Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 31 August
2025
Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate words that
are in common with the Greek text of the sermon passage. Otherwise,
underlining indicates words to emphasize when reading this transcript
out loud.
Omitting greyed-out text should
reduce read-aloud time to around 40 minutes.
Paul seems to transition here into a follow-up on the action point he had exhorted the church in Corinth to take in 1 Corinthians 5. There had been a church member committing sexual immorality with his step-mother and bragging about it in church, so Paul had told the church to get on-the-ball with church discipline and excommunicate the guy. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “Immorality is totally being heard-of among y'all, and such immorality as is not even among the nations – such as a man to have his father's wife! And y'all? Y'all are puffed up. Yet shouldn't you rather have mourned, in order that the man who committed this deed might be taken away out of your midst?” (NAW)
Read
my translation of this passage, starting at verse 3:
And
I wrote this very thing to y’all in order that, when I come, I
might not have grief from those whom I should be causing to rejoice,
having become confident concerning all of y’all that my own joy is
that of you all. Indeed, out of much stress and worry of heart I
wrote to y’all, through many tears, not in order that y’all
might be grieved, but rather in order that y’all might know the
love which I have more abundantly with y’all. But if anyone had
caused grief, it wouldn’t have been me that he grieved but rather
all of y’all – at least to some extent, that I might not be too
heavy-handed. This penalty that came about by the many has been
sufficient in the case of such person, such that y’all should do
the opposite, to freely-forgive and comfort instead, lest perhaps
such a person might be swallowed up in the excess of grief. On
account of this, I encourage y’all to ratify love to him. And it
was for this purpose that I wrote, in order that I might know
y’all’s dependability, whether y’all are obedient in all
things. And to whom y’all freely-forgive of something, I will do
the same, for indeed if I myself have freely-forgiven of anything,
it is the one whom I have freely-forgiven on account of y’all, in
the presence of Christ, in order that we may not be
gotten-the-best-of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his
thoughts.
Although the Bible doesn’t say for sure that this is speaking of the sexually immoral man that Paul had told the Corinthians to kick out of the church in 1 Corinthians 5, there is no other known situation which provides a better fit with what Paul is writing here in 2 Corinthians.1
It seems that Titus went to check up on the church in Corinth after Paul had written 1 Corinthians, and Titus had found the Corinthians responding well to Paul’s exhortations in 1 Corinthians – including the one in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 “you having been gathered together in the name of our Lord... deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh in order that his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NAW)
So, the “many/majority” of the church in Corinth had “gathered together” and taken this action to remove the unrepentant adulterer from the kingdom of Jesus Christ and remand him to the dominion of Satan, with the prayer that this serious consequence would eventually lead to him being truly saved.
And then 2 Corinthians 7:6-11 tells us that “...God... comforted us by the coming of Titus... when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter... I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance… What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” (NKJV)
Let me just mention in passing that here we have a description of a Biblical church using a democratic/congregational process to enact church discipline, but there are two unique things about this situation which should be noted:
1) The Apostle Paul made the decision to excommunicate the man, then told the church to do it, so the action did not arise from a democratic decision,
and 2) the Corinthian church, at this point in its development, does not seem to have attained to the ideal government of a plurality of elders, which was the norm in the more-mature churches.
I believe that the democratic action of a congregation in response to a church-planter’s exhortation here may be considered normative for a church plant which does not have its own plurality of elders, but once a church has its own elders, it is a decision which should be made by the elders and then brought to the whole congregation to be enacted.
First, he says in verse 5 that he had recommended in 1 Corinthians that this guy be put under church discipline, not because Paul had a personal grudge against him, but because he had caused grief/sorrow/pain to the whole church in Corinth. When one church member is enmired in sin, it affects the rest of the church body (1 Cor. 12:26).
You may think that the sins you do have no effect on anyone else but you, but if you think that, you have been deceived. Even secret sins that no one else knows about affect your marriage, business, children, and even your church.
They affect us by robbing us of a part of you that would otherwise be alive and happy and active if it weren’t for the shame, spiritual deadness, and despair that result from your sin.
They also affect us because God treats covenantal units of mankind – such as nations, families, and churches, in a corporate manner, with discipline that affects the whole group, even when only one member is the problem.
Remember how Achan’s secret stealing of things devoted to destruction resulted in the death of 36 Israelite soldiers in Joshua 7?
(It also works the other way around, with blessings on the whole group when just one member is right with God: God would not have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah if He had found 9 more righteous men there, according to Genesis 18:32, and in 1 Cor. 7:14, we see that God treats a whole family as “holy” when just one parent is a “believer.”)
In addition, sin has a way of being found out, and when it is found out, relationships are damaged, both inside and outside the church:
the people inside your family or church feel betrayed, and it generates distance in our relationships when trust is lost,
and the people outside the church use the news of sin in the church to degrade the reputation of God and His people, which makes it harder for us to win the unchurched to Christ.
