2 Corinthians 7:2-16 Study Guide: Godly Grief
Community Group Study Guide — Godly Grief
2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Study Information:
Many of us have experienced conviction over sin in our lives and rather than repenting and moving forward with change we stay stuck in a cycle of guilt and shame. Some of us can be really soft hearted and easily beat ourselves up over things we’ve done, even years later. It is quite possible you may even think that change is impossible or that God could not love someone like you based on what you have done or what you are currently struggling with. These thoughts can often be traced back to the emotions of guilt and shame and a disordered way of seeing ourselves and God’s grace.
2 Corinthians was written as a follow up letter to a harsh rebuke from Paul that we previously studied and called his “severe letter” (2 Cor 2:3). In our text Paul elaborated on how rebuke and conviction of sin can either lead us towards God or that we can actually get stuck in a cycle of what he called “worldly grief.” Thankfully the Corinthians repented and turned towards God, but there is a danger in what Paul called “worldly grief” which is believing lies that our sin doesn’t matter or that God’s grace applies to someone other than me. In worldly grief we either diminish sin or get hyper focused on the wrong we’ve done that we do not move towards God and holiness. In this passage, Paul showed pastoral love and confidence in the Corinthians as well as taught what repentance looks like in the Christian life.
Paul’s Motive in his Severe Letter
2 Corinthians 7:2-9
Paul returned to the occasion of this letter to the Corinthians, which was their response to his “severe letter.” The motives of his previous rebuke were for their good and godliness. Paul gave three quick statements about his motives and actions as a way to contrast with the false apostles. We can assume that these statements are a way of saying that the false teachers were doing these very things. Paul asserted that they had wronged no one, corrupted no one and taken advantage of no one. The false teacher’s may have been “nicer” and more permissive but they were not loving, they were self seeking.
The previous “severe letter” was likely filled with direct rebukes for their divisive behavior and sexual immorality, and that was loving from Paul. Notice Paul’s motive and his tone. First, Paul wrote that he may have been acting with boldness, but it was also with joy and comfort (2 Cor 7:4). Paul even went as far as to say that he had complete confidence in them (2 Cor 7:16)! Remember, the New Testament letters to this church are some of the most corrective about sinful practices and yet Paul was optimistic about their faith, repentance and growth!
Much of this optimism came because of their response to the “severe letter.” It is likely that their initial response wasn’t great and they likely jumped to conclusions about Paul and his motives saying that he was avoiding them and broke his promise to visit them in person. We explored this previously, but while they were forming those responses Paul was in the middle of persecution almost to the point of death in Ephesus and later in Macedonia (2 Cor 1:8, 1:16, 7:5). In Macedonia, Paul experienced “fighting without and fear within,” which probably is a reference to persecution and internal anxiety around the Corinthian situation. During that time, it was likely that Titus visited the Corinthian church and pastorally helped them work through their assumptions, break from the false teachers and respond to the letter with repentance. Titus then brought word back to Paul and this was a way of practical comfort from God (2 Cor 7:6-7). We’ve been looking at God’s purpose in our suffering and Paul drops a promise from God here, “God comforts the downcast.” Specifically God used people to do this, both Titus’s arrival and the repentance of the Corinthians. For that reason, Paul did not regret sending his “severe letter” because it was used by God to produce repentance, something Paul will now refer to as godly grief.
Godly vs Worldly Grief
2 Corinthians 7:10-16
How do you respond when you become aware of your sin? There is a response to sin that turns our eyes inward and one that turns our eyes towards God. The self-centered inward response is one that will either dismiss or make excuses for behaviors that do not honor Christ, or it will not extend the same level of grace that God does. When we are harder on ourselves than God is, we can often think of our sin as something that God cannot forgive or we can make it a core part of our identity rather than viewing ourselves as redeemed children of God/new creations.
Godly grief acknowledges the sin and moves towards God. It embraces forgiveness and pursues holy action in keeping with our new identity in Christ. Worldly grief leads to death. According to Paul, the world can dismiss, diminish, deny or get stuck in sin and therefore lead to death. This kind of shame and guilt cycle can leave Christians stuck in sin or unresponsive to correction from others and therefore unable or unwilling to walk in the new life that God provides. Thankfully the Corinthians responded with repentance and that “proved themselves innocent,” meaning that they showed they were in Christ and responding from his grace. Paul was not happy that his letter caused emotional distress, but he was joyful about their repentance. That was why Paul wrote to them originally, not just to reveal the motives of the false teachers or the leaders of the anti-Paul group in the church, but so that they would repent and turn back towards God (2 Cor 7:12). We shouldn’t be looking for opportunities to find faults in others, but we should take comfort that God can use his people to point out blind spots and areas of growth and that even though it may produce grief it can be something God uses to lead to repentance.
Looking back this passage shows us so much hopefulness from Paul for the Corinthians that came through the news he heard from Titus. This hopefulness was likely not present months before Paul met up with Titus; Paul described that as a time of “fighting without and fear within,” but God can change hearts and lead people toward repentance. Follower of Jesus, we are invited to experience this kind of comfort from God. We have learned that we can be corrected by the loving rebuke of other Christians and that in itself is a comfort that there are people who love us and will not let us drift. We also learned that God comforts the downcast through people like Titus who can refresh us and bring us news of joy. Finally, God comforts us when people we love repent and turn towards God.
At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.
How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week?
Discussion Questions:
2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Describe the motives of the false teachers and anti-Paul faction from what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:2-4?
What are some ways Paul demonstrated joy and confidence in the Corinthians? What gave him that confidence and comfort?
What are some differences between worldly grief and godly grief? Why do you think Paul made this distinction and how did it connect to the Corinthians?
How can a follower of Jesus keep their heart soft to God’s commands and sin so that they respond to correction with godly grief?
