The 2nd Corinthian
epistle began with the subject of comfort.
We read in chapter 1:3-7, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and God of all comfort; who
comforteth us in all our affliction,
that we may be able to comfort them
that are in any affliction, through the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted
of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, even so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ. But whether we are afflicted,
it is for your comfort and
salvation; or whether we are comforted,
it is for your comfort, which
worketh in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: and
our hope for you is stedfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the
sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort.”
Paul attributes
comfort to God. He points out how this
comfort abounds to himself and his companions, as well as to the other
apostles. They held a unique position in
the kingdom. In chapter 2:17, we read, “For
we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as
commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” They were entrusted with the gospel (Gal. 2:7;
1 Thess. 2:4).
Their message was a ‘ministry of reconciliation’.
Notice,
chapter 5:11-20 – “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your
conscience. We are not commending ourselves to
you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to
answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the
heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God;
if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for
all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once
regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of
Christ, be reconciled to God.”
It is from their message of reconciliation that ‘comfort’ came
to them from God, thus, God is the ultimate source of comfort. While God is the source of comfort, the
context of 2 Cor. 7 is specific as to how
God provides this comfort. The means thru which comfort from God comes,
is in accordance with His eternal purpose for man. As such, this comfort comes thru Christ. It pertains to man’s salvation and is
declared in the message of reconciliation.
The comfort that Paul speaks of in chapter 7 spans a period of time and
a sequence of events within the congregation at Corinth which were also prompted
by news. The initial news was, in part,
why Paul wrote his first epistle, and provides the background for the comfort mentioned here in his second
epistle. In both instances, it was
because of his concern for their souls that he addressed the ‘news reports’ of
the circumstances within the congregation at Corinth. In the second epistle, Paul describes his joy
in chapter 7:4-13: “I
am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with
joy. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we
were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted
us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your
longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made
you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for
I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not
because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For
you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief
produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret,
whereas worldly grief produces death.
For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also
what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what
longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved
yourselves innocent in the matter. So
although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the
wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that
your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. Therefore we
are comforted.”
There are many
lessons for the child of God in this context.
v Joy in the midst of affliction…
v God’s comfort during their afflictions…
v There is a right way to grieve over afflictions and there is a
wrong way to grieve over them (~ godly grief/worldly grief)…
v Grieving does not save, but ‘leads’ to salvation…(more later)
While all of these lessons are connected by the context; they point
to a greater and more important lesson: repentance. Repentance is an action that God has required
of all men (Acts 17:30-31). Genuine repentance
will reflect a change in behavior in a specific way…a manner that evidences
your change of attitude toward God’s word.
Since sin constitutes disobedience to God’s commands; forgiveness for
that sin would necessarily involve obedience to those same commands of God. It is impossible to repent without this specific
change. Repentance, (the correct change of
behavior), is therefore inseparably tied to the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42),
and a part of the ‘form of doctrine’ they delivered to those in need of being
made ‘free’ from sin ~ ‘sinners’ (Romans 6:17-18).
Repentance was
consistently preached to “all the world” by the apostles, (see the conversions
in the book of Acts). Let it be noted
here in regard to true repentance:
Godly grief is not
repentance…it produces repentance;
i.e., it is the motive for repentance; repentance is composed of, and is
accomplished through, a particular behavior befitting the true gospel…
The remainder of 2 Cor. 7 explains
the key component of true repentance and links forgiveness from God to man’s
attitude and response to God’s word to man.
“And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of
Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed
by you all. For whatever boasts I
made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said
to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.” (vss. 13-16)
What was it about the Corinthians that
brought joy; comfort, refreshment to Paul and Titus? What was it about the Corinthians that caused
boasts, affection, and confidence from Paul and Titus? Their repentance? Certainly so, but the aim of this article is to understand how true repentance is tied
to the true gospel message, i.e., the apostles’ doctrine. The key component of repentance as found
in these verses is tied to their faith, and their faith is tied to the gospel
message delivered to them (Romans 10:17; 6:17-18).
Preaching that is “according to the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14), declares the
command from God for man to repent, and the motivation for that repentance
(Acts 17:30-31). Preaching that is “according to the truth of the gospel”
sets forth repentance as a part of the ‘form of doctrine’; which must be
‘obeyed’ with the understanding that freedom from sin follows. The motivation to
repent is with a view to be made “free
from sin”. If the motivation for a
change in behavior is not preached correctly, it will produce death; not lead
to salvation. It is in obedience that a change in both
attitude and behavior toward God’s will is reflected, and the motivation for
the obedience must be “from the heart”; i.e.,
produced by a godly grief. The truth of
the gospel contains a ‘form of doctrine’ whereby the sinner hears commands that
God gave Christ to preach. Christ
commanded the apostles to preach those same commands and they comprise the
‘form of doctrine’ for a sinner to comply with in responding to God’s grace.
This is why the ‘form of doctrine’ preached
to a sinner, is crucial to his salvation.
If there is error in what is preached, it will not lead to salvation,
but death. Repentance is impossible
unless the correct ‘form of doctrine’ is delivered. Godly sorrow will not come unless the sinner
understands that his sin is a disobedience to God’s commands, and the change in
his life must be in regard to those commands he had disobeyed.
The ‘truth’ of the gospel includes repentance
as part of a ‘form of doctrine’ that the one who has been a servant of sin must
‘obey’; and the motivation for the obedience must be “from the heart”; i.e.,
produced by a godly grief. Repentance
has a ‘key’ component that links God’s commandments to preaching content and,
accordingly, faith to God’s word (Romans 10:14-17). Do you see what this key component of
repentance is? It is the same thing that
was mentioned in Romans 6:17-18 that frees one from sin.
Let us ever remember this in our
preaching/living the gospel. Thanks be
to God for His long-suffering on our behalf, for if we misunderstand IT, we
will never come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9-18).
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is
patient toward you, not
wishing that any should perish, but that all
should reach repentance. But the day of the
Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens
will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly
bodies will
be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it
will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be
dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and
godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of
which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies
will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new
earth in
which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since
you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our
Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the
wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these
matters. There
are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and
unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other
Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away
with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory
both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
rdb
Copyright 2012