But, at the same time that Paul brings up the harmfulness of sin and the importance of church discipline, he also models gentleness in moderating the severity of his accusations against this brother, by saying that the damage was only “partial” – it didn’t destroy the whole church, all was not lost, and so it was not appropriate for him to “go too heavy/be too severe/say too much/overcharge” this brother.
Although sin has serious consequences, no one sin spells the end of the world,
and, as Christians who represent a God who redeems sinners, we must be redemptive in our approach to sinners (eagerly hoping for their salvation rather than quickly writing them off as a lost cause),
and we should be gentle in restoring sinners, because God is kind, merciful, and gracious. Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (NKJV)
In verse 6, Paul mentions the “penalty/punishment” that had been imposed on this man by the church in Corinth:
The Greek word which Paul uses for this church discipline is επιτιμια, which doesn’t occur anywhere else in the Greek Bible. Its root meaning of “value/worth” denotes the “cost” of the penalty to the one who had to pay it. This cost was probably the loss of many good friendships in the church – relationships more valuable than money.
But the key word in verse 6 is the word “sufficient/enough.” This “penalty” which the church had brought upon “such a man” was all that was needed, and the goal of saving the man’s soul had been achieved!
Church discipline is a fearsome thing to those who care about spiritual things. But, like all discipline, it is not a punishment by which a person can atone for their sins and make themselves right with God by suffering it, rather, it is a training instrument to help sinners stop wanting to rebel against God.
Kicking this man out of church membership was not done with an attitude of: “We hate you and don’t ever want to see you again! Slam!” It was done with an attitude of “grief/ sorrow/pain” (as Paul words it in 2 Corinthians), and with the goal “that his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (as Paul worded it in 1 Corinthians).
I have had to lead a couple of different churches in excommunicating unrepentant sinners who were wreaking havoc in the church.
One of them was a pastor.
I’ll never forget when I asked him the first time to confess his sin to me, he replied, “Which woman are you asking about? I am willing to confess about this one, but I will never tell you about the other one.” (The whole church knew about the one adulterous relationship, which was why I was involved, but nobody knew about the other one!)
I had him over for dinner the night before his church authorities took action against him, and when I pleaded with him that he couldn’t keep pastoring his church in the state he was in, he got angry and defensive and refused to meet with the other church leaders to hear what they had to say to him.
At the time, I wasn’t so sure that church discipline would work; I was afraid it would just make him angry and that he wouldn’t ever want anything to do with our churches again.
But God knows best. A couple of years later, I discovered that the man was attending one of the churches which had instituted the discipline against him, that he was responding well to the counseling which the pastor of that church was giving him, and that the discipline we had administered was just what he needed to get right with God.
In our own congregation, we have been blessed to see enough of God’s work in one person’s life that we were able to remove the censure of excommunication which we had imposed on him.
Back when we took that step of church discipline, it was brutally painful, both for that person and for our congregation. He was so hurt that I worried whether we were doing the right thing because I feared he would never darken the door of a church again.
But God knows best. This guy started attending another church, and the pastor of that church reached out to me to say that this guy had brought an end to the sin which he had previously refused to stop (which had been the reason for our excommunication), and that he was on the right track spiritually.
What a joy it was for me to see, once again, that, when we followed God’s design with church discipline, it was “enough” – it was “sufficient” – to bring about the life-change that we so desired, so that now we can treat him as a brother in Christ and expect to see him in heaven!
It is important that a church have such a desire for sinners to repent that they stand ready to do an about-face, and pivot from exhortation and boundary-setting to comfort and forgiveness at the first reasonable sign of repentance2.
“The end of excommunication, so far as concerns the power of the offender, is this: that, overpowered with a sense of his sin, he may be humbled in the sight of God and the Church, and may solicit pardon with sincere dislike and confession of guilt. The man who has been brought to this, is now more in need of consolation, than of severe reproof. Hence, if you continue to deal with him harshly, it will be — not discipline, but cruel domineering. Hence we must carefully guard against pressing them beyond this limit. For nothing is more dangerous, than to give Satan a handle, to tempt an offender to despair.” ~J. Calvin
If we have been offended by the person who has repented with Godly sorrow, it may be hard to switch gears and start being all forgiving and comforting. We may need to examine our hearts regarding those who have hurt us, and get counsel, and figure out how to get to the point where we can be forgiving to them and be part of welcoming them back into the fellowship of the church as a brother or sister in Christ.
One important principle for helping you get to that point is to meditate on how gracious and forgiving God has been to you.
The Greek word for “forgive” which Paul uses here is not the word most-commonly used in the Greek New Testament for “forgiveness,” but rather, a more-specialized term (from χαρίζομαι) which emphasizes granting forgiveness generously and graciously for free.
