I call God as my witness —and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
- 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4
In the previous passage, we saw that Paul had changed his travel plans, which affected his visiting Corinth. He defended his actions by appealing to God’s faithfulness. In this passage, he shares how it is in the Corinthians’ best interest that he did not make that extra visit to them as he had originally planned.
He starts out here by saying that it was to “spare” them that he did not return to Corinth (verse 23). This implies that he would have been harsh to them during his visit, most likely for everything he called out and rebuked them for in his previous letter to them. He is very emphatic on this point, saying that God is his witness and he stakes his life on it. He really wants the Corinthian church to understand that his lack of a visit was in their best interest and that things went as God intended.
Some believe that verse 24 is to counteract the Corinthians’ claims that Paul was trying to act like a tyrant or a dictator over them in his instructions. But that is not the case with Paul; he desires to serve them and work with them to help them grow in their faith and fulfill their mission of living out and spreading the gospel message. Everything that he does is for their joy and so that they will stand firm in their faith, which will honor and glorify God while spreading the gospel. Paul wrote similar words to the Philippians: “Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:25). This is Paul’s mission, not to tyrannically guide every aspect of their lives.
This is one of those passages where the chapter break doesn’t really make sense because it is at this point where chapter 2 begins. Paul is in the middle of his thought here, so since he continued on, we will too.
We see in verse 1 that Paul made up his mind not to make “another painful visit” to the Corinthians. This implies that it was Paul’s decision, not something that was out of his control based on various circumstances. It is believed that Paul made this decision while in Ephesus after hearing about how the Corinthian people were insulting him. We’ll learn a bit more about this in next week’s passage of 2 Corinthians 2:5-11. Paul wanted his time with the Corinthians to be joyful, not painful, so he changed his plans and did not make that extra visit to them.
Paul admits in verse 2 that his decision not to make the visit was also due to his own emotions. The Corinthians were a congregation that brought him joy, so if he had a negative visit with them, then he would lose that source of joy. If he caused them pain, then he would feel that pain also.
Verses 3-4 reference a letter by Paul to the Corinthians, which is often known as the “sorrowful letter” or the “severe letter.” We do not have manuscripts of this letter today, but we can make inferences about its contents based on Paul’s other writings to this congregation. If Paul needs to express condemnation toward the Corinthians, perhaps it would be better received via letter rather than in person so as not to affect their relationship as much. We can often convey our thoughts and feelings better in writing as it gives us the opportunity to choose our words more carefully than when we’re having a discussion in the heat of the moment.
Paul’s “severe letter” to the Corinthians took the place of a harsh in-person visit from him, which is why a few verses prior in 1:23 he said that his lack of a visit was to spare them. That way, they could get all the negativity out of the way and have a good visit in person when he was able to come back to Corinth. He was confident that the Corinthians would receive his letter well, and while it may take them some time to process it, they would once again become joyful with Paul and see that he is doing all of this for their benefit.
Whatever Paul wrote in this “severe letter” greatly distressed him. He emphasizes in verse 4 that his point in writing that letter was not to make them mad but to show them his love for them. Paul is showing them discipline – not correcting them out of anger or condemnation but out of love and a desire for them to live the lives that God has called them to. Paul was genuinely concerned for the Corinthians, and he was trying to make sure they knew that.
It is often hard to receive correction or discipline from someone else, and we can often mistake someone’s motives in correcting us. We can easily misunderstand others’ intentions, and that is why good communication is so important. In Paul’s day, communicating across distances was significantly more difficult than today, and it took much longer. While there are benefits to slower communication, such as giving people time to cool off and think with a clear head before responding, it could also give them more time to dwell on what Paul said and possibly misinterpret it.
But regardless of the speed of our communications, we need to make sure that we have the same attitude that Paul had – providing discipline and correction to others when needed, but only out of deep love for them. We also need to accept discipline and correction when it is provided to us by those who love us. We need to make sure to listen to those who are correcting us and not make assumptions that are not true. While we are all fallible humans who make mistakes, often things that may not feel great to us are really for our own good, just as Paul was showing his love for the Corinthians by changing his plans.
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