2 Corinthians 7

These two chapters bring to a heartfelt conclusion Paul’s explanation of his ministry. He has told his readers that, in spite of trials, his was a triumphant ministry (2 Cor. 1—2) and a glorious ministry (2 Cor. 3), and that he could not ever think of quitting. His enemies had accused him of using the ministry for personal gain, but he had proved his ministry to be sincere (2 Cor. 4) and based on faith in God (2 Cor. 5). All that remained now was to challenge the hearts of the Corinthians and assure them of his love; and this he did by presenting them with three loving appeals.

In spite of all the problems and heartaches the church had caused him, Paul still loved the believers at Corinth very much. He had spoken honestly and lovingly to them; now he tenderly asked them to open their hearts to him. He felt like a father whose children were robbing him of the love that he deserved (see 1 Cor. 4:15).

Why were they withholding their love? Because they had divided hearts. The false teachers had stolen their hearts, and now they were cool toward Paul. They were like a daughter engaged to be married, but being seduced by an unworthy suitor (see 2 Cor. 11:1–3). The Corinthians were compromising with the world, so Paul appealed to them to separate themselves to God, the way a faithful wife is separated to her husband.

It is unfortunate that the important doctrine of separation has been misunderstood and abused in recent years, for it is an essential truth. Some sincerely zealous Christians have turned separation into isolation, until their fellowship has become so narrow that they cannot even get along with themselves. In reaction to this extreme position, other believers have torn down all the walls and will fellowship with anybody, regardless of what he believes or how he lives. While we applaud their desire to practice Christian love, we want to remind them that even Christian love must exercise discernment (Phil. 1:9–11).

Paul presented three arguments to try to convince these believers that they must separate themselves from that which is contrary to God’s will.

The nature of the believer (6:14–16). It is nature that determines association. Because a pig has a pig’s nature, it associates with other pigs in the mud hole. Because a sheep has a sheep’s nature, it munches grass with the flock in the pasture. The Christian possesses a divine nature (2 Peter 1:3–4), and therefore he should want to associate himself only with that which pleases the Lord.

The concept of the “unequal yoke” comes from Deuteronomy 22:10: “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.” The ox was a clean animal to the Jews, but the ass was not (Deut. 14:1–8); and it would be wrong to yoke them together. Furthermore, they have two opposite natures and would not even work well together. It would be cruel to bind them to each other. In the same way, it is wrong for believers to be yoked together with unbelievers.

Note the nouns that Paul used: fellowship, communion, concord (harmony), part, agreement. Each of these words speaks of having something in common. The word concord gives us our English word “symphony,” and it speaks of beautiful music that comes when the players are reading the same score and obeying the same leader. What chaos we would have if each instrumentalist played his own tune in his own way!

God’s desires for His people are seen in these words. He wants us to share with each other (fellowship) and have in common (communion) the blessings of the Christian life. He wants us to enjoy harmony and agreement as we live and work together. When we try to walk with the world and with the Lord at the same time, we break this spiritual fellowship and create discord and division.

Paul saw believers and unbelievers in stark contrast to each other: righteousness—unrighteousness, light— darkness, Christ—Belial (Satan), belief—infidelity (unbelief), God’s temple—idols. How could you possibly bring these opposites together? The very nature of the Christian demands that he be separated from that which is unholy. When a saved person marries an unsaved partner, it sets up an impossible situation; and the same thing applies to business partnerships and religious “fellowship.”

Note that the word ye is plural in 2 Corinthians 6:16. Paul is here referring to the local church as a whole, and not to the individual believer only, as in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. The local church is the dwelling place of God because believers are the people of God (see Ex. 6:7; 25:8; Lev. 26:12; Ezek. 37:26–27). For a local church to compromise its testimony is like a holy temple being defiled.

The command of Scripture (6:17). The major part of this quotation is from Isaiah 52:11, but there are also echoes in it of Ezekiel 20:34, 41. The reference in Isaiah is to the captive nation leaving Babylon and returning to their own land, but the spiritual application is to the separation of the people of God today.