The scriptures are replete with exhortations to forgive as God has forgiven us:
Ephesians 4:32 “...be kind unto one another, compassionate, being gracious to each other, just as God also in Christ forgave y'all.” (NAW)
Colossians 3:13 “upholding each other and being gracious to one another. If someone happens to have an issue with someone, then, just as Christ was gracious to y'all, even so should y'all be [to each other].” (NAW)
It is important to understand, however, that there is a difference between forgiving and rebuilding trust.
Upon a credible confession, you can immediately forgive and stop holding grudges about what they did to you in the past,
but trust for the future takes time to build. It is not wise to extend unlimited trust and take unwarranted risks right away with someone who has not proved trustworthy.
In cases like that, we should still give the offender chances to demonstrate that God has changed them so much that they can be trusted again, but the risks you take should be wisely considered.
And, remember from the first couple of sermons in 2 Corinthians, that comfort comes first to us from God in the midst of our stresses, and then we share with others the comfort He has given us. It may include bodily comforts (like a hug, or a batch of cookies, or a listening ear, or an encouraging note), but Biblical comfort keeps the needs of the soul in view and helps folks:
to hope in God’s promise of salvation,
to trust Jesus to make them right with God,
and to rest in God’s eternal life.
Paul calls for “forgiveness and comfort” because he is concerned that this guy who has been punished “might be overwhelmed/swallowed up3 in the excess of/too much sorrow/grief.”
On the one hand, we can say that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tested above what you are able,” and that is true because it is in 1 Corinthians 10:13,
but on the other hand, we should be careful that our own attitudes and actions are not what is tempting a brother or sister to sin and give up on God! As Jesus said, “scandals will inevitably come, but woe to that man through whom the scandal comes.” (Matt. 18:7, NAW)
Those of us in the church should be sensitive to the needs of those who are new to the faith and not make it harder for them than it has to be!
One of those things is gossip. When somebody gets saved, they often have a history that they’re ashamed of. They will find it hard enough to face a bunch of perfect-looking church folks on Sunday morning, without you also talking behind their back about all the imperfections in them that you disapprove of.
That gets back to the idea of showing “love” in verse 8.
There are only 4 other places in the Greek Bible where this word for “confirm/reaffirm/ratify” occurs:
Twice in the Greek Pentateuch (Gen. 23:20 & Lev. 25:30) where the transfer of a piece of property from one owner to another is enacted,
and twice in the rest of the Bible (Dan. 6:10 & Gal. 3:15), where a king is signing a law or a covenant and thus putting it into effect.
19th Century Classical Greek expert Marvin Vincent suggested this be translated “take judicial resolution to treat the offender with brotherly love.”4
These word pictures give us ideas about how to show love to someone who has been under God’s discipline, but who has repented and turned from his (or her) wicked ways and is trusting Jesus to save them (and who thus should be welcomed into the fellowship of the church).
We can speak words which confirm that they really have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and we can do the things we would do for anyone else who is in the covenant community of the church: Greet them, ask them how they’re doing, pray with them, have them over for dinner – all that good stuff.
Galatians 5:13 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (NKJV)
This passage ought to be carefully observed, as it shows us, with what equity and clemency the discipline of the Church ought to be regulated, in order that there may not be undue severity. There is need of strictness, in order that the wicked may not be rendered more daring by impunity, which is justly pronounced an allurement to vice. But on the other hand, as there is a danger of the person, who is chastised, becoming dispirited, moderation must be used as to this…” ~J. Calvin
In the mind of Paul the Apostle, this is not just about an isolated case of church discipline – it’s not just about the guy that got excommunicated (7:12), it’s about whether Paul has successfully planted a church that will obey God’s word or not. If they will obey God, they will get all their future church discipline issues right too.
So the Apostle Paul wrote them the letter of 1 Corinthians (although some commentators think Paul is referring to 2 Corinthians or to another letter in-between, but he wrote them) to test their character – to see if they would keep tolerating sin and maintain the status quo, or if they would be zealous to obey God and repent of sin.
And we read in 2 Corinthians 7:15 that they passed the test with flying colors. And that’s a good thing, because later on in 2 Corinthians 10:6 Paul writes that he had been standing “ready to execute justice against any disobedience” (NAW)
The Greek word in verse 9 for “proof/test” has to do with determining a person’s character, whether they can be trusted or not.
Paul knew that, if the Corinthian church obeyed him in carrying out church discipline, then the church could be trusted to properly handle all its problems with sin in the future as well.
And this is a test which can also be applied to any church: Do they obey God’s word through the Apostles or not?
Do they have any form of church discipline? (1 Cor. 5:13)
Do they have any form of church membership? (You can’t excommunicate anyone if there is no defined membership!)
Do they have elders? (Titus 1:5)
Are their elders and deacons men? (1 Tim. 3:2 & 12)
Do they preach the Gospel? (1 Tim. 4:2)
Do they love one another? (1 John 4:7)
Do they restore sinners gently and carefully? (Gal. 6:1)
All these (and many more) are apostolic commands in the New Testament, and are good tests for whether a church is obedient.
