2 Corinthians 2:5-3:18

Memory Verse: 10

Questions

Outline

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I. Forgiveness (2:5-11)

* The artwork titled "Repentance, Forgive, Comfort, Reaffirm, and Love" © is a rendition imagined by Stephen Ricker in 2026. The concept is to illustrate what Apostle Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 2:7-8.

>1. How did someone cause the Corinthian believer's grief? (5; and 1 Cor. 5:1)

* 2 Corinthians 2:5 "If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely."

* 1 Corinthians 5:1 "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife."

* Chapter 2 Overview.

Paul gave instructions in his first letter to the Corinthian congregation in chapter 5 concerning a man engaging in a grievous sexual immorality. He said that they should cast him out of their congregation. Now, Paul reveals two motives behind that directive. (Some point out that he may be referring to another person's sin and/or offense.) First, he did not want to be grieved by them when he arrived (3-4). Second, he was testing their obedience (9). They did as Paul instructed and cast the man out.

The man repented. So now, Paul is encouraging them to forgive and invite him to join them again. Paul had already forgiven him.

One interesting statement here is, "if there was anything to forgive." (The reason some believe it is another offense.) Another is, "that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not aware of his schemes."

Satan wants to destroy all of Christ's congregations. He has various schemes to carry out the destruction. A particularly common one is to divide us. In this case, he used a man who persisted in incest, and the congregation's leadership lacked discipline. Thus, Paul said the man needed to be cast out. They obeyed. He grieved and repented.

Satan's scheme did not stop there. Now the congregation needed to forgive the man and accept him back into the church unconditionally. Forgiveness is an important act of love. Jesus taught me to pray, "forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Holding regret and judgment is self-destructive to me and to congregations. Discernment, separation from persistent sin, and unconditional forgiveness should all be done in love.

* "grief" "grieve" "distressed" -The English words in verses 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 in the NIV (translated "sorry", "sorrow", and "grieved" in KJV, YLT, and ASV; and "pain", "hurt", and "grief" in HCSB and CSB) is the Greek verb "lypeo" or the noun "lype". "Lypeo" is from the Greek noun "lype" or "lupe". Counter to this are the words "glad" (2), "rejoice" (3), "joy" (3), "love" (4), "forgive" (7), "comfort" (7), "love" (8), and "forgive" (10).

In first-century Greek "lype" refers to deep emotional pain, grief, sorrow, or heavy distress of the mind. In ancient texts, the noun describes an internal anguish that touches both a person's emotions and their will, often resulting in heavy burdens or annoyance.

* "If anyone" -Paul does not name the person not because he did not know the person and not because the person had grieved him for in other places and letters he names people who grieved him with personal attacks. Rather, it is most likely Paul did not name the person because the congregation knew whom he was referring to and no one else needed to know. This letter was distributed to other congregations too.

The offense is also not revealed. This leads us to conjectured based on the sole fact that the person was excommunicated and he was a male. Verse 8 has "autos" usually translated, but not always, as "him", "his", and "he". Most commentators agree that the offender is the one spoken of in chapter 5 of the first letter. However, no one can be sure with so little information given in this letter. One thing to consider is Paul's statement, "if there was anything to forgive". The sin of incest committed by the man and woman in the first letter is very serious in Leviticus. So it can be asked, "Why would Paul state, 'if there was anything to forgive' if this person is indeed the same as the person in chapter 5 of the first letter?" However, Paul could be saying that the sin of incest wasn't against the congregation, but the man's father (who is presumed dead or divorced) and the man himself as the law in Leviticus states. This being true, then the statement, "if there is anything to forgive" would apply to the Corinthian congregation as the specific offense was not directed towards them.

* "If anyone has caused grief" -The one who committed the sin and/or offense grieved them as well as those who had sided with him, even if it was to allow the offense to continue. See notes on verses 1-4 in the previous study's commentary, Section III, question 10. Paul was also grieved "to some extent".

* "he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you" -Paul was not there, but he too grieved, yet not as severe as they. They were in the offenders presence enduring the offense, perhaps every day. Certainly, during every congregational meeting.