God commands His people to “come out,” which implies a definite act on their part. “Be ye separate” suggests devotion to God for a special purpose. Separation is not just a negative act of departure; it is also a positive act of dedication to God. We must separate from sin and unto God. “Touch not the unclean thing” is a warning against defilement. The Old Testament Jew was defiled if he touched a dead body or the issue from a festering sore. Of course, Christians today do not contract spiritual defilement by touch, but the principle is the same: we must not associate with that which will compromise our testimony or lead us into disobedience.

God’s command of separation is found throughout Scripture. He warned Israel not to mingle with the pagan nations in the land of Canaan (Num. 33:50–56); yet they repeatedly disobeyed His Word and were punished because of it. The prophets repeatedly pled with the people to forsake their heathen idols and devote themselves wholly to the Lord. Finally, God had to send Israel into Assyrian captivity and Judah into Babylonian captivity. Our Lord rejected the false “separation” of the Pharisees, but He did warn His disciples against the leaven (false doctrine) of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and He prayed that they would be kept from the defilement of the world (Matt. 16:6, 11; John 17:14–17).

The apostles in their letters to the churches also emphasized doctrinal and personal purity. The believer was in the world, but he must be careful not to become like the world. The church must also separate itself from those who reject the doctrine given by Christ and the apostles (Rom. 12:1–2; 16:17–20; Col. 3:1–2; 1 Tim. 6:10–11; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 4:3–6; 1 John 4:6). Even in the book of Revelation, there is an emphasis on God’s people being separated from that which is false and contrary to holy living (Rev. 2:14–16, 20–24; 18:4ff.).

In our desire for doctrinal and personal purity, we must not become so self-centered that we ignore the needy world around us. Our Lord was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), and yet He was “a friend of publicans and sinners” (Luke 7:34). Like a skillful physician, we must practice “contact without contamination.” Otherwise, we will isolate ourselves from the people who need our ministry the most.

The promise of God’s blessing (6:17—7:1). God becomes our Father when we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior, but He cannot be to us a Father unless we obey Him and fellowship with Him. He longs to receive us in love and treat us as His precious sons and daughters. Salvation means we share the Father’s life, but separation means that we enter fully into the Father’s love. Jesus promised this “deeper love” in John 14:21–23.

God blesses those who separate themselves from sin and unto the Lord. Abraham separated himself from Ur of the Chaldees and God blessed him. When Abraham compromised and went to Egypt, God had to chasten him (Gen. 11:31—12:20). As long as Israel was separated from the sinful nations in Canaan, God blessed them; but when they began to mingle with the heathen, God had to discipline them. Both Ezra and Nehemiah had to teach the people again the meaning of separation (Ezra 9—10; Neh. 9:2; 10:28; 13:1–9, 23–31).

Because of God’s gracious promises, we have some spiritual responsibilities (2 Cor. 7:1). We must cleanse ourselves once and for all of anything that defiles us. It is not enough to ask God to cleanse us; we must clean up our own lives and get rid of those things that make it easy for us to sin. No believer can legislate for any other believer; each one knows the problems of his own heart and life.

Too often Christians deal with symptoms and not causes. We keep confessing the same sins because we have not gotten to the root of the trouble and “cleansed ourselves.” Perhaps there is “filthiness of the flesh,” some pet sin that “feeds” the old nature (Rom. 13:14). Or it may be “filthiness of the spirit,” an attitude that is sinful. The prodigal son was guilty of sins of the flesh, but his “moral” elder brother was guilty of sins of the spirit. He could not even get along with his own father (see Luke 15:11–21).

But cleansing ourselves is only half of the responsibility; we must also be “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). This is a constant process as we grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). It is important to be balanced. The Pharisees were keen on putting away sin, but they neglected to perfect holiness. But it is foolish to try to perfect holiness if there is known sin in our lives.

Paul had appealed for appreciation and for separation. He gave one final appeal in his attempt to regain the love and devotion of the believers in Corinth.

