Not Spoken to Condemn 2 Corinthians 7:3

As Paul the apostle completed the last chapter, he instructed the church members in Corinth to, “Receive us; we have wronged no man,”, and he added, “we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man”. In chapter seven and verse three of Second Corinthians, Paul told the church members, “I speak not this to condemn you”, where we read:

I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before,

that you are in our hearts to die and live with you.

The verse begins, “I speak not this to condemn you:” Paul began with the words, “I speak not” which means “Paul did not utter, declare or proclaim”; “this” or “the idea of wronging, corrupting and defrauding no one” “to condemn you” which means “sentence adversely the church members”. Paul did not tell the church members these things to “sentence” them in an “adverse” way.

The verse continues, “for I have said before, that you are in our hearts to die and live with you.” Paul added the words, “for I have said” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore Paul had shared, declared and proclaimed” “before” or “heretofore, formerly, preceding and in advance of”, “that you are” which means “that the church members were” “in our hearts” or “in Paul and his companions' souls or minds as they are the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes and endeavors” “to die” which means “decease and be as dead” “or live” which refers to “be alive in common” “with you” or “alongside the church members”. Paul shared the same message of which he wrote concerning “before”, that the church members were such a part of their “souls and minds” even unto “death” and “life”.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we perceive his care and concern for the church members. He did not want them to think he was “sentencing” them “adversely”, but rather that they were such a part of he and his companions' “hearts” that they would be with them whether in “life” or in “death”. Jesus Christ desires for His church members to care for one another in this manner. Christians should be “concerned” for each other and love one another and be consistently ready “to die and live” with them.

Next time Paul tells the church members, “great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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