II Corinthians
Chapter
2
1~~
But I discerned this within myself
-
to my advantage -
for
the purpose that
I
would not come again face to face with you
in
sorrow.
{under pressure}
{Note: Discernment is applying doctrine to the situations so the will of God is accomplished in your life.}
2~~
For if I keep on causing you pain
-
and I do -
who
is going to make me Glad?
{think inner happiness}
But
the same {the congregation}
which
is made sorry by me?
{Note: Paul is saying another reason he passed them by because he had to chew them out. If he did so, they would be in pain and not want to have fellowship with him right then! So, he would rather write to them now, let them study and learn, study and learn, and come later.}
3~~And
I wrote this same {II Corinthians}
unto
you,
-
to your advantage -
that
when I came, I should not have sorrow
from
the ultimate source of them of whom I ought to rejoice,
having
confidence in you all
{that they would study, and learn, and he could come later
and be received with grace},
that
my inner happiness
is
the inner happiness of you all!
4~~
For out of much affliction
{great personal suffering}
and
anguish of heart
{mental suffering - the worst kind!},
I
wrote unto you through many tears
{Paul cries in private not in front of them!}
not
that you should be grieved,
but
that you might know the love
which
I keep on having more abundantly unto you.
{Note:
Verses 5-11 addresses the incestuous believer (IB) of
I
Corinthians 5. Paul put him under the sin unto death, which
Apostles could do. However, apparently IB rebounded and God forgave
him. However, the congregation did not! They continued to ostracize
him - judge him. Paul says God has forgiven and forgotten and so
should the congregation!}
5~~But
if any have caused grief
-
and someone did cause grief -
not
I . . .
but
you has he grieved . . .
at
least part of you!
For the purpose that I would not be overcritical of you all.
{Note: This means that part of the congregation was really shaken up by the sin of the IB. Paul was not shaken and he did not allow himself to be overcritical of the congregation including IB.}
6~~Sufficient
to such a man is this punishment
{IB is no longer the issue},
which
was under the many.
{Note: Paul is saying the punishment of IB was great. He was ostracized from the Church, he bragged about the incestuous behavior - a mental attitude sin and that discipline, and finally was placed under the sin unto death and apparently came close to dying. IB rebounded and the sin unto death was removed. Now the issue becomes lack of Christian forgiveness.}
7~~With
the result that
you
might exercise grace toward him
{forgive},
and
comfort him
{practice a relaxed mental attitude toward him},
that
such a one should not be swallowed up
with
an overabundance of sorrow.
8~~Therefore,
I encourage you that you would
confirm
{to exercise authority over}
your
love toward him.
{Note: This means to assure him of your mental attitude of love toward him!}
9~~For
to this end also did I write,
for
the purpose that I might know/test
{word used to test ore for quality of the gold}
you,
whether you would have responsive obedience in all things.
10~~To
whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also.
For
if
-
and I did -
I
forgave any thing
-
and I already have -
to
whom I forgave it . . .
I
did forgive it for your sakes . . .
in
the person of Christ.
{Note: They must forgive him on the basis of Doctrine NOT on the basis of Paul's say so. So, if they forgive IB on the basic of doctrine, then so shall Paul - for everyone's sake in Christ Jesus.}
11~~That
Satan should not counter-punch us,
for
we are not ignorant of his devices!
{Note: This means if we are off criticizing and judging other Christians - punching them if you will, then Satan can step up and make a counter-punch to the Body of Christ and hurt us! And, Satan is the best counter-puncher of all time. But IF we do not punch each other, there is no opportunity for Satan to throw the counter-punch! Forgive the sins of others . . . and particularly their trespasses against you!}
{Note: In the previous verses, Paul used the IB's failure and rebound as an example. Now he uses his own failure as an example of sinning and rebounding from that sin. Verses12-17}
12~~Furthermore,
having
come to Troy {Troas}
because
of the gospel of Christ,
a
door received opening unto me of the Lord.
{Note: A 'door' in the bible represents the opening of an opportunity. So here there were probably a lot of positive people waiting to be evangelized in Troy and God sent Paul.}
13~~I
had no rest in my spirit
{No tranquility. Backfire from the soul},
because
I found not Titus, my brother.
{Paul's fellow worker in Christ}
But
forsaking them
{Paul did not fulfill the will of God for the Trojans},
I
went from there into Macedonia.
{Note: It was the will of God for Paul to evangelize in Troy. But Paul failed. He had the mental sin of worry and left Troy!}
14~~But
. . .Grace . . . because of God
{Paul has rebounded},
Who
causes us to celebrate a victory {triumph}
in
Christ
{every time we rebound from sin this is a victory for Christ},
and
'brings to light'/'makes manifest'
the
fragrance of His knowledge
by
the instrumentality of us
in
every place.
15~~
For we keep on being unto God
a
wonderful fragrance of Christ,
in
them that are saved . . .
and
in them that perish.
{Note: At this time, the Romans threw a victory parade when a great general returned from wars. In the triumphal victory march, the captives were lead in chains. The masses threw flowers and perfume on the people in the march. For the captives, the fragrance was the smell of death, for the Roman soldiers, it was the smell of victory. The same fragrance . . .}
16~~To
the one
{unbeliever}:
we
are the fragrance from death
{spiritual death}
to
death.
{last judgment}
And
to the other {believer}:
the
fragrance from life
{physical life}
unto
life.
{everlasting life}
And who is qualified face to face for these things?
17~~For
we {believers}
are
not as the many
{rejecters of Christ},
who
dilute {huckster}
the
Word of God
but
from discernment
{originally meant to judge by holding it up to the sunshine}
from
God . . .
in
the sight of God . . .
we
keep on speaking . . .
in
{union with} Christ.
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