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2 Corinthians 2

Paul joins costly love and forgiveness to the weight of proclaiming Christ in sincerity before God.

Paul explains to the Corinthians why he chose to write through tears rather than make another sorrowful visit. He then urges them to forgive and comfort someone whose punishment by the congregation has been sufficient; the person’s identity and offense remain unnamed here. After describing his unrest at Troas when Titus was absent, Paul turns to thanksgiving: God spreads the knowledge of Christ through his messengers, whose work carries the weight of life and death.

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1But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.
2For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me?
3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be shared by all of you.
4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
5But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all.
6This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one;
7so that, on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow.
8Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him.
9For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.
10Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
11that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
12Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,
13I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.
14Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.
15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God in those who are being saved and in those who perish:
16to the one a stench from death to death, to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
17For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
2 Corinthians 2:14Paul’s thanksgiving places God’s triumph in Christ alongside his own unrest, with God spreading Christ’s knowledge through his messengers.
2 Corinthians 2:17Speaking in Christ means answering to God, which makes sincerity essential and treating God’s word as merchandise intolerable.
2 Corinthians 2:10Paul joins the congregation’s forgiveness in Christ’s presence, seeking their good and guarding against Satan’s advantage.
Where this chapter reaches

Ephesians and Colossians share this chapter’s connection between forgiveness and life in Christ, while Matthew also addresses forgiveness within the community of believers. The contrast between those being saved and those perishing also appears in 1 Corinthians, where responses to the gospel reveal its life-and-death stakes.

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After reading the whole chapter

What stands out to you about Paul’s concern that the punished person could be overwhelmed by sorrow?

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How does Paul’s unrest at Troas shape your reading of his thanksgiving for God’s triumph?

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Questions people ask about 2 Corinthians 2

Who is the person Paul says to forgive in 2 Corinthians 2?

Paul leaves the person unnamed and does not describe the offense. The congregation has imposed punishment, and Paul now judges it sufficient. Some identify this person with the offender in 1 Corinthians, but this chapter does not establish that connection. Its focus is forgiveness, comfort, and renewed assurance of love.

What does the aroma of Christ mean in 2 Corinthians 2?

Paul uses the image of a spreading scent to describe how God makes Christ known through his messengers. The aroma is pleasing to God, yet it has different associations among hearers: life among those being saved and death among those perishing. The image underscores the gravity of proclaiming Christ.

What does peddling the word of God mean in 2 Corinthians 2:17?

The phrase pictures treating God’s word as merchandise for personal gain. Paul contrasts that practice with speech marked by sincerity, coming from God and spoken in God’s sight. The verse concerns the integrity and accountability of gospel messengers; it does not identify the people Paul has in view.

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What the Bible says about forgiveness →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).