2 Corinthians 7:3

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1 Therefore,^a having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The Corinthians’ Repentance

2 Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, ^awe have cheated no one.

3 I do not say this to condemn; for ^aI have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.

4 ^aGreat is my boldness of speech toward you, ^bgreat is my boasting on your behalf. ^cI am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

5 For indeed, ^awhen we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but ^bwe were troubled on every side. ^cOutside were conflicts, inside were fears.

6 Nevertheless ^aGod, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by ^bthe coming of Titus,

7 and not only by his coming, but also by the¹ consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

8 For even if I made you ^asorry with my letter, I do not regret it; ^bthough I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.

9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

10 For ^agodly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; ^bbut the sorrow of the world produces death.

11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what ^aclearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be ^bclear in this matter.

12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, ^abut that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

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2 Corinthians 7:4 >>

2 Corinthians 7:3

I speak not this to condemn you - I do not speak this with any desire to reproach you. I do not complain of you for the purpose of condemning, or because I have a desire to find fault, though I am compelled to speak in some respect of your lack of affection and liberality toward me. It is not because I have no love for you, and wish to have occasion to use words implying complaint and condemnation.

For I have said before - II Corinthians 7:11-12.

That ye are in our hearts - That is, we are so much attached to you; or you have such a place in our affections.

To die and live with you - If it were the will of God, we would be glad to spend our lives among you, and to die with you; an expression denoting most tender attachment. A similar well-known expression occurs in Horace:

Tecum vivere amem. tecum obeam libens .

Odes, B. III. IX. 24.

With the world I live, with the world I die.

This was an expression of the tenderest attachment. It was true that the Corinthians had not shown themselves remarkably worthy of the affections of Paul, but from the beginning he had felt toward them the tenderest attachment. And if it had been the will of God that he should cease to travel, and to expose himself to perils by sea and land to spread the knowledge of the Saviour, he would gladly have confined his labors to them, and there have ended his days.

Other Barnes' Notes entries containing 2 Corinthians 7:3:

Galatians 1:9

<< 2 Corinthians 7:2

2 Corinthians 7:4 >>

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The Corinthians’ Repentance

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