John Burnett: 8 Even
if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did
regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet
now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your
sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended
and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See
what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what
eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what
longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every
point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So
even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who
did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that
before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged. Paul
was encouraged by the repentance of the Corinthians. Repentance always
brings about positive change in our spiritual lives. The less self we
have in our tank, the more room we allow for the Holy Spirit to lead us.
In
addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see
how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of
you. 14 I
had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just
as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to
Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And
his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you
were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
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Allen Michaels: 8 Even
if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did
regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—
9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but
because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as
God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.
For example, you
write someone a severe letter from the heart and out of love and
concern for them. Still it is difficult to write it. It
might hurt them when they read it. You know that. So, Paul was not
happy about the pain that he caused. But the letter brought good
results. He was happy about that. The Corinthians had regret. But it was
the kind of regret that God wanted for them. That kind
of regret led them to turn away from their sin. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly
sorrow brings death. There is
godly regret and worldly regret. Paul explains the difference. Godly
regret leads to a change of mind and heart. It then leads to a change
of behaviour. By faith, these lead to salvation. So, instead of regret,
there is a new joy. Godly
regret hates the sin. There is a strong desire not to sin again.
Worldly
regret is just the opposite. Someone has discovered your sin. That is
why you are sorry. Pain may follow the wrong action.
You are sorry about that. But there is no change of mind or heart.
There is no desire to change your behaviour. You might think that no-one
will discover your sin. Then you would repeat the sin. There is no
faith in God in this kind of regret. The result is
not salvation. It is death.
11 See
what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what
eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what
longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every
point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this
matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on
account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured
party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how
devoted to us you are.
13 By all this we are encouraged. God
had called Paul to be his apostle. It was important that the
Corinthians understood this. To turn against Paul
was to turn against Christ. Paul’s enemies were preaching ‘a different
gospel’. The Corinthians had acted in a way pleasing to God. The letter
encouraged everyone. This was the good result of Paul’s letter.
In
addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see
how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of
you.
14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not
embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our
boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.
15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he
remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and
trembling.
16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you. Now
Paul is full of joy for the Corinthians. This change has come through
the power of God. There
is no doubt about that. It comes through God’s Word and by his Spirit.
At one time Paul’s work seemed to be at an end. Now he has new life and
hope for the future.
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Tomorrow's reading for 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
8 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,[a] what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They
are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are
also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.[b] 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us[c]—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
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