2 Corinthians 2
BSASBPaul explains why he delayed a visit to Corinth: he did not want to come in sorrow. He urges the church to forgive and restore a man they had disciplined. He then tells of his anxious wait for Titus and bursts into thanks for the gospel’s victory, which spreads like a fragrance through his weak ministry.
2 Corinthians 2:1-2
Paul chose not to come again in sorrow. A visit full of rebuke would hurt him as well as them. If he made them sad, he would lose the very people who gladden him. Real love for a church weighs how its correction lands.
BSA: grieve (“cause sorrow, make sad”): Paul knows that pain given to the church returns to him, since they are his joy.
2 Corinthians 2:3
Paul wrote a letter instead of visiting, so the problem could be dealt with first and he could arrive in joy. He trusted that his joy and theirs were bound together. A pastor’s hope is shared gladness in the Lord.
BSA: share (“participate in, have a part in”): Paul believes their joy and his are one joy held in common.
2 Corinthians 2:4
The earlier letter was sharp, but it came from a broken heart, not from anger. Paul wept as he wrote. His aim was never to wound but to show how deeply he loved them. Sometimes love speaks hard words through tears.
BSA: distress (“pressure, tribulation”): The letter was written under heavy inner pressure, like being squeezed. love (“have unconditional affection for”): His love was steady and self-giving, not dependent on their response.
Greek: συνοχῆς (synochēs, G4928) — “a being hemmed in, tightly held.” Paul describes his anguish as a squeezing in from every side. The letter was written under real emotional strain.
2 Corinthians 2:5
A man in the church had done wrong, probably the offender of Paul’s earlier letter. Paul says the hurt fell on the whole church, not on himself alone. He chooses his words carefully, not wanting to exaggerate or to load them with guilt.
BSA: overstate (“lest I burden you”): Paul speaks gently so as not to press the weight of blame on the church.
2 Corinthians 2:6
Most of the church had disciplined the man, and Paul says that is enough. Discipline is meant to bring someone back, not to go on forever. When correction has done its work, it should stop.
BSA: sufficient (“enough, competent”): The punishment has done what it was meant to do.
See also: Matthew 18:15-17.
2 Corinthians 2:7
Now the church must turn the other way: forgive him and comfort him. Without this, the man might be crushed by sorrow. Discipline that is not followed by forgiveness can destroy the very person it hoped to heal.
BSA: overwhelmed (“swallowed up, consumed”): Grief left unanswered by mercy can drown a person. forgive (“to give grace, show kindness”): Forgiveness is a gift of grace, freely given.
Greek: χαρίσασθαι (charisasthai, G5483) — “to give freely as a grace.” The word for forgive comes from the word for grace. Forgiving is giving a gift the person has not earned.
See also: Galatians 6:1.
2 Corinthians 2:8
Paul asks the church to reaffirm its love openly toward the man. Love is shown in plain, public welcome, not merely felt in private. This lets him know he is truly restored.
BSA: reaffirm (“confirm, make clear”): Their love must be made plainly known, like a decision publicly confirmed.
2 Corinthians 2:9
Paul’s earlier letter was also a test of whether the church would obey the truth. They have shown they would. Paul wants them to be as ready to show mercy as they were to discipline.
BSA: stand the test (“prove yourselves, be approved”): The letter let their character be shown and proved.
2 Corinthians 2:10
Paul stands with the church in forgiving. Whatever he has forgiven, he did so before Christ, who sees all. His forgiveness is not for show; it is for their good, so that the whole church may be healed.
BSA: presence (“face, countenance”): Paul forgives as though standing face to face with Christ.
See also: Ephesians 4:32.
2 Corinthians 2:11
An unforgiving church gives Satan an opening. He can use harshness just as easily as sin to break up God’s people. Paul knows his tactics, and so should we. Forgiveness shuts a door the enemy would gladly use.
BSA: outwit (“take advantage of, exploit”): Satan tries to gain ground by taking more than he is due. schemes (“devices, plans, mind, thoughts”): The enemy’s plans are crafty and thought out, not random.
Greek: πλεονεκτηθῶμεν (pleonektēthōmen, G4122) — “to be taken advantage of, to be cheated of more.” The word pictures a grasping person who wants more than his share. Satan tries to grab what belongs to Christ’s people.
See also: 1 Peter 5:8.
2 Corinthians 2:12
At Troas, a city on the Aegean coast, Paul found an open door for the gospel. Opportunity was real. Yet his heart was troubled. God can give a door, yet the servant may still carry a heavy burden.
BSA: door (“opportunity, entrance”): God had opened a chance to preach, and Paul recognized it as His doing.
See also: Colossians 4:3.
2 Corinthians 2:13
Paul could not settle because Titus, who carried news from Corinth, had not arrived. His anxiety for the church outweighed even a good opening, so he went on to Macedonia to find him. It shows how personal and tender his care was.
BSA: peace (“no rest, no relief”): His inner spirit had no relief while the news was unknown.
2 Corinthians 2:14
Suddenly Paul breaks into thanks. He pictures a Roman victory parade, with himself among the captives led behind Christ the conqueror. He is not defeated but belongs to the victor. Through such servants the knowledge of Christ spreads like perfume.
BSA: triumphantly (“in a victory parade, as captives set free”): Paul’s picture is a procession in which God is the conqueror. fragrance (“a sweet aroma, a pleasing scent”): Knowing Christ spreads from life to life like a scent drifting through a street.
Greek: θριαμβεύοντι (thriambeuonti, G2358) — “leads in triumphal procession.” This is the word for a Roman triumph. Paul sees himself as one led in Christ’s procession, yielded to Him and displayed for His glory.
2 Corinthians 2:15
Believers are, to God, the sweet aroma of Christ. The fragrance is the same everywhere, but the response differs. Some are being saved and some are perishing. Our lives carry Christ whether people welcome Him or not.
BSA: aroma (“a pleasant smell”): God delights in the presence of Christ in His people.
See also: Ephesians 5:2.
2 Corinthians 2:16
To those turning away, the same message smells of death; to those receiving it, of life. Paul feels the weight of this and asks who is equal to it. The answer follows: not himself, but God who sends and enables.
BSA: qualified (“sufficient, competent”): Paul admits no one is adequate on his own for such a task.
See also: 2 Corinthians 3:5-6.
2 Corinthians 2:17
Many traveling teachers sold religious words for money, like traders watering down wine. Paul speaks the word of God honestly, knowing God hears him, and as one sent by God. Sincerity before God is the mark of true ministry.
BSA: peddle (“trade in, adulterate”): The word suggests both selling for gain and watering down the message. sincerity (“purity of heart, genuine intention”): Paul’s motives are clean, with nothing hidden.
Greek: καπηλεύοντες (kapēleuontes, G2585) — “peddling, huckstering.” This word describes a shopkeeper, especially a wine seller, who made profit by diluting his goods. Paul says he will not water down God’s message.