Chapter Seven
2 Cor. 7:1. Therefore, beloved, having such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit,
What promises? That is, that we are temples of God, that God Himself and the Father dwells and walks in us. Let us cleanse ourselves from impure deeds — for this is what "defilement of the flesh" means — and from impure and passionate thoughts — for this is what "defilement of the spirit" means, that is, of the soul.
2 Cor. 7:1. Perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
It is not enough, he says, to abstain from impurity, but one must also do something good — "holiness," that is, purity, chastity. He added "in the fear of God" either because there is a chastity preserved out of people-pleasing and not in the fear of God, or in order to show us how one ought to preserve it, namely in the fear of God. For however great the power of the flesh may be, have the fear of God, and you will overcome its frenzy. By holiness, understand not chastity alone, but also in general every purity in life.
2 Cor. 7:2. Make room for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have defrauded no one.
Again he speaks of love. Previously he struck fear into them, saying that they had departed from him and joined themselves to unbelievers and the unclean. Now he softens toward them, saying: "receive us," that is, give us a spacious place within yourselves, so that we are not constrained in you. Hinting at the false apostles, he says: "we have wronged no one" — in possessions; "we have corrupted no one," that is, we have not beguiled anyone by corrupting their mind with impious teaching; "we have taken advantage of no one," that is, we have not sought profit for ourselves under the pretext of preaching.
2 Cor. 7:3. I do not speak to condemn you; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, so as both to die together and to live together.
I say this not to condemn you. How is this evident? From love; for you are in our hearts. But since someone might love yet not wish to expose himself to dangers, he says: "to die together." And since there are many who do not rejoice in the prosperity of friends out of envy, he added: "and to live." The meaning of what is said is this: in dangers we do not flee from you, and in prosperity we live with you and do not envy you.
2 Cor. 7:4. I have great confidence in you, I boast greatly about you,
It would seem that he offended them by saying "you are restricted in your own hearts" and "make room for us." Therefore now he both justifies himself and heals them, saying: I said this not in order to condemn you, but out of my great boldness toward you and out of a desire to urge you to virtue. For that I do not condemn you is evident from the fact that I boast of you before others.
2 Cor. 7:4. I am filled with consolation, I overflow with joy, in all our affliction.
Having corrected yourselves, he says, in that for which I censured you in my former epistle, you filled me with comfort, and not only comforted me, that is, freed me from sorrow, but also abundantly filled me with joy. The abundance of joy he expresses with the word "I exceedingly abound." This joy, he says, was such that in all our affliction, however great it was, it prevailed over and extinguished the affliction. This would seem to contradict what was said about them a little earlier, but in reality it does not contradict it. For both are characteristic of one who loves: the former as one who reproves, and the latter as one who encourages, because reproofs come not from hostility but from intense love.
2 Cor. 7:5. For when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest,
He speaks of his sorrow and describes it in strong terms, in order to show how great was the joy from them, since it drove away even such sorrow. He well said that the "flesh" had no rest; for the soul of Paul was unconquerable.
2 Cor. 7:5. but we were pressed on every side: from without – attacks,
"Attacks" from unbelievers.
2 Cor. 7:5. inside – fears.
Because among the faithful there are weak ones who could be led astray by false brethren.
2 Cor. 7:6. But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
Since he said much in praise of the Corinthians, he brings Titus as a witness. Who then "comforts the downcast"? God, he says. He also comforted us by sending us Titus; for his arrival was sufficient to dispel our sorrow. He also wishes to present this man to them as worthy of respect, which is why he ascribes great significance to his arrival.
2 Cor. 7:7. And not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled concerning you,
He comforted you, he says, not only by being with you during your time of sorrow, but also by announcing to you your virtue, by which he himself was also comforted, that is, he rejoiced over you, accepting you on account of your virtues. He wins for this man their goodwill, as one who praised them before him.
2 Cor. 7:7. Recounting to us your earnest desire, your weeping, your zeal for me,
Probably the Corinthians were weeping and grieving that their teacher was so troubled in spirit and had not been with them for so long. Therefore he did not simply say "tears," but "weeping," and not ἐπιθυμίαν, but ἐπιπόθησιν, that is, intense longing, and not anger, but "zeal" against the fornicator. For my sake you were inflamed and burned to carry out my command; for my sake you were zealous even before the false apostles. The apostle says this not only to heal the former reproaches, but also because he accepts those who have corrected themselves; for although many were wicked and unworthy of these praises, he does not separate them, but praises and reproaches all together, leaving it to the conscience of each to choose what belongs to him.