Verse 10 circles back to the topics of verses 5 and 7 – about who was offended and about forgiving the offender.
Paul’s wording sounds a bit strange, but I think that what he is saying in verse 10 is that, if the church in Corinth decides to forgive this guy of something, then they can count on Paul also agreeing to forgive that person of that offense, even if they decide on it while he is out of town.
It is as he said concerning the imposition of the penalty in the first place in 1 Corinthians 5:4 – the church can act authoritatively when it has “...been gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and my spirit together with the power of our Lord Jesus.”
This is consistent with what Paul wrote back in verse 5, that this guy’s offense was really against the whole church, so it’s not a private matter between Paul and someone who personally offended him; it’s a matter between the whole church and this man,
and so, if the church makes the decision to forgive, then the matter is resolved, and nobody has the right to make it personal and demand a separate process for themselves.
If you want to be part of the church, you’ve got to agree with the church. This is one way we express unity as a body under Christ’s headship5.
I also think it’s interesting that Paul distinguishes, in ver. 10, between the person and the offense:
He uses a relative pronoun in the dative case to refer to the person,
and an indefinite pronoun in the accusative case to refer to the offense.
In other words, Paul says that they “extend forgiveness” “to the man” “for the thing” that was offensive.
This isn’t forgiveness of the person as a whole to save them (That only God can do),
and it isn’t a carte blanche forgiveness of all their sins (again, only God can do that);
it is a specific forgiveness of a specific offense against the church for a specific person.
Paul makes two remarkable statements about spiritual warfare in verse 11:
First, he says that we can know Satan’s thoughts6!
The Greek word translated “devices/schemes/designs” is translated “mind” or “thoughts” everywhere else it occurs in the New Testament.
But how is it that we can “not be ignorant” of Satan’s “thoughts/schemes”? God has revealed Satan’s thoughts and strategies to us in the Bible, so we can be prepared to withstand the Devil!
This isn’t the context to do an exhaustive Bible study on the topic, but let me share at least a few of the Bible passages which reveal Satan’s thoughts:
1 Chronicles 21:1 “...Satan stood against Israel and incited David to conduct a draft of Israel.” (NAW) Here we see, all the way back in the Old Testament, Satan working by influencing David’s thoughts, to try to get him to decide to do something which God had forbidden.
That’s also what Satan did with Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), although there he did it in the form of a serpent speaking words, whereas today, his influence usually comes through our “mind”7 or through other people’s words.
In the Gospel of John 13:2, we read that “...the devil... put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray [Jesus]” and in Acts 5:3 Peter says, “...Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit...?” (NKJV) In both cases, Satan was able to influence an unguarded “heart” (or mind).
In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul calls Satan “the god of this age,” and describes those “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe...” (NKJV) So, not only can Satan put subversive thoughts into an unguarded mind, he can also screen-off the mind of someone he controls from even being able to take in the truth.
Also, in the Gospels, Jesus shared with His disciples how Satan tried to “tempt” Him to abandon His mission of sacrificing Himself to save sinners, by three distractions: appetite for food, desire to impress people, and desire to avoid hardship (Mat. 4/Luke 4). (Paul also mentions in 1 Corinthians 7:5 that Satan can use our sexual appetite to distract us, too.8)
There’s more that could be said, but Satan (who is also called the “Devil” and the “Dragon”) is at “war” with God, with God’s plan of salvation, and with God’s people. Revelation 12:17 says it clearly: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman [that is, the church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (NKJV)
The church has no choice but to enter the war against Satan.
Paul instructs us in Ephesians 6 to “put on the whole armor of God” in order to “stand against the Devil.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 says “Be alert; be awake! Your opponent, the Devil, goes around like a lion, roaring, seeking for someone he might swallow down. You solid ones in the faith must stand against him...” (NAW).
And the Apostle James gives us the wonderful promise that if we “resist the devil… he will flee from us” (James 4:7).
The second remarkable statement about spiritual warfare in 2 Corinthians 2:11 is that agreeing in forgiveness is a strategy against “being taken advantage of by Satan” – one of the ways that we can “resist the devil” and make him “flee”!
Paul says in verse 11 that, not only will the church’s “free-forgiveness” of this offender protect the offender from being “overwhelmed by too much painful [discipline],” it will also protect the church against being “taken advantage of/outwitted/overreached/defrauded/cheated by Satan.”
There is a connection between us failing to forgive and Satan gaining a foothold in our life to rob us and “take advantage of” us. Ephesians 4:27 also draws the connection between these two things: “...let not the sun go down upon your exasperation, and do not give place to the Devil.” (NAW)
When we harbor resentment and bitterness against someone who offended us, it gives Satan a playground in which to operate.
He can suggest thoughts to our hearts/minds, and the kind of thoughts he suggests are often exaggerations of other people’s offenses against us, which, if we don’t take those “thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ,” will only inflame our hatred against the people we believe have mistreated us.
