2 Corinthians 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.

NIV: I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

NASB: Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.

CSB: Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

NLT: So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

KJV: Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

NKJV: Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

Paul's last visit to the Corinthians was uncomfortable because of the actions of one individual. This man's sin caused Paul great distress and brought even more pain to the rest of the church in Corinth. It kept Paul away from Corinth for longer than he planned, required him to write a corrective letter to the church with great sadness and tears, and strained his relationship with the Corinthians even more than it had already been.

It's both surprising and unsurprising to hear Paul now begging the Corinthians to affirm their love for this very man. They had apparently received Paul's heartsick letter in the right spirit (2 Corinthians 2:2–3). They had responded by disciplining this man, and he had apparently repented. Paul now urges them to forgive the man; he even asks them to comfort him to keep his sorrow over his own sin from overwhelming him.

Paul's insistence that this man now receive expressions of love from the church community is surprising only because it is not a normal human reaction. It is—or at least, it should be—normal for Christ followers. Those who have been forgiven ought to embrace those who have truly repented from their sin. It's exactly what God does for all who come to Him through faith in Christ.

Second Corinthians 2:5–11 contains Paul's agreement that a sinful man's offense was serious. Now that this man has repented in sorrow, however, Paul tells the Corinthians to stop his punishment and to forgive, comfort, and affirm their love for him. Paul knows now that they remain obedient. Forgiveness among Christians is essential in order to not be outwitted by the designs of Satan.

Paul explains why he delayed coming to visit the Corinthians. In great anguish, he had written a painful letter to tell them they must correct a man among them. This person may have challenged Paul's authority as an apostle of Jesus. The Corinthians disciplined the man, and he repented. Paul told them to forgive him. He tells of Titus failing to show up in Troas with news about the Corinthians, then transitions into teaching that Christians are the aroma of Christ on earth to everyone they know.

Second Corinthians continues uninterrupted from the previous chapter. Paul is explaining why he waited to come to Corinth. He wanted to see if they would side with him, or with the man who challenged his authority. They disciplined the man. He repented. Paul commands restoration and forgiveness. He then tells of failing to find Titus in Troas with news about them before transitioning into teaching that Christians are the aroma of Christ on earth, smelling of death to the perishing and life to those being saved. This brings Paul back to the subject of his own authority in chapter 3.

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.