Paul’s ministry didn’t look successful. He was often rejected, beaten, and misunderstood. But in 2 Corinthians 2:5–17, Paul reminds us that the gospel doesn’t need to be repackaged to be effective.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- The situation with the man disciplined in Corinth and Paul’s call to forgive him
- Why Paul delayed his visit and sent a letter instead
- How Paul viewed himself in God’s triumphal procession
- The difference between sincere preaching and peddling the gospel
- What it means to teach and trust God with the results
By listening, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how Paul handled criticism, disappointment, and conflict in ministry. You’ll be encouraged to speak the truth faithfully, even when you can’t control how others respond.
Why Paul Refused to Change to Win More Converts (2 Corinthians 2:5-17)
In this passage, Paul addresses two major concerns with the church in Corinth: how they handled a disciplinary case involving a disruptive member, and how they viewed Paul’s own ministry. Paul defends his actions and clarifies his motives, reminding the Corinthians (and us) that the outcome of gospel ministry belongs to God.
Where We Are in the Letter
Paul opened his letter by describing the mutual Christian concern between himself and the Corinthians. Paul went through a lot of trouble and suffering as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He saw those troubles as benefiting the Corinthians in two ways.
- He suffered to bring the gospel to them. Just as people hated Jesus for speaking the truth, so they hate Paul as a representative of Jesus. They beat him and seek to kill him as he preaches the gospel.
- God encouraged Paul in the midst of his sufferings, and Paul could pass that encouragement on to the Corinthians. Both his troubles and his encouragement ended up being for their benefit.
For their part, the Corinthians could pray for Paul in his troubles and experience gratitude when God delivered him.
But as we saw last week, not everyone in Corinth shared that concern. Some rejected Paul and did not believe he is an apostle.
Review: Paul’s Letters and Visits
The end of chapter 1 and the first four verses of chapter 2 give us a window into what was going on. Putting the clues together, we learn this letter is actually the fourth letter Paul wrote to Corinth, but only two letters survived.
Let me briefly review the timeline.
First Visit: Paul founded the church during his second missionary journey, recorded in Acts 18.
First Letter: After leaving, he wrote his first letter to them warning them to avoid those who pursue an immoral lifestyle. We call that the lost letter, because no copy survives and we do not know much about its contents.
Second Letter: Paul then received a letter back from the Corinthian church. In response to that letter he wrote 1 Corinthians. First Corinthians is the second letter chronologically but the first that survives.
Second Visit: After that, he made a second visit to Corinth that is not recorded in Acts. We call this the sorrowful visit because things did not go well.
Third Letter: After that sorrowful visit, Paul wrote a third letter to Corinth. He had planned to visit but decided to write instead. We call this the severe or sorrowful letter. That letter does not survive.
Paul sent Titus to Corinth with this severe letter. Then Paul traveled to Macedonia, where he met Titus and heard how the Corinthians received the letter. He was encouraged, but problems remained.
Fourth Letter: In response, he wrote his fourth letter, what we call 2 Corinthians.
See: How many letters did Paul write to Corinth?
Why Paul Did Not Visit
Last week Paul began defending his ministry.
Paul’s changed travel plans (1:15-17) caused some in Corinth to question his commitment to them. Paul counters by focusing on God’s unchanging commitment to them.
Just as Christ fulfills God’s promises, the Spirit serves as a tangible assurance that these promises will be fully realized. This should give the Corinthians confidence that their faith rests on God’s action, not on Paul’s travel plans or his commitment to them.
They can have confidence that Paul preached the true gospel to them because God has established and sealed them with his Spirit.
Paul explains why he did not come. His relationship with them had deteriorated after the sorrowful visit. If he had come as he planned, he suspected his visit would be painful, and he decided to spare them.
Paul insists his conscience is clear. He behaved with sincerity and concern for them.
That brings us to 2:5. In verse 5 we learn more specifics about what was going on.
Offense during the Sorrowful Visit (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)
2 Cor 2:5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure (not to put it too severely) to all of you. 2 Cor 2:6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 2 Cor 2:7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 2 Cor 2:8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 2 Cor 2:9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 2 Cor 2:10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 2 Cor 2:11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Paul is referring back to some event that probably happened during his sorrowful visit.