Forgiveness cuts this scheme of Satan off at the root9. He can’t get us to obsess over a wrong if we have already resolved it. He can’t incite Christians to be at each other’s throats if we have no unresolved offenses due to having forgiven each other!
Our relationships with other people, however, are not the most important thing; the first and greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God,” right? So Satan works even more to distract us from our relationship with God.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said, “...Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:15, NKJV)
One of the ways Satan tries to distract us from loving God and His word is by getting us to obsess over the hurts of other people’s offenses against us, so that we will forget our own sinfulness and God’s forgiveness of us and grow cold in our love for God.
The only way out of that cesspool of bitterness and self-pity is to confess your sin and believe in Jesus’ free forgiveness, worship God for His love for you and let Him fill your heart with His love, ask God to deliver you from intrusive thoughts that stir up your hatred toward others, and offer forgiveness as freely as God has offered it to you.
Matt. 18:15-20 “Now, if your brother happens to sin in regards to you, go on and lay out a case to him between you and him alone. If he happens to heed you, you gained your brother. But if he doesn't take heed, bring along with you one or two more, in order that upon the testimony of two witnesses (or three) every statement may be established. But if he disregards them, talk to the church. And then if he disregards the church, let him be to you like the Gentile and the tax-collector. Really I'm telling y'all, whatever things you might bind upon the earth will be so, having been bound in heaven, and whatever things you might release upon the earth will be so, having been released in heaven. Again, really I'm telling y'all that if two of you happen to consent upon the earth concerning any matter, whatever they may request will happen for them alongside my Father in the heavens. For where two or three are who have been gathered into MY name, I am there in the midst of them.” (NAW)
John 20:23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (NKJV)
John 9:22 “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.” (NKJV)
1 Cor. 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be cursed. Maranatha!” (NAW)
2 Cor. 6:15 “And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (NKJV)
2 Thess. 3:6 “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” (NKJV)
1 Timothy 6:3-5 “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” (NKJV)
Titus 3:9-11 “But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” (NKJV)
ByzantineB |
NAW |
KJVC |
RheimsD |
MurdockE |
2:3 καὶ ἔγραψα ὑμῖνF τοῦτο αὐτὸG, ἵνα μὴ ἐλθὼν λύπην ἔχωH ἀφ᾿ ὧν ἔδει μεI χαίρειν, πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ πάντας ὑμᾶς ὅτι ἡ ἐμὴ χαρὰ πάντων ὑμῶν ἐστιν. |
2:3 And I wrote this very thing to y’all in order that, when I come, I might not have grief from those whom I should be causing to rejoice, having become confident concerning all of y’all that my own joy is that of you all. |
2:3 And 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. |
2:3 And I wrote this same to you: that I may not, when I come, have sorrow [upon sorrow] from them of whom I ought to rejoice: having confidence in you all, that my joy is the [joy] of you all. |
2:3
And I wrote that
very thing to you, lest when I
came, X those
persons whom I ought to make joyful,
should |
2:4 ἐκ γὰρJ πολλῆς θλίψεως καὶ συνοχῆςK καρδίας ἔγραψα ὑμῖν διὰL πολλῶν δακρύων, οὐχ ἵνα λυπηθῆτε, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀγάπην ἵνα γνῶτεM ἣν ἔχω περισσοτέρωςN εἰς ὑμᾶς. |
2:4 Indeed, out of much stress and worry of heart I wrote to y’all, through many tears, not in order that y’all might be grieved, but rather in order that y’all might know the love which I have more abundantly with y’all. |
2:4 For 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. |
2:4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many tears: not that you should be made sorrowful: but that you might know the charity X I have more abundantly towards you. |
2:4
And |
5 ΕἰP δέ τις λελύπηκεν, οὐκ ἐμὲ λελύπηκεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ μέρουςQ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιβαρῶR, πάντας ὑμᾶς. |
5 But if anyone had caused grief, it wouldn’t have been me that he grieved but rather all of y’all – at least to some extent, that I might not be too heavy-handed. |
5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. |
5 And if any one have caused grief, he hath not grieved me: but in part, that I may not burden you all. |
5
And if one hath
caused grief, he hath
not grieved
me only,
but,—that |
6 ἱκανὸν τῷ τοιούτῳ ἡ ἐπιτιμίαT αὕτη ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν πλειόνων· |
6 This penalty that came about by the many has been sufficient in the case of such person, |
6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of X many. |
6 To [him who is] such a one, this rebuke is sufficient, which is [given] by X many. |
6
And sufficient
for |
7 ὥστε τοὐναντίονU μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς χαρίσασθαι καὶ παρακαλέσαι, μή πως τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ ὁ τοιοῦτος. |
7 such that y’all should do the opposite, to freely-forgive and comfort instead, lest perhaps such a person might be swallowed up in the excess of grief. |
