Reflections on 2 Corinthians
During my senior year of high school, several of my Christian friends began running with a rougher crowd—and picking up their vices as well. Concerned and perhaps a little self-righteous, I approached my friends, questioning their behavior and urging them toward holiness. I was taken aback when they were not only offended but also accused me of being judgmental rather than loving. One girl hissed, “Only God can judge me!” My friendship with them quickly dissolved.
Brokenhearted for years after the incident, I avoided any confrontation that might sound judgmental. Jesus is all about love, I concluded, and pointing out where people are wrong seems unloving. I struggled as I attempted to love people who were destroying themselves and others.
It seems that at times Paul also fumbled with confrontation. In 2 Corinthians, Paul again writes to the Corinthian church after a painful visit and a harsh letter condemning the sin of a church member (2 Cor 2:1–2, 5–11). We don’t have all the details about the confrontation, but it appears that both Paul and the Corinthian church were reeling, unsure of their relationship with one another.
While the Bible hardly constructs a blueprint for loving confrontation, Paul’s letter offers helpful guidance as he attempts reconciliation:
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.… For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
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 (2 Cor 7:8–11).
We are often caught between two extremes: avoiding conflict altogether or critiquing without compassion. Paul shows us a third way: loving while sternly confronting sin—all with the goal of reconciliation with God and one another. Paul is sorry that his confrontation caused grief, but because the grief led to repentance from sin, he is not sorry for the confrontation. Had he remained silent, the sin would have continued and only brought deadly results.
Paul loves the Corinthians too much for avoidance or self-righteousness. Throughout his letter, Paul humbly claims that his competence comes from God and not himself, that he and his coworkers are merely jars of clay that carry the powerful treasure of Christ. He is a servant of God (2 Cor 3:5–6; 4:7; 6:4). He repeatedly declares his love for the Corinthians and pleads for them to make room in their hearts for him (2 Cor 6:13; 7:2). He pursues full reconciliation, though he seems to have also been hurt by the incident (2 Cor 2:4). Paul is not focused on being right or superior, nor does he avoid confronting sin or the risk that comes with doing so.
Ultimately, Paul reiterates the gospel throughout the entire letter. He reminds the Corinthians—and us—of God’s grace for all sinners. Jesus’ sacrificial work for reconciling the world to God allows restoration from sin, provides a model for reconciliation with one another, and humbles those of us prone to self-righteousness.
Rather than deflecting confrontation as judgment, may we imitate Paul’s humble approach.
AUBRY SMITH
Saddington, J.
warriorprincess4yeshua.blog 