This is one of those places where we modern readers have limitations. Paul does not fully explain what he is talking about.
There is a good reason for that. Everyone in Corinth already knows the situation. They know what happened in the church. They were there. They know what happened during the painful visit.
Paul does not want to rehash all the details and stir up emotions again. He does not need to open that wound.
So he does not go through what happened. He just talks about what they should do now, which means we readers today do not know the details.
We have to look at the clues.
The situation seems to center around one man. We have this piece of information later in 2 Cor 7:12.
2 Cor 7:12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.
Paul refers to one offender who hurt someone else. Perhaps Paul wrote the sorrowful letter in response to the situation created by this man. Paul wrote to explain how they should handle it, and in a way he was testing whether they would be obedient to the gospel.
Whatever the man was doing, the issue was not settled by the end of Paul’s visit. Leaving that situation unresolved may be at least part of what made that visit painful.
Because the issue was unresolved, Paul felt the need to write the sorrowful letter afterward. When he wrote it, whatever this person was doing was still a problem.
It seems the majority in Corinth responded with some sort of discipline toward the man. In their discipline they stood up for the gospel.
It seems plausible the man responded positively to this discipline, because Paul now urges them to back off. Do not overwhelm him with excessive sorrow, but show him that you love him.
As I read these clues in 2:5, I think the offense (whatever it was) was directed at Paul.
It sounds like Paul is saying this man caused sorrow not primarily to Paul, but to the Corinthians. That suggests that even though the man’s attack was directed at Paul, most of the harm was done to the larger church.
Paul is more concerned with how the situation affected the Corinthians than with how it affected him.
He has already forgiven this man, but he is still concerned about the impact of this problem. So he says, you need to forgive him, and I will join you if I have anything left to forgive.
The big issue is not what the man did to Paul personally but how his actions caused damage and division in the church.
That suggests that whatever happened with this person was part of the larger problem that some in Corinth have with Paul and with rejecting his authority.
This person somehow became the focus of that division. Paul says, it is not really about me, it is about the impact on you.
Who was the man and what did he do?
The big question is who this man was and what he did.
There is a lot of debate and speculation. From my reading, I found two main theories.
Theory 1: the offender in 1 Corinthians 5
First, some believe the offender is the man in 1 Corinthians 5. In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote about a situation where a man was living with his father’s wife. Paul called on the church to treat that man as an unbeliever.
Scholars speculate that perhaps the church did discipline this man, but now Paul is worried they have gone too far. Maybe this man has repented and they are not forgiving him or acknowledging his change of heart.
That is possible, but it seems unlikely to me. The language here seems more personal to Paul.
The offender did not just commit a sin. He seems to have committed a sin against Paul. Perhaps he attacked Paul’s reputation or his teaching or introduced the idea that Paul is not really an apostle.
Theory 2: A Rebel
Which leads to the second popular theory. Many scholars believe this man publicly insulted Paul or publicly challenged his authority, perhaps during the painful visit.
Paul says the man grieved him personally and also grieved the church, which suggests some kind of leadership or doctrinal conflict. Perhaps he publicly questioned Paul’s claim to be an apostle or said Paul was teaching the wrong gospel.
We know a group within the church rejected Paul’s apostleship, and perhaps this man was a ringleader of that opposition.
In the end, we have no way of knowing for sure. But from the language, the best reconstruction is that this man challenged Paul’s authority in a loud and public way that both offended Paul and harmed the church.
When Paul visited Corinth in the sorrowful visit, this man likely said or did something that was a direct offense against Paul.
Instead of visiting again as he planned, Paul wrote a sorrowful letter urging them to decide how to handle the situation because it was damaging the church.
The church responded with discipline. The man seems to have responded well, and now Paul urges them to acknowledge his repentance and accept him.
A Step Back in the Timeline (2 Corinthians 2:12-13)
Before we look at the next verses, remember the larger context.
Paul is defending his conduct, especially against the charge that he is not sincerely concerned for the Corinthians because he said he would visit and then did not.
Some think that proves Paul is unreliable. If he is not going to keep his word, then they cannot trust him on anything.
Paul answers that he did not come because he wanted to spare them more hurt. The situation was so bad that he thought it better to write a letter instead.