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with X overmuch sorrow. |
7 So that on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with X overmuch sorrow. |
7 so that, on the other hand, ye ought X to forgive him and console him; lest [he who is] such a man, should be swallowed up with X excessive grief. |
8 διὸ παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς κυρῶσαιV εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην. |
8 On account of this, I encourage y’all to ratify love to him. |
8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. |
8 Wherefore, I beseech you that you would confirm [your] charity towards him. |
8 I therefore beseech you, that ye confirm to him [your] love. |
9 εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἔγραψα, ἵνα γνῶ τὴν δοκιμὴνW ὑμῶν, εἰ εἰς πάντα ὑπήκοοί ἐστε. |
9 And it was for this purpose that I wrote, in order that I might know y’all’s dependability, whether y’all are obedient in all things. |
9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. |
9
For to this end also did I w |
9
For it was for this also that I wrote to
you, that I might
learn [by] |
10 ᾧ δέ τι χαρίζεσθε, καὶ ἐγώ· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ εἴ τι κεχάρισμαι, ὃY κεχάρισμαιZ, δι᾿ ὑμᾶς ἐν προσώπῳ Χριστοῦ, |
10 And to whom y’all freely-forgive of something, I will do the same, for indeed if I myself have freely-forgiven of anything, it is the one whom I have freely-forgiven on account of y’all, in the presence of Christ, |
10 X To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I X forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; |
10 And to whom you have pardoned [any] thing, I also. X For X, what I have pardoned, if I have pardoned any thing, for your sakes [have I done it] in the person of Christ: |
10 And X whom ye forgive X, I also forgive: for X X that which I X forgave to any one, X X X X for your sakes I [forgave it], in the presence of the Messiah; |
11 ἵνα μὴ πλεονεκτηθῶμενAA ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶAB· οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματαAC ἀγνοοῦμενAD. |
11 in order that we may not be gotten the best of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his thoughts. |
11 Lest X Satan X X should get an advantage [of us]: for we are not ignorant of his devices. |
11 That we be not overreached by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his devices. |
11
lest X Satan
should
X overreach
|
1Commentaries by Chrysostom, Ambrosiaster, Theodoret, Theophytlact, Calvin, Henry, Hodge, Stanley, Lightfoot, Vincent, Denney, Weiss, Zahn, and Hughes also assumed that this passage refers to the incestuous man of 1 Cor. 5. Geoffrey Wilson, however, argued that it couldn’t be the incestuous man since the offense could be conceived to be against Paul. He postulated that the offender was someone who had opposed Paul to his face during his second visit, a position also advocated by Godet, Moffatt, Plummer, Lietzmann, Bachmann, and Strachan. (Allo argued that it was not Paul, but a representative of Paul who was insulted, and G. Findlay suggested that it was Timothy.) Some have noted Tertullian’s opposition to the traditional interpretation, but Hughes noted that Tertullian’s only reason was his belief that incest was an unpardonable sin, which is not a valid reason, and Tertullian advanced no alternative explanation. Tertullian’s writing, however, proves that the traditional interpretation was already widespread by the second century. Denney and A.T. Robertson pointed out the striking similarity in vocabulary between this passage and 1 Cor. 5.
2“[He] obtaineth remission not so much by his penitence as by this free gift [of forgiveness].” ~J. Chrysostom
3“[H]e will either come to hang himself, or fall into greater crimes afterwards.” ~J. Chrysostom, c. 400 AD
4cf. P. Hughes: “[I]t is probable that he means them to enact a ratification of their love by an official resolution...”
5Chrysostom
interpreted “in the presence of Christ” as “‘according to
God’, or ‘unto the glory of Christ…,’”
Luther
(and Wetstein) interpreted it as acting as Christ’s representative
and by his authority,
Calvin: “sincerely and without
any pretense,”
Henry: “for Christ's sake, or in his
name, as his apostle, and in conformity to his doctrine and
example,”
Vincent:
“...face, as if Christ were looking on,”
Hodge:
“No man can be severe in his judgment who feels that the mild eyes
of Christ are fixed upon him,”
Moule: simply “in the
presence of,”
Hughes: “in a manner that is at once
profound and spiritual.”
6“Ου … αγνοουμεν (lit. ‘not ignorant’) means ‘know well.’” ~N. Turner, Grammar of New Testament Greek
72 Cor. 11:3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (NKJV)
8“Do not continue to deprive each other except whenever it is by common consent for an appointed time in order that you might have leisure for prayer, then you continue again in unity in order that Satan might not be tempting you through your being uncontrolled.” (NAW)
9Geoffrey Wilson quoted from John Calvin’s commentary on this verse that Satan’s scheme is to “sow discord” in the body of Christ. Matthew Henry, surprisingly did not notice that application and focused only on Satan discrediting the church for being unjust – either too lenient or too severe. Hughes also surprisingly limited the application to “deny[ing] a penitent fellow-Christian all hope of divine mercy and restoration.”
