2 Corinthians 7:8-11

2 Corinthians 7:8-11. For though I made you sorry Caused you much distress and pain of mind by the letter I formerly wrote; I do not now repent Of writing it; although I did repent After it was sent away, fearing it might irritate some of you, and produce some ill effect. Or the meaning is, I felt a tender sorrow for having grieved you, till I saw the happy fruit of it. Now I rejoice not barely that ye were made sorry By my letter, for that would rather still give me pain; but that ye sorrowed to repentance To true and genuine repentance, attended with a change of heart and life; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner With a penitential and humble regard to the honour of God: Greek, κατα Θεον , according to God, in the manner God requires. That ye might receive Or so that ye received; damage by us in nothing But on the contrary, as we intended, great benefit, by the severity we were compelled to use. For godly sorrow A sorrow for having offended God, or sorrowing according to the will of God; worketh repentance Productive of fruit worthy of repentance; so the word μετανοια , rendered repentance, implies, denoting such a change in a person’s mind or judgment, concerning some action, word, or disposition, as produces a change in his spirit and conduct for the better in time to come. Unto salvation Issuing in eternal salvation; not Never afterward; to be repented of Or grieved for, as αμεταμελητον properly signifies. But the sorrow of the world Sorrow that arises from worldly considerations; worketh death Temporal, spiritual, and eternal. For behold this self-same thing As if he had said, And it appears that your sorrow was godly, by the excellent fruits and effects thereof; that ye sorrowed after a godly sort In a manner pleasing to God; what carefulness it wrought in you Namely, to amend what was amiss; or what diligence, or earnestness, as ποσην σπουδην rather signifies, namely, diligence manifested in the following particulars. Some had been more, some less faulty, whence arose the various affections here mentioned. Hence their apologizing and indignation, with respect to themselves; their fear and desire with respect to the apostle; their zeal and revenge with respect to the offender: yea, and themselves also. What clearing yourselves From either sharing in, or approving of his sin; indignation That ye had not immediately corrected the offender; fear Of God’s displeasure. or lest I should come with a rod; vehement desire To see me again; zeal For the glory of God, and the soul of that sinner; yea, revenge Ye took a kind of holy revenge upon yourselves, being scarce able to forgive yourselves. In all things ye As a church; have approved yourselves to be pure That is, free from blame, since ye received my letter. Dr. Whitby here remarks, “That true repentance for sin clears us from the guilt of it, not only in the sight of God, but man; so that it is both uncharitable and unchristian to stigmatize or reproach any person for the sin we know or believe he hath truly repented of.”