* "to some extent--not to put it too severely." -Paul is perhaps being inclusive for offensives within a social group such as a congregation will affect some more than others. He was being gracious to the man who was forgiven, and at the same time recognizing that some where offended to one degree or another. He was grieved, but would not "put it too severely" in this letter as a matter of grace.

* "to some extent" -Paul uses similar general phrases other places in the letter. (i.e. 1:14)

* "This passage, however, is understood by some, as if Paul meant to say: 'He that has given me occasion of grief, has given offense to you also; for you ought to have felt grieved along with me, and yet I have been left almost to grieve alone. For I do not wish to say so absolutely - that I may not put the blame upon you all.' In this way the second clause would contain a correction of the first. Chrysostom's exposition, however, is much more suitable; for he reads it as one continued sentence - 'He hath not grieved me alone, but almost all of you. And as to my saying in part, I do so in order that I may not bear too hard upon him.'

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." (Calvin's Commentaries)

>What kind of punishment had the unrepentant brother received? (6; 1 Cor. 5:5, 11)

* 2 Corinthians 2:6 "The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him."

* 1 Corinthians 5:5 "hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord."

* 1 Corinthians 5:11 "But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."

* "The punishment inflicted on him" -Not disclosed. Church discipline is sometimes needed.

* "by the majority" -Not all agreed with the punishment. However, a majority of the congregation was needed. A minority did not rule the majority of the congregation. The majority of the congregation ruled. Elders and deacons were needed and prescribed by Paul. However, the majority of the congregation ruled and elected the elders and deacons. The Greeks was the first known to have a representative government. Jewish synagoues also were maintained by the elders via representation, as did Israel starting from the Covenant based on tribal elders. The Roman's initially had a representative government, but over time changed to a dictatorship.

* "is sufficient for him." -The punishment was excommunication, not physical pain or infliction.

* "By the majority" is undoubtedly a way of saying the community of believers (as in the Dead Sea Scrolls). Pharisaic Judaism also stressed receiving back repentant offenders. Groups like the one reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls, however, required a time of punishment to elapse before the repentant could be fully restored to the community. Roman and Greek law assumed the carrying out of a sentence. The Corinthian Christians may thus wonder what to do with the man now that he has repented." (Bible Background Commentary - The IVP Bible Background Commentary - New Testament)

* The illustration is from the Art Bible, 1896, comprising the Old and New Testaments, with numerous illustrations. Publisher, London: G. Newnes.

>2. What was the good response to the punishment? (7-8)

* 2 Corinthians 2:7-8 "Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him."

* "Now instead"

* "excessive sorrow"

* "I urge you, therefore"

>What were they to do when he repented?

* "you ought to forgive and comfort him"

* "reaffirm your love for him"

>How is this following Jesus' example? (Matt. 6:12)

* Matthew 6:12 "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

* Grief That Leads to Sorrow and Forgiveness.

Grief, distress, and anguish, especially grief, are repeated ten times in the first ten verses, all deriving from the Greek noun "lype" (a transliteration), referring to deep emotional pain. Contrasting "lype" are forgiveness, joy, comfort, and love; together they are stated twelve times.

One man's sin in the Corinthian congregation led to grief, distress, and anguish, not just for the man when punished, but also for the congregation and Paul. The majority inflicted punishment, likely excommunication, at Paul's direction. The man was grieved and repented. He received forgiveness and was invited back into the fellowship. Without grieving, usually the result of punishment, there is no forgiveness. As the psalmist wrote, "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." (Psalm 130:3-4)

Apostle John wrote, "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (1 John 1:5-10)

>3. To whom was Paul hoping they be obedient to? (9; 10:5-6)

* 2 Corinthians 2:9 "The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything."

* 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."

* "The reason I wrote you"

* "to see if you would stand the test"

* "be obedient in everything."

>How far did Paul trust their judgment and leadership within their congregation? (10)

* 2 Corinthians 2:10 "If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was anything to forgive--I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,"

* "If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him."

* "if there was anything to forgive"

* "I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,"

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>How was forgiving a repentant brother part of the spiritual battle? (11)

* 2 Corinthians 2:11 "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

* "in order that Satan might not outwit us."

* "For we are not unaware of his schemes."

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>What was and still is part of Satan's schemes? (Zech. 3:1-4)

* Zechariah 3:1-4 "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."

