Having set forth the consistent life of himself and his fellow-workers, and exhorted the assembly at Corinth to be consistent with the grace of God in their lives and associations, the Apostle now seeks to remove any wrong impression of himself that might have arisen in their hearts, whether through his faithful dealing with them, or through the malicious insinuations of those who were seeking to belittle him in order to exalt themselves (ch. 10.). He seeks to show that, in all his faithful letters and actions towards this assembly, he was moved by care for the saints in the sight of God (vs. 12).
(Vs. 2). He desires that they would receive him without suspicion or reserve. He had neither wronged any of them, nor used his position or ministry to make gain, and thus defraud any one.
(Vs. 3). In speaking thus he had no desire to condemn them, but rather to remove any hindrance to the outflow of love that desired their full fellowship both in death and life.
(Vs. 4). So far from condemning, he would, with the greatest plainness of speech, glory in respect of them, for he was comforted as to them. His heart, which had indeed been closed with sorrow, was now opened in joy to express without reserve its affection for them.
(Vss. 5-7). He would have them to know that the source of his joy was the God of all comfort, who had used the coming of Titus to comfort him with the report of their mourning as to all that he had condemned in their midst, as well as the fervent love they had shown to himself. Thus the Apostle would not only turn their thoughts and affections to himself, but also to Titus, who had spoken so well of them, and, above all, to the source of all blessing — the God of all comfort.
(Vss. 8-11). He recognizes that the first epistle had made them sad, and this he had regretted. But since hearing from Titus the effect it produced, he no longer had any regrets, for he now learned that it had wrought repentance, and that their sorrow was after a godly sort, not the hopeless sorrow of the world that works death. Thus Paul can rejoice, not indeed for the sorrow, but in that which the sorrow produced. This sorrow was but for a season; it was a sorrow according to God; being sorrow of a godly sort, it wrought repentance to salvation, not to be repented of; and it brought forth fruits worthy of repentance, set forth in the earnest way in which they dealt with the matter and cleared themselves from evil. Moreover, they had not only dealt with the actual evil, but had cleared themselves of their own laxity. How different the sorrow of this world as seen in the solemn case of Judas, whose sorrow instead of being godly was only of man, and instead of working repentance led only to death.
(Vs. 12). Further, the Apostle would assure these saints that in writing his first epistle he had in view, not simply the wrong-doer or even the sufferer of the wrong, but the care of believers in the sight of God.
(Vss. 13-16). Moreover, he was comforted because they were comforted, and rejoiced in that Titus had been refreshed in spirit by them all. He was not ashamed that he had spoken well of them to Titus, for all that he had said proved to be true; and the love of Titus flowed out to them more abundantly as he recalled their obedience; and the Apostle's confidence in them was confirmed.
How beautiful to see this godly care for believers in the sight of God expressing itself in faithfulness as regards that which is wrong; in love that grieves over the sorrows of the saints and rejoices in their joy; and in confidence in them when obedient to the directions of the word.