bound. But when he heard that the Corinthians had amended their ways he rejoiced, and forgetting his sufferings, thanked God for their salvation, viewing it as a kind of reward for his troubles.

He comforted you, he says, not only by being with you during your time of sorrow, but also by announcing to you your virtue, by which he himself was also comforted, that is, he rejoiced over you, accepting you on account of your virtues. He wins for this man their goodwill, as one who praised them before him. Probably the Corinthians were weeping and grieving that their teacher was so troubled in spirit and had not been with them for so long. Therefore he did not simply say "tears," but "weeping," and not ἐπιθυμίαν, but ἐπιπόθησιν, that is, intense longing, and not anger, but "zeal" against the fornicator. For my sake you were inflamed and burned to carry out my command; for my sake you were zealous even before the false apostles. The apostle says this not only to heal the former reproaches, but also because he accepts those who have corrected themselves; for although many were wicked and unworthy of these praises, he does not separate them, but praises and reproaches all together, leaving it to the conscience of each to choose what belongs to him. I, he says, rejoiced both at the presence of Titus, but even more at the fact that he reported to me such news about you.

And not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you. Here he gives another reason for the Apostle's consolation, namely, the consolation of Titus. The reason for this comfort is twofold: first, the amendment of the Corinthians, which they had in Titus' presence; secondly, the devotion they showed to Titus (v. 13b). In regard to the first he does two things. First, he mentions his comfort in the repentance of the Corinthians; secondly, he explains something he has said (v. 9b). In regard to the first he does three things. First, he mentions the comfort of Titus; secondly, the reason for the comfort (v. 7b); thirdly, the effect of the comfort on the mind of the Apostle (v. 7c). He says therefore: God not only comforted us in the coming of Titus, but also in the comfort with which Titus was comforted by you and in you. The reason for this comfort is that Titus himself was comforted in you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me. Here he mentions three praiseworthy things to counter the three blameworthy things that were in them. For they were lazy in regard to the good; against this he says, he told us of your longing to make more progress. They were also prone to evil; against this he says, your mourning, namely for sins committed: "Make mourning as for an only son" (Jer. 6:26). Finally, they were easily deceived by the false apostles; against this he says, your zeal against the false apostles for love of me. For previously you were zealous for them against me. Then when he says, so that I rejoiced still more, he mentions the feeling he conceived from Titus' consolation, namely, one of joy. Hence, in regard to this he does three things: first, he mentions the joy he felt; secondly, he intimates his doubts; thirdly, the reason for the joy. He says therefore: I was so pleased with the things Titus related to me, that I rejoiced still more in that than I grieved in my tribulations. For spiritual things must be preferred to temporal things. Or that I rejoiced still more for having saddened you than I sorrowed before.

The apostle's inference from the preceding exhortation, Co2 7:1. He presses them to receive him with affection, because of his great love towards them, Co2 7:2-4. He tells them what distress he felt on their account in Macedonia, till he had met with Titus, and heard of their prosperity, Co2 7:6-7. He rejoices that his first epistle was made the means of their reformation, Co2 7:8, Co2 7:9. States how they were affected by his letter, and the process of their reformation, Co2 7:10, Co2 7:11. Shows why he had written to them, Co2 7:12. Rejoices that his boasting of them to Titus is found to be a truth; and takes occasion to mention the great affection of Titus for them, and his own confidence in them, Co2 7:13-16.

He told us your earnest desire - To see me, and correct what was amiss among yourselves. Your mourning - Because you had sinned. Your fervent mind - The zeal you felt to testify your affectionate regard for me.

SELF-PURIFICATION THEIR DUTY RESULTING FROM THE FOREGOING. HIS LOVE TO THEM, AND JOY AT THE GOOD EFFECTS ON THEM OF HIS FORMER EPISTLE, AS REPORTED BY TITUS. (2Co. 7:1-16) cleanse ourselves--This is the conclusion of the exhortation (Co2 6:1, Co2 6:14; Jo1 3:3; Rev 22:11). filthiness--"the unclean thing" (Co2 6:17). of the flesh--for instance, fornication, prevalent at Corinth (Co1 6:15-18). and spirit--for instance, idolatry, direct or indirect (Co1 6:9; Co1 8:1, Co1 8:7; Co1 10:7, Co1 10:21-22). The spirit (Psa 32:2) receives pollution through the flesh, the instrument of uncleanness. perfecting holiness--The cleansing away impurity is a positive step towards holiness (Co2 6:17). It is not enough to begin; the end crowns the work (Gal 3:3; Gal 5:7; Phi 1:6). fear of God--often conjoined with the consideration of the most glorious promises (Co2 5:11; Heb 4:1). Privilege and promise go hand in hand.

when he told us--Greek, "telling us." We shared in the comfort which Titus felt in recording your desire (Co2 7:13). He rejoiced in telling the news; we in hearing them [ALFORD]. earnest desire--Greek, "longing desire," namely, to see me [GROTIUS]; or, in general, towards me, to please me. mourning--over your own remissness in not having immediately punished the sin (Co1 5:1, &c.) which called forth my rebuke. fervent mind--Greek, "zeal" (compare Co2 7:11; Joh 2:17). toward me--Greek, "for me"; for my sake. They in Paul's behalf showed the zeal against the sin which Paul would have shown had he been present. rejoiced the more--more than before, at the mere coming of Titus.