“Open wide your hearts to us!” (see 2 Cor. 6:13). “Receive us” (2 Cor. 7:2). “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). If the Corinthians would only cleanse their lives and their church fellowship, God would receive them (2 Cor. 6:17) and they could again have close fellowship with Paul.

The emphasis in this section is on the way God encouraged Paul after he had experienced such great trials in Asia and Troas (see 2 Cor. 1:8–10; 2:12–13). There is actually a threefold encouragement recorded in these verses.

Paul encouraged the church (vv. 2–4). The church had received Titus; now they should receive Paul (2 Cor. 7:13). Paul asked them to trust him, for he had never done anything to wrong them. This is certainly a reference to the false teachers who had accused Paul, especially the use of the word defrauded (“exploits,” see 2 Cor. 11: niv). “Paul is taking up this missionary offering so he can use the money himself!” they were saying.

Why is it so difficult to assure people of our love? What more could Paul do to convince them? He was willing to die for them if necessary, for they were in his heart (see 2 Cor. 3:1ff.; 6:11–13). He was boasting of them to others (“glorying of you”), but they were criticizing him.

But, in spite of these problems, Paul had good reason to encourage the church, because the visit of Titus had been successful; and now there was opportunity to “mend the fences” and restore fellowship. This leads to the second encouragement.

Titus encouraged Paul (vv. 5–10). The first encouragement Paul received was the coming of Titus after they had been separated from each other. It was not easy to communicate or to travel in those days, and Paul had to depend on the providence of God for his plans to work out regarding the visit of Titus to Corinth. (Even with our modern means of transportation and communication, we still need to depend on God’s providence.)

But Paul was encouraged by the report that Titus gave of his reception at Corinth. They had read Paul’s “painful letter” and had repented of their sins and disciplined the members who had created the problems. It is unfortunate that the King James Version translates two different Greek words as “repent,” for they have different meanings. The word repent in 2 Corinthians 7: means “regret,” and repented in 2 Corinthians 7: means “to be regretted.”

Paul had written them a stern letter, and then had regretted it. But the letter achieved its purpose and the Corinthians repented, and this made Paul rejoice. Their repentance was not merely a passing “regret”; it was a true godly sorrow for sin. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 7: niv). The difference is seen in Judas and Peter. Judas “repented himself” (was full of regret) and went and committed suicide, while Peter wept and repented of his fall (Matt. 26:75—27:5).

Do Christians need to repent? Jesus said that we do (Luke 17:3–4), and Paul agreed with Him (2 Cor. 12:21). Four of the seven churches of Asia Minor, listed in Revelation 2 and 3, were commanded to repent. To repent simply means “to change one’s mind,” and disobedient Christians need to repent, not in order to be saved, but in order to restore their close fellowship with God.

The Corinthians encouraged Titus (vv. 11–16). They went to great lengths to do the will of God. First of all, they received Titus and refreshed him by their fellowship (2 Cor. 7:13). They rejoiced his heart as they proved to be all that Paul boasted that they were. They accepted his message from Paul and acted on it.

In 2 Corinthians 7:11, Paul spelled out their handling of the matter of discipline. “For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you; what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter” (nasb). Paul was encouraged when Titus told him of the way they repented and showed concern and zeal to do what was right. Paul assured them that the purpose of his letter was not only to rebuke the offender and help the offended, but to prove his love for the church. Paul had suffered a great deal because of this situation, but his suffering was worth it all now that the problem was solved.

One of the most difficult things to do is to rebuild a shattered relationship. This Paul tried to do in 2 Corinthians, and especially in chapters 6 and 7. Unfortunately, there are many shattered relationships today—in homes, churches, and ministries—and they can be repaired and strengthened only when people face problems honestly, deal with them biblically and lovingly, and seek to get right with God.

As you and I examine our own lives, we must determine to be a part of the answer and not a part of the problem. We must show appreciation, practice separation, and encourage reconciliation if God is to use us to restore broken relationships.