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II. Minister of the New Covenant (2:12-3:6)

* The artwork titled "Everywhere the Fragrance of the Knowledge of Christ" © is a rendition imagined by Stephen Ricker in 2026. The concept is to illustrate what Apostle Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16a.

>4. Where was Troas and why had Paul gone there? (12; Acts 16:6-10)

* 2 Corinthians 2:12 "Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,"

* Acts 16:6-10 "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

* Acts 20:1-6 "When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days."

* 2 Timothy 4:12-13 "I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

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>Who was Titus? (13, 8:23; Gal. 2:1; Titus 1:4a)

* 2 Corinthians 2:13 "I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia."

* 2 Corinthians 8:23 "As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ."

* Galatians 2:1 "Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also."

* Titus 1:4a "To Titus, my true son in our common faith"

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>5. What is a good reason to thank God? (14)

* 2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."

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>How often are we lead this way even though at times we don't feel like it?

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>What is an one of the great things he does for us?<

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>How does God see us? (15)

* 2 Corinthians 2:15 "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

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>What are the two ways people received the gospel we preach in word and action? (16)

* 2 Corinthians 2:16 "To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"

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>6. Is preaching for profit new? (17)

* 2 Corinthians 2:17 "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."

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>How should one preach the gospel?

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>What is the credentials that really matter in the kingdom of God? (3:1-3)

* 2 Corinthians 3:1-3 "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

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>7. Where should our confidence and competence come from? (4-5)

* 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."

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>Who are the ministers per verse 6?

* 2 Corinthians 3:6 "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

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>What are we ministers of?

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>What is a major difference between the old and the new covenant?

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III. The Glory of the New Covenant (3:7-3:18)

* The illustration is from the Art Bible, 1896, comprising the Old and New Testaments, with numerous illustrations. Publisher, London: G. Newnes.

>8. How does the law bring death? (7; Rom. 7:7-13)

* 2 Corinthians 3:7 "Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,"

* Romans 7:7-13 "What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."

* The Old Covenant is compared to the New Covenant. The Lord God presented the Old Covenant to Israel at Mt. Sinai thru Moses on two stone tablets (Ex. 19-20) and the first five books of the Bible (though some are history). When Moses came down the mountain to present the Old Covenant his face shown with the glory of God. This faded over time (Ex. 34:29-30, 33, 35). The old brought condemnation because the Israelites were unable to keep it for we all have the fallen sinful nature.

The Lord God presented the New Covenant to the world at Mt. Zion where Jerusalem is built thru Jesus, his Son. The Holy Spirit writes it on the hearts of those who believe in him. When Jesus ascended to heaven his face was shown with the glory of God. This never fades. The new brings righteousness because it solely relies on Jesus's character and what Jesus did on the cross.

When I relied on myself for righteousness before God I had a veil over my heart. I tried to be a good person and so be accepted by God. I could not see God nor his Christ thru self-righteousness. I failed. I was separated from God.

Then God took the veil off my heart (16). Now I see Jesus sacrifice on the cross to atone for my sins. Now I solely rely on Jesus, who he is, and what he did for my righteousness. Now the Spirit of the Lord is in me. Now my relationship with God does not rely on me. I am free in Christ. I am free of the law and condemnation. I am being transformed into the image of the Son with ever-increasing glory (18). Jesus makes me competent as a minister of the new covenant (5-6).

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>What was one way that God displayed that the law was good? (Exodus 34:29-32)

* Exodus 34:29-32 "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai."

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>What does the new ministry give that the old covenant did not? (8-9)

* 2 Corinthians 3:8-9 "will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!"

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>9. How sure are we of the glory to come? (10-11)

* 2 Corinthians 3:10-11 "For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!"

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>How should the hope of what is to come compel us in our ministry now? (12)

* 2 Corinthians 3:12 "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."

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>What slowly happened after Moses came down the mountain with the law? (13)

* 2 Corinthians 3:13 "We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away."

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>10. What did Jesus do when he came in regard to the old covenant? (14-16)

* 2 Corinthians 3:14 -16 "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."

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>What does this practically mean to us?

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>What does verse 17 mean?

* 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

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>Does the glory come from within us? (18)

* 2 Corinthians 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

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>What continual process is being done in true believers?

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