At this point, Paul knows how they responded to the sorrowful letter. Titus carried the letter to Corinth and now has reported back that the Corinthians responded well and disciplined the man who was causing trouble.
In these next verses, Paul steps back into the story to the time when he had not yet heard how they responded. He is explaining why he did not visit after all. He was going to visit, but the sorrowful visit made him think he should write instead. Now he continues in verse 12 as if it is before he knows how they responded to the severe letter.
2 Cor 2:12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 2 Cor 2:13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
Titus carried the sorrowful letter. After Titus left, Paul naturally wanted to hear how the Corinthians responded.
Rather than waiting in Ephesus, Paul decided to meet Titus halfway. He took the land route around the Aegean Sea. He headed north to Troas, hoping to meet Titus there as Titus returned from Corinth.
But when Paul got to Troas, Titus was not there. So Paul kept going. Now he is north of Corinth in Macedonia.
He wants the Corinthians to understand how concerned he was, so he highlights a poignant detail.
He was so upset and anxious to hear their news that he passed up a ministry opportunity in Troas.
When he got to Troas, people there wanted him to stay and teach. I think that is what he means by a door was opened for me in the Lord. There was an opportunity to preach.
But he was so upset about the situation with the Corinthians that he could not stay and teach. He really wanted to know how they responded to his letter. He could not focus on anything else, so he kept going, hoping to find Titus on the route.
He got as far as Macedonia, which is north of Corinth. Now the suspense is killing us. What happened in Macedonia? Did Paul meet Titus there? What did Titus say?
Off on a Detour
The unusual thing about 2 Corinthians is that at this point Paul breaks off his story to talk about something else.
That something else takes us through chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6. He does not return to the story until chapter 7 to tell us what happened when he got to Macedonia.
Presumably the Corinthians already know how they responded to the letter. They know what Titus told Paul when the two met. Paul does not need to tell them, so he does not finish the story here.
We modern readers can guess because he has said he already knows how they responded, but here is a sneak peek from 2 Cor 7:5-7. Remember this is one of those places where Paul is speaking of himself in the first person plural. He says we and he means I, Paul.
2 Cor 7:5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn: fighting without and fear within. 2 Cor 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 2 Cor 7:7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.
Finally, in chapter 7, Paul tells us that when he met Titus in Macedonia, he heard the good news that the Corinthians responded well to his last letter.
Now go back to chapter 2. Paul is in Macedonia. He has met Titus and knows how the Corinthians responded. He writes this letter from Macedonia to send ahead of him to Corinth.
But the response is mixed. The Corinthians responded fairly well, but there are still serious problems. Paul and the church are not fully reconciled.
Some responded well. They mourned and repented, and Paul recounts how eager they are to affirm their respect and love for him. But that comes later in the letter.
Instead of telling us here in chapter 2 that Titus brought good news, Paul starts defending himself again. Not everyone responded well. Some are making accusations against him, and Paul stops the story to defend himself.
As we go through the letter, we will see Paul continue to defend himself. By the end of the letter he is deeply upset and somewhat sarcastic about the opposition in Corinth.
So later in chapter 7 when he says he is rejoicing in their response, we have to see that in relative terms. They did not do something drastic like harm Titus or reject Paul outright. That is good.
Some agreed with Paul and responded well. Many were genuinely sorry Paul had to rebuke them.
But the problem is not over. One skirmish is over and he is glad it ended well, but the battle continues.
Aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)
2 Cor 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 2 Cor 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 2 Cor 2:16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Cor 2:17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
Paul is saying, I may have been too upset to minister to those in Troas, but God is always victorious. God is using me to proclaim his gospel. I am part of his great victory parade, and God is using my ministry to proclaim Christ to the world.
Let me remind you that Paul frequently refers to himself in the first person plural. He uses we when he means I, Paul. This is one of the passages where understanding that matters.
He is talking about himself and his ministry in contrast to the Corinthians and their reaction.
Some ask, could he mean we as in Paul, Timothy, and Titus? Could he be including the other apostles? There are places where that is possible. But in this section, he is talking about himself, and in particular, about himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
He is saying, I am a fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved. I am not like many who are peddlers of the word of God. Rather, with sincerity, as from God, in the sight of God, I speak in Christ.
