Summary
Paul explains that he decided not to make another painful visit to the Corinthians. Instead, he wrote to them out of great distress, anguish, and with many tears, not to cause them sorrow, but to show them the depth of his love for them and to encourage their repentance.
Teaching:
“I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all.”
This means that my sorrow is your sorrow, and my joy is your joy — a request for them to be his joy. Paul’s joy is salvation, and his desire is that the Corinthian church, by all means, would live its church life in holiness and sincerity according to God’s wisdom, just as Paul does, and that even more people would be brought into the church.
There are many rebukes in First Corinthians. However, those rebukes were not given to burden or wound the holy people of God in Corinth. Rather, Paul wants them to understand what he means when he says, “that you might know the love which I have especially for you.”
He is asking them to recognize his sorrow because of them and his joy because of them. This is what unity looks like — Paul is not separate from the Corinthian church, but always thinking of them and living in union with them.
Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, Dec 12, 2025
2 Corinthian 2:1-4