Scripture Reading : 2 Corinthians 7
Theme : Loyalty and Comfort
Having God’s promises in the previous chapter provides powerful motivation for believers to separate from unbelievers. In this passage, Paul continued his plea for the Corinthians to break away from the false teachers and return to him.
- Paul’s love and loyalty for the Corinthians (7:1-4). The apostle knew that as long as the Corinthian church clung to their sinful associations with his enemies, their love relationship with him could not be restored. Therefore it is all the more urgent for the Corinthians to follow his instructions in 6:14-7:1 and sever all ties with the false teachers. Here, Paul reminded them of his innocence against all the false charges and his loyalty towards them.
- Paul’s comforts from the Corinthians (7:5-16). In 2 Cor. 7:5, Paul returned to the narrative that broke off from 2 Cor. 2:14 – 7:4 on the events that followed the sending of the severe letter. In this section, God comforted the anxious, grieving pastor and restored his joy through the safe return of Titus and the repentance of the Corinthian believers. As a result of their repentance, the Corinthians demonstrated their loyalty towards Paul by uniting to discipline the individual who attacked him (cf. 2 Cor. 2:6) and reaffirmed their submission to Paul’s authority (cf. Heb. 13:17). This encouraged Paul to share with them a project that was dear to his heart in chapters 8-9 and also gave him the boldness to confront the remaining pockets of resistance to his apostolic authority in chapters 10-13.
Praying the Scripture
- Despite their unfaithfulness, disloyalty and sin, Paul maintained great confidence and trust in the Corinthians – not because of them, but because he knew that God would complete the saving work He had begun in them (cf. Phil. 1:6). This demonstrated true love that “believes all things, (and) hope all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). Let’s pray that we will believe and hope for the best in our brothers and sisters in Christ even in their imperfection.
- True biblical repentance is not emotional human remorse seeking to relieve stress and improve one’s circumstances. Such remorse is simply the sorrow of the world – wounded pride, getting caught, self-pity – which has no healing and transforming capability. It only produces guilt, shame, resentment, depression, hopelessness and even death (cf. Mt. 27:3-5). But true repentance involves a sorrow over sin which produced a genuine change of heart, leading to a turning away from sin to holiness. This is a healing and transforming sorrow that is according to the will of God, intending for us to feel because it produces repentance. Let’s pray that we will experience godly grief over our sins because repentance is a gracious work of God in the human heart (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25).
经文：哥林多后书7
主题：忠义及安慰
神在上个篇章所列出的应许，是予信徒和非信徒分别为圣的强力动机。在这段经文中，保罗继续求哥林多教会要离开假教师，重归于他。
- 保罗对哥林多教会的爱和忠诚（7:1-4）。保罗晓得只要哥林多教会继续与他的敌人同流合污，他们与他之间的感情是无法恢复的。因此，哥林多教会的当务之急是遵行保罗在6:14-7:1予他们的吩咐，与假教师断绝交往。保罗在这里提醒他们他是清白的，向他的控告是假的，而他对哥林多教会是忠心的。
- 保罗从哥林多教会得着的安慰（7:5-16）。在林后7:5，保罗回到林后2:13所叙述的事；他在2:14-7:4叙述了送严厉之信后所发生的事。在这段经文中，神安慰那位焦虑，忧伤的牧师，并藉着提多安全的回返及哥林多信徒的悔改再度喜乐。悔改后，为显出他们对保罗的忠心，哥林多教会团结合一，管教那位攻击保罗的人（参：林后2:6），并重申他们顺服保罗的权柄（参：来13:17）。这鼓励保罗与他们分享第八至第九章的内容，即一个他关切的项目，又在第十至十三章中大胆对抗他使徒权柄的剩余的阻力。
用经文祷告
- 虽然哥林多教会不忠，不义又犯罪，保罗仍然对他们保持很大的信心与信任；这不因他们的缘故，乃是他晓得神会完成祂在哥林多信徒所开始的拯救工作（参：腓1:6）。这展现了真爱“凡事相信，凡事盼望”（林前13:7）。让我们祷告我们会在主内的弟兄姐妹里相信并盼望最好的，即便我们都不完美。
- 据圣经的真实悔改不是人类感性的忏悔，因其目的是要解压，并改善一人的处境。这种悔改仅是属世人的忧愁：受伤的自尊，被逮住，自怜等，其中没有医治或更新变化的能力。它只会产生愧疚，羞耻，憎恨，沮丧，绝望，甚至死（参：太27:3-5）。然而，真正的悔改包括对罪的哀恸，而它产生的是内心真实的改变，从罪恶转向圣洁。这是神旨意中具有医治和转变力量的忧愁，是神要我们感受到的，因为它能叫人悔改。让我们祷告我们会对罪有依着神意思的忧愁，因为悔改是神在人心里一个满有恩典的工作（参：徒5:31；11:18；提后2:25）。