He is making a claim about his own ministry and defending his apostleship, as he does throughout this letter.
Paul says God always leads us in his triumphal procession in Christ.
He is using the image of a victorious Roman general having a triumphal procession through the streets.
When a general conquered another city-state, they held a huge celebration, like a ticker-tape parade, celebrating his victory. Incense filled the air as the parade went by and crowds lined the streets, celebrating the general’s great victory.
There is some question about how Paul pictures himself in this victory parade.
One way to see it is that Paul would be one of the victorious soldiers in God’s parade. The general would be at the front. His victorious soldiers would march behind him. Paul would be one of the soldiers in the battle, following in the parade, celebrating what the general accomplished. That makes sense.
The interesting thing is that Paul chooses a word that suggests a different picture. Paul says he was led in triumph.
The general was followed by his own soldiers, and after them came the defeated and captive soldiers. The people who are being led in triumph are the defeated soldiers.
To be led in triumph is to be one of the prisoners of war at the end of the parade.
Paul uses a word more commonly used of the defeated soldiers.
If Paul means to evoke that image, he would be emphasizing that God is the one who is victorious, the one responsible for the victory. Paul is one of those over whom God has triumphed.
Paul would be a willing and grateful captive in God’s victory march.
You can see an argument on both sides, and both ideas make sense in context.
I do not think it makes much difference to his point. In either case, Paul focuses on why God is leading them in triumph, as evidenced by how people react to the incense. Paul says his ministry is like the fragrant incense in God’s parade.
To the conquering soldiers arriving home in victory, the crowds burn incense to welcome them. To the victorious soldiers, the incense is the sweet smell of success.
But to the prisoners of war following in chains at the end of the parade, the incense is the bitter smell of death and defeat.
The gospel has the same effect. To those perishing, to those who reject it, it is an aroma from death to death. God’s victory parade brings judgment and condemnation.
But to those who embrace the gospel, it is the sweet aroma of life to life. God’s victory parade brings mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
God’s Role vs Paul’s
If you stop and think about it, Paul is making a bold claim. He is saying that God gave him a very important role in this victory.
As an apostle, Paul preaches the gospel, and the gospel has the power of life and death. Paul proclaims this message and people either arrive at death or at life depending on how they respond to what he teaches.
Those who respond to the gospel are like the victorious soldiers, and the incense smells sweet.
Those who reject the gospel are like the defeated soldiers. They hate the incense, and it smells like death and defeat to them.
That reaction comes about because Paul preached the gospel to them. It is Paul’s teaching that has this effect. Which is a bold claim.
He immediately adds, Who is sufficient for these things? to make clear he is not boasting about himself. Paul is walking a fine line.
He is making a claim about the huge impact of his ministry, but he also wants to make clear he is not bragging about himself.
His job is to preach the gospel, and understanding the gospel is a matter of eternal life and death. Therefore his ministry is incredibly important, but it is important because his message is a big deal, not because Paul is personally a big deal.
He is not adequate to produce such a result. It is God working through Paul’s ministry that produces this result. He will talk more about that in the next section.
So we have this balance between Paul’s ministry and the message he teaches. He is saying my message is important, but I myself am not important.
Not Peddlers of God’s Word
He concludes in verse 17:
2 Cor 2:17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
Peddling is something you do when you are trying to make a sale.
If I want to manipulate you into buying my product, I peddle it. I might exaggerate its benefits. I might downplay any problems. That is peddling.
Paul says, I am not peddling the gospel. I am not going to change or distort the gospel to make it more attractive to those who are perishing. I am not trying to hide anything to push for the sale. I am not exaggerating anything to get a certain reaction.
Instead, he speaks clearly with sincerity. He speaks what God has given him to say as if he were standing right before God when he says it. He views himself as answering to God, so he proclaims the message God gave him to proclaim and no other.
To the Corinthians, Paul’s ministry might look like a mess.
He is not the most persuasive, eloquent, or charismatic speaker. In almost every town he visits, people riot, beat him, and run him out of town. He does not arrive with a large entourage and a crowd of faithful followers singing his praises.
Compared to an elite scholar or professor, he looks like a loser. He experiences suffering and apparent failure. Many Jews reject him.
Looking from the outside, it might seem like Paul is not doing a good job.
