2 Corinthians 6:11-7:16

What’s Happening?

Paul is working to repair a deep relational fracture with the church in Corinth. His leadership is being questioned, his motives misunderstood, and his love for the church doubted. It’s likely that false teachers seeking to take over the church that Paul planted were sowing seeds of distrust. To undermine Paul, they likely pointed out a disciplinary letter he had written the Corinthians. Through tears, Paul used his authority to call out sin that was threatening the church, name the people affected by it, and urge repentance (2 Corinthians 7:8-9). The letter was effective: it grieved the Corinthians, and they obeyed, but they felt distanced from Paul. The false teachers then twisted their grief into evidence that Paul was angry and had closed his heart to them.

Paul defends his love by sharing his heart. He was open about their sin, because he wanted to be open in his love for them (2 Corinthians 6:11). In turn, he asks the Corinthians to be open to hearing the reasons for his tough love (2 Corinthians 6:12-13).

The reason for Paul’s tough love is his desire for the Corinthians’ purity. Paul does not want the Corinthians to share a yoke with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). He is referencing Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Bible, which prohibits the mixing of seeds in a field, fabric in a garment, and animals on a plow (Deuteronomy 22:9-10). These laws taught God’s people not to mix ways of pagan worship with the way of following God. It taught them that God and demons do not mix any more than light and darkness can coexist (2 Corinthians 6:15-16). Furthermore, an animal’s yoke symbolized someone coming under the instruction of a teacher (Matthew 11:29). Paul is aware of the false teachers’ threat to his beloved community, which is why he warns the Corinthians not to abandon his yoke of leadership for another one. The other yoke is driven by false teachers who are driving them away not only from Paul, but from Jesus.

Pulling from the Hebrew Bible again, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have been called out from the nations to be a pure people belonging to God. He quotes God’s promise to dwell with his people as they purify themselves from the unclean pagan practices around them (2 Corinthians 6:16-17; Leviticus 26:12; Isaiah 52:11). The Corinthian Christians have been called to be pure. In fact, Paul calls their community the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16). And since God’s temple must be an undefiled dwelling for him, Paul calls them to cleanse the temple (2 Corinthians 7:1). Namely, remove the false teachers and the influences of pagan culture. 

In light of his desire for their purity, Paul again appeals to the Corinthians to see his love for them (2 Corinthians 7:2). Even though he wrote the letter in tears, and the Corinthians received it with tears, it revealed their love for one another. Paul loved enough to tell them hard truths, and they respected his leadership enough to obey and repent, even when that yoke hurt (2 Corinthians 7:10-12). Paul mentions his coworker Titus, who told Paul upon returning from Corinth how amazed he was at the Corinthians' readiness to do what is right, even in tears (2 Corinthians 7:13-15). Paul and the Corinthians' hearts might have been broken over the letter, but their love proved all the stronger for it (2 Corinthians 7:16).

Where is the Gospel?

When we are convicted of our sin, it’s easy to believe that grief means rejection. This is the lie that the first false teacher, Satan, wants us to believe. But God’s heart is not closed to us. The reason for this grief is not distance but deeper love and holiness (James 4:4-10). God is committed to living with us and in us, so he gives us teachers like Paul who are committed to preserving the holiness of his temple. They zealously call us to unmixed loyalty to God (Hebrews 13:17).

Correction can hurt, but it’s done in love and for the sake of purity. False teachers would rather keep their position than share hard truths. But true teachers of Jesus, bear the yoke of responsibility to guide people toward Jesus and his purity. Like Paul, they will risk their motives being misunderstood and their leadership called into question, so that God's temple may not be defiled by any sin. This is following Jesus' leadership of his church. He not only shed tears, but words of cleansing and his own blood to make his church clean and spotless (Ephesians 5:26-27, 1 John 1:7). And after his ascension, he sent his Spirit to live in and make his people his holy temple. We continue to see him open his heart in love through letters of teachers like Paul. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John writes to seven churches, sharing Jesus' heart with them. Jesus lovingly affirms his confidence in them, but also tells them the hard truth about sins that they tolerate (Revelation 2:2-6, 19-25). He urges them not to mix their loyalty to him with the pagan culture around them, and he lovingly calls them to be pure (Revelation 2:13-16). Both John and Paul reflect Jesus’ love and openhearted commitment to making God’s people pure from sin.

Even when we’re grieving over our sin, Jesus’ heart remains wide open (Hebrews 10:22-23). Teachers who follow him only want to bring us closer and deepen our love for him and one another. The more we repent and open our hearts to one another, the more we share in Jesus’ purity and love.

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who sends teachers committed to making believers holy. And may you see Jesus as the one whose heart is open to receive everyone who repents.