AWhen
a translation adds words not in the Greek text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I
put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a
wording which is different from all the other translations, I
underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my
opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek
word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text,
I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word
which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at
the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English
translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the
reader see correlations between the various editions and versions
when there are more than two different translations of a given word.
NAW is my translation. My original chart includes annotated copies
of the NKJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV, but I erase them from the online
edition so as not to infringe on their copyrights.
BThis Greek New Testament is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. As published by E-Sword in 2016. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions, however, are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era, focusing on the few manuscripts which are older than the Byzantine manuscripts. Even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.
C1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published by E-Sword in 2019.
DRheims New Testament first published by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword in 2016.
EJames Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version, 1851, Robert Carter & Brothers, New York. Scanned and transcribed by Gary Cernava and published electronically by Janet Magierra at http://www.lightofword.org and published on E-Sword in 2023.
FThis is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest-known being from the 7th century) and thus of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions (It is also the reading of the ancient Vulgate and Peshitta versions), and thus, not only of the KJV but also the NASB. But a dozen Greek manuscripts (including the five oldest-known, dating as far back as the year 200) read without the “to y’all,” and that omission is reflected by the contemporary critical editions of the GNT followed by the NIV and ESV. It makes no difference in meaning, however, because, if Paul is referring to something he wrote, expecting them to know about it, then obviously he not only “wrote” it, but wrote it “to them.”
GGeneva, KJV, NKJV, NASB, and ESV all render literally (“this very/same thing”). AGNT agreed, labeling auto with Louw & Nida semantic domain #58.31 (“identical… same”), but Blass & Debrunner, in their Greek Grammar advocated for turning it into a purpose phrase (“for this very reason”). On the other hand, NIV, NLT, and ESV strangely render it as a comparative prepositional phrase (“as I did”), even though there is neither preposition nor verb in this Greek phrase in any manuscript.
HThis present-tense form of the verb (“I might/should/would be having”) is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being the 5th century Ephraemi) and of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions. However, 15 Greek manuscripts (including the 4 oldest-known, one of which dates to the year 200) read with the aorist-tense spelling σχω (“I might/should/would have”). The same change happened back in 1:15, suggesting that the aorist subjunctive form may have been in more common use in the first few centuries AD, but fell out of use around the 5th century, and since the present subjunctive has basically the same meaning, Greek readers may not have even considered it a variant.
INormally an accusative pronoun next to an infinitive verb would signal the subject (“I rejoice”), but all the English versions interpreted it instead as the object of this infinitive, surprisingly making the genitive ὧν the subject (“from those who [it should be] make me rejoice.” This popular interpretation is suspect, not only for breaking grammar rules (and it is surprising that Wallace had nothing to say about that), but also for hermeneutical reasons, for it presents Paul with an attitude opposite to that which the rest of the passage displays, to wit, that Paul is not discussing what the Corinthians ought to do for him, but what he feels obligated to do for them.
JAlmost all the English versions render this with a causal “for,” but there doesn’t appear to be a causal link here. It appears instead to be an ascensive “indeed” (Arndt & Gingrich Lexicon definition #4, or semantic domain #89.93a in Smith’s Supplement to Louw & Nida).
KAlthough almost all the English versions agree on translating this word “anguish” here, the only other time this word occurs in the GNT, almost all English versions translate it “distress” (Luke 21:25). In the Greek Old Testament it occurs four more times to describe living among enemies (Jdg. 2:3), living in a desert (Job 30:3), and living in a besieged city (Mic. 4:14; Jer. 52:5). The picture that comes to mind is that of a hunted animal “worried” by hounds, having to deal with the potential of being attacked from any side at any time. Vincent, however, argued in favor of translating it “anguish” because the Latin root angere means “to choke/throttle.” That would be appropriate for translating the Vulgate (angustia), but is not directly relevant to translating the Greek original.
LLiterally “through,” but figuratively “with attendant circumstances” (Moule’s Idioms) as all the English versions say – which would be semantic domain #89.79a in Smith’s Supplement to L&N, and definition A.III.c in Arndt & Gingrich’s Lexicon. A literal interpretation is possible, however.
MA.T. Robertson saw in the aorist tense an “ingressive” meaning (“that you might come to know”), but I do not think it appropriate to emphasize the process of knowledge here. The apostle just wants them to know that he really loves them. Robertson suggested the same sort of thing in verse 9.
NESV followed the Peshitta in turning this comparative adverb (which modifies the verb “I have”) into an adjective (modifying instead the noun “love”). The NIV was rather inventive, turning it into a noun! Cf. Calvin “The adverb more abundantly may be explained in a comparative sense... I take it, however, in a more simple way, as meaning that Paul commends his affection towards them…” G. Wilson commented that “‘More abundantly’ should not… be taken to mean that Paul loved the Corinthians more than his converts in other places. It rather refers to the greater demands which they made upon his love by their folly.”