If he would just change the message, improve his marketing tactics, and employ a slicker, more entertaining presentation, then maybe he would be more successful the way the Corinthians measure success. Maybe more people would listen to him and they would not beat him up so much.
But Paul refuses to do that. Paul is grateful that ultimately God is responsible for the progress of the gospel, and God is winning.
Paul’s job is to proclaim the good news and let that message have its effect. Some will hear it and live. Others will reject it and die.
Of course Paul is not adequate for the task. No one is. But God is capable. God uses an apparent loser like Paul to bring this glorious result about.
And again, why is he saying all this? Because some in Corinth are questioning his integrity and authority as an apostle.
So he paints this picture. I am not adequate to these things on my own, but this is what God is doing with me. Do not ignore me. This is important.
Reflections and Application
A couple of things strike me from this section.
First, Paul gives us a window into his personal struggles as a minister of the gospel.
Being a teacher is a double-edged gift. On the one hand, teachers can give their students a great gift of knowledge about what God says is true. That is wonderful. It is a privilege and a joy to explain eternal, life-changing truths to others.
On the other hand, the teacher has no real power to change anything because each student decides how to respond.
For many endeavors in life, you are in control. You set out to do something, you take action, and you make it happen. You want a clean kitchen? You wash the dishes. You need to get in shape? You exercise. You want to learn piano? You practice daily. Your effort leads directly to progress.
But teaching does not work that way. You can prepare the lesson, deliver it with clarity and passion, and still watch it fall flat. The same talk will be loved by some and hated by others. The outcome depends on whether the student chooses to listen, understand, and apply. Ultimately the outcome depends on whether God has given that person ears to hear.
When a teacher teaches, there is no guarantee that anything will change. The students can listen, ignore, scoff, or take the message to heart. Teachers have no control over that.
We see that in Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians. Paul believes that his ministry of the gospel is a great thing. He has taken great troubles upon himself to impart this gospel to them. It is a message of life. It is a promise that is certain to come true.
But in a real sense, Paul is helpless to ensure they get it.
They ought to be proud of him. They ought to be delighted that Paul is investing his life in bringing this message to them. They ought to respond with faith, gratitude, and joy.
But how they actually respond is in their hands. That is something Paul cannot control.
The potential is there for joy or for sorrow, depending on how they respond. Paul suffers greatly because he knows his message brings eternal life, and yet he sees many of the Corinthians turning away from him.
He writes them a letter in tears. He is so worried about them that he passes up a ministry opportunity just to find out how they are doing.
All of us are in a similar situation with the people we love.
Second, we all have the opportunity to teach and share our faith with others. We are certainly not apostles, and we may not be stand-up teachers, but we all have the opportunity to explain the gospel to someone. We all have the chance to influence and encourage the people we care about.
The ministry of encouraging the ones we love is a great and worthy task. We have the opportunity to help, to encourage, even to teach, but the outcome of that work is not guaranteed.
I have some prodigal family members. I am sure many of you have prodigal friends and family. Their response may bring joy or sorrow, because in the end, they decide what to do with the gospel.
We cannot decide for them. We can try to help. We can try to bring clarity. We can try to encourage, but in the end, they have to decide.
This is especially true in raising our children. We have high hopes and expectations about how our children will respond to the faith, but the response is up to them. We cannot save them any more than we could save ourselves.
This passage is a good reminder that our job is to faithfully explain the truth God has taught us and trust him for the result.
We are not to change the gospel. We are not to manipulate or peddle the gospel to get more numbers in the door. We are not to change it so our children like it better.
We cannot save our friends or family. But we can faithfully live out the truth we have been taught and trust God to take care of the response.
Key Takeaways
- Paul did not change his message to make it more acceptable; he spoke with sincerity, trusting God for the results.
- Teachers have little control over how their students respond to the message they teach.
- We dare not change the gospel to make it more attractive to those who are perishing.
- Our job is to proclaim the truth we know and leave the results to God.
Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.
Next: 04 What’s New About the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 3:1-6)
Previous: 02 Why Paul Didn’t Visit Corinth and What that Means for Us (2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4)
Series: 2 Corinthians: When Church Hurts
Resources to help you study: 2 Corinthians
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Podcast season 26, episode 2