2 Corinthians — Chapter 2
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1But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.
2For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
3And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
5But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.
6Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
7So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
8Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,
13I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.
14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
1But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow.
2For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me?
3And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is [the joy] of you all.
4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love that I have more abundantly unto you.
5But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all.
6Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was [inflicted] by the many;
7so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow.
8Wherefore I beseech you to confirm [your] love toward him.
9For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things.
10But to whom ye forgive anything, I [forgive] also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes [have I forgiven it] in the presence of Christ;
11that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord,
13I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.
14But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place.
15For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish;
16to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.
1So I made up my own mind not to pay you another painful visit.
2For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad but the one I caused to be sad?
3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours.
4For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you.
5But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.
6This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him,
7so that now instead you should rather forgive and comfort him. This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair.
8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
9For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you are obedient in everything.
10If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him—for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ,
11so that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes).
12Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me,
13I had no relief in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and set out for Macedonia.
14But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place.
15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing—
16to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
17For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God.
1But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.
2For if I make you sorry, then who will make me glad but he who is made sorry by me?
3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you.
4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made sorry, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
5But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all.
6This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one;
7so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow.
8Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him.
9For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.
10Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
11that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
12Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,
13I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus, my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.
14Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.
15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish;
16to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
17For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.
Summary
Paul explains he delayed visiting to spare them pain, urges the church to forgive and restore the repentant offender lest Satan gain an advantage, and describes believers as the fragrance of Christ — the aroma of life to some and death to others.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines Paul's tears, the restoration of the disciplined man, Satan's devices, and the triumphal procession metaphor.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Satan's Devices" on v.11 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 660) "We are not ignorant of his devices — Satan has two strategies with the repentant sinner: first, keep them in sin; if that fails, keep them in despair. He uses guilt to prevent repentance, then uses excessive guilt to prevent restoration. Don't let him win either way." Sermon: "The Sweet Savour" on vv.14-16 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1392) "We are a sweet savour of Christ — to some, the fragrance of life; to others, the smell of death. The same Gospel that saves one man condemns another. The difference is not in the message but in the hearer."
Videos
The Bible Project — 2 Corinthians Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. "Forgive him, and comfort him" (v.7). When someone repents, the church's job is to forgive and restore — not to keep punishing. Is there someone who has repented that you're still holding at arm's length? Forgive and comfort them.
- 2. "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us" (v.11). Satan exploits both unrepented sin AND unforgiveness. Are you giving him an advantage through bitterness, grudges, or refusal to restore?
- 3. "We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ" (v.15). Your life carries the fragrance of Christ wherever you go. Some will be drawn to it; others will be repelled. Are you OK with that? The Gospel divides.
- 4. "Who is sufficient for these things?" (v.16). Ministry is weighty — you carry the fragrance of life and death. You are not sufficient in yourself. Are you depending on God's sufficiency or your own?
- 5. Paul wrote his previous letter "with many tears" (v.4) — not with cold detachment. Correction should come from love, not from superiority. When you confront someone, is it with tears or with self-righteousness?
- 6. The repentant man needed to be "confirmed in love" (v.8). After discipline, the community must actively demonstrate love and acceptance. How does your church restore people after repentance?
- 7. "We are not ignorant of his devices" (v.11). Are YOU ignorant of Satan's strategies? Do you recognize his patterns — accusation, division, discouragement, distraction? How do you guard against them?
- 8. Paul says he speaks "in the sight of God" (v.17) — with God as his audience. If God is watching everything you say and do, how does that change your behavior? Are you living "in the sight of God"?
- 9. The same Gospel is "life unto life" for some and "death unto death" for others (v.16). You cannot control how people respond — only that you faithfully carry the fragrance. Are you faithfully carrying Christ's fragrance regardless of the response?