Loving Rebuke

II Corinthians 7:2-16
"Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.” (II Corinthians 7:2-3)
As ambassadors for Christ, Paul and his cohorts had maintained a standard of behavior that would not turn the people away. Their actions demonstrated their love instead. That same love encouraged him to speak freely to them. Trials had burdened them, but when Titus came and told of the Corinthian’s faith, Paul was able to rejoice freely.

“Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.” (II Corinthians 7:4-7)

A little boy had seen his father weeding the garden. One day while his father was at work, he decided to help his Dad. He carefully pulled what he thought was the weeds. When his father went to work in the garden that evening, he found that the boy had mistaken the vegetables and flowers for weeds, and left the weeds. It would be necessary to remove the weeds, and totally replant the garden.

The father did not want to discourage the child from helping, but they couldn’t allow him to pull up the wrong things again, so he explained how to tell which plants were the vegetables and which were weeds, and got the boy to help replant. The little boy went on to become a rather famous garden expert. Many other fathers, by their anger over such a mistake, have caused their children not to desire to help any more. By pointing out the mistake in love rather than in anger, the father encouraged his son.

While Paul had expected the Corinthians to obey his first letter, there was some trepidation that they might take offense instead. Titus’ coming made it clear that instead, they had acted on what he had written, and begun to straighten out the conflicts. While they had been upset, it was that they had failed to do as they should,. They could have just been angry at what Paul had written, and blamed him for such a negative letter, resulting in further sin. Their obedience has removed his doubt.

“For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.“ (II Corinthians 7:8-10)

The sincere effort they have put into correcting these problems demonstrates that his confidence in their love for God was not misplaced, nor was his love for them. He had not written out of favoritism, but love for the entire church. Paul’s experience is like that of a parent who has to tell their child that they have done something wrong when the child thought they were doing the right thing. While the child may be upset at having to redo the job, If they really want to do it right, they will go over and beyond the minimum.

“For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you..“ (II Corinthians 7:11-12)

Such an attitude of desire to do right is a comfort to parents. It becomes easy to brag about such children. Titus was properly impressed by what they had done as well, which was a relief to Paul.

“Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things..“ (II Corinthians 7:13-16)