2 Corinthians 6:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open.

NIV: We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.

NASB: Our mouth has spoken freely to you, you Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.

CSB: We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide.

NLT: Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you.

KJV: O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

NKJV: O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.

Paul expresses great emotion and affection in this and the following verses. He acknowledges that he has spoken freely to them. In other words, he has not held anything back in order to spare their feelings. As he has made clear, the stakes are too high to be more concerned with gentleness than with truth. Any among them who do not trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins are in danger of missing the grace of God (2 Corinthians 6:1).

Paul has also spoken freely in defense of his own integrity and authority as an apostle, as well as the integrity of all who minister with them. He has been very clear that there is nothing that he and his co-workers for Christ have done that can legitimately be described as standing in the way of any person trusting in Christ.

Still, despite any conflict with the Christians in Corinth, Paul and his associates' hearts are wide open. As described here, their affection for the Corinthians is as full and deep as it has ever been. In short, Paul loves them as much as he ever has. The fact that he calls them by name, Corinthians, may be evidence of his great affection for them.

Second Corinthians 6:1–13 contains Paul commendation of himself and his co-workers to the Corinthians. He offers evidence that they have not been false apostles. They have faithfully represented Christ through every kind of suffering and God's power has been obvious in and through them. He declares that they have been faultless and urges the Corinthians not to miss the day of God's salvation through faith in Christ. He states warmly that his heart remains wide open to the church in Corinth and asks them to open their hearts to him again.

This passage appeals to the Corinthians not to miss the day of salvation. Paul insists that he and those who work with him have done nothing to keep anyone from believing in Christ. He points to the evidence that he has been a true apostle and representative of Christ and asks the Corinthians to open their hearts to him again. He commands them not to harness themselves to unbelievers since Christ can have nothing to do with Satan or darkness. God lives in them through the Holy Spirit, so they must separate from everything that is opposed to God.

Second Corinthians 6 is set up by the message of God's grace for sinners as spelled it out in the previous chapter. Paul begs the Corinthians not to receive it in vain. He declares that he and his team have done nothing to keep them from believing in Christ. Parallel to this, he commands the Corinthians not to be harnessed to unbelievers. This leads into a passionate discussion of affliction and comfort in chapter 7.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.