Paul says that the letter he had written earlier, harsh in many respects, was connected with the "great distress" that seized him at the thought of...
Paul says that the letter he had written earlier, harsh in many respects, was connected with the "great distress" that seized him at the thought of the Corinthian brothers and of the situation in the Corinthian church.
Judging by some passages from First Corinthians, one may think that the spiritual situation there was indeed quite serious: the apostle had to remind the Corinthians of fundamental things connected with Christianity and with Christian life, things that, as it appears, they had not exactly forgotten, but that had moved into the background, obscured by things more "interesting" and "urgent." But the severity of the apostle's words was not aimed at accusing someone or forcing him to leave the church; that would only have served Satan's purposes. Rather, one should speak of the trial that Paul's letter became for the Corinthian church, a trial of obedience.
And the point here, of course, is not that the apostle demanded unconditional submission to himself. Such a thing was practically unthinkable in the early Christian Church; formal discipline never came to the foreground there. The issue was the attitude personally toward Paul and toward his authority in matters of spiritual life. Obedience in this case turns into the ability to listen and the readiness to hear.
Judging by everything said in First Corinthians, the Corinthian church was large, active, and, as we would say today, "progressive" and "advanced": the people there were educated, inclined to theological disputes, and critical of traditions. In such a community everyone feels more or less self-sufficient, and it is very difficult for people of this sort to hear someone else, especially someone from outside, even if respected and authoritative. And accepting the rightness of another person's opinion is still harder.
The first natural reaction in such a case is usually rejection, sometimes mild, sometimes sharp, but always decisive and unambiguous. And the fact that the apostle's words nevertheless had an effect means that this first reaction was overcome. The Corinthian church heard the apostle and listened to his words. Paul evaluates this state of affairs as a spiritual victory for the Corinthian Christians, a victory first of all over themselves, over their own nature. A victory in which he sincerely rejoices, not because he was heard, but because it meant the triumph of the Kingdom in the church community of Corinth.
2
2:1 In grief - Either on account of the particular offender, or of the church in general.
2:2 For if I grieve you, who is he that cheereth me, but he that is grieved by me - That is, I cannot be comforted myself till his grief is removed.
2:3 And I wrote thus to you - I wrote to you before in this determination, not to come to you in grief.
2:4 From much anguish I wrote to you, not so much that ye might be grieved, as that ye might know by my faithful admonition my abundant love toward you.
2:5 He hath grieved me but in part - Who still rejoice over the greater part of you. Otherwise I might burden you all.
2:6 Sufficient for such an one - With what a remarkable tenderness does St. Paul treat this offender! He never once mentions his name. Nor does he here so much as mention his crime. By many - Not only by the rulers of the church: the whole congregation acquiesced in the sentence.
2:10 To whom ye forgive - He makes no question of their complying with his direction. Anything - So mildly does he speak even of that heinous sin, after it was repented of.In the person of Christ - By the authority wherewith he has invested me.
2:11 Lest Satan - To whom he had been delivered, and who sought to destroy not only his flesh, but his soul also. Get an advantage over us - For the loss of one soul is a common loss.