OThis pronoun, which is not in the Greek manuscripts, is added in the Peshitta. Lamsa’s translation ignored it, but “these things” is in the translations by Etheridge and Murdock.
PThis is a 2nd class conditional with ει + past tense verb, indicating that the author does not think the condition is true.
QCf.
same phrase in 2 Cor 1:14. L&N semantic domain #63:15
“I
differ from Chrysostom merely in the clause in part, for I
understand it as meaning in some measure. I am aware, that
Ambrose understands it as meaning — part of the saints,
inasmuch as the Church of the Corinthians was divided; but that is
more ingenious than solid.” ~J. Calvin
“The punishment
imposed on the offending Corinthian had been consequent on a
resolution passed by a majority of the church members. There had
been some dissentient voices (cf. the qualification ‘in part’ in
the previous verse)” ~Hughes
RThe only other times this word occurs in the GNT are in 1 Thess. 2:9 & 2 Thess. 3:8 where Paul says he worked for his own living in order not to be a financial “burden” on the church.
SThe Syriac actually inserts the word ܡܠܬܐ (“word”) here, leading Emmerling and Pringle to insist that English versions of even the Greek text contain this verbal component (“that I may not say anything too severe”).
THapex Legomena (unless you count the apocryphal Wisdom 3:10, where Brenton translates it “punish”). The root meaning of “value” shades the meaning toward the “cost” of the penalty rather than toward punitive pain, however.
UThis adverb is a contraction of “the” + “in” + “behind” and is found in the Greek Bible only here, Gal. 2:7 and 1 Pet. 3:9. (It’s also in 3 Macabees 3:22.)
VThis word is found only here and in 4 other places in the Greek Bible (Plus 4 Mac. 7:9), denoting deeding over the ownership of real estate from one person to another (Gen. 23:20 & Lev. 25:30) and denoting the king signing a law or a covenant which puts it into effect (Dan. 6:10 & Gal. 3:15).
WThis word occurs in the GNT only here and in Rom. 5:4 (where it is translated “experience/character”); 2 Cor. 8:2 (where it is translated “trial/ordeal/test”) and 2 Cor. 9:13, 13:3, and Phil. 2:22 (where it is translated “proof”).
XThe Peshitta uses an idiom here for “in all things” which does not have number, so it could be interpreted either singular (as Murdoch mistakenly did), or plural (as Lamsa did, following the original Greek).
YThis is the reading of the traditional Greek Orthodox GNT (although I could not find any actual Greek manuscript which reads this way). The majority of Greek manuscripts spell this relative pronoun in the dative case (‘ω), but the oldest manuscript that reads this way is from the 9th century. The modern critical editions (based on 11 Greek manuscripts, including the 5 oldest-known manuscripts, dated between 200 and 600 AD) spell this relative pronoun the same way as the Greek Orthodox, but they move this phrase (“I have forgiven”) before ει τι. None of this changes the meaning of the sentence, however.
ZChrysostom (followed by Hughes) interpreted the Perfect tense here as Paul having already forgiven the offender before the church had, but no other commentators I read took such a position. Chrysostom also noted the diplomacy with which Paul wrote, so as both to lead and to give deference to the church at the same time.
AAVulgate,
ESV, and NET are correct translations of this Greek word, which is
first person plural and passive. Strangely, the Geneva, KJV, NASB,
and NIV followed the Peshitta which rendered this verb third person
singular and active, even though there are no Greek manuscripts
which spell this verb active or 3s.
This word is rare in the
Greek Bible, found only here and in three other passages: 2
Corinthians: 7:2 (where it is translated “defraud/cheat/take
advantage/exploit”), 2 Cor. 12:17-18 (“gain/advantage/exploit”),
and 1 Thess. 4:6 (“take advantage/defraud/wrong/cheat”). It is a
compound of the Greek words for “have” and “more.” Unlike
God, Satan has the capacity to wish for more than he has (which is
what got him into trouble with God in the first place), but he
capitalizes on this same capacity in man (and that is part of the
reason why the 10th Commandment exists).
ABThe name “Satan” is found in the New Testament writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul, as well as the Old Testament writings of Chronicles, Job, and Zechariah. It is of Hebrew and Aramaic origin, meaning “adversary/opponent.” All the NT writers, however, use the name “Devil” (including James, Jude, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews), a Greek name meaning “accuser,” not used in the Old Testament.
ACNot counting a couple of apocryphal references, this word only occurs in the Greek Bible 5 other times, all but one in the book of 2 Corinthians (2 Cor. 3:14, 4:4, 10:5, 11:3, and Phil. 4:7). Curiously, in all those other places, all the English versions translate the word “mind” or “thought.” This is the only passage where it is translated with more complex English words such as “device/scheme/design.”
AD17 of the 22 times this word occurs in the New Testament, it is Pauline.